Saturday, April 28, 2007

Book clubs of the world unite - Lucky Man is coming














As spokesman for Lucky Man, Inc., I have been asked recently about our goals and hopes for Lucky Man, which makes sense since Lucky Man is now an actual published book. This is an interesting question, and a complicated one, not complex mind you, just complicated. The whole experience is so surprising and wonderful that I keep trying to stay in the moment and enjoy things as they come.

Still, if pressed, I say the following -
I hope all involved with the book break-even, and if my publisher Steve Lafler at Manx Media also gets to make a profit, all the better, he rocks. I also hope someone, anyone invites me to publish another book. I would add here, that I have completed a draft of my next novel, it is tentatively titled Most Likely You'll Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, and while only a draft, I feel very confident that when you read it whoever you are it will change your life. Pinky-swear.

That said, these possibilities don't seem real likely to me, so I try to ignore them, and focus on the possible -
book readings, book reviews, panel discussions, and attending book club meetings to discuss the book. These things can happen, and do happen, and it is this latter happening that brings me here today.

The other night, I sat-in with my first book club to discuss Lucky Man. I can't tell you how much fun that was and I hope they believed me when I told them how much I appreciated the chance to join them. De-constructing one's own book like that, explaining various decisions and meanings, talking about why I might have structured the book without quotations, or how the first 30 pages can be confusing - which others have also said - but not discouraging, debating how much teen boys really swear, and then discussing the difference between lazy writing and characters who are inarticulate and utilize lazy language, talking drugs, fathers and sons, sexuality, coping, how males relate, or don't, and the sense of hope Lucky Man ends on, man, as Johnny Carson once said, good stuff, I loved it.

So, thanks again for the invite, and for all the rest of the book clubs out there, if you invite me, I will come, really, and not just because it's part of my job description as spokesperson here, but because it's so much fun, and having fun with this remains the primary goal of this whole venture for me.

Meanwhile, speaking of fun, please note the inclusion at the start of this entry of my son Myles' latest piece "Sunny Heart." Talk about something that will change your life. And I'm not just talking about the picture itself, though it will, but the fantasy that I could have a son that may want to be an artist, be still my beating (and sunny) heart.

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