Q: Wow, man. You went in character.

A: Yes. My T-shirt says Cerveza Imperíal, a Costa Rican beer.

I was like Kilgore Trout at the Midland City Arts Festival.

Q: That's what I was thinking.

A: And my hat said Wewahitchka, Florida.

Wewahitchka is an Indian word that means "We want whiskey."

Q: Is that the Creature From the Black Lagoon in the upper right-hand corner of your badge?

A: Yes. Black McGoon.

The Creature From the Black Lagoon was filmed at Wakulla Springs.

I went over there for Creaturefest one year.

The 50th anniversary, in fact.

I might go over there again. For WORK.

WORK is set in Northwest Florida.

Q: You could use that picture for the cover of WORKINGMAN BLUES NO. 2.

A: That's not up to me.

Q: But if nobody's going to publish it anyway, you could.

A: Yes. In fact, I think I will.

It illustrates the plight of the workingman.

He has a wife and family and he is under water, surrounded by monsters, attacking him. Out of his element. Out of his depth. In over his head.

That monster is fixing to come down and eat my lunch.

Q: The novel is about conflict.

A: WORKINGMAN'S BLUES NO. 2 isn't a novel, it's a memoir. The next book, WORK, is a novel.