Horn Blowing
Most days the news provides several items that feed the blog. Today there wasn’t a single story that didn’t seem recycled or that was interesting enough to highlight and enhance with commentary, so I’ve chosen to blow my own horn. Here are the blurbs for my ten books, in the order in which they were published. All are available at Amazon in Kindle format, eight in print. All ten are available in print at the floating book shop.
Close to the Edge — Brooklyn, Summer 1978. The adjustment to sexual liberation is in full swing. Three lonely, troubled souls will meet, changing their lives forever. Crime and Punishment with sexuality as its core. Raskolnikov was sexless. These three are not. Mature audiences only.
Adjustments — A young assistant high school football coach, Brooklyn born, adjusts to life in the Midwest, to marriage, fatherhood, his distant relationship with his mother, the changing racial mix of his school, and the imminent dismissal of his mentor, the head coach. Set in an All-American City in the mid ’70’s, the novel depicts a man’s struggle for decency, his fight to overcome the negativeness of his origins and surroundings, and his desire to embrace the good with which he has been blessed. It is not a story of a championship season but an inside look at the joys and sorrows of an average high school team, the way football shines a light on the human condition. All the incidents related to football actually occurred. A few (“How do you spell relief?”) occurred years after the actual span of the novel. They were too precious not to include.
A Hitch in Twilight — Did you love The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock? Me too. 20 tales of warped imagination.
Killing — Dante Gentile, a carpenter, is quietly proud to have served in Vietnam. 20 years later, he faces psychological warfare on the home front. His son, Junior, is off fighting the Gulf War. He suspects his wife of infidelity. His teenage daughter is a mystery to him. His father, a WWII veteran, is becoming increasingly embittered. Set in an Italian-American community in Brooklyn, Killing is not a murder mystery or a mob epic. It focuses on family and its central theme. Adherents of political correctness are warned to stay away.
“We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do.” — Francis Bacon
Rising Star: Sex, Drugs, Rock n Roll — It’s the 80’s. Vinyl is king. Four guys from Brooklyn team with a drifter and an ambitious Ivy league educated manager to create rock n roll history. Will they avoid the trappings of the trade? How will success change them? Mature audiences only.
Exchanges — Charley LaRocca is ringmaster of two circuses, his family and the Silver Futures pit at his job in the wacky world of commodity trading. Witness a year in his life as he copes with a rebellious teenage daughter, the dog eat dog philosophy at his place of employment, and an obsession with the New York Mets. The year is 1988. “Open Outcry” is the way at the Exchange. The electronic trading that would eventually supplant it is but a pipe dream at which many scoff. What is all the yelling and screaming about? Come inside and see. None of the incidents is exaggerated. Caution: aggressive men under intense pressure do and say regrettable things. Political correctness is out the window. The trading floor was one of the last outposts of speech that was truly free. The novel concentrates on personalities, not trading technique or strategy. It is another chapter in the human comedy, the bittersweet mystery of life. This is how it was. Immature audiences only.
Billionths of a Lifetime — 31 short stories, two screenplays, a one-act play, a teleplay. Explorations of the bittersweet mystery of life, forays into sheer fun, and a few trips to the dark side of human nature. Something for everyone.
Five Cents — Tom Harte is in his final days in Vietnam. His sweetheart, Kitty, awaits in the Midwest. Five Cents has four levels: love story, the readjustment of a combat veteran to civilian life, the social changes America is undergoing, and the joy brought by the senses. Harte is not the stereotypical Vietnam veteran depicted by Hollywood. He represents the greater majority.
Present and Past — Brooklyn born and raised, Freddie and Tony are lifelong friends, despite having very different personalities. After settling scores, they embark on a cross country trip. When not on the prowl for women, they engage in long conversations in which present and past merge. In such close proximity, the relationship is threatened. Will it sever? Sex, violence, locker room talk, political incorrectness. Set in early 1987. Mature audiences only.
Inside Out — Early 1980, the sexual revolution is in full swing. An old fashioned guy meets a modern woman. Eventually sparks fly. A battle of wills ensues. Who will prevail? Can one love and be free? Can a novel be explicit and meaningful? Set in Brooklyn. Warning: Sexual Content. Mature audiences only.
Coming soon: Vito’s Day — A day in the life of an average New Yorker, thoughts and actions, fair and foul, right and wrong. He goes from his apartment in Brooklyn and rides the subway to his job at the National Commodity Exchange at Four World Trade Center, has lunch in lower Manhattan, returns home, visits his mom, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and returns home. Throughout the day he encounters a host of characters, friends, acquaintances, strangers and relatives. Is it a microcosm of the human condition, its high and lows, joys and sorrows, triumphs and frustrations, or a portrait of a crazy person? Set in late 1989. Sexual content, political incorrectness, profanity. Mature audiences only.
And here’s an interesting new title Larry Getlen highlights in today’s NY Post:
My thanks to the gentleman who bought a book in Russian, and to the woman who purchased three and two kids’ books; and to the young man who returned for the six remaining Harry Potter DVDs; and to the woman who did her usual weekend swap, two for two this time.
