William J. Ballard, the pride and joy of Sandpoint, Idaho has a very undervalued talent. He has the ability to make a reader smile, belly laugh or break into spasms of tear-induced laughter, then, in a split second cause that same reader to recall moments out of his or her past that lies buried under the dust of almost forgotten memories. This rare talent is much needed in our warp-speed world of international turmoil and hi-tech living. For a few precious moments we can join William and his cast of unforgettable characters in a place where life has no shades of grey. His work is a collection of easy to read, highly entertaining short stories. It could be he had white knuckled air travelers in mind. He could have designed this collection for harried office workers to read during their lunch hours. I think these engaging tales from back home in Idaho were really designed to make the whole world smile...and they do. Robert Cawley-Author "Components of Murder"