Raised in Philadelphia, Brendan Jones took the Greyhound west at the age of 19, ending up in Sitka, Alaska. He graduated from Oxford University, where he boxed for the Blues team, then returned to Alaska to commercial fish. He was a general contractor for seven years in Philadelphia, before heading back to Sitka, where he now lives, commercial fishing and renovating a WWII tugboat.Jones's new novel is The Alaskan Laundry.
From his Q & A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: Do you think this novel could have been set somewhere other than Alaska, and how important is setting to you in your writing?Visit Brendan Jones's website.
A: Alaska represents both end of the line, and land of new beginnings. It is a gateway that some don’t quite step through. Each country (even state) has similar lands where the imagination plays strongest. Bretagne in France, Galicia in Spain, Scotland in Great Britain, Siberia in Russia, Inner Mongolia, and so forth.
So this novel could have been set elsewhere, but not in the United States. If the novel played out in Montana, I couldn’t have taken advantage of...[read on]
Writers Read: Brendan Jones.
My Book, The Movie: The Alaskan Laundry.
Coffee with a Canine: Brendan Jones & Colorado.
--Marshal Zeringue