Short Stories by John Gilstrap

Dear Reader,

If you've read No Mercy, you know that Jonathan Grave had a troublesome childhood. You know that he grew up as Jonathan Gravenow, but changed his name as a young man to put distance between himself and his mobster father. You also know from No Mercy that he and Venice and Mama Alexander go way, way back.

In July, 2009, I did an interview for Bookreporter.com in which L. Dean Murphy asked a number of questions regarding Jonathan's motivations for being the complex character that he is. Why did he change his name? How did he become such a philanthropist? Why is he so dedicated to lost causes?

Many of the answers lie in Jonathan's childhood. Rather than merely telling people about those formative events, though, I thought I'd let you see them for yourself. Periodically, I'll be posting short stories here on my website that will give you a glimpse into episodes that made Jonathan who he is. Some will be scary, some will be sad, and I hope some will be funny. You know, just like life.

And in case you worry about such things, I promise there will never be a book spoiler among the short stories.

Please take a look and enjoy. Drop me an email and tell me what you think. And, as always, thanks for your interest and support.

Warmest regards,
John Gilstrap

Discipline
Dr. Marvin Eugene Applewaite, Ed.D., had no idea what drew him to open his eyes in the middle of the night, but when he did, and he saw the child's battered face staring at him, he screamed...