"Anyone assessing America's best short story writers needs to include Elizabeth Sims in their survey."-- New Pop Lit This twinpack comprises two volumes of short stories, with four in each one. GO-GO DAY If a story by Flannery O'Connor and a story by Chuck Palahniuk got together and had kids, they would be these intense, bitingly sharp tales. Prizewinning author Elizabeth Sims digs into the heart of humanity, with characters who start out knowing what they want, and end up knowing what they need. Their paths are rutted and dangerous!In "Dixon Amiss," a lithograph pressman gets a visit from a couple of guys with a life-changing message for him. Regina, a routinely shamed student in "The Cashmere Club" has a shitty life, but seizes a chance for a strange yet comforting makeover. The manchild at the center of "West Forkton Days" teaches himself a searing lesson about chance, love, and art. And the heroine of "Go-Go Day" yearns to be doted on, yet seeks ultimate liberation on her own terms.These are stories for readers who love to think-and who love life. I AM CALICO JONES These four short stories by award-winning author Elizabeth Sims are her hand-picked favorites. Love stories? Happy endings? Tough breaks? We got 'em. If you're a fan of the Lillian Byrd crime novels, you'll be delighted to finally know what Calico Jones thinks about when she's tied up, awaiting execution at the hands of geopolitical terrorists. Regrets? She's had a few. The three other stories explore the range of lesbian experience from wacky to warm, from heartbreak to hilarity. Says an early reviewer: "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to go camping." We might add, you'll never feel the same standing in front of a bank teller again.