Midlife Meltdowns, Existential Crises, and Hugs (Maybe?) – Mary Paula Hunter’s Short Story Collection is a Wild Ride
Ever feel like you’re teetering on the edge of absurdity? Welcome to CAN I HAVE A HUG FIRST?, the latest short story collection from writer and performance artist Mary Paula Hunter. This book is a high-voltage, no-holds-barred dive into the minds of midlife adults desperately trying to make sense of an already senseless world. Spoiler alert: they don’t always succeed.
Hilarious, tragic, and delightfully off-kilter, CAN I HAVE A HUG FIRST? turns inner chaos into art. Born out of Hunter’s career as a performance artist, these monologues-turned-stories pulse with energy, wit, and an uncanny ability to expose the neuroses we’d rather pretend we don’t have. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re losing your mind or if the world got there first—this book has answers. (Well, sort of.)
Hunter isn’t new to dazzling audiences—her debut novel Someone Else (2019) snagged a five-star Amazon rating and a nod from Kirkus Reviews. Her work has been praised as "brilliant" by The Village Voice and The Manhattan Spirit. She’s also placed in the top 3% at Glimmer Train—which basically means she’s got literary street cred.
Set for release on February 18, 2025, CAN I HAVE A HUG FIRST? will be available for $18.95. Grab a copy and get ready to laugh, cry, and question everything. Just don’t ask for a hug—we can’t guarantee one.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: CAN I HAVE A HUG FIRST?
Author: Mary Paula Hunter
Genre: Fiction – Short Stories
ISBN: 978-1-963115-26-0
Price: $18.95
Publication Date: February 18, 2025
About the Author
Mary Paula Hunter took the scenic route to writing—starting as a performance artist fusing text with dance. Her work has been published in Gulf Coast, Flash Fiction Magazine, and almost in Glimmer Train (top 3% is still brag-worthy). Raised in the Midwest by a family of eccentrics, she now resides in Providence, RI, with her husband, Brown University historian Richard Meckel.
Media Contact
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