Cover designed by Nathan Rumsey
What’s the overlap between fame and immortality? Is rock really dead? Are cats hiding something from us? These are a few of the questions that inspired my first novel, Gerald Barkley Rocks.
Let’s start with our protagonist. Gerald Barkley is a soon-to-be retired homicide detective who’s forgotten by most people as soon as they meet him. He’s also been diagnosed with a rare blood disease. When he wonders if anyone will notice when he’s gone, Barkley always comes to the same conclusion: Seems unlikely.
We contrast his life with that of Julian Strange, lead singer and principal songwriter of seminal rock band Black Cat Waltz. Strange is dead, and it’s up to Barkley to figure out why. The question is, how did Strange die? And what does it all have to do with Barkley himself?
Gerald Barkley Rocks is one part detective story, one part rock-and-roll elegy, and one part supernatural comedy. Buy your copy for Amazon Kindle today!
So that’s what the book is about. Why should you read it?
For one, this book will appeal to anyone who likes rock-and-roll culture. I grew up not only listening to The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors, but also reading the stories about them. In fact, I’d say the stories behind these groups are just as interesting as the music they made. They served as key inspirations for this novel.
You’ll see shades of Jim Morrison in Julian Strange, plus hints of Keith Moon, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Meatloaf, Ozzy Osbourne, Robert Plant, Warren Zevon, and maybe a few other guys. Heck, I even drew inspiration from This is Spinal Tap, which remains the greatest satire of rock-and-roll ever.
One thing I’m hoping I did not do is glorify the subculture. I love classic rock music and probably always will. But if you read enough about the people who made it, you’ll find that they were by and large not very nice folks. Many musicians of that era cheated on their spouses and regularly caused untold amounts of property damage. And the casual misogyny of the music is quite obvious.
Nonetheless, their stories are good inspirations for fiction. I tried to strike a balance between celebrating the music and questioning the behavior of those who made it when appropriate. Hopefully I succeeded.
You might also enjoy Gerald Barkley Rocks if you’re a fan of detective stories. I’ll admit, my knowledge of the subgenre is more localized to film; Chinatown, Hollywoodland, and The Ghost Writer are a few that particularly influenced this novel.
Lastly, my main goal with this book is to touch on the topic of death (but not in a super morbid way). Generalizations are dangerous, but I think it’s safe to say that most people fear death. I know I do. Humans have been speculating about what follows it for forever, and though there are many guesses, nobody can know for sure.
In Gerald Barkley Rocks, I’m not trying to answer that question. Rather, I wanted to tell a story about a character who’s not sure what comes after death, either. Which, in turn, might tell us something about life.
I think Gerald Barkley Rocks is a good book (though I admit I’m a little biased). I hope you feel the same way!
Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction. His debut novel, Gerald Barkley Rocks, is available now on Amazon Kindle.