Saturday, November 5, 2011

A Look at what Inspired The Price of Defiance

 


by Mahalia Levey


For the past six years The Fast and The Furious and sequels have glamorized street racing. We’ve fallen for Dom and Brian and the bad boy lifestyle they perpetrate and condone the laws broken. Luda brings in expertise on the internal workings on the car and we’re further introduced to hackers proficient in stopping traffic etc. Their crimes are also glamorized and made to make all the sexy criminals we see possess an intelligence to surpass any law enforcement professional. Do I think the movies rock? Yes, do I believe anyone can out think those who specialize in bringing down thugs of every kind? No.


The Price of Defiance began two years ago as a short two thousand word story of a young woman who races and is caught by the authorities. She’s not only forced to look at her crime but at the man she doesn’t want to come retrieve her. I stopped it there leaving a short. When I received my rights back I decided to write her story, not knowing then what pushed her to make the decisions she made. I only knew that if she didn’t have an intervention she’d end up dead or worse.  My character lacked guidance and with family and support, I had to know her driving factor was. I wanted to see the intelligent yet childish at times young woman grow into a responsible adult. I burned to see her self-discovery.
I began researching the horrors of illegal street racing and the effects ranging from individuals racing to victims of circumstance and the toll such a hobby took on a community. Police have taken such a stance as crushing any cars suspected of being involved in these races. Imagine possessing a car worth fifty grand and up picked up and crushed, and getting a ticket for having a car believed tied to racing. Technology has caught up with these smart individuals by helo’s and cops shooting EMP devices at the cars to shut down their electrical system. I was astounded at the raw footage found on line and the lives ruined. What better way of bringing a story to life than showing the negative side of racing and the addiction that comes with it. I won’t go into addiction here. I’ll be on Delilah Devlin’s Blog on the 12th with the topic of addiction. This story has so many layers within I can’t tell it all on one blog!
Blurb:America Patterson loves living on the edge. Car model by day, illegal street racer by night, she’s known as the best. Except underneath her flawless façade lies a young woman filled with turmoil. When her hobby lands her in hot water, she finds herself handcuffed and bailed out by the one person who’d abandoned her….
MMA Fighter Alejandro Escovedo is summoned home after a tournament that had left him sore and questioning his career. Expecting a nice welcome home, he instead finds himself rescuing his best friend’s sister out of jail. This time he’s had enough.

Their explosive past gives him all the rights where America is concerned, and he is more than ready to take her on. By ending her daredevil ways and finding the trigger to her self-destructive behavior, will he convince her he’s back to stay or drive her further away?
Tags: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, BDSM and some bondage

Excerpt:
“America, where are you?”
“Saint, I’m in big trouble.” Amy gripped the cell tightly to her ear. “I’m at Truman Memorial Hospital, about to be taken to jail.” She started to sob when reality dawned on her.
“Thank God, you’re alive. I’ve been going out of my mind since the link to the wreck was sent to my cell phone. Sit tight. We’ve been fielding police and the media, trying to protect your professional name. Sis, Alejandro demanded to be the one to handle the situation.”
“I’m sorry for scaring you.” Her brother and his team of misfits were all she had while growing up. Being named after their country of conception and proved just how zany her family was. Saint Vincent got his name chopped in half to Saint. “Is this going to hurt your business?”
“No. Alejandro will make sure you have a smooth transaction. I’m forwarding him your info now. Sit still and relax. Can’t have the baby of the family locked up and forgotten.”
She winced at the thought of seeing Alejandro again after so long. Her voice dropped an octave. “Can’t you come? I haven’t seen him since—”
“Miss, we’re ready to transport you to the police department,” Officer Blake interrupted.
“I gotta go.” Amy snapped the phone shut and handed it back to the officer. He was kind enough to leave, allowing her to change into the scrubs they’d sent for. She rapped and opened the door after toeing into the slip-on canvas shoes. “I’m ready.” Head dropped low, she allowed them to escort her to the jailhouse that was a ten-minute ride away.
Being booked took longer than she’d expected, and it mortified her. A nifty machine imprinted her fingerprints electronically after they took her mug shot. The issue with her identification became clear once she had a chance to speak and separate her professional identity from her personal one. When they finished processing her fingerprints and mug shot, she followed them through general population and looked at all the criminals on the way to her holding cell. The door buzzed and opened, and she was ushered in. She cast a glance at the officer, who shook his head, locked the door, and turned his back.
I’m not a criminal.

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6 comments:

Jessica E. Subject said...

This sounds like such an exciting, fast-paced read. Congrats on your release!

Kate Richards said...

I actually was on a jury once for a street racing trial...did you know that it's racing no matter what speed? We never were told how fast they went and I suspect they never broke the speed limit. But...of course that's not usually the case!
Price of Defiance is an exciting read and big congrats on your release!

Casea Major said...

SOunds HOT! I loved reading about how the story developed. Congrats on the release.

Hales said...

Thanks ladies for the comments! Jess, yeah it's pretty fast paced and emotionally exhausting but a great book. I really loved bringing them all to life. Nope Kate didn't know that. Thanks Casea it was def educational to write.

Barbara Elsborg said...

Congrats on your release!!!!! I'm not a go fast person unless I'm behind the wheel! If someone else is driving fast, I need to sit in the back - if there IS a back!

JoAnne Kenrick said...

I love the premise of this...fast cars!! I'm totally picturing Paul Walker in Fast and the Furious now hehe