Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Burn This City to the Ground by N. Daniel @MyUnsafePlace @GoddessFish

Burn This City to the Ground

by N. Daniel

GENRE: Memoir/Creative Nonfiction

BLURB:

As Daniel recovers from a psychotic episode and months long mental health civil commitment, he befriends a youthful quadriplegic named Samantha who is dealing with life-threatening health problems. When cohabitation becomes necessary for Sam, caregiver and client both move to downtown Minneapolis to begin a new life together. Before they can get settled in, Daniel is diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and must undergo multiple surgeries. The two navigate the American healthcare system and work towards Samantha's eventual independence, however, their relationship becomes toxic when a global pandemic shakes the nation and George Floyd is murdered by Minneapolis police officers.
Based on the author's life, this endearing platonic love story is the gooey center of a turbulent world set aflame. Through the laughter and the tears, Samantha and Daniel play off each other like a tragic comedy duo that's hell bent on finding humor within the most savage aspects of their everyday lives.

Buy Link:

Amazon

Excerpt:

I pulled into a gas station and had some trouble figuring out which side the tank was on. With some maneuvering I positioned the van next to the pump. Suddenly I realized that I didn't have any money for gas. I paged through the three-ringed binder holding the mileage log and found what looked like a debit card in a pencil pouch. 

“That's the gas card, dear. You type in the mileage and the user code when you start the pump.” 

“Oh, I get it. What's the code?” I asked. “Look at the back of the card.” There was a tiny piece of paper fastened to the back of the card with clear plastic tape. It read “3742”. Sam put her limp left hand on her forehead as though she was doing a facepalm. I entered the information into the pump and opened the side door so I could talk to her while it filled up. 

“So, you have had problems with these sores before?” 

“Yes,” she replied, callously. 

“They can be pretty serious business, huh?” 

“You know the guy that played Superman? Christopher Reeve?” 

“Yeah, everybody knows him. He fell off of his horse and broke his neck, right?” 

“Exactly,” Sam continued. “He broke his neck at the base of his skull, so he had even less function than I do. Poor Bastard. Do you know how he died?” 

“No, how?” 

“Just like this. He got a pressure ulcer. Felt fine, just peachy. He went into sepsis and before they could give him antibiotics he dropped dead.” 

Sam pointed her hand at me in the thumbs up motion. 

“I wish I had the balls to just refuse treatment, but I am too chicken****.”

Interview with N. Daniel

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

I feel like my writing journey has been very linear, like there weren't many other ways I could go. I began writing as a way to cope with suicidal ideation and it actually helped me find meaning and hope in my life. It was as though I wanted to know what was going to happen in my own personal story. I want to stress that as much as I can to others in that situation. Life changes daily. It gets better and worse. It's fluid. Literature is a vehicle to move us from one state of mind to the other. Write your heart. Write about things that are important to you. If you need some one to listen to you write me at author@ndaniel.us. I hate to get this interview started on this note but seriously. It's how I got started. It's how you can get started too.

What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to?

I don't subscribe to writing magazines much. I am actually kind of a hermit. I don't watch television and I watch maybe five movies a year. I had this idea once that saturating myself with other people's creativity would dilute mine. I am not sure that is the case. My life may be less enjoyable but my writing hasn't suffered at all. I know a lot of people like Writer's Digest. I was featured in Voyage MN Magazine as a “Change Maker.” Hate to plug myself yet here we are.

What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?

I owe everything to my characters. I am a memoir writer so my stories would be nothing without the real people in my life. I probably owe the most to “Samantha” the quadriplegic in my new book “Burn this City to the Ground.” Writing about a vulnerable adult is difficult. To tell a story where things end badly with a former client... It's tragic. It really was devastating for both of us. We have spoken about the book and are on good terms, however that doesn't excuse the suffering we went through. I hardly think there is an appropriate consolation in this for either of us. I said in my new book that sometimes I felt like there were two types of people in the world: Those who suffer and those who enjoy their suffering. Honestly there is a lot of comedy in this book but it is kind of a heartbreaker in the end. It's not a train wreck like my first book “Corners Untouched by Madness” but it is close. What can I say. I've seen some stuff.




What is the first book that made you cry?

Honestly I think the first book where I cried a little was “Johnny Got His Gun” in high school. I am not going to say I flat out ugly cried, but for a high school student it was enough. The book is about a soldier that gets hit with an artillery shell and loses his limbs, face, pretty much everything but his mind. He eventually figures out he can communicate in morse code by tapping his head on the hospital bed. Pretty gruesome and would make anyone cry in the end. I turned eighteen two days before 9/11 so the war theme hit me even more deeply. I have so much respect for our veterans and those who run upkeep on this massive support system we call the United States. Eternally grateful really.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

I think to a certain point writing energizes me. I kind of get “in the zone” where I don't notice anything but the computer screen. After a few hours my eyes become a bit droopy and I am exhausted. It can take a lot out of you. This is the time where I leave an obscure anime reference. If any of you know the anime “X”, Satsuki Yatoji, the beloved of the beast, dragon of the earth. Basically a girl hooked up in every way to a super computer and destined to try to kill everyone on earth. I feel that sometimes. A bit morose but, for the layman, it's like being plugged into the matrix. That's being an author at their computer. (haha!)

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I am an original, baby. Never change. Never make sacrifices for the sake of readership. Well, unless my editor asks me to. She is the final say in this bookish scheme. Even so, I make no reservations to cater to fans and I write about things that could very well get me into trouble socially. Honesty is a way of life and I can guarantee my books are damaging to my reputation. The only people I am pleasing are those who don't know who I am. In hindsight, they might be my biggest demographic so maybe I should keep my mouth shut.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

When I was young I was considered “gifted” due to my high IQ. I read a lot of books during that time. I really loved Sherlock Holmes and a Wrinkle in Time but the book that had the biggest impact on me in fourth or fifth grade was “The Giver.” After that I started getting physically abused by a relative and lost all interest in academics. At that point I was just trying to survive through my childhood. Somehow I feel that I have rejoined my chosen path after becoming an author. All full circle. All good things. I can still act smart and I can guarantee the academics haven't been to the school of hard-knocks. Some would compare me to a brick sh*t-house. Not saying they are wrong.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

N. Daniel works as a medical caregiver in the greater Minneapolis/Saint Paul Metropolitan area in the Winter and as a landscape laborer for his father in Winona, MN in the Summer. His debut writing effort, “Corners Untouched by Madness: A Personal Journey of Overcoming Mental Illness,” has enjoyed modest success in certain writing circles. The Author lives with his wife and two dogs just outside of downtown Minneapolis."

Website ~ E-Mail ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.