Book excerpt: David J. Schow's short stories have been regularly selected for over twenty-five volumes of "Year's Best" anthologies across three decades and have won the World Fantasy Award, the ultra-rare Dimension Award from Twilight Zone magazine, plus a 2002 International Horror Guild Award for his collection of Fangoria columns, Wild Hairs. Black Leather Required collects thirteen of Schow's short stories and includes an intro by John Farris. The stories included in this collection are: The Shaft Sedalia A Week in the Unlife Scoop Makes a Swirly Kamikaze Butterflies Beggar's Banquet, with Summer Sausage Pitt Night at the Lewistone Boneyard Jerry's Kids Meet Wormboy Life Partner Last Call for the Sons of Shock Where the Heart Was Sand Sculpture Bad Guy Hats