My name is Jacob Edward Marley. The real Jacob Marley, not the bastard and miser presented by my former friend Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol. I could rant about Dickens for days, but at the moment I’m in a bit of stew about David Weinberg, the author of Scrooge’s Folly – Saving Jacob Marley. God was certain that Weinberg was the one to pen and market the story…but I’m am not so sure. I’ll give him credit for penning an accurate portrayal of my life, and that of Andrea Smilow, Beth Mayer, and Ebenezer Scrooge. However, I am a bit out of sorts with the way he has chosen to market the book.
His use of talking cats on TikTok and Instagram, while clever, simply doesn’t reach enough potential readers. I have implored him to reach out to Colbert, who would certainly welcome the tale of my being granted a second life…and of my redemption. At least he should be capable of sharing the story with Reese Witherspoon, or Drew Barrymore. Honestly, how hard can that be? I speak to him daily about it, but it is as if I am speaking to a wall.
God has granted only five second lives in the past two hundred years. Scrooge and I each have one. This is front page news. I will grant you that hiring Chicago actress Amy Gorelow for the audiobook was a stroke of genius. Ms. Gorelow is highly entertaining with her various character voices, and her British accent is better than many who people who live in England. I dare say that if it were a choice between the printed book and the audiobook, I would opt for the latter.
He has explained to me on repeated occasions that people, especially young people, do not read books the way that they did in my day. That only proves he has no grasp on what my day really was. I was born in Liverpool, England in 1813. The gap between rich and poor was vast, and the poor, who were the majority, couldn’t read at all. Weinberg has assured me that he knows what he is doing.
He has pointed out that while Scrooge’s Folly is a wonderful ‘beach read’…it is more a romance set at Christmas time. Therefore, the bulk of the marketing and publicity should be done in Autumn. I am for now giving him the benefit of the doubt…but I am watching closely. If the true story of my life is not known to all by Christmas day, there will be consequences.
David Weinberg
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Old Fezziwig Press
Date of Publication: May 23rd, 2023
ISBN: 9798218104054
ASIN: BOBRZ457N4
Number of pages: 285
Word Count: 80,000
Cover Artist: Nicole Collis
Tagline: Love and redemption are always possible…even for the dead.
Book Description:
Award-winning, but down-on-her-luck playwright, Andrea Smilow, is commissioned by The Playhouse in Connecticut to save it from bankruptcy with a new work.
When she arrives, she discovers that The Playhouse is inhabited by the spirit of the real Jacob Marley, and he wants her play to be about him…to set the story straight about how Dickens ruined his life with A Christmas Carol.
Andrea believes he needs to be reunited with the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge, who lives in the caretaker house. It is all Scrooge’s idea. He has been working with Andrea’s roommate, the most powerful witch in North America, to win a second life for Marley from God…and to get Marley and Andrea to fall in love.
Excerpt:
Andrea walked to the coffee table and picked up the letter. She held it up and jabbed at it with her right index finger. “Eleven regional theatre companies have performed Rememberings this year, and I get a royalty check for $750. How could that be right? They’re screwing me and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
“Call Roger and see what he has to say.”
Andrea laughed. “Roger? He texted me yesterday. Not a word about money. He texts me once a year and never once has mentioned royalties…let us not forget that Roger is my last remaining tie to Brian. I met Roger through Brian. Fifty agents wanted to sign me, and Brian insisted I go with Roger and WMA. He’s a pleasant enough guy, unlike Brian, but he’s never done a damn thing for me. Is it Brian’s fault for recommending him, or my fault for listening to him?”
Thoughts of Brian hit Andrea like a face against a windshield. She hadn’t thought about him consciously in a long time, yet he was never far from her thoughts. Some guys are like that; they just get into your blood. Often it is the horrible ones that stay there. As the hot water from the shower touched her skin, it elicited an almost imperceptible sigh. She and Brian had spent many a shower together. She remembered how he loved to soap her breasts, and make her nipples hard…until they begged for his lips. She tossed her wet hair out of her eyes and slapped the wall, chastising herself for even thinking about him. He was just one of many evil spirits she had encountered in her life, and he was her past. Perhaps Ivoryton would point the way to her future. She shook her head as she dried her hair with a towel. She had no idea that she was not quite done with Brian yet.
David Weinberg is a screenwriter and musician. Most recently a quarter-finalist in the 2022 Creative Screenwriting Pilot competition.
He has a B.S. in Environmental Health from Quinnipiac University and a Masters in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University. He is divorced and owns the two most spoiled cats in America.
Website www.davidweinbergauthor.com
You can also enter The Contest on the author's site to win
1st Prize – A cameo in the movie version when it gets produced.
Winner chosen Christmas Eve -2023
2nd Prize – Ibanez 6 string sunburst acoustic guitar, gigbag and capo.
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