The Backseat Virgin

I like shadows in my stories. Superheroes are great, so are adventure stories and even the occasional drama. But I prefer all of those to have at least a hint of darkness in them. Make me choose between Spider-man and The Punisher, and I'm taking Frank Castle every day (for those of you who are confused, that's The Punisher's real name). I rarely, if ever, root for the perfect hero. It's just not fun to follow someone who has nothing wrong with them. Because of that, I like writing those kinds of characters. Rick Frost, the main character of my YA adventure series, does have a dark side to him. I've only really hinted at it so far, but it is coming out more and more in later books. But that wasn't enough...

THE BACKSEAT VIRGIN: A SOUTH FLORIDA NOIR COLLECTION is four short stories and one short novella that don't just wade into those shadows, but dive in head first. I love writing noir, which is a style of literature that doesn't avoid the darkness, but glorifies it. The characters in noir stories are heading for doom; there's no avoid it. There is no happy ending, only an end.

These stories are set in South Florida in the late 1970's and early 1980's in the middle of the drug boom. Cocaine was just being discovered and had started to take off as America's drug of choice, and South Florida was where over 90% of it came into the country. With all that money, drugs, greed and power packed into one area, it was inevitable that darkness was going to creep in and take over. These stories highlight that darkness.

If you don't mind walking into the shadows with me, then click above and take the journey. I hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing.

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