"It's beautifully written." My Father's House gets some Goodreads love. And likes it. A lot.

Much appreciated that. Thanks, many, to the Jason Donnelly. And drinks, also many, on us, somewhere, somehow, soon. Excerpt? Cool.

"If I can offer any recommendation, it's read this book while you're on the treadmill at the gym. Not only will it keep your mind off the burn, but it'll inspire you to go further, the only thing I can apologize for is the looks you'll get when it's not sweat falling down your cheeks, it's tears." 

Wherein we riff on death, tonic, research and My Father's House at the Necessary Fiction.

Big thanks to the Necessary Fiction for letting us talk death and My Father's House as part of their "Research Notes" series. Please do enjoy, though we recognize that may so not be the right descriptor. And now for some excerpt. 

"I suppose one could ask what kind of research one has to do when they write about death, or maybe more accurately, why would they even want to? Where’s the gain there? None really. I don’t think. Maybe it’s even better not to do so. There are other, better milestones to write about and research certainly. Like losing your virginity for example. It may not be pleasurable, or fun, it may even be scary, something you regret, and wish you could take back. But there will be other chances to at least get sex right, or better, or you can even choose not to at all after that. It worked for Morrissey. Initially anyway."

Let the hype begin.

We will be Two With Water at Beauty Bar on September 11th. We will be reading from My Father's House. And the line-up will be most stellar. Quite stellar. Brandon Tietz. Lindsay Hunter. Richard Thomas. Gina Frangello. Muyassar Kurdi. Stellar. That. Geeked. Quite. Come. Please.

Pulling a Bosworth.

It's true. We are pulling a Bosworth. Here. Now. And no, that doesn't mean we are brushing our lush beard one hundred times a night until it reaches a golden hue. Or running through the dew-covered Western Massachusetts mountains before dawn with our deer and antelope brothers and sisters. Nor are we remembering, forgetting, destroying or finding things. No, what it means, is that just as the Bosworth once generously gave away his bonus copy of My Father's House, so are we giving away the now bonus copy of Freight, yes that Freight, the one we just riffed on yesterday here, and there, that arrived in the mail today. So, if you want it, and you know you do, hit us with an email at thiszinewillchangeyourlife@yahoo.com and in the subject line write "I WANT BOSWORTH," because you know you do, and we will pick a winner tomorrow. Cool? Quite. We know.

Interlude.

My Father's House. Blurb goodness from the Michael A. FitzGerald.

Few things remind us we're utterly alone in this universe like our dads dying. At the same time, few things can remind us we're all in this together like great literature. In My Father's House, Tanzer took the first and made the latter. It's a sincere and important book full of grace, beauty, and… I'm happy to report…a delicious humor. I can't recommend it highly enough. Michael A. FitzGerald

My Father's House. Blurb goodness from the David Masciotra.

"Ben Tanzer writes with such empathy, vulnerability, and humanity that it hurts. My side hurt from laughing when I read his charming and insightful sophomore novel, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine. Now my face hurts from fighting back tears after reading My Father’s House. This novel is instructive and inspiring. First, it teaches you what it is like to face the pain and challenges of losing a parent to an awful disease. Then, it shows you an example of a graceful, beautiful, and redemptive recovery in the face of that loss. Tanzer writes movingly, insightfully, and bracingly." David Masciotra

"Vibrant." My Father's House gets Pank'd. And likes it. A lot.

Big thanks to the always stellarific [PANK] and long-time TBWCYL, Inc. favorite J.A. Tyler for the My Father's House review goodness and kind words. Drinks on us for all you kids when next we meet. Now, how about some excerpt? Sweet.

"This is a book that thrives on sadness and intimacy, following a father’s journey to death and his son’s somewhat reluctant trailing behind, putting both cancer and relationships on vibrant display. And while Tanzer is best known for his pop-culture references and quirky dialogue, My Father’s House is much more straight-laced in its approach, more refined in its handling of a narrative that is entirely genuine."

My Father's House is in the house. Part Two.

My Father's House is in the house. Part One.

Time of Death, Experiments in Manhood and My Father's House.

Big thanks to local scribe and TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Robert Duffer for inviting us to write a guest essay as part of his excellent blog series Experiments in Manhood. In keeping with our efforts to start building and spreading the hype around the soon to be released My Father's House, we not so subtly cross-pollinated our essay "Time of Death" with a handful of references to the new book, while only barely comprising, we hope, our professional mien and responsibilities. That said, we plan to do as much of this going forward as we can and we hope you enjoy it, all of it, including the excerpt below. Thanks again Duffer, and drinks on us, many, when next we meet.

"All this thinking about him not living has also got me wondering whether I will outlive him. Maybe? Probably? Okay, but what if I don’t? That’s only sixteen more years. Sixteen. That’s plenty of time to write more, which is good, because there are so many things I want to write about. Like a novel inspired by, or possibly as an homage to, how a character might cope with his father’s slow, though still way too fast death. (Yes, that is a quasi- and probably totally unprofessional plug for my soon to be released novella My Father’s House.)"

My Father's House. Blurb goodness from the John Reed.

"Tanzer is a goliard for our times, singing, laughing, and wise with our sorrows." John Reed

My Father's House. Blurb goodness from the Mel Bosworth.

"The prose of Ben Tanzer's My Father's House is a waterfall, crashing cool onto our fevered heads and then carving pathways straight through to our hearts, never slowing, never shying, laced with the glitter of honesty, fear, and a son's love for his dying father. Despite the torrent, Tanzer shows exemplary control as he brings us into his narrator's swirling mind to explore the black, bottomless pools of all things yet to be experienced, and he does so with humor and wit, often employing buoyant insights that crack the water's surface like summertime toes pointing to the mist as it rises through the trees, skyward." Mel Bosworth

We are Baby Got Books interview. And we are most happy.

We very much love the Baby Got Books and we are most happy to be Baby Got Books interview. So big thanks for that Baby Got Books, and drinks on us, for sure, when next we meet.

BGB: Wow. Lots to check out there. And you’ve been busy yourself. Since we began this interview, a review copy of your next book My Father’s House has arrived in the mail. From what I’ve been able to check out so far, it has a much different feel than You Can Make Him Like You. Can you tell us a little about My Father’s House? Anything else in the works you want to tell us about?

BT: Sorry, still feeling guilty about that last question, one of the many problems with being a fanboy. And yes, there has been some busyness, which also makes me feel a little guilty, though it may be self-consciousness, I will look that up. But with My Father’s House I think there is a different feel in two ways. First, and especially with the last couple of novels, I have been trying to tell humorous stories about relationships in a pop culture saturated world with layers of pain, coping and confusion lying closely below the surface, and with My Father’s House, a story focused on a character losing his father, I flipped this approach, and so it is more overtly about pain, coping and confusion, with the humor and pop culture is lurking just below the surface and serving as a sort of salve for both the characters and readers. I would also say though that I have been trying to emulate the music of the Ramones and the recent movies by David Cronenberg in my writing, tight, intimate, punchy, funny, and violent scenes that come fast and propel you into the next scene or chapter, and with this book I decided to tighten that approach up even more, so more sparse, quick and insular, and more like how I see the actual experience of living through some one’s death. In terms of what else may be in the works, and at this point more self-consciousness abounds, I have a collection of humor pieces coming out at some point this summer titled This American Life and I am working on my first science fiction joint, similar themes to my previous work, though more focused on work and the intersection of work and family, albeit in a not so distant Chicago where work is hard to come by, life on Mars beckons and the drugs are mostly synthetic.

Still pre-order. Still half-price. Still contractually obligated to remind you of such.

Here. There. And everywhere.

"Tanzer’s books have haiku moments at their core." My Father's House gets decomP magazinE'd. And likes it. A lot.

Really honored and appreciative for the incredibly thoughtful and kind words about My Father's House, not to mention, okay we are mentioning, the ongoing support and championing of our work by the stellar decomP magazinE and the inestimable Spencer Dew. Drinks on us for sure when next we meet.

"The goal of Tanzer as a novelist, the gem at the center of his work—is not solving the problems or untangling the knots but coming to some still points of transcendence, moving beyond all the 'unresolved shit' and assorted questions and bad behaviors and normal behaviors and façade of day-to-day bullshit 'mellowness.'”

"It is one you’ll hold to your heart after reading." My Father's House gets Literary Chicago'd. And likes it. A lot.

Massive thanks to the Lauryn Allison Lewis and Literary Chicago for a most appreciated review of My Father's House. Drinks and baked goods on us for sure when next we meet.

"Tanzer’s latest work will immediately strike a familiar chord in those who have had the great pleasure of reading his previous novels and collections. Still, My Father’s House is in many ways a stunning departure from the writer’s thematic repertoire. The writing here is incredibly direct, emotional, tender and honest."

"The writing is incredible," though, "I kept searching for some lightness." My Father's House gets Small Press Reviews'd. And likes it. A lot.

ARCs of My Father's House have started trickling out and with that there is the first review from the always sublime and incredibly thoughtful Lavinia Ludlow at Small Press Reviews. There is much positivity and that is appreciated, there is also the search for more lightness though, something we think is there, could be there, but is now a concern, and has us wondering how else the book will be experienced. We look forward to what is to come, however, and we are very thankful to Lavinia for jumping in first, drinks on us for sure, whenever, and wherever we finally meet.

"The writing is incredible, no surprise for a writer like Tanzer, and his storytelling ability has always been incomparable, but the incessant mention of grief, dying, wasting away, and the sheer hopelessness of his protagonist’s tortured soul overtook me like Mavericks’ surf."

And now we pause for a brief Michael Tanzer interlude.

It is June 3rd. And today is the birthday of TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer's father Michael Tanzer, artist, advocate, raconteur, tough guy and pool player. He has been dead eleven years this coming fall and at the risk of being morbid, nothing about that seems sadder than the idea that he will slowly fade from our collective memory, something we know he would have hated. So, in an effort to avoid, or at least prolong said fade, please do take a moment to revisit our 2008 storySouth award nominated creative nonfiction joint and Michael Tanzer homage "PaintWriteDeathLifeArt (Sketches from a Life in Art)," and please do note, and yes this seems coarse as hell, that his last work of art graces the cover of our soon to be released novella My Father's House, something we couldn't be more excited about.

We Are Vespertine interview.

There is more Tanzer Tuesdays at the We Are Vespertine, and yes we are a day late as we were last week, well, and the one before last, but we are no less geeked, and quite appreciative, and today we are interview. Big thanks Vespertine. And drinks, many, on us, when next you're here, July, yes? Yes.


What can we look forward to next from Ben Tanzer?

We are very focused right now at TBWCYL, Inc. headquarters on expanding the various lines of our growing lifestyle brand, so there is a denim collection in the works; condoms, and sponges, do people still use those, the latter, not the former; and now that Liz Taylor has passed, may she rest in peace, perfume for sure. I’m always prepping for the X Games, you know, just in case. And in the literary universe, I have a humor collection called This America Life coming out this summer from Achilles Chapbook Press which gathers pieces of mine that have been published over the last several years and then sometime soon thereafter I have novella titled My Father’s House coming out from Main Street Rag which is intended to be both an extended riff on losing a parent and an homage to The Basketball Diaries. I’m also working on a science fiction joint, and we’ll see how that turns out.