The Summer Collection

The Summer Collection is a collection of short stories, novellas and novelettes all with summer settings and themes and all set once again, within that strange and unusual place known as northern New Jersey.

This collection of stories is the author's own personal favorite collection from his seasonal-themed collections and includes some of the author's most famous and popular stories, including the classic military-themed and his (perhaps, arguably) most popular short story Flying in its original and unrevised version.

The Dance is a classic novella with the author's famous characters of Harry and Paul in a glorious romp laced with humor and the normally outlandish adventures of Harry and Paul. When two gorgeous young women invite Harry and Paul to an end-of-high-school-year dance, and Harry purchases an old car, the fun begins for our two favorite characters. They enlist the aid of the old man to resurrect the old car and the old neighborhood's most famous mobster with a heart of gold, Sal Zucchini comes to their rescue in this hilarious story, filled with not only classic adventures and humor, but emotion too.

Hot Coals and Sparks is a novelette with everybody's favorite character of the old man starring front and center as the old man battles hilarious obstacles during a Fourth of July celebration that climaxes in one of the author's most famous final scenes.

Flying is the remarkable short story that tells the story of one of the old neighborhood's favorite characters of Mr. Porter and how underneath his jolly exterior was a humble war hero and how his stories of combat lore and adventure captivated a young man and influenced his life. This emotional tearjerker of a short story is the story that critics and readers alike all consider some of Paul John Hausleben's finest writing.

Unreasonable Expectations is another novella filled with Harry and Paul fun, adventure, and emotions, as this time, our two heroes purchase an old boat to fix up and they use it to lure their two girlfriends to a lake for a Labor Day weekend getaway. Of course, nothing goes as planned for our two heroes, yet in the end, it turns out to be many lessons learned and a barrel of fun. This story contains many of the author's most famous humorous scenes with an encounter with a grouchy traffic police officer, the "assistance" of the old neighborhood's most famous drunkard, Cliffy, and the hilarious adventure of the installation of a television antenna on the perilous roof of a mile-high Catholic convent building. This story is hilarious fun from start to finish with an emotional ending that is sure to bring a sniffle and tear between the rounds of laughter.

The Old Chair is a short story filled with heart-wrenching emotion and poignancy, as the character of Pastor Paul John Henson inherits an old chair from a long-time parishioner of his congregation and then tells the story behind the chair. This, too, is one of the author's finest moments in short stories and an outstanding example of one of his classic short stories.

The Summer Collection finishes off with some words from the author with one of his most popular love poems. Start to finish, The Summer Collection is an undeniable classic and a collection of stories sure to inspire the reader to recall their own summer adventures and to laugh and shed a tear or two along the way.