Christopher Klim once worked on observation and exploration satellites for the space program. He has also worked as a photojournalist, an assistant to a master chef, and a journalism professor. He is the executive editor of Best New Writing, and the chair of The Eric Hoffer Award for books and prose. He is the author of several books, including the satires Jesus Lives in Trenton and The Winners Circle. His other books include Idiot!, Everything Burns, Write to Publish, and the Firecracker Jones series. True Surrealism gathers his stories into a complete set for the first time. The Book Reporter dubbed Klim "one of the top [novelists] of our day."
The stories in Klim's new collection include tales of controlling women and ne'er-do-well men trying, well, to do well if they could; an upscale chef helping to prepare a condemned man's last meal; best friends who find themselves in a middle eastern battlefield; a rocket scientist on the drink who gets lucky; a heartbreaking and haunting tale of a neglected boy and what he learns from his runaway dog; and an abused girl who views a kaleidoscope of past lives. Told with the light, deft touch and well tuned dialogue that Klim's readers will be familiar with from his novels-a variety of characters and situations for every taste. -Thomas E. Kennedy, author of In the Company of Angels
This is a book that you just read and then put away. Its a book that will make you re read it for all time and ponder and study! This book of short stories will make you think about the world around you and where you are going.
Interview with the Author
How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?
I've always written strong stories with solid dialogue and literary sensibilities. This often puts me in the genre no-man's-land between commercial and literary. It's OK. My only objective is to hold a mirror to the way we live now.
What kind of research did you do for this book?
Most things in the book--working with a high end chef, designing satellites, fighting personal vices--come from experience. If there is something I don't know, I'll go to a direct source. I ran a six-month letter campaign with Marines in Iraq. I'll spend the day with a blacksmith if I have to. You can't get the setting and tone you need by surfing the Internet.
What’s the best thing about being an author?
The work, the creative process. Also, when you get your two-dimension sketches onto paper just right, the reader will project them in a three-dimensional way, shot through a prism of who he/she is at that time. Sometimes his/her projections are very close to what you intended. Sometimes they are completely different. Both are OK, as long as the reader is passionate about he/she sees.
What are you working on now?
I'm beginning a sequel to my recently completed novel, The Furthest Point from the Sun, which is a fictionalization of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. There are so many things people don't know about what really went on and who is responsible. My agent, Carolyn Jenks, is very excited about the first book.
Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
Robert Marius is a favorite. He wrote only four connected novels during his life. He took years with each, and they are wonderful, especially After the War. It was a game-changer for me.
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