FAQ
With the emanate publication of
Dysphoric Notions (Ring of Fire Books) on September 25, 2012, I get a
funny barrage of questions. Here are the top three:
Dysphoric Notions (Ring of Fire Books) on September 25, 2012, I get a
funny barrage of questions. Here are the top three:
#1 And this one is weird. How
long is it?
I repeat. How long
is it?
I get asked this question so much that I really ought to have a
scripted answer. Each time I get this question, I’m just so baffled.
Here it is: after edits, the final product is about 170 paperback
pages. It was 226 pages on 8 ½ x 11 paper with 1” margins, double
spaced and with a 12 pt courier font. And when I wrote it, I wrote
it in composition notebooks, four or five of them. Word count? About
50,000 words. Now let me ask: why
does it matter?
long is it?
I repeat. How long
is it?
I get asked this question so much that I really ought to have a
scripted answer. Each time I get this question, I’m just so baffled.
Here it is: after edits, the final product is about 170 paperback
pages. It was 226 pages on 8 ½ x 11 paper with 1” margins, double
spaced and with a 12 pt courier font. And when I wrote it, I wrote
it in composition notebooks, four or five of them. Word count? About
50,000 words. Now let me ask: why
does it matter?
#2
How long did it
take to write?
I love this question. Well, as of 9/12/12, 13 days before launch, I
was still working on it. I remember the day I started it too. I
made the first pen strokes on the morning of January 12, 2009. 45
months is the long answer.
How long did it
take to write?
I love this question. Well, as of 9/12/12, 13 days before launch, I
was still working on it. I remember the day I started it too. I
made the first pen strokes on the morning of January 12, 2009. 45
months is the long answer.
I
started my work on Dysphoric
Notions
two days after I graduated from Goddard College. Two days was enough
time to sufficiently recover from the hangover. I don’t remember
exactly when I finished the first drafts of it, but I started writing
the next novel sometime in March 2009. I feel like I wrote the
initial 2 or 3 drafts in about 8 weeks. Again: why
does it matter?
started my work on Dysphoric
Notions
two days after I graduated from Goddard College. Two days was enough
time to sufficiently recover from the hangover. I don’t remember
exactly when I finished the first drafts of it, but I started writing
the next novel sometime in March 2009. I feel like I wrote the
initial 2 or 3 drafts in about 8 weeks. Again: why
does it matter?
#3
Is it any good?
What
a question. Well, yeah, it’s pretty good. Is it the best novel I’ve
written? No, I haven’t written that one yet.
Is it any good?
What
a question. Well, yeah, it’s pretty good. Is it the best novel I’ve
written? No, I haven’t written that one yet.
#4
Who is your
publisher?
Ring of Fire. They’re in Seattle. They’re great. They have a
wonderful business model. Please support them by 1) buying my book.
2) Buying other books. 3) Telling everyone you know.
Who is your
publisher?
Ring of Fire. They’re in Seattle. They’re great. They have a
wonderful business model. Please support them by 1) buying my book.
2) Buying other books. 3) Telling everyone you know.
#5
How did you come up
with the title?
It came about because I didn’t know how to spell hangover. (Hang
over? Hang-over? Hangover? Hangover.) So, I looked it up, and what
struck me—a feeling of dysphoria due to chemical intoxication. I was also taken with the notion that a hangover could be a residual bad feeling from a former time. The
working title was “The White Party” and I suspect that that means
something different to you than it does to me.
How did you come up
with the title?
It came about because I didn’t know how to spell hangover. (Hang
over? Hang-over? Hangover? Hangover.) So, I looked it up, and what
struck me—a feeling of dysphoria due to chemical intoxication. I was also taken with the notion that a hangover could be a residual bad feeling from a former time. The
working title was “The White Party” and I suspect that that means
something different to you than it does to me.
#6
Is it true? No.
It’s fiction. Don’t be silly.
Is it true? No.
It’s fiction. Don’t be silly.
#7
Did you choose the
cover?
Ring of Fire chose it and I love it.
Did you choose the
cover?
Ring of Fire chose it and I love it.
#9
Is this your first
published novel?
Sort of. My novel Sand
and Asbestos ran
on Sophia Ballou in 2011 as a serial. Dysphoric
Notions
is the first of my novels to be published with money transactions.
Is this your first
published novel?
Sort of. My novel Sand
and Asbestos ran
on Sophia Ballou in 2011 as a serial. Dysphoric
Notions
is the first of my novels to be published with money transactions.
AND
#10
What’s the book
about?
I love this question and I get it so rarely. Well, it’s about love
and loss and self discovery. It’s a tour of central Denver from the
confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River all the way to the
INS office in a vague place on the outskirts of town. It’s about
adversity and drinks and family and beating the odds. It’s a travel
piece and it even has a few cocktail recipes. Ultimately, it’s a
love story.
What’s the book
about?
I love this question and I get it so rarely. Well, it’s about love
and loss and self discovery. It’s a tour of central Denver from the
confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River all the way to the
INS office in a vague place on the outskirts of town. It’s about
adversity and drinks and family and beating the odds. It’s a travel
piece and it even has a few cocktail recipes. Ultimately, it’s a
love story.