Courageous Writing For IRL Cowards: Novelist Matt Binder Chats With Novelist Clancy Martin On Making Bad Decisions and The Thin Veil of Fiction

In 2012, shortly before I lost my mind and committed myself to writing fiction, I was sitting at a pal’s apartment in San Diego, waiting on him to shower and ready himself for a night out, when I picked up a copy of the Vice fiction issue. I flipped through the magazine’s pages looking for something of interest. A story titled “Whores I Have Loved” immediately resonated with me. I understood the sentiment completely. I read with ferocious curiosity as the writer sermonized on the dangers of falling in love with prostitutes in locations foreign and remote. Prior to reading the piece, I didn’t think it possible for a work to exist that was so honest, tender, and vulnerable about a subject so fraught with moral pitfalls. Click here to read more. 

Read An Exclusive Excerpt from Matthew Binder's Tour De Force Debut Novel "High In the Streets"

"One day Lou Brown decided to kill himself. But when he sat down to craft a suicide letter, the simple act of committing words to the page was like opening up a window to his mind, allowing the whole world to shine. His book went on to become a runaway bestseller, making him a literary icon, earning him all the trappings of the American Dream. It’s now five years later and the obligations that come along with great success have robbed him of the freedom he values above all else. When Lou suspects his fiancé of an infidelity, he moves into the Frontier Motel, setting himself up for a week-long adventure where he’ll once again learn to buck convention, indulge in his honest appetites, and follow his uninhibited instincts." Click here to read the excerpt.