A few years ago, when I was starting my business, I was told about an opportunity doing administrative work for a manufacturing company about twenty miles from my home. At first I was hesitant to meet with them because I wanted my business to be primarily virtual and they wanted someone in the office twice a week. But my business was new, I didn’t have many clients and this opportunity would provide me with a good base.
So I met with the owner, a tall gentleman of my generation with an Eastern European accent. We talked and I told him about my experience and my fledgling business. He told me about his business and how he got there, mentioning he came to this country from Hungary. He had built his business from nothing. With pride he showed me the shop in the back – the cleanest manufacturing site I have ever seen – and poster sized pictures of equipment his company had built or worked on throughout the world. He mentioned he was writing the story of his life. I mentioned that I was a voracious reader.
I felt an immediate bond and he must have also because he agreed to take me on right then and there. I always say, there are no coincidences.
Over time I learned more about him, including more about his past. One day he said, “When I am done writing the book about my life, I want you to read it. No one, not even my family, has read it.” And then one day he ceremoniously handed me a USB drive and said, “Here it is, my life story. Read it and let me know what you think.” He wanted to know if I thought it could be published. Again, he said it was only for my eyes; no one else had seen it.
So I read it… and it was fascinating. It was an adventure story full of ups and downs. It was a true American Dream story. It was a story of how honesty, integrity, hard work and a sense of humor led this man to America and success. My response was “This needs to get out there. You can’t make this shit up!”
That was the first step on the journey we are on toward publishing “The Four Horsemen and the Leftovers, An Immigrant’s Story.” I made the first pass through it, correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. We had other people read it to see if they felt it was marketable. One of those early readers was one of the “Leftovers”, the author’s friend who left Hungary with him. In the book he is referred to as “The Sheriff”. He became very emotional on reading the story that was partially his story too. It then became our job to find an editor, but it needed to be someone we both could trust. I was concerned that the author’s voice might be lost. I was fortunate to know a former book store owner who is an editor and she was looking for a project. (Remember no coincidences) She read a portion and was as enthused as I was to get it out there. She agreed we didn’t want to lose the author’s voice.
We have decided to begin posting pieces of the book in its current state on this web site and our Facebook page (click the Facebook icon below) to make more people aware of it before publication.
During these chaotic political times, the author, an immigrant who loves America and whose hard work has been rewarded in this country, wants to share his views on current topics like immigration, and Socialism. His views will also be a part of this website and the Facebook page.
Please follow us on Facebook, click the email button to be added to our email list, and join our journey to publication.
