Being Different Is Lonely ... Until You Find Another Like You A troubled, seventeen year old boy finally admits to himself he is different from other boys. Marc LeRoux is the finest athlete in his high school, but his abilities go far beyond what he's demonstrated on the gymnastics team. On a lonely walk along the neutral ground (medians are called neutral grounds in New Orleans) not far from his home, Marc is attacked by two men, one with a gun. He turns on the muggers and uses his powers to knock both out and escape. It is exhilarating and he feels good for the first time in a long time. From his mother, he learns the family's secret. Marc is an 'advanced human', a leap in human evolution which gives him super-human strength and magnifies his five senses. He can see, hear, smell, taste, and his sense of touch is better than any human. His sense of balance is most acute. Learning the family's hereditary secret, Marc (of ancient French-Creole ancestry) must give up his dream of college athletics and the Olympics. Torn between two worlds, Marc must learn to live as an 'advanced human' in a world of humans. A freak, someone to be feared, Marc needs to vent his energy. He takes to the rooftops of the New Orleans French Quarter in a super-hero costume and quickly meets another 'advanced human', the beautiful, alluring sixteen year old Alyssa Lupo. The mutual attraction he feels for this haunting girl is challenged by others, those bent on using their powers for evil purposes. The star-crossed romance between Marc and Alyssa is the central focus of the novel. Strong on setting, our tale takes place primarily in the French Quarter, where this young super-hero in a black costume, calling himself MISTIK, prowls the roofs and lacework balconies in search of villains. A teenager, MISTIK's powers are still evolving and he will use them to right wrongs, because he can. Born in New Orleans, O'Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories. Although much of De Noux's fiction falls under the mystery genre (character-drive crime fiction primarily), he has published stories in many disciplines including mainstream fiction, children and young-adult fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica. In 2007, The Private Eye Writers of America awarded its prestigious SHAMUS AWARD for BEST SHORT STORY to "The Heart Has Reasons" by O'Neil De Noux. The SHAMUS is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. De Noux is also the 2009 DERRINGER AWARD winner for BEST NOVELETTE for "Too Wise." The Derringer Awards are given annually to recognize excellence in the short mystery fiction form. In 2010, De Noux teamed with other artists in the art co-op Big Kiss Productions and published SLICK TIME, followed by collections NEW ORLEANS MYSTERIES, NEW ORLEANS NOCTURNAL, NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL, NEW ORLEANS PRIME EVIL and BACKWASH OF THE MILKY WAY. De Noux's novel JOHN RAVEN BEAU was named 2011 POLICE BOOK OF THE YEAR by Police-Writers.com, a group that boasts of 1153 state and local law enforcement officials from 485 state and local law enforcement agencies who have written 2504 police books. Earlier in 2012, after six months of intensive research and eighteen months of non-stop writing, O'Neil De Noux published BATTLE KISS, a 320,000 word epic of love and war set against the panorama of the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. So timely is the book, released as the bicentennial of the War of 1812 arrives, Mr. De Noux received an Artist Services Career Advancement Award from the Louisiana Division of the Arts for his work on BATTLE KISS. Also in 2012, Mr. De Noux's first private eye was published. ENAMORED a novel of obsession and murder, is set in 1950 New Orleans. Another crime novel, BOURBON STREET, set in 1947, was released in 2012. In 2012, O'Neil De Noux was elected Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of