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William Karl Thomas was born 1/25/33 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, a small Gulf Coast town in which Tennessee Williams lived and wrote about in his works. In 1951 Thomas married his former high school teacher and, after a four year childless marriage, was divorced.
His checkered background began in 1951- 1952 as a nightclub pianist in New Orlean's French Quarter, in 1953 serving a year as a military correspondent in a combat zone in Korea, and finishing his 4 years in the Air Force while serving in El Paso, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Oxford, England.
His screen writing collaboration with Frank Ray Perelli began in New Orleans in 1951 and led them to the West Coast where, in 1956, Perelli had begun to manage the then unknown Lenny Bruce. Bruce admired Thomas's multi-talents which led to collaborating in a variety of capacities including comedy writing, screen writing, album cover photos, cinematography, theatrical booking, publicity, and more in a collaboration that lasted ten years until Bruces' death in 1966, as chronicaled in Thomas' memoir, "Lenny Bruce: The Making of a Prophet."
Thomas spent twenty years mostly in Hollywood as a screen writer, cinematographer, industrial film producer, photographer, journalist, and public relations executive. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he occasionally teaches writing and film production at a local community college, and continues work on a variety of book, film, and media projects.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Piano Lover is a work of fiction in the cultural writing, interpersonal drama, and intrigue subgenres, and it forms the opening novel of the Piano Lover Trilogy. The work is best suited to mature readers owing to one explicit scene and some adult themes. Penned by author William Karl Thomas, the story delves into the life of David Wales, a cocktail pianist in New Orleans during the 1950s. The plot unfolds with intricate relationships involving two captivating women, Julienne deVille and Aurora Alonzo, amid the backdrop of the vibrant New Orleans scene. The narrative takes unexpected turns as David becomes entangled in showbiz intrigue, including collaborating on a Broadway musical with gay entertainers and tackling themes of God, love, and redemption.
Author William Karl Thomas has crafted a tale that walks on the wild side, exploring the gray areas between the gay and heterosexual worlds with appropriate amounts of both style and grit. The novel does a fantastic job of addressing the complexities of relationships and societal norms, offering a blend of romance, drama, and historical context that blends seamlessly into the background of the ensuing action and the characters’ intimate personal narratives. Thomas's unique literary style, influenced by his personal experiences, adds a touch of authenticity to the narrative that gives you a real flavor of who the author is behind the work, too, which is a rare and highly enjoyable quality that makes this work deeply literary in nature. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend The Piano Lover as a compelling read for those seeking a story that transcends conventional boundaries and offers a glimpse into the diverse tapestry of human connections. I cannot wait to see where the series goes next.
