LIFE LIKE to be published by TouchPoint Press

I have the great pleasure to announce that TouchPoint Press accepted my new novel Life Like for publication.

TouchPoint Press previously published my memoir, The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God, and my horror novel, Chapel Street, which was inspired by a haunting my family experienced. They are also including my short story, The Park Family Cemetery, in their upcoming horror anthology The Nightmares of Strangers, Vol. 2. Despite my previous success with them, I was takng nothing for granted. I know they have rejected subsequent books by legacy authors.

I expected a longer process. I knew they were overwhelmed with submissions and haven't even worked through the books submitted in 2022. However, they agreed to look at the book when I submitted it. I suspected that it would be months before a decision would be made, but I got a lucky break. When I commented on Facebook that I had submitted the book, Kimberly Coghlan, the editor of my novel Chapel Street, saw the post and asked me to send her a copy of the manuscript. I did, and she read it that morning and said she loved it. She expedited the process and I received the contract soon thereafter.

I am happy to be a part of the TouchPoint Press family again. I am eternally grateful that publisher Sheri Williams took a chance on my oddball memoir. I was also very pleased the way the company handled the negotiations for the film rights to my novel Chapel Street. That was something that could have gone bad very quickly. They could have asked too much and ruined the deal, or too little and ruined my retirement. I found them wise and thoughtful, and very solicitous of my opinion throughout. You couldn't ask for more!

In addition to Sheri and Kimberly, I have many people to thank for the creation of the book. First and foremost is my wife Debbie. She is an incredibly supportive wife who has long pleaded with me to give up my day job and solely write -- even if it means she has to drive Lyft! Every guy should have a wife like her. I must also thank my old friend and trusty editor Trish Schweers. Trish helps me hammer my books into shape long before a publisher sees them. She also provided one of her poems for use in the book as well.

In addition to my normal readers and kibitzers, I must also thank Jeff Elkins of The Dialogue Doctor podcast. I met him through my granddaughter, who wants to marry her son. (They're both in the second grade.) Jeff really liked the book but suggested some major changes which entailed cutting out three existing chapters and adding more material. Even more importantly, he helped me define the genre of the book. I think I let it sit on the shelf for years because I didn't know how to define it. Jeff called it a techno-thriller, along the lines of Michael Crichton. To me, thriller is enough.

Here's the logline:

A lovelorn slacker, Andy Watson, finds himself working in a futuristic mausoleum where people can talk to holographic facsimiles of their loved ones. He soon finds himself in a world of trouble when he comes to suspect that one of its beautiful inhabitants, Claudia Elser, was murdered by her husband. Life Like is a high-tech thriller that explores the outer limits of artificial intelligence and love.

You often hear writers say their work was inspired by dreams. Life Like is the only story I wrote inspired by a dream. I had a near death experience while finishing up my award-winning documentary Sacred Ground: The Battle For Mount Auburn Cemetery. Soon after my return to the land of living I had a dream I was walking through the ruined, decrepit grounds of Mount Auburn. Then I soon found myself walking through a new section of the cemetery where the bodies were preserved in glass chambers, like in the 1934 Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi film The Black Cat.

The Black Cat

Unlike in The Black Cat, in my dream I could also push a button on the side of the burial chambers to talk to the dead. When I woke up, I knew I had a tale to tell. It was just a matter of finding a compelling human story to attach to the concept. Of course, I pulled from my own life experiences for the characters and conflicts. In Life Like, I deal with my familiar themes of lost love, death and the specter of suicide -- but in a lighter manner than before.

Life Like actually started out as a screenplay. Here's a taste of the responses I got when I sent the script around Hollywood: "What the script has going for it most is its genuinely unique, high-concept premise -- as opposed to most other comedies, the material does not seem the least bit derivative." "A wonderful premise and unique to boot." "The material should be applauded for its quality characterizations." "Realistic and sharp dialogue." "The dialogue is endearing." "Strong character development." "It's entire third act stands out as the most invigorating part of the script." "A pretty funny and surprisingly emotional story about closure." "It's a fun and exciting read with a captivating plot and a happy ending!" "This project's prospects are rather bright." "Sure to get industry attention."

I was thankful for all the kind words, but I got no real bites. Why? Because the stakes weren't high enough in the original draft. The script was a character study which would have sold in a heartbeat during the 1990s, but the market had changed. Little human stories are no longer in vogue. While I figured out a way to increase the stakes, Jim Proimos, a well-known illustrator and the author of children and young adult books, offered to develop the script as a graphic novel. Before we got beyond some initial artwork, Jim was invited to pitch animation ideas to some LA production companies. He asked me if he could pitch Life Like as an adult swim style animated series. I said yes. He began pitching before COVID-19 shut down Hollywood.

In the downtime, I figured out how to increase the stakes. In the script, instead of restricting myself to Andy's perspective as originally planned, I started with the death of Claudia Elser and followed her tale parallel to Andy's story until the two finally met. I felt that worked. However, instead of pursuing the material as a script or graphic novel, I decided to convert the story into a novel since it dealt with a number of themes and ideas which are important to me. To me, screenplays are easier to write than novels. If an idea intrigues me, I don't hesitate exploring it in screenplay form. However, for me to develop something as a novel, it must resonate with me on a deeply personal level. That's why I generally write in first person. I don't write a novel unless I really see myself in it. Trust me, there's love and angst on every page of my books.

Now the publishing process will begin in earnest. The assigned editor, no doubt, will grow frustrated by the many sentence fragments I employ to maintain a conversational tone in the text. I will happily make the changes. I am excited to see what they will come up with as a cover and the announcement of the release date, etc. Then, one day, I will receive the finished book itself. Everything after that seems anti-climatic.

I hope you will enjoy the book when we're done.

Here's a video of me signing the contract:

 

Here's my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God. It is my true story of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatally intertwined.

 

Here's John Quattrucci, of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, reading a sample chapter of the book:

 

Here's my novel Chapel Street. It's the story of a young man battling a demonic entity that has been driving members of his family to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.

 

Here's John Quattrucci, of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, reading a sample chapter of the book:

 

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