Greg Barton Weighs in: “Audio Book Version of DeForest Kelley Up Close is…”

My one and only “beta listener” Greg Barton weighed in this morning on the audio book version of DeForest Kelley Up Close and Personal: A Harvest of Memories from the Fan Who Knew Him Best:

 

“You have done brilliantly. As with the first time I read your book and From Sawdust to Stardust by Terry Rioux (DeForest Kelley’s biographer), this audio book version touched me where I live. It is beyond brilliant, very moving…”

 

Greg also mentioned the voicemail messages from the Kelleys and other celebs as being a brilliant addition to the audio version.

 

We just knew we had to include those voice mails even though Rod had a huge challenge getting them to present as clearly and professionally as possible, given the ages-old mylar tapes that they were first recorded on! He did a truly outstanding job. This way, fans get to hear Carolyn Kelley’s voice (many of them for the first time ever!) and the voices of some of the other celebrities who left voicemail messages for various reasons while I was living down there, among them:

 

• Tippi Heden called to tell me how much she loved LET NO DAY DAWN THAT THE ANIMALS CANNOT SHARE, my book of poetry and prose about the many animals, captive wild and domestic, that I have known and loved throughout the years and some of the crises facing animals worldwide…and, in another message, to warn me away from “buying a lemon.”
• Producer Harve Bennett called to confirm that he wanted to meet with Terry Rioux and me to contribute to Terry’s biography of De
• Producer AC Lyles called (I was his star polisher, in addition to polishing De’s star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame) several times to keep in touch–and to call me in to oversee the Kelleys’ home and mail after De entered the hospital in critical condition
• Leonard Nimoy’s Girl Friday Teresa Victor called after the memorial service for De at Paramount to compliment me on what I had said briefly during the service and to offer her help to me or Mrs. Kelley

People who read the book will also get to hear my mom’s and dad’s voices (once each, as I recall) in the voice mail messages, so they can get a firmer sense of their voices and demeanor when re-reading it down the road…

 

Ever!

 

And those who opt in to get the audio version through the opt in page (which Lisa is working on now–wait for it, if this deal excites you!) will also get a FREE De Kelley-related e-book: the second edition (with additional contributions from DeForest Kelley fans) of The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend… available nowhere else… ever…at any price!

 

So if you haven’t yet bookmarked YellowBalloonPublications.com, now is the time to do it. From this site you can access a lot of interviews that I’ve done about De. Over time I’ll be recommending additional books (ones I didn’t write) and goodies that are sure to be of interest to those of you who officially opt in to hang with me for fun, frolic and other stuff…