"An absolutely fascinating and entertaining read from cover to cover..."* In this humorous memoir, critically acclaimed novelist Chris Orcutt debunks the myths surrounding the writing life.

"I avoided writers very carefully because they can perpetuate trouble as no one else can," wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Perpetuating Trouble Orcutt shows how true this is, revealing that the life of a writer is really one of crushing solitude, chronic dissatisfaction, mood swings and self-doubt, and where successes, when they come, are like diner mints--sweet, but short-lived.

Trouble on Every Page...

Life away from the writing desk is equally vexing, filled with callous urologists, curmudgeonly painters, flirtatious receptionists, personal feuds and petty thefts. For Orcutt, all of this leads to one thing--perpetual trouble.

A Writer's Trials, Travails and Triumphs...

Yet, Orcutt's deep love of language, his saintly wife, and his indomitable sense of humor keep him going. Whether picking up two female hitchhikers who later turn out to be aliens from another planet, or divesting himself of a hoard of tacky paintings, or using philosophy to get out of a traffic ticket, Orcutt finds the humor and the art in his trials. It's also a life of love and sadness, as he recounts a whirlwind love affair with a ravishing redhead, and the death of his beloved writing companion, his cat.

In the end, Orcutt discovers that to be a writer, he must be part adventurer, crusader, humorist, lover, philosopher, and, of course, troublemaker.

Perpetuating Trouble is Orcutt's tenth book, and by far his most personal work to date.

"An absolutely fascinating and entertaining read from cover to cover, [Orcutt's] Perpetuating Trouble will have particular interest for anyone familiar with (or themselves living) the life of a writer." - *Midwest Book Review