WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD AROUND ELVIS . . .

WHAT’D THEY SAY . . .

“AROUND ELVIS explores the powerful spiritual bond ELVIS and Memphis forged; each had seen some hard times and suffered from impoverished conditions, but discovered the strength to overcome and rise to glory through the love of music and the worship of God.” —Larry Geller; Author of the novels: If I Can Dream; ELVIS’ Search for God, and Gellercare.

“AROUND ELVIS captures the essence of ELVIS PRESLEY. He went a long way in his life, but his heart and soul stayed down-home; he reached billions of people around the world, and was always down-to-earth; he was the most talented and beloved entertainer that ever lived and he humbly thanked God for choosing him to fulfill this important role in life.” —Gary Loyd; Cousin Harold’s son.

“AROUND ELVIS is the first novel written about ELVIS that will be embraced by the literary world as well as the fans since Priscilla wrote ELVIS and ME.” —Vivica Tetrault; Vivica’s Views.

“Reading AROUND ELVIS gave us a deeper appreciation of the rich musical tradition that we’re keeping alive every time we Rockabilly ‘The house that ELVIS built’ down to the ground as a tribute to the raucous spirit of The Hillbilly Cat & The Blue Moon Boys.” —Brad, Joe & Ron- The Dempseys; house band at ELVIS PRESLEY’S Memphis on Beale Street.

“After touching so many ELVIS fans over the years with his tender, commemorative poetry and moving tribute songs, Thorne brings his boundless literary talent and his undying love for ELVIS to every page of AROUND ELVIS.” —Sherry Wallace; President of the ELVIS Always On Our Minds Fan Club of Serepta, LA.

“AROUND ELVIS tells the story of Whitehaven where my brothers, the 'KING OF ROCK & ROLL' and the 'Kings of High School Football,' reigned supreme and made us proud.” —David Stanley; stepbrother of ELVIS PRESLEY and Delta Pi Omega fraternity brother of Steve Blackwelder, as well as other members of the Hillcrest High School football team. ”

“AROUND ELVIS allows the reader to travel down the gravel roads and touch the green, green grass of ELVIS’ hometown; God, music and football was a big part of our world . . . and so was ELVIS.” —Will Bardahl; ELVIS’ buddy and President of ELVIS’ Worldwide Fan Club of Southaven, MS.

“AROUND ELVIS glorifies the legends and the laborers that made music the leading industry of this hardscrabble, ramshackle, cotton-picking, mule-trading, old river port city.” —Bubba Feathers, featured artist at Hernando’s Hideaway and the son of Rockabilly pioneer Charlie Feathers.

“AROUND ELVIS is a novel steeped in Americana; as down-home as it is highbrow. Thorne Peters employs an innovative concept of journalistic prose by inserting his artistic vision and insights into the witness to create a third person’s first person account that is wise and colorful.” —David Kane; Reviewpoint

“Reading AROUND ELVIS is like taking a tour of Memphis through ELVIS’ eyes and seeing the sights like never before.” —Mitzi Pruette; President of the Through ELVIS’ Eyes Fan Club of Southaven, MS.

“AROUND ELVIS is the most socially relevant story ever told about the life and times of ELVIS PRESLEY.” —Jon Lindquist; Program Director of KLAV 1230 AM Las Vegas.

“For one moment in time we were bigger than ELVIS here in Memphis,” declares Hillcrest Viking co-Captain Steve Blackwelder. “Of course he was still more popular than we were everywhere else and ever since then . . .” “I knew Steve for years before he mentioned that he was a High School football star,” relates Fan Club President and author Thorne Peters. “He pulled out his yearbooks and scrapbooks, and all at once I realized that he had played for the high school that the Stanley Brothers had attended. Steve went on about his friendship with ELVIS’ stepbrothers, his association with the Memphis Mafia, as well as his occasional contact with ELVIS himself at Graceland and how later, when he was the Bell Captain at the Travel Lodge, ELVIS would call him up and say, ‘Take care of my folks, 22.’ ” The more Blackwelder told of the time and place of these happenings, the more Peters saw the big picture and was inspired to tell the story he knew ELVIS World was waiting to hear. “ELVIS was a big part of the scene in his neighborhood and in his era; AROUND ELVIS tells the whole story. The more you humanize ELVIS, the more epic he becomes.”

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