Jake Dallas at twenty-two is struggling to cope with his overbearing Father, and the burdens of the Fort Lauderdale family firm, and must take drastic action to pursue his dreams as a screenwriter.
Background To The Novel
In 2006, South Florida’s leading Industry newspaper, SoFlim, posted an ad seeking a Writer of short stories for their publication. I was fortunate enough to beat off the competition, and decided to write one story, with each chapter appearing monthly. The first chapter was published that year and was distributed to over 60,000 readers in Florida.
Shortly after, the Owner received an offer for the paper and decided to sell up and he moved to Hollywood to work as a TV Producer. I had already written the next two chapters, but was so busy on other projects that I was unable to pursue the story as a novel. However, during the subsequent two years I still developed the characters and story in numerous notepads.
When my schedule was clear in late 2008, I spent time in Florida and did extensive research on the novel. This encompassed many locations across Fort Lauderdale and Cudjoe Key. With the invaluable help of numerous experts in their field from Doctors, Lawyers, Sergeants, and local residents, I was able to begin working on the manuscript in 2009.
Throughout the writing process I was in regular contact with those that I had met and their guidance ensured that the state’s procedures were adhered to and not fictionalised.
When the first draft was completed I put it in a draw for several months, so that I could approach the rewrite with completely fresh eyes.
The novel will go out for submission in early 2013.
