Winner of 2 Awards in Literary Fiction. Included in the Prize-Winning Literary Fiction Series from LaPuerta Books and Media Clifford’s Spiral is a quirkily comic literary novel. Its sardonic tone recalls the wry wisdom of Kurt Vonnegut, and its preoccupation with male centeredness is reminiscent of Philip Roth. Stroke victim Clifford Klovis tries to piece together the colorful fragments of his memories. He fusses over his lifelong curiosities about astrophysics and metaphysics, Christian faith and New Age philosophy, and why the spiral shape appears in bathtub drains and at the centers of galaxies. He has imaginary conversations and arguments with wives and lovers, as well as with Hypatia of Alexandria, René Descartes, his old mentor Reverend Thurston, and Stephen Hawking. Clifford's best teacher turns out to be his paraplegic son Jeremy, who has found his father's old letters and journals. Jeremy also wonders: Who was Clifford Olmstead Klovis? 2020 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite We've seen and noted the comparison of this author by other reviewers to literary giants like Roth and Vonnegut. And we can't disagree. Yet we feel there may be yet another strata for Gerald Everett Jones, who arguably is doing the best work of his career. We predict that he lacks only a mention in the The New York Review of Books or, better yet, Oprah , to become a nationwide best-selling author. Five-plus stars to Clifford's Spiral , a true literary novel if ever there was one. We say in all seriousness that if you only read one novel this year, this should be it. - Don Sloan , Publishers Daily Reviews Despite Clifford's grumpy uncooperative self, the reader can't help but cheer for him, hope he will release his chosen silence, and be able to speak again. Clifford is so well-drawn, and his life stories capture the reader so completely that you forgive him his vanity and selfishness, and wish the book was longer so you could hang out with him longer. Highly recommended. You will want to read this more than once. - Dorothyanne Brown, Reedsy Discovery Following one character as he battles within his own mind might be fairly therapeutic for the reader, as will be going along on a journey of growth and development, even at an older age. Seeing the father-son relationship develop through a metaphor in the mind of Clifford was also well done by the author.- The BookLife Prize Literary novel readers interested in a deep probe of psychological development will find Clifford's Spiral an intriguing story--hard to easily define or put down. - Diane Donovan, California Bookwatch Gerald Everett Jones has created a career-bolstering novel in Clifford's Spiral. I'm impressed by his brazen choice in topic to develop such a topsy-turvy plot that involves multiple heartbreaks both internal and external. I have to commend Jones' ability to work with a mostly "unlikeable" character in Clifford Kovis and make him rather enjoyable to follow and an absolutely intriguing intellectual. The plot is bigger than life, yet still somehow believable. Jones is just a bit quick with his action and voice, and perhaps he's too dedicated to showing interior thought in relation to relative space as opposed to interior character. Whenever I see the inner thoughts of a character like Clifford, I'd like to know a lot more about him as opposed to how he's reacting to mundane situations. I also had to wonder about the position of the narrator, since he so clearly understands the limitations and abilities of Clifford while attempting to contain the reader in Clifford's confusion--this was perhaps the most difficult stylistic aspect to achieve in the novel and might could have used more care. Regardless of my nitpicky critiques, I hope Jones will continue to offer creative stories with high intellectual capability. I just can't get over this concept of searching for oneself as he continues to exist. No wonder Descartes was a logical philosopher to include! - Judge, 28th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards Recipient of multiple book awards in mystery and literary fiction,  Gerald Everett Jones is a freelance writer living in Santa Monica, California. He recently returned from a two-year residence in Kenya. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Women's National Book Association, as well as a board member of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). He is a Film Independent (FILM) Fellow. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the College of Letters, Wesleyan University, where he studied under novelists Peter Boynton  (Stone Island) , F.D. Reeve  (The Red Machines) , and Jerzy Kosinski  (The Painted Bird, Being There) . Learn more at geraldeverettjones.com.