"The Weight of a Body" is a collection of 12 contemporary short stories by Wyoming writer Michael Shay. The stories are set in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Florida, and Maine.

Michael’s themes include displacement and dislocation, states-of-being well known to westerners. But you don’t have to be from Wyoming’s high plains to realize that people are mischievous creatures and always find new and interesting ways to screw up their lives. There’s always at least a glimmer of hope for redemption. Says Michael: “I try to bring some humor to my characters' predicaments, sometimes dark humor that flirts with despair.”

“The Weight of a Body” is available on this site and through Ghost Road Press.

Go here for a sample from one of the stories, "Mud Woman Gets Busy."