A 2013 HEAR Now Festival Presenter
A 2014 Native American Music Award Finalist for Best Spoken Word
Introduction with Ray Manzarek cofounder of The Doors
“This collection of interconnected short stories is beautifully captured by a small cast of narrators. Tom Weiner portrays the dark spirit of a troubled serial killer known as the Freeway Slasher in the first story. His grim tone puts listeners on the edge of their seats throughout. Lucia Sherman steals the show with an expertly underplayed performance in which she offers the chilling character of Damon, a mysterious hitchhiker. The stories work well with each other, and the selection of narrators is perfect, each offering a new chapter to the tale in his or her own dramatic way. Emerson creates a thrilling ride down Interstate 40.” - L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Read by Tom Weiner, Raymond Scully, Lucia Sherman, Ryan Farmer, and Paul Michael Garcia. Music by SIP.
I began writing this book in January of 1996 after arriving on the U.S.S. Kittyhawk fresh out of boot camp. It gave me something to do while immersing myself into the environment that would become home for three years.
The first draft filled a notebook. Then I began writing another book. Always taking notes and writing poetry. This before the internet. No blog posts. Just a pen and a notebook that would be forgotten somewhere in time, although there are a few surviving notebooks around my home.
However, the story that would become Lost Angel truly captured my own imagination. As a Doors fan living in Southern California for the first time, I retraced the steps of this iconic rock band that had been introduced to me as a child, when a friend of my parents sang for a tribute band. Always remember my Dad doing a T-shirt design and backdrop for Mojo Rising. Probably one of their biggest shows. It filled an entire auditorium. I walked out on stage to the chants of “Jim! Jim! Jim!” It scared me, at only four years old or so, and so I ran backstage. Some groupie girls took care of me and fed me grapes. From that moment on I’ve always had an affinity for The Doors.
So I kept rewriting Lost Angel. I had it memorized by the time I took a cross country road trip to be with the love of my life. Revised it all the through community college. Of course we broke up, and I took it back home with me. Continued to work on it during my final years of college at a four year University. Upon graduation, I finally went to publish the manuscript.
At the time, the internet still hadn’t become the mainstream source for everything. Traditional publishing still existed as the only route to publication. I tried writing query letters and not much happened.
And then someone I’d known for a long time introduced me to an audiobook company in town. That’s when the idea of actually collaborating with the Doors on an audiobook presented itself. It seemed like a million dollar idea. And a way to reunite with my love whom distance had put in the rearview mirror.
The audiobook company rejected my book at first. Kept working and volunteering at a public radio station. Then got Lost Angel published through a brand new technology called print on demand. Ended up getting a job at the audiobook company. Soon armed with an actual paperback, I submitted the book again for publication with them and this time got accepted!
In my mind, this would become what generated my fortune, an audiobook with the Doors to make the miracle million. All the time trying to patch things up with my love. If only this project could work out.
And then, I got the opportunity to meet Ray Manzarek of the Doors. He would be doing a concert in our area. And I could interview him to promote the show.
Did the interview and met him at the show. Things worked out for the most part. I had his home phone number and a loose connection. I tried to get the audiobook company to jump onboard. Only they weren’t buying it. Too much time and my love finally settled with someone else. The audiobook Lost Angel released in May of 2007 to a crickets in the aisles. A total financial failure.
Yet, I wouldn’t give up on the project. Regrouping, I moved back to Southern California. I continued to work on my writing. Only now I worked on my business skills as well. How could I create a proposal to get the audiobook company willing to work with The Doors?
My job as a Sales Account Executive, for digital signage, with a Taiwanese company in Los Angeles got my business skills going. Not my true talent. Definitely more of a writer artist type. Found success with fellow writers in a writing group while losing my job during the great recession.
A job opening at the audiobook company had me moving back to that small town. Only now with new business skills and a ton of contacts. Put together a final business proposal to work with The Doors on Lost Angel. The possibility of this collaboration existed until Ray Manzarek passed away.
They got me working on a radio show/podcast. Met the people from the HEAR Now Festival and got the opportunity to present the audiobook in Kansas City. Same with the Native American Music Awards, and went to New York state as a NAMA Finalist. Even presented the award for Best Pow Wow recording on stage to a television audience. Much like being at the Grammys.
We stopped doing the show. And after 10 years of publication decided to take Lost Angel out of print to make way for our new author at the audiobook company where I remain employed to this day.
Only once again, a new opportunity presented itself with Author’s Republic, an audiobook distribution channel. Fortunately, the audiobook company granted me the rights to the Master recordings and the public radio station granted me the rights to the Ray Manzarek interview.
Thinking of doing a poetry series on Steemit with the poems that never got recorded.
So without more ado, here’s a link to this new edition of Lost Angel: