Seattle, or In the Meantime is set in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. Grunge is dying, Kurt Cobain is dead, and Seattle is slowly but inevitably turning from a home for quirky misfits and cafe denizens living on the edge of the continent to the self-absorbed tech giant it is today. Through a series of boyfriends, drugs, and odd jobs, 23-year-old Ian Bradford tries to find his way through the sometimes literal fog of his life. Aided by bizarre Quick-n-Easy Recipes for the good life left by his roommate (“Penny Bubble Gum Ice Cream,” “Bongwater Soufflé”), Ian guides tour boats, interns at a newspaper, and bikes documents through the upscale and seedy parts of town. The authentic self he pursues is both elusive and enticing. If he cannot find it, he may never find his voice as a writer, and never learn the difference between a satisfying story and a convenient lie.

Seattle, or In the Meantime is available from Beautiful Dreamer Press

J.M. Parker’s fiction has appeared in Callisto, Chelsea Station, Foglifter, Gertrude, ISLE, SAND, and Segue, among other journals, and has been reprinted in Best Gay Stories 2015. He is the author of A Budget Traveler’s Guide to the Museums of Europe , a novel; and Blossoms in Snow: Austrian Refugee Poets in Manhattan , a volume of translated poetry. He lives in Salzburg, Austria, where he teaches creative writing and American studies.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.