title: Stealing Smokes
author: Hanlon, John
description: In his second collection of short stories John Hanlon sets out to entertain with six short and sometimes twisted tales about growing up (or never growing up).
  In the title story, two boyhood friends meet up later in life and one of them discovers that if you practice deception there is usually a price to pay. In other stories we find megalomania often comes in small packages, children learn from adults when often the reverse should apply and even the seemingly innocent can harbour guilty secrets.
  Told with cheeky irreverence in an Antipodean tone of voice, these stories, while pure fiction, will often be so close to your truths they are bound to resonate. And as is always the way with Hanlon's stories -- they'll almost certainly get you in the end.
  About the Author
  
  John Hanlon is a Eurasian who was raised variously in New Zealand, Malaya, Singapore and Australia. In the early 1970s he accidentally became a New Zealand pop star. A few hit songs and a significant number of awards followed before he chose to seek a quieter life. He then spent three decades as a Creative Director in Australia, before returning to live in New Zealand to explore less certain creative pursuits like writing fiction.