WINGS ON A GUITAR - If Elvis Hadn't Died!

Author, Glenda Ivey, has been an avid fan of Elvis Presley for many years and has studied his life, and life's experiences, extensively. In this heartwarming and gripping novel, she gives us an insight as to the type of life Elvis might have lived had he not died at such an early age.

               

The majority of books written about Elvis since his death have been  nonfiction. This is one of the few seriously written fiction books, portrayed by a published author who has followed his life for many years.

Glenda Ivey offers her theory as to how, and why, Elvis might have  realized that many people surrounding him were not truly his friends, nor did they have his best interest at heart, even to the point of perhaps being the reason for his early death. Upon realizing this, Elvis, in Wings On A Guitar, makes drastic changes in his life and begins a total transformation in his opinions of the entertainment business, his so-called devoted friends and finds a way to surround himself with people who can help him along this journey.

This book is the beginning of Elvis Presley learning to take control  of his own life, something he was never able to do in the past.

FOREWORD

Hundreds of books have been written about Elvis Presley since he died, and I've read most of them. Many were written by people who knew him well. They've written about the years spent with the greatest entertainer in the world. Many of these books are conflicting in fact; however, it was their story and they had the right to tell it. Many were written by his family, as only they knew him. Then again, there were many family members who never knew the real Elvis. They knew how poor Gladys and Vernon had been when raising their son, and they also knew that Gladys was the backbone of the family. They remembered the sweet kid who worshiped, and worried constantly, about his mother. They knew that Elvis was giving to a fault, even when he was a child, and they were well aware that his talent was God-given. They also knew of some of his frustrations, his fears and his addiction to prescription drugs.

You're probably wondering, "Why another book about Elvis?" I've even asked myself the same question during the writing of this book. I believe the answer is a simple one. Like so many of those who appreciate his talent and the ability to share it, I don't want to let him go. I didn't in 1977, and I still don't. I enjoy the things Elvis and I had in common. I celebrate my birthday the same date he did, January 8, his daddy and mine were both named Vernon, we both are of Cherokee heritage and my maiden name, Penney, and his last name both started with the letter "P."

I have tried to illustrate in this story how Elvis might have taken control of his life before it was too late. Many say that he was doomed and had reached the point of no return. I'm not sure I believe that. My belief is that if he'd been surrounded by those who really cared for him the way they portrayed, instead of trying to keep him alive for their own gains, that he might be alive today.

You will find some language in the beginning of this book that is quite contrary to the way I normally write and may be offensive to some readers, but this is Elvis the way he was in those painful, difficult times before his death. I've made every effort to portray him as he was, and without that part of his personality brought into the story, it wouldn't be Elvis.

I am not one who was fortunate enough to have known Elvis Presley personally. In fact, when I grew out of my teenage years, I no longer cared for his Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes type music. Yet, when he began singing slow, melancholy love songs and recording Gospel music, I became his biggest fan. My home, and trips in my car, would be incomplete without Elvis'

magnificent voice filling those spaces.

I own every song Elvis recorded and every concert that has been made available to the public for sale. I have tapes of all interviews that have been shown about him, as well as every movie he made. But do we see the real Elvis in those presentations? I don't think so. Elvis Presley was so much more than what we saw on the screen, or any of his live performances. He was a God-fearing man with the same desires and weaknesses of the common man. Elvis truly believed that his talent was given to him and that it was his responsibility to share it with the world, and he did, until the day he died. The demands for him to exhibit his talent literally used him up in body, but certainly not in spirit. The magnificence of his voice will never leave this world, as he had to do.

With each new generation, young people who were not yet born when Elvis died, are beginning to appreciate his talent as much as those who followed him from concert to concert. My granddaughter loves listening to Elvis' music and she knows that when she's in the car with me, she will hear his voice. She has a beautiful voice, and it thrills me to hear her sing along with him. I've told her about his life, his abuse of prescription drugs and his death. At her young age of nine, she is well aware that he gave of himself to the point of total destruction. No one can sum up Elvis' final tribute to all of us better than she did last year. She stopped

singing one afternoon long enough to say, "You know, Nana, I'll bet God is so happy to have Elvis up in Heaven singing just for Him."