WHY?
Recently someone asked me what inspired this story. The truth is, Frank Leland has been living in my head rent-free for a long time.
Frank’s not your usual PI. No trench coat full of bourbon. Just regrets, compulsions, and a city full of bad choices. A man who can’t outrun what he’s lost and tries to fix other people’s problems instead.
Frank doesn’t drink to forget. He eats—and then hates himself for it. He cracks wise but rarely smiles. He tells himself he’s doing good, when mostly he’s just trying to stop the bleeding.
I’ve known more than a few Franks in my time. Hell, I might be one of them. That hunger that’s never satisfied. That emptiness that comes when you’ve lost someone you can’t get back—a parent, a child, a partner. It’s universal. No matter how successful we look, no matter the mask we show the world, there are days when we feel cracked down the middle. And still, we get up. We push forward. Sometimes, just to make it to tomorrow.
New York. 1977. A city that mirrored Frank in so many ways—bruised, broke, dangerous, unwilling to quit.
Writing Frank’s story felt like chasing ghosts through a city I still miss.
It was the blackout summer. The subways stalled. The garbage piled high. Graffiti climbed every wall. The Son of Sam haunted headlines. Whole neighborhoods burned, and nobody came to put out the flames.
And yet, New York refused to crumble. Like Frank, it was bloodied but still on its feet, daring the world to count it out. That year, the city launched the “I ❤️ NY” campaign—its own way of saying, I’m still here. Come back to me.
1977 was pain. But it was also hope.
It was Rocky going the distance. Saturday Night Fever strutting down the street like it owned the world. A galaxy far, far away offering a New Hope.
Stories that have lasted almost fifty years.
Stories like Frank’s.
If Frank’s story speaks to you, I’d love to hear your thoughts after you read Working Stiff.
The pre-order is live now for the eBook, with print and hardcover coming August 26.
📖 Pre-order Working Stiff on Amazon
Some cities get heroes. 1977 New York got Frank.