Tim McDonald is a singer-songwriter and heart of the band Broken Poets. He lives in Phoenix, where he no longer plays in bars: “It just never worked,” he says. “People go to bars to forget, and my music makes them remember.”

In Bob Henschen’s opinion, “To me, he’s not as depressing as he thinks. While his band rarely plays out, Tim’s songwriting is amazingly deep, he has a great voice and guitar savvy, and I’m transfixed even when he plays solo and unplugged. Tim’s an all-original original, if you ask me. One of the best ever to come out of Phoenix. And now this music-based novel of his! I’m impressed! Our very own J.D. Salinger?”