Whether it’s because their favorite characters are heading out on another adventure, or their favorite writer has come up with a new story to tell, there are books that readers simply cannot wait to receive. But very rarely does a novel come along that book lovers are honored to read. Letters to Zerky: A Father's Legacy to a Lost Son... and a Road Trip Around the World is that book.
Bill Raney is a man who hit the open road with his loving wife, JoAnne, a fantastic son named Zerky, and an adorable dachshund named Tarzan. Back in 1967 this fascinating quartet took off in a VW bus to see what all the world’s countries had to offer, and during that long journey Bill wrote letters to his son. Being that the boy was only a ‘babe among men’ when he was a part of this journey, Dad wanted to make sure to record all the sights, sounds, experiences and people they met along the way so that Zerky could have a record of all he saw once upon a time. Those letters sat in a file for thirty-six years and just recently Mr. Raney put them into book form to allow readers into his son’s life. The stories, the pictures — virtually everything — honors a young man who was taken far before his time.
Bill was from North Dakota and wanted nothing more than to be a flamenco guitarist. Ending up in San Francisco at the infamous ‘Monkey Block’ building, he found himself among the ‘beatniks’ and smack dab in the political and social upheaval that the Vietnam war was providing America. He was lucky enough to meet his bride, JoAnne, at a bar one night called “The Place.” Joanne owned the small movie theatre down the road, and soon this couple got together and adopted a beautiful blond-haired boy they named Zerky. He was only 10-months-old when the family sold the theatre and got on a plane that took them to Germany — a plane trip that is seriously hysterical because the Germans treated little Tarzan like he was a terrorist ready to strike.
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1 - Bill Raney
Yesterday my book, "Letters to Zerky, a Father's Legacy to a Lost Son and a Road Trip Around the World," received another rave review, this one in the Seattle Post Inteligencer, although it originated with the Feathered Quill. Please let me know what you think of it.