8/23/11

An Epitaph For Coyote Author Bryan R. Dennis Q&A post.

One day my email had a review request in it from author of "An Epitaph for Coyote" Bryan R. Dennis... I contemplated this request long and hard because when I looked up the books information it seemed to be one that would not quite be something that I would enjoy... I was wrong and today I have the opportunity to thank Bryan in person and to ask him a couple of questions that sprang immediately to mind about the book... Enjoy the answers as I turn the discussion over to Bryan and the readers of this post!
Answers to naming this book and deciding it's genre:


Jackie
How did you come up with or what inspired the name of this particular book?
Bryan
The novel’s title was born from two desires: 
1. A desire to leave a legacy worth inscribing on a gravestone and
 2. A desire to create a monument for all the living creatures that lost their homes due to out-of-control home construction, in particular, a real-life coyote that seemed to say goodbye to me one morning on my way to work.
Jackie
What caused the novel to be written as a satire?

The American Dream, where we define ourselves by material possessions, job titles, and monstrous houses, seemed like such an absurd unreality that I had to undress it to learn what lay beneath. This was easy to do, living in a city of rhinestone glitter and beer goggles, a city that prides itself on having its ass showing. Yes, Vegas Baby, I’m talking about YOU!

Humor sugar-coats the bitter pill of truth. I wrote this novel at the height of the cheap credit, home-buying craze, and now, in light of the housing crash and “Great Recession” it almost seems prophetic to me. The cheap facade is burning. The roof is on fire! While I don’t profess to be some wise sage (Ha! That’ll be the day!) in writing this story, I believe I stumbled upon a few truths. Realizing they might be hard to swallow for many people, I presented them in a satirical fashion.
In medieval times, court jesters used to be the only ones who could get away with mocking the kings. Today, we’re all kings -- especially when we’re at drive-thru windows or restaurants, delivering our royal creed to the peasants otherwise known as staff -- so to protect my neck from everyone’s wrath, I shake a few bells and wear a funny hat on my head. 
If the royal court is pleased, I’ll live to see another day. 
Otherwise my epitaph will read: Here Lies Bryan. 
He Should Have Written a YA Paranormal Romance…


photo provided by author

Author Bio:
Born and raised in the cornfields of Illinois, Bryan enlisted in the Army upon graduation from High School and served his term overseas. Afterwards he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and enrolled in UNLV’s college of business. It took a degree in Accounting, years of daydreaming in cubicles, and a collection of stories piling up on his hard drive to learn he is a writer and not an accountant. His writing style is influenced by authors Raymond Chandler and Carver, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Charles Bukowski, and Haruki Murakami. He currently resides with his family in Las Vegas, Nevada.



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photo courtesy of goodreads
Book buy links and author's social stalking, um follow sites:


BRYAN R DENNIS ON TWITTER

I will not gush but the emotional impact that the book makes will stick with you, especially if like me you live in an area of high growth and big dollar deals... Not only do so many of the scenarios in the story resonate with me on a personal level but the characters could be my neighbors, my friends or even former co-workers when I held down a job... 
Thanks again Bryan, you created a reading experience that would be a shame for me to have missed out on! 
I hope others who stop by the blog feel the same and 
go grab a copy soon.
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