Interview with Michael Loyd Gray, author of Well Deserved
The following thread is a question-and-answer session with Michael Loyd Gray, whose novel, Well Deserved was a SOL Books Prose Series selection.
SOL Books
An Imprint of Skywater Publishing Company
Blurb — The Prostitutes of Post Office Street
“Raw. Passionate. Tender. Vulnerable. Carden slips you into the hidden and wonderfully personal stories of these women and those close to them.”
— Mari Ulmer, author of Midnight at the Camposanto and Cart of Death
Blurb — Bodywearers
“If we were angels, bodiless and pure, we would sing for all eternity. Connie Colwell Miller’s poems wonder how the body, with its baggy wardrobe of needs, could ever permit such music. But the body is a means. And Miller’s poems are less about leaving the flesh behind and more about discovering how the flaws and desires of daily living operate to bring a second life out into the open.”
— Richard Robbins, author of Famous Persons We Have Known and The Untested Hand
Blurb — The Prostitutes of Post Office Street
“A complex and memorable introduction to a place where people live on terms that are strange to us, at first, and then less strange. And finally, marvelously compelling.”
— Kevin McIlvoy, author of Little Peg and The Fifth Station
What We Write - part 1
I thought of the idea for this series of articles last December, while I was working on my yearly Christmas letter. I don’t know how long I’ve dragged this tradition out, but it’s quite a time saver, not trying to write a personal note on a couple dozen cards. What I’ve noticed, though, is that from one year to the next, the letters don’t change much: I mention a few highlights from the past year, describe trips I’ve taken, brag up recent publications, and end with some sort of salutary note and a “Hope to see you over the Holidays”, and I began to wondering why I was wasting my time writing one.
Then I started thinking of all the writing I do throughout the year: emails, blog articles, reports, book reviews, etc . . . that is of the mundane variety. The amount is staggering, not to mention exasperating. Instead of writing my Christmas letter, I began to think of the time spent writing, but writing things that weren’t my next book or my next poem, More »
The Possibilities of Poetry
Occasionally, when I pick up a book of poetry, I resist the text. I read some poems too quickly and skip others altogether, even though they may possess valuable meaning. Poetry is not always easily or immediately accessible, and I think that is a large part of why many people don’t read it. Like in modern art, there are not always clear edges to hold onto, and in a culture that leans toward black and white, blurred boundaries or abstract techniques may be disconcerting. We’re taught to make sense of a work, to discover its main theme, when learning to appreciate the sounds and rhythm of a single line or the beauty of a striking image may be just as rewarding. More »
Prose Series Selection
We are proud to announce that Well Deserved, by Michael Loyd Gray, was selected from among many worthy finalists for SOL Books Prose Series.
A note on Well Deserved from our judges: The Vietnam War is ending, and America has an identity crisis. Everyone from the small town dope dealer to the returning vet, the townie grocery store clerk, and the new sheriff knows what they want in life, but the paths to their desires are conflicted and foreboding. In a narrative with all the clarity and determination of a prophecy, Gray’s Well Deserved chronicles the struggles of four people as they come to the stark realization that their paths are not solitary, but entwined, and their very lives hinge on one shared moment.
Runner Up
- Revised History of Elkhorn by Celeste O’Dell
Finalists, in alphabetical order
- Endless Birthday by David Biddle
- Frottage by Mona Houghton
- Hours of Happiness by Alan Catlin
- Incident by Annette Leddy
- In the House of Magic and Sorrow by Mark Brazaitis
- Meridian Inn by Suzanne Heagy
- On Men and Boys by Rodney Nelsestuen
- Quantum Physics and My Dog Bob by Pat Rushin
- Rosemary is for Remembrance by Victoria Sprow
- School by Kelly DeLong
Congratulations to all of the finalists, and thanks to every one who submitted a manuscript to our Prose Series.
We are now accepting entries for the 2009 selection in our Prose Series.
The Dream Realized by Kao Kalia Yang
I dreamt a writing dream, and I am very much dreaming still but getting closer. In April, my first book, The Latehomecomer, will be published by Coffee House Press. Over a year ago, I wrote “The Writing Dream” for Sol Books. I don’t know if I will wake up in April or if the dream will carry on and become epic in proportions.
At night, when I close my eyes and call for sleep, my mind peeks into the future, and the desire for sleep is no match for the dream. I slip into the dark currents of possibility, and I do not wake up until the alarm calls me back to a world full of promise. More »
Kindle Releases
Both Bodywearers, by Connie Colwell Miller, and The Prostitutes of Post Office Street, by Frank F. Carden, have been released this month on Amazon’s new Kindle ebook platform.
Taxes: The Home Office
The cost of paper, postage, and those pens with the squishy grips add up throughout the year. Stamps alone can cost me over $100, and I don’t even want to think about the reams of paper I use (and recycle). But there is one write off that makes these expenditures trivial: the home office. More »
