Signed, Sealed, Delivered, It’s Yours!

Loco — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:31:31 +0000

***This is a special Love Day offer for you guys and gals living here in Japan!***

Are you interested in getting your physical hands on a physical autographed copy of the critically acclaimed book, Hi! My Name Is Loco and I am a Racist?

That’s Right! Signed, sealed and delivered to your front door…

Sure, you are!

Well, for the first 50 people who respond to this post you’ll get just that!

Just send me an email to: locohama7@gmail.com to reserve your copy!

The cost: ¥1500 (plus shipping and handling) Roughly, ¥2000!!

You make out much better than with Amazon, PLUS you get the author’s autograph! Who knows? It might be worth something someday (-;

PS: And, oh yeah, do me a favor and send me a pic of yourself holding the book and smiling like you’ve hit the lottery!

Loco

It’s real! It’s Realer Than Real!!

Loco — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:23:13 +0000

First, a little De La to set the mood!

It’s real, it’s realer than real…

It’s not a rumor, y’all! Dreams DO come true! Just do your part, and stay the course…the Creator”ll give you a hand when you need it (-;

Don’t know what else to say…except this:

The Paper version’s coming soon!!

Stay Tuned!

Loco

PS: Damn, 392 pages is thicker than I thought…(-;

PPS:My critically acclaimed first book: Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist! (is now available in both Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook online!) and as you can see above will soon be available in print!

This book is more than a “Japan” book. MUCH, much more! Don’t take my word for it. LET READERS TELL YOU: See what they’ve said here on Amazon

For more info, check out the book’s webpage here: www.himynameisloco.com

Wanna Read “Hi! My name is Loco -The not-so Lost Chapters”?

Loco — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:21:24 +0000

Like any creative work, there are always some things that don’t make the final cut for whatever reason.

In the case of Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist! there were several worthy chapters that missed the cut due to time and length constraints.

For those of you who have read and enjoyed the book, and would like a chance to sink your teeth into some of these missing selections (that btw I’m very proud of and regret not being able to include in the final version) then this offer is for you!

And it’s so easy!

For each person you persuade through strong recommendation and endorsement to buy the book I’ll make one of these scintillating chapters available to you!

By no means should this be done at gunpoint…after all, you are a satisfied reader, right? And this was something you were going to do anyway, right?

Just tell your recruit to holler at me on Twitter (@Hi_MyNameisLoco or @Locohama) or Facebook (@Hi! My name is Loco) using the hash-tag #himynameisloco, or in the comment section below with proof that they’ve bought the book on the strength of your personal kuchikomi recommendation, and by midnight on February 19th 2012, you’ll be one of the elite readers with a copy of the Not-So Lost Chapters from my highly acclaimed book.

It’s that simple!

“Here’s an excerpt from one of these chapters just to wet your whistle:

After University, there was an event in the US that polarized, racially, the entire country…virtually no one was excluded. No one was immune.

At the time I was an account executive, a salesman, working in corporate America at a respectable company receiving, after commissions and bonuses, respectable compensation. I was content.

The company was actually pretty diverse comparatively, and the Sales department reflected this diversity. I had co-workers from several minority groups, (Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc…) and the whites were descendants from a number of ethnic groups, as well (Italians, Jewish, Irish, etc…) And, like my experience in the Army, we were all thrown together and expected to get along. Once again it was in the name of the only color that really mattered: green. But, not OD Green. This time around it was Benjamin Franklin Green, the almighty dollar. And, aside from a few minor bumps along the way, we did just that!

We were a happy group of Yuppies, Buppies and what have yous. Since the commissions were based on the group effort, we all bust our asses. Slacking was seriously frowned upon. No one wanted to be the guy or gal bringing up the rear. We’d play basketball together, go drinking together; one of my best friends, til this day, actually sat right beside me.

Life was good.

That is, until this event…

It was June, 17th 1994…I was watching my home team, the Knicks, battling it out against Olajuwan (perhaps the greatest center ever) and the Houston Rockets, game 5 of the NBA Finals, and man was I pissed when breaking news interrupted the game. I can’t even remember if I’ve even seen the end of the game to this day, because this event — for reasons that would become clearer as time went on — rocked the world!

Watching that white Ford Bronco cruising along the highway in a low speed chase, police in cold pursuit, all I could think was: this fucker is guilty just for pulling this shit during the game!

Little did I know at the time, that half of America was watching this same scene at that same moment…like it was the Space shuttle Columbia disaster or Bush’s televised Shock & Awe assault on Iraq. Nor did I know how the events that took place afterward would impact my comfy little diversified workplace, and the entire country, bringing out the ugly little racism that dwells in all of us!

: Click here to see what readers like you are saying!

Is your whistle wet? Wanna read more? Well, go ahead and do what you’d probably been planning to do already and tell a friend to buy the book! Click here!

This is just a little extra incentive…

yours,

LOCO

PS: If you haven’t read the book yet, no need to feel left out. Go ahead and get yourself a copy! Readers say it’s a page-turner they couldn’t put down (see link on left to read reviews), so there’s an excellent chance you’ll finish in plenty of time to participate.

Thank you to all of the readers who have been saying such wonderful things about my labor of love!

Loco on Bad Communication discussing “Hi! My Name is Loco…”

Loco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:15:06 +0000

The Only Critics You Can Really Trust Have Spoken!

Loco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:19:25 +0000

Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist is currently:

#1 in Books > Travel > Asia > Japan
#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Travel > Asia > Japan

Get your copy today and find out why!
Need some more reasons to part with a few bucks for a few hours of thought-provoking edu-tainment? Check out the reviews below from Amazon confirmed purchasers!

The Best Read I’ve Had In Years
I was genuinely caught off guard by this book in so many ways. I didn’t hope to laugh as much as I ended up doing, but I never expected to cry. The book blew me away on three different levels.

The first is that Loco completely succeeds at drawing you slowly into his world, talking to me about things I thought I knew about or was familiar with, but learning I was not. Showing me a whole different life experience through his own eyes.

The second thing that got me about the book was Loco’s writing style. His narrative is fluorescently vivid. Some of his turns of phrase and sentences really made me actually wish I could stop and mark the page. So many quotables, and so many brilliantly and succinctly put insights. I sincerely hope that this book makes it into print for that alone.

The third thing about the book is the structure of the book – I’ve read his blog before and found it a bit jarring to go straight into, as indeed, I think jumping straight to the third or fourth chapter of this book would be. But the narrative is set up so well, and you are eased into it, and then led through a dance between sadness and joy, geographies and timescales, each contrasting and complementing the last before finally and gently returning the reader to the motif used in the beginning of the empty train seat, and the thought piece at the end.

I expected to read a really long blog about Japan made into a book. I got the best damn read I’ve had in the last 10 years by a man who has proven to me beyond any doubt that he is a uniquely talented writer, who I hope gets this into print, and writes much more.

Peace

A Very Talented Writer
Unlike other expat narratives I’ve come across that usually have the same stories of “wacky Japan”, “Japanese people are funny”, etc., Loco’s book remains focused and paints an excellent picture of his life in New York and Yokohama. The train is probably the perfect place to start when one looks at behavior and racism in Japanese society; for example, the time I felt the most Japanese (fitting in, anyway) was when I was literally pushed into a car heading back to Hiroshima and everyone was in the same state of discomfort. Loco expands on what I only had a taste of, as a white-faced foreigner spending most of his time in the inaka (countryside). A great look at an aspect of this culture few are willing to write about.

So Much More Than Expected
I was only a casual reader of Loco’s blog but I found his observations on
Japan, and the experiences he had living here, truly fascinating, if a
little depressing at times. When I saw the book and the cover / title, I
purchased it asap and devoured it in a night. I must say, I was truly
impressed by what I read. I was expecting mostly humorous rants about life
in Japan akin to some of the things I saw in the blog but I was truly
stunned at the depth that he went into and the honest look at his own
innermost thoughts; dark though they may be at times.

It’s a rare thing these days to discuss racism so openly and to really hold
our feelings up to the light of day and take a good, hard look at them.
Makes me know that I’m not really that crazy after all for harbouring
similar thoughts and feelings from time to time as well. Of course simple
logic and reason shows them to be completely irrational but it’s refreshing
to hear someone acknowledge that, regardless of the relationships and
experiences we have in life, the feelings often remain and should definitely
be confronted whenever they threaten to spill out.

Thanks to the author for sharing such an excellent and deeply personal tale with all of
us. I would definitely be recommending this to anyone interested in life in Japan and especially
to people interested in looking racism square in the face.

The Empty Seat Is A Gift,

I can honestly say that Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist is the most compelling and engrossing title I’ve encountered in a long time. This is the book which inspires me to look deep inside, and ask the very important question: Who am I, and who do I want to be?

It’s a moving story of personal growth, from a man with a very interesting background, which has a great deal of insight concerning the specter of racism. It hides in plain sight, infecting even good people — likely including the individual in the mirror — who often have absolutely no idea of the baggage they carry. Dispelling it involves recognizing this influence, not necessarily a straightforward task, and coming to terms with the ramifications.

It’s hard not to see an echo of oneself in various parts of the narrative, even as you laugh and cry wholeheartedly along the journey.

Shine On, Loco
“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

What I love most about this book is that Loco doesn’t position himself as some kind of expert on race relations or activist, he simply tells his story, leading by example, and the effect of his sometimes self-effacing condor is just as powerful as if he were some kind of sociologist or anthropologist with a string of letters after his name, arguably more so.

Loco wears his heart on his sleeve, so much so that I found myself crying on the train, trying to secretly wipe my tears away before anyone saw. He doesn’t hold anything back.

Loco’s mission is simply to make us aware — aware of our motivations, aware of what’s going on around us, aware of “the elephant in the room”, as he puts it. By following his soul-searching journey I think we can all learn how to shake off apathy, face and maybe even triumph over the hidden darkness within.

Like A Slap In The Face, My Eyes Opened
Hard hitting from the get go Loco holds nothing back. Brutally honest with his feelings and situations he tells his story the way we harshly talk to our inner selves. His journey to a self-realization is a story ALL of us can learn from. Loco shows us first the darkness that we all make for ourselves. The boundaries we grow up with. And then shows us the person we can be. Or rather we should become. And like the title of my review, “Like a slap in the face, my eyes opened. . .”

(For more info on the above reviews, click here)

So, there you have it! The Only critics you can really trust–The Readers– have spoken, and spoken with vigor! Hi! My Name Is Loco and I Am A Racist is truly a happening! And, it’s happening now!

Unlike the big publishers, us Indie Publishers rarely have flashy paid endorsements, TV ads and publicity machines running day and night, often for books that don’t come anywhere near justifying the trees that died for its flash.

All you’ve seen and heard about this book so far has been powered by sheer determination, word of mouth and the testimonials of real readers like YOU, moved by the power and passion of the work itself!

This is a book that respects the reader, a book worthy of an investment of your time and hard-earned bucks! So, do your mind and soul a huge favor, and cop yourself a copy today!

Thank You!

Loco

PS: And, once you’re done, if you feel like the real readers above feel, then do like they did and pass it forward! Tell your friends, family, neighbors, the people in your various networks and anyone else who respects your opinion, about this book!

They’ll thank you, too!

The highly acclaimed first book by Baye McNeil (a.k.a. Loco of Loco in Yokohama) is available from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble online!

The Kindle version of this controversial new book is available from anywhere in the world at Amazon.com. Just follow this link: Kindle Version. You don’t even need to buy a Kindle. Just go to the order page and download (for FREE) a Kindle Reader for your Mac, PC or smart phone.

Hi! My name is Loco… is also available on Barnes and Nobles’ Nook: Click here to download the Nook version. If you need a Nook Reader for you PC, Mac or Smartphone, you can click here to download a Nook App, also for FREE!

White Boy Chris

Loco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:45:55 +0000

The most AMAZING thing happened last night.

I was kicking it with a friend about my book, Hi! MY Name Is Loco and I Am A Racist, when I got an email. When I saw that the email had come from someone named Chris I naturally thought it was from my boy, THE Bad Boy himself, Chris over at Confessions of a Bad Boy in Japan…but the last name was different…

And familiar…

In part, it read:

Hello Unique!

I just stayed up the better part of the night, and am now about three-quarters of the way through your GREAT book. Congratulations on creating such a personal, honest, and compelling piece of work. It’s a fantastic achievement, and I’m proud to have known you; proud to be in those pages. Thank you for writing that bit about me, which may be the most moving thing I’ve ever read.

All best,

White Boy Chris

For those of you who have read my book, then you’re familiar with this person and know, though brief, how pivotal a role he played in my story. So much that I dedicated a chapter to him. (If you haven’t read the book yet, don’t worry, I’m not about to spoil it. And don’t any of you who have read it spoil it, either!)

Suffice it to say that receiving this email was a moment! You know, like those times when you feel like you’ve received a Direct Message from the Almighty Himself informing you that you’ve done something great and you’re on the right path, one that leads to atonement and reparation? It was one of those moments…almost 30 years in the making.

Still a little freaked out, to tell you the truth.

Thought I’d share that with you guys…let y’all know how real this shit is!

For those of you who haven’t read the book yet, the above is just another reason for you to get your copy right away!

And to my old friend, White Boy Chris: your email was one of the most moving things I’VE ever read!

Thank You!

Loco

The highly anticipated first book by Baye McNeil (a.k.a. Loco of Loco in Yokohama) is now available from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble online!

Banner Man

Loco — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:23:38 +0000

Spent the whole evening making banners…just finished the following banner:

I love it! I wonder how it will play, though. I’m no graphic artist or even play at being one. Just felt an inspiration and ran with it.

Interestingly, I grew up around collages. My mother is perhaps the greatest collage maker in the world. I gotta get her to make me one, or at least coach me on how to improve this one.

I’ve decided to use all the banners I’ve made (at least the best of them) so the banner will change on a random basis as the visitor navigates through the site.

Loco

Pre-Release Blues

Loco — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:34 +0000

Sitting here designing this website, waiting for my formatter to finish, and for the artist to finish the back cover and spine (for which he needs the exact dimensions from the formatter) filled with anxiety and excitement.

This process: from concept to writing, to editing and pre-production, has been a torture chamber / thrill ride.

I am already a success.

Now comes the part that has been giving me the willies: marketing, promotion and sales.

Believe or not, i was a salesman for 7 years in corporate America before I even came to Japan. You would think this would be a no-brainer. But it isn’t.

All the pros say I should have started marketing before I even started writing the blessed thing. Yeah, I’ll remember that next time. In the meantime, I have to push myself harder than ever. In NY I was selling someone else’s product. My heart wasn’t in the product, it was in the bonuses and commissions. Now I have to sell my heart. Like selling my baby to people who might have the audacity to say that the little crumbsnatcher ain’t worth the ink it was printed with.

This is gonna be rough. But I feel very good about my chances.

Loco