J. Conrad Guest Profile

I was named for Joseph Conrad, my dad's favorite writer. Major influences include Thelonious Monk, one of the founding fathers of bebop in the 40's — he persevered as his music was often ridiculed, and now enjoys his greatest success posthumously. Gene Wolfe is another major influence — a writer in the sci-fi genre, Mr. Wolfe writes with grace, style and great intellect. Mom and Dad, too: Dad, who hated that I read comic books in my youth; he feared I'd never outgrow the trashy literature of my pre-teens. He now knows differently. Author of January's Paradigm, available through BookSurge.com., Amazon.com, Half.com, and Alibris.com, Current Entertainment Monthly (Ann Arbor, MI) wrote: "Personal identity — the slipperiness and malleability of it — make up the major theme of the story ... (readers) will not be able to put it down". I recently completed the first draft of One Hot January, my new novel. My first full-length play had the honor of being turned down by the Purple Rose Theatre (owned by Jeff Daniels) in Chelsea, Michigan. I've worked in radio, acted in and directed numerous plays — drama as well as comedy (no musicals; tone deaf) — and have written theatrical reviews.