Meihaus tapped the region’s headlines for the basis of his book. The story centers on af inancial fraud in Charlotte and features crooked bankers, sexy criminals, lies and murder. The primary character lives on Lake Norman and works at a bank in Charlotte. Most of the scenes in the book take place in the region.

Next Generation sponsors an annual competition for small and independent publishers and writers. The awards, commonly called “The Indies,” attract thousands of entries in nearly 60 categories, from action/adventure to young adult. Each of the “big four” fiction categories —mystery, romance, science fiction and thriller/suspense — has hundreds of entries.