Monday, December 08, 2014

My version of Cyber Monday: My book is now on sale for $.99

That's right.  For just a few days only, the Kindle version of my book THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s) will be sale for only $.99.  That's an 81% discount.  

It's the perfect gift for the holidays, especially for baby boomers (so in other words -- your parents, co-workers, aging hippies, or you).   The book chronicles my attempting to grow up in Southern California during the most turbulent and drugged-out decade of the century.  It's all here -- the California Myth, the Sunset Strip, psychedelia, the space race, the Summer of Love, student unrest, sitting home while others had sex.  

Here's where you go to order.   

Seriously, this sale is only for a few days.  So take advantage.  Enjoy a fun ride and support this blog for only $.99.

Here's an excerpt: 

I turned 16 on Valentine’s Day. This is a bigger milestone for girls. Guys do not have Sweet Sixteen parties. They just get their driver’s license.

Unless they have no depth perception, took the exam in a Chevy Impala the size of an aircraft carrier, and failed the test miserably. Happy birthday to me.

The worst part was that I had to wait several weeks to re-take the exam. So everybody knew I failed. To save face – because how humiliating to say you couldn’t parallel park – I just said I hit a guy.

After much practice, re-taking the test in my mom’s Mercury Comet (a car that could fit in the Impala’s glove compartment), I finally passed and got that elusive passport to freedom.

Which meant I finally went out on a real first date. I was still way too intimidated to ask Bev Fine so I asked Marcy Loudon. I wanted to get a few rejections under my belt first so I could better withstand Bev’s ultimate lethal blow. Amazingly, Marcy said yes and that Saturday night I took her to the Corbin Theater on Ventura Blvd. to see one of the great date movies of all-time, To Kill A Mockingbird.

The plan was to put my arm around her about halfway into the film. It was tough though finding just that right moment in the rape trial. I think I got up the courage and draped my arm around her just as Tom is shot to death while trying to escape from jail.

For a nightcap I took Marcy to Farrell’s Ice Cream parlor where we discussed the differences between the movie and the book, and I had her home by midnight. A quick peck on the cheek and that was it.

All girls had curfews back then. Midnight was standard. The penalty for violation was usually grounding. Grounding was actually an effective deterrent in 1966 – at least for the girls I dated. I’m sure my classmate who slept with own her brother didn’t give a shit if she couldn’t go to the Spring Sing. But the girls I dated always insisted on being home by twelve. And I choose to believe it was because of that severe penalty. Please allow me that little fantasy.


15 comments :

Carol said...

I read the book, and it was really good. I recommend it highly! I'm saying this because I want Ken to sell enough so he feels he can write a sequel. I am dying to know about what he got up to in the 70's.

BTW, Ken - I just read Dick Van Dyke's memoir. I thought of you a lot, because he seems to have the same idea about how shows should be written that you do. I'd recommend reading that, too, if you haven't already done so.

Casey said...

Hi Ken, long time reader and first time commenter. There were times in the past I might have wanted to leave a comment but there was no audio version of the captcha to switch to which is kind of important for someone like myself who is visually impaired.

Just wanted to let you know that:
A. I bought your book on sale today and
b. I even purchased the audiobook to go along with it.

For the record, I am only 33. My brother did tell me once that he thought I was born 30 years too late, however. I was watching Rocky and Bullwinkle at the time he said this.

Jason Roberts said...

Way to ruin a movie for me Ken. Couldn't you give us a *SPOILER ALERT* warning about "To Kill A Mockingbird"! Now I probably won't go see it.

PS: I bought the book for my father, he really enjoyed it.

Scooter Schechtman said...

Oh the luxury of taking Drivers Ed in an era when schools budgeted for Drivers Ed, in a car made of actual metal. LOOK AT THAT CAR. Now go check your Facebook status, sprigs.

Dave S. said...

FYI, Ken, it's still showing as "full" price (which is 66% off list, mind you, but even so).

Rebecca said...

Once again, it's not on sale in Canada. :(

Mike Barer said...

I recommend it.

Tim W. said...

I'm sorry, did you write you had a classmate who slept with her brother? And it's not something you decided to expand on?

Norm said...

Can I return the $9.99 version and get this one for $.99.

Can't someone buy the $.99 version for Rebecca and email it to her in Canada?

Eric J said...

Can't sympathize with you on your Impala driver's test. I took mine in a full-size, stick shift, Ford in New England two days after a 12" snow storm. But the brother-sister sex...hey, tell me about it...

Scooter Schechtman said...

For Tim W and Eric J: there's a certain amount of Brady Bunch fan fiction out there if you want to hunt for it.

Julie G. said...

Hi, Ken...love that you're offering your book for 99 cents. I already have it (great read!), but you might want to consider offering it through Amazon's Buck Books. Every day they offer several of their e-books for a buck, and they have a distribution list of people that receive an email each day with the daily Buck Books list. You might find some new readers if you offer your book through that channel. Just a thought!

Anonymous said...

Ah, the '65 Impala. What a car.

Mickey said...

Scooter, you have no idea how disturbing it is that you know that.

Mark said...

Thanks for the heads-up... just purchased it. Hope it's not all stuff I already read for free in your blog!