Hi! I’m Scott Downey and the new author of the science fiction adventure called Project 49. This is his first novel and it was available on Amazon, both in E-book and paperback. This is no longer the case.

          I was born and raised in Western New York. Once in sixth grade, I read the book, Not Quite Human: Batteries not Included by Seth McEvoy. It was the story about a man that always wanted a son, so he built one.

          The story captivated me. He wondered what it would be like if he could be like that. Of course, the character changed to a cyborg, even if I didn’t understand the term at the time. It did develop some during the rest of my school years. I did even attempt to write some of it down in long hand. Even if it wasn’t really good, it is unfortunate these early writings didn’t survive the years.

          After high school, I moved on to different pursuits. Namely girls and demolition derby. In the mist of 15 years of automotive mayhem in drag racing, demolition and circle track, I was blessed with two daughters.

          For a good measure of time, I forgot about writing, even if I was still an active wintertime reader. Mostly I read books from horror author Steven King and fantasy from Terry Brooks and R.A. Salvatore. Still, I have never read any other book on science fiction even if I am a Star Trek fan. Since this was written, I have finally read some Issac Asimov!

          I bounced from job to job over the years, trying to find where I fit in. Once I became a commercial tire servicemen for Valley Tire in Dunkirk, N.Y. I found my place. It was at this time the character came back to me. From behind the wheel of my 5500 Chevrolet stake body, I began to redefine the character.

          I still miss that truck. No, seriously. You have any idea how bad ass a 5500 Duramax powered Chevy is? 70 truck tires on the back of that thing and I would still drag race imports. But back to important things…

          In August of 2010 I was in the hospital with massive pain in my arm I couldn’t explain. A spine specialist in ECMC told me I slipped a disk in my neck and my days of stacking tires was over. The doctor told me to go to college. All I thought to say was, “Okay.”

          I was already writing at this point and understood that my days of fixing trucks and racing cars was over. My neck wasn’t strong enough. I applied to Jamestown Community College and went there for a year before they had nothing to offer me. I transferred to The New York State University at Fredonia. I graduated three years later, Magna Cum Laude with a double bachelor in English and Communication.

          The book sat on the back burner due to the demands of college and family. When I did have time to revisit it, it looked bad. My writing improved through college and the more I learned, the worse it looked. Many parts were rewritten multiple times.

          Now two years since college, I work for The New York State Thruway Authority as a toll collector and the book is finished despite the challenges that came with writing, editing and distribution. I would like to thank Professor Elmer Ploetz for his assistance in the edit. I would also like to thank Robert Burau for his help in the beginning. He was detrimental in early brain storming, research and in military protocol.

          The book was 147,785 words before rewrite.

 A young man’s troubled life tragically comes to an end, only to awaken as a cybernetic assassin. Plagued with memory loss, he must look for clues within to discover who he is, all the while being abused by his handlers and forced to perform under a constant watching eye. And to kill. The only question is can he hold on to his sanity while running through the bush on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean then into the jungles of South America. Can he find peace of mind and the strength to survive the biggest fight of his life?

          I am already at work on the next book in the series. I had hoped to be done in six months this time, instead of the 7 years the first book took. I have a long way to go and I also wrote some short stories along the way.  I hope that I can make a living being a writer and even if I hate snow, I plan to stay in Western New York for a while.

          I have an interesting way of measuring success. I hope that one day I can find my book at a yard sale for a quarter, like I sees so many battered copies of other famous author’s works. I will sign it then tell them it is now worth fifty cents.

          I pride himself on being from Western New York, an author and automotive journalist. Welcome to WNYautoart. Feel free to look around a bit. It is my hope that you find my writing enjoyable.