Deal Me In

LOVE AND Romance: Deal Me In is the perfect gift book for Valentine's Day and other special occasions.

Popular, Austin, Texas poet Alyce Guynn and legendary lead guitarist, turned illustrator, Jesse Taylor are partners in this collection of poetic love stories. The full deck of fifty-two poems are powerful, joyous, evocative, funny, mystical, sensuous (and occasionally bawdy). These poems are robust celebrations of LOVE in all its forms.

"Deal Me In is full of risky, funny, heartbreaking laments that are never sentimental, always honest, and devoid of self-pity. Alyce Guynn writes, 'I am unwilling to walk out before the final act.' Like a card player with a hard-earned reputation, she plays each hand for what it's worth. These are not poems about winning or losing. They are about 'conveying us closer to the self we are seeking.'" Hayan Charara, author of The Alchemist's Diary and The Sadness of Others.

"With words that are as steeped in wisdom as they are wonderfully strung together, Alyce Guynn makes her mark in Texas' literati. Call them naïve or folk art, Jesse Taylor's illustrations give Guynn's Deal Me In a memorable, hard black edge." Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle.

"Earthy, electrically visceral and unfailingly honest, Alyce Guynn's sharp observations hit you like a song you didn't know you needed to hear until the moment it starts playing on the radio." Patrick Beach, Austin American Statesman, author of A Good Forest for Dying

"This books rocks like a 45rpm on a sixties jukebox and whispers love songs in the same breath. Alyce Guynn, a Texas girl who became a writer and never forgot how awesome 'Party Doll' by Buddy Knox was. I love her and you will too. Jesse Taylor virtually re-invents the meaning of music and harmony every time he places his fingers on the strings. The past few years have seen him turn his attention to drawing, drawing which is as colourful, dynamic and shape shifting as his music. These illustrations are the perfect complement to Alyce's poetry." Terry Clarke, writer/musician, recordings include Call Up A Hurricane, Lucky, Sound of the Moon, Green Voodoo, and Rhythm Oil.