Author Mac Dyson offers a cheeky rewriting of conventional mythology within an unusual love story.

“So your life sucks. Couldn’t be luckier if you tried. Falling in love with the most hated figure of All Time isn’t going to make it any better. So he brought you back from the Dead. Just say thanks. And move on. Very quickly! …  Please?”

Kiwi author Mac Dyson has released a Smashwords eBook edition of “The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”, a controversial full-length novel for young adults. Into the cosy world of 1970s small-town New Zealand walks – OK, flies – Nick, who’s not your usual tourist and certainly not your typical poster boy for gay rights.

“I wanted to offer young Gays/Lesbians/Bis, their families and friends, the vision of a different heritage, and therefore the potential for an alternative future.” said Dyson, “So I chose to rewrite history from the angle of the ultimate outsider. History is after all the very particular perspective of those ‘in charge. I wondered how famous bible stories and familiar myths might have looked from another point of view.”

“Plus every romance requires an exceedingly attractive leading man – who better than the Devil?”

The Summer of ’79. A remote southern New Zealand beach. A group of school friends spend one last Xmas holiday together before the cares of Uni’ and the ‘real’ world intrude.

On day one, our over-sensitive muso’ hero, Jamie is rescued from suicide by an extremely spunky stranger. Add a shadowy air of mystery and he’s the perfect object for desire, although Nick’s nocturnal tendencies and ability to fly should ring warning bells.

However, it’s not all moonlight surfing for our two romantic heroes because, after bad relationship experiences with Will Shakespeare, Robin Hood, Cain, and ‘God’, Nick has commitment issues. Then, there’s the challenge of the unique and subversive manner in which he sees history, morality, and the meanings of all their lives.

Jamie, his best mate and lover Dom, Dom’s girlfriend Jude, her baby drag-princess brother Ryan, their bandmate Su, Louise the gorgeous country cousin, and the sexy captain of the school rugby team (gay-basher?) Russell Wells, all get to confront the question – who’s the idea of life are they living? If it’s all someone else’s grand story, how do they escape and get to be the author of their own?