GIG

Still in the hopper is an unpublished book called “GIG.”  It’s the story of a garage band its struggle to keep together as Father Time pushes them out of high school and into the turbulent sixties.  Stay tuned for its release date.


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Cory Wallace and his band Cornerstone’s dreams of glory are tested upon high school graduation into the turbulent late 60’s. So is his relationship with childhood sweetheart, Mary Ellen, who is also his song-writing partner. Will the bonds of music and love survive the onslaught of a world of work, war, and social revolution? Cory’s grandmother, Winnie Rockwell, is the one constant whose spiritual guidance helps him to discover his true soul.

Gig is the story of Cory Wallace, a Tom Sawyer-like kid who, like many teens growing up in the 60’s, dreams of becoming a rock star. An only child, he inherited his piano teacher “Ma’s” perfect pitch, and can play any tune by ear. She dutifully tries to raise him to “live life in crescendo” – the dying words of his grandfather, Christopher Rockwell—classical music critic for the Chicago Tribune. To her dismay, Cory joins Cornerstone, a Chicago garage band of greasers, who overlook his suburban innocence because they all share a bonding passion for music. Cory’s grandmother, Nana, the story’s spiritual leader, imparts her Christian Science “knowing the truth” guidance to Cory and later to his band mates, helping them navigate the tangled byways of puberty, the high school establishment, bullies, romance, and turbulent times such as the Martin Luther King riots and the Viet Nam War.

Cory’s “Jimmy Stewart” personality intrigues a starry-eyed Mary Ellen, a shy but brave little girl. Their relationship evolves from two kindergarteners playing in a sandbox to young adults co-writing music together and fervently nurturing a romance through letters, phone calls, and co-written music after Mary Ellen’s family moves away from Cory’s hometown of Brickton, Il.

Cory, Mary Ellen and Cornerstone band members ultimately face their individual crossroads, where each must decide whether to stay together or go their separate ways once and for all.