I am excited to welcome Lavado Verde to my blog.  A native of New Mexico now living in Pennsylvania, Lavado is an author and self-proclaimed environmentalist who recently found a surprising patron for his writing: the fracking industry.

Thanks for hosting me, Carrie!

I am thrilled to announce my exciting new partnership with The Society for Convenient and Affordable Methane (S.C.A.M.).  S.C.A.M., a lobbying group for fracking hydraulic fracturing interests in Pennsylvania, will be underwriting my next novel.

Now, I’m sure some of you are wondering, “How could he sell out like that?!”  Or, perhaps you’re wondering, “How can I get a deal like that?!”  Fortunately, my contract with S.C.A.M. allows requires me to share certain details of our mutually beneficial endorsement arrangement through social media.

Sponsorships, endorsements and product placements are gaining momentum in the literary world.  I think this is a great development.  We all know independent bookstores and libraries have been getting fat on author’s efforts for years.  Why shouldn’t authors cash in, too?

And corporate sponsorships needn’t diminish the quality of literature.  Just look at the film industry.  Would E.T. really have been as interesting if Elliot used unbranded popcorn rather than Reese’s Pieces to lure the alien into his bedroom?  OK.  Maybe the plot wouldn’t have suffered, but the viewing public would have missed the chance to learn to love Reese’s .  And what about Castaway?  Tom Hanks’ survival experience was interesting but I, for one, kept watching to find out whether those Fed-Ex packages would ever get delivered.

Now, I know that natural gas isn’t delicious like Reese’s Pieces, or exciting like your typical Fed-Ex package delivery, but there’s a lot to love about fracking.

Like many of you, I’ve heard a lot of the “enviroganda” against fracking.  But let me assure you, I really can’t criticize the industry in any way.  Literally.  It’s in my contract.

I’m excited that, thanks to my arrangement with S.C.A.M., I’ll gain a much deeper understanding of subjects I never even considered including in my next eco-novel: the benefits of natural gas and fracking.

And thanks to the generous check I’ve received from S.C.A.M., I’ll never have to allow any drilling to take place on my land.  Bottled water is convenient but I’d hate to have to rely on it if my well got contaminated.

NEWS FLASH:  I just received a call from The Research Academy for Select Hydration (T.R.A.S.H.), a bottled water support organization closely aligned with S.C.A.M.  I’ve learned that my upcoming book will also feature bottled water.  Also, bottled water really is convenient and, while plain old tap water is free and clean, nothing really beats the refreshment value of spring water imported from an idyllic sounding foreign location.


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