Author Talk: Bill Zaferos, Author of Poison Pen

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Milwaukee author Zaferos appears with his debut novel that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas Peele calls a "brilliant tour de force."

Poison Pen is the absurdist tale of redemption about a depressed game show host known for his cruel on-air insults and crude behavior. The story, as told by a misanthropic poison-pen-letter writer, offers an off-beat look at American culture while exploring themes of life, death, and the deeper meaning of 1960’s television shows like The Beverly Hillbillies.

Jerry Most is the acidic MC of Die Trying, a game show in which players perform death-defying acts for fabulous cash and prizes. But Jerry has had enough of his lavish lifestyle. Seeking inner meaning during a cross-country sojourn, he lands in Hammertown, a miserable northern Wisconsin burg, and Jerry encounters an offbeat cast of characters that help him begin to find redemption.

Bill Zaferos is an award-winning journalist and first-time novelist who managed to channel mental illness into creativity by writing Poison Pen during a manic high.