A while back Beth blogged about a great new novel that she read as part of the Indies Introduce panel that she served on this year. The book was THE MILITIA HOUSE, by John Milas. As Beth says, “I don’t typically read war or horror books. But what Afghanistan veteran John Milas has accomplished by combining the two genres is chilling, enlightening, and so very sad. An amazing insight into the deployment experience as well as PTSD that has stuck with me.”

We’re thrilled to announce that John will be coming to Skylark on Thursday, October 12, to talk about his novel with Beth. Make a note in your calendars - it’s a wonderful book and it will be a fascinating talk!

John Milas is the author of The Militia House, a Summer/Fall 2023 Indies Introduce selection. Milas enlisted in the US Marine Corps at age 19 and subsequently deployed to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in support of OEF 10.1. He was honorably discharged from active service in 2012. After his discharge, he earned both his BA and MFA in creative writing. As a student, he studied with writers such as Marianne Boruch, Roxane Gay, Brian Leung, Robert Lopez, Terese Marie Mailhot, Julie Price Pinkerton, Donald Platt, Sharon Solwitz, and others. He enjoys engaging with his local literary community by attending readings, hosting workshops at his hometown library, and judging creative writing contests, which he has done since 2015. He has also read submissions for literary magazines such as Sycamore Review and Ninth Letter and has completed various freelance assignments as a journalist and editor. He grew up in Illinois, where he currently reads, writes, and watches baseball.