Around twenty years ago, I worked with a colorful middle aged Vietnam-vet ex-heroin addict named Alan. He had a vivid imagination and kept the office entertained with stories of his imaginary characters including one from Brooklyn named Monte di Monti. Sadly Alan is no longer with us but his character Monte is, as I have been inspired to write short fictional pieces about him, his friends, and the world he lived in. Writing these stories about di Monti has led me to expand to writing other fictional stories using historical characters, both real and fictional.