by Angela Farlow, Student Public Relations Writer
Andrew Graff, assistant professor of English at Cedarville University, will release his first book, “Bread and Fish,” in fall 2020.
Ecco, an imprint of Harper Collins, will publish “Bread and Fish” in the U.S., while Gallmeister (France) and Kok (Netherlands) will publish translations for European markets. Graff’s book will have a two-continent release.
Graff started writing “Bread and Fish” five years ago in Wisconsin, where he was raised on a farm. His vision for the story line originated there. The sights, sounds and smells of Wisconsin inform the atmosphere of his book.
According to Graff, the idea for the book came from a night in the dead of winter. He was lighting a fire with old notes from his college years. He stopped to read an essay, “The Nature and Aim of Fiction,” by Flannery O’Connor, which challenged him to immerse a reader into a scene with at least three of the five senses.
“That night I wrote a scene of two boys walking their bikes down a gravel road, clover growing in the ditches and a blackbird clinging to a cattail stock,” said Graff. “Those boys eventually became Bread and Fish.”
Bread and Fish, the two main characters in the book, are on the run from a crime they didn’t commit, which sends them on a journey through the Wisconsin backwoods. Graff shared that his faith is represented thematically in the book, with the boys running toward a way to be fathered.
— Andrew Graff
After four drafts of the book, Graff began to share it with agents. The book was passed around between adult fiction and young adult fiction editors. “This happened at least four times, but eventually the work was given to Maggie Cooper, who loved it and became my agent,” explained Graff. “We worked on edits for two months, and she quickly sold it to an editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.”
Graff is excited and thankful for the opportunity to see his book published. “What did I do to make the process happen?” asked Graff. “I can honestly say, ‘Nothing.’ It came out of nowhere. But I will add this: I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
“Bread and Fish” will be published next fall and available online and in bookstores nationwide. More information about Andrew Graff can be found here.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.