September 16, 2009

Pistonhead by Thomas Hauck

Pistonhead
By: Thomas A. Hauck
Publisher: Booklocker.com
Date: January 9, 2009
Pages: 176
Available: Paperback

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Hauck. He lives just one state over in Massachusetts. I was trying to find authors locally for a challenge that was going on and I couldn't be happier that I found him! Besides being a talented writer, he's kind and generous as well. I'm going to post a little bit about his book "Pistonhead" and then later in the week, he will be back with his Interview, Guest Post and Giveaway! So, if this book sounds like something you'd be interested in, watch for the giveaway, you may be the LUCKY Winner of your very own copy of "Pistonhead".

About the book:
Charlie Sinclair, the guitar player for the Boston-based rock band Pistonhead, is having a terrible week. Charlie’s day job at Evergreen Software is being outsourced to Puerto Rico. His dingy apartment is overrun with mice. The girl he loves is unattainable. His best friend, the lead singer of the band, is spiraling downwards into drug abuse. His old girlfriend wants to dig her claws into him again. His mother has a new boyfriend and the guys from his old neighborhood hate him because they think he’s successful. The band’s audiences revel in violence.
When things couldn't get any worse, a tragedy forces Charlie to make a life-changing decision and take a bold step into the future.

This breakout novel, filled with gritty realism and dark humor, paints a picture of a rock musician’s life that is both poignant and inspiring. The concert scenes are exhilarating and the depiction of the grinding world of the assembly line is wrenching in its unblinking clarity. This is no rock-and-roll jet-set platinum-record romp; this is the real life of artists who struggle to get to the top of the local rock heap. Their limousines are subway cars and their backstage feasts are a couple of subs and a pitcher of flat beer.

Charlie thinks he knows what it means to be successful, but his view of the world is brutally challenged. How do you define success? The answer may surprise you!

About the Author:

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tom Hauck earned his B.A. in History of Art at Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude. Tom then embarked on a fifteen-year career as a rock musician and songwriter, playing guitar with Boston-based bands including the Atlantics and Ball and Pivot.

Tom left the music business in the early 1990s and continued to use his writing skills in non-profit administration and development. He earned his M.B.A. at Endicott College in 2004. After serving with leading North Shore cultural non-profits including the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Montserrat College of Art, and the North Shore Music Theatre, Tom founded THCS in 2006.

In addition to serving his corporate and non-profit clients, Tom serves as the editor of Renaissance Magazine. He also writes fiction and has completed three novels. The Singer is a coming-of-age novel for young adults about a guitar player in a rock band (no surprise there!). Lucas Manson is a horror thriller about a charismatic multimillionaire evangelist who is the leader of a bloodthirsty hominid spercies. Roses for the Reaper pits Defense Intelligence Agency agent Wesley Stone against the murderous Skull Group, in a plot to get control of the vast newly-discovered oil fields in the impoverished nation of Mali.

Tom lives with his wife Kim Smith, a garden book author, in a house overlooking historic Gloucester Harbor. Tom and Kim have two children.

“My business partners appreciate my depth of experience,” says Tom. “They know I can get to the essence of the challenge quickly. Every new assignment is an opportunity to make a difference to the bottom line. That’s what THCS is all about.”

“My goal with THCS is to make life easier for busy professionals,” says Tom. “For most people, their core business isn’t writing. It’s web design, or banking, or HVAC installation. Busy professionals need to have their great ideas communicated clearly and effectively to the marketplace. That’s what I do.”

This was a really great book with an easy writing style and lovable character Charlie Sinclair! How could I not love hearing about a "local rock star". I've been out many nights in Boston and it's nice to see it from the eyes of the "band". While "Pisonhead" is a fiction novel, it at times gives you the feel of a memoir or an autobiography. A truly unique book told by a writer with a passion for entertainment!

Don't believe me? Read an excerpt - Here!

Be sure to watch for my upcoming giveaway courtesy of Thomas Hauck!

Kisses ~ XXX

5 comments:

  1. Hi Amy...I tried emailing you but it came back to me...can you email me at thewriterslife@yahoo.com? thanks hon!

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  2. Hi Amy, I have given you an award so please stop by when you get a chance.

    Have a great week and happy reading!

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  3. OK Dorothy...Will do!

    Thank you SO much Kaye! I love your blog and it's quite Swanky as well : ) Congratulations!

    x0xx Amy

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  4. Though this isn't the genre I normally read, I would be interested in reading it. I'll it to my TBR pile.

    Thanks,
    Tracey

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  5. I didn't know he's already completed three novels! I just finished Pistonhead and thought it was good. Great post on the book too! :) Here's my review of it. Thanks.

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