The book holds a special place in PLAYBACK:stl's heart, as Beachy was one of our contributing writers back during his stint at mom and dad's.

"Media notoriety allows me to sell more books to a wider audience, which gives me more freedom as a writer. There is a commercial benefit to having people know you exist. But there is no social benefit whatsoever."

I realized I was writing a novel about the question of God and the question of desire and the question of loneliness, and understanding that was a big help in helping me shape the novel.

Randy Kennedy’s current projects include writing about Gotham’s various goings-on, as well as arts and cultural events for The New York Times.

Spreading the word about his publishing ventures the old-fashioned way, Rothbart tours for months on end, taking in city after city, reading from his various projects and then hawking them after the gig.

“This has been a great town for me to hide in and get the work done. Here I’m just a local poet,” he said.