Ezekiel Tyrus's Blog: A Story a Week with Zeke - Posts Tagged "eli"

Saturday, August 24, 2013.

An older man I've known very casually from working at Walgreens came in and presented me with a sealed envelope with red block lettering, 'Mr. Ezekiel Tyrus."

He nodded and smiled. The man is tall, thin, about 60 with large goofy features, that appear ever-happy, and he almost resembles a balding Donald Sutherland with a big handlebar mustache but not an ironic hipster mustache.

He seemed like he was in a hurry to go but said, "When I told you I bought a copy of 'Eli,Ely' you said to give you some feedback when I was done. Well, in that envelope is 3 pages with feedback."

Then he bowed out, smiling but walking away shyly, hands in his pockets, head down.

My immediate thought was, even if the guy didn't like it, the fact he took the time to write 3 pages is still thoughtful and caring.

I opened up the envelope and there was a card with a simple but lovely drawing of a bird, black and red against a pastel-green background. The card was blank but inside the man wrote,

'Mr. Tyrus,

"I hope all your dreams come true."
-'Eli,Ely'
-Bob.

That's a line from a revealing and sad part of my novel.

(He got it. He understood what the book was about in that simple gesture.)

Inside the card was 3 sheets of yellow legal pad folded together and written in red ink, another symbolic detail straight from my novel.

(Boy, this guy got it.)

Dear Mr. Tyrus:

After purchasing your new novel 'Eli,Ely,' I stopped by Walgreens to show you my copy (from Books, Inc.) Your appreciation was overwhelming. You asked me to let you know what I thought of it, so rather than a quick "Love it"/"Nice try"/"A complete waste of time," I thought I'd give you something a bit more in-depth.

Here goes ...
I burst out laughing several times, due either to a turn of a phrase, or something completely unexpected. Some examples are as follows:
Your protagonist's retro vs. out-of-date clothes;
The first two encounters with a homeless person;
The Security Guard/Bouncer Aptitude test;
"The Bondage Tree."
I read 'The Giving Tree' 17 years ago and felt sorry for the tree.
Your riff on Steisand is priceless!!
I love Titty Titty Gangbang! One of the funniest and most interesting characters ever. Loved her.

I found your later encounter with a homeless character to be quite apt. Ballsy, even -actually having the courage to write about the reality of walking down the street, whereas most people would go the P.C. route, or speak of the situation to select friends.

Your book certainly starts with a bang. Although the sex scenes appear throughout the narrative (background, character development,) I could not wait to get back to the main storyline (but that's me. A straight reader may feel differently.) I did enjoy the scenes surrounding The Power Exchange. (Funny, in a twisted sort of way, but that's me.)

I have read several novels set in San Francisco, and wondered if the authors had actually visited here, or if they even used a map when writing. Happily, all your locations were on the mark, and I could tell you had actually been in the areas of which you write.

A suggestion regarding the printing/publishing itself:
Give credit to the cover designer and to the photographer and model. She's beautiful. Makes an intriguing cover.

All and all, I thoroughly enjoyed your novel, -so much so I read it in 2 and a half days, staying up till 1AM two nights in a row, just to read one more page, releasing a sigh of contentment when I reached the end of the final page.

Good job!

All the best,
Robert K.
San Francisco, CA 94109
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I've gotten some emails with praise from strangers and old friends but this is the first hand-written letter and card from anybody and it's from a San Francisco Tenderloin resident who clearly, in a few symbolic gestures, (red ink, yellow paper, the quote from the book,) got exactly what I was trying to convey in the novel. HE GOT IT!!

I think I'm going to keep the card and the three hand-written sheets for the rest of my life.

Thanks, Bob.

“

Eli,Ely: In Brief.

By Ezekiel Tyrus

Unstable, struggling writer, Eli Trocchi is in a relationship with serious grad student, Jennifer Ely.

Friends speculate they hooked-up to say their own names during sex.

Ergo, ‘Eli, Ely’ becomes the pair’s euphemism for fucking.

Eventually, Miss Ely breaks up with Eli the same week he’s fired from a sales job.

Humiliated, the writer proceeds to have a meltdown that’s hilarious and sad, reflecting upon a lifetime of bad decisions and abject failure.

Through Eli, we discover another San Francisco, one as eccentric and deeply flawed as the character himself.

Read Eli,Ely by Ezekiel Tyrus. Hardheadpress.com
”

Eli, Ely takes place over the course of one week, but in that time Eli thinks back on past events which include lots of sex, disappointing relationships, addictions, and generally being a bit of a bastard. And that he certainly is.



http://www.subtlemelodrama.com/2013/0...

Friend and Brooklyn-based author sent me the following email this AM via FB:

cool to hear from you b/c i wanted to let you know...i was in The Strand bookstore looking at Brady Udall novels and i saw this familiar cover....there are two copies of Eli, Ely in Strand...just to let you know.

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The Strand Bookstore is considered one of the best and coolest in the country and was a favorite of one of my heroes, David Markson. So happy. Thanks, John Grochalski.

Author Ezekiel Tyrus reads Eli,Ely at Green Apple Books and Music on Wed, March 5, 2014 @ 7 pm. All are encourage to attend and listen to Zeke read from the novel that's been described by Tony DuShane as a "gritty tour de force through the hidden corners of San Francisco."

http://www.greenapplebooks.com/event/...