Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Blog Tour: The Possibility of Snow

The Possibility of Snow has been making the rounds. Here's what book bloggers are saying:

“In the end, you may feel both a sense of loss and peace, but also anger. Whatever your reaction to this work, it will be visceral.” 
— Naomi Leadbeater, Naimeless

“I loved the story and the way it was handled ... this was an honest, real, emotional and very well written book.” 
— Bri Wignall, NaturalBri

“The Possibility of Snow reminds us what it is like to develop a new relationship and all of the emotions involved. [It] keeps you turning the pages as Al Riske pushes the limits with the friendship of these two characters.” 
— Rachel Rennie, Rachel's Blog

“The author does a great job of showing the boundaries of new friendships and what happens when those boundaries are crossed.” 
— K.M. Hodge, In Review

“The ending blew me away! This book will challenge the way you think.”
— Avid book reader, Granny Loves to Read

Friday, March 20, 2015

The Limits of Belief and Forgiveness

As I look back, I see that I've often written about missteps and misunderstands, crossed signals and bad timing, usually between men and women. In The Possibility of Snow, it's two guys. 

They become friends and then, well, not.

Big deal, right? Guys tend to become friends almost by accident—some combination of shared circumstances and sensibilities—and drift apart as easily as they came together.

The central characters in The Possibility of Snow, Steve and Neil, meet in college, where, away from home for the first time, guys find themselves in need of new friends as never before (and perhaps never again, not with the same urgency).

It's also the place and time in which we are all looking to define ourselves, to decide what and who we want to be.

The combination of similarities and differences that bring Steve and Neil together makes it hard for them to either stay friends or simply go their separate ways. Each is unlike anyone the other has ever known. 

To me, that dynamic proved fascinating, mystifying, and ultimately unsettling.

Through their story, I found myself exploring the limits of loyalty, compassion, belief, and forgiveness. 

See what you think.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Dust-jacket Preview


Totally thrilled with the design of the dust jacket to my first hardcover novel, coming May 1 from Luminis Books. Click to enlarge.