Abstract
“Assorted and Felonious” is a collection of short stories. Though wide-ranging in voice, style, and tone, each story is similar in that it places characters in testing situations that require a call to action. Frequently, the characters make what we, the reader, deem to be bad decisions. But the purpose of these stories is not to judge. In fact, it is the opposite: it is to recognize a bad decision, yet understand that, were we to swap places with the characters, were we to be faced with their situations and stresses and expectations—and though we may fear it—our own decision might exactly mirror theirs.