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We\u2019d like to congratulate a friend of C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong>, the writer and micro-filmmaker Colin Price<\/strong>, on the release last month of his first book, Red Light and Other Tales<\/span><\/strong>. He and wife Lissa<\/strong> will premiere it locally with an event later tonight, Sunday, July 14, 8 p.m.<\/strong>, at Pipa\u2019s Pub, 604 S. Country Fair Dr., Champaign<\/strong>. Both hardcover and paperback are available from the imprint, Page Publishing<\/span><\/strong> of New York, NY<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, although they will only have the paperback edition for sale. Fans can still bring their pre-bought copies for signing and a photo with Price for a few extra bucks, while those who will not make it to Pipa\u2019s can pick up Red Light<\/span> from the Barnes & Noble<\/strong> off of Marketview Drive<\/strong> and e-tailers like Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. In other words, dearest readers, it\u2019s time to support your local author!<\/p>\n Price took a few moments from booking appearances and developing projects to talk with CUBlog<\/span><\/strong> about Red Light and Other Tales<\/span>, in particular the novella referenced in its title. \u201cI worked really hard to treat the dynamics between certain characters as very harmful,\u201d he explains with no irony; dark corners tend to surface in his otherwise escapist fare. \u201c[The lead characters] are two quite different but quite damaged people, with one choosing to turn their back on their own humanity altogether. I have become sickened by certain books and movies lately that attempt to see abuse and abusive relationships through rose-tinted glasses.\u201d Elements more aligned with the realistic grit of crime fiction and noir<\/em> also have a place here.<\/p>\n \u201cRed Light\u201d concerns a reluctant prostitute named Mia, barely of adult age and weighed down by a tart cynical streak, who makes a break for it and runs smack dab into a stranger on the sidewalk. An awkward type with equal parts charm and arrogance worn on his sleeve, Dean offers to give Mia shelter at his late uncle\u2019s house until she is ready to move on. Instead, Mia is ensnared by Dean\u2019s twisted expectations in their nascent relationship to one another, resulting in a terse game of one-upmanship that could cost the lives of several in their not-exclusive circles. Bonus stories fill out the 168-page volume and push into disparate areas such as Gothic horror, romance, surrealism, and TWILIGHT ZONE<\/strong>-style metaphor: \u201cThe Midnight Show<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cIn Your Dreams<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cEvening Mass<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cSix Cups of Water<\/strong>,\u201d and \u201cOn the Mountain<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n