My latest novel, Dead to Rights, is now available! Experience vehicular combat in the dark future of Car Wars, the classic game by Steve Jackson Games.
Corporate greed meets pure vehicular carnage!
Born into luxury but craving chaos, Catherine “Catastrophe” Cattaneo ditches her silver spoon for the blood-soaked thrill of the autoduelling circuit. With her future already mapped out by corporate puppeteers, she’s determined to prove she’s more than just a pretty face in a combat car.
On the edge of ruin, Ray “Sidewinder” Simpson is a man with one foot in the scrapyard. Betrayed, broke, and booted from the pro leagues, he’s left clawing through back-alley arenas for one last shot at glory—or survival.
Two rebels. One explosive alliance.
When Catastrophe’s world gets flipped by a ruthless kidnapping, these unlikely allies unite for a high-octane mission that will test their grit, courage, and steel. Their road to vengeance is paved with twisted metal, deadly secrets, and arena battles that will leave no car—or combatant—unscathed.
Strap in. Burn rubber. Fight to win.
In a lot of ways, I’m returning to my car combat roots with this one. I was a fan of Car Wars back in the 1980s (gosh, now I feel old) when it was sold in little plastic boxes. Several years later, I got a job making video games, working on a game called Twisted Metal for the (then) new Sony Playstation. It had a different flavor (much more arcade-like rather than sim-like) and style of world, I kept the plastic Car Wars game cases on my desk shelf for reference, just in case. (I don’t think I ever opened the boxes up in that time, but hey, they were there for inspiration in case I needed it).
Twisted Metal grew to become a popular franchise, and even became a TV series recently that is currently producing a second season. For that time in my life, vehicular combat dominated my conscious thoughts. Still, as much as I put my passion into it, I really wished we could do something more like Car Wars, with a grittier science fiction world than the over-the-top dark-humor fantasy of the videogame.
I got my wish!
Dead to Rights, an officially licensed novel taking place in the world of Steve Jackson’s Car Wars. While it is book 5 of the Car Warriors – The Autoduel Chronicles, it’s a stand-alone novel. It takes place a little before the events of the “Dead Man’s Run” arc, off in the somewhat isolated greater Los Angeles area. If you are familiar with the series, or the Car Wars game, you will find yourself in familiar territory.
If you have never heard of Car Wars before, Dead to Rights is, in my not-so-unbiased opinion, a great starting point! Everything you need to know abut the world is handled by the book. However, if you want to know more, there are several more books from other authors that are already out, and even more in the pipeline. Enjoy!
As always, have fun!