Inspired by an article in the Detroit Free Press and set against the backdrop of a Devil’s Night party at legendary Detroit concert venue and nightclub, Saint Andrew’s Hall, Awaiting Identification details the final night on earth for five lost souls.
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ISBN: 978-0-9899087-6-4. Paperback. 304 pages. $16.99.
978-0-9899087-7-1 (EPUB) and 978-1-947886-01-8 (Mobipocket). $9.99.
BACKGROUND INFO AND Q&A WITH R.J. FOX
PRAISE FOR “AWAITING IDENTIFICATION”
“AWAITING IDENTIFICATION” PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
“In a city that demands nuance, R.J. Fox treats Detroit with a surgeon’s precision. Each character’s story is a different side of the Motor City, each one as complex and multi-layered as the Motor City itself.” — Aaron Foley, Chief Storyteller, City of Detroit and author, How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass
“Elmore Leonard meets Donald Goines . . . a cinematic quality that is enhanced by fresh, spiky dialogue and literary cachet.” — Herb Boyd, author of Black Detroit: A People’s History of Self-Determination
“Cinematic, lyrical, and unflinchingly raw . . . if you’re looking for a fresh new voice in fiction, R.J. Fox is the real deal.” — Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences
Five bodies, five intersecting storylines, five lives . . . each searching for hope and redemption
Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, Detroit, Michigan: October 31, 1999.
Five unidentified bodies lie in the Wayne County morgue on Halloween night. Although each character was on a separate journey, fate leads each of the five victims to cross paths on the streets of Detroit en route to their tragic demise.
NYC Girl: a former dancer arrives back home from New York City to make amends with her mother and begin to rebuild her life.
Leaf Man: a musician and part-time DJ is on the cusp of his big break with one final, unexpected drug deal to complete before he can go totally straight.
R.I.P.: a career criminal must come up with a large sum of money to pay for his father’s medical expenses, despite his yearning for a crime-free life.
The Zealot: a religious fanatic on a mission from God to rid the city of filth.
Cat Man: a kind and trusting homeless man wanders the city looking for new friends.
Like the city in which it takes place, Awaiting Identification is a story of hope, identity, and above all, redemption.
R.J. FOX is the author of “Love & Vodka: My Surreal Adventures in Ukraine” and “Tales from the Dorkside.” He is also an award-winning writer of short stories, plays, poems, and screenplays. Two of his screenplays have been optioned and his work has been published in numerous journals and magazines.
Fox is the writer/director/editor of several award-winning short films. His stage directing debut led to an Audience Choice Award at the Canton One-Acts Festival in Canton, MI. Fox graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English and a minor in Communications and received a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.
In addition to moonlighting as a writer, independent filmmaker and saxophonist, Fox teaches English and video production in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, where he uses his own dreams of writing and film making to inspire his students to follow their own dreams. He has also worked in public relations at Ford Motor Company and as a newspaper reporter. He resides in Ann Arbor, MI.
Visit https://rjfoxwriter.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @foxwriter7.