Truthfully, just to read a book from cover to cover has always been a challenge. Since childhood, I have coped with a minor form of dyslexia, which with a little perseverance can be maneuvered around. However, it also can tax my brain to maintain focus under this condition for any extended period. With that being said, who knew I would EVER be writing and publishing a book? Not me!
Crazy enough, all that changed when I was left with my late husband’s autobiography. This was the very book—the story—that had brought us together in the first place. He wouldn’t even plan our first dinner date until I had read it cover to cover and knew who he was!
When that first date finally came, I understood the wisdom behind his request. We connected instantly. His humor, his witty and eccentric character, the beautiful man sitting across the table from me—it all drew me in.
Later, there were times when he would teasingly ask why I had fallen in love with a man so many years my senior. I would simply smile and reply, “They just don’t make them like they used to!”
Earle’s autobiography is an amazing “period piece” of American history on all levels. He wrote it himself, in his own voice, which I can hear resonating throughout the book. Earle self-published through an internet company in the late 1990’s. This was before Amazon made publishing and distribution so simple. Most of Earle’s readership has been within the music industry. He was an icon— loved and well-known. Though his music is known throughout the world, not many know the man himself. When Earle left this world, I felt compelled to change that. Such a beautiful man and legacy needed to be recognized and celebrated. I knew only one way to make that happen.
Along with my amazing writing team, I began shaping an idea—one that might breathe new life into Earle’s story. A way to captivate the romantic reader who might otherwise remain unaware that such a delightful book even existed. By weaving in a feminine verve, I could gently cradle Earle’s book within the warm cocoon of the love story we created together.
And so I began writing small vignettes of my life with the man who completely captivated me—the man who charmed his way into my world and loved me with a tenderness I had never known before. There were so many more stories I could have told. Those will be left to share at another time.