A Ghosts In Da Ghetto Story
GENRE
HORROR YOUNG ADULT
Core Theme
RELATIONSHIPS
TIME PERIOD
2000s
COMPARABLE TITLES
JUICE, MENACE II SOCIETY, BOYZ N THE HOOD
CHARACTER LIST
FRANKLIN THOMAS (M/20) -- SMOOTH, BLACK, ATLANTA-NATIVE, AND LADIES MAN.
NOTE: ALL CHARACTERS ARE BLACK.
DAVID JOHNSON (M/17) -- FRANKLIN'S LATE BROTHER WHO APPEARS TO HIM AS A GHOST AND BECOMES HIS CONFIDANT.
MERCEDES (F/20) -- SEDUCTIVE, INTELLIGENT, REFINED WOMAN WHO CAPTURES FRANKLIN'S HEART.
CANDY (F/20S) -- FORWARD, AGGRESSIVE HOOK-UP BUDDY OF FRANKLIN'S.
RITA (F/50S) -- FRANKLIN'S FORWARD BOSS WHO PAYS HIM FOR SEX.
QUENTION (M/20S) -- FRANKLIN'S RIGHT-HAND MAN, HIS MOST LOYAL, LIVING FRIEND.
Logline
A foster child discovering the life he never knew as family in meeting his father in 1 and his mother in the second novel.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34,35-54
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
Atlanta, Ga
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: self-published
Publisher: Kindle Publishing
Year Published: 2020
Starting Description
Clarkston, Ga in the last week of october.
Ending Description
The main character sets the tone for the sequel with a ending mistake to the opener.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
Information not completed
Mature Audience Themes
Language/Profanity
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions,Twist
Plot - Premise
Overcoming Monster/Villain,Rags to Riches,Internal Journey/Rebirth,Quest,Rebellion Against 'The One',Tragedy
Main Character Details
Name: Franklin Thomas
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Role: Logical
Key Traits: Adventurous,Charming,Complex,Confident,Leader,Skillful,Blunt
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Genre
SUSPENSE, THRILLER, DRAMA, MATURE AUDIENCE
Brief
Former foster child and Atlanta-native FRANKLIN THOMAS drives non-emergency medical transports for a living. One day, he unknowingly transports the corpse of his long lost brother, DAVID. Soon, Franklin and his ghostly brother David form a tight bond, where David helps Franklin navigate through a complex web of romantic and sexual partners and through dealing with a myriad of other lingering spirits. David even helps equip Franklin with a stolen batch of a million dollars, which he uses to spoil his girlfriends and to help their shared father. All the while, gang violence seems to be escalating in the area.
Overall Rating
FAIR
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: FAIR
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: FAIR
Pace: FAIR
Premise: GOOD
Structure: FAIR
Theme: FAIR
Accuracy of Book Profile
The book profile has much room for improvement, as many parts leave more to be desired. For example, the log line and short summary are sparing and vague, doing little to clarify the concept or to drum up excitement for the text. Also, the character details section is entirely lacking.
Draw of Story
What drew me into the story immediately was the unique concept-- A very strange, even anachronistic pairing of urban life with the supernatural-- Not a common combination, but one used to solid effect. Also, the character of Franklin stood out as complex and flawed, which are virtues. He has just as many positive attributes to go along with his apparent selfishness and his hubris that seems to grow as the text progresses. Namely, he is intelligent, funny, and an inarguably loyal friend.
Possible Drawbacks
There were a few things that made me want to put the book down. The main thing is that there is much opportunity in this text to cut, condense, and simplify. It feels like the descriptions and dialogue are vivid and distinct to a fault-- Like the author spends too much time and verbiage to make his points to the point that it jars with the reader's engagement. A perfect example of this comes around page 50, when key characters order Chinese food-- In this scene, we spend upwards of a page entirely on ordering the food-- Something that could easily have been accounted for in a line or two. All in all, another pass with an eye for efficiency and word economy would only help this text.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
The hook is that this work features a pairing of two sub-genres that have not often, if ever, been tied together. The result is a subversive, interesting, and modern world that is a perfect backdrop for the author's flawed, human characters. This will be sure to entice a niche audience and will hopefully draw a curious, wider audience, too.
Fanbase Potential
This would not have a wide fanbase, per se, but it bodes well for having a loyal and substantial audience given its focal points on not one but two largely separate genre spaces. This is perhaps the most one can ask for at this point for a story devoid of superheroes and superpowers and that does not borrow from an established IP.
Awards Potential
No, this is not an awards-type movie. It is more entertainment-driven and obsequious than the more auteur or art-leaning films that typically vie for nominations.
Envisioned Budget
MEDIUM BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
JUICE, BOYZ N THE HOOD, MENACE II SOCIETY
What’s New About the Story
One of the key strengths of this work is, in fact, the originality of its anachronistic concept. The opportunities to make it more original, then, are sparse. However, as far as execution is concerned, there is still much opportunity to cut, condense, and simplify this work, which would only further uplift and distinguish its concept.
Lead Characters
The lead character in Franklin Thomas stands out in that he is flawed, human, and complex. As noted, his positive attributes are just enough to overpower his varied negative attributes. This makes him feel real and human as opposed to plastic and basic. His easy-going ways in the face of intensifying social stakes make him likable and fun to follow.
Uniqueness of Story
This could be a rare gem, thanks to its doubly niche concept. However, what is holding it back is the excessive amount of time and word economy it takes to make its points and to tell its story. This work, it feels like, has no need to exceed 350 pages. A simple scanning through to cut, condense, and simplify what is not essential could get us to this more palatable page count in no time.
Possible Formats
Film:Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
Despite its many virtues and the originality of its concept, this work certainly leans toward a work in progress due to some of its bloat and inefficiency. As noted, there is ample opportunity to simplify this work and to lower its rather large page count. Doing so would yield a work that simply has the same amount of impact but that takes far less time to achieve it.
Tips for Improvement
The author would need to do another pass simply to identify the sections that have lower value-per-page than others and to mitigate them by cutting, and if not cutting, condensing and simplifying.
Brief
When savvy Atlanta-native Franklin Thomas encounters the ghost of a brother he never new about, he finds himself paired with a loyal confidant who helps guide him through relationship woes and through helping their shared father, a recent parolee.
What We Liked
This work stood out for its surprising and largely effective genre mash-up. It bodes well for adaptation and for this work finding a sizable enough audience in that it appeals squarely to two established genres. The main character in Franklin also stood out for how uncommonly complex and flawed he was-- He feels human and relatable as a result.
Film: This is a viable candidate for adaptation to film given the many juicy moments that will be sure to lure a curious audience. This is to say that sex content in this is, in some ways, relentless. Pairing that with the supernatural elements and melodramatic aspects in this work will be certain to attract a committed, established audience.
TV: This would be a good adaptation for TV thanks to the well-built-out world the author has invested in. There are endless supporting players that provide opportunities for subplots, and the world around them feels distinct and worthy of further exploration than a mere two hours can provide.
Key points:
1. The ghost elements that will appeal to fans of the supernatural.
2. The many sex scenes that yield commercial viability.
3. The unique genre mashup.
4. The distinct, well-rendered Atlanta backdrop of the story.
5. The many facets of relationship drama.
Synopsis
FRANKLIN THOMAS, 20s, is a former foster child and Atlanta native who makes a living driving non-emergency medical vehicles. He spends his time hitting on front desk assistant RAY-RAY, 20s, deflecting the advances of his horny, cougar boss RITA, and hanging with his most loyal friend and coworker, QUENTION, 20s. One day, Franklin transports the body of a young man, DAVID, 17, who appears to him as a ghost. At the club with Quention, Franklin meets the seductive, aggressive CANDY, 20s. They hook up at a get-together at a famous rapper's mansion outside of Atlanta.
In rent trouble, Franklin soon agrees to sleep with his boss Rita for money. Soon, he meets his birth father, GRANT JOHNSON, 50s, for the first time. Grant tells his son how he's fresh out of prison and how his half-brother, David, recently died after being hit by a bus. With that, Franklin realizes that the ghost he has been hearing and seeing is his late brother. After sleeping with Rita, Franklin agrees to sleep with RHONDA, a heavy-set friend of Rita's, for money. Soon, David becomes permanently apparent to Franklin, becoming a loyal right-hand-man to him. Other ghosts, the street-smart ASHLEY and ALICIA soon appear to Franklin, too. Franklin sleeps with Rhonda, but one of the female ghosts possesses her, and tops Franklin without a condom on.
Franklin continues to hook up with Candy, but he soon meets the more feminine and put-together MERCEDES, and he quickly develops feelings for her. David and the ghosts help Franklin evade a robbery on the road. Soon, it becomes clear that Grant is in money trouble with local gangsters, and David tries to get Franklin to help him.
Franklin finds out that Rhonda is pregnant with his child. David decides to possess a businessman, and he delivers a million dollars to his living brother. With that, Franklin gives half to help his father get out of the drug/gangster game, and Franklin goes to town spending on his women and friends.
Soon, Franklin finds himself in a pickle between Candy and Mercedes. He has feelings for Mercedes and wants to be with her, but he wants to keep sleeping with Candy, too. David urges him to dump Candy and commit to Mercedes, but Franklin tries to keep both. It backfires, though, and Mercedes cuts him out. Franklin resorts to severing ties with Candy and eventually makes up with Mercedes, who he intends to be with long term.
David helps Franklin win the lottery, enabling him to live comfortably indefinitely. Eventually, Franklin quits his day job driving the medical transport, given his newfound riches. All the while, gang violence from a group called the "Silverback Gorillas" has escalated exponentially. Alicia and Ashley gear up to take revenge on the people that killed them a year prior, teasing the story of the next book.