This book is my second collection of 22 short stories. I use fiction to explore the important things in our lives in my life: a grandfather's relationship with his grandson, the energy and excitement of youth; death, our belief that it just won't happen to us, and a glimpse into the time afterwards; chaos and destruction happening to unsettle our lives and take away what we have, the hope for a new tomorrow, a new sunrise, a new day; the choices we make in life and how they affect us, living for the moment, preparing for the future; being alone, loneliness, the fear of having no one to share our frustrations and joys with; seeing ourselves as we are, as we want to be, as others perceive us; a mother's feelings toward her children, a child's reaction to abandonment; the necessary and somewhat silly reactions we have to life. A variety of characters take us through the woods, down trails, and into our own minds: spiders and snakes, the old and the young, male and females, fish and frogs, ants and wasps, pigeons, a mirror, a tree. How, you ask, can a snake's words or actions tell me something about myself, how I feel, how I handle adversity? Read and you will discover. Life is lived by walking along a trail. Sometimes that trail is smooth and easily traversed, while other times it is full of ankle-twisting rocks and turns and switchbacks that confuse and distract you. At times it is canopied with towering shade-providing oaks, while other times you are forced to endure the scorching heat of the sun. Occasionally it is paved in concrete, easily seen and followed, with benches and water fountains and a hand-rail of steel to guide you, while other times you must pound the dust of the trail, getting dirty while stepping through thorny vines and past poisonous ivy, sometimes losing sight of the trail and having to chop and hack your way through. That's life. It's a trail that both tests and rewards those who keep walking. This book, Concrete and Steel, tells stories of doing so, of walking, and sometimes running. I hope that you enjoy it. If you are curious, then take a look at these books: