The PublishingWorks spring/summer catalog for 2010 is out! The Running Waves is on page eleven. If you’re a bookstore, library, school or University you can begin ordering now. Please feel free to get in touch with us because T.M. (Ted) and I would love to come to your establishment for a signing or talk. Thanks.

    

-Seton

This past weekend I was a guest speaker in my brother’s creative writing class at Boston College. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d be a guest speaker, especially in a classroom. Growing up school didn’t come easy. I had a lot of problems focusing and retaining what was being taught. After high school, I was diagnosed with ADD, which definitely answered a lot of questions I had as a student. What I found so frustrating was that there were many times I was trying my best and my teachers thought I was just a “slacker.” Once I began taking medication and using the proper tools my grades in the college level increased and I actually enjoyed learning. This is when I really started to love writing.

For me, writing was not only therapeutic, but it allowed me to be my own boss. I looked to my father and brother as my mentors and found my own style. So last Saturday, I walked through the doors of Boston College, the same doors I walked through eleven years ago when I took a Saturday morning math class. It was a very emotional feeling to be back because this time I was a published author.

The class was great. They were a fun, energetic group who were eager to learn about writing. I gave some advice. It was the same advice that has been handed down to me by my father and brother and I hope that it helped and inspired them. What I stressed to the BC students is that you can’t let anyone’s negativity get in the way of your dreams. Always believe in yourself. So many people told me I was crazy when I was writing this book with my brother. They said that I should be realistic and that I should put my energy into something that will pay off. I chose not to listen and happy I didn’t because now The Running Waves is a reality.

Other than our parents, teachers have the greatest influence on us growing up. We spend most of our time in school and we look to these men and women for guidance and validation. At a very young age I was told by some teachers I would never amount to much. I never forgot those people and what they said.

Fortunately there were some amazing people in the Falmouth school system that believed in me and helped me every step of the way and I would like to thank them now. Mrs. Coyle, Mrs. Goodman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Andrade, Mrs. Hampton, Mr. Hill, Mr. Hale, Mr. Kozens, Mr. Montiero, Mr. Laquidara, Ms. Anes, Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Funfar, Ms. Twitchell, Mr. Rainnie, and Jim O’Brien. These teachers gave me hope and hope is the foundation for all success. Happy Thanksgiving.

-Seton

I was around nine years old when my dad's (James F. Murphy, Jr.) first book came out. It was called Quonsett - it shocked, entertained, and even horrified some of the people in our town. I remember how excited Dad was when he got the call that his book had arrived at the local bookstore (because he still hadn't seen the cover). Dad, Mom, and all six kids jumped into the station wagon and we headed to the store. On the way there, Dad pulled some of the punches of what the book was about. "It's about a crazy guy who causes a lot of trouble for a town," he told us. A few years later, I was to find out that he left out the part about the "crazy guy" having an operating table in his van and.... well, you can figure out the rest. Anyway, all of us speculated what that "crazy guy" would look like on the cover. I imagined him to be a cross between a werewolf and Frankenstein. He was far from it. The cover shot was of an average looking guy in a white tee-shirt and jeans running from exploding fireworks in the distance.

After seeing it I said to Dad, "This guy doesn't look scary at all."

While probably biting his lip, Dad responded, "I know he looks like he's running from a cookout to get more ice for the party. This has to be the worst cover I've ever seen!"

We all felt terrible for him. He had worked so hard on that book that would be judged by its cover.

He was constantly reminded at signings too.

"Too bad you don't have a better cover." or "God, that's dreadful." They would say to him as if he had drawn it himself.

Fortunately, his page-turning thriller overcame the bad cover and the novel was a success, so when it became a paperback the cover changed. This time he got the first copy in the mail. On the paperback cover was a van parked on a beach. A lifeless arm dangled from the van's slightly opened door. The lifeless arm set a tone that totally creeped me out (and also made me wonder who really was the guy who drove me to little league practice haha). Now that was a cover!

So with that backstory constantly banging my mind every time I get a book deal I worry about the cover. Fortunately, over the years, for my kids books I have had great illustrators - Doren Ben-Ami, Mark Penta, and Adam Taylor. But this was going to be my first novel for adults and Seton's first book! When Publishing Works told us that they were going to use photography for the cover I said to Seton, "I hope they don't screw it up." We both then got our friend Ben Allsup involved (please check out Benshotme.com) because he is one of the best photographers on the Cape. Ben was willing to do the cover, but we really had overstepped our boundaries by asking before getting the go ahead from Publishing Works. P.W. said that, although, they loved Ben's work (which they gushed about) they already had a photographer/designer on their payroll. She was their logical choice due to that reason, and that she was also pretty damn talented.
Ben totally understood our situation (us jumping the gun without knowing we shouldn't have made any promises) and diffused it with class that is Allsup, "Just keep me in mind to be your still photographer when this becomes a movie (Your words to God's ears, Ben!)."

A couple weeks ago, I got an email from Jeremy Townsend President of Publishing Works. The subject title of the email - COVER FOR THE RUNNING WAVES. I was so nervous I could barely click it open. Would it be the "guy running for more ice for the party" or "the lifeless arm dangling out of the van?"

I studied the cover for several seconds.

"Yes! Yes!" I pumped my fist and ran for the phone to call Seton.

"Open up your email from Jeremy now!" I ordered.

He clicked away on the keyboard. "Oh, no. It says it's the cover. Is it any good?"

"Just open it!"

"Alright, man! Hold on!" He snapped back.

After a few seconds he yelled, "Yes! Yes! She nailed it! Oh, man, she got the whole tone of our book in that one picture!"

"And the symbolism of the action figure is in there too!" I added. (Readers will understand that symbolism, but we don't want to give it away here. We had suggested they use an action figure and that was what was so cool! Publishing Works heard us!)

"You got your first cover, bro!" I said to him and it felt great.

"Thanks, man. This means a lot. Not just to me but to all my boys. You know what I mean?"

"Yup! Well, we can thank Anna for that!"

"You said it! We wrote a book!" Seton said and I think it really dawned on him that all of this is really happening!

That was a really special day to share with my little brother. It was even more special when we brought a color print and showed my Dad who was (and is) recovering from double bypass surgery in the hospital. He studied it and said one word to us, "Yes!"

I'm sure we'll have critics for the cover as well as the book, but we love it, and on behalf of my co-author Seton Murphy, I would publicly like to thank Anna Pearlman of Publishing Works for designing a truly awesome cover!

-Ted Murphy

Seton and I just got word from lead singer of The Samples Sean Kelly that we could use his lyrics to Feel Us Shaking in TRW. This is wonderful news on many levels. The first being is using the song lyrics (we are only using a few but they are so timely) will enhance a major scene near the end of the book. But I also hope if our book has any success it can help put the spotlight back on Sean Kelly who is such an amazing singer and lyricist. I was first introduced to The Samples back in 1993 by my summer friend Mark Penta. He brought the CD The Last Drag down to Falmouth during a cold, February week. Over the years, it had become a tradition that Mark would come and stay at our house for several days, and during that time he'd try to introduce me to what the next hot band was going to be. There were many times I said, "No, thanks. Turn it off." But when he played The Last Drag I was hooked! I was a fan for life! So when Seton and I began working on TRW I knew I wanted to get a Samples song mentioned, and when I was listening to my favorite one - Feel Us Shaking (the live acoustic version which you can buy on their website) - one day as I was driving over Falmouth Heights' hill looking out at the sparkling ocean, I knew that was the one. I raced home and played it for Seton (who had never heard the song before), and his eyes lit up and he said, "This sounds so much like us as kids growing up on the beaches of Falmouth." Then a few months later I was at a show at The Paradise and Sean Kelly said to the crowd, "I wrote this next song when I lived in a town called Falmouth one summer." It was Feel Us Shaking. It absolutely blew me away! He did know us (Cape Codders) and how we felt. The song was so inspirational to Seton and I when we would hit a snag while working on the book. So Seton and I would like to publicly thank Sean Kelly and The Samples for unknowingly helping us complete this project! Now if we ever could only get Sean with his guitar to the Cape for the Book Launch Party at The Beach House in May to celebrate with all of us..... We can dream. Can't we? Here are the lyrics and a more upbeat version of Feel Us Shaking.

Feel Us Shaking by The Samples

Gentle thoughts meander through the sand
as the ship made currents reach the land
the omniscient sun paving through the sky
and when it's done all the seabirds fly

I'd like to stay but I couldn't stay with you
I have to go, but I have a lot I want to do
pleasures be waiting by the sea
with a smile for all the world to see

diamond waves through sunglass days go by
so beautiful to be here and alive
though I've built sometimes so hard did I survive?
CAN YOU feel us shaking?

beneath the sea another world exists
it's tugging me by the ankles and my wrists
the morning wind come and pull me away
out to where the dolphins play

diamond waves through sunglass days go by
so beautiful to be here and alive
though I've built sometimes so hard did I survive?
CAN YOU feel us shaking?

pleasures be waiting by the sea
with a smile for all the world to see

Tags: music

Seton and I have received numerous emails from people asking why we haven't posted anything since Seton's post on October 21st. That's a great feeling knowing that there are so many friends out there supporting this journey! To answer that question, we left Seton's first post up before posting again because we wanted as many eyes to read that post - it hopefully answers the question of why he wanted to write this book, and also clear up any assumptions of what this book is really about. What was alluded to on his post, but I wanted to answer is why I wanted to write this book with him. At a young age, I have also had to experience losing friends and loved ones. I have a loving family, but as a young man I also didn't know how to deal with those deaths and didn't go to my family. Unfortunately, young people face tragedies all of the time and this tends to be standard behavior. We thought if we were able to tell our story and not sugar coat it, young people might pick up this book, read it, and feel they are not alone. When someone feels they are not alone then they can begin to deal with their situation. At least, that is what we like to believe. As for me, I also needed to get my old feelings of losing friends and relationships on paper to close the door of my past. This is a book of fiction, but I did put so much of myself into it. At times, it was extremely difficult to write because it was like I traveled in a time machine to 1994 and was relieving those painful experiences of losing friends or breaking up with who I thought was "the one". But by writing it all down, I realized it was worth it! The final reason that I wrote the book is simple - my brother is my best friend and this project meant so much to him. It meant a lot to me, but I never realized how much it did until we read the final chapter out loud to my Dad ( our in house editor, a novelist, and Professor Of Creative Writing for over 50 years), and with tears in his eyes said to us, "I'm so proud of my boys."

That says it all!

To back track a bit, when it was decided we'd write the book, Seton and I decided to symbolically give "shout outs" (if you will) to all of those friends and loved ones we have lost and also friends and loved ones who have been there for us over the years! When Cape Codders read the book they might be able to find those shout outs..... But I want to make something clear. This book isn't just about dealing with death 'cause right now I sound a little bit like Debbie Downer! This book is also about celebrating life! There is a lot of "guy" humor in TRW (and admitedly the humor might not be for everyone), but we hope we have found that right balance of humor and sadness that will make this book a realistic and a fun read for people on the beach, airports, or just lounging on their hammock when the book comes out in May 2010! So now that we have both addressed why we wrote this book, please check back often because the posts will be coming fast and furious from now on! Also, thank all of you who have told family, friends, co-workers, etc. about The Running Waves and our web site. Believe me, we don't enjoy having to constantly promote on Facebook or Twitter to check out the site, but since we don't have a big advertising budget it's a necessary action. Fortunately, we have some great people in our lives who are passing the word on, and with a little luck maybe next May we'll get the exposure we need to make The Running Waves a household name!

-Ted Murphy