“You can’t teach someone a lesson when they’re dead.”
That’s one of the key themes of the new novel from Z107.7 reporter Gabriel Hart. An acclaimed author and resident of Morongo Valley, Hart’s new book is called On High at Red Tide, and it’s published by Pig Roast Publishing.
Hart’s book was released earlier this month, and on its publication day he talked about his new work on the Z107.7 Morning Show, saying
“I grew up on the cusp of generation X, and a lot of books and movies that were around then had kids growing up very fast. This is my entry into that category.
“It can be considered a crime novel, or noir. But it’s very punk rock. It’s got that very hard-boiled crime fiction element, but it also has an experimental prose element. Those are the spectrums I read from, and I wanted to write something that combined those. There is a murder mystery as well.
“There’s a haunting refrain that continues to pop up in the book. “You can’t teach someone a lesson when they’re dead. I wanted to explore that as an overarching theme.
“I couldn’t have written this book without many nightmares I’ve had along the way. There’s a lot of subconcious stuff aligning in this novel.”
The book takes place in the early 90’s, and centers around a gang of punk teenagers who use and begin to deal drugs in Laguna Beach. Hart spent part of his childhood in the Southern California town, and the book’s depiction of how it has changed over the decades might be familiar to long-time desert residents.
“I grew up in Laguna Beach, which has gone through so many changes over the last decade, and there was a time when. You think of Laguna Beach now, and it’s so sanitized. There was a time when it had this seedy underbelly. I wanted to explore the last gasp of the seediness of Laguna.
“There’s something about beach towns where you feel like you’re at the end of civilization, and you can’t go any further. Rules dip off into that water.”
Before he leaves for his multi-city book tour, Hart has been promoting his book locally in the hi-desert, including at an event happening tonight.
“I’m doing a launch event at the Beatnik Lounge, I’ll be reading from the book and Jean-Paul Garnier from Space Cowboy will mediate a live conversation with me about the themes of the book.
Tonight’s event will be held at The Beatnik Lounge, located at 61597 29 Palms Hwy in Joshua Tree. The event is free and begins at 7 p.m.
And if you can’t make it tonight, Hart recommends going right to PigRoastPublishing.com to buy the book.
“Please order direct from the publisher. I don’t like to support Amazon.”
