Matthew C. Woodruff
With sardonic wit and complete irreverence, Matthew Woodruff is one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Woodruff is a master of dark humor and satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.
It is said that Matthew was born with a book in one hand and a pen in the other (his poor mother has never forgiven him but hey, at least it wasn’t a typewriter…). Shortly after the release of his first book, Matthew was named ‘Author of the Month’ by Self Publishers Showcase for September 2018.
A native New Yorker, Matthew is now on staff at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Matthew is an award-winning magazine features writer, editor, and publisher. Matthew’s vision of the world around us – seen in his dark humor and dark fiction works – is unique and not to be missed.
TALES from the AETHER: The Best Short Stories of 2020 (Dark Humor, Short Stories)
Finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards!
In these 14 stunningly original, provocative and entertaining stories, the reader confronts questions and situations never before considered by mere mortals. A compilation of what seems like ordinary events quickly unfold to reveal possibilities humanity has only ever dared to consider.
Imagine you’ve woken up in a strange place, completely in the dark… or perhaps…Your loved one has a mystical connection with an event 2000 years in the past… or…Only you can release a trapped race of beings from our world… or…Destiny opens up before you one fateful box at a time… or…Your afterlife is not at all what you thought it might be… or…You finally have a chance to return to the past and correct a fateful mistake, but at what cost… or…Only you can see into another person’s soul…
These are just some of the poignant, thrilling, funny, and unusual things happening to the absolutely realistic characters in TALES from the AETHER that could be any one of us.
All from the mind of the incomparable Matthew C. Woodruff, Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, this is Woodruff at his best: profound, humorous, sympathetic—revelatory.
26 Absurdities of Tragic Proportions (Dark Humor, Short Stories)
RANKED #3 in HOT NEW RELEASES (Dark Humor) on AMAZON in its Second Week! From Mystery to SciFi, from Drama to Fairy Tale and from Adventure to Gothic, this book has something for everyone. This is an entertaining and humorously ‘dark’ collection of short tales inspired by the famous illustrations in Edward Gorey’s ‘Gashlycrumb Tinies’. These 26 tales tell of the misadventures of the children in Gorey’s famous illustrations. You will laugh, hope and fall in love with these characters. Imminently enjoyable! The imagery presented will stay with the reader long past the time the book is finally set down.
“Amazingly, I found myself laughing almost as frequently as I sobbed, which is really saying something about Mr. Woodruff’s genius…resulting in one of my favorite reads ever. In his book, 26 Absurdities of Tragic Proportions, Mr. Woodruff uses one particular work of Edward Gorey…In his mystifying short story book, Matthew elaborates on that brief sentence and continues to do so all the way from ‘A’ to ‘Z’. I think it was a true work of artistry for the author to take 26 itty-bitty yarns and spin them into one spectacular, albeit grim, multicolored blanket with which to cover oneself on a cold night. From Amy’s stumble down the steps to Zilliah’s death by gin, I couldn’t read these tales fast enough, and now I am greatly saddened that it has all ended…One will be glad to know that perhaps 98% of the content of the tales was the lead-up with the final 2% being the actual denouement. To me, ironically, this is what really made the tales come alive…With every story, I was astonished as to how the author could take one little line and make a full-fledged, sometimes intricate, tale from it.”-OnlineBookClub.org