"Even though I was not actually guilty, I know many of you think that I got
what I deserved. You probably think people like me get by on their looks and
coast through life without breaking a sweat. Well, in my case, coast through
someone else’s life. I know for a fact, from the “fan mail” I get here, that
there are lots of you out there who think I’m just a crazy man spinning a
conspiracy theory. I’m used to that kind of judgment; it doesn’t bother me. I
don’t need to defend myself from that. I will tell you all right now, I am not,
nor have I ever been, a religious man, but I will confess my sins today. I am
guilty of many, many sins.
But none of those sins is murder. That one belongs to my lookalike buddy,
Brad Pitt."
I AM NOT BRAD PITT is the first of three riotously absurd tales in Ross Dreiblatt’s debut short-story collection sending up America’s sometimes-fatal celebrity obsessions.
“I Am Not Brad Pitt” opens in a prison cell in which Mr. Pitt’s clone-like doppelganger, Tobey Crawford, remorsefully recounts the sequence of unlikely events that resulted in his wrongful conviction for murder.
The second story, “Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself,” considers the possibility that Keith Richards (along with, for good measure, Dolly Parton) is, indeed, a vampire. Nobel-Prize laureate Bob Dylan, the story’s vampire-killer, is equipped with more than just a harmonica and tambourine.
The final work in the collection, “Keeping Compliant With The Kardashians,” examines whether Kardashian family members are, in fact, aliens from another galaxy and what precisely is their interest on Earth.
Each of the stories are told with engaging humor, and each pokes fun more at American culture than they do, generally, of the celebrities themselves.
“Ross's stories stay with you long after you've read them. The main characters have a relatable humanity that pull the reader in as they face an array of absurd situations. Every story is a guaranteed good time.” – Pat Griffith, author of THE DPA TRILOGY
Book Information
Release Date: November 14, 2021
Publisher: Stone Tiger Books
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1735667683; 391 pages; $11.00; E-Book, $2.99; Kindle Unlimited, FREE
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59610948-i-am-not-brad-pitt-and-other-stories
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mBsxgF
You can also purchase book at the author’s website at www.RossDreiblatt.com.
Welcome, Ross! Your book, I Am Not Brad Pitt and Other Stories sounds absolutely exciting. Can you tell us the story behind that intriguing title?
Ross: It began many years ago when I read John Rechy’s wonderful novel “Marilyn’s Daughter.” In the novel Rechy uses the actual timeline of President Kennedy’s and Marilyn Monroe’s relationship to create a plausible scenario where she could have secretly given birth to a daughter. This alleged daughters existence becomes the stuff of legendary conspiracy theories. However, in the book the daughter is a real flesh and blood person and she’s not been told who her parents are. The story follows her as she tries to reconcile her life.
I realized then that I could use actual people and events to weave a story of my own in as long as the timeline works out. It helps to have a distorted perspective and a feverish imagination as well.
Can you explain to us why it was important for you to write your book?
Ross: Some of the other books that really inspired me to write were “The World According to Garp,” “The Mysteries of Pittsburg” and “100 Years of Solitude.” In each of these books, the author creates a unique world that’s filled with chaos just beneath the service and manages to make order out of it all. I was amazed that anyone could use the power of words to make me experience new perspectives and make me smile. All of this from imaginary characters. This was what I set out to do.
Ross: I have traveled everywhere! Like writing, it’s a passion that sometimes I cannot explain. I love big crazy cities that make me work to figure stuff out. Some of my favorites: Phnom Penh, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Taiwan, Paris, Budapest and any city in Spain!
I haven’t written about these places, BUT I have written in these places. When I travel and I will always take some time to find a café wherever I’m visiting and work on my manuscript.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Ross: Plugging away on a book for sure. I’m not sure what I will be writing, but the growth process from each project always puts me in entirely different place than when I began it.
1. Never give up.
2. Do not be defeated.
3. Always keep writing, even if it’s just one sentence.
4. Never ever give up!
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