About this project
Playing bocce and drinking beer in late August 2791, Kimo Levernson invites buddy Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney to join him for a weekend trip to Nantes 1847. Along the way, their time machine runs out of yogurt, causing them to stall out on Interyear-5. Kimo and Dick stumble around, find a bar, and drink themselves sick. Soon Dick wakes from his stupor to find that Kimo and the time machine are missing and he is in the Nixon administration 1969.
Recalling his father’s lectures on the terrible no good Gore presidency—the source of all suffering in the world after national treasure Paris Hilton was vaporized in a freak time travel accident—Cheney realizes he has an opportunity to change history. If he can ensure Gore loses the 2000 race, he can guarantee that 800 years later, he will never have to endure dad’s boring lectures. Even better, maybe he could finally make his old man proud.
Excited that he has finally found his life's calling, Cheney dedicates the next thirty-one years to the task. Will the assistance of alien pinochle player Donald Rumsfeld be enough? Or will he have to enlist both foul-mouthed mob boss Ralph Nader and the secretly Republican robot Joseph Lieberman? And what does the Iran-Contra scandal have to do with any of this?
In a nutshell... Dick Cheney Saves Paris is a meta-novel type thing that will be released by Love Earth Publications on August 30, the day bookstores the world over welcome Dick Cheney's 544-page In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir.
Some background... I am concerned about the world we live in--the environment, the state of politics, social justice--and many of these concerns find their way into my writing. Midway through Bush II, I was trying to understand why Dick Cheney had done many of the things he's done (such as voting against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela). To me, many of his actions only made sense if he was perhaps from another world and just got stuck here. Soon I had completed the first draft of Dick Cheney Saves Paris, a novel re-imagining the life of our 46th VP.
My hope was to get it out in the world before Cheney left office, but life happened. I still sent it around, and a few publishers liked the idea but felt it wasn't timely. I set the book aside and moved on to other things. Fast-forward to this past January when I learned that Dick Cheney will be releasing his own novel, er...I mean autobiography. If I could revise my book and release it the same day as his, then perhaps the world will better understand that his story is but one version of the events, that even books labeled as "autobiography" are fictions. Naturally Cheney's version of his story will gloss over the more egregious of his many accomplishments. And anyway, that may be the one day that this book can be considered "timely."
How we plan to do it... With your help, of course! Love Earth Publications is a brand new press. As such, the budget for this project is not so great. So I'm hoping to raise some funds to help defray their costs for various aspects, such as donor rewards and swag, the cost of a novel/CD release party, and more. See the FAQ below for where it will go.
But beyond that, your donations will prove that there is a small but devoted market for books like this one. Perhaps it will convince other presses to take more chances. Or, heck, maybe it will just help me avoid getting a real job for another week or two.
In conclusion... If you want to support independent writing and if you believe maybe there really is a market for slapstick sci-fi metafictional political satire about Dick Cheney, then please contribute and/or pass this on to your friends. After all, if the goal is not met, Dick Cheney Saves Paris may never reach a wide audience. And then few people will ever know if Cheney is able to return to the year 2791. Or what the Iran-Contra scandal has to do with it.
FAQ
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Love Earth is a tiny and new press without much in the way of funding. Your contributions will help cover costs such as a limited print run of perhaps 100-200 books and 100 CD soundtracks; professional conversion to eBook formats; an ISBN number; postage and printing for copies to be sent to various media outlets (such as newspapers, journals, and blogs) for possible review, as well as for author giveaways through websites such as LibraryThing and GoodReads to increase awareness and hopefully receive reviews; producing swag (stickers, books, CDs, etc.) for both donor rewards (don't forget postage) and giveaways at a novel/CD release party.
This is more for the love--I don't think we'll be making money on the whole thing. In fact, because the money will go for the above-named goods, that means the 500 or so hours spent writing, rewriting, editing, designing, trailer-making, marketing, etc., will all remain uncompensated.
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Love Earth Publications is the new sister press to Love Earth Music (LEM). LEM is an independent music label founded by Steve Davis of legendary indy bands Expando Brain and +DOG+. Steve felt there was a need for more publishers willing to take on political, underground, experimental, and other types of literary madness and mayhem (all of which Steve lovingly refers to as "Stuff to Read and/or Burn").
"Dick Cheney Saves Paris" is the first book from Love Earth Publications, but you can expect more soon from such as artists as GX Jupitter-Larsen of the Haters and Gitane Demone of Christian Death.
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Not exactly. My hope is that Cheney is not viewed as a one-sided cartoon of a bad guy in the novel. If anything, I believe he is portrayed somewhat favorably--he does the things he does, sometimes reluctantly, because he is simply trying to get home to a future where his father doesn't harass him. Of course, I'd by lying (by omission) if I didn't mention my hope for readers to wonder why it is he has done some of the things he has done (like voting against the clean water act). But I wouldn't say that's an explicit part of the story.
This may sound odd, that it's not so much anti-Cheney on the page level, but perhaps is anti-Cheney in concept, in that I seek for the book to draw attention to his actual actions by attributing an absurd and/or humorous rationale to them. Put another way, my hope is that on one hand, you simply enjoy the weird alternative universe reasons for his actions (in the book), but on another hand, I hope that sometime later you think "Huh...why DID he do those things?"
Also, a pretty large part of the focus is on the time travel thing--it's not all Cheney and not all politics. So you may be disappointed if you are looking for Cheney to be the villain in this book.
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Initially, the book was all a work of fiction. But when I learned Cheney's memoir would have the subtitle "A Personal & Political Memoir," I thought it would be fun to add a similar subtitle to this work, but then I needed it to be more "personal." I had been developing a bonus section for the novel's end (The Making of "Dick Cheney Saves Paris"), so I decided to pepper parts of the "Making of" throughout, instead of just tacking it on at the end. Hence, throughout the book itself, I periodically talk about the making of the book. I also added more sections/comments about my own political history (dating to 6th grade). The end result is personal, political, meta, and very much not your everyday novel.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 2, 2011.
Pledge $1 or more Pledge $1 or more
UPDATED. Everyone who contributes will receive acknowledgment forever in the book itself (including ebook versions!). Bear in mind CIA types may read the book, so there's a chance you may be added to various "lists" (such as the No-Fly list) so you may wish to give the name of an annoying neighbor, enemy, or spouse instead. ALSO... All $1 backers will also receive one chance at a book AND one chance at an ebook. For every three $1 donors, I will give away an ebook and for every fifteen $1 donors, I will give away a print copy. Translation: if you donate a mere $1, you have a 1 in 3 shot at an ebook and a 1 in 15 shot at a print copy!
Pledge $3 or more Pledge $3 or more
NEW LEVEL! The "SMODCAST" Reward. ($2.99 is the price the ebook will be offered at come August 30 when the book is published, so you can consider it a pre-order) - In honor of mention right this very minute on smodcast.com (as I'm writing this, probably not as you are reading this), you will receive a .pdf or ebook version (your choice) of the novel. Plus, you will be acknowledged forever in the novel. And sure, this kinda makes the $5 level moot, but life's not fair.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
The "THANKS FROM THE HEART" Package (Dick Cheney has had 5 heart attacks, as of Feb 2011) - You will receive a pdf or ebook version of the novel and acknowledgment forever in the book.
Pledge $21 or more Pledge $21 or more
The "PARTY LIKE IT'S 1962" Package (Dick Cheney was 21 when he got his first DUI in 1962) - You will receive a physical copy of the novel, signed if you like, plus a pdf or ebook if you want that too; a free download of the Love Earth Music novel soundtrack "music from & inspired by the novel DICK CHENEY SAVES PARIS"; plus acknowledgment forever in the book.
Pledge $46 or more Pledge $46 or more
The "VICE PRESIDENTIAL PACKAGE" Package (Dick Cheney was the 46th vice president) - You will receive two signed copies of the novel, dedicated to your person of choice (and pdf or ebook version if you want that too); a physical copy of the novel soundtrack (and download if you want that too); plus acknowledgment in the book.
Pledge $135 or more Pledge $135 or more
The "PRESIDENTIAL" Package (Dick Cheney was *officially* president for 135 minutes while George Bush had a colonoscopy) - You will receive four copies (signed if you like) and two CDs (as above); digital versions; and acknowledgment in the book itself (italicized, even!). Heck, I'll even throw in a copy of my "Little Veal Cutlet That Couldn't" children's book.
Pledge $666 or more Pledge $666 or more
The "BEAST OF A PACKAGE" Package (666 is recognized in the New Testament as the number of the beast or devil) - You will receive everything in the "Presidential" Package, plus a copy of Cheney's memoir (due out the same day) and 20 copies of the novel, so you can have your own "Dick Cheney Saves Paris" book club discussion. Furthermore, the author will appear at your book club or other event (if it doesn't cost him too much to get there; if it does, we can always try Skype) to discuss the book and answer your questions. Or just chat about things or maybe cook something.
Project By
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In addition to being an Aquarius and an ENTP, Ryan Forsythe is a writer, artist, editor, teacher, dad, and ex-hostel employee. Originally from Cleveland, he now lives in Southern Cal. Ryan received a Master of Arts in Teaching Writing from Humboldt State and is presently a student in San Diego State's MFA program in Creative Writing. He believes he is the only Pushcart Prize nominee in history to have won NFG magazine's "Great 69-er Award" (for best original 69-word story). His children's book (for adults), "The Little Veal Cutlet That Couldn't," is now available in some places where fine books are sold.
