C.H. HOOKS has been published in print and online publications, including American Short Fiction (Bourbon & Milk) and Burrowpress (Fantastic Floridas). He was a Contributor at Sewanee Writers’ Conference, attended DISQUIET: Dzanc Books International Literary Program, and was a Reader for the 2017 & 2018 DISQUIET Literary Prize. He received his MFA from the University of Tampa, and is a Lecturer at the College of Coastal Georgia.
Forthcoming March 5, 2019
IS JEFFERS AN ALLIGATOR ZOO-PARK MAGICIAN OR THE MESSIAH?
Two friends live unapologetically on the edge of poverty in the rugged, un-decorous part of the South. Jimmy, a single father with an addict ex, and Jeffers, a magician whose tricks are closer to miracles—both are immersed in a place where trailers and Hot Pockets dominate the landscape, and alligators roam free. When Jimmy witnesses “losing” his best friend to his biggest trick gone awry, he reflects on their lifelong friendship and what it really means to escape.
Early Praise
“Draw a direct line from Larry Brown and Harry Crews to C.H. Hooks.”
–Jeff Parker, author of Ovenman
“C.H. Hooks’ mesmerizing novel, Alligator Zoo-Park Magic, hovers in the boundaries between city boys and country boys. a van named NAILR and a radiator-busting, beer-drinking deer. The world is both nature untamed and twisted in a theme park of mermaids and crispy-fried reptile bites. Yet, Hooks does so much more than create a new spin on the mystical, mythical South. This fascinating debut delves into the true nature of the heart: everyone’s need to belong to someone, to some place, and, most importantly, to oneself.”
–Erica Dawson, author of When Rap Spoke Straight to God
“Mr. Hooks has produced a magic show of the highest order.”
–Jensen Beach, author of Swallowed by the Cold
“I’ve died and been born anew! C.H. Hooks is a damned wizard, and Alligator Zoo-Park Magic is a holy hell of a book.”
–Harrison Scott Key, author of Congratulations, Who Are You Again? and The World’s Largest Man
“AZPM is in the best tradition of Southern literature – it’s fast and funny, dark
and desperate."
–Shane Hinton, author of Pinkies editor of We Can’t Help if We’re From Florida