Off The Record

Off The Record

The machine is always watching. But who is watching the machine?

In the neon-lit corridors of Washington D.C., Leo Vance is the "Iron Tongue"-a strategist with a clinical gift for turning chaos into cold, hard polling data. For Leo, voters are algorithms, and his latest creation, the Mercury Shadow, is a masterpiece of digital deception designed to simulate the very soul of a nation.

Across the political divide, Silas Vane is the "Dreamer." As a lead speechwriter, Silas believes in the weight of the word and the unvarnished truth of the American ideal. He is the conscience of a campaign that doesn't know it's running on a lie.

When a chance encounter in a rain-slicked bar pulls them out of their respective war rooms and into a "Negative Space" beyond the reach of the cameras, the record begins to fracture. As the general election reaches a brutal fever pitch, the two men are forced into the Anacostia Protocol-a secret pact to bury the darkest chapters of their lives to keep the Presidency intact.

But when a buried past in the Democratic Republic of the Congo resurfaces, and the true cost of the Mercury Shadow is revealed, the silence they fought for becomes their greatest enemy.

From the high-stakes galleries of The Hague to the isolated wheat fields of Kansas, Leo and Silas must decide if they are willing to burn their legacies to the ground to save their humanity. In a city where every word is calculated, the only way out is to go finally, truly, Off The Record.

Marcus Andrews

Marcus Andrews is an author dedicated to exploring the intersection of identity, resilience, and romance through contemporary LGBTQ+ fiction. His work often centers on queer joy and the complexities of finding one's "chosen family" in the modern world.

A proud resident of Detroit, Michigan, Marcus draws deep inspiration from the city's storied architecture and the tenacious spirit of its communities. When he isn't at his desk, he can often be found scouting new local settings for his novels-from the neon-lit corridors of the Majestic Theatre to the quiet, sun-drenched reading rooms of the Detroit Public Library.

Marcus is an active participant in the vibrant Southeast Michigan literary scene, frequently engaging with local organizations like Affirmations and LGBT Detroit to advocate for queer voices in publishing. He believes that every person deserves to see themselves as the hero of their own story, a mission that drives every page he writes.

He currently lives in a historic Detroit neighborhood with his partner and a small library of first editions that is slowly taking over their living room.