HARTFORD - Author and Berlin native Joe Clifford has written the second book in his Jay Porter series, and once again he's using his personal experiences to tell an important story.
He will launch his book at his alma matar, Central Connecticut State University, on Tuesday.
Clifford's first book, "Lamentation," also drew from his personal experiences, and this book builds off the world established in the first one, albeit with new struggles and adventures.
"One of the hardest parts about writing a sequel, like December Boys, is when we end 'Lamentation' we have a bit of hope, and it's not a happy ending, these are dark books, but it ends with a bit of levity and some optimism, and a chance for Jay to move on to something better," Clifford said on Good Day Connecticut. "Of course, when you back in to write something like this, the first thing you have to do is disrupt that tranquility. Two people loving each other very much, nothing ever going wrong, is great in real life, but it makes for lousy fiction."
Clifford says that even if you didn't read "Lamentation," "December Boys will be able to stand on its own as a novel.
