Once There Was a Way was last year's winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The first novel in the Breakpoint series, Surrounded by Enemies, also won the coveted award three years ago.
What if The Beatles continued to make history as the greatest rock-and-roll band ever? John, Paul, George and Ringo could have chosen to reflect their life changes within the band rather than destroy it. This book reads as the rock journalism account of how that happened.
"We know The Beatles let it be, but what if they worked it out instead? Once There Was a Way gives life to every fan's fantasy. Bryce Zabel has created a great adventure full of twists and turns that never were, but might have been." ―Chris Carter, host, Breakfast with the Beatles (Sirius/XM Radio)
We all know the tragic story by now. After seven years as the most popular rock-and-roll group the world has ever seen, The Beatles―torn apart by personal and creative differences―called it quits in 1970, never to play together again.
Once There Was a Way: What if The Beatles Stayed Together? is a story of another reality, the one we wished had happened, where the Fab Four chose to work it out rather than let it be. This book is no mere fairy tale, but reads as rock journalism crafted from the people and events of our own history, shaped to create a brand new narrative in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo find a way to stay friends and keep the band together. Imagine there was more. Lots more. It's easy if you try.
"Hold on to your hats, folks. You're in for quite a ride." ―Harry Turtledove, alternative history author, How Few Remain
Award-winning CNN correspondent-turned-screenwriter Bryce Zabel has created or developed five primetime network television series, including fan favorites Dark Skies, M.A.N.T.I.S., and The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Bryce has worked on a dozen TV writing staffs, been a feature writer in both live-action and animation, and has collaborated with both Steven Spielberg and Stan Lee. Bryce won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) award for the miniseries, Pandemic, and the Sidewise Award for Alternate History for the original version of Surrounded by Enemies. He has received screenwriting credit on Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Blackbeard, NBC’s primetime The Poseidon Adventure, Lois and Clark, and L.A. Law. Bryce was the first writer since Rod Serling elected to serve as Chairman/CEO of the Television Academy, the organization that awards the Emmys. He has also been an adjunct professor at both the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Marshall School of Business.
