The Fishfly

The Fishfly is the inner monologue of Donald Michael Spinelli, a portrait artist turned hit man. Fishflies are a rich existential metaphor for Spinelli, who, like the tiny little bugs, is on a short mission to do or die. We find ourselves inside the mind of an artist with a secret inner life. The actual story takes place over a period of about 18 hours in New Orleans, with frequent flashbacks and digressions to New York City and the suburbs of Detroit. It culminates in a dramatic collision of the past, present and future. Though he has developed into a formidable artistic talent, Spinelli discovers he has spent half his life incapable of taking real action. Using the Internet, he has located the man who sexually assaulted him as a boy. Now, he is on a murderous trek into the dark inner sanctum of New Orleans society to avenge himself upon his assailant. The reader follows, moment by moment, as he deals with the twists and turns of being in action, for the first time in his life. Consumed by his guilt and obsession for revenge, he finally comes face to face, not just with the man who molested him but with his own inner demons as well. Through each turn of events, he is forced to confront the veracity of his stories and the impact and meaning they have had on his life.