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Pride Before a Fall
Available at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
This fictional pastiche of queer London draws on the author’s wealth of personal experience to chronicle and send up its obsessions with sex, drugs, online dating - and musical theatre.
'Pride Before a Fall' is Darren's first novel, and draws on fertile ground - London's over-the-top gay clubbing scene, and the oh-so-often murky and secretive world of gay media.
Set against a backdrop of the shadowy goings-on at the queer equivalent of News Corp, 'Pride Before a Fall' is a very modern satire about trade, in all its forms. Just how far would you be prepared to go, and what would you do, to protect your career, company, friendships, relationships, reputation - or even your very existence?
Stuck in a dead-end job, life is nothing more than a never-ending series of repetitive actions for Adam. But working at the mighty QueerDom media empire does have its upsides, such as free entry to London’s glittering clubbing scene and an open-door to the hedonistic queer capital of the world, no questions asked.
With its myriad of parties and endless celebrations, there’s never any shortage of places to see, and be seen, partying the night (and the following day) away too. But being a small fish, in a small pond, can only mean one thing in this city; that the sharks are never far away, and they are about to go on a feeding frenzy.
Lurching from one drug and drink-fuelled party to another isn’t exactly the most fertile ground for romance, but love can turn up at a moment’s notice, and in the most unexpected places. Listening to your heart isn’t easy at the best of times, especially when the soundtrack to your life is playing at an ear-splitting 50 decibels and a frenetic 120 beats per minute.
But sometimes your heart can sell you out, and what you think you have fallen for (hook, line and sinker) is nothing more than imagination, and wishful thinking, a real stinker in fact. When push comes to shove you have to pick a side to come down on. Will you turn out to be a cynical old queen that never has a good word to say about anyone, or let it all roll on a feeling, a good feeling, a feeling that feels a lot like it could be, if you nurture it - love.
This 'Ram-Dram' romp through London's queer underbelly is a rip-roaring, roller-coaster of a ride that pulls no punches, and isn't taking any prisoners either.
This is a story about fucking, being fucked over, whoring, pimping, drugs, addiction and death - oh, and of course there's also more than a sprinkling of musical theatre too darlings.
Fasten your seatbelts, and make sure you've got on plenty of hairspray, because when you do fall (and you will) you still always want to look as fabulous as possible.
This fictional pastiche of queer London draws on the author’s wealth of personal experience to chronicle and send up its obsessions with sex, drugs, online dating - and musical theatre.
'Pride Before a Fall' is Darren's first novel, and draws on fertile ground - London's over-the-top gay clubbing scene, and the oh-so-often murky and secretive world of gay media.
Set against a backdrop of the shadowy goings-on at the queer equivalent of News Corp, 'Pride Before a Fall' is a very modern satire about trade, in all its forms. Just how far would you be prepared to go, and what would you do, to protect your career, company, friendships, relationships, reputation - or even your very existence?
Stuck in a dead-end job, life is nothing more than a never-ending series of repetitive actions for Adam. But working at the mighty QueerDom media empire does have its upsides, such as free entry to London’s glittering clubbing scene and an open-door to the hedonistic queer capital of the world, no questions asked.
With its myriad of parties and endless celebrations, there’s never any shortage of places to see, and be seen, partying the night (and the following day) away too. But being a small fish, in a small pond, can only mean one thing in this city; that the sharks are never far away, and they are about to go on a feeding frenzy.
Lurching from one drug and drink-fuelled party to another isn’t exactly the most fertile ground for romance, but love can turn up at a moment’s notice, and in the most unexpected places. Listening to your heart isn’t easy at the best of times, especially when the soundtrack to your life is playing at an ear-splitting 50 decibels and a frenetic 120 beats per minute.
But sometimes your heart can sell you out, and what you think you have fallen for (hook, line and sinker) is nothing more than imagination, and wishful thinking, a real stinker in fact. When push comes to shove you have to pick a side to come down on. Will you turn out to be a cynical old queen that never has a good word to say about anyone, or let it all roll on a feeling, a good feeling, a feeling that feels a lot like it could be, if you nurture it - love.
This 'Ram-Dram' romp through London's queer underbelly is a rip-roaring, roller-coaster of a ride that pulls no punches, and isn't taking any prisoners either.
This is a story about fucking, being fucked over, whoring, pimping, drugs, addiction and death - oh, and of course there's also more than a sprinkling of musical theatre too darlings.
Fasten your seatbelts, and make sure you've got on plenty of hairspray, because when you do fall (and you will) you still always want to look as fabulous as possible.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2012
16 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Cooper
61 books46 followersBestselling Disaster & Apocalypse Author DJ Cooper
She lives in Biddeford, Maine, with a demon disguised as a cat! She loves to read and write post-apocalyptic and disaster fiction. It all started with the Dystopia series of books she released in late 2014, and she has been going strong since.
She also writes nonfiction prepper books and articles for her preparedness teams at Thrive Self-Reliance Initiative. That first title created a strong desire to learn more, leading her back to school, hoping to gain more perspective on the craft and the industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Marketing. She spends her days now studying for her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in teaching.
DJ’s favorite apocalyptic reads are The Road, Alas Babylon, One Second After, & the dystopian series Hunger Games. As an Apocalypse author, she hopes to find herself among these favorites for readers of all ages.
She lives in Biddeford, Maine, with a demon disguised as a cat! She loves to read and write post-apocalyptic and disaster fiction. It all started with the Dystopia series of books she released in late 2014, and she has been going strong since.
She also writes nonfiction prepper books and articles for her preparedness teams at Thrive Self-Reliance Initiative. That first title created a strong desire to learn more, leading her back to school, hoping to gain more perspective on the craft and the industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Marketing. She spends her days now studying for her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in teaching.
DJ’s favorite apocalyptic reads are The Road, Alas Babylon, One Second After, & the dystopian series Hunger Games. As an Apocalypse author, she hopes to find herself among these favorites for readers of all ages.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 27, 2012
You can't help but read Pride Before a Fall with a smirk, a laugh, and the perfectly chilled thermos of mimoas by you as you sit pool side (or as I did in my local park laid out on a blanket enjoying the cool NYC breeze). DJ Cooper has taken a barely on the edge of reality (and trust I've been there, it's a sharp edge) take of the gay community where looks (both physical and fashionable) trump substance and it's not who you know but how you use them to get ahead is all that matters. It's a wonderful, delightfully EVIL take on my own community that left me rolling in laughter because I could see the same scenario taking place in NYC (albeit with different vocabulary, if not spelling) with the same results. I have many guilty reads and Pride Before a Fall will rank up there in one of that guilty rereads I will enjoy again and again....without having to put the slipcover to Pride and Prejudice over my copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies so I can still look like I'm an intellect while reading about ketamine fueled dance and sex parties... I said READ people....READ....I gave up dance parties when I turned 30..... Seriously, if you want a fun, giddy ready this is the one for you....1) I can only hope that this turns into a Tales from the City type series and 2) How do I convince DJ Cooper to make me a Utilikilt sporting, biker boot wearing, New York Yankees baseball loving, expat living in London character who says things like, "And today's episode of Sesame Street was brought to you by the letters F and U." Don't steal that line DJ Cooper! I'm gonna use that in MY book! :)
February 13, 2013
I was lucky enough to catch this in e-book form and giggled my way through what can only be termed as "gay Mafia adventures" that, as someone who used to work for a gay media company can attest, are more believable than you would think. Smart, sophisticated, sleazy, and more. If you don't feel at least one side of your mouth curling up in a smile then you're probably a conservative right wing nut contemplating how you can use this to put down the gays, sense of humor impaired, or waiting for someone to pull out that piece of coal you've lodged up your ass. Trust me when the story hits its peak and races to its AWESOME conclusion, you'll be turning those pages so fast and not wanting it to stop once it's over... I yearn for the follow up already!
June 27, 2012
My baby/little monster - The reviews on Amazon have all been very positive and encouraging so far, which is good. Hopefully there will be more to come...
December 4, 2012
Floridly descriptive - this is a delve into the gay world of parties, drugs and disappointments! Darren Cooper clearly knows his material and whilst sometimes close to the bone - I look forward to his next offering.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews