ORLANDO — Freeline Productions has released a gripping and eerie new novel, “Bloody Rabbit.” The book by author Michael W. Freeman examines one man’s painful efforts to climb out of a dark hole of hopelessness and despair following the economic crash, and how his own feelings of inferiority contribute in a sometimes frightening way to his downfall.
We are introduced to the world of R.T. Robeson, who, by his mid-40s, thought he was firmly settled into a comfortable and well-established life. But as the story unfolds, the Great Recession has claimed virtually all he had…including his job, house, car and self-worth. After two years of unemployment, his life finally starts to turn around when he lands a new, lower paying job.
Now he finds himself riding the city bus to a neighborhood he might never have considered living in before, resting all his hopes on securing a tiny apartment that’s become available. Not even the unit’s unsavory history discourages him from his desperate need to lease the space. And yet, as the landlady accepts his application, a ‘tiny win’ that would otherwise be celebrated, Robeson still finds it nearly impossible to fight off feelings of being a failure.
Then his world gets shattered even more — not from the economy, but a concert by a hardcore punk band, Bloody Rabbit. Their songs – unsparingly dark, with a razor-sharp and unflinching look at the ugliest aspects of society, and predictions of a new Holocaust of human suffering – have a shocking and lingering impact on Robeson.
What he doesn’t expect is what happens as he returns to that little apartment … the events inside those two rooms begin oddly, become ominous, then downright terrifying. It puts Robeson on a far more horrific path than he’d ever expected.
At the same time, Robeson discovers he’s being stalked by a man who appears to have mistaken him for an employee at a local bank’s mortgage department …. an error that Robeson suddenly realizes leaves him extremely vulnerable and in great danger.
“Bloody Rabbit” takes an unnerving look at one man’s struggle to keep his life on track – and the strange twists that his frequent bouts of depression have on the life he’s trying so desperately to rebuild.
The Author:
Michael W. Freeman was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. He has lived in Orlando, Florida since 2002. He received his Bachelor’s degree in writing and communications from Hampshire College and a Master’s degree in political communications from George Washington University. He has spent the past 26 years working in the field of journalism, most recently at The Orlando Sentinel as the editor of two community newspapers.
In November 2008, Freeman created Freeline Productions as a vehicle to produce his original play, “Hooked,” at the May 2009 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. He soon expanded Freeline Productions to become a full-scale writing and editing production company that includes the online magazine, Freeline Media, which went live in November 2011, and is still going strong today.
His favorite member of the 1960s pop band The Monkees has always been Mike Nesmith.
“Bloody Rabbit” can be purchased in paperback or Kindle eBook directly from Freeline Productions’ online bookstore or at Amazon.
Contact Freeline Media at Freelineorlando@gmail.com..
