I wrote the cover story in this week's City Paper, and it's a somewhat odd blend of memoir, crime story and neighborhood profile. "Under the El" is one of my first attempts to write about Frankford, the historic yet troubled neighborhood in lower northeast Philly where I grew up. I've known for a while that I'm going to set a couple of crime novels there -- they'll probably be books #4 and 5. There's much to examine, much to exorcise.
Going into this piece, I knew I had a lot of personal ground to cover, but I didn't want it to overwhelm the story. So I tried to leave myself out as much as possible, even though this was a highly personal story. (Does that make any sense?) Sometimes, what's off the page is as important as what's on it.
And on a related note, my editor's letter this week deals with two recent high-profile crimes in Philly, and how they tie into the cover story.
Not exactly a light-hearted week 'round here at Secret Dead Blog, eh?
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