sheds light on the independent artists of a shipwrecked generation coming of age in perilous economic conditions. A sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll tale too impoverished for any sex, drugs, or rock ’n’ roll.
“…a San Francisco Bay shadow world of drummers and scroungers…characters trying to sustain their dreams and themselves under our ‘new normal’ of extreme income inequality, contract work, and a winner-take-all music industry.” – Alex Kudera
Available for purchase at Casperian Books and through IndieBound, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
Read the Press Kit, add the title to your Goodreads shelf, and enjoy the blog tour.
2016 Blog Tour
Research Notes – column over at Necessary Fiction
“I presented the imagery of a lifestyle that a casual reader would commend for being artistic and Bohemian, but also pity. Here was a band of college grads from the “Peter Pan Generation” working as janitors and fry cooks, scarfing Ramen and condiments, drinking coffee made with reused grinds, and taking urgent medical care into their own hands.”
Bay Area Blues – Interview over at JMWW Journal
“I struggled (and still do) to stay sober long enough to be productive. On the flip side, it’s hard to be productive when I’m sober.”
If My Book… – column over at MonkeyBicycle
“If Single Stroke Seven were a cocktail, it would be a Bloody Mary made of one part Worcestershire sauce, the other part gas station vodka, and ketchup and hot sauce packets swiped from fast food joints. Chill with ice crystals chiseled off freezer walls, garnish with a dry cutting from the weed jungle in your backyard, and serve in a red plastic party cup.”
Hot-Water Cereal and Day-Old Scones: A Single Stroke Seven Menu – feature over at Real Pants
“Gas station mart generic whiskey that smells sketchier than bathtub moonshine. Don’t worry about liver damage or going blind because you won’t be drinking it. You’ll need every drop to disinfect cuts and wounds since you and thousands of others in your community lack access to affordable health care.”
Q&A, Playlist, and Comic Panels – interview and graphic slides over at Entropy
“Ultimately, I wanted to tell a tale about how different the world is when you’re no longer eighteen but a late twenty-something still living in a shack, eating raw ramen, bandaging wounds with electrical tape to avoid fatty hospital bills. The world looks at you differently. You look at yourself differently.”
A Conversation with Curtis Smith – at Change Seven
“This concept of failing at one’s art because of external forces (or one’s own idiot behavior) inspired me to draft up a full-fledged novel…”
Inductor: an Interview with Lori Hettler – at The Alternating Current Press
“The small press world and indie lit scene are laden with a wealth of content, a rainbow of perspectives, and people working really hard to highlight great work. I’m honored to have been as involved as I’ve been over the years, and I hope to continue contributing for as long as I am capable.”
A Writer You Should Know – at Broke-Ass Stuart
“…to highlight social issues such as unemployment, the skyrocketing cost of living in the Bay Area, and unaffordable health care. What began as a slapstick tale about a San Francisco rock band morphed into a deeper social commentary, and I’m very proud of this.”
Meet the Writer – at Grab the Lapels
“What many don’t know is that these two books loosely represent who I was (alt.punk) and the person I’ve become (Single Stroke Seven). Today, I live a more realistic lifestyle by trying to maintain a balance between the pursuit of art and the pursuit of life.”
Punk Rock Precision: An Interview with Dave K. – at The LitPub
“Neither protagonists in these books are exceptional citizens or model examples of emotional intelligence, but both are independent, bold, and resilient women who play the hands they were dealt with the best of their abilities, always seeking to contribute positively to society and culture versus any decay.”
Indie Book Buzz – Casperian Books feature over at The Next Best Book Blog
“…while on the surface [Single Stroke Seven] is an entertaining sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll yarn, at its heart is does have points to make about class and economic inequality…”
Generate Buzz for your Band! (or novel, start-up, app, whatever) – editorial over at Broke-Ass Stuart
“…be authentic, kind, and operate with integrity. Until you’re as big as Van Halen, no brown M&M tantrums. Don’t insult the audience, spit at the front row, or hurl beer bottles or equipment across the venue (especially if you’re too broke to buy new stuff or deal with a lawsuit).“
Page 69 Test – Does it Hold Up? – feature over at The Next Best Book Blog
“I wrote [Lilith] as someone who is certain of who she is, what she wants, and doesn’t only run with the boys, but runs smarter and faster. Ultimately, [she] is, as I am proud to have written her in Single Stroke Seven, unapologetically herself.”
Origins– Publisher Lily Richards talks to Real Pants
“I went back and looked at the very first draft of Single Stroke Seven Lavinia sent me, way back in 2011, and while it didn’t get rewritten into a Kafka-sque story about a banjo-playing misunderstood American in 1920s Paris who turns into a starfish, I did end up getting a completely different book from the one I originally signed. But I think I like this new one better.”
Reviews
@Dead End Follies – by Benoit Lelievre
“…a witty and idealistic manifesto of millennial culture that is refreshingly not cynical or judgmental in any way…a quirky and charming novel…”
@Necessary Fiction – by Alex Kudera
“A lot of us writing in the gritty-realism genre have our eyes open to how most Americans are living, but we don’t have Ludlow’s ear for variety in dialogue. Ludlow’s rich froth includes slang, raw truth, pop culture, and other regressions.”
@Shelf Unbound and @Small Press Reviews – by Marc Schuster
“The title refers to a basic drum pattern, but it’s also a metaphor for everything Lilith wants from life…Single Stroke Seven is all about searching for meaning in a soul-sucking world…”
@This Blog Will Change Your Life and Honorable Mention – by Ben Tanzer
“What you need to know about Single Stroke Seven and Ludlow’s cast of characters…is that they try to make music, they fight with themselves and other bands, they feel longing and loss, they live like my old friend, and they live like they live because they want to make music and nothing else. Not even eating, or sex, or a decent place to live matters as much as that.”
@Grab the Lapels – by Melanie Page
“Lilith’s a hard to define person; she and her band live like the guys of Jackass fame. You wouldn’t know she’s a woman unless you’re told, which is a quality I like; she’s unique because she doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes.”
@Small Press Book Review – by Ken Wohlrob
“…a funny read that moves quickly, but reveals its layers the deeper you go into the story.”
@Medium – by Leland Cheuk
“Sharp, laugh-out-loud one-liners that would make a standup comedian proud are one of Single Stroke Seven’s strengths.”
Excerpts
Lost Boy – at Atticus Review
“During today’s lecture on retention and customer service, I empty self-control reserves I didn’t know I had to prevent myself from confessing how I’m only here every weekend to profit from the shards of my shattered dreams.”
Emotional Gentrification – at Broke-Ass Stuart
“Regardless of collar, each side seems to believe that beating the shit out of each other is validating, which makes for cheap and engaging entertainment.”
Dick Be Gone – at Burrow Press
“At the end of August, I’ll turn twenty-eight and officially age-out of eligibility into the 27 Club–a distinguished group of legendary musicians like Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, and Cobain who all went down in a self-destructive tailspin of sex, drugs, and booze at the age of twenty-seven.”
Elephant Man – at Nailed Magazine
“…when that apocalyptic day in August tosses dirt over my coffin, the only thing I’ll remember is how even fucking Elephant Man had made a name for himself when he went down at twenty-seven.”
Bits, Baubles, and Shout Outs
Book Covers and Comics – from Nathan Holic
Sybil Baker’s Summer Reading – from Sybil Baker at Drunken Boat
Coming Soon and Upcoming Releases and Instagram and 2016 Round Up – from Ben Tanzer
The First Copy is Born and You Too Can Have an Autograph – from Alex Kudera
In the Wild with Dave K., Steve Karas, Leland Cheuk, and Seattle Review of Books
Check Out the Title at Stanford Libraries
Fiction in the Classroom – from Gint Aras
#20booksofsummer – at Grab the Lapels
Recommended Reading – at Largehearted Boy
50 Books by 50 San Jose Authors – Leslie Patron
Lavinia Ludlow 