“Trelawney” is a 21st century English novelist who appears on the scene with this first book, The Riot Party, published in January 2012 by CreateSpace, available on Amazon.com and elsewhere online.

The novel includes the following description in its tagline and cover -

You thought it was about Rodney King – they thought it was about avoiding finals! Downtown Los Angeles: 1992. Teresa and the students try to save their ‘European-style Residential College’ from closure. Tension rises as they cope with fires, earthquakes, headlines and ever-increasing parking charges. But they didn’t plan for the Riot Party… Based on a true story of campus life in the LA riots.

In describing the novel “Trelawney” mentioned to firstedition.com “I thought it was an alternative view of the LA riots, on their 20th anniversary.”

He went on to say

“It’s based on a project the University of Southern California ran for a few years around 1992. USC tried to set up a “civilised and elegant” student dorm (the “Embassy Residential College”) in the old Trinity Auditorium building, downtown at Ninth and Grand. The building’s been empty ever since…

As for the quote at the beginning of the book, “the best truth I can recall”, it’s from Amanda Knox, an American student recently accused of killing another student. I was reading about her case, and thinking, well if things had been a bit different, with some drunk students, one a fed-up ex-marine, and the cover of a riot, what could have happened?”

As to the pen-name “Trelawney”, he went on to explain

“That was the famous Cornish Bishop who left Cornwall and found himself imprisoned in London. He was released by Cornishmen marching on London singing “And shall Trelawney die, my dears, and shall Trelawney die? There’re twenty thousand Cornishmen who’ll know the reason why!”  I thought he was quite suitable to write about the Cornish character in the book, who is a bit abused abroad!

The Riot Party is now available on Amazon.com Order Now