RMK Publications is proud to announce the publication of a book by Dennis Kastendiek. A Seven Month Contract at Four Thousand Per is an amusing story following a young man who accidentally injures his sister, and then goes undercover as a woman in her stead to earn money on stage for the family while she recovers.
A SEVEN MONTH CONTRACT AT FOUR THOUSAND PER
Johnny, a small-town Kansas high school graduate, feels guilty when his prank results in his sister’s breaking a leg just before her community playhouse debut. Fortunately (or not), Johnny learned all her lines while watching her rehearsals. And when a talent scout passing through town sees a girl he thinks is the most gifted actress to be found on the plains in ages, shit really hits the fan for Johnnie. Broadway, here he/she comes!
Dennis Kastendiek Biography
Writing even the briefest biography or autobiography begs the question, “What do you think you’re here for?” It’s a tough one. Winston Groom stabbed at an answer by creating an inept but adamant character named Forrest Gump. I can identify.
I’ll respond even more coyly than Winston. I write because my narratives make more sense to me than the narratives posited in newspapers and magazines and daily conversations.
I was born, like you, into a universe so hard to understand. God, sputnik, Eisenhower, atomic bombs and Oscar Meyer wiener midgets. I mention these things in an earlier stab at a bio. So, believe me or not. this book is my feeble attempt to straighten out the map of the world so that mercadian dimensioning isn’t as dominating. I hope it’s less flat-earth, more funny.
Advance Praise
When Johnny fills in for his injured sister in a high school play, he poses as an alluring female–and is soon hired by a traveling theater company for a leading role. Stuck in his feminine ruse, the only decent breadwinning possibility to sustain his family, he provides us with a hilarious romp through the world of theater and life undercover. Brilliantly written, with compelling characters, A Seven Month Contract at Four Thousand Per is a read you will never forget. — Judith Schiess Avila, New York Times bestselling co-author of Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
A comic novel that hits many of today’s gender bending buttons spot-on. Lively characters and a young hero you won’t soon forget who masquerades as a woman so successfully–both onstage and off–that audiences nationwide and even his fellow cast members are fooled. With plenty of bumps and thumps to enlighten and delight, Dennis Kastendiek’s debut novel is a must read. —Pam Lewis Author of Speak Softly, She Can Hear, Perfect Family, and A Young Wife
Another Book by Dennis Kastendiek
Dennis’s first book was a collection of short stories and poetry entitled
…and Something Blue.
Introducing a brilliant talent in the short story game, Dennis Kastendiek’s collection of 21 romantic encounters features rich panoramas brimming with atmosphere and feeling. As he puts it, “I fell into a good pile of manure when I took four or five correspondence courses (pre-online days) in creative writing from the University of Iowa. The developer of those courses, Ralph M. Berry, who moved on to a solid career in publishing and teaching—including five years as chair at Florida state—opened my eyes and heart to so many nuances (or subtleties) of the art. Putting on an editorial hat and writing a letter to one of your favorite authors (F. Scott Fitzgerald, in my case) proved both challenging and enriching.
Mr. Kastendiek’s poetic prose is delightful! I was transported by each story, and I savored every word.
—Sarah H. Baker, who writes as Sarah Storme, S. H. Baker, and Lydia Parks
Dennis Kastendiek writes with wit, style, confidence and originality.
—Johnny D. Boggs, seven-time Spur Award winner
Kastendiek’s stories will introduce you to a cast of quirky, original, and highly compelling characters. Add to that a finely tuned ear for dialogue and a sly, subtle wit, and you have a truly memorable collection that adds up to far more thanthe sum of its parts.
—Pam Lewis, author of “Speak Softly, She Can Hear”
The title tale—a charmingly told story of a shipwrecked man who finds what he’d been looking for—just didn’t know it.
—Melody Groves, author of “She Was Sheriff”
Dennis Kastendiek brings a splendid new voice to short fiction in this collection. Readers will appreciate the grace and humor of his writing and insights.
—Steve Brewer, author of 30 books, most recently “Side Eye”
Introducing a brilliant talent in the short story game, Dennis Kastendiek’s collection of 21 romantic encounters features rich panoramas brimming with atmosphere and feeling. As he puts it, “I fell into I fell into a good pile of manure when I took four or five correspondence courses (pre-online days) in creative writing from the University of Iowa. The developer of those courses, Ralph M. Berry, who moved on to a solid career in publishing and teaching—including five years as chair at Florida state—opened my eyes and heart to so many nuances (or subtleties) of the art. Putting on an editorial hat and writing a letter to one of your favorite authors (F. Scott Fitzgerald, in my case) proved both challenging and enriching.
