RADIO HEAD is a literary novel about a 19-year-old mentally disturbed woman with headphones as her constant companion, her psychiatrist, who loathes wasting his Ivy League education on charity cases, but accepts her as a patient to win back his social worker wife, and a charismatic rockstar coverboy who can’t write a hit song to save his life.
A lifetime of neglect from her military father and addict mother has caused Shelby Rey to shut down emotionally. Music becomes her soul connection to reality. Beverly Hills psychiatrist Roland Gibson accepts her as a patient to win back his social worker wife who is disillusioned by her husband’s career aspirations to treat the bored affluent. But Roland and Shelby have more in common than he cares to remember. Zac is a gorgeous rock star living in L.A. with the number one album in the nation, and surrounded by adoring fans. He’s the front man, the half-naked coverboy of rock magazines, the man everyone wants a piece of, but he can’t write a single note. The true genius of the band is Stanford, a heroin-addicted, self-taught musical prodigy, and Zac could just kill him.
For more information, contact me at RJLacko (at) gmail (dot) com.
Kind words for excerpts from RADIO HEAD:
“I found this to be a competently and confidently written piece. It has a nice flow and an evenness of tone which I enjoyed.” -AJ Black
“This well-written account of Shelby’s stress-filled life and her efforts to cope with mental illness is a page turner from beginning to end. The principal characters are well defined and developed as the story progresses. The dynamic interaction between the two of them carries the storyline forward at a satisfying pace, and the use of realistic dialogue gives life and vitality to the story’s fabric. Dichotomous imagery is presented effectively in the powerful contrast between Shelby’s private thoughts and the correct and proper proceedings of the “establishment”. Use of language is competent throughout. This is a compelling story with great potential. ” -Jon Brownridge
“I really enjoyed reading the opening chapters of ‘Radio Head.’ In Shelby, you’ve got a great MC.” I think your novel is exceptional. You’ve got just the right mix of prose and some excellent, snappy, sharp dialogue. I really liked all the musical references throughout. Best of luck with this. It deserves to do very well” -Neil A. Randall
“I enjoyed reading this story. I loved your central character, her vulnerbility, her defiance against an uncaring world, her fragility. She is indicative of so many hapless kids out there. I feel this story has a powerful social massage. Yet you handled it without anger and a modicum of hope. The cops deprive her music, her comfort zone but see it as just taking away her headphones. I was impressed with the narrative and the dialogue came over as authentic. You gave a good sense of place, without overdoing it.” -”Degs “
“I liked your story. I found it rather poignant and somewhat sad. It was a good attempt at portraying the life of a young girl who is unwanted and left to fend for herself as it were. I also liked the way you had portrayed the incident in the ER, Emily’s professionalism that breaks down at the end and the don’t-care attitude of all the other staff to an incident like what takes place; there are always many Shelby’s being brought into ER and their attitude towards just another.” -Sinharani
“This is such a credible, engaging, masterly piece of writing. Your portrayal of Shelby’s world is utterly believable and her narrative voice is so strong. I’m really, really impressed. Your use of language made me smile with its accuracy and effectiveness many times. You must either know a lot about or have researched mental illness carefully, as this all rings so true. Shelby’s intelligence and spirit shine clear, and I would be very interested to know how the story progresses, and what becomes of her.” -”pips60″
“I love the concept. You have something here—a good piece that will go places. Good luck.” -Sam Rivers
“The engaging style had me wanting to read more. Present tense is really difficult to pull off but you do so effortlessly. I think the writing is good and the story and characters have a lot of potential behind them.” Ray M.”
“It is very picturesquely described and the locations create clear mental images. The surprise elements spring up very interestingly and it keeps the excitement pumping. It is a delightfully racy read with the emotional graph, humour and pathos beautifully interwoven. The characters come alive and the action conjures real life images. Each character is authentic and with realistic traits. Overall it is a thoroughly enjoyable read which leaves the reader asking for more.” -”pips60″
“Disquieting, exactly as the author intended: a poignant portrait of a young woman on the edge of sanity. Many things worked very well–the description of the leaves of the palm trees, the stomach disorder, the music. Thanks for a good read.” -Gus Ginsberg
“I loved this excerpt. This is a very original piece of writing and I enjoyed it very much. The narrative voice is distinctive and very appealing and I’d love to read more. It’s one of the best and most unique that I’ve been asked to critique. A really good read. Congratulations and very well written. A novel right up my street!” -Valentina Hepburn
“This is an excellent read and you are obviously a skilled and experienced
writer. You got right inside the skin of that girl and held us in her viewpoint
for the duration. Your dialogue and character evocation are spot on.” “Beowulf”
