Twelve Oaks to host local author

Science teacher Scott Roberts has taken a break from his busy schedule to pen his latest book, “The Last Days of Neil Armisted.” Roberts is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, and this new release will be his third full-length book. On Friday, Twelve Oaks Accessory Garden in downtown Hattiesburg will host an in-store book release party complete with refreshments and store discounts to celebrate the new manuscript.

Jason Le Viere, co-owner of Twelve Oaks, is excited to welcome the local writer to the store.

“We were thrilled to be able to host S.D. Roberts for the launch of his newest novel,” Le Viere said. “While the specific content may not be what our business is all about, the final product certainly falls right in line with what we love at Twelve Oaks: local art. These books are written in Hattiesburg, and the materials that make each book are made of recycled products. We love when something old becomes something new.”

Each physical copy of the book is held together within the cover of old, discarded books that Roberts has saved from local libraries or thrift stores. The covers have been hand-painted to give a face-lift to these old copies.

Roberts had this idea with his first novel.

“When I wrote my first book, I came up with the idea to bind my own book into a forgotten book,” Roberts said. “I think it brings the old books back into the light while giving a new book that old book smell that a lot of people really enjoy.”

On the day of the event, nine of these repurposed books will be ready for sale at 20 dollars each.

The stream of consciousness story revolves around the inner thoughts of the main character, who has decided to commit suicide within the first line of the book.

“When writing, I have often enjoyed writing nothing but dialogue between characters, and at times I feel that I have hidden behind that,” Roberts said. “This book was an attempt to take the stream of consciousness to another level than I am used to. There was no dialogue to hide behind. I could only make this character speak.”

In the story, the character finds himself making arrangements to get to the Walnut Street Bridge in Tennessee after becoming obsessed with it. The protagonist meets a host of characters throughout the last days of his life, from his girlfriend and landlord to a tattooed coffee shop barista.

Roberts hopes that the journey of this character will speak to a wide audience.

“Everyone struggles with life and all the things that make up life, and, frankly, everyone at some point sits down and questions the validity of life and the point of it all,” Roberts said. “At least I hope they do.”

The book release party will last from 6 until 8 p.m.