John Klawitter

Deacon Jones

More than a simple story, Headslap brings to full view the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s--a time of incredible upheaval and change in the United States. These were tough times for black players as they tried to play the game while confronting prejudice and misconceptions that kept young stars from shining, such as Deacon Jones. Photo insert.

The Life and Times of Deacon Jones

Headslap

True stories from John Klawitter, Hollywood writer-producer-director. Whether you're pitching some famous old witch doctor who owns a big animation production company, or sending a query letter to a 25-year-old cannibal prince who lucked into being the head of acquisitions at a giant publishing conglomerate, the stories of discovery and survival in TINSEL WILDERNESS can be a source of inspiration and encouragement. From the book-lined offices of Random House and Doubleday to the West Coast movie studios with their wide views of palm trees and the blue Pacific, the wilderness is a strange place for those not expecting the weird, the unpredictable and the rough-and-tumble. To you, storytelling is as important as life itself. But to the natives it's often little more than trinkets and beads they can exchange for furs and scraps of meat. The trick is, you don't want to be the meat. As the natives often say with a wise nod of the head, It's too late to moo when you're hamburger. You're a talented person, a creative writer, an artist in your own right. So as you take the first steps off the beaten path and into the tall grass toward the distant blue mountains, remember to stay alert, keep your weapons handy, and always expect the unexpected...you're in the TINSEL WILDERNESS.

Tinsel Wilderness

Crazyhead: The Cult Classic Novel of Love and War

Brando Mahr lost his mind when an artillery shell exploded close by. Upon returning to some form of consciousness, he found himself aphasiac and epileptic. He escaped from the hospital and found menial work in the basement of the UCLA library, where he re-learned language, unfortunately by reading mostly 18th century English penny dreadnaughts. Since the language has shifted somewhat in 200 plus years, the author has channeled the spirit of one of Brando's favorite writers from the 1700s to act as translator and sometimes commentator. Several years into his comeback finds Brando struggling on the lower rungs of Hollywood as a minor film producer and director. When his good friend Kieth Lagosi introduces him to football ex-great Ripper Brown, Brando sets out to develop Ripper's life story into a bio-pic dramatizing the player's glorious deeds. But Ripper has had a troubled past, and someone doesn't want his story told...and Brando's own difficulties begin to mount. When Rippers gorgeous blond wife is murdered, Brando is blamed by Ripper's friends and hauled in for a brutal interrogation by the Los Angeles police. It is clear that those Brando irritated in attempting to tell Ripper's story have turned against him...not one, but two sets of accomplished and deadly killers. Can Brando clear himself of the charge of murder? And, if he does, can he find the true killers and uncover why why these foul and cold-blooded killers will go to any lengths to keep their secrets hidden?

John Klawitter

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