About the author

Mark Fine

<p><em>Variety</em> magazine named former Universal record label chief, Mark Fine, &lsquo;Music Executive with 20/20 Vision&rsquo;. Good thing too as Mark admits to being tone-deaf. This explains his failed effort to write a song (despite decades in the music biz). Exasperated, Mark wrote instead a stout 86,000-word saga: the critically acclaimed novel, <em>The Zebra Affaire</em>. Hence Mark&rsquo;s fondness for short stories; they are shorter than an epic novel, yet longer than a song.</p><p>An incorrigible researcher, Mark immigrated to America from South Africa, in an effort to understand what it means to be &lsquo;a stranger in a strange land&rsquo;. The stories in this folio are not autobiographical, nevertheless they reflect Mark&rsquo;s stated belief, <em>&ldquo;Whether you are a square peg out of water or a fish in a round hole; at best it feels awkward, or worse, it can be deadly.&rdquo;</em></p><p>Due to his African roots, Mark remains a strong advocate for wildlife conservation and the protection of elephant and rhino.</p><p>The author would like to thank the following publications where these stories first appeared, in slightly different form: &ldquo;Karmic Odds&rdquo; in <em>Twisted Tales</em>, &ldquo;Mark of the Hyena&rdquo; in <em>Crooked Tales</em>.</p><p>Readers may follow Mark Fine&rsquo;s efforts to compose his first song and write his next book, at the links below:</p><p></p><p>www.markfinebooks.com</p><p>www.finebooks.co</p><p>http://www.facebook.com/ZebraAffaire</p><p>Twitter @MarkFine_author</p>