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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A firefighter in a black uniform with reflective stripes stands in front of a yellow fire truck marked "Engine 30." He is holding a firefighter helmet and wearing a black cap, looking at the camera with a slight smile.
A man wearing glasses and a purple-collared shirt smiles while leaning against a light-colored wall. The background shows a sidewalk and a partly visible building.

My name is Thad Diaz. I was a Tampa Bay firefighter until I retired in 2021 with 25 years of service. I wrote sci-fi and fantasy as T. Allen Diaz, but I've always been a fan of hard-boiled mysteries. Now that I no longer ride fire trucks, I can tell my Tampa-based detective tales without concerns for my
career.


The Cigar City Case Files is based in Tampa. Its stories occur in actual or fictionalized places tailored to this great city. The tales display its glorious beauty and gritty underbelly as only a native can. I still live in the Tampa Bay area with my wife, two of my kids and a house full of dogs.


Tampa Heat is only the first in a series I hope will span into the double digits. Follow me online and join my email list for the Tampa Heat prequel, Temple Terrace Badger Game today.

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