Thanks to the Fabulous Author’s Lounge I can explain how my book, “I am not Brad Pitt and Other Stories,” was brought to life!

Since we are in the middle of Hurricane Season down here in Florida, I have to say that the process of writing a story is very similar for me to the formation of a hurricane.  First, an idea will begin to germinate, like a disturbance off the coast of Africa.  This idea might start to take shape and form into a tropical storm, or it could just whirl around in circles and finally dissipate.  But sometimes it will become a full-fledged hurricane and take on a life of its own.  From the very beginning, I am not Brad Pitt and Other Stories became a full-fledged CAT 5 hurricane and it never hesitated until it hit land.

The reason I wrote the stories is that I have always been a little stumped by the world’s obsession with celebrities.  Famous people spend an inordinate amount of resources on projecting an image for the public to buy.  And we do! 

This book began to germinate after Tom Cruise’s famous couch jumping moment on Oprah.  There he was, trying his best to earnestly manipulate tell us how he was falling in love with his now ex-wife when he launched the jump heard round the world from Oprah’s famous couch.  However, instead of inspiring us with his passion for his fiancée, he opened the curtains a little too wide on exactly who he is.  He was trying his best to be one of us.  But we found out, he was not like us. Not at all.

I began to think how celebrities are really our modern Gods of Mount Olympus living lives of privilege that none of us could ever relate to.  In the book I wanted to use a little dark humor to explain the mythology of modern celebrities who try so hard to shape their image so we can feel that we know them.  But we really don’t know them. In the book, I explored that space between who we think they are and who they really are.

Why do they have such a hold on us?   On one level, I understand that everyone wants to be them, even look like them!  But aside from the aspirational aspect, I couldn’t find any earthly reason why we admire these privileged people.  So, I took the liberty of using some un-earthly reasons.

The book consists of three stories; “I am not Brad Pitt” about Tobey Crawford, who looks exactly like Brad Pitt and who uses those looks to have a little fun.  One day on a Las Vegas work jaunt he has a little too much fun and catches the attention of the real Brad Pitt.  Brad makes him an offer he can’t refuse; work for him as his double.  But Tobey winds up refusing only to find out that Brad doesn’t take rejection very well which leads to an all-out war between the two Brads.

The second story, “Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself,” posits what we have suspected all along, that The Rolling Stones Keith Richards is actually a vampire.  In this re-telling of the vampire myth, you have to have the right blood to become one.  And singer Darla finds out that she has the right blood.  Now she has a decision to make; become immortal and boost her career chances as a singer or remain just a rock star wannabe for the rest of her life in New York City.  However, there’s other forces at work here.  Namely vampire hunter Bob Dylan tries to stop her.  There’s a lot of other celebrity guest appearance as Darla makes her immortal journey.

For the final story, what book that explores the culture of celebrities could be complete with a story about the Kardashians? “Keeping Compliant with The Kardashians,” examines whether Kardashian family members are, in fact, aliens from another galaxy and what precisely is their interest on Earth.

When I finished the book, I showed it to an old friend who is an agent and he thought it was terrific.  He warned me that it would be a tough sell, mainly because it defies categorization or rather it crosses so many categories.  It’s humor, it’s science fiction, it’s a thriller, it’s a mystery and a drama.  The big publishers all had nice things to say about the book, but no one knew how to sell it. 

I think the book has the potential to become a cult classic, spread through word of mouth, although I’m doing my best to spread that word. https://twitter.com/Iamnotbradpitt1 and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LSDTF28 not to mention RossDreiblatt.com

People who read it have really enjoyed it, so I hope you enjoy the read!  The book is chock full of surprises.