Guest Post and Giveaway ~ Vice City by S.A. Stovall

GuestPost and Giveaway ~ Vice City by S.A. Stovall

Anti-Heroes & Redemption in VICE CITY – SA Stovall’s Debut Novel + GIVEAWAY

Hello everyone! (It’s my birthday! Woo!)

And I’m touring my debut novel, VICE CITY, and I’d love to give you a few insights into the main characters. Additionally, I’ll be giving away a $15 Amazon gift card! Answer the following question in the comments (and include your email) and you’re good to go! Question: “Who is your favorite anti-hero in film/books/TV?” You have until July 25th to enter! Good luck!

Blurb:

After twenty years as an enforcer for the Vice family mob, Nicholas Pierce shouldn’t bat an eye at seeing a guy get worked over and tossed in the river. But there’s something about the suspected police mole, Miles, that has Pierce second-guessing himself. The kid is just trying to look out for his brother any way he knows how, and the altruistic motive sparks an uncharacteristic act of mercy that involves Pierce taking Miles under his wing.

Miles wants to repay Pierce for saving his life. Pierce shouldn’t see him as anything but a convenient hookup… and he sure as hell shouldn’t get involved in Miles’s doomed quest to get his brother out of a rival street gang. He shouldn’t do a lot of things, but life on the streets isn’t about following the rules. Besides, he’s sick of being abused by the Vice family, especially Mr. Vice and his power-hungry goon of a son, who treats his underlings like playthings.

So Pierce does the absolute last thing he should do if he wants to keep breathing—he leaves the Vice family in the middle of a turf war.

Buy Links:

DSP Publications

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Kobo

Anti-Heroes:

So, one of my favorite character archetypes is the anti-hero. I love guys who conduct themselves like a**holes half the time, but deep down they’re just trying to do what’s right. Think characters like Loki, or (if you’re into anime) Vegeta. Blurring the line between good and evil adds a whole new level of intriguing (at least in my humble opinion!)

In my novel, VICE CITY, the main character, Nicholas Pierce, has been a mob enforcer for 20 years. He’s not a good guy, doesn’t pretend to be a good guy, but also doesn’t delight in the darkness that surrounds his daily routine. He has a code he lives by (not harming hard working men and women, never harming children, always sleep with a gun nearby) and it’s this kind of behavior that attracts me to anti-heroes in the first place.

Anti-heroes, at the end of the day, don’t revel in evil. They see evil as necessary—either to survive, or because the system fails them. And Pierce finds himself questioning the brutality of the mobsters all around him, which doesn’t go over well, to say the least. He’s a badass, but he restrains himself.

Which brings me to my next point…

Redemption:

Ultimately, VICE CITY is a story of redemption. Pierce got into the Vice family mob because Big Man Vice took him off the streets and gave him a job. Pierce felt like the man did him a favor, and now he needs to repay it (and doesn’t consider anything else he could do to be valuable).

Fast forward twenty years and Pierce is tired of the violence day in and day out. When he meets Miles, he saves him from getting shot and takes him under his wing. When Miles says he wants to repay Pierce, it reminds Pierce of how he got into the mob life to begin with—repaying Big Man Vice for a “kindness,” but it ultimately led to Pierce’s self-loathing.

Once Pierce realizes he wants to save Miles, it becomes a treacherous game to escape the mob, especially since they’re in the middle of a turf war.

However, I love redemption stories almost as much as I love anti-heroes themselves. I love when characters realize that the path of darkness is never as fulfilling as the path of light.

I also love when an anti-hero is paired with an honest-to-goodness hero. Pierce comes to appreciate Miles because of his good nature and dedication to his brother. Miles will do anything to save Jayden—he feels it’s his duty as an older brother—even when Jayden doesn’t want to be rescued from a life of crime.

It makes for an interesting juxtaposition, almost like the forces of evil and the forces of good are arguing over a course of action.

If you’re in tales of redemption or anti-heroes in general (and you like some m/m bonding on the side), I think we’re two pieces cut from the same cloth. VICE CITY was practically written for you.

About the Author:

S.A. Stovall grew up in California’s central valley with a single mother and little brother. Despite no one in her family having a degree higher than a GED, she put herself through college (earning a BA in History), and then continued on to law school where she obtained her Juris Doctorate.

As a child, Stovall’s favorite novel was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. The adventure on a deserted island opened her mind to ideas and realities she had never given thought before—and it was the moment Stovall realized that story telling (specifically fiction) became her passion. Anything that told a story, be it a movie, book, video game or comic, she had to experience. Now, as a professor and author, Stovall wants to add her voice to the myriad of stories in the world, and she hopes you enjoy.

You can find her on Twitter @GameOverStation or at her website https://sastovallauthor.com/