don't call me madam
the life and work of ray bourbon
The
Autobiography:
About the Manuscript
Near
the end of his life, as Ray Bourbon waited in prison serving a life sentence,
he worked for hours each day on his autobiography. His lawyer recalled
purchasing a small manual typewriter for Ray to work on the manuscript.
Unfortunately, Ray passed away before the manuscript could be completed.
But, around 300 pages survive, covering his experiences growing up in
Texas, attending school in England, and his career in film and nightclubs.
The manuscript is like a series of short stories, each looking at the
many people and characters -- famous and not so famous -- that Ray encountered
throughout his life.
The manuscript was accompanied by letters and other documents attesting
to the fact that it was written by Ray and explaining the circumstances
under which it was written. The manuscript owner also provided a recorded
interview with Ray's lawyer on various aspects of Ray's murder trial.
In Spring 2001, I contracted with the owner of the manuscript to edit
it for publication. A working outline of the
list of chapters is available here.
We were unable to find a publisher for the manuscript during the period
of my contract with the manuscript owner. If you are interested in use
of the manuscript for publication, film or stage rights, please send
me an email and I'll get you in touch with the manuscript owner.
3.16.07/rand@coolcatdaddy.com