An interview with Brian "Head" Welch, ex-lead guitarist for Korn - By N.L. Belardes

I spoke with Brian "Head" Welch yesterday about his new book, "Save Me From Myself." We talked about spirituality, Bakersfield church leaders, his writing process and more.

His inspiring book recently reached the top 15 of the New York Times Best Seller list.

Here's an excerpt from my interview on ABC23:

Interview:

ABC23: First off, I want to say “Save Me From Myself” is an honest look at the reality facing many people today who are caught in the culture of drugs. Its rawness—though honest and inspiring—is filled with language and graphic drug use. What kind of feedback are you getting?

Welch: I’m getting some pretty good feedback. A lot of broken people are getting inspired by it. I’ve had no negative comments about the rawness and realness of it. It’s I think what people expected, you know. It could actually have been worse. If I wasn’t just trying to be real or tell my story; it could have been one of those tell all books. But I just wanted to tell my story…it’s inspiring people. Listen: Audio 1

ABC23: I have a few questions about the writing process. Now, some people write books, whether fiction or non-fiction chronologically. Did you start at the beginning? Or did you maybe write the second half first, or a bunch of parts simultaneously?

Welch: I think the preface in it I wrote last. But the story I wrote it all how it happened. I went way back and went chapter by chapter.

I just wanted to get the whole story to the people about who I am, where I came from, and I wanted to throw the whole Korn story in there too to about how we all met, because it’s interesting.

I wanted it to be interesting too. I think a lot of people go through what I went through inside and they don’t tell anybody. We have problems when we’re kids, with whatever, with friends, bullies, with life in general what we go through, with drugs, and we don’t talk about a lot of it it. And I wanted to talk about it. Listen: Audio 2

(Read the full interview and hear all 12 audio files)

Ex-Korn Member On NYT Best Seller List, Will Sign Books - By N.L. Belardes

I just posted this article on www.turnto23.com, "Ex-Korn Member On NYT Best Seller List, Will Sign Books: Brian “Head” Welch Reaches Top 20 On NYT, Will Have Book Signing For ‘Save Me From Myself.’"

Excerpt:

Brian “Head” Welch, ex-guitarist for rock band Korn will make a rare public appearance on Aug. 1 at Bakersfield’s Russo’s Books at the Marketplace. He will be at the store to promote his memoir, “Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story.”

Read the full article

Are you doing your Summer Reading? – By Melinda Carroll

Remember when you were a kid and your teachers would send a recommended summer reading list home with you at the end of the school year hoping you would do more than just play video games, like improve your mind. How many of you were good boys and girls and actually read a few books on the recommended summer reading list? How much did your summer reading influence your life as a child? As an adult? Is reading a passion in your life?

I don’t know about you, but I’m always reading. I have a stack of books at home that are in my “to be read” pile, but I continue to buy more books. I can’t help myself. My logic is I’ll eventually read them all.

Noveltown is not only passionate about writers, we’re passionate about readers too! Without readers the Indie literary presses and the publishing world would come to a screeching halt and eventually cease to exist. Books would become coasters, or those things you press flowers in, or worse! I don’t even want to imagine a world without books, its too horrible a thought. For in books our imaginations run free within world’s writers create for us. J. K. Rowling is the most successful author ever because of readers!

It’s mid summer and Noveltown just wanted to check in on you to make sure you’re doing your summer reading…

For all of you Paperback Writer readers who are book sluts, word whores, always carry a book with you in your purse or backpack, read while laying out by the pool, on the beach or by a lake, and plan what books you’re taking with you on vacation we’ve got some fabulous recommended summer reading for you.

Salon.com put together a great four part recommended summer reading list:

Mysteries and Science Fiction: “Thrills and chills: These mysteries and science fiction novels will transport you to a higher plane.”

Three Bags Full - By Leonie Swann, Anthea Bell, trans.
Mr. Dixon Disappears - By Ian Sansom
Up in Honey's Room - By Elmore Leonard
Body of Lies - By David Ignatius
Brasyl - By Ian McDonald
The Margarets - By Sheri S. Tepper

(Read the full mystery and science fiction article for synopsis’ of these books and links to buy)

Memoirs: “Great escapes: From a journey down the Nile to the chronicle of a professional basketball player, these memoir recommendations will whisk you away.”

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World - By Anthony Doerr
Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff - By Rosemary Mahoney
Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond - By Paul Shirley
Dog Days: Dispatches From Bedlam Farm - By Jon Katz
The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water: How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea - By Mary South

(Read the full memoir article for synopsis’ of these books and links to buy)

Chic lit: “Chic lit: From a saga of 17th century maidens to a 21st century mom flirting with disaster, our novel recommendations will make you feel cheap and sexy in the best possible way.”

Little Stalker - By Jennifer Belle
Peony in Love - By Lisa See
Slummy Mummy - By Fiona Neill
The New Yorkers: A Novel - By Cathleen Schine
Sheer Abandon - By Penny Vincenzi

(Read the full chic lit article for synopsis’ of these books and links to buy)

Thrillers: “Killer thrillers: From the pursuit of a lost Shakespeare manuscript to a chilling tale of missing sisters, these recommendations will add sizzle to your beach book list.”

The Book of Air and Shadows - By Michael Gruber
What the Dead Know - By Laura Lippman
Nerve Damage - By Peter Abrahams
The Broken Shore - By Peter Temple
The Grave Tattoo - By Val McDermid

(Read the full thrillers article for synopsis’ of these books and links to buy)

***********************

Noveltown put together our own recommended summer reading list by some of our favorite authors:

Contemporary Fiction: From a road trip to the war in Iraq these novels will take you on adventures to new places.

Moonpies & Moviestars – By Amy Wallen - A wild road trip adventure.
Attention. Deficit. Disorder. – By Brad Listi - For those who don’t pay attention to how life affects them.
Last One In – By Nicholas Kulish - A satire about the war in Iraq.
Mulligan’s Pennies – By Robbie Byrne - A story about Irish tragedy and triumph.

Memoirs: Drugs, culture and dysfunctionality, these memoirs explore the deeper side of human nature.

Drugs are Nice – By Lisa Crystal Carver - A modern post-punk tale.
The Oracles – By Pati Poblete - A story about appreciating culture.
Dark at the Roots – By Sarah Thyre - A story about a dysfunctional family.

Mystery & Suspense: Murder, suspense, this mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If it Bleeds – By Bonnie Hearn Hill - A California Central Valley Newspaper mystery.

Women’s Fiction & Erotica: From globe-trotting adventurers to a victorian wife these women's fiction and erotica novels will bring out all your inhibitions.

Bicoastal Babe – By Cynthia Langston - A double life? Love and adventure on two coasts.
A Thousand and One Nights – By Lara Tupper - A lounge singing duo's adventures and misadventures in love.
Vertigo – By Lauren Baratz-Logsted - Spellbinding historical fiction with erotic suspense.
Three Days in New York City and Another Bite of the Apple – By Robin Slick - Humorously satirical and wickedly delicious erotic fiction.

Just for fun: Astrology, decorating and farming for when you want to discover something new.

Born on a Rotten Day and Love on a Rotten Day – Hazel Dixon-Cooper - Learn how you ruin your life and the lives of others.
Punk Shui: Home Designs for Anarchists – By Josh Amatore Hughes - Home decorating punker style.
Blithe Tomato – By Mike Madison - A journey through California’s small farms and farmers’ markets.

(Read Noveltown's reviews of these books)

And don’t forget to include Noveltown in your summer reading:

Lords: Part One – by N.L. Belardes - A Central California urban myth? Or the true tales of the Lords of Bakersfield. (Buy your copy of Lords: Part One)

The Noveltown Review - A Literary magazine. (Read the review by Greg Goodsell) (Get your copy online)

Now get to reading… book reports are optional.

The ins and outs of the most popular literary genre, the Memoir – By Melinda Carroll

Recently, I finished reading Alice Sebold’s memoir: Lucky, a courageous tale of her brutal rape as a college freshman and the transformation in her life that followed. Typically I read more novels than I do memoirs. I don’t know that I would ever have picked up a memoir about a violent rape if Alice Sebold hadn’t been the author. It’s not that I can’t handle reading about rape or violence, but perhaps it’s the trueness of the subject and the personal connection to the author that changes the reality of the words. In a memoir the author shares a little piece of their soul with you in the telling of their story.

However, I find Sebold’s writing so compelling, so open and enchanting, I couldn’t help myself. She took a horrific story of rape and turned it into a story about her life I could not stop reading. The affect of a brutal rape on a person’s life was never more revealing to me than when Sebold stated: “After telling the hard facts to anyone, from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes.”

After having just devoured Sebold’s memoir, I was ecstatic to find a great discussion on memoirs this week over on the Pub Rants blog from literary agent Kristin who participated in a panel at the Backspace Conference entitled: How to Publish a Memoir if You Aren’t Famous. She wrote several blogs discussing memoirs, which turned out to be the most popular genre at the Backspace Conference. She also brought up some great points that I just had to share with all of you writers contemplating writing a memoir.

Kristin writes:

“Lots of people want to write a memoir and it’s also the hardest project to get published by a non-celebrity. And here’s my little rant, very few people actually have stories that are big enough to capture national attention and hence, editor attention.”

What does that mean for those of you writing memoirs? It means that whether you have experienced divorce, or was a child of divorced parents, had abandonment issues, have mental health issues, suffered heartbreak, lived a wild life of sex, drugs and rock and roll, was in the military and went to war, graduated top of your class in college, had cancer, failed in business, lost a child or spouse, was violently attacked, or any other thing that you’ve experienced in your life, millions of other people have experienced them too.

So what sets your story apart from the millions of other similar stories? What makes your story worthy of garnering attention, of being published?

“People need to have a persuasive reason to read your story. Were you famous or associated with someone famous? If not, you have to find a way to tell your story that is so involving and compelling and unique that it grabs the reader from the very first sentence and never lets them go until the end.”

(Read the full blog)

Sebold’s memoir is a perfect example. She masterfully tells a gruesome tale in such an enchanting way that she grabs hold of you from the first sentence. You can’t get away until the very end.

And in case you didn’t know, writing a memoir is not therapy as Kristin explains:

“One of the biggest mistakes I see in query letters for the memoir is writers who spotlight how cathartic and therapeutic the writing of the work was and how they now need to share it with the world.

This is a big mistake. Why? Because writing a memoir is not therapy or shouldn’t be, so this is not a positive thing to spotlight. The truly terrific memoirists (ANGELA’S ASHES and THE GLASS CASTLE come to mind) understand that the writing of the work is an art form and only a certain amount of distance to the subject material can create that necessary objectivity so that the story can be crafted. Key word here is ‘crafted.’

What these memoirists actually understood is that readers aren’t interested in any one person’s therapeutic story; these readers are interested in an inside look to a world they’ve never seen or have never imagined. A world that is unbelievable but true. A world that is unique but resonates with us. A story that captures a universal feeling and the reader senses the connection.That’s what makes the memoir powerful. And if a writer doesn’t understand the difference of what I’m trying to explain here, he/she will probably never have a memoir published.”

(Read the full blog)

In Lucky Sebold understood the difference and crafted a story about her rape that resonates unbelievably with truth and shares a world I hadn’t yet imagined. As a writer you should learn the difference and craft something unique before querying your memoir.

Writing a memoir is also not the same as writing “my memoirs” Kristin explains:

“It makes me cringe when writers announce that they are writing their memoirs. Why? Because that means they are writing their life story (including “I was born in 1940 (or choose a year) in Biloxi, Mississippi--or choose wherever”) which is an autobiography not a memoir.

For publication purposes, if you aren’t famous, there is no market for your “memoirs” and a large publishing house will not buy it.

An autobiography is a chronicle of a person’s life history.

A memoir is a story (with a story arc not unlike what occurs in a novel) told through a prism of one particular life experience and it usually focuses on a finite period of time and not the person’s life as a whole. A memoir has crafted scenes that build on one another to reach a pivotal moment. An autobiography has remembrances of important events throughout the author’s life and how it unfolded from that person’s unique, inside perspective. They can be separate from each other and don’t need to build to a climatic moment.”

(Read the full blog)

Sebold’s memoir has a specific story arc starting at the rape and focuses on a certain period of time in her life creating a story so unique I wanted the rest of the unwritten story. So unless you’re Bob Dylan, Jimmy Carter or someone equally famous, I would stick to writing a memoir if you want to be published instead of your ‘memoirs.’

Are you unsure if your work is a memoir or a novel?

According to Kristin:

“I wrote it as a memoir but it could be published as a novel instead.” Is a surefire “kiss-of-death-otherwise-known-as-an-automatic-NO-from-an-agent for any aspiring memoirist.”

Yikes. You’d better learn the difference between a memoir and a novel and not make that automatic NO mistake when querying.

“Although a memoir often shares certain similarities to a novel (as in there are scenes, dialogue, development of characters, and sometimes world-building) a memoir is not the same as a novel. They are two, distinctly different creative processes in how they are crafted and written.So an already written memoir can’t be “published” as a novel or even vice-versa. It’s like saying my nonfiction self-help book can double as a novel. These are two wholly different entities. Apples and Oranges (James Frey, non-withstanding, but even A Million Little Pieces would have to be redone completely to make it stand as a novel because the crafting of a novel is not the same as the crafting of a memoir). Repeat after me: they are not interchangeable.

A memoir is a memoir—not a novel. A novel is a novel and can’t easily be “revised” into a memoir.”

(Read the full blog)

Sebold could have written the story of her rape as a fictional novel. Her novel The Lovely Bones is outstanding! But Lucky is about a violent rape that is extremely personal and changes her forever. Through her searing candor she illuminates what it means to survive: “You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” It’s an unbelievable true account. It’s a memoir that connects the reader to the author in a very personal, powerful way. That connection is what will make the difference for you as a writer.

James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces could end up costing him millions – By Melinda Carroll

In the continuing lit scandal of 2006 that rocked Oprah and the lit world into ‘a million little pieces’, James Frey may have to pay restitution to his readers proving that it doesn’t pay to lie. Also proving that Oprah and the American public don’t like to be duped.

MSN reports that:

“Readers who bought James Frey’s fabricated memoir A Million Little Pieces may get a refund. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Holwell has tentatively approved a settlement in the case against Random House, Inc. and James Frey calling for them to spend $2.35 million to fully refund readers who bought the best-seller before Jan. 26, 2006, the day Frey and his publisher acknowledged that he had made up parts of the book. Claims would have to be filed by Oct. 1.”

(Read the full article)

In the big confrontation between Oprah and Frey in January 2006 when asked, “why he felt the need to lie,” Frey stated: “I don’t think it is a novel, I still think it’s a memoir,” even though his book had originally been offered to and rejected by publishers as fiction.

Which makes one wonder if Frey was merely defending the popular industry memoir genre that allowed him to sell his book when he couldn’t sell it as fiction. And what affect does genre labels have on literature? With the popularity of the memoir we realize that readers want the gritty true-life details of a person’s story more than a literary fiction novel. In Frey’s case, is it a novel? Or is it a memoir? Frey sold it as a memoir because that is what is popular in the literary market today. But when the truth of his embellishment and fabrication came out, did that destroy the credibility of the memoir?

Time will tell. But for now the memoir is not dead.

In the wake of Oprah’s and the American public’s outrage for being duped by Frey he’s been dropped by his literary agent, dropped from a two-book seven figure deal by his publisher, and had disclaimers printed and/or placed in all of the copies of A Million Little Pieces and may now have to refund 2.35 million to his readers. But none of that has affected his book sales which goes to show that controversy sales.

Sarah Thyre's Dark at the Roots memoir spawns first Noveltown comedy vid - By N.L. Belardes

Could this be Sarah Thyre without her dashing blonde wig?

Sarah Thyre is an actress/writer from the deep South, practically from the bayou itself. She's appeared on Conan O'Brien and has just released her first book, Dark at the Roots. It's the story of a kid you might not trust, living life to the fullest in the throngs of dysfunctionality. For some reason I gravitated more to Thyre's depiction of her own youthful years: unpredictable, hilarious, and sympathetic. I found myself reading portions out loud on a road trip to L.A., mesmerizing the driver and crew with a particularly crazy scene regarding a cat and an ice cooler. Thyre's teen years read a bit like other memoirs I've been tearing though: a bit predictable though still worthy of a good laugh.

I caught up with Sarah recently to ask her about her new memoir. Of course we'd done a little spying on her...

Interview:

Noveltown: Sarah, we’ve been spying on you. We’ve seen you on YouTube and on myspace where you’ve been doing a little bit of networking—all for the release of your hilarious just released memoir, Dark at the Roots. In a way, reading your book was like spying on your entire childhood. Or should I say, peeking in on the childhood of a bad kid. Were you a bad kid and how do you feel about Noveltown spying on you?

Sarah: No! I wasn't a bad kid! Manipulative, yes, but I had to do something to get ahead. I craved approval from people too much to be "bad." Also I knew I had to keep my permanent record clean if I was gonna get into college and escape.

Spy away!


Sarah Thyre seen with Bakersfield filmmaker, Rickey Bird of Hectic Films

Noveltown: Dark at the Roots gives insight into your literary interest as a youth. What made you write your memoir as opposed to a movie script, fiction novel, or Lemony Snicket-ish series of diatribes to your dark beginnings as a kid on the loose?

Sarah: I've always wanted to write a book. I love books. I'm too self-absorbed to write anything but a memoir.


Sarah Thyre with love interest, N.L. Belardes...

Noveltown: To help writers out who can’t get past page two in their own books, tell us what motivated you to follow through with your memoir. Did you have a book deal before you finished your manuscript?

Sarah: I sold the book based on a proposal and the first three chapters. For years, I'd been writing and performing stories for free, but it took getting an advance to make me sit down and put an actual book together. I could also justify getting a regular babysitter since I was making my own money and not just mooching off my husband.



Noveltown: What does your family think about the memoir? Are they gathering up copies for a Southern-style book burning? We want juicy details please.

Sarah: My siblings are all fine with it because they're fame whores who are looking forward to lower-mid-range wine and pre-cubed cheese parties. Little do they know the only thing they'll be eating is my dust!

Noveltown: Did you emulate any particular comedic writers/personalities in creating Dark at the Roots?

Sarah: David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs are of course inspirations for me, as someone who takes shit (sometimes literally) and makes it funny. I think I have a voice of my own though, which says: It's true people DO suck.

Noveltown: Sarah, I have to ask about when you literally caught us spying on you. What was going through your mind?

Sarah: As long as I wasn't plucking nipple hairs when you were watching, I don't mind. Not that I have any nipple hairs to pluck, mind you. What do you think, I'm some sort of hairy monster?

What's this? Sarah Thyre caught on video??


Dark At The Roots - The best video clips are right here

Noveltown: Aside from all the comedy in your book, there’s a tone of seriousness about dysfunctional families being normal. Care to comment?

Sarah: The title Dark at the Roots is tongue-in-cheek and what I call a lie that happens to be true. There was some bad stuff in my past, but it could've been a lot worse. I think when you're a kid in a dysfunctional family, you find out about it in bits and pieces, like if you see your friend's mom and dad kiss each other and smile like they enjoy each other's company, you realize there's something wrong in your house because your parents NEVER do that, unless they've drunk several highballs. Lucky for me, no matter how dysfunctional we were, my family prized having a sense of humor, which is probably the ultimate survival mechanism.

Noveltown: We think your memoir should be a bible for kids with your personality type. Describe your personality type.

Sarah: My personality type? I hate labels!

Noveltown: Thanks for hanging out with us.

Sarah: I think I'm lost. Do you know the way to Memoirtown?


The real Sarah Thyre's promo pic after make-up and airbrushing

Critical Mass reports the Memoir is not dead – By Melinda Carroll

Critical Mass the blog of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors states in a blog posted Tuesday, February 20, 2007 that the Memoir is not dead.

John Freeman writes:

“Last summer, around the time we were supposed to be burying the memoir thanks to the excesses and lies of its practitioners, a few bright lights -- several of them now finalists for the NBCC's 2006 prize for autobiography, like Donald Antrim, Daniel Mendelsohn and Alison Bechdel -- showed the form was going to survive the Nasdij, LeRoy, and Frey correction. These books were getting great critical acclaim, though maybe not selling in the numbers they would have before high noon happened on Oprah's show.

Well, it looks like those sales have returned too: this week, 11 of the 15 books on the New York Times paperback bestseller list are memoirs (of a sort).

Former NBCC finalist Liz Gilbert has climbed all the way to #3 for "Eat, Pray, Love," which apparently has over 350,000 copies in print in paperback alone. Over on the hardcover list, 6 of the 16 books are memoirs.

Looking down the catalogue lists for 2007, it looks like there is more noteworthy writing to come.”

(Read the full article)

Is your life story good memoir material? If so, your memoir might be right up Noveltown’s alley. Submissions accepted here.