GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
Moonlight City Drive
by Brian Paone
Moonlight City Drive by Brian Paone is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
11:18 p.m. Subject is checking into the Desert Palms Motel, accompanied by an unknown female.
Snapshot in the parking lot. Man and woman embrace. Betrayal, I see it every day, like my own reflection in the mirror staring back at me. Another case, another bottle of booze, life is no longer a mystery to me …
… Because I’m the private eye, hot on your trail; the top gun for hire. You’ll find me lurking in the shadows, always searching for a clue. I’m the bulletproof detective. I got my eye on you …
What’s a little sin under the covers, what’s a little blood between lovers? What’s a little death to be discovered, cold stiff body under the covers? I’m digging you a desert grave, underneath the burning sun. You won’t be found by anyone. Vultures circle in the sky, and you, my dear, are the reason why.
… I was always easily influenced.
Book Video
Excerpt
Smith spit out another peanut shell onto his Chevy’s floorboard as his gaze stayed trained on the Desert Palms Motel’s front entrance. His fingers instinctively found the opened bag in the complete darkness and pinched another nut. He squeezed his eyes closed to ward off the simmering residual headache from the most recent blackout. The sound of the rain pelting the windshield was soothing.
“Come on. Where are you? You took the last two nights off. I can’t imagine you being on vacation.”
Headlights turning into the parking lot diverted his attention from the motel’s front door. He squinted to decipher the make and model of the vehicle through the downpour. A Bentley. He sighed and returned his focus to the motel as he fingered the brim of his newly purchased replacement fedora and then tossed it next to him in frustration.
Smith removed his revolver from his shoulder holster and checked that all six chambers were loaded for the umpteenth time. He secured the weapon and grabbed the small notebook from underneath his discarded fedora, lying on the passenger seat, where Wynn should be sitting. But she had maintained radio silence throughout the past two days since storming from Hank’s office. He shook his head in disgust for letting Wynn’s drama distract him from the job at hand.
He swiped the Chevy’s dashboard with his palm to clean off the thick layer of dust that had collected from months of neglect. He wiped his hands on his pants, leaving a graying smear across the fabric covering his thighs. He reached into his trench coat’s inner pocket and removed a silver flask. He opened the top and looked at the engraved insignia on the front. His index finger traced the shining eyeball hanging freely in the cut-out middle of a pyramid. Taking a swig from the decorated flask, he grimaced as the brown liquid hit the back of his throat.
Smith retrieved the Polaroid from the dashboard and cleared his throat. “Let’s see what tricks you’re playing on me now.” He flicked the corner of the photograph as he sighed deeply in expected disappointment.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon author Brian Paone at the dawn of his career. I read Yours Truly 2095 this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed his story telling, characters and prose, but I also could see room for improvement. And lo, his latest novel proves that his talent is on a trajectory that will see him as a household name sooner than later. Moonlight City Drive is the kind of story that you think about for days after finishing it.” ~ Christopher Ruland
“Very well written, I was not sure who to root for, who to like, who to hate, and how I wanted it to end. Definitely has dark tones to it with many twists and turns and surprises. Thrilling, exciting read!” ~ Monica
“It's a perfect fusion of the classic detective story and some unexpectedly dark occult horror story. A film noir with fedoras, trench coats, whisky and cigars, but demons and witches are waiting on the corners and in the alleys. I recommend to read it for everyone who's into detective stories, horror stories, or just wants a great book and isn't afraid of living dead ghouls.” ~ Erky-Nagy Katalin
“The story's creativity guarantees its page-turning quality. Highly recommended for those who love to read an engaging thriller.” ~ Dawn Taylor
“This book is hands down the craziest book written about one of my favorite albums ever. Do yourself a solid favor and buy it. I promise you won't be disappointed.” ~ Derrick
Guest Post by the Author
My Writing Quirks
I don’t think an author realizes their writing quirks until they are a few pieces deep into their career. So, it wasn’t until my wife and my editor were reading/working on my third novel, Yours Truly, 2095, when they both noticed different things about my writing.
My editor noticed that the theme of redemption always plays a part in the outcome of either my novels or short stories. I’m a big Star Wars fan, and I think the redemption of Anakin Skywalk/Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi must have made an impact on me as a child. I didn’t realize it until she brought it to my attention, but I do seem to always have one character, who is a really terrible person in the beginning, eventually find the right path.
My wife noticed that I always reference The Wizard of Oz in EVERYTHING I write. Somewhere in the narrative there might be a metaphor where I use a Wizard of Oz character as a reference, or one of my characters mentions the movie or references a scene in dialogue. I was completely unaware that I did this. A fellow author friend of mine, Douglas Esper, told me that he thinks it’s because everything I write tends to hang just slightly over the center line of reality, and The Wizard of Oz is a good example of that happening plot wise. Obviously, watching that as a child molded how I see my own fictional worlds. Not that my stories are fantasy in nature, but obviously that approach bleeds into even my most straight-forward dramas.
About the Author
Brian Paone was born and raised in the Salem, Massachusetts, area. Brian has, thus far, published four novels: a memoir about being friends with a drug-addicted rock star, Dreams are Unfinished Thoughts; a macabre cerebral-horror novel, Welcome to Parkview; a time-travel romance novel, Yours Truly, 2095, (which was nominated for a Hugo Award, though it did not make the finalists); and a supernatural, crime-noir detective novel, Moonlight City Drive. Along with his four novels, Brian has published three short stories: “Outside of Heaven” which is featured in the anthology A Matter of Words; “The Whaler’s Dues” which is featured in the anthology A Journey of Words; and “Anesthetize (or A Dream Played in Reverse on Piano Keys)” which is featured in the anthology A Haunting of Words.
Brian is also a vocalist and has released seven albums with his four bands: Yellow #1, Drop Kick Jesus, The Grave Machine, and Transpose. He is married to a US Naval Officer, and they have four children. Brian is also a police officer and has been working in law enforcement since 2002. He is a self-proclaimed roller coaster junkie, a New England Patriots fanatic, and his favorite color is burnt orange.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card.
Links
