BOOKS
The Locklear Letters
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The Locklear Letters is a farcical look at celebrity worship in today's society through the eyes of Sid Straw, an affable, if not boring, software salesman who tries to rekindle an acquaintanceship with his former college classmate turned Hollywood star Heather Locklear.
His innocent letter requesting an autographed picture begins a bizarre turn of events that eventually costs him his job, foils his romantic intentions toward a co-worker, drains his finances, and generally ruins his life.
Sid, a Don Quixote character with large blind spots regarding the fate of his one-sided correspondence with the movie star and his own behavior, cannot escape the wrath of lawyers, public relations bulldogs, angry bosses, and ex-girlfriends that drags his life down the tubes. Until he fights back.
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Amazon.com Breakout Book for Summer 2003
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Village Voice Beach Reads for 2003
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BookSense selection as the #1 Novel from Small Presses
You Poor Monster
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"You Poor Monster" is the story of a young Baltimore lawyer who is thrown into an ugly divorce proceeding and finds himself befriending his client, the charming and generous Sam Shoogey. Shoogey is a former war hero, college football star, professional boxer and novelist. Or is he? As more and more of Shoogey's sweet and funny tales unravel, the narrator unexpectedly finds himself drawn even more to Shoogey, posing (and ultimately answering) the question, "Is a lie a lie if you know it's untrue, or is it just a story?"
And is You Poor Monster just a story, too? Well, it says "a novel" on the cover. But, through the use of endnotes, the author deconstructs the book as we read it, breaking down the wall between author and narrator and leaving us to ask if this is really an autobiography. Are the author and the narrator the same person? Are the author and Shoogey the same person? Did any of the events in You Poor Monster actually happen? Is the author entertaining us, or revealing himself? Or both? And why does the author continually insist that the book's editor remove anything even remotely unflattering about the narrator's wife and children?
Baltimore Magazine's Best Novel of 2005.
Corrections to My Memoirs
​Mike's first short story collection, "Corrections to My Memoirs", was released in January 2007. Click here to read the title story.
This short story collection was originally to be entitled "The Handwriting Patient", after one of the first stories in the book. [Publisher's Note: This is true.]
It was a pretty darned good title. [Publisher's Note: That's debatable.]
Then came the controversy about James Frey's "memoir" A Million Little Pieces, which I need not describe to anyone who would be inclined to look at this webpage. [Publisher's Note: True.]
When that happened, we all looked at each other and said, "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't there a story in the book called Corrections to My Memoirs? And isn't it concerned with the questionable integrity of a supposed memoir?" Before you knew it, we had decided to change the title of the collection to "Corrections to My Memoirs". [Publisher's Note: Mr. Kun has taken some liberties here. The statements he has attributed to us are not direct quotes. Moreover, we could not have "looked at each other" as we were in different cities at the time of the conversation, which was conducted over the telephone.]
A Thousand Benjamins
After being out of print for several years, "A Thousand Benjamins" was re-released in paperback by MacAdam Cage.
A wistful tale about two sad but funny people, "A Thousand Benjamins" resonates with bittersweet insights. Benjamin Sacks, 40, is a salesman with a tragic past and a recent divorce. Kimberly Cassella is a green-eyed 23-year-old waitress with a secret: a disfiguring heart-surgery scar.
Their romance, set in Baltimore, forces Benjamin to confront himself and his feelings about the people in his life.
The Baseball Uncyclopedia
Mike co-wrote a humorous, non-fiction book about baseball called "The Baseball Uncyclopedia".
It was published by Emmis Books and is available right now.
If you're curious before you buy it, you can preview the book by clicking here.
To share your thoughts about the book with Mike, click here.
The Boston Globe wrote an article about it called "Deflating the tall tales of baseball."
You can read it here.
Mike was interviewed on the "Coast to Coast" show (broadcast on the Legal Talk Network). Click here to listen to it.
Mike was also interviewed by Scott Lynn of 1190KEX (Portland, OR). Click here to listen to it.
My Wife and My Dead Wife
"My Wife and My Dead Wife" is the story of Hamilton Ashe, an Atlanta tailor. His relationship with his live-in girlfriend Renee is jeopardized by her decision to become a country-and-western singer, mostly because her songs are terrible, but also because of his failed marriage to Shellie and his lingering memories of the death of a childhood classmate.
The Football Uncyclopedia
As if "The Baseball Uncyclopedia" weren't enough, Michael alo co-wrote (with Adam Hoff) a humorous, non-fiction book about football called "The Football Uncyclopedia".
Mike was interviewed by Michael Cooper on the "Michael Cooper Sports Talk" program. Click here to listen to it.
Everybody Says Hello
"Everybody Says Hello" follows forty-something Sid Straw as he moves from Baltimore to Los Angeles to start a new job and a new life. Everything would be great if he could just get out of his own way.
From the Author:
I loved every moment of writing and editing"Everybody Says Hello". Not for a moment did it feel like work. To the contrary, I had a big, stupid grin on my mug the entire time I was writing it, and I hope readers will have the same expresion on their faces as they read the letters, emails and postcards of Sid Straw as he relocates from Baltimore to Los Anglese for a new job.
Sid Straw is not an everyman. Instead, I think of him as someone we have all known at some point in our lives. A good person, a decent person, but a person for whom things always take a wrong turn. Someone who inches close to making the right decision before making the wrong one. Someone who tries just a little too hard, says just a little more than he should, and it's that extra effort of those extra few words that are his undoing. He has a sense of humor. He can be charming. He's certainly smart and unquestionably interesting. And if he could just get out of his own way, his life could be wonderful.
I understand that Sid Straw is frustrating and perhaps unlikeable at times. He was built that way on purpose. The book wouldn't work otherwise. But I hope readers will ultimately find themselves rooting for him the same way they root for their own, equally imperfect friends.
The Movie Uncyclopedia
"The Movie Uncyclopedia" is an ebook written by Mike and his friends Eric Feinstein, Lou Harry, and Theresa Hoiles. The book explores the many things everyone thinks they know about the movies - but are completely wrong about.
The Movie Uncyclopedia is now available for your iPad, Nook and Kindle!For just $2.99!
You can get it at Amazon.com by clicking here.
You can get it at iTunes by clicking here.
You can get it at Barnes & Noble.com by clicking here.
You can mail the Queen of England about the book at the following address:Her Majesty The QueenBuckingham PalaceLondon SW1A 1AA
To see the YouTube trailer for the book, click here.