Please welcome author Neil S. Plakcy to the blog
today as he discusses his short story, "Cabbage Key," in the upcoming anthology, Cupid
Shot Me: Valentine Tales of Love, Mystery & Suspense. The book will be
released on February 1st.
Creating George Clay
My short story, “Cabbage Key,” which
appears in the new anthology Cupid Shot Me, is the first
to appear with my new protagonist, George Clay, but actually the third I wrote.
The first was for anthology call for 1960s
private eyes. I was born in 1957, so my knowledge of the early sixties is slim,
but I vividly recall the Nehru jackets, the tie-dyed or Indian cotton T-shirts,
the bell-bottom jeans and the anti-war protests of the latter part of the
decade. I thought it would be fun to place my private eye on Miami Beach, an
iconic location and one that I know well.
I wanted a simple name for this new guy.
George Clay. Salt of the earth. Though George is white, there’s a slight reference
to Cassius Clay, as Muhammad Ali was called back then. I liked it. A solid name
for a solid guy. Tall and somewhat beefy, the kind of guy who could work part
time as a bouncer at a gay bar.
He’s from Tidewater Maryland, an area I
find interesting because of the close connection between water and
shore—something similar to Miami Beach. I thought he’d grown up without much
direction, and ended up in the Navy, where he was a Master-at-Arms, the naval
equivalent of the military police.
He couldn’t have become a cop after
discharge, though, because he was too certain of his sexual identity, and sure
that he couldn’t hide that behind a badge. So that’s why he became a private
eye.
In “Cabbage Key,” George and his Cuban
émigré boyfriend Alex Reyes want to sneak away for a sexy weekend, far from the
prying eyes of neighbors and colleagues. But they meet another Miami couple
there, also hoping to hide out. Only someone has followed the other couple to
this remote island off the west coast of Florida, on a deadly mission. To
protect their secrets, George and Alex must get involved.
“Cabbage Key” is only one of the wonderful stories editor Frank W. Butterfield has collected for this anthology, from award-winning authors including Michael Nava, Greg Herren and Mark Zubro.
Neil
S. Plakcy is
the author of over 50 novels in gay mystery, cozy mystery, gay romance and
adventure. His short story “Oyster Creek” will be in the 2022 MWA anthology Crime
Hits Home. His website is www.mahubooks.com.
Posts
3 comments:
Thanks for the opportunity to talk about a new character I'm becoming very fond of.
I love reading more about George's backstory! His story in the anthology is a lot of fun (in a number of ways). I enjoyed the ending since it accurately reflects what happens more often than not when a private detective is asked to investigate a case. Thanks, Neil!
Thanks for sharing. It’s interesting to see how you created your character. He sounds like an interesting protagonist
Post a Comment