MY BAD TEQUILA (synopsis) My Bad Tequila is a revealing, a story of one man’s epic journey through life which begins with the main character Rhet Austen boarding a blue school bus once painted yellow. Rhet has saved his hard earned dinero (money) to take a once in a lifetime (for him) Spring Break Trip which is offered by a dive instructor whom also serves as bus driver and guide. This is My Bad Tequila. This spring getaway was supposed to be a fun experience and pleasant memory. It ended up being more than a memory; it was an unpleasant walk through life. We were 19 students, 3 parents and 1 scuba diving instructor named Craig, on break from Boise State University. My Bad Tequila is part memoir – 70% and the other 30% is written of fiction as I do not remember what all happened because of the tequila, a fact made known in the novel. I, the author give insight to Rhet’s soul and personality by taking my readers into short stories and memories of Rhet’s childhood and past that have led up to this painful experience and trip. A fellow student and love interest of Rhet’s comes up missing and with his poor decision making while drinking tequila during this holiday getaway, Rhet is the primary suspect. Even though a body is never recovered he is tried and convicted on 2nd degree manslaughter. After serving his time in the state penitentiary Rhet changes his name to Rico Austin and seeks to find the truth of whether he did or did not commit the unforgivable act of murder. I wanted to write and share this story because this Spring Break of 1986 had such a significant and powerful impact on my life and the way I looked at existence from that point on. I do hope this novel and film will help young high school and college age students to understand there are dire consequences for not making the right choices or in heavy irresponsible drinking. Gambling, alcoholism, binge drinking, bullying within our school system, imprisonment life, gang affiliation, driving while intoxicated and irresponsible sex are all mentioned and discussed in this book as the main character has been introduced to and been a part of either as a participant or as a victim. Social irresponsibility of the NFL and our U.S. Government is also mentioned in Chapter 20 of My Bad Tequila in regards to how they reacted to the Pat Tillman incident and in dealing with an honorable request from his close Amigo, fellow ASU and NFL football player Jake Plummer, both of whom I had met. There are also memories of when the main character met famous persons such as Rodeo bull riding star Larry Mahan, the Beach Boys of music fame and the infamous fish and game officer killer, Claude Dallas and the impacts that these chance meetings had on Rhet Austen. “My Bad Tequila had it been a little less bad, might not have haunted me for all these years.” – rico austin “You’ll see the true reflection of me when the tequila bottle is empty.” – rico austin Awards & Contact Information for Rico Austin My Bad Tequila has won and received the following awards and accolades: "Have a Double Shot of Reality" TM Hollywood Book Festival - Honorable Mention (Wild Card genre 2011) Readers Favorite Book Awards - Silver (Fiction - Mystery - General genre 2011) Amazon eKindle - #1 Top Rated Kindle eBooks (Mexico Travel genre 2011) "Five Parrots in a Palm Tree" - Superb Island Reading award 2011 #1 Book to Read, June 2011 - NY Professional Reviewer, Fran Lewis Readers Favorite Book Awards - Finalist (Fiction - General genre 2011) Arizona Authors Association - 3rd Place (Fiction Book of the Year 2011 - 2012) London Book Festival - Honorable Mention (Wild Card genre 2012) Los Angeles Book Festival - Honorable Mention (Wild Card genre 2011-2012) New York Beach Book Festival - Honorable Mention (General Non-Fiction genre 2012) New Mexico - Arizona Book Awards - Finalist (Fiction - Mystery genre 2012) Bibliocracy.com - Author of the Month (June 2012) Suspense Magazine - Review & Article (July 2012 issue) Book Town - February's Book of the Month (March2013) Co- Songwriter - "My Bad Tequila" Songwriter - "Havin' a Beer on the Santa Monica Pier" http://amazon.com/author/rico.austin Cell: (480) 529-6176 Fax: (480) 551-3456 http://blog.mybadtequila.com/ Email: rico_thunderbird@yahoo.com Amazon Author Page for Rico Austin: https://www.amazon.com/Rico-Austin/e/B004HY01DG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=my+bad+tequila&sprefix=my+bad

Drama, Crime, Memoir, Mystery, Romance, Action, Adventure, Epic, Suspense / Thriller

A naive young man who is a football player at Boise State University is going on his first ever Spring Break to Mexico with a bus load of other students who are looking forward to massive partying.

Idaho, Nevada, Arizona & San Carlos, Sonora Mexico

Yes

Internal Journey/Rebirth

Coming of Age, Meaningful Message, Twist, Philosophical Questions, Happy Ending

Nudity, Language/Profanity

Name: Rhet Austen

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Crazy, Underdog, Seductive, Flexible, Sexy, Gracious, Criminal, Desperate, Insecure, Naive, Romantic, Aggressive, Aspiring, Perseverance, Modest, Lone Wolf, Secretive, Adventurous, Badass, Complex, Honorable

Name: Tina Valentino

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Role: Emotional

Key Traits: Aspiring, Charming, Complex, Flexible, Adventurous, Confident, Engaging, Gracious, Religious, Sexy, Aggressive, Funny, Honorable, Strong Moral Code, Selfless, Beautiful, Faithful, Educated, Obedient, Perseverance, Modest, Romantic, Sophisticated

Name: Craig the Bus Driver

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Role: Antagonist

Key Traits: Seductive, Badass, Funny, Sarcastic, Outspoken, Engaging, Narcissistic, Skillful, Power-hungry, Unapologetic, Villainous, Adventurous, Blunt, Greedy, Manipulative, Masculine, Aggressive, Confident, Decisive, Leader

Name: Barbie Jonstone

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Role: Tempter

Key Traits: Educated, Manipulative, Sarcastic, Aggressive, Blunt, Complex, Flexible, Engaging, Unapologetic, Adventurous, Beautiful, Confident, Greedy, Sexy, Aspiring, Outspoken, Romantic, Power-hungry, Perseverance, Seductive, Secretive, Charming, Decisive, Heartthrob, Narcissistic

Age: 35-54

Target Gender: Universal

Information not completed

Status: Yes: self-published

Year Published: 2010

No

Information not completed