Touch Your Defenses contains 12 short stories and a novella-length newsroom drama. The stories are existential coming of age tales set in the upper Piedmont of North Carolina and the western mountains. These stories provide a glimpse into the evolution of a life in North Carolina from the post-Vietnam era to the dawning of globalism and social media. Characters search for love and connectivity but too often find themselves moving back to isolation and deeper inner struggle. They grow and fail, but ultimately fight to find a way forward in an ever changing society.
Jeff Sykes is a native of Forsyth County, N.C. He graduated from WCU and became a newspaper reporter and editor, winning press awards in North Carolina and Virginia. As a child, Jeff wrote poems and lyrics and pursued songwriting as a young adult. Since 2014, he's focused on fiction writing, publishing the novella, Another Form of Prayer. His short stories have been featured in anthologies published by 67 Press.