The new year brought the release of Joseph M. Williams' first book, which was about a decade in the making.
The Fringe Dwellers is Williams' self-published novel via BookBaby.
E-book versions are available on Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iBooks, and Barnes and Noble's Nook stores—with the first 60 pages of the book available for free on each site. Print versions are available on Amazon.
"The book is a dark comedy that centers on a couple that constantly breaks up and gets back together again, and the oddball friends and family that weave in and out of their lives," Williams said. "After spending 10 years writing the book, it feels great to finally be able to hold it in my hand and know that it is finally finished. Plus, after a decade of people asking when they can read my novel, I finally have an answer for them."
Williams added, "I'm a big fan of the Airplane! and The Naked Gun movies, and wanted to put that into book form. I wanted to write a pure comedy where the humor comes at you at a rapid pace. But, I'm also a fan of comedians such as Richard Pryor who use comedy to reach a deeper place, so I wanted to use comedy to explore both the joys and the difficulties of relationships."
Williams said the novel is geared for adults, with its "soft R-rated vibe, similar to what you would see on HBO or a cable [TV] comedy."
"Though it may sound cliché, which of course is the vibe I'm hoping for as an author, it's just something inside me," Williams said. "I've always loved writing stories, ever since I was in elementary school. I think this holds true for most writers I've met. There's a story percolating in your brain that you just need to let out, whether it gets read by millions of people or just a few close friends who are always there to support you."
THE STATS
Age: 42
Neighborhood: Rogers Park
Relationship status: Dating
Job title: Associate professor and chair of psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University, specializing in behavioral neuroscience
Favorite TV show: The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd; Murder, She Wrote; Louie; American Horror Story; and Portlandia
Hobbies: Soccer and volleyball. "I also love comedy improv and comedy sketch writing, having taken a number of classes from Comedysportz and Second City," he said. "I'm currently taking improv classes from Improv Toolbox, a great program where you do a two-hour class on Sunday evenings and then go on stage at 9 p.m. in front of a live audience."
Little-known fact: "I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has a tattoo of a brain structure called the hippocampus on them, but if there are others out there, contact me."
