Freddy Cruz is a Houston area media personality, last heard on the Marconi Award winning 104.1 KRBE. He is also an author, philanthropist, lover of new music and old books, and the host of the Book This with Freddy Cruz podcast.
Fueled by coffee, laughter, a shared delight in his community, and love for his family, Freddy often marvels at his luck in being able to spend his days filling the buckets of all the things he values most in life.
They Canceled The DJ– When a hotheaded DJ is caught in a viral web of vengeance, it’s unlikely he’ll find the wisdom to quiet his inner critic. Radio jock Aubrey Cortes cares way too much about what others think.
After he humiliates himself in front of a listener-turned-love interest, he’s horrified when the explosive episode goes viral. But, after the disaster turns into a first date, he celebrates with a barrage of search-and-destroy tweets aimed at torpedoing his online critics.
Thrilled when his newfound viral fame lands him a nationally syndicated show, he uses his connections to arrange a backstage pass to meet his new squeeze’s legendary musical idol.
Cue mayhem.
Aubrey’s heart is cruelly betrayed on centerstage and blows up big time.
Again.
And now he wants payback.
Can Aubrey eat humble pie and take a Zen lesson or three, or will he go
down in a fiery fit of revenge?
A riotous romp, They Canceled the DJ is an outrageous standalone dark comedy caper packed with over-the-top antics, satirical commentary, and humorous twists.
They Canceled the DJ is available in Print and ebook by East 26th Publishing.
FMM: Tell us about Freddy Cruz Creative Works.
My agency has a three-pronged approach toward helping individuals and emerging brands with copywriting, audio production and voice narration. I’m not the first agency of my kind, but I bring decades of experience with a 2-time Marconi Award winning radio station to the table. The intersection of these skills puts me in a unique place to empower my clients to bet on themselves without relying on big, bloated corporate bureaucracies.
FMM: “With Creative imagination, anything is possible.” How are you sparking creativity in your clients?
My flagship service is podcast production, which will empower brands who wish to bypass traditional media and reach their fans and followers directly. While many will say we have too many podcasts (there are over 700,000), only 17% of them are consistent enough to have more than fifty episodes. And, about half of all Americans have yet to even listen to a single podcast episode. This leaves tons of opportunity for growth. Like business cards, websites, and social media, we will eventually reach a point where having a podcast is a “have to have” and not a “nice to have.” The vision for my agency is to help as many individuals and businesses as possible.
FMM: What makes Freddy’s Huge ASK Podcast so amazing?
Season two of Freddy’s Huge ASK Podcast launches on September 20th. The range of my season one guests goes from Navy SEAL-turned-author to Top 5 Cancer Researcher. I’ve talked with CEOs and entrepreneurs to journalists and screenwriters. It’s like TEDx meets MasterClass meets book club meets A/V Club.
FMM: What do you enjoy the most about Houston?
Being in Houston is great because there’s so much to love about this town. We have a world class medical center, cultural arts scene, and the food is out of this world. So, there’s never a shortage of things to talk or write about.
FMM: Tell us about your novel, “They Canceled The DJ.” What was your inspiration for the book?
I had always wanted to write a novel about radio. This was my “radio book.” It’s inspired by actual events. One of them involves a friend of mine who thought he was hitting it off with a woman while working backstage at a music festival. She ended up ditching him for a musician. Our circle of friends had a great laugh and I thought to myself how funny it would be to use that story as a foundation but make it worse. And that’s how the book was born.
FMM: It is described as, “a riotous romp, They Canceled the DJ is an outrageous standalone dark comedy caper packed with over-the-top antics, satirical commentary, and humorous twists. What led you to develop the character, Radio Jok Aubrey Cortes?
Aubrey, who goes by AC, is a hodgepodge of many radio personalities I’ve come to know throughout my career, both in person and online. Because the story is written in first person present tense, people get the idea that it’s an autobiographical story. It is not. Sure, there are pieces of me in AC. But there are more, larger pieces of me in other characters. Who? That’s for me to know and for readers to guess! <insert evil laugh>
FMM: Who will enjoy this book the most?
Anyone who likes dark humor and indulges in schadenfreude from time to time will enjoy it.
What’s next for you?
My next work of fiction is Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas, a mystery that dabbles into horror (there is death). With each book, I change things up, so I keep myself engaged in the craft of running my characters through a crucible. I love my two previous novels. But something about this story seemed rawer. More natural. Not sure how much that’s a function of finding my voice, but it seemed easier. It will be released on November 8th.
You can learn more about Freddy on his website at www.thefreddycruz.com or follow him on Instagram (@thefreddycruz) or Twitter (@radiofreddycruz)
Amazon.com: They Canceled the DJ – Kindle edition by Cruz, Freddy. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @
Amazon.com.
Amazon.ca: They Canceled the DJ: Cruz, Freddy: 9781955077507: Books – Amazon.ca
