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Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Nemo James author of Just A Few Seconds: A Story From The Hidden World of Music and Beyond.

Good day Nemo and thanks for participating in our interview

Norm:

Could you tell our audience when did your passion for music begin and were if you had to live your life over again, would you still have pursued a career in music?

Nemo:

I suppose I liked music as much as the next kid when I was growing up but I can pinpoint the exact moment when I felt passionate about it for the first time. I was 15 and laying in bed listening to the radio when I was supposed to be asleep when I heard for the first time "She's leaving home" by the Beatles. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

Yes if I had to do it all over again I would definitely still be a musician. Although I love legal dramas like "Boston Legal" and sometimes think I would like to have been one of those clever lawyers as I love a good argument .

Norm:

What were the best and worst parts about being a professional musician.

Nemo:

The best part was being in control of my future and being able to change my life so easily. The worst things was carrying heavy equipment around and having to play music I hated. The most frustrating thing was not being able to make a living from composing.

Norm:

How has the music business changed over the past ten years? Is it more or less difficult to break into the business? Would you have had greater success today than when you began your career?

Nemo:

I have not been in the music business for fifteen years so am not in a position to say how it's changed but I suspect it hasn't changed much. The really dramatic changes are highlighted in my book and occurred in the late 70's when discos waged war on musicians and the late 80's when electronics joined in the attack.

I don't think I would have any more chance of success if I began my career today. The greatest obstacle to my success was not being pushy and that is just the way I am regardless of the year I live in. I loved writing and performing but trying to promote my music to the industry was tortuous for me.

Norm:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? As a follow up, how did you decide you were ready to write Just A Few Seconds: A Story From The Hidden World of Music and Beyond?

Nemo:

I have never really thought about being a writer. When I realized my career in music was over I just felt a compelling need to write it all down before moving on. I found I enjoyed writing and to my great surprise people seemed to enjoy what I wrote so I continued.

Norm:

Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp why would people be interested in reading your book?

Nemo:

Only that staying in a life you are dissatisfied with is just as big a gamble as leaving it. I have met many people who have made life changing decisions but never met a single person that has regretted it. Plenty of bad things happen in my book but they always led to something much better.

While there has been a lot written about the lives of famous musicians usual centered around drugs and other excessive there has been little written about the lives of the ordinary working musician who also have stories to tell. I also believe your readers will find it interesting to see the gradual change in the music scene from the early seventies until the late 90's.

Norm:

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Nemo:

I don't think my living environment has colored my writing in any way that I am aware of although I can say my songwriting was most prolific during the most difficult time of my life. I have very few regrets but one of them was that the need to make a living from music prevented me from continuing my songwriting.

Norm:

What was the most difficult part of writing your book? Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Nemo:

The most difficult part was deciding what to leave out. My first draft was 240,000 words, double what I later discovered was the maximum word count considered advisable for a first time author. I managed to get my last draft (the 20th) down to 117,000 words. I can't say I learned anything from writing the book but I did find it an extremely uplifting experience and can recommend it to anyone regardless of whether they have aspirations to become published.

Norm:

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?

Nemo:

At the moment no, but I have no doubt that will change.

Norm:

Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We would love to hear all about them!)

Nemo:

When I first moved to Croatia five years ago I started sending out a diary to my many friends and family telling them about my new life here. It was all very tongue in cheek and everyone enjoyed it so much I was encouraged to adapt it into a book so that is what I am working on at the moment. It will be a continuation of Just a Few Seconds and hopefully it will be published by the end of the year.

Within the next few week I will also be publishing a book of some of my song lyrics. I always enjoyed telling stories with my songs and believe they are strong enough to stand alone.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your book?

Nemo:

They can read a brief synopsis at my WEBSITE  

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Nemo:

Only that if there is anyone that saw me performing I would love to hear from them.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Click Here To Read Norm's Review of Just A Few Seconds

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