weberwildcat
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Lance Allred: All-Star Author
http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/allred_090106.html
January 6, 2008: Basketball fans may know Lance Allred as an NBA D-League All-Star center for the Idaho Stampede, but there is more to his life than just basketball. Allred, who received a GATORADE Call-Up to the Cavaliers last season, is getting set to publish his autobiography. The book, titled Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey To The NBA, will be released by HarperOne in May.
"It comes out in May, they have to do one more edit on it," said Allred after helping the Stampede earn a comeback victory on Tuesday. "We are sending it out to a group of book reviews right now, and then we are planning to release it."
Allred starting writing his memoirs while playing overseas, but never intended to pursue getting it published as a book. His aim was more to keep a record of his life experience for future generations. Of course, when he became the first hearing-impaired player to reach the NBA, his life's story became of interest to many people.
"When I was overseas in Europe, I was having a pretty rough time," said Allred. "So I started writing it in France as therapuetic means. I wasnt writing with the intent of getting it published, it was kind of more for posterity, since I wanted to know more about my ancestors and how they lived. So I started chronicling my life just so my kids and future generations could see what I went through. I didnt really have the intention of getting published, but when I got called up by Cleveland, Harper-Collins saw my story on NPR. It is actually funny, they wanted to get a ghostwriter to write my story, but my agent John told them, Lance is a writer, he has been writing all of his life."
Allred's original of his memoirs was a bit longer than what is ready for release, so he has experienced first-hand the editing process of a book. His story ends when he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, in the middle of his second campaign with the Stampede.
"Growing up hearing-impaired, both of my parents were schoolteachers, they always encouraged me to read and write as a form of communication, so it's always been second-nature," explains Allred. "The story ends at call-up in Cleveland, and I turned the manuscript into them and it was 800 pages. Editing has been pretty difficult."
Allred feels that his book is about more than just his basketball career, so it appeals to more than just sports fans. He has had to leave out a lot of stories about his experiences growing up, but won't rule out telling them in future projects. Don't be surprised if there are more releases from Allred, since he has so much to tell about his journey that culminated in a trip to the NBA.
"My book is more than about basketball, growing up in a polygamist colony, you have questions about ideaology and socialism," said Allred. "I have a bunch of short stories circumventing the linear plot, so we took out a lot of those stories that aren't essential to the plot. It was tough because I had to take out a lot of names and a lot of fond memories. However there are a lot of those that I can save for future works."
As an avid writer, Allred is working on other manuscripts than just his memoirs. He has two other projects in the works that stem from his love of history and English literature, which were his dual-majors in college at Weber State.
"I'm working on a Victorian satire, I was a history and English major, and I hate Jane Austen," said Allred. "I've had so many teachers and professors think they were the first to introduce me to this gem call Pride and Prejudice. I'm more of a Charles Dickens type, so I have a satire, I take a lot of social statements from today and from the past. I'm also working on a historical fiction about a Teutonic night from the 14th century. The tough thing about that, me being the nit-picky historian that I am, you just want to have all the proper details."
Allred feels that his day job as a pro basketball player actually helps him with his writing. The long road trips and downtime of an NBA D-League player give Allred plenty of chances to work on his devotion to writing. When he isn't on the court with the Stampede, where he is averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, Allred is always putting words to paper.
"Some guys play video games, some guys go clubbing, I just like to stay at home and write," said Allred. "People say where do you get the time, it actually meshes with this lifestyle. There's a lot of down time, so I get a lot of chances to write."
Now with the book's release only a few months away, Allred is gearing up to do promotion. He will be doing some television appearances and also has enlisted the help of some figures in the sports world who were drawn to the story of his life.
They actually have me planned for some tv shows, a few book tours, we have Kenny Mayne writing the forward and Mr. D. Vitale has a quote on the cover, and Lance Armstrong is also on board, said Allred. "My agent has done a good job with it, and we are pretty excited about it."
On the court, Allred is still working hard to return to the NBA. He missed out on the Stampede's NBA D-League title last season, but if there was any reason to miss out on the celebration, it was because he was in the NBA as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"You wish you were there, but at the same time, it was great to be in the NBA," said Allred. "They (the Stampede) actually gave me a championship ring. I was just hoping the Cavaliers won the title to last year, because winning a D-League and NBA title in the same season is a record that would never be matched."
http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/allred_090106.html
January 6, 2008: Basketball fans may know Lance Allred as an NBA D-League All-Star center for the Idaho Stampede, but there is more to his life than just basketball. Allred, who received a GATORADE Call-Up to the Cavaliers last season, is getting set to publish his autobiography. The book, titled Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey To The NBA, will be released by HarperOne in May.
"It comes out in May, they have to do one more edit on it," said Allred after helping the Stampede earn a comeback victory on Tuesday. "We are sending it out to a group of book reviews right now, and then we are planning to release it."
Allred starting writing his memoirs while playing overseas, but never intended to pursue getting it published as a book. His aim was more to keep a record of his life experience for future generations. Of course, when he became the first hearing-impaired player to reach the NBA, his life's story became of interest to many people.
"When I was overseas in Europe, I was having a pretty rough time," said Allred. "So I started writing it in France as therapuetic means. I wasnt writing with the intent of getting it published, it was kind of more for posterity, since I wanted to know more about my ancestors and how they lived. So I started chronicling my life just so my kids and future generations could see what I went through. I didnt really have the intention of getting published, but when I got called up by Cleveland, Harper-Collins saw my story on NPR. It is actually funny, they wanted to get a ghostwriter to write my story, but my agent John told them, Lance is a writer, he has been writing all of his life."
Allred's original of his memoirs was a bit longer than what is ready for release, so he has experienced first-hand the editing process of a book. His story ends when he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, in the middle of his second campaign with the Stampede.
"Growing up hearing-impaired, both of my parents were schoolteachers, they always encouraged me to read and write as a form of communication, so it's always been second-nature," explains Allred. "The story ends at call-up in Cleveland, and I turned the manuscript into them and it was 800 pages. Editing has been pretty difficult."
Allred feels that his book is about more than just his basketball career, so it appeals to more than just sports fans. He has had to leave out a lot of stories about his experiences growing up, but won't rule out telling them in future projects. Don't be surprised if there are more releases from Allred, since he has so much to tell about his journey that culminated in a trip to the NBA.
"My book is more than about basketball, growing up in a polygamist colony, you have questions about ideaology and socialism," said Allred. "I have a bunch of short stories circumventing the linear plot, so we took out a lot of those stories that aren't essential to the plot. It was tough because I had to take out a lot of names and a lot of fond memories. However there are a lot of those that I can save for future works."
As an avid writer, Allred is working on other manuscripts than just his memoirs. He has two other projects in the works that stem from his love of history and English literature, which were his dual-majors in college at Weber State.
"I'm working on a Victorian satire, I was a history and English major, and I hate Jane Austen," said Allred. "I've had so many teachers and professors think they were the first to introduce me to this gem call Pride and Prejudice. I'm more of a Charles Dickens type, so I have a satire, I take a lot of social statements from today and from the past. I'm also working on a historical fiction about a Teutonic night from the 14th century. The tough thing about that, me being the nit-picky historian that I am, you just want to have all the proper details."
Allred feels that his day job as a pro basketball player actually helps him with his writing. The long road trips and downtime of an NBA D-League player give Allred plenty of chances to work on his devotion to writing. When he isn't on the court with the Stampede, where he is averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, Allred is always putting words to paper.
"Some guys play video games, some guys go clubbing, I just like to stay at home and write," said Allred. "People say where do you get the time, it actually meshes with this lifestyle. There's a lot of down time, so I get a lot of chances to write."
Now with the book's release only a few months away, Allred is gearing up to do promotion. He will be doing some television appearances and also has enlisted the help of some figures in the sports world who were drawn to the story of his life.
They actually have me planned for some tv shows, a few book tours, we have Kenny Mayne writing the forward and Mr. D. Vitale has a quote on the cover, and Lance Armstrong is also on board, said Allred. "My agent has done a good job with it, and we are pretty excited about it."
On the court, Allred is still working hard to return to the NBA. He missed out on the Stampede's NBA D-League title last season, but if there was any reason to miss out on the celebration, it was because he was in the NBA as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"You wish you were there, but at the same time, it was great to be in the NBA," said Allred. "They (the Stampede) actually gave me a championship ring. I was just hoping the Cavaliers won the title to last year, because winning a D-League and NBA title in the same season is a record that would never be matched."
