A Brief Description of the Book

Things Kept Burning is the culmination of a year and a half spent publishing in different literary journals and web zines. Told primarily by the same first person narrator - a writer battling demons on several fronts while searching for transcendence through a series of bizarre relationships, generally involving people from different worlds - these stories offer a compelling examination of American loneliness and hope, while exploring the thin line between reality and fiction.

The book is also about the search for salvation through art. From the adventures of a college professor and his former student with Down Syndrome, to the evening spent in a porn star's hotel room, to the death of a best friend in a drug overdose, these eclectic narratives force the reader to pull back for a moment and question where they're going with their lives, while illuminating the absurdity of existence itself.

Advance Praise for the Book

"This is one of the most explosive collections of the year. Finally, a writer who exposes us to ourselves."
- Reginald Forest, Journal of Caribbean Studies

"In heroically divesting himself of vanity, of decorative ornament, of unearned sentiment or reassuring illusion, Rob Simons entrusts us with that rarest gift: the truth."
- Jon Rohrer, Creative Director Fluxism.com

"These stories resonate with humor, sadness, compassion, and possibility. The way in which Simons reveals his beautiful vision of the world almost breaks your heart."
- Nick Plosser, Writer / Director The Gabriel Malison and The Package

"An amazing collection of stories by a writer capable of holding a mirror to our collective soul, Simons offers us a disillusioning but strangely beautiful portrait of life and loss in the 21st century."
- Matt DeCoste, Creative Director / Managing Editor Slippy Magazine