Tim O'Mara spends his days working as a New York City public school teacher. But he spends his nights writing mystery novels.
On Saturday at Missouri River Regional Library, O'Mara will join local actors Jack and Tom Renner for a special reading of his new novel, "Crooked Numbers." The mystery novel is the second book in his Raymond Donne series; the first book was "Sacrifice Fly," which was nominated for the 2013 Best First Novel Barry Award.
The event is scheduled from 3-4:30 p.m. in the MRRL Art Gallery.
Raymond Donne was a cop with a bright future ahead of him until a tragic accident destroyed his knees and he became a teacher instead.
O'Mara was inspired to create the character after his experiences working in the Williamsburg neighborhood - a poor section of Brooklyn whose racial makeup is changing as it undergoes gentrification.
O'Mara knew a character with experience in both worlds would make a terrific protagonist.
"Crooked Numbers" opens at the wake for a former student - Douglas Lee or "Dougie" - who was found murdered under the Williamsburg Bridge.
"The bridge is a metaphor," said O'Mara. "It connects the poor neighborhood of Williamsburg with wealthy lower Manhattan."
As an author, one of O'Mara's talents is crafting realistic dialog.
"I love writing dialog," O'Mara said.
On Saturday, Jack Renner will read the part of "Uncle Ray." Tom Renner will play a tough street kid. O'Mara will read the character of Raymond Donne himself.
O'Mara said he picked the chapter because it featured meaty roles for both Jack and Tom.
Within his new novel, O'Mara wanted to explore the issue of "Two New Yorks," a theme newly elected Mayor Bill DeBlasio recently campaigned upon. DeBlasio was making the point that 400,000 millionaires lives in a city where half of the city's residents live at or below the poverty line.
"Dougie symbolizes the under-served New York," O'Mara said.
O'Mara said he's looking forward to Saturday's Reader's Theater event, which he believes will be much more fun for avid readers than another book signing.
"It's really great to hear my words out loud. It's a thrill," he said.