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Introducing the Author Graham Guy
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GRAHAM GUY is 52 years
of age. The last 30 of them he's spent as a journalist, picking up numerous awards along
the way as he ran the gamut of televison and radio news. For many years he worked 'on the
road' as a reporter, & for many more years, he worked behind the scenes as either a
news director, producers of news/talk/current affair shows or talk show presenter.
Currently he runs his own over night news/talk current affairs program on Adelaide's 5aa. Adelaide being the
capital city of South Australia. For many years he wrote song lyrics. His constant
search for a composer led him to sell up everything. resign his job and head to the United
States and the U.K in 1977. With a book of contacts gained from his
journalistic encounters he followed up on many of the "if you come to the States,
look me up and I'll help you, promises. With the exception of one mainstream
Hollywood star, all leads had 'feet of clay'. But the Hollywood Celeb said to him,
"If you could write a book as good as your song lyrics, I could help you more. Why
don't you write me a script?". |
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| Continuing his door-knocking in
London where he succeeded in having a lyric put to music and released as a single by RCA,
Graham conceived the idea for a novel. Foregoing a planned trip to Europe, he
returned to his home city of Adelaide and proceeded to write his
story for the Hollywood Celebrity. He worked by day as television news reporter and
by night as a writer. |
| In 6 months, the script, which
he called ELEVEN DAYS was completed. He sent it off to Hollywood. Hearing no reply
after several weeks, he called the star's home. His wife picked up the phone.
"Hi Graham, I've just finished reading ELEVEN DAYS. It's the best thing I've
ever read in my life. My husband is away till Monday. When he gets home Monday, I'm gonna
get up his nose over it". |
| That was 22 years ago. Still no
word. |
| Two years after orginally completing ELEVEN
DAYS, Graham then submitted to publishers internationally. All rejected it. He
personally door knocked Kirk Douglas when he visited Sydney and said to him, "When I
interviewed you yesterday, you said happiness was a good script. Here's some
happiness" he told him, handing him ELEVEN DAYS. Eventually it was returned to
him with the usual 'no thanks' romeoed reply. |
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| >So ELEVEN DAYS hit the
bottom draw of his filing cupboard for a couple of years until he dragged it out and
re-wrote it. Again he submitted it nationally and internationally. Again it was
rejected. A few years later he dragged it out again and rewrote it. Again it was
rejected nationally & internationally. A few years later, he decided to have
another go. Again the same result. Eleven years ago, he was retrenched from his position
at a radio station for what was termed by the management as 'being too old and not
sounding FM". |
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| Pulling on all his resources to
survive, he turned his hand to publicity, promotions & television production. During
this time he was to create, write, produce and voice-over the very first animated
television commercial in South Australia. His efforts were rewarded with the very coveted BOMA
Award. But ELEVEN DAYS was never too far from his mind. So he
decided to have another go. As he was half-way through attempt number four, he picked up a
couple of novels by best selling authors. Then like a 'bolt-out-of-the-blue' it hit him. |
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| His structure of ELEVEN DAYS
was wrong. He went back in his mind to all the advice he'd been given by the best selling
authors he'd interviewed in the course of his job, threw out ELEVEN DAYS and began
to write the story all over again.. for the fifth time. Again he sold his
possessions and worked when he could in a bid to get his novel completed. It took a year.
Again he submitted nationally & internationally. Sometimes he did get a reply.
But those replies were noting more than a total hatchet job on his novel. Literary agents
told him there was no market for such a story. Film companies rejected the story.
Publishers rejected the story. Other agents tore the guts out of it. So after 22
years and 5 re-writes, Graham was forced to console himself that ELEVEN DAYS simply
wasn't going to 'get up'. |
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| About a year ago on his
overnight talk show, a caller rang in and asked,"What advice would you give to
someone who's about to write a book?" Graham's reply to him was, "Don't".
Then in January this year, a caller spoke to him off the air. "Send me your
book" she said. Hearing the voice was that of an elderly lady, Graham told her
that wasn't a good idea as there were some harsh words in it. "Well your mother's
read it hasn't she?". "Yes, but mum's mum!" "So if she
could handle it, so could I. Send me your book". So Graham did send her his
book. |
A couple of weeks later, he received a phone call from John
Scardigno who heads Peacock Publications in Adelaide. He said to Graham, "I've
just recieved a visit from, a highly presented elderly lady who placed your manuscript on
my desk with the appropriate funding and said, 'Publish Graham Guy's book'. So he
did.
With further funding raised locally, a print run was established and a launch day
announced on Graham's radio program. |
| THE LAUNCH WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER SEEN IN ADELAIDE. |
| As a result, ELEVEN DAYS 3,000 copies have been
sold and a reprint has been ordered. In this 6 week period, ELEVEN DAYS has raced
to the number one spot on the best seller list ahead of PHANTOM MENACE STAR WARS for two
weeks in a row. Even Wilbur Smith's MONSOON had to bow to ELEVEN DAYS. Maybe just
for a moment, but it happened. |
| Several libraries in Australia have now included Graham's novel on their lending list |
| Note: ELEVEN DAYS is no longer being printed by Peacock
Publishing, despite the repeated requests from fans to buy a copy of ELEVEN DAYS |
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Graham Guy
Overnight Talk Show Host
Midnight Sundays till 6am Fridays
Phone (61)8 82230000or Fax (61) 8 82230022
5AA Interactive Talkback Radio,
http://www.5aa.com.au
Adelaide, South Australia |
  
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| Created; June 11th 1999 |
| Modified on:
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