New book from New Berlin author
NEW BERLIN – Local writer and author, Bill McLaughlin, is happy to announce the publication of a new work of fiction, “Breakfast and a Cigarette: A Novella in Four Directions.”
McLaughlin, a resident of New Berlin, worked as a freelance writer and environmental journalist before locating to the area about six years ago. “Breakfast and a Cigarette” was originally published in serial form, in the literary magazine, The Red Fez.
“Breakfast and a Cigarette” is a loose interpretation of the classic hero’s journey. It speaks to the growing dissatisfaction in our society and suggests that there are indeed other, more elemental, ways in which we can live.
In “Breakfast and a Cigarette,” the protagonist, Ray Waldron, a dissatisfied man in his mid-30s, loses his wife, his job, his home, and his car. Instead of using the last of his savings to make one more mortgage payment or yet another car payment, he takes that money, buys a Greyhound bus pass, and abruptly leaves his former life behind.
In this hero’s story, the monsters are not one-eyed beasts but consumerism, greed, and poverty. His Sirens are those of self-doubt and social condemnation. Ray’s journey ultimately transforms him from an indentured consumer to a liberated human being. But his quest is rooted in reality. The answers he finds are imperfect; the solutions never without compromise.
The novella is written in four sections with each section representing a physical direction in which Ray travels. The title and parts of the narrative were inspired by a news story that appeared in the New York Times Metro Section in 1995.
This is McLaughlin’s second book. His first book, “Tramping Through Mexico and Other Adventures,” a collection of travel pieces, was published in 2002. He has also published several short stories in various small literary magazines. McLaughlin is currently homesteading on a small piece of land on which he grows organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs for sale in his local community.
“Breakfast and a Cigarette” is available in paperback ($9.95) and ebook versions ($2.99) through the online retailer Amazon.com and will soon be available locally. McLaughlin will be on hand to sign copies of his book at this year’s Colorscape Festival in Norwich on Sunday, Sept. 11.
McLaughlin, a resident of New Berlin, worked as a freelance writer and environmental journalist before locating to the area about six years ago. “Breakfast and a Cigarette” was originally published in serial form, in the literary magazine, The Red Fez.
“Breakfast and a Cigarette” is a loose interpretation of the classic hero’s journey. It speaks to the growing dissatisfaction in our society and suggests that there are indeed other, more elemental, ways in which we can live.
In “Breakfast and a Cigarette,” the protagonist, Ray Waldron, a dissatisfied man in his mid-30s, loses his wife, his job, his home, and his car. Instead of using the last of his savings to make one more mortgage payment or yet another car payment, he takes that money, buys a Greyhound bus pass, and abruptly leaves his former life behind.
In this hero’s story, the monsters are not one-eyed beasts but consumerism, greed, and poverty. His Sirens are those of self-doubt and social condemnation. Ray’s journey ultimately transforms him from an indentured consumer to a liberated human being. But his quest is rooted in reality. The answers he finds are imperfect; the solutions never without compromise.
The novella is written in four sections with each section representing a physical direction in which Ray travels. The title and parts of the narrative were inspired by a news story that appeared in the New York Times Metro Section in 1995.
This is McLaughlin’s second book. His first book, “Tramping Through Mexico and Other Adventures,” a collection of travel pieces, was published in 2002. He has also published several short stories in various small literary magazines. McLaughlin is currently homesteading on a small piece of land on which he grows organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs for sale in his local community.
“Breakfast and a Cigarette” is available in paperback ($9.95) and ebook versions ($2.99) through the online retailer Amazon.com and will soon be available locally. McLaughlin will be on hand to sign copies of his book at this year’s Colorscape Festival in Norwich on Sunday, Sept. 11.
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