Steph Post's Guide to Books & Booze

Time to grab a book and get tipsy!

Books & Booze challenges participating authors to make up their own drinks, name and all, or create a drink list for their characters and/or readers using drinks that already exist. 

Today, Steph Post is throwing all the booze at her upcoming novel Lightwood. 

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By the second scene of Lightwood, we see our protagonist, Judah Cannon, fresh out of prison and getting lit at The Ace in the Hole. His hometown bar will serve as the backdrop for several key moments in the story, including being reacquainted with the love of his life, Ramey, and getting a Cannon family beat-down in the parking lot. As with my first novel A Tree Born Crooked, bars are an integral part of Lightwood. The only other watering hole in the rural north Florida town of Silas, Limey’s, also serves as a backdrop to the Cannon family saga, and with devastating consequences. Needless to say, my characters, for the most part, are drinkers. They like their beer by the case and their whiskey straight. They don’t have time for fruity cocktails or neon shots that will make you puke rainbows.

But if they did…

If the characters of Lightwood walked into a bar and the only thing on the board was a shots list… here’s what they’d be ordering.

Judah Cannon- Snake Bite (Yukon Jack, Lime). He’d grumble about it, but he’d take it, because hey, it’s alcohol. It’s almost like drinking straight whiskey, if you ignore the pucker of lime. And the name is quietly badass, just like Judah. Not flashy, but definitely still dangerous. And although Judah himself won’t be the recipient of a rattlesnake attack (that’s saved for another character) he does have his sights set on Sister Tulah: the wiliest snake of them all.  

Ramey Barrow- Kamikaze (Vodka, Triple Sec, Lime). Ramey would not bitch about having to order a crazy shot. She’d smile, wink at Judah and throw the shot back. Ramey is kamikaze herself: wild, unpredictable and yet still firmly in control. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, even if the outcome could mean staring into the face of death itself. Ramey may be fun, but more importantly, she is fearless.

Sherwood Cannon- Black Russian (Vodka, Kahlua). Like his son Judah, Sherwood would choose one of the more unaltered shots, but he’d go straight for the darkest one. In age and appearance, Sherwood might be unassuming, but he’s got the temperament of a Russian mob boss and a criminal track record to back it up.

Benji Cannon- Jolly Rancher (Amaretto, Melon Liquor, Grenadine). The youngest Cannon son wouldn’t just take his hot pink shot, he’d order a round for the entire bar. Benji is the life of the party, the only uncorrupted Cannon, and he probably ordered this shot to impress some blonde sitting three stools down.

Jack O’ Lantern Austin- Red-headed Slut (Jager, Cranberry, Peach Schnapps). Though not necessarily a slut, the leader of the Scorpions outlaw motorcycle gang is definitely a red-head. He didn’t earn the nickname “Jack O’ Lantern” for nothing.

Brother Felton- Oatmeal Cookie (Baileys, Goldschlager, Butterscotch Schnapps). Poor Brother Felton. He’s spent his entire life under the domineering thumb of his Pentecostal preacher aunt and the guilt of letting a drop of alcohol pass his lips would be killing him. Still, one of his few secret vices is junk food and sweets, so he’d manage to take a few tiny sips of his Oatmeal Cookie, but only when he thinks Sister Tulah isn’t looking.

Sister Tulah- Four Horsemen (Jack, Jim, Johnny, Jose). Sister Tulah is more than a little obsessed with the apocalypse, when she isn’t busy trying to make money and control her myriad business interests, so she’d naturally gravitate towards the Four Horseman shot. She might even order a double. There would be no furtive sipping for Sister Tulah, however. She’d most likely raise the shot glass and then let it smash to the floor to prove her point about alcohol being a sin. And then she’d trample over the broken glass and exit the bar without looking back.

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Lightwood- Polis Books- January 10^th, 2017

Steph Post is the author of the novels Lightwood and A Tree Born Crooked. She was a bartender for years and hated making shots. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and teaches at a performing arts high school, which is a lot like bartending, except for the fun alcohol part. 

Visit her at www.stephpostfiction.com or look her up sometime and buy her a drink.