Sunday, January 30, 2022

Guest Post: Creating George Clay by Neil S. Plakcy


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 ©2022 

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.

3 comments:

Neil Plakcy said...

Thanks for the opportunity to talk about a new character I'm becoming very fond of.

Frank Butterfield said...

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!

Nina Wachsman said...

Thanks for sharing. It’s interesting to see how you created your character. He sounds like an interesting protagonist