Evan I. Schwartz's Blog
December 8, 2021
Remembering John Lennon: Read REVOLVER & Donate to an Anti-Violence Group
I wrote REVOLVER: a novel in tribute to the genius of John Lennon, lost today in 1980. Since then we've lost 1.5 million Americans to gun violence. The insanity must stop.
For a limited time, request a free paperback from Concord Free Press http://concordfreepress.com,
and make a donation to an anti-violence group. #GunControlNow
For a limited time, request a free paperback from Concord Free Press http://concordfreepress.com,
and make a donation to an anti-violence group. #GunControlNow
August 25, 2021
SiriusXM First Wave Shouts Out REVOLVER
Thanks to Larry “the Duck” Dunn (formerly of WLIR) for his shout out on SiriusXM FirstWave, calling REVOLVER “a wonderful sociological statement” about the music and the times.
Link & listen here on Soundcloud (1:54):
https://soundcloud.com/evan-schwartz-...
The Duck reviews the book between tracks by Talking Heads and New Order.
Link & listen here on Soundcloud (1:54):
https://soundcloud.com/evan-schwartz-...
The Duck reviews the book between tracks by Talking Heads and New Order.
August 1, 2021
New History Channel docuseries features "The Last Lone Inventor"
TV alert: I’m a talking head in S1.Ep3 of "The Machines that Built America," a fun new History Channel docudrama series.
Tonight, it’s the story of the birth of television, the battle between inventor Philo T. Farnsworth and RCA/NBC’s David Sarnoff, drawing on my book THE LAST LONE INVENTOR: avail in paperback and on Audible audio.
Tune in Sunday night 8/1 at 8pm ET—or catch it on-demand or streaming online:
https://play.history.com/shows/the-ma...
Tonight, it’s the story of the birth of television, the battle between inventor Philo T. Farnsworth and RCA/NBC’s David Sarnoff, drawing on my book THE LAST LONE INVENTOR: avail in paperback and on Audible audio.
Tune in Sunday night 8/1 at 8pm ET—or catch it on-demand or streaming online:
https://play.history.com/shows/the-ma...
June 14, 2021
REVOLVER: 4.5 stars at Portland Book Review
In a 4.5/5.0 review, Joseph Arellano writes:
"REVOLVER is a novel that beautifully expresses the radiant power of music in our lives. In the words of its protagonist, music is 'for getting past the sad stuff.'
It's an engaging tale that concludes in a fully unforeseen – yet highly satisfying, fashion."
Full review:
https://portlandbookreview.com/produc...
Go to https://www.concordfreepress.com
and order your *free* paperback, for a limited time, in the U.S.
"REVOLVER is a novel that beautifully expresses the radiant power of music in our lives. In the words of its protagonist, music is 'for getting past the sad stuff.'
It's an engaging tale that concludes in a fully unforeseen – yet highly satisfying, fashion."
Full review:
https://portlandbookreview.com/produc...
Go to https://www.concordfreepress.com
and order your *free* paperback, for a limited time, in the U.S.
April 18, 2021
FINDING OZ Author Appearing in AMERICAN OZ doc on PBS
I'll be appearing in AMERICAN OZ, a 2-hour documentary about the life of Wizard of Oz originator L. Frank Baum and how he discovered the story that changed the world.
Tune in for the premiere on PBS American Experience, Monday April 19 @ 9pm ET/8c.
The film looks amazing. I'm glad to be part of it.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...
Tune in for the premiere on PBS American Experience, Monday April 19 @ 9pm ET/8c.
The film looks amazing. I'm glad to be part of it.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...
REVOLVER author on the SiriusXM BEATLES CHANNEL
This is a serious SiriusXM Alert:
I'm appearing as a GUEST DJ on The BEATLES CHANNEL ! Please tune in as I play "My Fab Four" songs and weave in bits about REVOLVER: a novel.
This should be fun.
The segment airs:
Mon. morning 4/19, 7am ET
Thurs. wee hour, 4/22, 1am ET
Sat. night 4/24, 10pm ET
For more, see:
http://www.revolvernovel.com/revolver
I'm appearing as a GUEST DJ on The BEATLES CHANNEL ! Please tune in as I play "My Fab Four" songs and weave in bits about REVOLVER: a novel.
This should be fun.
The segment airs:
Mon. morning 4/19, 7am ET
Thurs. wee hour, 4/22, 1am ET
Sat. night 4/24, 10pm ET
For more, see:
http://www.revolvernovel.com/revolver
February 24, 2021
"Novel Gives a New Spin on Lennon"
"An imaginative and most enjoyable literary fantasy."
Thanks to the NYStateMusic scene site for this lovely review.
https://nysmusic.com/2021/02/16/revol...
Thanks to the NYStateMusic scene site for this lovely review.
https://nysmusic.com/2021/02/16/revol...
February 6, 2021
View the REVOLVER Launch Event
Thanks to all who came out to book launch night for REVOLVER--and are now reading America's #1 new rock 'n' roll high school love story.
If you couldn't make it, Brookline Booksmith has now posted the event online, so you too can virtually join. Please check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Incq...
If you couldn't make it, Brookline Booksmith has now posted the event online, so you too can virtually join. Please check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Incq...
January 4, 2021
Brookline Booksmith event on 1/7: reading & conversation
Please join us on Jan. 7, 2021 @ 7pm for this Zoom event from Brookline Booksmith, Boston's premiere independent bookstore.
Register here: https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/ev...
Author Evan I. Schwartz reads from his new novel REVOLVER, and joins in a conversation with Stona Fitch, founder of the Concord Free Press.
The Concord Free Press will give away 2,500 copies of REVOLVER via online requests and its nation-wide network of independent bookstores. Readers are asked only to donate to a cause they believe in or help someone in need—then pass their book on so others can give. This revolutionary, all-volunteer press has inspired more than $3.5 million in generosity around the world. The editors suggest that readers of REVOLVER consider donating to anti-gun violence organizations.
Request a copy of Revolver from Concord Free Press:
http://www.concordfreepress.com/reque...
Register here: https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/ev...
Author Evan I. Schwartz reads from his new novel REVOLVER, and joins in a conversation with Stona Fitch, founder of the Concord Free Press.
The Concord Free Press will give away 2,500 copies of REVOLVER via online requests and its nation-wide network of independent bookstores. Readers are asked only to donate to a cause they believe in or help someone in need—then pass their book on so others can give. This revolutionary, all-volunteer press has inspired more than $3.5 million in generosity around the world. The editors suggest that readers of REVOLVER consider donating to anti-gun violence organizations.
Request a copy of Revolver from Concord Free Press:
http://www.concordfreepress.com/reque...
December 20, 2020
REVOLVER in the Writer's Digest Author Spotlight
Q&A from 12/15/20 issue of WRITER'S DIGEST:
Evan I. Schwartz: The Rock 'n Roll of Non-Profit Publishing
Author Evan I. Schwartz explains how he went from writing nonfiction to fiction and how he came to discover his non-profit publisher.
What prompted you to write this book?
I started off writing about rock music in high school, reviewing albums and concerts—Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith. I wanted to be a rock writer.
Instead, I did something that paid a little better, writing about technology and innovation for magazines, then later in five published books. But I had never tried writing a novel.
Until four years ago. I began thinking about why music often tells lasting truths. And I started to write a novel and set it in the time I went to high school, on Long Island, 1978-81. The characters in a real town would be fictional, yet there could be mystical twists that involved the music.
So, I imagined it being the story of how one extremely musical high school got through the terrible time when we lost John Lennon. Getting on the train and going into the city to mourn by the Dakota was the most awful thing we ever did.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication?
The basic idea remained the same—that it would be a rock ‘n’ roll high school love story. It took 40 months.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Coming from non-fiction, it started with me sketching out real stories I had about some close brushes with the coolest rock stars, things I’ll never forget.
But I was surprised at how useful one piece of advice was to me. I had read the memoir by Alexander Chee, How to Write An Autobiographical Novel, and when I saw him speak at a bookstore, he emphasized this quote:
“The story of your life, described, will not describe how you came to think about your life or yourself, nor describe any of what you learned. This is what fiction can do—I think it is even what fiction is for.”
See the rest here:https://www.writersdigest.com/be-insp...
Evan I. Schwartz: The Rock 'n Roll of Non-Profit Publishing
Author Evan I. Schwartz explains how he went from writing nonfiction to fiction and how he came to discover his non-profit publisher.
What prompted you to write this book?
I started off writing about rock music in high school, reviewing albums and concerts—Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith. I wanted to be a rock writer.
Instead, I did something that paid a little better, writing about technology and innovation for magazines, then later in five published books. But I had never tried writing a novel.
Until four years ago. I began thinking about why music often tells lasting truths. And I started to write a novel and set it in the time I went to high school, on Long Island, 1978-81. The characters in a real town would be fictional, yet there could be mystical twists that involved the music.
So, I imagined it being the story of how one extremely musical high school got through the terrible time when we lost John Lennon. Getting on the train and going into the city to mourn by the Dakota was the most awful thing we ever did.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication?
The basic idea remained the same—that it would be a rock ‘n’ roll high school love story. It took 40 months.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Coming from non-fiction, it started with me sketching out real stories I had about some close brushes with the coolest rock stars, things I’ll never forget.
But I was surprised at how useful one piece of advice was to me. I had read the memoir by Alexander Chee, How to Write An Autobiographical Novel, and when I saw him speak at a bookstore, he emphasized this quote:
“The story of your life, described, will not describe how you came to think about your life or yourself, nor describe any of what you learned. This is what fiction can do—I think it is even what fiction is for.”
See the rest here:https://www.writersdigest.com/be-insp...
