Shannon Holmes: On Writing Caught Up

To celebrate the release of Caught Up — the latest from Akashic’s Infamous Books imprint — we’re pleased to feature a statement from author Shannon Holmes on exploring the undercarriage of society.

Since the beginning of my literary career I’ve always written about the criminal element, the undercarriage of society. I’ve found great success and fulfillment in the exploration of these plots, backstories, and characters. I’ve always enjoyed the ever–present element of danger that surrounds these people as they make their way through a murky world, feeling bound to principles of their environment.

As the character struggles to find him or herself using the moral compass of the street life, they undergo a metamorphosis from what they were to who they are.

Caught Up is written with the same premise, self–discovery, in the mental evolution of the protagonist, Dixyn Greene. After criminal charges are brought against her boyfriend, Dixyn’s world begins to crumble. With her finances in disarray, she takes a job as stripper to make some fast money. There she begins a dark journey into a subculture where women are treated solely as sexual objects. We witness her shortcomings, her pitfalls, and the resolve that she didn’t know she had, as she navigates her way through this world. We see just how far she will go in her quest for the almighty dollar.

In the end we will witness either Dixyn Greene’s stunning transformation or a stunning resistance to change.

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SHANNON HOLMES wrote his first novel, the urban classic B-More Careful, while serving a five-year prison sentence. Upon his release, Holmes found instant success: the novel would go on to sell 100,000 copies its first year of publication, and more than 350,000 to date. He currently lives in New York City and is working on B-More Careful 2, a sequel to his debut novel. Caught Up is his latest novel.

Posted: Aug 26, 2015

Category: Akashic Insider | Tags: Akashic Insider, author statement, Caught Up, Infamous, Infamous Books, Shannon Holmes, Writing