"Me and McCartney" releases today

June 12, 1:47 PMFaith & Culture ExaminerDr. Bob Beltz

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            Me and McCartney available today.

It's 1968 and every kid in the world wants to meet the Beatles. One does. Join Bobby Stuart, a poor paperboy from Kansas City who might just become the King of England, on a roller coaster ride of adventure. His dad is MIA in Vietnam, he lives in a trailer with his mother, he loves the Beatles, and his life is about to take a wild turn. Along the way Bobby records at Abbey Road Studios, meets the Queen of England, becomes friends with his musical hero, Paul McCartney, and wins the heart of his high-school dream girl. Me and McCartney is a coming-of-age tale that is funny, original, and one big romp! 

Thus reads the back cover of a new novel that I highly recommend - because I wrote it!  Me and McCartney rolls off the presses and ships today.  I'm very excited.  This is my thirteenth book, and for me, that number has always been lucky - although I don't believe in luck other than the old definition that luck is "where preparation, hard work, God's grace, and opportunity intersect." 

I was struck with the idea for Me and McCartney one afternoon while I was trying to figure out a line from the movie Amazing Grace.  There is a scene toward the end of the film where the villian says something along the lines of "the Jacobites are in."  Since I worked on the film as an advisor, and even had a  credit at one point in time as an associate producer, I wondered what the line meant.  When I researched the word "Jacobite" I discovered that it was used to identify two very different historical groups.  The group alluded to in Amazing Grace was connected to the French Revolution.  The other had its origins with the end of the Stuart monarchy when the British Parliament deposed James II from the throne of England in 1688.  It seems that for over three hundred years, there has been a group who believe the British monarchy was wrongly usurped from the Stuarts, and that the real King of England is living in Bavaria.  If you read the book, you’ll get the story. While thinking about all this I had the crazy idea of creating a scenario where a poor kid from Kansas City might actually be the current heir to the Stuart claim to the throne.  The creative juices got flowing and within two days I had mapped out a wild story that included the Prince of Wales, the Beatles, Young Life,  Airstream trailers, and Kansas City as I remember it in 1968.  The underlying theme of the book, which is woven into the fabric of the story, is that God has a way of making things work out, and sometimes, the good guys really do win. 

Me and McCartney is a fast, fun, and nostalgic read that is full of faith, family, patriotism, and great musical memories.  My friend Mark Johnson helped me coin the tag line: “A story so improbable, it could actually happen.”  Ask for it at your local bookstore, or order it from this link.  I hope you really enjoy reading it, and that you will give it to all your friends as an early Christmas present (seriously!)  I’m working at getting a copy into Paul McCartney’s hands and talking with some film companies about a possible movie based on the book.  Stranger things have happened!