Blog Archives
The Rest Was Imagination
Through mystery and supernatural suspense, Identity weaves a tale of a gender-fluid teenager battling the guilt of surviving the attack that ripped his best friend from his life. What was the inspiration behind this novel?
Driving through Menlo Park one morning after dropping my kids at school, I heard two high school students shouting and arguing. They were so loud and hostile, I wondered what it was about. I kept driving. The rest was imagination.
Were there particular experiences or ideas you wanted to represent that you felt were missing in other stories?
Unsolved missing persons cases, the search for gender identity, which had been in the news, and the extreme transfer of consciousness all contributed to my interest in the challenge of blending these elements into the story.
How do you balance the expectations of a mystery with the more abstract, emotional questions you’re asking?
The mystery the detective is solving provides the platform on which everything else stands. Solving the murder was the key.
What do you hope readers feel or question after finishing Identity?
I tried to balance several aspects of a sensitive subject and give readers both sides of complex issues, with the hope of continuing the story in books 2 and 3, which have terrific new surprises.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | IMDB | IAN | Network ISA | Film Freeway | Authors Guild | BookBub | Amazon
Veteran detective Al Esposito knows this isn’t a simple murder. As whispers of strange figures in the mist and unexplained nights along the coast surface, the case begins to point toward something darker—and far more dangerous—than anyone is prepared to face.
At the center of it all is Tommy, a gender-fluid teenager struggling to understand who he is while grappling with guilt, fear, and a past he can no longer remember. As the investigation deepens, long-buried secrets rise, the town’s calm exterior fractures, and a malevolent force tightens its grip.
Blending supernatural horror, a gripping whodunit, and a powerful coming-of-age story, Identity is a haunting exploration of friendship, trauma, self-discovery, and the cost of buried truths. Atmospheric, emotionally resonant, and deeply unsettling, this is a novel that lingers long after the final page—culminating in a shocking, revelatory ending readers won’t forget.
Perfect for fans of supernatural thrillers, dark mysteries, and character-driven stories with LGBTQ themes.
