Welcome Arthur Wooten to the blog today. As part of the My Favorite Book blog series he’s here explaining which of his own titles is his favorite, and with seven highly acclaimed books under his belt, it was not an easy choice. Arthur, over to you.
Arthur: I love all of my titles. Truly. But On Picking Fruit is my firstborn. And although it’s a work of fiction, many of the gay dates from hell are drawn from my own life. And I’m proud to say that I was a pioneer to indie publish it back in 2005.
A few months later Alyson Books found it in a “dump” pile at The Advocate, read it and then offered me a three-book deal and republished OPF exactly word-for-word in 2006.
On Picking Fruit was also my first book to entice Hollywood to come knocking at my door. In 2007 the book was optioned as a television series with Ramon Estevez behind the project and his brother, Charlie Sheen, (eek) was behind him. They had a development deal with Warner Brothers and OPF was pick of the litter. Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) the powers that be at the WB felt the work was “too edgy” and the project was dropped.
Then in 2008 Showtime discovered the book and I flew out to Los Angeles to talk to them. The head of development was crazy about the idea of it being a series but the big bosses at the network made the final decision that the material “wasn’t edgy enough”. What’s a writer to do?
I’m actually quite surprised at its longevity and strength for once again On Picking Fruit its being considered as both a television series and an indie film. Maybe three times is its lucky number?
And after all these years and seven titles later, On Picking Fruit is still my bestseller. So I have to confess, it is my favorite.
B: Tell us about your new book Dizzy: A Fictional Memoir
Arthur: This is MY story. And it’s called fictional because I tell my medical and emotional journey through the voice of a beloved Broadway star. I chose not to make a memoir because my life is too dull. Giving it to Angie Styles made the stakes higher and the result of her diagnosis even more shocking. She’s an actress, singer, dancer and has to completely reinvent herself when she contracts this disease.
B: You can connect with Arthur on his website, Facebook & Twitter; and you can find all of his titles on Amazon.