I Buried Paul is his latest release.
Visit his website at www.Bruceferber.net or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
We welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started writing fiction?
I had been writing network TV comedy for over twenty years, and I wanted to do something outside that formula. Somebody asked me if I ever thought of writing a novel. My response was “I could never do that.” Then one day, I was sitting at the computer and I had an idea for a character. I decided to write three pages, imagining that character at work. It was the most fun I’d ever had writing… so I kept going, and nine months later (ha!), I gave birth to my first novel.
Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?
I usually do a lot of thinking about the book and bit of research before I put a word down. I like to have a rough idea of the beginning, middle, and end, knowing that everything could change along the way. It’s comforting to have some signposts, even if you ultimately wind up ignoring them. I try to write five days a week. I’m not a coffee shop writer – home office with dog is my jam.
Can you tell us about your most recent release?
I BURIED PAUL is the story of a musician trying to make a living in today’s competitive, streaming world. One of his jobs is playing Paul McCartney in a Beatles tribute band – of which there are thousands!
How did you get the idea for the book?
I grew up in New York and now live in Los Angeles – where there are tons of studio-quality musicians who are now struggling to pay the rent. Seeing an old high school pal playing in a Beatles tribute band, and then realizing it was kind of a cottage industry, gave me the idea to marry the two concepts.
Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?
In I BURIED PAUL, it’s Gene Klein, the sixty-something John Lennon in the tribute band, HELP! I love him because for all his eccentricities, he is 100% dedicated to his art.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
Balancing the humor with the real-life hardships.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am finishing a new novel about the challenges in today’s Los Angeles, and pitching an animated series to television.
What advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors?
Discover your voice, feel free to experiment. Also, let people you respect to critique your work along the way, and very importantly -- read, read, read.
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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