The first endorsement of my debut novel, Rogue Burnout, is in! And by none other than the singularly brilliant Jacob Appel, author of the hilarious, thought-provoking novel, Millard Salter’s Last Day (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Millard-Salters-Last-Day/Jacob-M-Appel/9781507204085), along with numerous other novels, short story collections, essays, poems, and plays. Dr. Appel is also a bioethicist, a medical doctor, an ER psychiatrist, a lawyer, a creative writing instructor, and a NYC sightseeing guide. Also: one of the kindest, most generous people with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working. If you haven’t read his fiction, check it out on his website here: https://jacobmappel.com/. Thank you, Jacob! 😊

“Mike Piero’s Rogue Burnout introduces readers to Simon ”Pan” Blakely, an erudite college dropout and professional e-sport star who takes readers on a chaotic joyride through the world of competitive gaming and manages to fall in love along the way. That love, with a transman gamer named Pax, forces the narrator to grapple with both his own sexual (r)evolution and the objections of his fanatically religious father, who decides to pay Pan an unwelcome visit. Through the mayhem that ensues, punctuated with philosophical letters from Pan’s former professor, Piero raises complex questions about this odd game we call life, but does so with a distinctive, jazzy and often hilarious voice that makes Rogue Burnout simultaneously incisive social commentary and a page turner. A plucky, spirited, sharp-witted and highly memorable debut!”
— Jacob M. Appel, author of Millard Salter’s Last Day