The Kissing Bug. This item is unavailable.The Kissing Bug

In the tradition of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, and the eerie Victorian tales of Edward Gorey, comes a dark yet tender story for children and adults. During the dreary era of the first world war, on an old country farm, there exists a kingdom of the creepiest, nastiest, and strangest of bugs called kissing bugs . . . also known as assassin bugs. They are militant, paranoid insects that enjoy drinking blood from plump caterpillars, baby spiders, and even human lips and eyelids. All of them except for Kristopher, a bohemian among the kissing bugs, who only takes the blood of caterpillars to paint pictures of the woman he loves. The other bugs must never know that Kristopher is in love with a human woman, it is his most guarded secret, especially once they go to war with every creature who doesn’t follow the Kissing Bug Way. Featuring Leyenda the gossipy ladybug, Klondyke the fat greedy sycophant, Booty the batty old balloonist who makes her balloons out of the skins of caterpillars, and General Khevron the sadistic warmonger whose instruments of torture can force his enemies to confess to just about anything. The Kissing Bug is as bleak and disquieting as it is charming and whimsical. An allegorical tale that will likely endure for many generations to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Scott Buck was born in Baker City, Oregon, the historic social center of the Powder River Gold Rush. He was raised by a mill worker and grew up in other small towns, most notably Lebanon, Oregon, home of the World's Largest Strawberry Shortcake.

He worked as an investigator at the public defender's office for a number of years, and now spends his time telling stories for your pain and pleasure. His debut novel, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, was picked as Novel of the Year by 3:AM Magazine in Paris, and was also a Needle Award finalist.

He is a graduate of Reed College and still lives in Portland where he is co-founder and president of the Portland Literary Offensive. THE KISSING BUG is his second book.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Born among the briars and brambles in the backwoods of Medford, Oregon, Evan Benjamin Harris grew up with little knowledge of bourgeois big city fine arts. So, he dove into the recesses of his own imagination and embraced the fables and folklore that fascinated him. With little to do but draw, he did exactly that. Now older, things haven't changed much. The stories that he created as a child are still present in his paintings. With diligence and hard work, Evan's crude stick figures became the more clearly defined images you see today. With no formal art training, he creates on his own terms.

Broken boards, oil and acrylic paints, charcoal pastels, plastic resin, and melted waxes are among the mediums Evan uses. Then they are broken, brushed, sanded, polished, and hung. Most would cringe at the idea of scratching or sanding something they spent hours upon hours painting, but that's Evan's favorite part -- creating the appearance that this wasn't made in the 21st century, but perhaps in the 20th. So, behind every scratch and claw mark, there is a story to tell.