The very act of painting has fueled much of the imagery found in my writing, while providing another creative outlet for me. A wild joy directs my brush strokes, color choices, even the texture of my painting, and of course, such unlocking of artistic freedom bounces back into my writing, in sentence structures, word choices, even how the characters feel. When I reminisce about all the different avenues artistic expression took me on, writing and painting rise to the top. Capturing emotions on canvas, returns me to decades ago, when I attended The New School in NYC, having the good fortune to study under a significant artist-teacher, the Abstract Expressionist painter, Norman Carton. His guidance is forever stirring at my core. 

To allow both loves, painting and writing, to come together for Crazy String, is indeed a cover story. 

Years, decades, all flew by after The New School days, and I found myself too busy to “make art.” But then the pandemic arrived with a long period sheltering in place but exploding with emotions. Painting became my escape, and luckily, I found resources handily, starting with the cardboard piling up in the garage, plus scrap wood, and finally, canvas. So much of the pandemic was filled with reflection, during which I learned to appreciate the quiet hours painting. Calming my soul. Building freedom though colorful expression. Helped my writing too. 

By 2022 we were all gathering with friends once more, and I was showing work in galleries again. There is truly nothing like dropping off a painting, among a slew of canvases all leaning about, a discord of mediums and sizes and subjects, and then, a short week or so later, walking into a fully realized art show, where everything not only makes sense, but somehow your piece of the puzzle looks far better than you could imagine. A community of visual expression shouting everything is possible. Come stroll around and take in exactly what you need. It is here.

I am not 100 percent sure why this painting stood out as the right one for my novel cover, but it did. We placed it on a prominent wall in our home, and sat with it for a while, and decided, Yes, yes, this speaks to so much of the characters’ emotions, from the chaos of their past to the crazy string that connects them still. Perhaps you need to read more about the story to understand? I got you.

We curate our memories to survive, but the truth eventually forces its way back. Because some stories linger as dreamlike memories of childhood, others are buried to be forgotten. But the past rarely stays hidden for long.

In Crazy String, David moves between the controlled clarity of his adult life and the haunting memories of a childhood marked by the “blue light night,” a moment that fractured everything his family once was. As past and present begin to blur, the version of the story he has lived by starts to crack open.

What remains is harder to face: the truth.

This book is a powerful exploration of grief, memory, and the quiet weight of unspoken secrets. Crazy String reveals how families hold together and come undone. At its heart, it is a story about forgiveness, and the realization that only love has the power to unthread the knots pain has left behind.

The cover also has two images overlaid on the painting: a single tire track and an evergreen tree. You will need to sort out the meaning behind those images yourself, but I am confident once you read the novel you will agree they need to be represented.

Discover the secrets of Crazy String by ordering your copy at moiradonovan.com