A Book of Essays

I've written a book about Costa Rica, but haven't been able to get it published. It consists of essays, letters, and poems. I pitched a book about leukemia, which I know a lot about. It consists of essays, poems, and blog posts. That book is about 2/3 finished, and even though I use a lot of humor, I doubt it will ever be published.

I've written a number of short stories which I've sent nowhere, and many poems, probably enough for a book. I'm in the middle of a story now called "Django Cohen." Don't you wonder what it's about?

Several weeks ago, I had an ah-ha moment. Why don't I write a book combining highlights of my work. It all begins on Playa Gringo. You want to read this melange of stories, essay, poetry, right?

It turns out the books consisting of essays are suddenly of interest. Something about the attention span of today's reader. An essay is usually short, and when it's over, that's it. You don't have to remember characters' names, nicknames and household arrangements like you do in a novel. I've read two articles in The New York Times in the past week that analyze and speculate about this new genre. It's not really "new," of course.

The poems I sprinkle throughout the book will be like breath mints, a pause to refresh before the reader jumps into the next essay. The connection, of course, among the essays, stories, and poems is me. I just have to choose, edit and arrange suitably, and then find an agent.

Just.