Smoke and Mirrors (2 page)

Greetings readers!

So, for people who’ve read some of my previous work, hello! We meet again! 

For those who are new to me, I wish to offer you a warm welcome and let you know that you’ve picked a heck of a book to start off with, lol. My condolences…ha!

Okay, let’s get into it. I’ve gotten into a bit of a habit with putting these little ‘love letters’ in my books to my readers. I think it helps the reader as she or he travels the journey shotgun with the characters. I don’t want you to be passive. I want you to smell the food cooking, feel the angst of a woman who has been betrayed and envision the knife slicing into tattooed flesh. You purchased this book in order to go on a journey, to be told a story. And, that is what I plan to do. This is a story I don’t want you to stop thinking about after you’ve read, ‘The End.’ I want it to stay with you a bit longer, so much so, that you may have to sit and think about some things, possibly in a whole new way. I rarely
just
write a love story. I tend to write character studies that are all swirled in like a thick stew.

It gives further insight as to what the author, that being me, was doing and thinking when this ‘world’ was being created. Now, that brings me to the world of grit… Yes, grit. Some have accused me of being an interracial ‘street lit’ architect based on my popular “Saint” series. I am not a street lit author, but regardless, that does not offend me.

I bring this up, ladies and gentlemen, because this story has a rather ‘earthy’ vibe as well, if you will. It is in your face, it is rough, and at times hard to swallow. Unless you are devoid of any emotion at all, there will be times when you may think to yourself, ‘I don’t know if I can digest what I just read…’ I’m not a ‘shock’ author; I simply write the truth as I see it. It is a book of fiction, but the instances I describe in this novel happen to real life people, every day,
all
day…and the readers (you), know that. The fact that I don’t stay away from this stuff in romance novels turns some people off. Yet others expect it and, dare I say, relish what I do. And to those people, I am thankful for the love and continued support.

Regardless, I’m proud of my work and make no excuses or apologies for the fact that I visit ‘seedy’ worlds, enjoy creating and cerebrally living in them to the utmost, and offer them gift wrapped in detailed naughty graffiti, shed blood from a murder scene, then tie the elements together with a huge counterfeit hundred dollar bill covered in cocaine dust to my readers.

Fact of the matter is, I am rather unpredictable, though this is never intentional. I simply go with my mood, whatever dream I’ve had that I can build upon, and then the story takes off from there. One day, you will receive a story from me about an Italian American priest that falls in love with a beautiful Bohemian African American singer and pianist, “Forgive Me Father for I Have Loved,” and the next, you will read about a sexy warrior alien from another planet, kidnapping a Baltimore cop and falling madly in love with her to the point of love addiction, ‘The Blood Series’ (“Addicted in Cold Blood” and “The Tale of the Blood Diamond”). So it is nothing for me to dig into my warped imagination like a bag of tricks and pull out things that make people raise their brow and even shake their head a time or two. It is just how my brain works, and I won’t back down for it is who I am; it is what I do. I stand firm in my truth; thus, no one can define me, but me. Regardless of what I’m writing about, I promise to always put my best foot forward for you, and handle it in my typical, ‘Tiana Laveen’ style… and if you don’t know what this, people familiar with my work have more than likely grown accustomed to the following:

My stories are usually longer than average (this is not everyone’s preference). I do not follow proper ‘romance’ protocol – I tend to write my love stories in an unconventional way, sometimes with unexpected pairings. I am, more times than not, very descriptive and rather graphic. I want you to be sitting right there, ‘watching’ the book play out. As stated, some people feel bogged down by this style of writing; others delight in it. I do not always get to my ‘sex scenes’ fast, quick and in a hurry. Again, this may cause frustration for some readers. Others tend to enjoy the slow climb to Mt. Orgasm-ville. Rather than use a ‘sex scene’ formula, I listen to my characters and prefer for the reader to know a bit about them before that occurs, if it makes more sense for the flow of the book. In other words, I do quite a bit of character study if you will, but I don’t believe to the point of ad nauseam, because essentially, their
story
is far more important. If my characters are hot to trot, I listen. If they don’t want to wait, so be it. I’ll listen to those cues as well. And last but not least, I’m insane. I just threw that in there to see if you were paying attention (but it’s true, nevertheless…)

Okay, so let me get into what is going on this story. First of all, what you should know about me is that I have an unhealthy obsession with all that is considered ‘abnormal/vilified human behavior’, as well as topics that are drenched in the macabre and seen as ‘deviant’ in this world. If details that fit the prior description are to be found in a book, true crime show or documentary, I’m all over it. My friends know what to recommend to me, and that includes oftentimes my choices in music as well, but that is another topic for another day. The fact that I feel the need to blend these elements with romance shows that I probably need to make an appointment with a therapist, but it is what it is, and I happen to fancy it. I’ve been this way since I was child, since the show, ‘Cops’ debuted. My parents would argue that it occurred at a much earlier age than that. Anyway, that television program changed my life. It opened a world to me that I was sheltered from, at least to that degree. Then, during my high school and college years, I latched onto documentaries about prostitution, drug dealing, etc. I had no idea that it would one day help me in my future career, but it in fact has. It is amazing what one retains! I already had a ‘basic sense’ of the lifestyle due to watching literally over fifty films about the life of a prostitute from the streets of New York all the way to Mumbai, India. I had also seen many films and read so many books and articles regarding pimps as well as the johns that kept these professions in business, that I felt somewhat knowledgeable.

Everyone at some point in time witnesses or lives some kind of dysfunction, be it an unhealthy friendship, co-dependency with a loved one, taking abuse from a superior at a job, suffering from a bout of depression, or feeling unloved to the point that the person in question really wonders if they should just end it all. These are things many people do not wish to discuss, especially in certain communities and social circles.

There are issues that are tossed under the rug, never to be spoken of, or we simply say, ‘Our people don’t do that.’ Or, ‘We don’t air our dirty laundry.’ But to that I say, “How can the laundry ever get clean if we don’t pull it out the old hamper, declare it grimy, wash it and hang it out to dry?” Despite writing fiction, I put a lot of research into my books, and I prefer to be true to the characters and lifestyles tackled in the story. A perfect example is the Saint series. I am not a member of a gang, nor was I ever in one; however, I had to research in great detail the gang lifestyle of that era (1960s/1970s) in order to make sure I knew what the heck I was talking about. I needed the characters to be authentic and to avoid, if at all possible, being disrespectful in my representation due to sloppy analysis such as only hearing one side of a story, or believing everything I read without finding at least a few more sources to sustain my ideas. Again, though this is fiction, REAL people endured these circumstances, so because of that, I really try to put forth the extra effort.

An example of research and what it entailed for me as an author: interviews with active and non-active gang members; detailed research about the Savage Skulls (yes, they were/are real though they are more of a motorcycle gang now); as well as research about the Bloods (Piru, in particular) and Crips.

Regardless of what I personally believe, it was important for me, as a writer, to stay true to the characters and have them speak and act with authenticity, and see the world in the same manner that many enmeshed in these lifestyles see the world. It also gave an opportunity for redemption. None of my characters run around unscathed. None of them go on about doing their ‘dirty deeds’ without it being addressed in some manner, and I would venture to say, that is true for the majority of my books. This work in particular definitely had to be dealt with in a special way. Why? Because it IS a romance, regardless of the grittiness and topics explored, and no one gets to fall in love without sacrifice, redemption and revitalization. I don’t believe anyone on this planet is beyond improvement and opportunity for growth.

Even if we do not like a person, possibly even detest them, as long as they are breathing and somewhat coherent, there is an occasion, every second of the day, for transformation into a more positive and productive version of ourselves. We should all be works in progress, growing, changing, and improving. Sometimes, we won’t meet the mark, and sometimes, we will supersede it. That is what I attempt to have my characters demonstrate. Someone may start off as a king-sized jerk, a total ‘pita’ (pain in the ass), but they may not remain that way. Some characters will actually grow worse, but they typically will not be the hero or heroine in my books.

In this particular book, the hero is a pimp. Yup. He has a gang of beautiful, half-naked women around him at any given time, and they have sex with other people and give him their hard earned money…
happily
. So now that we’ve got that part covered, check this out: He is not your ‘typical’ pimp, though. For one, he is white. Now, I rarely make a big whoop de whoop about race in my stories. It is brought up though from time to time because ignoring it altogether in my opinion is too unrealistic, but it does not become the ‘theme’ of the story unless it is a historic romance, such as, ‘The Slave Master’s Son.’ In this book, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, it is not continuously discussed either, but it is mentioned more than few times because it is pertinent to the nature of the profession of the hero, Smoke, as well as the heroine, Paris, and their own personal experiences.

White pimps exist; most people who have read a book or two about the subject know that. However, they are not the norm in this country. They are the norm in Europe, but this story takes place in the United States, so that fact stays somewhat irrelevant. How he became a pimp, his mindset, etc., create a situation that hopefully the reader will not only understand, but proceed to develop less revulsion toward him as the main character’s inner workings are explored and revealed. This is not an effort to necessarily excuse his language towards and about women, his mindset and actions, but to at least see how he got from point A to point B. You, as the reader, need to find out that Smoke is in fact VERY human. He is not some demonic, testosterone-drinking robot roaming about the Earth, turning women into sex slaves (Hey! That’s a great story idea! LOL!) Anyway, back to the topic… Some may ask, why did I do this? Why did I write about the life of a pimp? The answer I give to this question each and every time is – Why not? Everyone on this planet has a story and many, in my opinion, are worth exploring.

As Smoke (the hero) grows and develops, chapter after chapter, the reader will see the many layers within this man. He is a complicated person, though he carries himself as if life is simple, picture perfect and crystal clear, and can be broken down into easily understandable compartments. He is organized in his thinking, actions and behaviors, even the occasional vehement ones – but internally, he is a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.

The heroine is equally complex, but a more vulnerable soul, despite her, too, being from a lifestyle many would snub. Contrary to many of our feelings as a whole about people like this, and our preconceived notions, these people may live under the radar. They are our neighbors, family members (whether we know it or not), friends, church members, associates, teachers, bosses, employees, jogging partners, PTA members, and individuals who help collect money for the local lemonade stand and fire department. They will continue to exist until the end of time. The reason I know this is because prostitution is one of the oldest professions on the planet. Men and women will continue to be sexual beings. We will continue to lust, love, seduce and covet other human beings based on how they can make us feel physically, as well as emotionally. This is the human condition, and despite anyone’s religious or spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, this is simply a biological fact. Human beings want to be touched. This need for tactile contact expands and grows as we physically mature and sometimes it can become perverted, warped and downright dangerous if it is not handled in a nurturing, positive, and uplifting way. Our sexuality is so tied into what we observe and witness as children, as well as developed by means of genetic and environment factors, thus, some of our inclinations come to exist through no choice of our own. It is plain to see, at least from my perspective, that sexuality is fluid – it is interpretable and what one may see as tragically vile, another may see as splendidly divine. We came into the world via sex, and we leave it still wanting intimacy. How many times have you seen, heard or read about a person dying, and reaching out to hold their relative’s hand during the final hours? It is that touch that drives us. It is nonstop, and there are people that capitalize on this basic premise. These people are called sex workers, escorts, ‘massage parlor’ employees, prostitutes, hookers, pimps, porn actors/actresses, sex movie directors and producers, sex therapists, sex surrogates, tricks, johns and a host of others, who dedicate a great portion of their lives to what we systemically gravitate towards – and that is sensuality, sexuality, intimacy, affection and lovemaking.