Yup, that's my book cover. Beautiful work by my friend Darren; I did the stuff in between those hot-pink covers. "A Rose by Any Other Name" was the first prose fiction I had written in so long I can't rightly recall. I had been mostly writing for the screen or journalism or first-person pieces for newspapers. So I was shocked as anyone one October morning when I woke up with what felt like a fully-formed short story in my head, so I sat down and wrote "All Hallows Eve" as quickly as my hand could move my pen.

A few days later, I was struck with an idea that also very much felt like a short story, so I wrote that one, too. Over the course of a week or two though, a theme developed: these rather short 'snap-shot' moments between two people: a man and a woman at a romantic crossroads. Over the next four or five months during a period of some fairly serious romantic tribulations of my own, I wrote these twenty-four short stories, one letter and one poem that comprise the book.

It took me now about five or six years to push this puppy out of the nest, but that finally happened this week. There was the normal editorial rounds, there was the desire to have the cover be an actual twenty-six pedaled rose tattoo be the cover. I got the tattoo by the wonderful Tracy Ray, and I got my right forearm (tattoo location) photographed not once (thanks, Alan) but twice (thanks Patrick) but just couldn't make it work from a graphics standpoint. That said- I am very happy with the covers and the appearance of the book.

The words inside have been with me for so long and were written a while back, and reflect a lot of where I was then as both a man and as a writer, but I happy to release them into the world. There are tales I like more than others, I am sure if you read it you will have your favorites (and not so-favorites) and I doubt that they will be the same. The book is as good for the back of the toilet as it is for your subway commute or for a day sitting on the beach.

If you would like some more information or to purchase the print edition, go here: https://www.createspace.com/3527985
The Kindle version is available now on Amazon as well.

Thanks very much,
Brian