The Meteor Symphony is a colorful mix of short stories, poems, and microfiction, stitched together with music, humor, grief, and hope. What was the inspiration for this collection of writings?

At first, this was going to be the title story developed into a full-length novel. But the story was fully baked as barely a novella. All the while, I’d been writing short stories for a jazz website called Jerry Jazz Musician as well as poetry for who-knew-what (at the time).

I’d amassed lots of material that was a reflection of my experiences and my interior life as well as some fun fiction and other things that defied categorization. It felt right to put this out under one book, encompassing prose and poetry.

How did you go about organizing the writings in the book? Was there a specific flow or structure you were aiming for?

My main goal was to present different moods and perspectives in a random order, much as what life gives us. Things come at us daily without being organized or predictable. In fact, quite the opposite.

What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?

Dealing with grief and disappointment; dealing with love that may not be reciprocated; and also the silly, funny moments of being a human.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Meteor Symphony?

Not to deny the feelings and moods that come over you. Allow them and when they’re overshadowing living your life, put them in a box. Find a poker game to join (see my poem “Deal ’Em”).

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