FAQ'S
1. How can I book you for a book club visit, either in person or virtually?
I would be happy to talk with you about speaking to your book club. It would be an honor. There would be no charge for a virtual visit. If I have to travel somewhere, we can negotiate expense reimbursement. Depending on how far I have to travel, there might be a speaker's fee. Get in touch with me at stricklindavid25@gmail.com. Remember: My last name ends in -lin! Many have misspelled it!
2. How can I book you to speak at a school?
Get in touch with me at stricklindavid25@gmail.com. Remember: My last name ends in -lin! We can talk about travel expenses, if applicable, and a speaker's fee. I taught for many years and am always happy to connect with students and faculty members.
3. How can I arrange for you to speak at an event?
I have spoken to numerous library audiences, civic groups, and conferences over the years, and I especially enjoy connecting with general audiences. Get in touch with me at stricklindavid25@gmail.com. Be sure to remember that my last name ends in -lin! I won't even mention that other spelling!
4. How can reporters and producers contact you?
I'm happy to do print, podcast, or broadcast interviews. Reporters and producers are welcome to get in touch with me at stricklindavid25@gmail.com. Be sure to remember that my last name ends in -lin! You wouldn't be the first to misspell Stricklin, and you wouldn't be the last. But it will be sad if I never hear from you!
5. Why did you decide to write this book?
As I mentioned in the acknowledgements in the book, I have told many of the stories in Brother Al Stricklin Now for decades, and often over the years people have told me I should write them down and put them in a book. My dad wrote a book of his own called My Years with Bob Wills, which told about his first time with the band, from 1935 to 1942. As great as that was, it didn't go into his later life and music, the struggles he faced after World War II, and the wonderful musicians he worked with in the last decades of his life, especially when the original band members got back together after Bob's death in 1975. I finally decided I should write this book after a lunch conversation in Little Rock, when a friend named Raymond Abramson got me together with veteran Arkansas journalist and newspaper columnist John Brummett. Judge Abramson had heard me tell some of the stories about my dad and thought Brummett would get a kick out of hearing some of them. The Texas Playboys were very popular in Arkansas when they were based in Tulsa before the war and played a lot in western Arkansas. And, of course, many fans in the state listened to their hugely popular radio broadcasts. My lunch companions knew all of this very well. After I told some of my Bob Wills/Texas Playboys/Al Stricklin stories, and we talked for an hour and a half or so, the judge said, "You ought to write a book about all of this." I said, "You're the 500th person who's told me that," to which Brummett added, "Well put me down as 501. I think you ought to do it." So I did.