Gypsies Stole My Tequila [Paperback]

Adrienne Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2007

Adrienne Jones is wonderful new voice in humorous speculative fiction. This time out the author of the critically acclaimed The Hoax, offers up a often hilarious, yet always poignant look at coming to terms with growing older. Under Jones' masterful storytelling, Joe Blood jumps off the page as he struggles against the demons of his own past, while confronting the stubbornness and arrogance of youth in the form of an unfocused, wanna-be rock band. Oh yeah, plus some punk gypsies and meat market full of animal costumed employees. This is a story that simply comes more and more to life with each turn of the page.

Like most people on the cusp of turning 40, former punk rock star Joe Blood is wrestling with the demons of his past. Unfortunately, one of them is living in his wall.

Determined to hold him to a suicide pact made twenty years before, Joe's Time Demon starts the countdown on the last weeks of his life, calling for death on his 40th birthday. Washed up and defeated, the downtrodden has-been is willing to accept this fate. Until a final test presents itself, challenging Joe Blood to save his own life by becoming the one thing he despises...himself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Adrienne Jones is my pick for 'young writer most likely to make it big.' She consistently tells good stories in well crafted ways. Gypsies Stole My Tequila is one of her best. It's perfectly crafted, wryly funny, and bang-on relevant. If you don t already know Adrienne's work, this is a great place to start. If you have read her before, curl up, settle back and experience the pleasure yet again." --Gary K. Wolf, Creator of Roger Rabbit

"Adrienne Jones is as pointed as the devil's pitchfork, and Gypsies Stole My Tequila proves that the heart of rock and roll is still bleeding. One of the funniest writers alive." --Scott Nicholson, author of They Hunger

"Adrienne Jones is an exciting and creative author. This is by far a shining piece that should garner a lot of attention. Not only is it unique, but the tie in with the title and other elements make for superb storytelling that seems almost extinct in novellas today." --Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Adrienne Jones is a speculative fiction and humor writer best known for her novel The Hoax, and the surreal dark fantasy novella, Temple of Cod. She continues to walk the tightrope between genre lines, blindfolded without a net while balancing a jug of napalm on her head. Adrienne lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Bedlam Press/Necro Publications (December 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889186732
• ISBN-13: 978-1889186733
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,794,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Adrienne Jones writes fast paced, paranormal mysteries with memorable characters, often with a dose of humor. Her website http://www.adriennejones.net/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, fun, quick read, March 1, 2011

By 

Sally Sourpants - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gypsies Stole My Tequila (Paperback)

While there's nothing earth-shatteringly original here, this is a very well-written, clever, sometimes quite funny novella about an aging rock star and his struggles with mortality and getting older. I read it in a couple hours and was hooked all the way through. Adrienne is a joy to read and I look forward to her next full-length novel, whenever it may happen.

4.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the author's style, January 26, 2008

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gypsies Stole My Tequila (Paperback)

Joe Blood, former frontman of the famous late '70s punk band Blood Blister (you remember them, right?) is -- horror of horrors! -- about to turn 40. However this birthday promises to be very different from the others. Seventeen years ago, Joe and his bandmates Vin and Deke made a blood pact to kill themselves once they reached that age, and a cigar-smoking "time beast" has planted itself in Joe's kitchen calendar to make sure they keep their promise.

Still trying to live his life like it's the '70s, Joe dresses and acts the part of a punk has-been, even though his day job consists of working at a butcher shop (dressed like a cow), and his sole form of transport, a scooter he calls Road Bastard, is robbed daily by preteens who think he is a joke.

But Gypsies Stole My Tequila (which was originally published in the first Amityville House of Pancakes anthology) is not just about the sad life of an aging rock star. Adrienne Jones's comic novella is also about second chances. Joe's second chance comes in the form of Vin's son Max and his bandmates Pez and Shane. They have talent; they just need the guidance of someone with a musical vision. And Vin is convinced that the person they need is Joe.

What follows is bound to be familiar to most readers, but it is rendered no less effective for its conventionality. Hell, the ending is practically sentimental, which makes it by far the most traditional work I've read from this normally outré author. Other than its somewhat orthodox base, however, the only real weak point of Gypsies Stole My Tequila is the time beast itself -- the catalyst of the entire plot -- who, regardless, never comes across as believable or even necessary.

Jones's voice is so unique, however, and she makes the character of Joe so unforgettable, that everything comes across as completely original. In fact, written by just about anyone else, Gypsies Stole My Tequila would be practically groundbreaking, but coming from the author of truly off-the-wall books like The Hoax and Temple of Cod, it can't help but be mildly disappointing. That said, it's still a great introduction for those unfamiliar with Jones's style and hopefully will lead readers to seek out her more exceptional works.

5.0 out of 5 stars gypsies Stole my attention, December 14, 2007

By 

Octavio R. Gomes (providence, RI usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gypsies Stole My Tequila (Paperback)

This book was completely amazing. I was so into that nothing other then the book existed. It mixed alot of topics close to my heart.. and blended them so nicely.each turn of the page I was craving more. And I was never let down. It satisfied my hunger. Thank you Adrienne you rock my socks!