About
Late-blooming author who has written and self-published an illustrated children's book, Derek the Daredevil, and a mystery-thriller novel, Lazarus Man: Resurrection. Spalding began writing stories about his neighborhood friends when he was twelve. His poetry and nonfiction were published in regional and national magazines while he was in college. He has written technical manuals, installation instructions, promotional materials, national advertisements, news releases, and training programs for numerous clients, including two Fortune 100 companies. These are his first published books. Second jobs he has held down to support his writing habit include marketing executive, ad agency account exec, Schwan Man, and caregiver for individuals with disabilities. Spalding is a single father with one son, Derek. He lives in Saint Joseph, Missouri.
Size Zero (Visage Book 1)
Description
<p style="margin:0px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>"A somber, disturbing mystery fused with a scathing look at the fashion industry. </strong><strong>Mangin writes in a confident, razor-edged style."</strong><strong> - Kirkus Reviews</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>Condom dresses and space helmets have debuted on fashion runways.</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">A dead body becomes the trend when a coat made of human skin saunters down fashion's biggest stage. The body is identified as Annabelle Leigh, the teenager who famously disappeared over a decade ago from her boyfriend's New York City mansion.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">This new evidence casts suspicion back on the former boyfriend, Cecil LeClaire. Now a monk, he is forced to return to his dark and absurd childhood home to clear his name. He teams up with Ava Germaine, a renegade ex-model. And together, they investigate the depraved and lawless modeling industry behind Cecil's family fortune.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">They find erotic canes, pet rats living in crystal castles, and dresses made of crushed butterfly wings. But Cecil finds more truth in the luxury goods than in the people themselves. Everyone he meets seems to be wearing a person-suit. Terrified of showing their true selves, the glitterati put on flamboyant public personas to make money and friends. Can Cecil find truth in a world built on lies?</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>In high fashion modeling, selling bodies is organized crime.</strong></p>
Story Behind The Book
My son, Derek Neil Spalding, provided the inspiration for this story more than twenty years ago, when he was two years old. I took him to a local carnival, and we rode the double ferris wheel. We stopped at the very top while people on the ground got off the ride and others got on. I was looking around, admiring the view, when I felt the seat beneath us start to shake. I turned my head and saw that Derek was not only standing up on the seat, he was jumping up and down! I grabbed him and said, “Sit down, Derek, you little daredevil!” I immediately thought to myself, Derek the Daredevil. That sounds like a great title for a children's book...
