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Mark M Lichterman
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“Would you like to have Santa come down your filthy chimney?” was the heading on a flyer I made for my company “The Flue Bug Chimney Sweep” in 1982 that became the thought that prompted my writing of The Climbing Boy.
As tedious as writing, re-writing and self-editing may be, I found these to be the simple, the fun, the enjoyable parts of writing.
In 1984, after finishing the rewriting and self-editing, I began the task of finding an agent or a publisher for "The Climbing Boy" and The Writer’s Market became my bible
After hundreds upon hundreds of queries, each including a "SASSE", a self -addressed, self stamped envelope (this was before my time with computers), and after receiving hundreds upon hundreds of rejections, I discovered the Catch-22 of the publishing industry: agents will not look at a new writer unless he/she has been published, and publishers will not look at a new writer unless he/she has an agent.
But I had discovered that writing had become a very enjoyable and important part of my life, so as I continued to look for an agent or a publisher for The Climbing Boy, in 1986 I began Captain Midnight and the Toothpaste Thief, which I later renamed Becoming.
Lo and behold, after twenty-two years of trying, and nearly giving up, Metropolis Ink agreed to publish The Climbing Boy and, four years later, Becoming.
Thank you Kurt and David for taking Zachariah, Mitchell and their worlds out of the dark box they had lived in for twenty-two years.
And now, with my publisher promising to publish, after a ten year writers block I am in the process of completing my next novel, "The Hole Digger" which is the sequel to Becoming.
My reviews for Becoming
Wonderfully well written it paints a life picture at times through eyes of both humor and disappointment. I was reared in the rural south but this work transcends ethnic and geographic boundaries so that we can easily identify with Mitch, especially in his quest to lose his virginity. Mark's wit and great sense of humor comes through in a style that holds ones attention long after putting down his book. You just know this has to be Mark's story and that of those who experienced life with him. This is indeed a book worth reading for the sheer enjoyment of remembering the way we were and those people who made it interesting.
Renetta Randy
Nashvill, Tn
"As one raised in a Chicago neighborhood around the same time Lichterman grew up in his, I found this coming-of-age novel very reminiscent of my own childhood and adolescence. However, to enjoy this book, one needn't be from Chicago (or Peoria, for that matter), nor a child of the same era. The scenes, characters, experiences, relationships, conversations and events in this book are vividly and brilliantly depicted in a way that will awaken fond, fearful, and passionate memories in the reader fortunate enough to acquire this gem of a book. It is a poignant, humorous and timeless tale that moves along at a satisfying pace." -J. Magoun
Thousand Oaks, CA
"You just know the author either lived next door or maybe on the next block `cause
that's the way things were growing up in the late 30s, 40s and into the `50s. There was no TV showing "things" or a computer to "Google" what a boy needs to know. It was just day-to-day wonderment and exasperation to face.
The story was so close to my younger years that I started to bet myself that he would add other happenings of my life, and he sometimes did.
Oh! The fun, anger, bitter joys of your growing years that the author brought back."
-David Wilkins
Newbury Park, CA
"Fantastic!!! I couldn't put the book down. The author has a way of making you feel everything his characters are going through. What a delightful trip through growing up when times were much less threatening. I wish this would have been published when I was growing up."
-Bonnie Northcott
Westlake Vlg, CA
"I realize that most people will enjoy the setting of the book, and that it will bring back memories, but this is actually a timeless subject. It's about growing up and, mainly, learning how the opposite sex -- boys -- deal with girls. But it's also learning that your parents are human. These subjects will go on till the end of time. Mark is very adept at revealing to women how their husbands and sons think. And it's nice to know that they are just as scared and inquisitive about us as we are about them."
-Dona V. Cunningham
Westlake Vlg, CA
"Loved the book. It brought me back to an earlier
time and I loved being there as "a fly on the wall." I found it easy to empathize with Mitchell. He gave me great insight into "coming of age" from the prospective of a boy. I wish I could have read it when I was growing up...could have let me understand that those "cool" boys were just as insecure as I. A must for us old folks and certainly a good read for everyone!"
-Joyce Black
Los Angeles, CA
My Reviews for The Climbing Boy:
"Mark Lichterman wrote an excellent book. I truly believe that Disney or Pixar studios should do an animation movie of the book. It would make a great film that would appeal to both adults and children. I hope he writes more books in the future." -Carter McIntyre
Winnetka, CA
"Loved it, best book I have read in years. A friend told me about it and loaned me a copy. Whatever I say would not begin to do it justice. Buy it or if necessary borrow it but read it and enjoy. I'm sure you will as I did, want it in your permanent collection. Mark is a true artist and I look forward to his next work"
-Don Davey Carmel, CA
"This 'feel good' tale by Mark Lichterman, a relatively unknown, but upcoming author, is way more than just another Christmas story. It is a classic description of the London chimney sweeping trade, brought to life by superb characterization of its main players. The reader immediately bonds with Zachariah, an eight year old child, who you want to bring home, bathe, feed, clothe and just cuddle. He will steal your heart while other feelings of anger, rage and resentment arise from the provocative personality of William Johnson, the boy's Master. Lichterman, in expert fashion, weaves a very twisted, intertwining yarn that has you holding your breath until the very end. This book is a must read. "
-Bruce Berger Westlake Vlg, CA
Birth Place: Chicago, IL USA
Accomplishments: Achievements?
My greatest achievement--other than being the father of four great kids and the grandfather of five great kids--is that I never fully gave up, even though it took twenty-four years to bring life to the people of my two novels and light to their worlds.... Mark
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Books

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Short Stories
 1951 #9: Knobs by Mark M Lichterman Turning the air pressure up, speeding the presses, making a game of it, the two boys completed about as much work in four hours as three full-time men did in eight hours. They did get complaints, thou...
1951 # 8: Gentile Eyes by Mark M Lichterman Sandra and most of the class picked up on his interest, and she felt flattered that this handsome new boy was interested in her and so responded with like friendliness. When she spoke to him, though, ...
1951 #7: Chicago Hood by Mark M Lichterman Knowing his looks had always given him as much attention as he wanted, and on occasion more than he’d wanted, Mitchell had never worried much about style, but in keeping with his desire for a new imag...
1951 # 6: Beer (Humor) by Mark M Lichterman “Ina?” Taking a moment for the name to penetrate the beer-induced cobwebs that surrounded his mind, “Ina? My Ina? Ina Dorfmann?” Somehow remembering the conversation they’d had at the beach in Union...
1951 #5: Uh-oh! (Humor) by Mark M Lichterman Getting brilliant idea #2, which, by the way, was the only brilliant idea Mitchell Lipensky had on this day, he was about to pour the “burnt,” black powdery stuff down the drain… But, alas, never equa...
1951 #4: Junior Johnson by Mark M Lichterman NOTE: A small bit of "language" here.
Actually, Yeah, I do, wanna play ball with them, he thought. But actually, having no reason to be, he was afraid of them. But if I don’t go down and play...
Next Phase 11: Cow Plops by Mark M Lichterman Careful coarse laungage here!
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“Look, I can’t slug it out with Skorupski, ’cause big as he is, if he falls on me he’ll squish me. Besides, there’s gotta b...
Next Phase12:By directive by Mark M Lichterman By the time the two-week period at Camp McCoy was finished, Norman and Mitchell had had more than their share of playing soldier, and the thought of Korea and what it really meant had frighteningly be...
Going on #1 : Ina by Mark M Lichterman Careful, some suggestive language here.
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As the girls came closer, as though on cue, the boys stopped talking and, as boys do, appraised them.
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Going on#2:Babysitting by Mark M Lichterman Careful! If you are offended or embarrass easily, do not read this!____________________________________
Concurrently, as if having the same thought at the same time, each tried, single-handedly, t...
Going on #3: ‘50 Pontiac by Mark M Lichterman Careful! If you are offended or embarrass easily, do not read this!____________________________________
In the unflattering light of day Ina Dorfmann’s thighs were thick, dimpled and heavy. B...
Going on #4: Ice Cream?? by Mark M Lichterman A very funny sexual situation here, however, CAREFUL! If you are offended or embarrass easily, do not read this!
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Mitchell looked at Ina through the light o...
1951#1: Calling Ina by Mark M Lichterman “Mitch?” Ina said, thinking, Mitch who?
“Mitchell Lipensky. You know, from Union Pier.”
“Oh… Oh, yeah,” her hand absently going to her forehead, feeling a bump that had disappeared mont...
1948/51 #3: Migration by Mark M Lichterman But now, slowly, all but unnoticed except by those who lived along the constantly changing, eroding borders, the European names on mailboxes changed, from Mazisyk, Binkowski, D’Angelo and Shapiro to “...
1951 #2: Dead? by Mark M Lichterman No one he knew had ever died. Death, to Mitchell, was a complete abstract. Death was something detached from himself. Death was something that happened to Nazis, Japs and bad guys in movies. Death was...
Next Phase10:Toilet Paper? by Mark M Lichterman Careful, coarse language and a funny (so I think) even rougher situation.
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“Charlie-Zebra-One from Charlie-Zebra-Two… No, we ain’t doin’ no war dance, but...
Next Phase #9: Chocolate Pudding by Mark M Lichterman Careful! Very coarse language here!
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Scooping a heaping ladle of pudding from the serving tray, “Here, Lipensky,” Skorupski purposely dropped it, half i...
Next Phase #8: Sound-Off by Mark M Lichterman Careful! Very coarse language here
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“You look like a bunch’a goddamn
pussies!” Walking the double column from end to end, Martinez looked at each man ...
Next Phase #7: Popping by Mark M Lichterman Caution! A bit of coarse laungage here
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“Don’t know, Normie. Every time I do this…” leaning closer, he flexed first the right… pop… then… pop… his left wr...
Next Phase #6: Skorupski by Mark M Lichterman Careful, very coarse language here!
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“Yeah, sure.” Going to the sink, Norman took a tray, went to the steam table and fitted it into the opening that Skor...
Next Phase #5: Taps by Mark M Lichterman Careful, some coarse language here.
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Looking beyond the long rows of stainless steel steam tables, Mitchell saw a half-dozen men sweating over the scouring ...
Next Phase #4: Korea by Mark M Lichterman Careful! Lots of very coarse laungage here
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The broiling sun shone in a cloudless sky. Countless swarms of gnats circled in mindless formations and...
Next Phase #3: Martinez by Mark M Lichterman CAREFUL, SOME ROUGH LANGUAGE HERE
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“You know,” Martinez said, “it’s really tough shit when my two best men are a couple’a Jews.” Taking a deep drag on t...
Fukawees: Next Phase 1 by Mark M Lichterman Shrugging his shoulders, opening the matchbook, Mitchell read aloud: “Summer vacation with pay. Earn while you learn. Be a man. Join your peacetime National Guard.” Closing the matchbook, “So?” he han...
Next Phase #2: Father&Son by Mark M Lichterman Not fully realizing what the National Guard was since the end of the war, somehow thinking of it as a grown-up extension of the Boy Scouts, “Walter,” Myra said, “Mitchell has joined the National Guard...
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Poetry
 Her Name by Mark M Lichterman
By His Own Hand by Mark M Lichterman
A Lost Love Letter by Mark M Lichterman The following is a recently found letter to one of my best friends from his wife that passed away three years ago.
At the time of her death, Gene and Rosemary had been married for fifty-two y...
To Wordlessly Contain by Mark M Lichterman
Not A Poet by Mark M Lichterman Dedicated to Jerry Pat Bolton who struck the flint bringing this spark of a remembrance forward....
Passion Spent by Mark M Lichterman
Dear Friend by Mark M Lichterman
Waiting in Line by Mark M Lichterman
A Gray Day by Mark M Lichterman
The Lady in Line by Mark M Lichterman
Do I pretend? by Mark M Lichterman
We Who Write by Mark M Lichterman We, you and me,
we who write.
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A Moral Answer by Mark M Lichterman
Delicate Subject Here: PG Rated by Mark M Lichterman Women, or those easily offended,
delicate subject here, so go away!
Thanks for the inspiration... You know who I mean.
Wonder how many men will respond to this leaving their name.
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I Am Racist!!! by Mark M Lichterman
Four! She Wants Four! by Mark M Lichterman
So Far From Me by Mark M Lichterman
Categorically Stated! by Mark M Lichterman
For I Am A Man by Mark M Lichterman
As Shadows on a Wall by Mark M Lichterman
Writer’s Dilemma: Friends Lie by Mark M Lichterman
Sarah Palin: A Real Lady! by Mark M Lichterman
Before I Die: A Writers Lament by Mark M Lichterman
Tonight: PG-13 rated by Mark M Lichterman
The Realm of Dreams by Mark M Lichterman
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Articles
 Fort Hood Article in New York Post by Mark M Lichterman What cowards we are. Political correctness killed those patriotic Americans at Ft. Hood as surely as the Islamist gunman did. And the media treat it like a case of non-denominational shoplifting. ...
Replacing Michelle by Mark M Lichterman In 2005, the hospital raised her salary from $120,000 to $317,000--nearly twice what her husband made as a Senator......
Professional Review of The Climbing Boy by Mark M Lichterman After reading the synopsis for Mark Lichterman’s THE CLIMBING BOY, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I felt pretty certain the story would educate me on the dreadful working conditions of young orp...
Senior Sex by Mark M Lichterman Set the mood with lighting. Turn all the lights off because, let’s face it, you’re both old.
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Got A Gun? by Mark M Lichterman AN ACTUAL CRAIG'S LIST PERSONALS AD
To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last.
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Letter to Obama by Mark M Lichterman The idea of "change" to the Democrats in government today has taken the form of a vicious hunger for supremacy, control, and dominance of the good
people of this nation.
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Fox News: The Truth by Mark M Lichterman The Fox News motto has always been, “Fair and Balanced” and the balance of commentators keep their opinions to themselves during the news segments, which certainly can not be said of other news outle...
What if it Were George W. Bush by Mark M Lichterman
What if it was George W. Bush that had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? ...
Torture: Letter from an American Hero by Mark M Lichterman Torture: This is a letter from...
"Bud" Day, Medal Of Honor Recipient.
George Everett "Bud" Day(born February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Command Pilot who served du...
In America? Never!! by Mark M Lichterman What if I had told you that Obama would travel to the Middle East, bow before the Saudi king, and repeatedly apologize for America 's past actions. That he would travel to Latin America where he woul...
Apocalyptic Literature. by Mark M Lichterman How's this for apocalyptic literature.? This was written by a pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant....
A Harridan, Nag, by Mark M Lichterman Barbara Boxer is a New York Carpetbagger
who got into office when the late corrupt Democrat Sen. Allen Cranston was booted out of office....
Fireplace Safety by Mark M Lichterman It's that time of the year again, so here's some good advice from one that has been a Chimney Sweep since 1980...
Obama's Figured Out by Mark M Lichterman The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists t...
Nobel Sham by Mark M Lichterman Can any one? Can any one say what Obama has really accomplished? Not what he may accomplish, but what he has really accimplished?
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EMail From General Patton by Mark M Lichterman To ALL those whining, panty-waisted, pathetic Citizens, it's time for a little refresher course on exactly why we Americans occasionally have to fight wars to keep this nation great.
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Obama And His Crooks by Mark M Lichterman Of the 789 dealerships closed by the federal government 788 had donated money, exclusively, to Republican political causes, while contributing nothing to Democratic political causes.
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JEWS AND MUSLIMS by Mark M Lichterman 'If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.
If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel '.
-Benjamin Netanyahu...
What's $1,591,200 to Michelle by Mark M Lichterman Email, author unknown
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Isn't Michele Obama the lady that said, "I have never been proud of America!"...
Surprise and Confusion by Mark M Lichterman No, I do not hate or even dislike Obama because he is black!
Really, honest to God! I do not hate or even dislike Obama because he is black.
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Our Social Security by Mark M Lichterman Source Email ... Author unknown.
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No Apologies America by Mark M Lichterman Source: Email
Author unknown
With a president that apologizes to the tyrants of the world and feels embarrassment rather than pride in the wonderful country that ...
Born before 1945: Seeing the best of America by Mark M Lichterman For one nickel you could ride a streetcar, make a telephone call, buy a Pepsi or, for a nickel, you could buy a stamp to mail one letter and two post cards. We could buy a new Chevy coupe for $600.00....
Rudness, Obama says, Rudness! by Mark M Lichterman With all he has on his mind, our pretender in chief wastes his time and our time by crying about how rudely... how rudely one news source has treated him. ...
They Lie Two by Mark M Lichterman What next? The smashing of printing presses? Books being thrown onto the street to be set afire? Gangs of thugs attacking groups of dissenting American citizens?
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News
 Book Fair. Who's coming? by Mark M Lichterman We read each other and critique each other, so how nice it's going to be for some of us to meet each other....
Article in Ventura County Star 8/17/08 by Mark M Lichterman A story that starts in 1939 with a 5-year-old child and ends in 1955 is the premise of the second book by 74-year-old Mark Lichterman of Westlake Village, a professional chimney sweeper who writes nov...
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Contact
Information
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Westlake Village
CA
91361
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Fax: N/A |
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