Sawmill Ballroom Publishing's Proud New 2007 Release
Joseph Emil Blum's Bedtime Stories: A Novel of Cinematic Wanderlust

with 39 illustrations by David Campbell

In chapter one of Bedtime Stories, narrator Jake Spinner says, "With Fred's death the few remaining things holding me to one place suddenly departed and my urge to go took on a life of its own." Jake's new life begins with the death of his guardian uncle, Fred, whose care for his nephew may not have ended with his death. Fred leaves Jake some money, keys to a large truck, and a note urging him to get on with his life. Fred's bequest catalyzes Jake's hereditary wanderlust when a beautiful Parisian circus painter transforms the truck into a magnificent rolling theater and Jake takes up life on the road. Living out of his exotic truck, cinematic gypsy Jake moves across a mythic landscape fulfilling his purpose in life that, "Movies are the stories of my time and I use them to light the eyes of those around me." An astounding cast of characters makes sure that Jake's purpose will not only bring light to others, but deliver him to an awareness of his own origins and heart's calling.

Bedtime Stories is a story of how life can be a remarkable voyage when freed from the restraints of gravity and time. It is a richly imaginative novel filled with people, places, and stories drawn from a seldom-revealed America, and one that can be read and read again before falling off to a gentle sleep.

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 About the illustrator

Bedtime Stories illustrator, David Campbell is an oil painter, blacksmith, metalworker, woodworker, wood carver, and organ maker. He does all with equal facility, and except for the modest presence of electricity his timeless shop could be from another era. The ageless clang, crackle, and snap of work done with of fire, wood, and metal fill the air. David doesn't just use tools: he makes them and one gets the impression that if he were dropped into another century, even another millennium, he would not only feel comfortable, but he would prosper. I was honored that he contributed his enormous talents to my book.

He is a remarkable man.