I am excited to announce my 172-page novella, “Neapolitan Sky” on Gatekeeper Press.

“Dreams of becoming a professional writer are abruptly put on hold for college student Nica Mitchell following the unexpected death of her mother and her father’s cancer diagnosis. Forced to return home when he’s hospitalized after encountering a near death experience, Nica learns her father has been keeping a dark secret. Something in between the stages of life and death that, when revealed, will change her life forever.””

Over the course of my writing career, I’ve interviewed hundreds of artists, musicians and authors. I’ve also co-authored three children’s books and have written more than 2,000 articles for this blog, Guitar World, AXS and Yahoo! I can honestly say that this was the most challenging and creatively satisfying thing I’ve ever done.

It was exciting to see this story go from a blank document to template to final draft. In between, there were more than a dozen test readers who provided feedback and input; multiple late night re-writes and edits to enhance the flow of the story and the final review from the publisher.

Check out the official trailer below:

A few reviews from Amazon:

Nothing is as it Seems Under a Neapolitan Sky

“Don’t be taken in by the serene title, suggestive of an Italianate summer sojourn (which I theorize pays homage to a haunting Avett Brothers tune). Nothing is as it seems; so don’t plan on getting comfortable, or settling in. Just when you think you can anticipate what comes next, because you detect some familiar Serling-esque patterns in character development, this gifted writer repeatedly surprises and refreshes with equal portions of rapid-fire suspense and unforeseen plot twists.”

Two “W” Words – Whoa and Wow! 

“It’s hard to believe that James Wood was able to tell a story with so many twists, turns and somersaults in 151 pages. No fluff, just a well-told tale that takes you to places that will blow you away. A perfect book for a beach weekend.” (K.G. – Amazon Verified Purchase)

“Neapolitan Sky is a masterfully written and truly compelling story. I started reading this book and I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend Neapolitan Sky to everyone. A++++” (KL – Amazon Purchase)

“I definitely recommend reading this book. I love it! Can’t wait for the sequel THE END?. The twists and turns in this book! Nothing turned out as I expected. At first I thought I’m reading a sob story then it got better and better. I got to chapter 14 and I couldn’t stop reading. I finished it, I could not put it down. It’d make a great movie.”

Watch this page for more updates on Neapolitan Sky. I hope you’ll pick up a copy of your own.