Angel City Singles
Angel City Singles
A Novel by Ralph Cissne
A couple meet in a stand-up comedy workshop.
What more can possibly go wrong?
Driven by a haunting childhood memory, loner David Bishop moves to Los Angeles in search of a fresh start and meaningful employment. The ensuing 1987 Black Monday economic crash forces David into a conflicted part-time job as a host for singles networking parties. “There’s no middle ground,” comedian Rocco Manelli warns. “Here it’s either old money, new money or no money.”
Motivated by his attraction to enigmatic singer Sarah Fleming and mounting financial pressure, David negotiates the humorous challenges of standup comedy, a poetic Bohemian subculture, and the forbidding backstreets of Hollywood. Angel City Singles is filled with suspense, passion and humor as David struggles with the transcendent possibilities for love and understanding.
“Set in a bygone Los Angeles so crisply detailed that its hip haunts and scenic paths often steal the show …” —US Review of Books
“A truly satisfying read. One of the best ‘finding oneself’ books I have read.” —Cynthia, OKC
“The character development is great, the story unfolds in a crisp, well paced manner and I found myself rooting for David Bishop. The description of Southern California is perfect.” —Angela, Frisco
“Good love story. I would recommend this book to anyone, it’s almost ‘La La Land’ in book form.”
—Charles, Edmond
“… ambitiously endeavors to depict the power of art as an antidote to existential crisis …” —Kirkus Reviews
Angel City Singles is Ralph Cissne’s debut novel. An award-winning poet, his short stories have appeared in publications such as American Way and Playboy.
His poetry collection Don’t Be Shy was published in 2015. A native Californian, Cissne graduated from The University of Oklahoma School of Journalism and lives in Oklahoma where he writes and volunteers as a creative life skills mentor.
