Author Chris DeBrie's Third Novel Touches America's Sore Spots

    ROANOKE, VA, July 03, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Shakespeare Ashes marks the third novel from North Carolina native Chris DeBrie. DeBrie gives readers a brutally honest look into the existences of four young people and the lives they touch. He delivers culture references in rapid-fire manner, name-checking Pedro Ruiz, Ani DiFranco, Nas, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Cosby, among others. DeBrie aims an intense spotlight on current events, and on America's complexities regarding race, class, gender, and sex.

Tune in to Chris DeBrie's interview with www.artistfirst.com on July 20th at 6pm. Listeners can submit questions or comments by email, or call in to speak with the author live.

Throughout the book readers will find themselves connecting and even identifying with each of the characters, despite their marked contrasts. A well woven web of delicate but rugged relationships, Shakespeare Ashes goes far beyond the typical boy-meets-girl and delves into the twisted confusion that goes with love relationships among black twenty-somethings in the modern age. DeBrie unravels the confusion in a language that is both simple and complex, allowing readers to immediately grasp the depth of emotions and conflict within each character.

Each character within Shakespeare Ashes is a step away from being someone we all know or someone we once were. Donna struggles to move on from her last relationship, resisting her mother's friendship with her ex and looking forward to a possible romance with her troubled and unique new friend. Erven, that friend, is recovering from the death of his mother and always looking for the next high. An escapist, his honesty and sometimes cruel humor along with his mysterious appeal seem to draw people to him. Robbie is the football star: Bound for greatness, he's the one with a steady girlfriend and action on the side. With an ever present "sinking" feeling, Charlene is recently laid off and facing her last semester of college with uncertainty, questioning both the relationships she has left behind and those she maintains. DeBrie develops these characters using their experiences and interactions, and creates a story that is exceedingly relevant to today's relationship trends.

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