Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Moonlight City Drive by Brian Paone @GoddessFish

Moonlight City Drive

by Brian Paone

GENRE: Crime/Thriller Romantic Paranormal

BLURB:

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.

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.

Interview with Brian Paone

What is something you’ve lied about?

Not liking Milli Vanilli.

Who is the last person you hugged?

I snuggle with my wife in bed every night. But if that’s not want you are looking for, my grandmother, Nana, turned 99 years old (yes, 99 years old) the day after Christmas, and I gave her a big hug.

What are you reading now?

The short story anthology A Contract of Words. It features authors from all over the world who all had to have the theme of a contract in their story. My story, “Two Gunslingers,” is included in the anthology and I’m reading all the other wonderful stories from the authors in the book.

How do you come up with the titles to your books?

Well, I have 4 novels now, and there is story behind each. Dreams Are Unfinished Thoughts is about my tumultuous friendship with a drug-addicted rockstar, and one day he told me his beliefs on what dreams really are. Little did I know, at the time, that he would pass away, and my first published novel would be about the trials and tribulations of being friends with someone like him. Using something he said to me seemed the most appropriate title. My second novel, Welcome to Parkview, is the most straight forward title. The novel’s protagonist is the town of Parkview itself, so naming the book with a welcoming the reader into the town was the most logical choice. It’s my thirds and fourth novels, Yours Truly, 2095 and Moonlight City Drive, where the titles are taken directly from songs. Yours Truly, 2095 is the name of an Electric Light Orchestra song, and Moonlight City Drive is the name of a Dog Fashion Disco song. Also, all of my published short story titles are either names of songs or a piece of lyric from a song: “Outside of Heaven” (Moby), “The Whaler’s Dues” (Jethro Tull), “Anesthetize or A Dream Played in Reverse on Piano Keys” (Porcupine Tree), and “Two Gunslingers” (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers).

Share your dream cast for your book

For my new book, Moonlight City Drive, I really feel that no-name actors and actresses are best suited for the kind of story it is. Sometimes when audiences watch a movie with “stars,” they have a hard time seeing the character and not the actor. I know, for instance, I always see Will Smith playing a character. Not a character being played by Will Smith. So with that being said, Moonlight City Drive should be casted with non-household names. I’m sure there are a plethora of indie actors and actresses that I don’t know of who would be fantastic in the roles. However, the opposite, I feel, is true for my novel Yours Truly, 2095. My dream cast for that novel would include Rose Byrne, John C Reilly, Jason Bateman, Paul Giamatti, and Ellie Kemper.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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. For more information on all his books and music, visit www.BrianPaone.com

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon or B/N GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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