Frigid Leap of Faith Spawns First Date in Darkly Humorous New Book

First Date is a fast-paced continuation of the saga of two people — Jack and Aria — who find the right person in the wrong circumstances. Readers witness the immediate aftermath of Jack’s failed attempt at ending his life and follow him as he spends the next 8 hours getting a free ambulance ride to the hospital, being watched by the deputy who tased him, avoiding a psych exam and maybe falling in love with the bartender responsible for his second chance at life, love and redemption.

It begins on a snowy night, when Jack executes his plan to take his own life, unaware that Aria is close behind. But, instead of dying, they find themselves shivering on a riverbank, having survived the fall from a suspension bridge into the currents and debris of the Ohio River. Lucky enough to slam into an anchored barge, they emerge from the water stunned, bruised and still somewhat drunk. Now, they must work their way through the muck of the riverside to solid ground. Fully intent on ending it all just minutes before, Jack now finds himself clinging to Aria for dear life — a life he feels just might be worth living after all.

First Date is a story of individuals haunted by suicide, remorse and unanswered questions: questions whose answers are not to be found in the bottom of a bottle. Secrets are revealed and souls are bared, but answers are still elusive. For now, they only have each other, a dollar store notebook and a teddy bear.

First Date is the second installment in Scott’s three-part, Day in the Life series, in which the unexpected, twisted saga of Jack and Aria unfolds over a combined period of 24 hours. Book One, Drunk Log, was released in 2022 and traces the first eight hours of Jack’s unsteady march toward his intended demise. Book Three is expected by early spring 2024.

About the Author

Born in the small manufacturing town of Galion, Ohio, author Mark E. Scott lived in various burgs in Ohio and Michigan before joining the Navy and spending four years traveling the world aboard the USS Mount Whitney. Upon returning home to southwest Ohio, he enrolled at Miami University and completed a degree in Education, only to become a banker soon thereafter. Scott now lives happily in a condo in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. In his free time, he enjoys writing, finding new and creative ways of tricking his children into answering their phones, and anything related to travel and outdoors, of late including tumbling down snow covered mountains while dragging otherwise perfectly good skis behind him.