What happens when a mid-level drug dealer gets killed, instantly wakes up inside the body of a newborn baby with his adult consciousness completely intact, and decides to spend his childhood plotting revenge? That is the bizarre, hilarious, and strangely heartwarming premise behind Imagine My Surprise!, the latest novel by K.S. Haddock. Originally conceived all the way back in 2008 as a piece of auto-fiction—where he used his own name and those of his real-life friends—the manuscript sat on a shelf for nearly a decade after he hit a wall with the ending. It wasn't until a push from his current editor that Haddock stripped out the self-insert elements, locked down the structural arc, and finally brought the novel to the finish line.

We talked a lot about the inherent comedy of the book's premise, particularly the scenes where the main character, Keenan, treats his daycare like a halfway house and slips out for middle-of-the-night tactical walks while he is still less than two feet tall. To make his revenge plot work before he's even old enough to get a driver's license, Keenan has to recruit an ally: an eccentric man named Stoli who hangs out behind a neighborhood 7-Eleven. It’s an odd-couple dynamic born out of Haddock's own college years working shifts at a 7-Eleven.

Beyond the page, Haddock utilized his background as a digital artist and art director to completely design the book's striking cover and interior layout himself. He also shared the fascinating process behind creating the audiobook, which he recorded over seven months out of a DIY tent setup in his garage alongside close friends and actors. We also touched on his personal background growing up in a musical family with Alabama roots, his early success getting published at twenty-five, and his current advocacy project, "Real Men Read," which aims to get more young men interested in reading for pleasure. Imagine My Surprise! is out now on Heresy Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, and is an incredibly satisfying read that pulls off a wild concept with absolute confidence.

Thanks for listening!

Kyler

---

Show Notes & Links:

• Official Website: Find everything about his projects and order shirts supporting literacy at kshaddock.com.
• Support Indie Books: K.S. Haddock is a big proponent of privately run independent bookshops. If you can, head down to your local brick-and-mortar store to pick up or request a physical copy! You can also order from independent stores on Bookshop.org.
• Audiobook: Check out the stylized narration by Chris Zegri and Lang Zerner on Audible.
• YouTube Channel for Imagine My Surprise!