One Helluva Gig by Kevin R. Doyle

HI guys and gals!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're going live a bit late but for a fairly valid reason...I didn't have a post pre-scheduled and it's my birthday so I was having a quiet day with the family.  Don't worry though, there was reading and now there will be blogging.  In honor of my day, I have chosen a novella length title for today's spotlight that features an aging (no jokes) rock star discovering that the path paved with platinum records and champagne isn't always what it's cracked up to be.  Ladies and gents, please join me as we welcome today's ebook of choice...

One Helluva Gig

by

Kevin R. Doyle

Vagabondage Press

About the book...

What if Elvis never left the building, but instead made a living as an impersonator of himself? 

“One Helluva Gig” chronicles several years of the life of newspaper reporter Frank Peters who comes to prominence through a series of associations with the major recording star, Rob Jeffers, who Peters first interviewed when Jeffers was still paying the college circuit. 

When Jeffers dies midway through his stratospheric career, Peters own career takes a downward spiral that ends with him working for a tabloid newspaper chasing years of supposed sightings of Jeffers, still alive. As Peters is sent once more to the middle of nowhere to investigate a Jeffers sighting, he discovers something unexpected - not only about the dead singer, but also about himself.

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Alright guys, so honesty wins as always with me.

It's not the most earth shattering of stories but it was moving nonetheless.  It's a quick and slighty crazy ride from start to finish but with life lessons you weren't expecting along the way.  The takeaway for me included several messages though, the likes of which I shall divulge now.  Let the lessons begin...

...be careful what you wish for - you never know that the rainbow you see is going to end in a pot of gold.  It may simply be a slide into the abyss, an evil leprechauns lair, or some other fated place.  The point is, no wish is perfect nor life without strife.  Rob Jeffers certainly didn't see that one coming when he started on his path to musical fame.

...the grass is not always greener on the other side - Peters saw this for himself.  He saw ups and downs in his own career and that of his "friend".  That third meeting with the man of the hour was rather emotional though not a tear was shed.  You could feel the precipice that Jeffers was standing on and despite the millions surrounding him, how much of an island he truly was...not the easiest pill to swallow.  I'm not sure what would be worse though, recognizing the loneliness or walking around oblivious to the truth?

...make the most of every moment - Peters didn't really execute this philosophy in his younger days but then again I respect him all the more for it.  Later in life he once again makes a judgment call that could change his career and while not the life altering decision you might anticipate, it showed his true character.  In the moment, those closing scenes, we see that "making the most" doesn't have to create chaos and scrambling; sometimes it's just realigning what we thought we knew into a more appealing light.

...and it is possible to be alone in a room full of people - again witnessed first hand by both gentleman time and again.  Jeffers had it all and yet he didn't; Peters could have tasted the same fame but chose not to.  Was either man better off for their decisions?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  One small change could have affected the whole outcome for them both but then again, if they never found peace within themselves, what would it have mattered?

In the end, while not a read for all, it's certainly a read for some.  It shows the power that music has to transform all of us.  It reminds us that every meeting, every moment can be monumental in its own right.  It tells us to never stop trying to be all that we seek to be even if it means upsetting the whole apple cart and starting again.  Recommended read for adult readers not for any questionable content but simply for the mindset of the story.

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About the author...

 A high school teacher and fiction writer living in central Missouri, Kevin R. Doyle has seen his short stories, mainly in the horror and suspense fields, published in over twenty-five small press magazines, both print and online. In 2012 his first e-book, a mainstream novelette titled One Helluva Gig, was published by Vagabondage Press. 

     Doyle earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in communications from Wichita State University. He teaches English and public speaking at a high school in rural Missouri and has taught English, journalism and Spanish at a number of community colleges in both Kansas and Missouri.   

    In January of 2014, The Group, a suspense novel concerning political advertising and serial murder, was published in e-book form by Barbarian Books and February of 2015 will see the publication of his new horror/suspense novel, The Litter, by Night to Dawn Magazine and Books.

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Special thanks to author Kevin R. Doyle for the ebook for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a virtual shelf of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!