Mark Lamoureux tagged me for the Next Big Thing self-interview project! Since I am actually working on a Next Of-Some-Kind-of-Size Thing, here goes:
What is the working title of the book?
"On 'On Dreams.'" While I am working on a full-length book of that title, I have just finished creating a chapbook-length excerpt/remix, which I will be publishing through the Dusie Kollektiv for this year's AWP. The excerpt will be confusingly/awesomely titled "from On 'On Dreams.'"
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Aristotle's treatise "On Dreams." He says some pretty crazy stuff in there, and that got me thinking about truth, insanity, mirrors, lenses, eyes, health, women, etc., etc., etc. There's a good deal of "linking fancy unto fancy" here.
What genre does your book fall under?
It is a lyric essay/meditation/hybrid/I don't know.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
You can't handle the truth because no one knows what it is.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The full-length manuscript is still in progress and is likely to remain that way for some time. The chapbook took a couple of weeks. The process consisted mostly of shuffling and editing already-written snippets from the full-length manuscript.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
An article on the philosophy of sleep. The idea of objectivity and authority. A bout of eye trouble. The Delirious Hem Chick Flix feature.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It contains fun facts about mirrors, linear perspective, rare eye disorders,and the history of English translations from Greek.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The chapbook will be published through the Dusie Kollektiv. The full length book? Time will tell.