In the late 1980s, local musician Lou Stant and his friend developed a rough outline and character sketches for an “absurdist musical comedy.” The two placed it in a drawer that wouldn’t be opened again until early 2011.

“Something in me compelled me to start writing shortly after I came upon the file,” Stant said. “Six months later, the novel was completed.”

The novel, “Of Moose and Men: The Saga of Teagartin and Crowfeather,” is an allegorical fantasy with two main characters, Teagartin and Crowfeather, who represent “worldly” and “other-worldly,” Stant said.

“The major impetus involved my own struggles between these opposite behavioral tendencies,” he said.

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Up until 2011, Stant had solely been a songwriter. He has released six CDs of original music and plans to release a seventh album, titled “Pilgrimage.”

He does not have any book signings or related events planned, but he said he opes to have events set up soon.

Q: Have you written any other books?

A: I have written four other novels. “Of Moose and Men” is the first of the five to be published. I just completed my fifth novel, which is titled “Wisteria.”

Q: What’s your day job?

A: I am retired from the human services profession, where I worked in various professional capacities for 32 years. I currently work part-time at the Brown County YMCA as a desk clerk. I’ve been a professional musician since 1981. I serve locally as a deacon at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Nashville.

Q: What are your connections to Brown County?

A: My family bought property here originally in the late ‘50s, when I was a young child. I lived in Brown County on and off until 1996 when I moved here permanently with my wife and children.

Q: What’s your writing ritual? In what environment do you work best?

A: I’ve never had the luxury to work solely as a musician or writer due to the necessity of other activities, such as holding down a job, child-rearing, etc. When I carve out time to write, it can be at any time of the day or night. I’m an insomniac. Once I get started, the text generally just spills out of me over a period of hours, not usually more than four or five. I’ve never experienced writer’s block. I have generally worked on my computer at the dining room table and work best in a relatively quiet environment.

Q: What’s the last book you read? Do you have a favorite?

A: I read both fiction and nonfiction. The last book I read was Larry McMurtry’s “Pretty Boy Floyd.” I am currently reading for the third time what may be my favorite book, “Not of this World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose” by Monk Damascene Christensen.

Q: Where can people buy the books, and for how much?

A: E-books will soon be available on Amazon directly or through a link on my website, www.loustant.com. I also have a limited number of hard-copy books, which I sell at music performances and out of my home. I am hoping to eventually sell hard copy books at Fallen Leaf Books in Nashville. If anyone wishes to purchase a book from me directly, contact me at my email address: [email protected]. The price is $10.