Short Stories and Songs

“A chilling exploration of human nature in every song and story.”  -Taylor Vogt, Advanced Literate

Michael’s short stories and poems, in the form of song lyrics, take the reader on ventures far and wide with characters who struggle with temptation, regret and redemption.

Seven Songs and Seven Stories

In the premiere collection, we see a rogue husband on a regrettable road trip in Mississippi (“Time to Run”); a retiring welder who debuts as an opera singer (“Welder Operatic”); a mentally ill teen lured into a sex party on Christmas Eve (“Edward’s Doors”); a freshman at Penn State who runs into her childhood nemesis who’s brothers killed her brother (“Our House”); a blind, young Japanese-American lady who discovers the truth about what caused her blindness (“Jin’s Bridge,” the basis for a feature screenplay); a young man who’s twisted lifestyle is based on a mathematical formula (“Do The F-ing Math”); and a high school English teacher who is seduced by a student with deadly consequences (Amy’s Place); and seven songs that transport us to intimate settings in New York City, Arizona, California, Vietnam, and to dark and secret places.

Seven Other Songs and Seven Other Stories

ML Sund’s second collection of short stories and poems (in the form of song lyrics) showcases his creative depth. Here we join a police academy graduate who privately struggles with guilt over his hidden crime (“The Other Side”); a student in mid-sixties Alabama who finds an unlikely and forbidden protector (“Sanctuary”); a reclusive artist in Denmark who is forced into a life-changing decision (“Miles”); a single father and son who stumble upon a chance to become famous (“Lenny LeBlanc”); a middle-aged man whose trip to San Diego revives memories of a decades-old family tragedy (“Watershed”); a young model from New York who sets her life on a meaningful course following a shocking incident in Italy (“Model Citizen”); and a former ball player in Iowa who puts everything on the line to win back his high school sweetheart; and seven sets of song lyrics that transport us to intimate settings and secret spaces.

Forty-Nine Songs: Poetic Lyrics to be Said and Sung

ML Sund’s third anthology is comprised entirely of poetry in the form of song lyrics. Each of the forty-nine "stories" is a vivid and emotional tale that showcases the author's mastery of short-form storytelling. Whether you read or sing along, you'll be carried away on forty-nine adventures. Some of the works were previously published elsewhere, including Scrittura Literary Magazine.