The Raised Eyebrow Pt. I The office smelled of cigarettes. On the walls were photos of the machines that the factory made, machines that made other machines. There were also framed certificates of congratulations from government officials, praising the business for what it had accomplished. The door opened. A man in a suit sat down […]
The Raised Eyebrow
To look at Kartar Jain, you would not know that he was born of rape. His face is like a melon, his lips protrusions of wet fruit, and if there is a pit inside him, it is as soft and pliable as his little limbs and the palette of loose skin that is his belly. […]
Why I Don’t Use My Real Name in Writing
This isn’t my real name. It’s not the name I was born with. Not the name people know me by. I’m not a criminal or anything. I haven’t even got embarrassing videos on the internet that I don’t want people to see. In my real life, I’m a professional. I have a good career. I […]
Early Morning Thoughts
It’s not early morning anymore. It was when I woke up. There’s a pot of coffee on. I shouldn’t drink it all. I probably will. It’s snowing, lightly. I’m revising my book, Girl Island. I can make it better. More immediate and fleshed out in the beginning. Stronger through the characters. I revise in the […]
The Distance, and the Damage
I am your boy, he said to the photograph at the end of the hallway. Wooden boards creaking, Deckard leaned his head on the wall. Put his hand on the glass of the photo frame. Whispered words, the etching of a remembered prayer, the fragment of a stray poem. I am your boy, repeated the […]
My Writing Contract
Today, I start putting myself out there. 2020 was great, but this is the year. I’m going to query agents about my book, Girl Island. But I’m going to make a contract with myself first, and I’m going to stick to it. The contract goes as follows: I will work harder than anyone to market […]
A Year of Writing in the Life of Trent Lewin
Preambles and Prologues I don’t know where it all comes from. I don’t. I’m a normal person. I’m sane. But for whatever reason, I write literary fiction that is bent across genres, and love doing it. Creating normalcy in and amidst the strange. The thing I have is this: I am true to this craft. […]