Almost ten years ago to the day, I published Oil and Water under the moniker P.J. Lazos. At the time, I thought I was being clever, using my initials like J.K. Rowling did, and also, hoping to attract male readers by using a distinctly not-female name. I had spoken to a marketing executive before the book came out, and she saw my using my initials instead of my name as a distinction without a difference, telling me only to “keep your name consistent” across all my work.
I heard her, I did, but at the time, I felt as though I should keep my lawyering and writing lives separate. So I went with P.J., a decision that I’ve come to regret over and over again.
Until now.
Now, I am rectifying my past regrets by reissuing Oil and Water, and soon, Six Sisters, under the name by which people call me. Will it increase sales? Perhaps. Will it bring me untold fans and followers? A higher ranking in the stats? Perhaps. At least I no longer have split personality disorder, and people will be able to find me by my name.
Thankfully, when my friend and colleague, Andy Goldman, created the original Photoshop cover — based on his own photograph of the Philadelphia skyline that artist Janice Kim rendered for me into an oil painting, and that Andy later converted back into a photo — he created two covers: one for Pam Lazos and one for P.J. Lazos.
Unfortunately, the original files are lost — although I do have Janice’s oil painting hanging in my office; thank you, again, Janice! — but because, as writers, we instinctively know when a piece of our work is not fully cooked, I still had both covers sitting on my desktop — where they’ve lived for the last ten years. The files may have been lost, but the cover was found. I just needed to know where to look.
To take advantage of the reboot, I also added chapter headings to the novel — great fun — and cleaned up some typos. (I learned the hard way that global changes are not always your friend.)
To further accentuate the positive, I created this little trailer in iMovie, something else that has been in the works for 5-Ever, but which was relegated to the back seat due to other project demands. My daughter, who works as a Production Coordinator, has already spotted a few things I need to change in the trailer. Yet, as with everything I do, this is both a labor of Love and a work in progress. Perhaps none of my works will ever really be finished.
Since the book went live on Amazon today, I’m releasing the video now. Maybe I’ll fiddle with it later. Maybe it will fall to the bottom of the pile and sit for another ten years, having given way to the other projects lining up behind this one, all clamoring for attention. The list is long. Our time on the planet is, as always, uncertain. You do what you can, when you can, as best as you can.
Speaking of the best, how fun is it that Aladin Fazel lent his creative musical self to this endeavor? I know Aladin from the blogosphere. It always amazes me how you can find such kindred spirits in the 21st century and never even meet them in person or speak with them on the phone, kind of like the old days of having a pen pal. Aladin’s score really brought the danger lurking in Oil and Water to life for me, and it’s the perfect complement to the trailer. If you want to see what else Aladin is up to, you can find him at lampmagician on WordPress. Thank you again, Aladin!
BTDubs, summer is coming, so if you haven’t read Oil and Water, head over to Amazon now. This book will not disappoint. You may find it to be the perfect beach read.
And if the type on the back of the book is too small for you to read, here is the Kirkus review of the book for you to noodle on:
Lazos (Six Sisters, 2015, etc.) mixes childhood genius, corporate corruption, and the paranormal in this science thriller.
While the oil business is a fraught enterprise, few expect any danger from that industry to follow them to American soil, much less to their own homes. The Tirabi children—Avery, Kori, Robbie, and Gil—and David “Hart” Hartos know better. Gil has a premonition that allows the kids to escape their home just before it’s burgled and bombed, while their parents are run off the road and killed. But Gil’s unusual gifts don’t end there, as his brilliant mind and connection with his father’s spirit allow him to continue work on the man’s final invention: the Thermo-Depolymerization Unit, a machine that converts any carbon-based matter into oil. Meanwhile, Hart is reeling from the deaths of his wife and unborn child and finds no relief in his engineering efforts for Akanabi Oil. Not only is his boss his late wife’s father, but a rash of oil spills only belies the real problem: oil is running out, and a global catastrophe is imminent. When Hart and Gil meet, it’s no wonder they experience a kinship and join forces to complete the TDU and unravel the mysteries of their own personal tragedies and the depths of the world of oil. It’s easy for a science thriller to get too bogged down in theory and explanations to have a real story or, conversely, to use weak technical details as a backdrop for inferior drama. Thankfully, this surprising novel deftly avoids both pitfalls. The science is compelling and balances supporting the narrative with providing relevant real-world context while the tale possesses a depth of emotion rarely seen in this genre. The two sides actually support each other. The realities of a coming oil crisis give both characters and readers something to fear, and touches like the medical and forensic perspective on Hart’s wife’s death manage to be haunting and affecting, not just clinical. Finally, the characters are a genuine delight, all with their own voices and Relationships—an especially impressive feat with four children ranging from age 11 to young adulthood.
An insightful, emotional, and deeply relevant novel about an oil industry conspiracy.
Review Posted Online,
Pick up your copy today. And if you want to support indie writers, leave me a comment on Amazon.
As always, thanks for reading.
Pam Lazos — 6.1.25
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