Kurt Vonnegut Tribute

With this Vonnegut-esque self portrait, I’m pleased to announce my short story, Fido, will soon be available in a Kurt Vonnegut Tribute Anthology, So It Goes! Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite writer and the one responsible for pushing me seriously into writing. When I heard about this anthology, I HAD to be a part of it. It will be available by the end of March. If you’re as excited as I am about it, you can pre-order it now!

Why am I such a Vonnegut fan?

I started with an affinity for genre fiction, reading fantasy and other entertaining books. I wanted to write a book, and at about sixteen I did. Soon after, I began to gain an appreciation for literature. I read the high school standard books in English, and my mind began to open to new and higher levels.

One day at the grocery store I found myself browsing the books in the magazine section. Most of them didn’t interest me. However, I found a paperback copy of Bluebeard by Vonnegut, whom I had never heard of, which really sparked my interest. I usually borrowed books from the library. But this time I had a little spare cash with me. I think it was $4 and change. So, on a whim, I bought it. That weekend, I found myself at a hotel, babysitting for friends of my parents in town on business. Once the kids were asleep, I had hours and hours free. So I cracked open my new book. It hooked me from page one. It dragged me through without mercy.

This book was nothing like any book I had ever read before. For one thing the author broke out and actually talked to me. For another, the themes seemed to build like a masterful piece of music. I wanted to die of embarrassment when the Sateen Dura-Luxe paint peeled. I absolutely couldn’t go on living until I knew what “Bluebeard” was hiding. Needless to say, I was overcome by the brilliance of the work and the power of the words.

Read the rest of this Essay on the Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing site.