Discover THE AUTHOR
CRITICS ARe SLEEPING ON
Not to be confused with “sleeping with.” Very different circumstances, I should add. And trust me, I should know (but I don’t know, and perhaps that’s the underlying problem of it all: the fact that Mr. Lee is never invited to these orgies the critics can’t stop raving about).
“God help his soul.”
“Don’t quote me on your [expletive] website! Seriously, dude, stop jotting down what I say.”
“I think you need a therapist.”
“Hey, did I leave my wallet in your car? I’m pretty sure I left my wallet in your car.”
“Homeschooled, pumpkin pie hair-cutted freak.”
PUBlished workS
SMOKIN’ MIRRORS TRILOGY
IMPERMANENCE
ACE OF SHADES
THE EYES ARE THE WINDOW TO THE SOUL
Ace Shades lives in an edgy, over-the-top action movie. He is the uncompromising protagonist: A self-proclaimed detective who wears sunglasses at all times, even at night or in the shower. In fact, he wears nothing but black to show the world just how uncompromising he is. Black is the color of his soul staring back at him, repeating to him the question: “Why do I exist, and what is my purpose?”
His girlfriend’s a piano, his friends aren’t all there, and the world, according to how he sees it, is an absurdly dark and unfriendly place.
But things are changing within the detective. Perhaps it’s the case, or perhaps it’s something else tied to the case. But the closer he gets to the truth, the more he can see the cracks within his own existence. And he’s close to discovering it: The truth hidden long ago, keeping his world held together.
But what is “truth,” and how do you find it? And is there even such a thing?
THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY (SINCE WHEN IS THERE NOT?)
In a quaint, rural town in northern Tennessee, self-proclaimed detective Ace Shades investigates a series of ongoing murders, somehow related to his dark, mysterious past—a past so dark and mysterious that even he doesn’t remember any of it. With the help of his colleagues, who are just as unreliable as he is, they uncover a conspiracy, involving a threat unlike any other before it—or at least any other threat they had faced before, assuming they had faced any other threat at all.
But the world is never so simple, and the truth is never black and white.
Cover design by George Cotronis
BLACK IS THE NIGHT
THE SEQUEL NO ONE ASKED FOR
For every detective, a mystery means something to solve. In the mind of a detective, there's a reason for everything: All mysteries, at their core, make sense only when you get to the bottom of them—from their very beginning, their explanation becomes a simple cause and effect.
THE TRUTH LIES IN THE WORLD HE INHABITS (SOMEWHERE, SOMEWHEN)
Ace Shades is a self-proclaimed detective haunted by a fragmented past—memories of homelessness, an extended asylum stay, and an origin shrouded in mystery. But when a series of horrific murders pull him away from the backcountry of rural Tennessee to the vibrant, rain-covered streets of Nashville, he stumbles into the very past he had thought he lost for good.
As the night unravels, the city's pulse beats in tandem with his own, leading Ace through an entourage of colorful characters, ominous phantoms, and a chance encounter with the one who got away. In a narrative rich with thrills and sharp wit, Black Is the Night explores the intricate dance of dark humor, absurdity, and the eternal struggle between faith versus reason. As Ace Shades confronts his inner demons and the past he chose to leave behind, he must discern reality from psychosis, truth from narrative, and ultimately, what it means to truly have autonomy.
Can love be the end-all answer, or is there more than what lies on the surface? If Ace’s grip on reality is even worse than he realizes, what could that mean for the world as he sees it and everyone therein? In a world where truth is elusive and reality is subjective, the ultimate question must be asked: Can he really trust his own mind? Or is there more to the story?
Cover design by Theodore Lee with AI
SMOKIN’ MIRRORS
THE ENDING NO ONE ASKED FOR
The third and final to the Smokin’ Mirrors trilogy, set to release May 6, 2025.
THE MIND IS THE LOCUS OF COLLAPSE
Ace Shades has since retired from a life of high-octane adrenaline as a self-proclaimed detective and now lives a life of suburbia with his partner and ex-psychiatrist, Beth Embers, and their nearly five-year-old son.
Except the simplicity of suburban life doesn't come naturally to a man once defined by madness, and Ace finds himself haunted by echoes of his past—phantoms of a narrative that refuses to let go. As he strives to be a devoted partner and father, as well as a better person altogether, the boundaries between his current reality and past self begin to blur.
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
When fragments of his former life start resurfacing in unexpected ways, Ace is forced to question the authenticity of his newfound normalcy. Are these mere coincidences, or is there a deeper undercurrent pulling him back into a world he thought he had left behind?
In a tale where reality and fiction intertwine, Ace must navigate the delicate balance between who he was and who he aspires to be, all while safeguarding the life he's built from unraveling.
Within a genre-defying tale that melds thrill, introspection, and a touch of the surreal, Ace Shades embarks on a journey that challenges the very essence of his existence. Can he break free from the narrative's grip, or is he destined to play his role to the end?
Cover Design by Kerry Ellis
THE BOUNTY
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
A young man is abducted from his everyday life and thrust into a brave new world with an interdimensional bounty on his head.
A CALL TO ADVENTURE
On the fifteenth anniversary of his brother’s death, twenty-three-year-old Edwin Dorset spends his last day on Earth wondering if there’s anything more for him than the life he’s been given.
An artist who has toiled all his life for his craft, only to enter an age where human-derived works are nearly obsolete and artificial intelligence can create what he can in the span of a second.
But as the sun sets over the horizon, a tear in the sky rips open, and Edwin is quickly forced to reassess everything he knows about the universe and his place in it. Embarking on a visceral quest of enlightenment and self-expression, Edwin Dorset learns the true meaning of a bounty, as his space odyssey takes him to the very heart of creation itself.
A SPACE ODYSSEY
The Bounty is a timeless novel that blends the unfettered wonder of adventure with the profound depths of spirituality and metaphysics. Journey through Samsara where the boundaries between innovation and imagination are interchangeable, as we follow an artist who mistakes exile for ending, a drifter who probes for meaning in a rudderless world, and a voyage into the heart of creation that transcends the material, spiraling through questions of expression, worth, and the eternal struggle of all life.
Drawing inspiration from works like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Siddhartha, The Bounty merges the whimsical with the existential, delivering a journey that’s both action-packed and deeply contemplative. As the characters navigate a world of relativity and impermanence, their paths are shaped by the interconnectedness of all things—a force that pulls them together and drives them apart in equal measure.
At the heart of the story is a thrilling exploration of wanderlust: the unbound joy and danger of seeking the unknown. From a star-strewn canvas to the quiet corners of the soul, the novel is a vibrant tapestry of visceral emotion, introspection, and hard science. Through romance, spectacle, and the raw struggle of the human experience, The Bounty probes the deepest questions of life, death, and everything in between, offering readers an unforgettable reflection on the impermanence of existence and the eternity that stretches beyond.
A celebration of both the beauty and fragility of existence, The Bounty is an odyssey that dares to ask: what does it truly mean to be a bounty, and is it something found within yourself or the world outside you?
Cover design by Kerry Ellis
No, seriously, who am I? This isn’t a joke. Or perhaps it is—who am I to know?
On one hand, I could be the Author himself, but on the other hand, I could just be his personal assistant—or even a lone PR agent—getting underpaid for a lousy job on my end. Ah, but what do I care? No one reads anymore these days. At least, that’s what I’m told. (Especially from an unknown writer’s website….)
