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February 2000
DAD WAS A CARPENTER BUILDS A
FOLLOWING
Self-published memoir wins the
Grand Prize in the Writers Digest book awards.
Writer and filmmaker Kenny Kemp is this year's recipient of the Grand Prize in
the prestigious Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Awards for
his touching memoir Dad Was A Carpenter,
besting literally thousands of competing entries.
Kemp's book has received dozens of glowing print reviews, including an
endorsement by Michael Medved, author and syndicated radio host, who called the
book, "Moving and intimate . . . a powerful case for the true importance of
life's small moments and passing details." M. Scott Peck, the best-selling
author of The Road Less Traveled, concurred, saying the book was
"extremely well written."
Similar to Mitch Albom's best-selling Tuesdays With Morrie, Kemp shows
a journeyman's skill as he gently draws the reader into the emotional heart of
his story, relating how his father died of Lou Gehrig's Disease and how the
family dealt with it. In simple but powerful prose, Kemp examines the watershed
incidents from his childhood in which his father subtly but firmly shaped his
life.
"He wasn't really a carpenter," says Kemp, who grew up in San
Diego. "Carpentry is just a metaphor for how parents shape a child’s
life. In my case, everything important about life I learned in my father's
garage." The book's bittersweet climax comes when Kemp cleans out the
garage after his father's death, and the memories he uncovers there form a
powerful and moving ending to a well-told story about the greatness of a man who
never knew he was. Surprised and pleased by the book's popularity, Kemp says, "I am amazed
when people tell me their father or uncle or grandpa is just like my dad. I
always thought my family was weird and unique. I guess I was only half
right!"
The award carries with it a cash prize, as well as a feature interview in the
August issue of Writer's Digest magazine, the monthly handbook of the
writing profession. The book will also receive active promotion in Publisher's
Weekly, the publishing trade bible. Writer's Digest will also endorse
and sponsor the book for review in major national review publications such as The
New York Times and The Washington Post. Kemp is also featured in the
September special “Small Press” issue of Writer’s Digest, available
in late July.
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October 1999
DAD WAS A CARPENTER NOW OUT ON AUDIO CD
Unabridged audiobook is read by the author.
Alta Films Press is pleased to announce that Dad was a Carpenter will be available this
Christmas as a book on CD. Read by the author Kenny Kemp and recorded and edited
at Video West Productions, the book features a fold-out
booklet containing several of the poems which appeared in the book (poetry by
Kenny's sister Joy Young), and the "Blueprints for a Meaningful Life,"
sayings Kenny's father O.C. Kemp used to repeat. Recorded, edited, and processed
digitally, the book also includes music cues composed by Kenny Kemp.
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April 1999
I HATED HEAVEN WINS AN "IPPY"
Independent publisher association gives kudos to self-published novel.
Alta Films Press has received recognition by our fellow
publishers. I Hated Heaven
received an award for "Visionary Fiction" in the 1999 Independent
Publisher Book Awards (the "IPPYs"). Almost 1,300 books competed
for honors, the results of which will be detailed in the May-June issue of Independent
Publisher magazine. A complete review of our book and a cover scan will be
found in the July-August issue. The Awards special section will then be
distributed to bookstores, libraries, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and literary
festivals throughout North America this summer. We are very proud of this
accolade for our first book!
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February 1999
BAKER STREET FILM PRODUCTIONS
OPTIONS I HATED HEAVEN
Renowned actor-turned-producer
believes it will be a crowd-pleaser.
Alta Films Press is pleased to announce that producer Diane Baker of Baker Street Productions
has optioned the rights to I Hated Heaven for a major motion
picture. Ms. Baker is best known for her acting, which began when she co-starred
in The Diary of Anne
Frank, continued through The Net and continues today on both stage
and screen. Mr. Kemp and Ms. Baker worked together previously in the development
of another film project.
Not concerned by
the lackluster performance of the film What Dreams May Come, Ms. Baker
said in a telephone interview that, "Although that movie was beautiful and
stirring, still it lacked a coherent storyline, one that resonated with
audiences. That, combined with a rather disappointing ending, meant that
audiences were never really bowled over. We believe I Hated Heaven
solves all of these problems: it's a crowd-pleasing adventure-romance, with many
clever twists and turns, and a delightful, uplifting surprise ending—a couple
of them!"
Mr. Kemp says
that although the book spends about a third of the story in Heaven itself, it
will not be a special effects picture. "It's backdrop. In my book, Heaven
is not going to be a jaw-dropping visual spectacle, as in Dreams, but
rather a love story and a hero's journey. Where Tom Waring goes and what he does
are steps on a familiar path: can true love overcome the odds? In this case,
what's more important: Heaven or keeping one's promise? We don't need exploding
asteroids to tell that
story!"
Mr. Kemp also
says he's delighted to associate once again with Ms. Baker. "She is a rare
treasure--a Hollywood insider who has remained true to a spiritual center. She
strives to bring to life stories of hope. I trust her to put I Hated Heaven
into the hands of the people who can not only make it happen but make it happen
in a positive, uplifting way."
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January 1999
GREAT REVIEWS FOR I HATED
HEAVEN
Booklist and School
Library Journal applaud self-published novel.
 A
construction worker named Tom Waring finds out what heaven is like in Kenny
Kemp's' I
Hated Heaven. Tom dies suddenly of pancreatic cancer in the midst of a
full, more or less happy life. He goes to Paradise, not a purgatory
but a sort of staging area for Heaven--and where Kemp works out his rather
imaginative theology. Trouble is, Waring left a lot of bills, a trusting
young son, and a loving wife whose agnosticism is only strengthened by the
sorrows thrust upon her. What kind of God, in other words, would call away a
good man leading a worthwhile and vital life? Thus Tom spends his time in
Paradise trying to return to Earth in this original,
comic novel. — John Mort,
Booklist
"A wonderful
treat for those who enjoyed the films Ghost, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, What Dreams May Come, and
other stories of life and love after death. Tom Waring is a dedicated
Christian married to an agnostic. Stricken with terminal pancreatic cancer,
he promises [his wife] April that he will return after death to tell her
that heaven exists. The fly in that ointment is that Tim finds Heaven to be
most unwilling to allow him to complete this mission. The story then
alternates between his attempts to fulfill his promise and the grief
suffered by April and their son. Worried about not spending eternity with
his beloved wife, Tom breaks all the rules in his attempts to communicate
belief in God to her. Although mostly predictable, the ending does have some
surprises. YAs [young adults] who enjoy a good love story, some tears, and a
happy ending and are not too finicky about how heaven is portrayed will find
much to enjoy here." — School Library Journal
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