Stage In The Sky

Yoko Kanno – “Where Does the Ocean Go”

My upcoming e-book will be the last e-book I release for a while. But while it may be the last, it certainly isn’t the least. After I write any story, I go back and proofread what I’ve written, and it’s usually the most difficult process for me because mentally I’m like… “I’ve already finished this project. I want to move on.”

But with this upcoming e-book, it didn’t feel that way. It really is my favorite story, involving one of the most arrogant, sophisticated and conflicted characters I’ve had the pleasure to create. While I’ve already written a novel and I’m working on my second novel involving Eliza Christie as an adult, this upcoming e-book will reveal what Eliza Christie was like as a pre-teen. It’s a narrative told by her best friend, Aida Jennazo. Aida sees first-hand accounts of how Eliza didn’t just roll out of bed and become a vigilante outlaw. Defiance is simply in her DNA.

Eliza Christie aka The Jaguar of August the 18th – age 22,

Being raised by a single father who’s the lead detective for Tampa’s organized crime unit was difficult to say the least. But despite the long hours her father had to pull, his devotion to her was undeniable. And even as a child, she didn’t hold his job against him. She didn’t cry about not being able to go to the park or get that Barbie Doll. Instead, she embraced being raised by the police unit, the officers treating her like she was one of the boys. That being said, Eliza’s never really gotten along with her peers, subconsciously thinking herself above them and their petty individualistic problems.

At a young age, she was exposed to the violence, obscenities and lewd behavior no child should have to witness. But instead of falling into a hole of darkness that only therapy could pull one out of, Eliza reveled in it.

It was only when things got too dangerous that Eliza’s father brought her to live with Aida Jennazo’s family. And that’s the way it was until she reached the age of fifteen.

On one faithful night…the outstanding work Eliza’s father put in finally caught up to him. You see, Eliza’s father, Detective Emil Christie, began to theorize that the city’s entire criminal body was under a single umbrella, a Syndicate, with only one faction pulling the strings for every other gang. From the patterns of murders, extortion, kidnappings and missing persons…only one entity seemed to benefit from it all…The Pierce Corporation with Isaac Pierce sitting at the head of the throne. Isaac Pierce is the richest most influential man in the world at this time.

So when a young assassin scales the high-rise building of Emil Christie’s apartment complex. It hardly came at a surprise to him. What was surprising was that this assassin happened to be no other than Isaac Pierce’s own nephew, a rising enforcer who was already beginning to make a name for himself as a prodigy swordsman. Eliza Christie walk in on the tail end of this grisly murder to see the young man standing over her father’s body.

Her father’s last words… “…Braden Pierce…”

That moment forever changed Eliza’s life, unlocking a chest of fury and igniting a blaze of determination that would never be extinguished.

This stunning blonde green-eyed woman would go on to train in ninjutsu and capoeira before forming the unauthorized militia known as, August the 18th. This militia is a small band of war veterans, mercenaries and ex-police officers who have lost faith in the justice system to do anything about the blatant offenses inflicted by the Syndicate. And while Eliza thinks of herself as just and honorable…on occasion, she willingly and knowingly makes herself a hypocrite when she appoints herself as judge, jury and executioner when it comes to dealing with anyone affiliated with the Pierce.

Smart and philosophical, Eliza knows when and where to show her true self. While attending university and out in general public, she’s your average 22 year old respectable college student. But when she’s with her militia and out on missions, she’s a revered, dominating general who does just about everything except for waiting on the sideline. Only with Aida and Inspector Gazi, does Eliza not concern herself with appearances. It’s only with those two that she can truly be relaxed and free. But despite her growth and maturity as a young woman, two things remain cemented in her psyche. Her deep love for the color green and her need to erase Braden Pierce from existence.

– Eliza’s traits….Dormant pissy attitude. As an adult, she tries to act professional in the face of others, but deep down she’s selfish and unpredictable. She likes Yoko Kanno type music, reflective and instrumental. As a civilian she’s always wearing a long hooded green overcoat that was passed down from her mother. Aside from that, she almost always wears a jeweled bracelet even in combat and has a short katana sword down by her lower back, often concealed but easy to get to.