Ives told Playbill.com that the new work is a "philosophical horror novelette in verse using Dante's 'Inferno' as its model. Grotesque, satirical, personal, sometimes funny, but mostly reflecting the mood of the title. It took me nine years to write."
Ives said that while he was adapting The Liar, he "had to really study verse-writing, since The Liar is in rhymed couplets. That gave me the tools to finish 'The Phobia Clinic,' at last."
Ives' plays include Venus in Fur, New Jerusalem, All in the Timing and Polish Joke. He also adapted Mark Twain's Is He Dead? and has streamlined many vintage musicals into playable concert versions for the City Center Encores! series.
The book is now available — for $10 plus $2.50 for shipping — by sending a check to Ives, 215 West 98th St. #10E, New York, NY 10025. Each copy will be autographed by the author.
