"My Life with Mickey," a collection of stories about the late crime novelist Mickey Spillane by his widow Jane Spillane, is now available for pre-order from Coastal Carolina University's The Athenaeum Press for $15.

The 60-page trade paperback is an anthology of recollections from Jane Spillane, his wife of 23 years who lives in the Murrells Inlet home they shared together. The writer died in 2006. Each chapter of the book is paired with photographs of Spillane memorabilia and items around the Spillane household, including the writer's most signature and prized possessions.

Spillane created the legendary pulp fiction character Mike Hammer, who appeared in many of his best-selling novels. But the writer, Jane Spillane says, "wasn't at all like the books he wrote and the characters he created." She describes him as both a disciplined writer and a fun-loving husband.

This publication is the second project from The Athenaeum Press, founded last year by CCU's Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The book is a collaborative effort between Jane Spillane and CCU students Andrew Lesh, a writer, and Sarah Swartz and Sarah Evans, photographers and designers. Spillane told the stories to Lesh, who wrote them for the book.

The book can be ordered through The Athenaeum Press at http://theathenaeumpress.com/order. It will be available for sale in the Chanticleer Store at the HTC Center at the end of January.

For more information, contact Trisha O'Connor, director of The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University, at poconno@coastal.edu or call 843-349-6652.