The Humorous World Of Author
Patrick F. McManus
Patrick F. McManus was a legendary author whose wit and humor left an indelible mark on the literary world. Despite his passing in 2018, he remains much loved by his fans who continue to discover and enjoy his works. This site is dedicated to continuing Pat's legacy.
The McManus Story Continues . . .
March 2026
NEW FOR MARCH AT CAMP McMANUS!
CALLING ALL WRITERS! Pat has so many tips and advice on writing that we are opening the McManus School for Wayward Writers. This month, Pat discusses his story, “My First Deer and Welcome to It”. What steps did he take to make sure readers would believe such an outlandish tale? How did he use observers and young Pat’s own ignorance to take the humor to a whole new level? Grab a pencil and get ready to take notes!
Remember the movie “Julie & Julia”? It’s the one where a woman in New York City decides to take a year to make every recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. We love that movie!
We thought, "Let’s do the same thing with Dad and his sister's (the Troll's) cookbook, Whatchagot Stew!" We grabbed the book and began thumbing through the pages. We already use its recipes to make pancakes, bread, salads, and pies. “This is going to be great!” we thought. But the more recipes we read, the more our faces (and our enthusiasm) paled. Neither of us wanted to make, let alone eat:
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Kokanee Quiche
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Crawdads
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Trout Kabobs
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Venison Liver (I’m sorry to say I have tried this one. You can read about it in this month’s “Growing Up McManus” essay, "The Trouble With Food".)
Apparently our aunt assumed it would be appropriate to include actual troll food in “Whatchagot Stew”. Clearly, she overstepped.
BBQ with Pat & his sister, Patricia the Troll.
Even though the "trollish" recipes in “Whatchagot Stew” scared us off our plan to cook every recipe in the book, there are still plenty of awesome recipes. We’ll add a couple to Bun's Cookbook each month that you can trust to be delicious. And, BONUS, you now know where to find great recipes for tried and true troll food.
