Resa is a fantastic artist, photographer, and the designer of unique ballroom gowns from recycled fabrics, but did you know she is also the author of a fabulous book? I came across Nine Black Lives quite by accident and it is a really good book, filled with Resa’s imagination, knowledge and humour.

What Resa says

Nicky is an actor, vain, jaded and tired of Hollywood fluff. He holes up, brooding in his New York apartment only to accept yet another “detective” role scheduled to shoot in his grey and gritty home turf. As stalkers move in and a real life murder taps him on the shoulder, Nicky enters a dangerous Neo Noir world. Peril looms to all those around him, including his love Lara and their unborn son. With the chill of premonition creeping over him, and wielding his “detective” skills, Nicky must awaken the true man within before time runs out.

My review

I really enjoyed this fascinating book. The author is a talented costume designer and has a lot of experience with life behind the cameras on a movie set. This knowledge shines through in this novel and makes the settings and character interactions very realistic and believable.

The main character, Nicky, is a hugely successful movie star who is searching for more fulfilment in his life that his typical male hero roles are offering. Unable to find a more challenging movie role, he throws himself into unravelling the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a costume designer, Lucille, he’d worked with during the filming of his first move. The one that made him a star. At the same time, his girlfriend informs his that he’s going to be a father. Simmering in the background of these two storylines, are several threatening letters that Nicky’s has received from an obsessive fan. These three aspects weave together to create an exciting and fast paced novel set during the filming of Nicky’s new film, Nine Black Lives.

The characters and dialogue in this book really stood out for me. Due to the author’s understanding of the movie making world, the book is sprinkled with intriguing commentaries about the making of movies and the various actors, main and supporting, who make up the cast, as well as all the people involved in makeup, costume design and administration. An example of one such conversation is as follows:

“”The Handmaiden’s Hands was a step up, but who knew it at the time? Back then it was a paycheck. No one really thought anything would come of the stupid film. Leo had even worried that it could possibly hurt Nicky’s career.
“Who could have predicted a low budget loser like that would turn out to be a cult classic. Hell, the script was a joke,” Leo laughed.”

The backstory and details surrounding Nicky’s ‘stalker’ are interesting and well described. Insights into star obsession and the world of fan social media and on-line admiration clubs are unveiled in all their murky weirdness and excessiveness. It was all fascinating to me as a reader and I learned a great deal about the challenges of living in the spotlight.

The relationship between Nicky and the lead investigator into the death of Lucille and Nicky’s stalker is also interesting. The investigator, Lightfoot, is disdainful of Nicky’s information and thoughts and determined to remind him that he is not a ‘real’ investigator but only a pretender to the crown. This relationship was an intriguing reminder not to underestimate another person just because you are resentful of their position in life.

This is an interesting novel with a strong storyline, fascinating characters, and entertaining detail.

Your can purchase Nine black lives from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HB8T1M

Or you can download it on Resa’s blog here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/artists/

Skart

Resa finds and photographs the most amazing street art. Late last year, Resa came across a most intriguing skateboard art find. Just after this discovery, I posted my one any only poem about skateboarding. Resa created an incredible post to showcase her art discoveries, and I am thrilled that she included my poem, The Silver Lining. Thank you, Resa, for all you do to make our lives interesting and art filled.

Click on the image to find Resa’s incredible post.

About Resa McConaghy

You can discover more about Resa McConaghy on her website here: https://resamcconaghy.com/

You can enjoy her gorgeous art gown creations here: https://artgowns.com/

I just love her latest creation:

For me, it is a wedding dress and if I was getting married now, I would want this dress. I asked TC if he wanted to renew our wedding vows so I could wear this dress. Dear man said I could have the dress, but we didn’t need another wedding because the first one was amazing. Isn’t he a darling?

This is what Resa says about herself:

“Hi there!

I’m an amateur photographer who has a passion for taking pics of outdoor ephemeral art.

My name is Resa McConaghy, and my site, “Graffit Lux and Murals”, was originally dedicated to showcasing & documenting Graffiti Art  and Murals in Toronto and Winnipeg.

However, I now find I am featuring the Street Art of other cities around the globe through travels of mine, and guest contributors.

Taking these pics is a passion and a joy. Each work of graffiti art or mural evokes thoughts in me, and these thoughts are reflected in the titles of my Posts.

Some of these pieces may already have been named by the artists. If I know the original name, I will name it so.

If I know the name of the artist, I will credit them under the photograph and/or in the body of the post. If you are an artist & have not been credited,  you can reach me by email with your info. I will gladly update the post. If you’re here, it’s probably because you love this type of art as much as I do. I hope my pics do the pieces some justice.

Contact me at: submissionstoglam@graffitiluxandmurals.com

Cheers!

Resa