A troubled man looks away as he holds his Fender Telecaster close to his leather jacket with rolled up sleeves.
The image is a common one in the rock star world: A shredding lead guitarist posing for a book cover that will tell about his life's journey as a member of the rich and famous.
Careful though, one must remember not to judge a book by its cover.
Thomas Hauck, a Gloucester resident, has a new novel, "Pistonhead," that tells the unfamiliar story of a guy living in Boston, playing guitar in a rock band and keeping a day job to pay the bills. Hauck drew from his own experiences as a guitarist in two Boston-based bands — Ball and Pivot, and The Atlantics — during the 1980s.
"There's no limousines, there's no groupies; the story is quite different," Hauck said. "It's a story I know something about, from my own background, and I wanted to provide readers with an alternative to the typical rock star nonfiction, where the story lines tend to be similar.
"The genre is kind of defined by these established rock stars," he said. "There's really nothing of the story about the thousands of artists and writers and actors who struggle day to day, still have day jobs, are not successful, and are at the bottom of the heap. Those aren't told very often."
Hauck spent 15 years as a musician and songwriter after graduating from Tufts University and also worked as an actor on stage and in various independent films and television programs. So, with his experience, why a novel and not a memoir?
"I'm not famous," he said with a laugh. "A memoir by Tom Hauck might sell three copies, while a novel by Tom Hauck might sell 10 copies, so I'm ahead of the game."
Now, Hauck is a professional freelance writer and the editor of Renaissance Magazine, which is published every other month to detail the happenings of area Renaissance fairs. He earned a master's degree from Endicott College in 2004, around the time he started writing the book. He worked on it on and off for years before he finally self-published it this spring.
"I submitted a manuscript to various agents and publishers and was rejected, but I came to the conclusion that in the publishing industry, there's no market for this book," Hauck said.
He might be on to something; 2008 was the first year where there were more books created and self-published than books released by publishing companies, according to Hauck.
"The publishing industry is moving more and more towards self-publishing," he said. "You don't need a publisher anymore, you don't need a big company. I have control, I can do everything myself. It's my product and I'm happy with it."
The story is about a week in the life of Charlie Sinclair as he juggles his day job as a factory worker and his night job as a guitarist. He deals with the heavy drug use of a band mate and a poor living situation, and finally comes upon a tragedy that forces him into a life-changing decision.
"I think 'Pistonhead' is very succinct and doesn't waste your time and doesn't bore you," Hauck said. "I spent the last couple years refining it and cutting out some stuff. There's no filler."
Don't expect "Pistonhead" to be the end of Hauck's literary work either. He's already finished a book of short stories and poems that is going to come out later this summer, a horror novel about a vampire evangelist and a spy novel about a secret agent who does battle with an international crime ring — sort of like an American James Bond, he said.
All of those are "in the can," he said, waiting for the right time to be published through Hauck's own service, Something.Hot Communications in Gloucester.
In the meantime, he said he's happy to see "Pistonhead" out there, even if it doesn't make a splash on the New York Times' best-seller list.
"I have zero expectations," he said. "I put it out there, I promote it as best I can and I'm happy to do that, but I'm not doing it for the money.
"Whatever happens, happens," he said. "If five years from now or 10 years from now, the book still has people buying it now and then, then I'll feel like I have succeeded."
Cameron Kittle can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com
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