I Buried Paul is his latest release.
Visit his website at www.Bruceferber.net or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for this interview, Bruce. Congratulations on your new book! Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing? Can you tell us about your journey?
Writing I BURIED PAUL was an enjoyable experience in that I had the Beatles as a backdrop. As a lifelong fan, it was a great joy to have their music play a part in my fiction. Getting the book published was a bit tricky, in that there were many who shied away from a rock ‘n roll novel.
When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I play tennis at least three times a week, I love to travel. Hiking is fun for me. Now, that the movies, theater, and concerts are back, I’ll be taking more advantage of them.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
The novel is a humorous glimpse into the world of Beatles tribute bands, which, as far as I know, has never been done in fiction. It’s also meditation on what it takes to make a living as a musician in today’s landscape, which has changed drastically now that people are used to getting things for free.
Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
OKLAHOMA - 1989
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.
Rarely has anyone so relished the opportunity to visit Bixby, Oklahoma in August, where the average temperature hovers around ninety-one degrees with seventy-five percent humidity. But I hadn’t come for the sod-growing convention or to attend prayer breakfasts at Oral Roberts University. My mission was to spend a week with my big brother, Eddie Kozlowski, lead guitarist for the popular, small-venue cover band, Traction. Fourteen years my senior, Eddie had invited me to join him on a leg of his Midwest tour, and after shameless begging on my part, Mom and Dad agreed to let me go.
If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
Father’s Day for sure – because lots of Dads have played in rock bands and worship the Beatles. And I’d create a section for Paul McCartney’s birthday, which is June 18th. Happy 80th, Paul!
Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
Having come from TV and written for many series, I’ve always seen novels as a great opportunity to write something new every time. But I never say never.
When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career or full-time profession?
When I was young, I was drawn to the creativity of writing, much the way someone else might have a flair for drawing. My focus was on doing something that worked – whether that meant making people laugh or touching them in a deeper way.
What’s next for you?
I am finishing up another novel, and pitching an animated series for television.
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
Book Information
Release Date: June 14 2022
Publisher: The Story Plant
Soft Cover: 978-1611883282; 329 pages; $16.95; E-Book, $7.49, Audiobook, Free with Audible Trial
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zeFK68
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-buried-paul-bruce-ferber/1140012044?ean=9781611883282
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-buried-paul
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/I-Buried-Paul-Bruce-Ferber/9781611883282?ref=grid-view&qid=1642224849678&sr=1-3
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