This novel is dedicated to
A Word from the Author:
“Hey guys. That’s me up there. The picture in the upper right hand corner—that’s me as a boy. If you choose to read ACRE UNDER A GREEN SKY, you’ll understand why I chose that particular picture. The only other picture I might have used is a publicity shot taken thirty years ago when I was a hot, young Broadway playwright—dining with movie stars, accepting awards, appearing in the New York columns and hating every minute of it. Back then, I dreamed of moving to the country and working in a hardware store. Is that ironic or what?! I could have accomplished my goals simply by staying where I started out, but I loved writing more than anything else in the world and I wanted the validation of making a living doing what I loved. Nobody warned me I might hate the business of writing.
“I started writing “Acre...” as a young man in my early twenties. I remember writing in my Bleecker Street walk-up and suddenly stopping dead with the realization that I didn’t have what it takes to write this novel. I have no idea where that realization came from. I was in every way a typical young man with grandiose ideas and no limitations I could ever acknowledge; and yet, there I was at my makeshift desk knowing I had more to learn—more to live. Every writer knows that voice. Perhaps it’s divine, I don’t know, but you’d be crazy not to listen. I walked away from it with no more than a title.
“Many, many years later after a loathsome stint with CBS-TV, I moved to the country and got a part time job at H. Houst & Son Hardware Store for the employee discount. I was renovating the house. One day, I sat down at my computer to write a letter or something totally unrelated to fiction when the book that had been brewing under the surface for years began to perk. I was writing a novel. Not a memoir. Autobiographical, perhaps, but not a memoir. Memory is far too fallible to be called fact. And we can’t help coloring every truth with our own self-serving point of view.
“I had some ambitious goals for this novel and some incredibly valuable help. I don’t want to spoil the read for you so I won’t go into detail, but one goal is stated in the first line of the novel centering around the idea of “morphing”. I also wanted to make palpable those feelings we never acknowledge until it’s too late—the lies we tell ourselves and believe as long as possible—the truths that aren’t true—the lies we know we can prove. Getting a tad esoteric here. You’ll have to judge for yourself. The book either works or it doesn’t, but it was great fun wrestling with it. There were six drafts. Two or three of those drafts were the result of work with the great editor Elisabeth Schmitz of Grove/Atlantic. Thanks to her the book leapt miles ahead of its original self. I sent her a massive lump of clay and she taught me how to sculpt.
“They wanted a formal “bio” for this site but it felt too much like I was looking for a job. Google me if you want that kind of thing. Finally; Bud Parr, the masterful creator of this site suggested something more personal. I’ve tried not to be too long-winded. Read ACRE UNDER A GREEN SKY. It says it all. And please let me know your thoughts. It’s all somehow meaningless without you.”
Here are some things people have said about Acre Under a Green Sky:
“I read ACRE UNDER A GREEN SKY and I think it’s
amazing. I think this author is quite something else
and the novel is a real page-turner. I found it
completely riveting. I loved the mystery aspect and I
also loved; absolutely loved the coming of age story.”
Beth deGuzman
Warner Books
“Zeman’s use of language and power of characterization
are impressive. I also appreciated the sparkling
detail he has injected into his description of small
town, mid-20th-century American life. My favorite
aspect, though, was his dead-on rendering of the inner
life of his young protagonist: it was incisive, funny,
and very poignant. Many of his reflections were
simply transporting.”
Elisabeth Schmitz
Grove/Atlantic
“Zeman is a very fine writer and he captures the
sensibility of this small-town boy’s perceptions with
both humor and wisdom, even as he hints at the
darkness of adulthood and maturity. Reading this
brings to mind comparisons with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
and SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. It is at once literary
and elegant.”
Shawn Coyne
Doubleday
“This is a great story and both the concept and
execution are solid.”
Tristram Coburn
Pocket Books
“ACRE UNDER A GREEN SKY is a wonderfully written and
gripping novel, and I think Jack’s conceived an
excellent plot.”
Colin Dickerman
Broomsbury
“I think Zeman has crafted a beautiful, powerful piece
of work.”
Christine Brooks
Bantam
