Celebrating a local author, a mentor and the most controversial book to come out of Bakersfield-- Lords: Part One
Last Saturday was the official Lords: Part One book release party, a novel by local author NL Belardes, at Lengthwise Brewery. If you didn’t go, you missed a great afternoon filled with great music, great literature, great food and many many friends.

Some of the best local bands in Bakersfield: Nunez, Norfolk, The Filthies, The Dalloways, Fatt Katt & the Von Zippers and Mento Buru showed their support of NL with 3 hours of the best acoustic music I’ve ever heard. NL himself said: “I’m here for the music.”

The music, for a change, wasn’t the main event. The main event was the much-anticipated release of the most controversial book to come out of Bakersfield—Lords: Part One. It was a celebration of a great and unique literary work and local author NL Belardes.

Celebrating a book:

Last Saturday afternoon I was extremely proud to take my place at the Noveltown table at Lengthwise Brewery to help sell books. Half the table was covered with stacks of Lords: Part One books and a display of the books were fanned out on the end of the table-- it was an impressive site representing a unique creative mind and the culmination of a lot of hard work. When the book shipment arrived a couple of weeks ago and I saw it in ‘book form’ for the first time, I asked NL if he was excited to finally see his book in printed form. He modestly replied:

“The book has been a book for a while now, since I finished it. This is just the final packaging.”

Have you seen the ‘final packaging’ of Lords: Part One? On the cover lurks a haunting photograph of a half naked boy laying in repose looking eerily innocent, looking eerily reverent and yet ominously preyed upon with the word LORDS written across the boy’s face and body. The illumination on the boy’s skin and the foggy dark background gives a glimpse into the heart of Lords: Part One. They say you can’t judge a book by its cover; however, the cover of Lords: Part One sets the tone for the story within, it draws you in, makes you want to open it and read the dark tale, makes you want to buy the book. NL spent many hours designing a striking cover for Lords: Part One. He wanted a cover that would stand out in bookstores, a cover that would represent the story. And he has achieved that. There were several other versions of the cover for the book with different photographs, however, the final version of the cover for Lords: Part One was always my favorite of the group and represents the novel’s dark story the best.

Lords: Part One is a fiction novel based on the Lords of Bakersfield articles of 2003 and paints a dark complex tale of Bakersfield artfully woven and full of vivid imagery, metaphors and images of alienation, lost innocence, corrupt power, fear, hidden secrets, the influence of the media on the subconscious mind and lurking evil forces of the spirit world, in nature, in people and in places as well. Lords: Part One will make you question what’s really going on around you. Once you start reading it… you can’t put it down.

Read what some people have said about Lords: Part One here…

In between band sets the most controversial literary work to come out of Bakersfield, Lords: Part One was everyone’s focus. NL introduced the book explaining a little bit about how this book came to be and then read a chapter or two for us. Kenny Mount of the Filthies and Puck of the Puck Show on KGEO 1230 also did readings from Lords: Part One. I have read the novel a few times, but hearing this dark tale read aloud was a whole new experience.

The support from the music scene, from friends and others that had come out just because they had heard about the book and the event was a reward for all of NL's hard work on Lords: Part One. And I was so very proud for him.

By the end of the afternoon there was only two stacks of books left on the table and as an aspiring author myself, I will say it was a thrill to watch those books sell.

If you haven’t already bought your copy of Lords: Part One, its available for purchase at Russo’s Books (all 3 locations), Borders Books and online at www.Noveltown.net. Run out and get your copy today!

Celebrating a local author and mentor:

I have known local author NL Belardes for over 20 years and he is a good friend. NL Belardes has one of the most creative imaginations and complex minds of anyone I have ever known. He has often compared himself to the William Forester character in the movie Finding Forester. Although he means it as a joke referring to the hermit-like cranky existence of the character-- creatively his comparison is right on, as a writing mentor his comparison is right on. NL can sit down to write and the creativity just pours out of him. Some of the most beautifully written prose full of complex themes, vivid imagery and great dialog find their way to the page as if they were always there. It’s astounding. While I greatly admire his writing, his skill and endless well of creativity can be frustrating for someone like me who is still learning the art of writing, still learning the art of training my mind to be creative. It’s frustrating because I can’t do it myself, I agonize over every word and he makes it seem so effortless. I have questioned him extensively trying to figure out how he is able to write the way he writes. He always replies with:

“I force my mind to visualize the scene, the story, so when I sit down to write, I’ve already written it in my head and I’m just putting it down on paper. It just takes practice.”

And then he will remind me of that famous line from the movie Throw Mama from the Train:

“A writer writes always.”

And NL is always writing. He is not someone who spends time in front of the TV, he is always creating… writing. Lords: Part One is not the first novel NL’s written, its not even the last novel he's written, for he's written another novel since he wrote Lords: Part One. He has written several novels, a book of poetry, children’s books, screenplays, and various other works. Some of these novels and works are featured on his website. NL is a historian. He has taught history at Bakersfield College. Through his writing he weaves his historical knowledge of Bakersfield and the Southern San Joaquin Valley into all of his novels. Writing about this valley's people, its cultures, its history in a romantisized style, a counter-culture style, a pop-culture stlye and a darker more sinister style in his novels. Bakersfield is always one of the characters. He also writes several online blogs, the biggest and most widely read being his: Bakersfield Paperback Writer Talks Music and the Arts blog. I have read a large volume of his writing and I will tell you that what you read on his blogs are just the tip of the iceberg of the complex depth, themes and imagination you will find in his literary works. If you want to know the blogger who writes about immediate goings on in your scene in a hip way then read his blogs, but if you want to get to know the author… read his literary works and a whole new world will be revealed before your eyes.

A few years ago NL became a mentor to me in my writing. I had always written poetry, but I wanted to write more than poetry, I wanted to be a writer, to write a novel some day. He hated my poetry. He showed me how I had allowed my hurt and anger over a bitter divorce to overshadow what I was writing. He encouraged me to write something else besides poetry for a while, like a story.

“Don’t write that crappy poetry, write a story. You have a story to tell.” He would tell me.

That was not easy to hear, but I was determined to learn, so after many literary discussions and brainstorming sessions I began to write a story about tropical fish. When I had 20 pages written I gave it to him to read. I felt like a college student when I got it back for there were red marks, crossed out sections and the words “Constipated thinking” written across one section. We discussed what was wrong with the story.

“Your main character is too weak, I don’t like her, and I’m not rooting for her. You need to make her stronger.” Was one of the many suggestions.

I was plagued by a huge problem with verb tense, which I still struggle with every day. But onward I persevered with his help. I wrote another story about my grandmother’s death and although this one was better written than the last, the theme was a problem, I still had much to learn. I began writing my blog at NL’s encouragement. The blog has been the best writing exercise and learning tool for me. I’m sure it was an ulterior motive of his when he encouraged me to write the blog, he's sneaky that way. Through the practice of writing on the blog I have found my writing style (which is constantly under development), I have began to write poetry again, only its not bad crappy poetry, and I have begun to write my novel. I don’t share what I write on my blog with NL before I post it, he reads it on the blog along with all of my other readers. So when I receive feedback on my blogs from NL like this:

“That blog entry was so good. So well written! Very funny, or very literary,” whichever applies. And my personal favorite… “That blog and many others of yours blows all my blogs away…”.

I am shocked, blown away and proud. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’m becoming a writer…

When I nervously sent him the first three pages of my novel many months ago I expected to get it back covered in red once again. Instead his response was:

“Holy shit! This is really good! Except for the first paragraph, get rid of the first paragraph and then you will have the perfect beginning to a novel.”

I think that was the most encouraging thing anyone has ever said to me. I had warm and fuzzy goose bumps for days… I had written something that was ‘good’.

Of course along with the good comments there is constructive criticism… I still have so much to learn about writing, and NL is a diligent mentor. Writing is still a difficult process for me although not as difficult as it once was. I'm sure he gets quite frustrated with me because I'm not writing my novel as fast as he would like, but he puts up with me anyway, he perseveres, he still teaches me about writing. The literary discussions I have with NL are some of my favorite conversations I've ever had because he is sharing his talent, his craft, and his art with me and I am learning…  posted by Matildakay at 5:40 PM