All and Then None of You

By Melissa Flores Anderson

from Cowboy Jamboree Press
good grit lit.

Take a road trip across California's rural locales and well known landmarks with a cast of misfits in All and Then None of You, the debut short story collection from writer Melissa Flores Anderson (author of A Body in Motion and Roadkill). From a run down motel in Lake County to a fast food parking lot off I-5 just north of Los Angeles to a stopover for Monarch butterflies on the California Coast, these stories showcase the beauty and isolation that inhabit the quiet corners of the state, and each story is filled with yearning, heartache and moments of delight.

"All and Then None of You captures the essence of life's liminal moments. Melissa explores the landscapes of California and the tender nuances of human relationships-those fleeting, vulnerable exchanges that shape who we are. Her characters are vividly real: like the childhood friend you've lost touch with, the neighbor whose story you've yet to uncover, or the many iterations of yourself you revisit in old notebooks and letters and yellowing photos. Each tale delves into the universal questions of love, belonging, and whether we feel worthy of the affection we seek.

What makes this collection even more immersive is its soundtrack. With each story, a QR code leads to a song that perfectly complements the mood, enhancing the reading experience. As I read, I couldn't help but imagine this as the perfect companion for a California road trip-where music, stories, and the golden hills of the state meet. Warm, introspective, and rich with emotional depth, All and Then None of You is a celebration of the beauty found in small moments and the colorful characters who populate our lives."

-Amy Marques, editor of Duets and Duets+1 and author of Parts

"The stories in All and Then None of You are about people up and down California who are out of place in their own lives. She forces her characters, from the former baseball star who couldn't afford college to the new mother pursued by a modern-day Lancelot, to face the facts of a present that is far from what they had hoped it would be. In literary forms ranging from the conventional to the experimental, complete with the soundtrack of our generation, every story flashes a polished surface that gives way to depths of incredible precision and complexity-because that's how our lives really are if we're willing to look. Anderson looks much closer than might be safe for any of us, and still shows that there is still time for all of us to find our way."

-Alex Russell, finalist for the James Alan McPherson Prize for the Novel

"Don't read this book at bedtime because you won't be able to put it down. It is very hard not to binge read. Each story is long enough to be meaningful, and short enough to convince yourself that you can read 'just one more.' I stayed up way too late many nights These stories are about searching for acceptance in a superficial world. This is a universal theme that is meaningful to everyone, everywhere, but the way Flores Anderson writes about it makes this collection especially meaningful to women."

-Pat Lopes Harris, writer and communications professional

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FNRC4WXR
• ISBN13: 9798296980878
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"