Dear Reader,
My name is Del Corwyn. I’m your hero in Beautiful Mess, a new
novel by John Herrick. You might wonder why I wouldn’t allow John to write this
letter. The simple answer? I’m my own man. This is my life story. And as messy
as life can get, at least I can say I control my own destiny.
Oh, the memories I’ve had in Hollywood! I started my career
as an errand boy for a major studio. They shipped me to London, where I served
Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl. They told me not to
screw it up. But you know what happened? Marilyn became one of my closest
friends. A mentor, if you will. She trusted me. I was with her during
vulnerable moments, the moments most people didn’t know she endured. She was
ten years older than I was, so I didn’t have the answers for her, but we
navigated through life together. When she died in 1962, the news tore my heart
in half.
Fast-forward to today. I’m a 78-year-old actor. I was
nominated for an Academy Award in the 1970s but lost to Richard Dreyfuss. What’s
that? You don’t remember me? Well, join the club. That happens to me often
these days. Anyway, my next film was a failure at the box office and critics
shunned it. My career took a nosedive.
Now, forty years later, I’m on the verge of bankruptcy, but
the ladies still love me. Go figure. I’m still waiting for that elusive
comeback. It’ll happen. Even if I have to die fighting for it.
I’ll admit, my greatest fear is that I’ll be forgotten. Lost
in history, like that French schmuck who won an Oscar for The Artist without
saying a word in the film. But not long ago, I uncovered an envelope Marilyn gave
me a few months before she died. It contained an original screenplay Marilyn
penned herself, with encouragement from her ex-husband, Arthur Miller.
Overnight, the tables have turned! My destiny is about to
reverse course.
Hollywood is buzzing—and I’m the new kingmaker. I’ve shot to
the top of the A-list. And I swear to you, never again will the public forget
Del Corwyn.
My journey also involves a last chance at love, and two friends
in their 20s and 30s: the industry’s hottest new actress, and an online wellness
coach who is full of sh*t but has a good heart. Some might say that coach and I
have some traits in common.
Want to know what happens with Marilyn’s script? Want to see
a side of Marilyn Monroe you might not know existed? Well, I don’t work for
free! You’ll need to read Beautiful Mess to find out.
Regards,
Del Corwyn (and my writer, John Herrick)
P.S. Prepare yourself for a killer cameo from my buddy Clint
Eastwood. Badass!
A self-described “broken Christian,” John Herrick battled depression since childhood. In that context, however, he developed intuition for themes of spiritual journey and the human heart.
Herrick graduated from the University of Missouri—Columbia. Rejected for every writing position he sought, he turned to information technology and fund development, where he cultivated analytical and project management skills that helped shape his writing process. He seized unpaid opportunities writing radio commercial copy and ghostwriting for two nationally syndicated radio preachers. The Akron Beacon Journal hailed Herrick's From the Dead as “a solid debut novel.” Published in 2010, it became an Amazon bestseller. The Landing, a semifinalist in the inaugural Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, followed. Publishers Weekly predicted “Herrick will make waves” with his next novel, Between These Walls.
Herrick's nonfiction book 8 Reasons Your Life Matters introduced him to new readers worldwide. The free e-book surpassed 150,000 downloads and hit #1 on Amazon's Motivational Self-Help and Christian Inspiration bestseller lists. Reader response prompted a trade paperback.
His latest novel, Beautiful Mess, folds the legend of Marilyn Monroe into an ensemble romantic-comedy. Herrick admits his journey felt disconnected. “It was a challenge but also a growth process,” he acknowledges. “But in retrospect, I can see God's fingerprints all over it.”
Connect with John Herrick on the web:
facebook.com/johnherrickbooks
@JohnHerrick
Thank you for letting me stop by your blog and channel my inner Del! ;-)
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