Let’s go ice-magic-using lesbian contract killers in a secondary world reimagining of the tri-state area, let’s go.

The title of my forthcoming novella self-published by yours truly is

ICE UPON A PIER

Here’s a summary of the story, which I’ll be publishing under the pen name, Ladz:

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My warped sense of morality embarrasses me. 

Ruta Pawlak is one of the most successful contract killers Pier-Upon-Pier City has ever seen. Convicted of five murders that landed her multiple life sentences, her kill count allegedly sits between fifteen and two hundred people. Some were just for practice, others for revenge, and others she executed for money to keep her potentially world-record setting reading collection going.

For the first time, a biographer sits down with the legendary killer to hear her story in her own words. Get the details on her relationship with her depraved bosses and her eclectic arsenal of murder weapons from ice magic to poison to even the sun itself. From her impoverished upbringing to her introduction to the Syndicates to her bizarre affair with fellow killer Frieda Masters to Ruta’s eventual downfall, this account goes beyond headlines and court proceedings, weaving a story of love, family, survival, and murder.

This novella is perfect for fans of true crime, fantasy, noir, The Last Podcast on the Left, and the interview portions of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire series.

Humans killing other humans wasn’t natural.

Human killing monsters, however, might be.

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Content warnings include: bullying, killing your bully, killing your parents, death of a child (off-page), vomiting, immolation, poisoning, gun violence, and a mention of beastiality. There is a cat, the cat does not die.

I’m really proud of this novella that burst forth from my brain fully formed after inhaling way too much information about Richard Kuklinski and New York City in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. The novella will be coming out on April 11th, 2023. The cover is being designed by the fabulous Aleta Perez and will be revealed in Sarah Gailey’s Stone Soup newsletter and community in February.

If you want to follow the hyper fixation rabbit hole I did, there’s the Last Podcast series on Kuklinski, the source material for both the podcast and my novella, The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo, and all the interviews with Kuklinski are on HBO Max.