SEATTLE - July 20, 2020 - Imagine the Three Stooges on acid and you have The White Field (TouchPoint Press, Sep 18, 2020). Poet and two-time Pushcart nominee Douglas Cole's debut novel focuses on the roller-coaster ride that is the human experience.

The White Field is a fast-paced journey where the main character is caught in a web of unseen forces. The poetic writing featured in this exciting tale creates a surreal and dreamlike world that reveals ancient truths of the human spirit. This suspenseful view on a doomed man who ultimately finds salvation would greatly appeal to young and middle-aged adults as it features funky characters, well placed humor, some sexual content, drug use, family issues, divorce, isolation, and the hope everyone has to find some joy and stability in life.

Sara Lippmann, author of Doll Palace, says, "With his debut novel, The White Field, Douglas Cole delivers a taut, well-paced thrill ride rife with keenly observed lyricism. It's not every day a man-on-the-run novel contains poetry like 'flocks of starlings caught in the last frenzy of life,' and The White Field contains lines like this on every page, making it a startling and refreshing addition to the literary world of misfits: gripping, thoughtful, and unquestionably alive."

The enthralling tale of The White Field follows Tom, an ex-convict fresh out of prison, trying desperately to rebuild his life. After his release from prison, Tom finds himself in the wastelands of a city, performing menial work afforded to the underclass. He thus begins his new life among characters at the edge of society - Raphael, a former cop from Mexicali who sings Spanish arias in the mists of the industrial night; Tony, a stoner scholar with an encyclopedic knowledge of history based solely on the intricate study of rock and roll; and Larry, the bloated, abusive manager who is trapped as much as his workers in a world of tedium, repetition, and machines. When Tom finds that he is unable to reconnect with what's left of his family, he embarks on a criminal path more harrowing than the one that led him to prison in the first place. And with no place left in this world to go but back to prison, he makes one last run for freedom.

About the author
Douglas Cole has published six collections of poetry and a novella. His work has appeared in anthologies and in The Chicago Quarterly Review, The Galway Review, Chiron, The Pinyon Review, Bitter Oleander, Louisiana Literature, Sou'Wester, Two Thirds North, Red Rock Review, and Slipstream. He has been nominated twice for a Pushcart and Best of the Net and has received the Leslie Hunt Memorial Prize in Poetry. His website is douglastcole.com.

Contact
Ashley Carlson