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Amarillo In August: An Author's Life on the Road
Through constant touring, author Jonathan Miller sold out the hard cover edition of his novel, Rattlesnake Lawyer, and made it a cult classic. This is the story of his book tour, which ran from Houston, to Hollywood, to Hiroshima. On the tour, Miller encountered many highly unusual people, including a mysterious woman known only as the Mexican Geisha. Highly comic and entertaining, it's a must read for those interested in writing, the book industry, or life on the road.
108 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2004
2 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Miller
15 books9 followersJonathan Miller is often called the "Rattlesnake Lawyer" because of his first novel. He is also a criminal defense attorney who travels all around New Mexico in his rattlesnake cowboy boots. Jonathan is a graduate of Cornell, University of Colorado Law School, and the American Film Institute. He wrote for the syndicated TV show Arrest and Trial and has four other published books: Crater County, Amarillo in August, Volcano Verdict and La Bajada Lawyer. He is single and lives in Albuquerque.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 10, 2021
Jonathan Miller is something of a local legend in the New Mexico legal community, the lawyer with a promising side gig as a writer. Having never read any of his books I picked this one to start off with.
In hindsight I probably should have started with “Rattlesnake Lawyer”.
Amarillo in August is a biography of Miller the author trying to juggle a legal career with his dreams of becoming a writer. What is clear in the pages is that Miller is a solid writer. The problem was, these stories of him selling books out of his car or trying to make it in show business in Hollywood ultimately were not all that interesting. The characters he encountered were colorful, but not that colorful. And in most instances we the reader were left wanting. The mysterious Spanish speaking Chinese college girl with two burly bodyguards seemed to be the start of an amazing tale, but it fell flat when we discover that all she wanted was someone to proofread her story. The mysterious Mexican woman and her boyfriend who seemed way to eager to get Miller to cross the border seemed like an amazing start to an adventure. But Miller declined the invitation and the story just…ended. Sadly most of these stories started to feel like a guy at a local bar just rambling about something mildly interesting that happened to him this one time. You listen politely, and the stories aren’t without some entertainment value. But in the end the tale is not worth the buildup.
Still, as mentioned Miller did show that he possesses some legitimate skill as a writer in this short book. I can’t help but feel like his works of fiction will prove a lot more entertaining than this particular book and I look forward to checking them out in the near future.
In hindsight I probably should have started with “Rattlesnake Lawyer”.
Amarillo in August is a biography of Miller the author trying to juggle a legal career with his dreams of becoming a writer. What is clear in the pages is that Miller is a solid writer. The problem was, these stories of him selling books out of his car or trying to make it in show business in Hollywood ultimately were not all that interesting. The characters he encountered were colorful, but not that colorful. And in most instances we the reader were left wanting. The mysterious Spanish speaking Chinese college girl with two burly bodyguards seemed to be the start of an amazing tale, but it fell flat when we discover that all she wanted was someone to proofread her story. The mysterious Mexican woman and her boyfriend who seemed way to eager to get Miller to cross the border seemed like an amazing start to an adventure. But Miller declined the invitation and the story just…ended. Sadly most of these stories started to feel like a guy at a local bar just rambling about something mildly interesting that happened to him this one time. You listen politely, and the stories aren’t without some entertainment value. But in the end the tale is not worth the buildup.
Still, as mentioned Miller did show that he possesses some legitimate skill as a writer in this short book. I can’t help but feel like his works of fiction will prove a lot more entertaining than this particular book and I look forward to checking them out in the near future.
August 26, 2011
Life on the road is not all it is cracked up to be for aspiring author Jon Miller. He finds out a lot about himself and human nature as he travels promoting his first novel rattlesnake lawyer in the southwest. Jon brings a note of humanity and humor to his misadventures, as we discover just how lonely a guy can get.
February 12, 2008
Very funny insights from Jonathan Miller.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews