James Hanna has been a regular contributor to the short fiction site, Literally Stories, for several years now. His diverse work is always popular and his story, "The Time My Dad Chewed Out a Cop," was chosen as a reader's favorite. His work is entertaining and accessible even though he most often uses his stories to examine the darker side of life with characters who are damaged by their reality.

Whatever the subject matter, James displays an acute perception of the world we live in. He explores the issues of exploitation, boundaries, temptation, social acceptability, the law, and corruption often through the actions of unsavory characters with their own selfish agendas.

James' social commentary is clear throughout his work. Whether it is from the passivity of the old couple in "The Hangings," with their strange acceptance of their pending execution, the innocence of the hustler in "Sam the Poontang Man," who learns that everything depends on who you take money from, or the hubris of the Cop in "Busting Yu Yan," who is willing to use entrapment as a means to an end. All these characters are well-observed and therefore recognizable to the reader.

There is a wryness in all of James Hanna's work and therefore a touch of devilment. He also balances his stories perfectly with a subtle counterpoint. James uses the hidden, unsavory side of our character to fuel the issues in this very colorful and immensely entertaining collection. The stories are multilayered and each one, in its own way, requires some contemplation from the reader. This means that you never truly remove yourself from a James Hanna story. We at Literally Stories believe that this is a great collection of short fiction.

Diane Dickson, Nik Eveleigh & Hugh Cron, Editors at Literally Stories

"Shackles is wise, quirky, sardonic, scary, crass, noisy, and darkly humorous. But most of all it is fun. Big fun. Because the shadows that creep across these pages are not just symbolic of the human condition. They are the human condition at its most perfectly imperfect."

- Robert McGuill, author of Grave Spring and The Outskirts of Nowhere.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

JAMES HANNA roamed Australia for seven years before settling on a career in criminal justice. He spent twenty years as a counselor in the Indiana Department of Corrections, and recently retired from the San Francisco Probation Department where he was assigned to a domestic violence and stalking unit. James' familiarity with the criminal element has provided fodder for much of his writing. His debute novel, The Siege, depicts a hostage standoff in a penal facility. Rob Slavens, Top 100 Reviewer, writes: This is the raw, gritty, and complex reality of life in prison, and the best of its genre that I have ever come across. Call Me Pomeroy, James' second novel, chronicles the madcap tales of a street musician on parole who joins Occupy Oakland and its spinoff movements in England and France. He does not join for political reasons but to get on television, attract an agent, and land a million dollar recording contract. The first chapter, appearing in Empty Sink Publishing, was deemed Editor's Choice for that issue. James' short stories are written in many genres, including science fiction. His tales are published in those journals that like stories written in blood. Stories that deal with unvarnished truth over political correctness. Red Savina Review, The Literary Review, Crack the Spine, and Sixfold have all published James' stories. Many of James' stories appear in A Second, Less Capable Head and Other Rogue Stories, his third book. James' books received two gold medals and a bronze from Readers' Favorite International Awards and a silver medal from Independent Press Awards. Three of his short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. --This text refers to the paperback edition.