A Novel Experiment

Folks, I've just finished writing, and revising, my first (comic) novel, Too Much of Nothing, after authoring more than a dozen non-fiction books.   I posted the first chapter, over here, last year but now the entire manuscript is ready. .  For those who don't know me,  I was the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher and then wrote daily for The Nation for the past four years.  My articles have appeared in dozens of leading magazines and my books have been published by Random House, Putnam, Viking, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and so on.

As for the novel:  Like most fiction writers, I don't want to say "what it's about" or "give too much away," but obviously my many years as senior editor at Crawdaddy are kicking in. A friend who read a recent draft called it "Nick Hornby meets Gone Girl," whatever that means.  Jane Smiley read the first two chapters and commented: "Amusing and appealing--a lot of funny lines."  More praise from Robert Ward.

A capsule: A one-hit wonder former rock star, who now lives in Big Pink (one of the most famous houses in music history) goes on tour for the first time in years, searching for fun and political relevance--and his suddenly missing wife.  Meanwhile, eco-guerillas are after him because he sold his one hit to Chevrolet, which is using it in a popular TV commercial for the world's largest and most evil  SUV.  Humorous (and dangerous) settings include the village of Woodstock, Key West, and New York City.  Naturally:  drugs, sex, and rock 'n roll, and even a Bob Dylan cameo.  Now I've said too much.  But if you're interested,  read the first chapter now online.  Guaranteed:  A few laughs.

I've also just completed the ms. for my memoir of the 1970s and my years at Crawdaddy, titled This Ain't No Disco: Reeling and Rocking Through the '70s, From Politics to Punk.  Here's the current Intro.