I had hoped the customary disclaimer in the front of The Dam Committee might settle the
matter, once and for all:
This is a work of
fiction. The people, places, and events are all made up. Anyone who thinks
otherwise, even for a minute, needs to lighten up.
Plain as day.
But no, despite these assurances, the natives are cavorting
around, trying to give real names to invented people and places. The book’s postmaster
is a right-winger who broadcasts Rush Limbaugh in the post office lobby. The
Belgrade Lakes postmaster somehow thinks I’ve written about him, and now he’s
taking more time than usual to put up my mail. A man accosted me in front of
Days Store last week, telling me I shouldn’t be making fun of tourists, and
that very night I got a call from a woman in town who said it wasn’t nice to
make fun of the locals. (I assured them
both that I did not discriminate.) I may have to board up my windows.
Go judge for yourself. The book is available in some
bookstores (more if you will press them) and from Amazon and Barnes &
Noble, and from the publisher, North Country Press http://www.northcountrypress.com
To read more about the book, go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Earl-Smith/103733689737552?sk=wall