Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Bookinform.com author interview;
Can you tell us a little about Don't Do Drugs?I wanted to bring up a discussion on drugs and other issues softly. For example, Abbie and KJ are two separate characters, two separate stories, and two separate endings to their stories, yet they take the same drug in the same house. Without giving away too much, I wanted to hint at why their endings are so different. Are there any external factors that cause the difference in their endings? If Abbie and/or KJ reacted to the drugs differently or simply looked differently would their stories end the same way? I also used this collection of shorts as a launching point for future works. Raheim will be seen again in a full-length novel. The question is, how long before or after the events that take place in this book? Any plans to turn it into a series?
Actually, yes, there is. This subject allows for continuous collections of shorts following either the same characters or entirely new ones. Continuing this as a series can allow different perspectives and viewpoints and entirely different scenarios or types of personalities. It would also allow me to improve my writing on this subject. I feel this book doesn't delve too deep into the more serious issues of drug use, and a follow-up book could allow me to explore that more adequately. What motivated you to write the book?
I was actually working on a different story revolving around love and Valentine's Day, but as I was writing that and getting deeper into the story, I found myself disliking what was there. So, I pivoted to something that felt a little fresher. To pass the time, I was watching YouTube videos talking about people's experiences with different drugs, and that sort of opened a rabbit hole on the subject. The next thing I knew, I was reading first-hand accounts of Datura trips online and using them to inspire my own short stories. What scene or section did you have the most fun writing?
I would say, RAHEIM. His section is one I didn't expect to stretch as much as it did. As I was writing, the pages kept filling and filling with lines as his world developed quickly around me. He was always a part of a story that will eventually be a full-length novel, but he is not the story's main character. So, writing RAHEIM, I was surprised and excited to see how much I was able to jot down. Besides, there's something fun about knowing key details to his story that no one else knows. There are many unanswered questions to Raheim's story that readers won't be able to know until a future novel is finished. A novel that I view as one of two possibilities of being my magnum opus. Aside from all that, though, RAHEIM was a fun section for me to write because it's a football section. I love sports, and football is at the top of that list. I used to write sports articles on Fansided covering the Philadelphia Eagles, and it brought me back to that. So, Raheim, I think, by far, was the most fun section for me to write in this book. What do you like to do when not writing?
When not writing, I'm typically working funny enough. Being employed at a regular 9-5 while writing this book meant a lot of balancing workloads. Luckily for me, I work on a computer anyway, so during my free time, I would type my book while at work. Actual relaxation, though...I'm also a big movie and tv fan, and I'm always looking for something good to watch. While writing this, I actually finished Neon Genesis Evangelion, an all-time classic anime, for those that don't know. I also finished watching Berserk, while Perfect Blue skyrocketed up my movie ranks, leapfrogging over Pulp Fiction for the number one spot just to be dethroned by Everything Everywhere All At Once. Although, I do have the three ranked the same, with 9.8/10. Full interview:
https: //www.bookinform.com/2023/08/dont-do-drugs-irresponsibly-five-drug.html
