Goddess Fish Promotions Presents

Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph
by Ari Rosenschein

A randomly drawn winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (US only) – Enter Below

It’s the late ’90s—the final days before smartphones and the internet changed the teenage landscape forever. Zack and his mother have moved from Tempe to Berkeley for a fresh start, leaving behind Zack’s father after a painful divorce. A natural athlete, Zack makes the water polo team which equals social acceptance at his new school. Yet he’s more drawn to Matthias, a rebellious skater on the fringes, who introduces him to punk rock, record stores, and the legendary Telegraph Avenue.

As their friendship intensifies, Matthias’s behavior reminds Zack of his absent dad, driving a wedge between him and his mother. Complicating matters is Zaylee, a senior who boosts Zack’s confidence but makes him question his new buddy, Matthias. Faced with all these changes, Zack learns that when life gets messy, he might have to become his own best friend.

Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph is about how a friendship can challenge who we are, how we fit in, and where we’re going.

What’s the biggest change a friendship has made in your life?

There have been so many vital friendships in my life that I can’t choose a mere one on which to focus. Still, lest that sound like a copout, I can pinpoint the most significant change in my life due to a friend. Every time I stepped into a buddy’s home and met their family was life-changing. Each unique environment taught me something different about religion, parenting, expectations, cleaning habits, and musical taste. Some families were permissive yet detached—others were cozy and uptight. 

One friend of mine had a family with a love of theater. His older brother was a thespian starring in a local production of Arsenic and Old Lace, a macabre play that fascinated me. The same family took me out with them to a local bistro for steak dinners, an unfamiliar food for me. This kind of hyper-American culinary experience contrasted with mine and made me feel like one of those lucky youngsters on a popular sitcom.

I think my friend’s home lives were the prisms through which I learned about the world. Whether watching an unfamiliar game show on TV in a living room or eating an awkward dinner, I encountered alternate realities. Each of these situations expanded my worldview and helped me better understand my family’s habits and customs. In the end, friendship led to trust, and that trust allowed my pals to bring me into their lives. For this, I remain forever grateful. Perhaps they feel the same about some unexpected adventure I took them on without my even knowing it. 

I hold my breath as I watch Zaylee scan my clumsy attempt at eloquence. It probably only takes her a minute, but it feels like a century. 

“Oh, Zack, you’re sweet. I wasn’t expecting anything like this.” She closes the card and places it on her lap. “Look, you’re a good guy.” 

Oh no. “What’s the problem then?” 

She looks out her window. “The problem is I’m gonna be eighteen in August. Our ages are going to be an issue when I’m away at school.” 

“You like me now, though, right?” 

She looks down at the cheap drugstore rose. “Yes, you’re fun and smart and cool. But you’re a sophomore, Zack.” 

“Forget that. We can make this work.” I’m playing a more confident, forceful version of myself, like one of the roommates on MTV’s The Real World. 

Zaylee opens the plastic container and sniffs the rose. “What would that even look like?” “I’ll visit you on weekends at school.”

“What if I go out of state?

“Then we’ll make plans for when you’re home for the holidays.”

But the time for rational explanation is over. This is my chance to show Zaylee that I can be a bold man of action. So, without any warning, I lean in and kiss her. She tastes like sprinkles. 

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Ari Rosenschein is a Seattle-based author who grew up in the Bay Area. Books and records were a source of childhood solace, leading Ari to a teaching career and decades of writing, recording, and performing music. Along the way, he earned a Grammy shortlist spot, landed film and TV placements, and co-wrote the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year.

In his writing, Ari combines these twin passions. Coasting, his debut short story collection, was praised by Newfound Journal as “introducing us to new West Coast archetypes who follow the tradition of California Dreaming into the 21st century.” Dr. Z and Matty Take Telegraph (Fire & Ice YA) is his first young adult novel.

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