Guest Blog: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Ace of Diamonds by Vogue

Book Synopsis:

 

Since his release from prison, Brookstone’s most notorious drug lord, Jay Santiago, has been hard at work rebuilding his life and empire. With two businesses under his belt and one in the making, Jay is readily known as one of New York’s elite men. While the root of his financial status lies in the newly rebuilt Santiago cartel, Jay is determined to expand his wealth. After reconnecting with an old comrade, he believes he has found the one thing that could increase his fortune and allow him to leave behind the dangers of his criminal enterprise for good. However, as Jay’s new business venture begins to come to fruition, he quickly learns the one material object he loves the most could lead to his biggest downfall yet.

 

10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Ace of Diamonds

 

1. The current version of The Ace of Diamonds is actually the third draft of the book. The original version followed teenage character, Kristian Kane’s experience pledging a collegiate sorority. The second version is very similar to the current version; however, there were a lot of cliffhangers. The entire project took about two years to complete.

 

2. The physical appearance of character Shawn Blumington, the novel’s antagonist, was inspired by The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.

 

3. The restaurant, Old Town Bistro, in the novel is inspired by a real restaurant located in downtown Rock Hill, South Carolina.

 

4. Chapter One of the book takes place in Dallas, Texas because when I first started working on The Ace of Diamonds, I was in Dallas for two weeks visiting my aunt and wanted the city to be a part of the novel. 

 

5. Without giving away too many details regarding a twist in the plot, I incorporated my personal life into the book by sharing my thoughts and emotions following the death of one of my parents. This scene was very difficult to write because I had to revisit the memory; however, it was also very therapeutic.

 

6. A new fashion collection is introduced in The Ace of Diamonds entitled Fresh Prince. Although it shares the same name as the popular comedy show, starring Will Smith, the collection’s name was actually not influenced by the show, but by the French novella, The Little Prince.

 

7. The cityscape on the front cover of the book is actually not New York, but Chicago, Illinois.

 

8. By now, most people are aware that Brookstone is not a real city in New York. However, a new city is introduced in the book, Copperton City, which is a fictional city in Georgia.

 

9. For three years, I worked as a residential counselor in a treatment facility for juvenile delinquents. During this time, I grew so accustomed to referring to my colleagues by their last name that it carried over into my books. This is the reason why some of my characters only have last names (i.e. Silvas, Sanders, Gomez, and Clement).

 

10. The Ace of Diamonds is the first release under my own imprint, Crown Jewelz Publishing.

 

The Ace of Diamonds is currently available in paperback and ebook at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.