Episode #3: THE SPLINTERED SELF
Character Spotlight: Meet Charmay (and the Ghost of Cindy)
“Past, present, and future are all happening at once inside of us.”
BEAUTY. DANGER. SURVIVAL.
Hard-boiled but “skinless,” singing from hidden pain, Charmay is the orphan misfit survivor of the 1999 NYC underground. To navigate the predatory hustle of the city and a failing marriage, she hides behind Cindy—a glittering alter ego built to feel nothing.
But as she pursues the American dream and dodges “family snipers,” her internal tormentor, Skinless, forces the past to the fore. Caught in a slipstream of small-time scores and secrets, Charmay’s identities collide. In a final, visceral fight to reclaim her soul, she must face the past she’s spent a lifetime outrunning.
THE UNDERWORLD TRIANGLE
Sam Black: The Lover| The Hustler’s Ambition. A Cuban-American weed kingpin whose business funds their volatile cinematic dreams.
Rex Revan: The Patron| The Father Figure. A wealthy Wall Street ghost obsessed with Cindy, blind to the woman underneath.
The Producer: The Catalyst|The Gatekeeper. A man who hears the real voice of Charmay and demands she bring the truth—not the mask—to the mic.
THE WORD ON THE STREET:
“A revelation... Language so original it vanishes words as we know them. In a word, Skinless is a stunner.” — Stacey Donovan, Author of Dive
“Moor’s writing grips you from the first line with a raw, street-poetry voice that maps trauma, survival, and longing.” — NetGalley Reviewer
VOICE FROM THE SHADOWS: CHAPTER EXCERPTS
On the Strip Club as Sanctuary:
"I felt safest in the strip bar. A little spot in the world where I could make my own choices, my own money, and decide who could and could not touch me. I learned at a young age: my sex is powerful. I walked with cash—so I’d never be homeless again."
On the Collision of Love and Chaos:
"Back in the Lower East Side studio dive, my eyes rested on the sea of Sam-love: drooping blooms, half-written poems, and bling jewelry boxes. My thermionic current began to percolate—an old familiar howling. The struggle I’ve had since I was 19, just off the road from hitching homeless."
THE ARCHIVE: MEMORY AS A WAR ZONE
In SKINLESS, the past isn’t a memory; it’s an ambush. Charmay’s "now-voice" struggles to bridge the gap between the girl who was broken and the woman who survives by any means necessary.
VOICE FROM THE SHADOWS: CHAPTER EXCERPTS
On the "Hamster Wheel":
"People who don’t get trauma say change your perspective. But when you’re hit by memories and anxiety from every curve, you just survive. Drinking numbs the wheel, but the only way out is through. You gotta die to awaken, warrior."
The Name She Won't Say:
In the excerpt below, Charmay circles the name of her ghost—the man who wanted to be "John Wayne"—but she can’t yet say it out loud. Syllables have a price. To name him is to make it real.
"He wanted to be John Wayne, he said. Telling people never made it better. But money? Money made it better. Money meant no matter who fucked with me, I knew I could survive. Macho, my mother called me. Walking like a man. I was fifteen, putting on guy-tough airs just to make the world feel safer."
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
Where language fails, music steps in. When Charmay can’t push a word past her throat, she bends the melody instead. Each song is a reclamation—turning a "skinless" vulnerability into a rhythmic power that no longer belongs to the man who hurt her.
Hear "Little Girl’s Eyes" — the track that carries the weight of the words she can’t say yet.
THE WORD ON THE STREET
“Modern and vintage at the same time. This takes you into the mind of the protagonist in a way conventional prose cannot. I really liked it.” — Louise, NetGalley Reviewer
“Intense, emotional, and beautifully written. Every scene feels alive, and Charmay’s journey stays with you.” — Annie, Goodreads Reviewer
Slip into Skinless.
SKINLESS is available now at The Strand, Barnes & Noble, and everywhere books are sold.
BUY THE BOOK | HEAR THE ALBUM | VISIT THE OFFICIAL SITE
Stay Skinless. Go to EPISODE #4:
Charmay & Cindy: The double life. The alter-ego. The high cost of survival.
Charmay: New York Noir | Skinless (Book 1).
Psychological Crime Noir that feels like a Jazz Record.
If a line resonates—a spark or a shadow—reply to this post. ~ MM
SKINLESS: Inside the Story. Follow the evolution.