JOHN ANDREW FREDRICK

KING OF GOOD INTENTIONS (Verse Chorus Press)

Set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, John Andrew Fredrick's debut novel chronicles the early days of an indie band as they meet, practice, make their first recordings, and get their first break/ big gig.  It's also the story of the flowering love affair between John and Jenny, the two charming but, let's say, troubled guitarists/singers in the band.  John is by day a misanthropic substitute teacher in the crazy, sometimes horrifying world that is the LA Unified School District, while Jenny is a mysterious recovering child prodigy. Along the way, the couple and their bandmates make all kinds of discoveries about themselves and the Hollywood milieu in which they are trying to succeed, a world peopled by narcissistic actors, wannabe screenwriters, pretentious musicians, weirdo fans, crazy neighbors--oh, and an emu.

Advance praise for The King of Good Intentions:

"Stylish, poetic and mischievous, this is the funniest contemporary novel I've read in a long time"--John Tottenham, author of The Inertia Variations

"Witty, quirky, and painfully funny... offers a sweet, sharp take on music, love, and Los Angeles, not to mention subbing.  Wonderful."--Meg Gardiner, author of Ransom River

John Andrew Fredrick is the principal singer and songwriter for indie rock band the black watch, who have released 17 CDs to considerable underground acclaim.  His comic novella, the knucklehead chronicles, was published in 2008.  He has taught in The Writing Program at USC, and the English Departments at LMU, SMC, and UCSB, where he received his Ph.D. in English Literature.  He lives in Los Angeles, plays tennis five times a week, and often has been known to treat audiences at his readings to a few acoustic songs from his vast canon as a songwriter.

THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS JUNE 6, 2013.

COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM THIS EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED HERE: http://www.skylightbooks.com/book/9781891241109