The publication of my next novel, Green Bay Outsiders, is only a few months away, and I have decided to share the first scene with you. Read on for the link.
As with any shared scene released before the publication of the novel, a few items may change here and there. But the overall themes about growing up and struggling to learn how to be an adult will remain.
In this video, I tell my readers about two books that served as influences as I wrote my novel–Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Both detail the stories of young men who left home and family behind for greater life experience. One could argue that their perambulations say as much about the communities in which they were raised as they do about the restless nature of the young men themselves.
People typically don’t like to leave those environments in which they feel safe, nurtured and secure. Most people, it could be argued, like company–friends and family. But when young men such as those described in Look Homeward, Angel, Into the Wild and, in fact, Green Bay Outsiders, do decide to hit the road, it reflects a gap or absence in their sense of identity and fulfillment. It is this that they seek, and they are willing to leave behind so many of the social trappings that others might consider the essence of life’s contentment–employment, family life and economic security.
But as J.R.R. Tolkien once famously wrote, “Those who wander are not necessarily lost.” And in fact, those young men who do take off likely have a keen sensitivity for that sense of belonging which has, to date, escaped them but for which they are willing to sacrifice so much else.
So here you go: Here is the first scene from Green Bay Outsiders.
The novel will soon be available for preorder on Amazon so if you’re not already on my mailing list, you might want to consider signing up below.
And if you do read the first scene, I would love your feedback. Feel free to leave a comment below the subscription box.