After I wrote about noteworthy musical performances at Bethlehem’s MusicFest over 10 years ago, I explored the Lehigh Valley enough to attend a dynamite performance headlined by top-notch blues star Bev Conklin and her BC Blues Crew. The musicianship I witnessed there set my feet on fire, and I fell into a fitful groove.
On Jan. 20th of this year, the groove I experienced sprouted spectacular dividends.
Ms. Conklin heard about my book, How I Became a Lesbian (and other stories), remembered seeing me at her concert back then and sent me a text message. At the time, I was making final corrections on the Audible here in Grand Junction, Colorado, and she recalled similar relentless butterflies when releasing her first CD recording.
What was my motivation about writing such a memoir/love story? It’s simple. When I wrote for the Bucks County Herald, editor Bridget Wingert forbade me to write about my own boyhood sexual abuse at the American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ. Bridget claimed that the school was notorious for suing publications revealing its sordid history. However, in 1956 I was the first boy to come forward, afterward taking part in its Alumni Choir where I witnessed its eventual demise 60 years later. Therefore, I felt entitled to reveal what I witnessed. After all, I am a journalist, obligated to reveal the truth.
Bev Conklin and I hit it off spectacularly, and once Amazon released my Audible, she purchased the very first copy. I confess that my extensive recording session with a relentless talented audio engineer allowed me to browbeat her into listening to all 9 hours and 20 minutes within a week, whereupon she rewarded me with Audible’s mandatorily limited 15-word review. The full unabridged review appears below:
“Best to use Audible. Amazon’s printout has technical issues, however, I purchased it for my own library and to go back to re-review. It takes extreme openness and honesty to absorb Mason’s journey, starting with his childhood.
“Damn society and entitlement for many of its dysfunctions that lured many of us into not trusting our instincts during our youth and early to mid-adulthood. That’s what intrigues me about your book… with the many traps you freely walked right into. As a senior reader, we see it coming.
“The cliche of if we knew then what we know now, it’s the journey that reveals who we truly are at the core. Well done and thank you for sharing.”
What more could I ask for, besides being extremely grateful? Until the blurry-printed book is republished, I offer the opportunity to HEAR the unexpurgated Audible of How I Became a Lesbian (and other stories). And guess what? I am its narrator.
Here’s a few hints to help you through the technical aspects of ordering an Audible. First of all, do you need to subscribe to Audible to purchase a copy? Nope.
What equipment is necessary to download an Audible? Any cellphone, desktop or notebook device.
Once downloaded, how do you listen to it? On a cellphone, Audible appears as a separate application with all sorts of different controls. And if that’s still over your head, call Audible at 888-283-5051, and they will walk you through the process.
Bev Conklin is a Creole artist with a master’s degree from Penn State University, and if you are the slightest bit curious how talented she is, take a listen to her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” on YouTube, and you will hear why my groove won’t go away. Her voice and band are sensational!
Ms. Conklin has discovered that I chose not to be silenced, and I promise there’s plenty of goodies within my memoir/love story to keep listeners (and readers) well entertained. There had to be something to fill 432 pages. And if you are similarly enthralled, leave another review on Audible and tell a friend!
