Evan is one of the other authors under my publisher’s imprint and I really enjoyed his work, so I asked if I could interview him. Here is what he had to say:

So, your book, American Blues, was recently published by Holland House books, is that correct? Can you tell us a little bit about how that came to be?

Pure serendipity. I saw one of the publisher’s, Robert Peett, posts on Facebook, contacted him — somewhat tentatively, since what he said interested him literarily — jazz in particular — didn’t include short stories. But I sort-of pitched him, he asked for a sample and liked what I sent. And we went on from there. It took about 18 months but, at long last, it has happened!

I take it you’re an American? Were you surprised to be picked up by a publishing house in the UK?

I am indeed an American. And I was indeed stunned, both when Robert asked to see the book and when he accepted it. I never imagined a non-US house would be interested in what is a very American-themed book.

You seem to focus mostly on short stories. American Blues, for example, is a series of short stories, isn’t that right?

Yes. Several of the stories are connected via locale and/or references to places. I like the short story as a form, though to be frank, I kind of feel like Kafka’s statement: “I consist of literature and am unable to be anything else.” What I write matters less than that I write.
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