Book Title: The Connection Game: A Novel by S.S Turner Category: Adult Fiction (18+) , 272 pages Genre: Literary Fiction Publisher: The Story Plant Release date: Feb 2023 Content Rating: PG: There’s some violence and a small bit of profanity.
Title: I BURIED PAUL Author: Bruce Ferber Publisher: The Story Plant Pages: 304 Genre: Adult Literary Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Jimmy Kozlowski has a regular gig playing Paul McCartney in the Beatles
tribute band, Help!. The band is part of a cottage industry built around
mimicry, where each group strives to be the ultimate Fake Fab Four. And none
strives harder than Help!, thanks to Gene Klein, its John Lennon and leader.
Gene’s just gotten his Medicare card and spends much of his time caring for his
ailing mother. But he hasn’t lost a step on guitar or vocals, and is determined
to take Help! to the top, his goal being to perform in Liverpool one day.
Though the notion of the UK clamoring for a group of Long Islanders with fake
British accents seems far-fetched, Gene has a plan.
Unlike his boss, Jimmy has limited bandwidth for high-quality
Beatle wigs or bespoke Nehru jackets. He works a straight job, entertains at a
nursing home, and yearns to connect with the daughter he’s never met. He also
wants a shot at recording and performing his own original compositions. No
matter the odds, Jimmy is determined to realize his creative dreams, even if it
means “burying Paul” in the process.
I Buried Paul is a love letter to the power of music, a humorous yet
moving exploration of the sacrifices its disciples are willing to make in
service to its magic.
“Funny, heartfelt, and unafraid…
A book for anyone who loves music or has ever tried to keep a dream
alive.” — Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying
“First, the good news: Paul isn’t dead, and
this isn’t an autopsy. Rather it’s a funny, moving novel about trying to find
your way home from the Abbey Road of your teenage fantasy life, while simultaneously
escaping the shadows cast by your father, your older brother, many failed
relationships, and a world that doesn’t like to see people doing what they love
– such as making their own music. Reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Richard Russo
(if either could keep a steady bass beat), Bruce Ferber writes humorous fiction
for grown ups.” — Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous
Motion
“In his touching and funny novel, Bruce
Ferber comes not to bury Paul McCartney but to celebrate his true believers,
the dreamers who carry the torch of their youthful rock dreams well into
pension age, and who refuse to sacrifice their passion despite high cholesterol
counts and the possibility of embarrassing themselves. I Buried Paul is a
tender paean to the music that changed us all, its revivifying and enduring
power.” — Marc Weingarten, author of The Gang that Wouldn’t Write
Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution
“Funny, deep, and compulsive, I Buried Paul is a
tribute to family, lifelong friends, and the Beatles tunes that unite them.
Told with Ferber’s trademark wit, literary verve and big-heartedness, it’s a
veritable magical mystery tour of growing up and finding love and meaning in a
complex world.” — Michaela Carter, author of Leonora in the Morning Light
“Reading Bruce Ferber’s latest novel is like
being told a great tale from your favorite and funniest pal ― the one who
really seems to know stuff―the one you trust―the one who gets you when nobody
else does. Long live Paul.” — Jason Alexander
“Bruce Ferber’s prose is music to my ears. I
Buried Paul is very funny, and very insightful.” — John Densmore
“Bruce Ferber has captured lightning in a
bottle, chronicling a generation’s obsessive attachment to The Beatles. His
love for their music and legacy is evident on every page. And as the poets
said, ‘With a love like that you know it can’t be bad.’ (Yeah-yeah-yeah.)” —
Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles
Milestones are seldom what they’re cracked up to be, unless you’re
a charmed preppie who inherits the Hallmark gene. My first time kissing a girl
turned out to be a mercy stunt, engineered by some douchey linebacker on the
junior varsity. The most memorable thing about getting my driver’s license was
that I had no car, and my parents’ station wagon was never available. When I
put on the cap and gown for high school graduation, it felt like I was going to
a Halloween party, dressed as a fraud.
As I went on to achieve my own versions of milestones, none of
them would adhere to society’s definitions or timetable. Instead, they appeared
out of the blue like stealth jack-in-the-boxes. How was I to know that the
fourth kiss from my third girlfriend would be the portal to life-changing sex?
Or that on my first solo plane trip at eighteen, I’d be moved to First Class
and treated like a VIP, despite having accomplished nothing? Or that shortly
after the plane touched down, I would never again look at the world the same
way.
It’s not that I’m against the element of
surprise. I’m just convinced it would be a lot less stressful to be the
Hallmark guy.
About the Author
Bruce
Ferber built a long and successful career as a television comedy writer and
producer. A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, his credits include Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Coach, and Home Improvement,
where he served as Executive Producer and showrunner. In addition to being
recognized by the Television Academy, Ferber’s work has received the People’s
Choice, Kid’s Choice, and Environmental Media Awards. He is the author of two
previous novels, Elevating Overman and Cascade Falls, along with the nonfiction book, The Way We Work. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with
his wife, large dog, and assorted musical instruments.
As
Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish
winter, he’s ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not
what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a
journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have
imagined. And through this journey Freddy’s story becomes interweaved with a
cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers.
Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question
of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?
In the tradition of
inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a
River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an
affecting story of people on the cusp of change.
EXCERPT
From Page 7
I dip my toe in.
It’s fucking freezing.
I sit and watch the majestically sinister Scottish river
hurtle along below me. I’m not sure whether to be in awe or terrified, but that
was always going to be the case today, my last day. The idea of jumping into
the river reminds me of the feeling you experience when you arrive at the
beach, and you’re thinking about jumping into the sea, but you know it’s going
to cause you grievous bodily harm from your nether regions up. For some reason,
your legs are the one part of your body which can handle intense cold without
too much stress. But all body parts above your legs are a whole different
story. My voice just rose an octave, and I’m not even talking.
So you sit and watch the sea while contemplating your next
move, as if this thinking time will give you the required mental strength to
leap into the cold blue water. However, this thinking time just gives the water
an opportunity to look you in the eye with laughing menace, because the water
knows the questions you are grappling with deep in your soul. The water
understands it is strong and you are weak—the eternal power imbalance at play.
The waiting period only makes it worse, of course. All it
does is allow you to hand more mental power over to the cold water than a short
and simple jumping-in maneuver would have done. Why do we employ such
counter-productive strategies in our lives?
AUTHOR Bio and Links
S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn’t align with his values. In recent years, he’s been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations. He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens.
