MADDOG was initially written in 1967 on a manual typewriter (remember those relics?) while I served in the military in Viet-Nam. I spent many hours at my battle station, which was a cramped two-man control room of a missile system. The small portable ROYAL typewriter fit snugly on my lap. There were long periods of boredom interspersed with moments of action. During these long periods (nine months of it), MADDOG was born and completed.
Once discharged, I sent the manuscript to two N.Y.C. book publishers, and received rejections. The manuscript was put on the shelf, where it sat until 1980. That year, I again found myself in a situation where I had long periods of boredom interspersed with moments of action. In addition, this time I had access to a modern IBM Selectra 3 electric typewriter with an “auto erase” feature (no more liquid whiteout). MADDOG was reborn, re-edited, and completed again.
I sent the updated manuscript to another publisher, and a literary agent, and received two more rejections. Damn! Well, back on the shelf.
In 2012, I’m playing poker with friends, and one of them showed me the poker book he recently had published. I bent his ear for an hour or two, and my writing juices were flowing again.
The third rewrite of MADDOG was done on a computer (thank you spell-check, Word, etc.). It’s been 45 years since I first wrote it!
I had not readily realized many of the changes in society and life that had occurred between 1967 and 2012 until my latest rewrite of MADDOG. Here are a few:
No cell phones;
Public phone booths and the $.10 charges to make call;
8 well drinks at a bar for $10 (tip included);
Two full 3 course meals & drinks for under &20 (tip Included);
A cab ride for a buck;
Tickets at a Madison Square Garden championship fight $8.
A Pontiac GTO;
Bottles of ink for pens;
Ambulance attendants in white coats instead of rescue trucks manned by EMT’s.
Opening a car door with a key.
A nickel parking meter.
Cars with roll down windows, and cigarette lighters.
“Superman” TV series.
Using a “Church Key” to open a can of beer.
When I was initially writing MADDOG in 1967, I tried to
Envision an actor whom I would have cast to play him. Robert Mitchum led the field. However, in 2012, nobody under 65 knows who he was. The more recent nominees would be a younger Nick Nolte, or Mickey Rourke.
Anyone who had read a Mickey Spillane novel would easily see that he was a major influence in my writing. Thanks for many enjoyable hours Mickey!
Thanks for Reading
Tom
Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it and finally getting it published after 40 years.
And special thanks to Amazon for liberating all of us from the tyranny of the traditional publishers
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