Where Did She Hide The Carolers?
Good morning!
I am so excited to announce that my first short story and poetry collection is now available for Pre-Order! Where Did She Hide The Carolers? will be released next week, December 8, 2023!
You can pre-order an author signed paperback from my website, or sign up for your Kindle version. Unfortunately Amazon paperbacks won’t be available until December 8.
This isn’t nearly as long as I set out for, but I’m immensely proud of each piece. The work in this collection spans over ten years, featuring my best writing throughout my twenties. This year, I put a lot of time into the short stories included. But all the poetry was born during inconsistent bursts of artistic release as I transitioned into adulthood- and they were necessary for my sanity!
The collection starts with The Benevolent Bartender: a short story that I believe introduces the spirit of what’s to come. Stories and poems like A Wild Bill Tale, WSUX, and New King are playful and creative. A Different World and Lady of the Lake test my range. The songs Coffee and Bullshit and Cold War/ Sinking Anchor showcase my writing peaks over the last ten years.
The title piece Where Did She Hide The Carolers? has been on my mind since I was in high school. For so long I felt the emotional notes were too powerful for me to communicate. Well I gave it a shot this fall, and after a little work, I’m very proud of the result. It is a lonesome holiday reality that too many people understand well.
I challenged myself with this collection. I love writing magical realism, like Spirit Foul. That’s alive in Bartender, and this isn’t the last time I’ll write that character. But I also wanted to hit different tones, points-of-view, and styles. This is the natural progression for my writing journey. I feel myself being stretched and challenged, and I think, getting better.
Some advice I’ve found for new writers includes finding your lane and writing a lot in it. Kind of like music, don’t try to appease every audience. This collection is me feeling around, finding the lane. I’d describe my lane as featuring dry humor, interesting characters, straightforward, and REAL.
Idk, read it and let me know what you think I should do next.
Z