Backdoor Books

Coming soon · A picture book for grown-ups

PrestontheProstate

A Story About Opening Up

by Harry Cheeks

Preston is turning fifty. His doctor wants an exam. His wife of twenty-five years wants to try something new.

Both of them want in through the back door. Preston is a prostate. He has spent his whole life guarding his rear, and the reminder card has been hiding in the couch since March.

Join one small, terrified walnut as he learns that the worry is always worse than the glove.

Get checked. Talk it out. Go slow.

Coming soon to Amazon

Contains strong language. Not for children. Or your proctologist.

Cover of Preston the Prostate: a plump little walnut-shaped character in a golf polo and khakis, looking nervously over his shoulder.

“Kid, I’ve had three of those.
It’s a finger. You’ll live.”

— Gary, page 9

Peek Inside

Rhyming verse, warm vintage illustrations, and one walnut who will not bend over.

Preston, a plump walnut in a golf polo, standing proudly by his recliner and grill while his wife Peg waves from the kitchen.
“Meet Preston, a prostate, as round as a nut.”
Preston leaning far away from a potted cactus.
“He won’t stand near a cactus. He won’t bend for a dime.”
Preston in striped pajamas, pale with horror, holding a reminder card from the doctor's office.
“We’re in and we’re out before you say ‘damn.’”
Gary, the older red hemorrhoid, leaning over the steakhouse booth behind Preston and his buddies Rod and Chuck.
“It was Gary. Of course. Don’t even ask why.”
Preston dazed on the rug by the fireplace while Peg kneels beside him; an enormous pump bottle sits in a delivery box nearby.
“And I bought the big bottle.” (It was huge. It was Prime.)
A dream: a giant rubber glove floats over the rooftops like a blimp, chasing tiny Preston down the street.
“And he dreamed of a glove the size of a blimp.”
Dr. Glover, a cheerful doctor with a gray bob, snapping on a bright purple glove while Preston looks back, terrified.
“Ten seconds?” “Eight, really. You’re healthy. You’re fit.”
Preston and Peg's little house at night, fireworks bursting pink and gold over the roof as the cat walks away with a suitcase.
“And the cat left the room and was gone for a week.”
The steakhouse booth: Preston blushing as Rod drops his fork and Chuck chokes, while Gary nods from the next booth.
“Let’s just say that my wife’s name is Peg.”

The Cast

Steakhouse · Booth Four · Friday Nights · Gary Is in the Next Booth

Peg

Peg

Preston’s wife of twenty-five years. Patient. Playful. Bought the big bottle.

Dr. Glover

Dr. Glover

Best doctor in town. Snaps the glove. Eight seconds, tops.

Rod

Rod

Never again. Not a finger. Not one. (His wife’s name is Peggy.)

Chuck

Chuck

His doctor had a glove, so he ran. He was done.

Preston’s Guide to the Back Door

  1. Book the exam. Talk to your doctor about prostate screening from 50, or from 45 if it runs in your family or you’re at higher risk. It takes about ten seconds.
  2. The worry is worse than the glove. Every time. Preston hid a card in the couch for six months over eight seconds.
  3. Bring your buddies. The guys who make the most jokes about it are the ones who need it most. Looking at you, Rod.
  4. Trying something new? Talk first. Say what you want. Say what scares you. Agree you can stop any time.
  5. Go slow. Use a lot. You know what we mean. Buy the big bottle.
  6. Real men get checked. Ego is not a medical condition. If something hurts, changes, or worries you, see an actual doctor. Preston is a cartoon.
Harry Cheeks at his writing desk, looking back over his shoulder with a fountain pen, jeans riding low

About Harry Cheeks

Harry Cheeks has sat through a lot of meetings. Some of them could have been emails. Most of them could have been nothing. Preston the Prostate is his fourth picture book for people who are far too old for picture books.

Format
Paperback, 8.5″ × 8.5″, full color, 36 pages. Also on Kindle, in color.
ISBN
979-8-16-141998-4
Publisher
Backdoor Books
Buy
Coming soon on Amazon
Audience
Adults. Strong language. Makes an excellent gag gift for fiftieth birthdays, the guy who keeps canceling his checkup, and anyone whose wife’s name is Peg.

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