Why do I write? A book or a story is like a baby inside, striving to be born.
Mark’s books (some anthologies are co-edited with friends)
My newest book, soon to be published.
THE MIRAGE, an upmarket satirical novel complete at 85,000 words. Combining the chaotic caper energy and dark comedy of Alexander Sammartino’s Last Acts with the sardonic, neurotic character study of Kate Greathead’s The Book of George, THE MIRAGE will appeal to readers who enjoy high-stakes relic hunts served with sardonic humor and a panoramic view of America through an immigrant lens.
Life bugs Alex, a Ukrainian immigrant, even more than it did Gregor Samsa. Women don’t like him anymore. Maybe they never did. His beloved stepsister Tamara died. He’s facing deportation. He’s broke. Worse yet, Alex can’t find the Mirage, a jewel-encrusted key, his last connection to her. He knows the key is hidden inside one of the seven elephant figurines, scattered across the United States after her death. But he doesn’t know what it can do. Enter Vlad, a charismatic Ukrainian con man. Vlad offers help for a cut after they sell the key. The unlikely fellowship travels the country in their quest, meeting increasingly strange and colorful people and collecting the elephants. Alex and Vlad discover that the key is only a gateway to the Breastplate of God. This Biblical artifact can protect its owners and give them any information they need, no matter how secret. A ruthless crime boss follows them, willing to kill for the artifact. The duo must outwit their enemy to find the Breastplate before the boss uses it to kill them and to rule the streets. And once they have it, can they change enough to dedicate their lives to guarding the Breastplate?
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