Death Tango by Lachi
Scifi Horror
Date Published: 10/2/23
Publisher: Running Wild Press / RIZE
Narrator: Alexander V Cantrell
Run Time: 11 hrs 34 min
A half-bot, an empath, a punk, and a god walk into a 23rd century bar. The four team up to uncover who murdered their esteemed science professor to steal his dark research. The four headstrong misfits must overcome their own inner demons and move quickly to nab the culprit, as whoever has taken Ferguson’s research has unleashed the doctor’s synthetic plagues onto NYC.
Humans and hybrids are going feral, eagerly infecting others with newfound agony. If the team can’t work quickly to solve this threat, NYC will be devoured by this plague…which appears to be developing sentience.
Author Interview
Describe Death Tango in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.
Four headstrong coeds work to defend NYC from sentient plague.
Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?
Particularly with the audiobook, I hope for readers to get sucked all the way in to the deep creative world building, multi-dimensional character development, and horror-laced implications exquisitely portrayed by our Death Tango reader Alexander V Cantrell, and the music and soundscapes peppered throughout.
Tell us what you enjoy most about writing Science Fiction or Horror?
With Sci Fi, I’ve always loved reading and pondering over the metaphysical and meta-psychological, and thought-experiencing boundless what-ifs and alternative futures. As for Horror, Horror is about embracing the thrill and chaos of life, stimulating our senses, and testing our most primal defenses. And it’s always a delight to write a character, a setting, a scene, that can tap into something that powerful.
Who is your favorite character to write, and why?
While Death Tango’s four mains were a joy to write—including the comic relief of Kris Johnson, the brooding magnetism of Paul Oscar, the confidence journey of Rosa Lejeune—the beauty of a whodunit lies in the freedom to create a smorgasbord of colorful murder suspects.
Of those suspects, a fun character to pen was Pebble Whittaker, a maniacal reclusive who built his fortune off of eerie innovations like procedurally generated IRL NPCs and compartmental androids made of ever-replaceable parts. He lives in a secluded Manhattan mansion, prefers to indulge in questionable delicacies, and is just a little too close with his poodle. He’d been a dear friend to Dr. Ferguson until the two had a bitter falling out due to Ferguson’s growing secrets. Drawing up Whittaker’s abode, sitting in his voice and exploring his dark fantasies definitely scratched an itch, and Alexander V Cantrell’s interpretation of Whittaker in the audiobook lives up to the hype!
Did you incorporate your own lived experiences into your writing?
Yes, in more ways than one! Because I was legally blind and couldn’t see the board, yet too shy to ask for accommodations, I grew up simply daydreaming through class. These daydreams helped me escape super lonely outcast times and ward off anxiety attacks from traumatic memories. I would daydream about fantastical words, courageous characters—all different aspects of myself— who would have to find their inner strength to overcome highly stacked odds. As an adult, my partner suggested to me I finally write down my maladaptive daydreaming everlong paracosm, and I did, and it was called Death Tango.
What is your favorite line from your book?
Here are a few quotes from the “Diary of the Mad Glee” a book constantly referenced in Death Tango –
“All things believe themselves the exception.”
“Like all else, existence is the mere microcosm of a larger concept.”
“Evolution, an ever-admission of discontent”
“All patterns observable by man are limited to man’s acuity.”
“We are one mind expressed in countless iterations.”
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
As a touring performing artist, songwriter and public speaker for my day job, it is actually in my free time that I write novels! I also love to read audiobooks, particularly horror, I love to listen to music and am known to go out often with friends.
About the Author
Lachi is a touring and performing creative artist, writer, and award-winning cultural activist living in New York City.
Lachi advocates for identity pride and Disability Culture in the music, entertainment and corporate space, as Founder of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) and as an active Grammys Board Governor.
In her free-time Lachi writes sci-fi and fantasy novels with diverse, headstrong characters, focusing heavily on atonal world-building, quip-ridden character development, and relatable villains.
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