By Marissa Wells
Contributing Writer
One morning Alex Cides finds his wife is gone, his daughters are afraid of him, he’s unemployed and a mysterious curse has thrown his life out of balance. He is faced with completing 10 challenging tasks in Los Angeles’ mythical underbelly in order to set things right or lose everything.
That’s the basis for the new illustrated, urban fantasy, “Wrong Side of a Workingman” by Justin DiPego.
Several factors contributed to the inspiration for the book.
“I wanted to explore and share the glimpses into the many worlds that exist across the southland of Los Angeles and the trials of a blue-collar tradesman working throughout the city, while also delving into my own experience with chronic pain,” DiPego said.
There are 30 images inside the book highlighting the visually important points of Alex’s journey like the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Hills, downtown Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, the twin towers of Century City and more. “He’s really going across the city to all different kinds of places to see all different kinds of people in those places,” said the author.
Alex’s challenges, described as physical, psychological and mundane, involve battling a mountain lion in Griffith Park, ridding a local farm of a wild boar, defeating a shadowy beast that hunts in the inner city and much more.
“Wrong Side of a Workingman” will no doubt be enjoyed by fans of urban fantasy, mythology, thrillers, suspense and the city of Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles itself is a character in the story, and I hope Angelenos will find a special, insider’s take on our city,” DiPego said.
It’s the author’s hope that his book proves not only to be entertaining to readers but also insightful.
“I’m telling a story about people and neighborhoods we don’t see a lot in the mainstream and how interconnected we all are,” DiPego said. “I hope readers will see how Alex’s struggle to achieve personal balance exposes those connections in the world of his mythic adventure, and in our real world as well.”
In addition to being an author, DiPego is a screenwriter and production company owner. He is based in the View Park community of Los Angeles. For more information about the author and his work, visit dipegonow.com.
“Wrong Side of a Workingman” is available for $16.99 (paperback), $19.99 (hardcover), and $3.99 (ebook) on Amazon.
