Stephen Shaiken – Acclaimed author, publishes his new book “Queensborough Rock”
The year is 1971 and young Jack Bernstein is a struggling rock ‘n’ roll manager in New York City. Instead of a swanky Manhattan office, flashy car and backstage passes, he operates out of a basement apartment in working-class Queens, driving a cranky year-old Volvo as he troll third string places for hidden talents.
Tampa, Florida, September 17, 2022, Author Stephen Shayken released their new blockbuster titled Queensborough Rockand his fans will not be disappointed.
This is a Rock & Roll novel, a work of historical fiction set in Queens, NY in the late sixties/early seventies. The year is 1971 and young Jack Bernstein is a struggling rock ‘n’ roll manager in New York City. Instead of a swanky Manhattan office, flashy car and backstage passes, he operates out of a basement apartment in working-class Queens, driving a cranky year-old Volvo as he troll third string places for hidden talents.
He suffers a huge betrayal when Manhattan agents or “sharks” steal his top talent, Galahad. Jack financed a demo tape for his best talent by borrowing from a loan shark and pawning a friend’s guitar. When the gang fails to reach a deal, Jack’s last hope is an offer from a friendly Queens mobster: deal with his obnoxious nephew as best he can and the doors will open. Jack counterintuitively connects the nephew to a black group in southern Jamaica in a desperate attempt to break into the big time. New York City in the late sixties and early seventies comes alive with all its intensity.
Jack is haunted by his experience with Tennessee Eddie, his first serious talent. Eddie lived with Jack and was supported by Jack for almost a year. Jack landed him a gig at the famed Max’s Kansas City, where the “Sharks”—Jack’s term for Manhattan’s powerful music rulers—robbed Eddie and landed him a record deal and tour contract.
As the novel progresses, Jack’s skill and ability to act forcefully when needed also increases. He refuses to be intimidated by the Sharks or their lawyers and sues the people who robbed Tennessee Eddie.
In this very relatable novel, being set in the late sixties, there are scenes throughout the novel that mark the period. Jack’s car has a tricky choke, he’s always looking for payphones and navigating without GPS. He attends a gig at the Fillmore East and gets a gig for Tennessee Eddie at Max’s Kansas City.
He gets involved with a weed dealer hoping to earn enough to pay off his debts, but he and his friends smoke so much there’s no profit. Jack takes his one and only LSD trip. Readers will enter New York’s pizzerias and Italian restaurants and pass through iconic New York landmarks like White Castle and Lemon Ice King of Corona. They are also brought into the studio for the production of the Galahad tape.
About the Author:
Stephen Shaiken has practiced criminal law for over thirty-five years. He is a graduate of Queens College and Brooklyn Law School, and earned a master’s degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University.
Stephen is the author of three novels in the acclaimed NJA Club series, best described as exotic noir thrillers. The three novels-Shadows of Bangkok, whispers of Bangkok and Bangkok Blues-features expatriate American lawyer Glenn Murray Cohen and his eclectic friends at Bangkok’s mysterious NJA Club as they are drawn into intrigue and danger.
Queensborough Rock is a novel of a different kind, very loosely based on Stephen’s brief career as a rock manager in 1970-71.
When he’s not writing, Stephen enjoys travelling, gardening, doing yoga, playing guitar and following politics and current affairs with a passion. He is a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction in too many genres and subjects to list.
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Media Contact
Company Name: Stephen Shayken
Contact person: Media Relations
E-mail: Send an email
Call: (813) 420-2272
Town: Tampa
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: http://stephenshaken.com/
