The “Los Angeles Cycle” is the collective term for my novels, chronicling the experiences of a diverse group of women in modern Los Angeles. Although the books share some of the same characters and take place in the same milieu, this is not a series, in the strictest sense — each novel is a separate story, and can be read as a standalone work. All share certain common themes: identity (sexual and otherwise), the nature of family, and guilt and redemption.
The Los Angeles in which these stories are set is more or less the real one, although its people and locales are fictional (something that could also be said with some justice about the genuine article) or used fictitiously. More importantly, it reflects the way L.A. feels to me, both from the work of writers like Raymond Chandler, Janet Fitch, and James Ellroy and from my own experience.
The characters and events of these stories are all fictional. People occasionally ask me if the characters are based on specific people and offer theories about who is really who. It’s impossible for authors not to be inspired at least in general terms by the people they meet, encounter, or read about, but none of the characters in these stories are intended to represent anyone but themselves. I’m sometimes asked which of the characters is intended to represent me. Unlike Alfred Hitchcock, I don’t make cameos in my own work, so the only true answer to the question is either “none of them” or “all of them,” depending on your point of view.
I moved to this city in 1991 and I still feel connected to it in a way that’s hard to explain. A lot of people hate this place for any number of valid reasons: it’s shallow, polluted, materialistic, and corrupt. For all that, it retains a unique magic. This remains a place of dreams and transformation, where what you can achieve is limited only by the depths of your chutzpah.
I came here looking for something. For a long time, I couldn’t have told you what it was. In these pages, you’ll find my answer.
The Novels of the Los Angeles Cycle
Important Legal Notice
The prose stories and novels presented or excerpted on this website may contain mature themes and/or adult content (including, but not limited to, depictions or discussions of sex, sexuality, and drug use). By accessing the stories or excerpts, you certify that you are of legal age to view such material in your area and that your access to such material does not violate any local law, ordinance, regulation, or company policy. The author accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for access to or use of the material on this website in violation of local laws, ordinances, regulations, or company policies.
These novels are works of fiction. The characters, events, and situations of the plots are inventions of the author, and all the names, places, institutions, and settings depicted or mentioned are either entirely fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental. Any textual reference or allusion to any actual person (living or dead), institution, or organization, or to the products, brand names, and/or trademarks thereof, is in no way intended to suggest or imply that the work is anything other than completely fictional; to disparage any actual person, institution, or organization; or to imply that the work has been endorsed, approved, or licensed by any such person, institution, or organization.
The Double Yellow Line cover uses the fonts Caviar Dreams, which is © 2009, 2010 Lauren Thompson (Nymphont); euroference, which is © 2000 Tobias B. Koehler; and the Liberation Fonts (version 2.00.1 or later), which are © 2012 Red Hat, Inc., used under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Liberation is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.
The cover image of Deidre Tanaka Does Not Speak Japanese is adapted with permission from an original photo © 2007 Yu-Cheng Hsiao. The fonts used are Caviar Dreams, which is © 2009 Lauren Thompson (Nymphont); euroference, which is © 2000 Tobias B. Koehler; the UmeFont family, which is © Horai Wataru; and the Liberation Fonts (version 2.00.1 or later), which are © 2012 Red Hat, Inc., used under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Liberation is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.
The Shield of Athena and the Ghost of a Chance front cover image is adapted with permission from an original photo © 2008 Frank Nettekoven. The Aegis tattoo is based on a section from the 1898 painting Pallas Athene by Gustav Klimt. The fonts used are OldSansBlack, which is © 2003 Manfred Klein; euroference, which is © 2000 Tobias B. Koehler; and the Liberation Fonts (version 2.00.1 or later), which are © 2012 Red Hat, Inc., used under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Liberation is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.
(None of the font creators listed above have approved or endorsed this use of their fonts, and no such approval or endorsement is implied or should be inferred.)
Except as otherwise noted, the novels and their contents are copyright © Aaron Severson. All rights reserved.
Okay. So I want to read all three of these novels. (Yes, I’m web-stalking you at the moment. Just posted a comment on your Karmann Ghia post–how I found you). I’m also a novelist, but first an avid reader. How long have you been shopping these? Since you’ve done the cover design, and you’re clearly a talented author, why not do it yourself? You have an audience. After going through getting an agent (which I did) and shopping to major publishers (which we did and had interest from St. Martins and Penguin) I got totally fed up with how much they wanted changed, for instance to lessen the role of cars and motorcycles in a novel called MOTOR DOLLS. After letting it sit on the shelf for then years, and writing other novels, I finally put it out there myself. It’s been a great experience. Is it perfect? Hell no. It was my first novel and rewritten to an inch of its life from input from way too many people. BUT… it’s out there now. Anyway… just passing that along. And hey, when they do get published, let me know. I will certainly buy.
The novels are really very far removed from my automotive writing (the first is the only one with any significant car-related content), so I don't think there would be much in the way of crossover there. If I write any other fiction, it will likely have even less automotive stuff; it comes from a very different place.