22 years ago I finished a novel, well actually like my third to be perfectly honest; but did nothing with it. A few years earlier I had been working at a local radio station in the front office when I proposed to a disc jockey there that was friendly towards me that I could conduct and interview a few of the surviving members of the famous Six Gallery Poetry event [writer's note: If you do not know, who was involved, or what that meant for the creative world,the social structure, the birth of what was to come in the proceeding decades, well, look it up; you know Gaagle, Ting, Waho search, hell Ask Jeeves for all I care.} .. Well, I spoke with Gary Snyder through a letter, and now Buddhist Monk Philip Whalen, Jack Kerouac as long dead, but Ray Manzarak, yes, the Ray Manzarek from The Doors had sent a nice CD of his latest work with and poet Michael McClure and two that actually agreed to be fully interviewed; one was Allen Ginsburg, the genius poet who famous "How" poem caused a major victory for the writer's ability to be unabashedly honest and profane, if need be, in the pursuit of capturing or commenting on the human condition.
The 2nd person that agreed to a taped interview was the man behind the famous City Lights Book Store in California (again, Gaggles it if you have to), Mister Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a man that turned 100 years old just yesterday. When I told him I was hoping to be a potential writer his advice was to 1) write daily 2) then put it away in a drawer for 10 years and then 3) A decade later take it out and read it. Took his message to mean that we can put it down in the moment, Kerouac-style, but to let time pass, let yourself grow emotionally, mentally, through experience and THEN examine what you created through the filter of that wisdom and then proceed.
Around that time as a potential writer, trying to emulate styles & new ways of creating. I had completed several novels & since this one: The Mad Road, I continue to have write many more, all ready to be released, but I was scared. People said I had talent,but people will tell you anything typically to save your feelings and my youthful age gave way to LIFE; marriage, children, family, loss, BUT now I need to know if people really do want to read it or some of the others.
Over the decades I have sent articles, sample chapters, poems, prose, reviews and agents, always being politely told, thank you but no thank you and in the Digital Age I adapted and wrote for plenty of places for paltry pennies,but pay all the same. I just need to know if you would pay say $8 to read this 22 year old novel that has never been read by a single soul now?
Comment or send a message saying you would. You would not, cannot, and will not be held to that saying "Yes it Should Be Read" vote in any way. You ain't got to send your whole name but I would like to know where you are from, please, and let me know. After 6 months if have not received a substantial number of people saying they would read it, then I will put it back in the trunk and maybe wait another decade or two.
Thanks for reading this to the end (Hopefully you did not zone out earlier, but if you stayed, appreciate it.
