Charles Romalotti is an American author of punk fiction. Born on February 10, 1970 in Topeka, Kansas, he is the author of two novels, ''Salad Days'' and ''Pariah'', both released by Layman Books. He currently resides in Austin, Texas.

Novels

Salad Days

Romalotti's debut novel, ''Salad Days'', was released on June 1, 2000. It is the story of Frank Smith, a determined idealist who is the vocalist for a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

rock band in the mid-1980s. The novel is known for its accurate portrayal of the

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...

, and it incorporates actual bands ( Black Flag, Bad Brains, Descendents) and venues (

Outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...

's, and

City Gardens City Gardens was a nightclub located at 1701 Calhoun Street in Trenton, New Jersey. It opened in 1979 and closed in 2001. History Early years The Nalbone family of Trenton and Lawrence, New Jersey, owned the building several years before it becam ...

) from the mid-1980s punk era into its fictional plot. ''Salad Days'' has maintained a strong international cult following since its release.

Pariah

On June 1, 2001, Romalotti's second novel, ''Rash'', was released. Much darker in tone than its predecessor, ''Rash'' was a suspenseful tale about a group of kids ("

Crusties New Age travellers, not completely synonymous with but otherwise shortened to New Travellers (often referred to as "crusties"), are people in the United Kingdom generally espousing New Age beliefs along with the hippie culture of the 1960s (ove ...

") living on the streets of

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

in the late-1990s. In 2002, ''Rash'' was a finalist for Best Horror in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards). The initial print run of 1,000 copies sold out within the first 18 months of its release. There was not a second print run (aside from its release in ''Pariah''), and copies are rare. ''Talon'', the sequel to ''Rash'', was released on June 1, 2002. A third story, ''The Stickler'' finalized the trilogy, and the entire series was released in a single book called ''Pariah'' on June 1, 2003.Amazon.com listing for "Pariah"
/ref> ''The Sticker'' never had its own independent release.

Bride of the Reaper

Romalotti is working on a new novel with an expected release of Fall 2010. It is titled ''Bride of the Reaper'', similar in tone to ''Pariah'' (dark thriller), and is set in the same location (

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

) and time period (mid-1980s) as ''Salad Days''. Characters from ''Salad Days'' are to be featured in cameo roles in ''Bride of the Reaper''. The story revolved around a quirky girl named Kitty Waugh who lands a role as a horror host in a mid-sized Midwest town.

Bibliography

Salad Days

* Paperback, 2000;

Pariah

* Paperback, 2003;

Footnotes

External links

* Official Layman Books Websit

* Charles Romalotti MySpace Pag

* Amazon.com listing of titles by Charles Romalott

* Interpunk.com listing of titles by Charles Romalott

* IPPY Awards Websit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romalotti, Charles 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Writers from Kansas Novelists from Texas 1970 births Living people 21st-century American male writers