Endings: Poetry and Prose, published November 16, 2015
What’s the book’s first line?
“Jasper’s Fine Art” First line: Jasper’s thesis advisor had rejected all his ideas, and so he was desperate to think up another.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Dead ends, murderous deeds, and unfulfilled lives all combine in a unique collection of poems and stories acknowledging that sometimes things just don’t work out.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
As a poet and short story writer, works often spring to life from confrontations with my own despair or learning about the despair of others. I cannot deny that my namesake inspired the tone of Endings: Poetry and Prose. But rather than horror, I find nobility in the tough choices people make, and wanted to encapsulate that into the characters I have created.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
We all experience pain, sorrow, and find ourselves in situations we cannot control, no matter how hard we try. Through reading the tales and poems about people who probably made the worst choices, we can sympathize, and find instruction.