Today is the long awaited publication day of my novel THE FIREBUG OF BALROG COUNTY. It is a novel about obsession, mourning the loss of a parent, and a zestful dog named Chompy. It is a novel about surreal small town life and the dangerous places that we take ourselves. It is also the funniest book I’ve ever written in a long career of being a smart mouth. It contains the most feels. Oh Jesus Dave don’t start getting all misty eyed now you fucker.
Please check it out! Please come to the reading on Sept. 18th so I can hug you. Thank you to Flux Books for making such a goddamn beautiful book.
Available in paperback and digital format.
Oppegaard’s book is beautifully written and full of honest characters, but probably its finest virtue is giving an authentic and powerful voice to a young man in pain. Mack’s cleverness and snark have bite to them, and he comes across as a real person who needs a hug. The risks he takes in setting fires are a cry for help, but they may very well lead to tragic consequences. Despite all this heaviness and having his family torn apart by his mother’s death, Mack’s story is still overflowing with humor, romance, and, eventually, even hope. This book is a winner. –VOYA Magazine
David Oppegaard 