Michael Scott Monje Jr.'s Blog, page 4

Where Have I Been?

It's a good question, right? This blog has been down since the end of Imaginary Friends, and even before that, it had turned into more of a one-system creative writing journal and less of a narrative of my days. There are good reasons for that. For starters, The US Book, my fifth novel/first book of poetry, required a lot of attention. That attention happened to be of the "shattering my life and confronting my own cowardice" variety. There was simply no way to outline what I knew in the disci...

Imaginary Friends in Paperback and Defiant in the Lammys

Those of you who have been reading Imaginary Friends as a blog serial might be starting to wonder why it is that the book has mostly disappeared today (3/10). This has always been part of the plan, and the reason is simple: My publisher owns the rights now. If you want to read the complete and fully polished Imaginary Friends, you'll have to order a copy, either here or through another major retailer.

In the meantime, there are some sample chapters that are staying up so that people can previe...

Ch 54 & 55 - Concluding Imaginary Friends

Editorial Note: These chapters have been finished for some time, and I'm sorry I did not have them up. They should have posted while I was on vacation in December, but due to unforeseen events in my family and personal life, I never quite managed to find time to sit down with them. As I write this, I'm stealing project time away from typesetting books that should be on shelves in less than sixty days.

I'm grateful for the support and the friendships that have made me successful enough to be th...

Ch 53 - In the Closet (Imaginary Friends)

Imaginary Friends is a serial novel. New chapters go up every Monday(ish). If you're new to it, you can catch up by starting from the Introduction or the first chapter. This week, we continue the short bust of activity that makes up the final plot arc in the novel. Welcome to War Nerve.
If you're impatient to read more about Clay Dillon, check out the links at the bottom of the chapter for other books in the series. You can also click on the cover images on the right. On th...

You've got to be better

This is a letter to when I was ten.

You've got to be better. You've got to.
You've got to be better than flipping on another sitcom from Chuck Lorre.
You've got to be better than getting lost inside the poetic mind of this generation's hottest MC.
You've got to be more interesting than anything happening inside style pages,
You've got to do better than Goop. You've got to be relevant,
You've got to avoid doing the unselfconsciously horrible stunts from ignorance.
You've got to know what it looks lik...

Ch 52 - Between the Essence and the Descent (Imaginary Friends)

Imaginary Friends is a serial novel. New chapters go up every Monday(ish). If you're new to it, you can catch up by starting from the Introduction or the first chapter. This week, we continue the short bust of activity that makes up the final plot arc in the novel. Welcome to War Nerve.
If you're impatient to read more about Clay Dillon, check out the links at the bottom of the chapter for other books in the series. You can also click on the cover images on the right.

“Clay,...

Something Wicked This Way Comes (#TDoR2015 / #Autistics Speaking Day)

Editor's Note: This poem by Puzzlebox Collective member Athena the Architect brings together the intentions of Autistics Speaking Day and the Transgender Day of Remembrance to make a statement about our commitment and mission moving forward. You will see more work from her in Autonomous Press's NeuroQueer Horizons, a chapbook series starting in late 2016.

My fourth year participating I have to come on strong,
so let’s start with the shit at least half of you will read wrong:
I’ve been working to...

Ch 51 - Swallowing the Body (Imaginary Friends)

Imaginary Friends is a serial novel. New chapters go up every Monday(ish). If you're new to it, you can catch up by starting from the Introduction or the first chapter. This week, we start the short bust of activity that makes up the final plot arc in the novel. Welcome to War Nerve.
If you're impatient to read more about Clay Dillon, check out the links at the bottom of the chapter for other books in the series. You can also click on the cover images on the right.

Clay felt hims...

Ch 50 - Over the Rainbow (Imaginary Friends)

Imaginary Friends is a serial novel. New chapters go up every Monday(ish). If you're new to it, you can catch up by starting from the Introduction or the first chapter.

If you're impatient to read more about Clay Dillon, check out the links at the bottom of the chapter for other books in the series. You can also click on the cover images on the right.
Clay felt a burning sensation in his knees.It was good. In fact, it was the reason he was still saying the rosary.His mother only...

Ch 49 - Cautionary Tales (Imaginary Friends)

Imaginary Friends is a serial novel. New chapters go up every Monday(ish). If you're new to it, you can catch up by starting from the Introduction or the first chapter.

If you're impatient to read more about Clay Dillon, check out the links at the bottom of the chapter for other books in the series. You can also click on the cover images on the right.


Clay woke up in his own bed with only a foggy recollection of having been at Grandpa Harry’s. He also found himself with the convi...