When I was asked to portray the life events of John Walton's step-grandfather, Joe Mayer, (Daddy Joe), I was excited about having the opportunity to tell his story.  Thus, the term Storyteller!  

I wanted you to be able to live his life, feel the emotions and turmoil he experienced in making the decisions he was faced with as an ordinary man who became a bootlegger working for Capone.  

A story filled with the vivid images of prohibition, bootlegging, and the exciting fast-moving times of the Roaring 20's.  My goal was to entertain you, while providing you with the reality of prohibition and its devastating affects. 

A story about Daddy Joe's deep love for his wife Ida (John's grandmother), and what he was willing to sacrifice for her.  Working for Al Capone, moving booze with One Arm, (Al Capone's "Fortress West" caretaker and representative on the West Coast).  Risking his life for Ida, protecting his step-daughter Gladys, Al Capone's lover.

John Walton spent hours regaling me with the stories he heard from Daddy Joe, and brought him to life for me.  John's exciting colorful stories, told with such enthusiasm and zest, convinced me that he inherited his showmanship from his mother.

This book is part fiction but based on facts and Daddy Joe's stories. 

I hope I have brought him to life for you.