The questions and answers listed below are provided to give readers insight into how and why the book was written. You can also ask your own question of the author, on the form provided.

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What was your motivation for this book?

I met someone I thought didn’t exist: a woman to whom I was attracted and who would actually agree to a life with me. Setting upon our life together, I realized I had reached a point in my life that was a dividing line between a wild past and a (hopefully) tame future.

This realization was motivation to write stories that captured the times that had come before. And I can honestly say my first priority in doing so was not financial gain. My first priority was to write it for me -- to allow me to put to paper the experiences and perspectives I had lived and acquired.

My second priority was to write it for my friends. It’s tough duty to be a friend of mine and those who have stuck it out over the years are the most treasured people in my life. I thought a book including characters based on them would be a way of thanking them for their friendship.

Third -- and last on the motivation list -- was commercial success. Of course, I hope people buy the book and enjoy it, but even if there is only a small circle of readers, I will still have accomplished my primary goals.
Why did you write the book as short stories, instead of a conventional
novel?

Actually, I first wrote the book as a 56-chapter novel. But when I read
it, I thought it read more like 56 newspaper columns than a novel. So after getting feedback from some writer friends who said virtually the same thing, I thought about how to change it.

I struggled with new ideas at first because I thought the book said what I wanted to say and I didn’t want to veer too far off course in changing it. And then one day, I said to myself (mostly because I was the only person in the room), “Why don’t you just call it what it is: short stories.”

From there, I rewrote the book as 40 short stories that could each stand alone. As I was re-writing, I started to see the reader benefit of it -- that having the book in short-story form could make the book enjoyable to readers who didn’t like certain subject material.

For instance, if a reader doesn’t like childhood stories, he can jump past those and still enjoy stories that have beginnings and endings -- without the need to know everything that came before.

The re-writing was arduous, taking nearly as long as the first draft. But when I was done, I was confident there was something for nearly every reader, somewhere in the collection. And if I’m the first to write a collection of short stories that tell a life story, well, great.
The story details in this book suggest a familiarity with the subject that goes beyond conventional fiction. Is this more your autobiography than a work of fiction?
Well, it does closely mirror my life. And since I’m still a journalist at heart, I am indeed more comfortable writing about facts than fiction.
That said, there are embellishments and plot twists that make it (barely) fictional. I guess I would call it, “faction,” and leave it at that.
But doesn’t using a first person narrative -- not to mention, the real names of certain people and places -- further blur the line?

Yes, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. I wanted a conversation with the reader and I wanted the reader to take the conversation seriously. That is best accomplished in the first person and without thinly veiled name changes of public figures and institutions.

At the same time, I do need to protect the identities of certain non-public people, therefore the cross-section of real and fictional names.
In that case, let’s talk about the main character and narrator, Timothy Dodson. Who is he?
Timothy Dodson is an ordinary man who has led an extraordinary life. At first, he was just another All-American boy, growing up in a New Jersey suburb. But after becoming successful at his chosen profession of journalism at an early age, he began a downward spiral that ended 15 years later on the floor of a Las Vegas crack house. But faced with a life-or-death situation, he chose life and embarked on the arduous trip back to happiness.
Does he make it back? To happiness, that is?
Well, the marketer in me wants to smile and say you have to read the book to find out. But the writer in me says the stories of how he came back are compelling enough to keep your interest peeked -- even if you already know there is a happy ending.
Who do you see buying this book?

The short (and delusional) answer is: everyone. But since that can’t happen, I will say this: There is a little something for nearly any reader in this book and if they read the first story (provided for free on this website), I think they’ll want to read others.

As far as the reader profile, I really don’t know. My gut reaction would be fellow baby boomers who maybe weren’t always on the straight-and-narrow. But I can also see some stuff for teens and even senior citizens.
There is something very strange in this book: It goes from story narrative to opinion pieces that read like essays. Sometimes the essay portions are clearly marked as Part II, but sometimes they are inter-twined with the story. And even more strangely, some are deep subjects like religion, while others are things like basketball. What gives?

When I read about a person, I get very frustrated when I only hear of his adventures and not how those adventures sculpted his opinions. Conversely, I also get frustrated when I only hear a person’s opinion and not the life experience that forged it.

In the end, a person has two things:

a) the people close to him or her; and

b) the opinions he or she has formed along the way. I wanted to change speeds and give the reader an idea of how Tim Dodson’s life stories ignited his strong opinions.

Further, I could write about atheism and probably make most people want to punch me in the mouth. But if I write about atheism after telling people the story about how such an opinion was formed, well, then that’s fun reading -- at least it is to me.
OK then, last question: In a nutshell, what would you like to tell prospective readers?
I’d like to tell them they’ve probably met a Tim Dodson sometime in their life, but didn’t know what made him tick. I hope this book is an entertaining way of shedding light on all the Tim Dodsons of the world.