Bill Savage

"To the Mill and Back" ... it's a story that has taken a lot of turns over the past several years, from a stage play that never quite worked in that format, to a novel that was worked and reworked several times, to a couple of different versions that have appeared online in various places where books are sold. "To the Mill and Back" has been featured at two of the world's largest book fairs, in Frankfurt, Germany, and in London, England. And it has made it to the other side of the world, as well. But the saga is not quite finished, not by a long shot. This story of life in an American textile mill one summer in the early 1970s is not just about one person; it is a story about a way of life that was just then coming to an end. And, even more than that, it provides a look at all the types of people who came together to make that way of life what it was, people who, in many ways, were American society of the time in microcosm. I like to think of it as sort of a "Grand Hotel" for that time of place, where people from all these different backgrounds came together and touched each others' lives, with two of them in particular forming mirror images of bringing two generations together. The book has been well-received for a few years, but like many books of its kind that lacked the support of major publishing houses and agencies, it just hasn't gotten the exposure it has needed. But, with the proper support, that is about to change. I have been discussing a number of options to not only drive greater exposure and readership for the book, but also the possibility of moving the story into other media. Will this happen? Nothing is positive. But I'm willing to put up the backing to make it happen, and would love to have some assistance to do so, as I am not in the position right now to finance the entire project on my own. My goal is relatively modest for something like this: $2,000. This would pay for various developmental projects relating to the re-publication of the book (you can see one of the possible new cover concepts here) and also to the development of short film and other projects related to it. I have been taking my stage work to various locations in recent years, but I haven't forgotten this and other work that I'd like to see reach more people, both in the written and visual media. If you would be willing to make any donation toward this effort, I can assure you it will not only be appreciated, but will be acknowledged in some form should this project achieve the future success that I'm sure "To the Mill and Back" truly deserves.