After publishing three novels last year -
A MERMAID DROWNS IN THE MIDNIGHT LOUNGE, CHUMPY WALNUT, and
DOWN A DARK ALLEY - I'm kicking off 2011 with yet another addition to the
Viharo Pulp Fiction Library: my 1987 novel,
LAVENDER BLONDE (and for the record, I coined that term when
Lady GaGa was only a year old, long before she turned it into a
fashion statement.) As I did with
Chumpy Walnut, originally written between 1979 and 1982, and
Down a Dark Alley, originally written in 1992, I'm going back and slightly revising some of the text, mainly updating cultural references so it's not too dated, while keeping the main characters and storyline intact. In this case, there are only two main characters, Eddie "the Putz," as he calls himself, (think:
Oedipus), a lonesome, itinerant, down-and-out sax player, raised in a brothel, and a mysterious, ethereal, sensuous and very savvy female social worker he only refers to as "Doc." Together, via anecdotal evidence, they try to get to the bottom of his obsession with blondes. The book is broken up into chapters called "Sessions," which can refer to either a psychiatric rendezvous or a musical jam, and it consists entirely of dialogue and "sound effects," as if the reader is eavesdropping on the conversation through a keyhole. This is another book I call "
Gonzo Pulp" - a completely fabricated tale that is also deeply personal. I dig books that make me feel like I know the author through their work, and I like to think I write those kinds of books. It's interesting and a bit unsettling to revisit something I wrote when I was only 24 - 24 years later. I'm amazed by both how much I've changed in some ways, but also how little in others. You'll just have to wait and read it for yourself.
Lavender Blonde - with pending cover art by
Mister Lobo and
Dixie Dellamorto - is due this Spring or sooner from
Thrillville Press. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading. (Exclusive excerpts can be enjoyed on the
Lavender Blonde Facebook Page.) Cheers.
