Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, young Daniel Wallace was drawn to William Nealy’s world. William was brilliant, talented, a maverick, an adrenaline junkie. He was the boyfriend of Daniel’s sister Holly. Daniel had been pegged to take over the family’s successful import/export business, a role he instinctively knew he wasn’t cut out for. William became like a brother to him, showing him how to live a creative and fulfilling life outside the mainstream. Daniel’s new book, This Isn’t Going to End Well, is a personal narrative of their decades-long friendship, its ups and downs, and how he unraveled and ultimately accepted William’s deeply obscured but very real shadow self.

Daniel Wallace is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of six award-winning novels, including Big Fish, Extraordinary Adventures, and Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician. Big Fish, his first novel,was made into a film directed by Tim Burton and was also adapted into a Broadway musical.  He has also written and illustrated a children’s book, The Cat’s Pajamas. This Isn’t Going to End Well, published by Algonquin,is his first work of nonfiction. He wrote the introduction to 27 Views of Chapel Hill, and his work is featured in the anthology, The Carolina Table, both published by Eno Publishers. Daniel is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Sir Walter Raleigh Award, the Harper Lee Award, and the Alabama Author Award. He is a prolific cartoonist.