Michael A. Pyle's Blog, page 179

Abandoning Pen Name

I wrote White Sugar, Brown Sugar for over 30 years.  As a practicing lawyer with a fairly good reputation, and a number of clients who would not dream that I would have any inkling about the subject matter of the book, I decided to publish the book under a pen name. I worried that clients and others in my home town of Daytona Beach would be appalled to think that I could write such a graphic depiction of such negative matters.

But after it was published, the Daytona Times newspaper and WPUL interviewed me for Black History Moth regarding my recollections and depictions in the book of race relations in Daytona during the 50s and 60s.  The article used my real name, and even showed my photograph.  A few weeks later, a reader praised the book on the “I Grew Up in Daytona Beach!” Facebook page.  It only took about two or three posts before somebody said, well according to the Daytona Times, the author is Mike Pyle.

Since then, I have spoken at the Volusia County libraries and other places, and again, I have received no negative comments, and haven’t lost any clients. Suddenly everybody knew, and people on the Facebook Page started reading it and talking about it, and very few said anything negative. I started to question the use of a pen name.  I have published non-fiction books in the past, and have a number of fiction books in the works with my own name as author, and using the same characters.  I thought maybe I should come out.

Then, we hired a publicist, and the first thing they said was the pen name was going to cause confusion, and I should drop it. So I did.  As of today, June 12, 2013, the same book with my name as author is in the works for E-Book publication as well as print publication, and will be showing up in a week or so.  The book is the same. All that changed was the author name and description, the acknowledgments page and correction of some typos.

I hope the change in name won’t cause confusion, and eventually the good reviews posted under the prior author name will make their way to the new materials.  But since there were only about 500 books issued under the prior name, I trust that all will be o.k.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse Recovery Organization Finds Book Enlightening

The senior executive of a well-known drug and alcohol recovery organization read White Sugar, Brown Sugar. He commented that the author showed the insane draw into addiction so well that he encouraged all his executive team and counselors to read it.

“I believe this can really help our people understand how a person can become dependent and the struggle through it,” he said.

Author Mike Pyle Presents Book at Daytona Beach Library

The author of White Sugar, Brown Sugar presented his book at an event that is part of the “Viva Florida 500 Program”, sponsored by Friends of the Daytona Beach Library on April 10, 2013, under his real name, Michael Pyle.  He explained that although the book is historical in some respects, it’s really fiction. It delves into the racial segregation prevalent in Florida in the 50’s and 60’s, among other serious subjects.

He warned the crowd about the content of the book because he was afraid they might find it shocking.  He said, “Be warned.  There’s bad language, including the F word, there’s sex, and it’s not even titillating sex like some find Fifty Shades of Gray, and there’s heavy, heavy drug abuse.  If that will shock you, then you might not like it.”

He continued, “One of my readers is very anti- bad words, sex and things like that in books.  When she told me she wanted to read it, I said, ‘I don’t know.  I’m not sure it’s for you.’  But she read it in two days, and wrote a great review. She said, ‘Every bad word, and every description of things I don’t like, was necessary, to get to the inspirational culmination.’”

The crowd was very attentive, and asked a lot of questions about the book, history in Daytona Beach, the author’s background and publishing.

 

I Grew Up in Daytona Beach! Facebook Page Discusses White Sugar, Brown Sugar

Recently, one member of the I Grew Up in Daytona Beach! Facebook page began discussing White Sugar, Brown Sugar.   Readers were excited because the book addresses Daytona in the 50′s and 60′s.

Some were surprised and shocked by the description, which was not the way they had remembered it.  White Sugar, Brown Sugar deals with a realistic look at the seedier side of the area. It delves into serious drug abuse, not the flower child life that many remembered.

Some quotes on the Facebook page are:

“Set in Daytona Beach, this novel starts in the mid 1960s and follows the challenges of young teens and their respective relatives and friends from prominent families on the Peninsula and less fortunate families west of the tracks as their lives co-mingle during the tumultuous years of adolescence and adulthood. The book is geographically correct and the faces and places so vividly described in White Sugar, Brown Sugar will surely bring back memories of growing up during this era in Daytona Beach. The Halifax River Yacht Club, Inlet, Main Street, Main Street Cemetery, Halifax River, Nova Road, etc. – all are mentioned. You will even recognize two of the restaurants as the old Morrison’s Cafeteria in Ormond Beach and Krystal’s at Mason and US 1. I am sure that the counselor involved in dealing with these troubled youths was none other than our beloved late Hal Marchman. I strongly urge all of you that grew up in Daytona Beach to read this amazing book. Although it is fiction, you will surely see a little bit of yourself, your family and friends growing up in Daytona Beach during these years as you read each page.”

A reader said, “it’s a fascinating read, even if one was not familiar with some of the settings (the old HRYC, etc.), and you’ve created a truly three-dimensional novel with this one. Need to get off of Facebook and Amazon for a bit and get back to reading.”