about the book
Jason Schmidt isn’t surprised to come home to the sight of his father crawling in a pool of his own blood. This event happens during Jason’s junior year of high school, but such happening had been common since his father was diagnosed with HIV three years ago.
Jason’s disturbing childhood through the 70s and 80s never ended up getting the best of him. He’s still alive, though his father’s life was filled with drugs, crime, and sex; and Jason had no choice but to grow up in this world. The number one rule since preschool: Never tell the straights anything. The straights—normal people—would tell the police, and Jason’s home would be split apart.
And now there’s Jason, left with a list of things that didn’t kill him. Left with a life that makes you wonder how anyone can find their own morals when growing up in a world that doesn’t seem to have any.
about the author
Jason Schmidt, of Seattle, Washington, had his first writing success in high school when a classmate offered him five dollars for a scenario he made up. He went on to earn a BA in Creative Writing and a JD degree from the University of Washington. In college, he wrote sci-fi and other genre fiction. His writing has been published in Jeopardy Magazine, Cranky Literary Journal, and ZYZZYVA; and he won first place in the 4th quarter of the 1998 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. He also received a grant from 4Culture Art Projects.
When Jason brought the manuscript of his first novel to publishers, the publishers became more interested in Jason’s biography. He was raised by a physically abusive single father who was busted for dealing coke when Jason was only three years old; his father also had a psychological condition and was later diagnosed with HIV. Additionally, it wasn’t until after three quarters of his short life that Jason’s father came out as gay. The two lived in Oregon, California, and Washington, living on money from odd jobs and government assistance. Jason’s father died at the age of 40.
Jason was eventually convinced to write his memoir. He felt his story hadn’t yet been told, and his message was important. Kids like Jason needed something to relate to.
Lately, Jason has enjoyed attending the Works of Progress open mic night at Richard Hugo House, and he’s currently working on his second book.
Source:
Author website
Author feature: The Stranger
Author article: KUOW News & Information
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