AUTHOR Jason Handler

I first started writing poetry in my early teens. It started off as song lyrics for the band I was playing guitar in at the time, but when the words wouldn’t fit into the songs, I repurpose them into poems. In my free time in between tours, I would read books by Charles Bukowski and write a short story here and there to keep myself busy.

After high school, I made the decision to quit playing music and go to college.

While I was in college, I discovered a book by Chad Kultgen called The Average American Male. That book is still to this day, my absolute favorite. It is the simplest read but the one that gave me the inspiration to write.

I spent the next few years writing but never actually thought about releasing anything until the pandemic hit and I found myself with some free time.

I might have the most annoying writing process. Some people will sit at a computer and dedicate a certain amount of time to it or try to hit a word count. I do the opposite of both. I will write anytime and anywhere. I can write for five minutes on my phone or sit at a computer for five hours. There is no rhyme or reason for any of it.

A little fun fact about my writing is that I always mention the title of the book somewhere in the actual story. Keep an eye out for the titles when your reading one of my books! 

When writing, I take a very down to Earth approach to it. I like to write about relatable topics and real places. The best part about traveling to several different states is being able to take inspiration from those places and put them in the stories. 

 I am currently in the middle of writing the third book that I will have out by the summer of 2023.

My distant future plans include follow-up books to Through Being Cool and Upstate Blues. 

If you were to ask me what my greatest joy in life is, my answer wouldn’t be the music I’ve played, the traveling I’ve done, or the stories I’ve published – it would be my newborn baby girl. Chad Kultgen may have inspired me to start writing, but it is my daughter who gives me the passion and heart to make great stories.