Alligator Blood will go down in history as one of the greatest poker books of all time. As a member of the media I am in the privileged position to be able to make that bold statement because I received an advanced copy of the book.
On November 7th, you will also get the opportunity to learn about the intricacies of the biggest scandal in the history of poker, when the book is officially launched to the general public.
“I can’t wait for it to get out now. I finished the book last December so it’s been a long time coming.” Said the author of Alligator Blood, James Leighton, as we waxed lyrical over my kitchen table.
It’s been one hell of a ride for Leighton, and a world away from his previous book Duncan Edwards: The Greatest, a biography on the legendary Busby Babe.
Turn the clocks back just one month ago, and Leighton was standing patiently in line in Waterstone’s in Cardiff, where he was about to get his book signed by John Challis, the actor who played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses, and on December 7th, it will be Leighton sitting in that same spot as he signs copies of Alligator Blood.
“It’s really exciting to be doing a book signing in my home town of Cardiff. I go into Waterstone’s to buy books every week, so it will be great to see my own on the shelves.”
If you are in Cardiff on December 7th, then pop along to Waterstone’s where James will be signing copies of his book from 11:00am, and then holding a launch party in the evening at the nearby Soda Bar.
It’s going to be a busy few months for poker’s latest star author. Before he sits down in his home town of Cardiff he has to jet across to Australia to be on hand for the official launch in Brisbane – which incidentally is where this whole story started – then across to Melbourne, Sydney and then over to LA to talk about a potential interest in the movie rights.
I couldn’t help but feel a tad sorry for Alligator Blood. It is a truly great book, and it could make an awesome movie, but Runner Runner might well have ruined the chances of poker books being turned into movies for the next decade.
“I was privileged to read the original script {Runner Runner} and thought it was fantastic. It was the first time I had read a script before watching a movie and I was really looking forward to it. I walked in with this preconceived idea about what the movie was going to be all about, and then when it started I realized that there were a lot of major scenes that were cut out. Scenes that were pivotal to character development and the excitement of the movie.” Said Leighton when our conversation turned to Messrs Timberlake and Affleck.
“I was praying it would get to number one in the box office, and unfortunately it hasn’t done that well despite turning a profit, which is a shame because Brian Koppelman is a fabulous writer and the script was great. Now the feedback from Hollywood is that Runner Runner was a disappointment meaning that Rounders Two might not materialize and that would be a real a real shame.”
Let’s just hope that the idiots that left the guts of Runner Runner on the cutting room floor haven’t turned the Hollywood money men green at the thought of another poker movie, because Alligator Blood could be a wonderful cinematic experience.
Alligator Blood is released on November 7th, and CalvinAyre are giving you the chance to win a signed copy right here.
