The Making of Crossroads:
the Louis Lugo Story…
I thought I had lived a wild life. I was never more wrong. You
see, I was raised living a double life; one as the youngest son in a proper
British household and the other one as a kid, raised on the streets of
Montreal. I considered myself house smart as well as street smart. I had the best
of both worlds. That was my childhood.
Decades
passed. I slowly matured; my growth was extreme. Writing would become a labor
of love for me. One book a year seemed to be the magic number. My last book,
Will Work 4 Food, was slowly making its way around to various book clubs,
shelter libraries and private living rooms. I actually had a plan of doing
another book; this one about people with severe physical handicaps. Everything
was set and all I needed to do was to sit down at the keyboard and allow God to
guide my fingers over the keys−the words would magically appear just like
they’ve done before. Then I got the phone call−the call that changed my plans. This
was the birth of Crossroads, a challenge that would test me on multiple levels.
God works in mysterious ways.
Lin, my
publisher, called me to tell me about a man she met. His name was Louie and he
had a story to tell. She detailed how they met and how he told her about a book
he wanted to write; a biography if you will. I asked Lin, “What was so
interesting about Louie’s story?” She replied, “He’s a gangster, or at least he
was, not that long ago.” I was interested in hearing more. She gave me his
contact information and suggested that I give him a call, listen to what he had
to say, and if I decided to pass, she would understand. All Lin was doing was
being the middle man−a match maker.
I
waited for three days before making the call. Something was telling me to walk
away, yet there was a deep desire to see what this guy had to say. I was
curious. Was it God who was tugging at my curiosity? I prayed, a lot! I did
make the call and as soon as I heard a groggy hello on the other end of the line I began with my introduction.
“Who is this?” he continued to probe. I repeated, “My name is Richard. Richard
Hunter and I was given your number by…” Again I was cut off by his asking me
what it was I was trying to sell. Then, when I mentioned Lin’s name and my name
once again the introduction sunk in. His tone changed. He knew who I was.
“Richard,
you’re the writer, right?” I started telling him a little about myself before
asking him to tell me about his idea for a book. He talked (we talked) for over
2 ½ hours before the call ended. After I hung up I sat there reflecting on some
of the things I just heard. He was excited about telling his story and I was
starting to get excited about writing it. I pondered all of the guys I knew
from my days on the streets of Montreal. Satin’s Choice, the Popeye’s, Hell’s
Angels, the bikers, the dopers, your average thugs; I knew them all. There was even
a period of Canadian history (early 70’s)
known as the F.L.Q. Crisis, when a French terrorist group known as the F.L.Q. (Front de Liberation du Quebec–The Quebec
Liberation Front) thrust the entire country into chaos. Martial law was
invoked−tanks filled with soldiers policed my streets. Louie’s story was
sounding familiar. I knew from where he was speaking. We needed to talk again,
soon.
During
our next conversation, a few days later, I could tell that Louie knew I was the
man for the job. I already wrote the Foreward and sent it off by e-mail. The
working title was going to be Crossroads, born from his journey through life
and the various crossroads he would encounter. Louie was amazed at how I was
able to write what was in his heart. His tone of excitement escalated. What I
was writing was nothing special. It was the story I knew all too well. I was
simply writing about those guys I knew from my own streets. Just the names were
different. Nothing Louie told me shocked me, although he thought it would. A
contract was signed and the interviews began. Thank God for Skype. I was able
to see him while asking my probing questions. Yes, sometimes the connection was
poor and sentences would have to be repeated many times, but slowly, chapters
were being put to digital paper, reviewed, edited and filed as being done.
My
deadline was 12 months. The way the words were flowing from my fingers I knew I
would have plenty of time to spare. When in mid March an opportunity for me to
travel to Western Africa came up, I jumped at it. This would be two weeks away
from my office, away from the book. Louie was nervous when I told him about my
trip. He didn’t want to slow down the process. He was afraid that something
might happen to me. “Who will write the book if you are killed?” These thoughts
concerned him, not me. I came up with a game plan. I wanted him to write down
his thoughts and memories in Microsoft Word. That way, when I got back he could
simply send me the notes. I would take what he sent me and translate it into
composition. I assured him that for me it would be just like talking over
Skype, but faster. When I got back from Africa my mail box was loaded with
e-mails from Louie, all with notes attached. The chapters continued to flow. We
gained momentum.
As we
reached the second half of the project, I started explaining to Louie what to
expect as far as the process goes. We needed to have name releases signed and
on file for every living person mentioned, we needed a front and back cover
design, cover text, layouts, etc. None of this was familiar to Louie. Lin and I
tried to come up with a cover concept that included the right balance of
darkness and drama (his life) with a spiritual flavor. Louie wasn’t happy with
what we proposed so he decided to go out and hire a graphic artist on his own.
Lin and I still gave input and collectively, a final cover was born. Lin added
her special touch to insure it was up to her standards. Finally it was. The
interviewing continued with chapters being completed, one at a time.
Louie,
being a diabetic periodically experienced blood sugar levels that were
dangerously high. Louie’s sanity would be compromised. He would call me (or
e-mail me) telling me that chapters we had already completed were wrong and
needed to be tossed and redone from scratch. Initially I took these bouts
personal and I found myself feeling somewhat insulted. I quickly learned to
simply ask Louie the question, “How’s your blood sugar levels?” Our work would
continue−no chapters were rewritten.
Working
on this project taught me many things. The greatest lesson I took from this
experience was to stop trying to control what God already controls. I now know
that if I turn it all over to Him, the end result will be rewarding beyond my
imagination.
Crossroads
is the true story of how Louis Lugo fought his way from gangster to preacher.
It is also the story of my own journey up to and through my own crossroads. Was
God testing me? Maybe!
Crossroads...the
Louis Lugo Story
by R.S. Hunter
Are
you afraid? You should be!
-Now Available-
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