Baldwin resident Kevin Minton publishes "Moonlight Over Paris"

If one were to observe Manhattan nightclub bouncer Kevin Minton on a given night, it might appear as though he's only keeping an eye out for trouble. Indeed he is, but the Baldwin resident is also attuned to the atmosphere around him, and that is the inspiration for his new book, "Moonlight Over Paris," now available in major bookstores nationwide.

Translating 15 years of bouncer experience on city streets into a few hundred pages of a published book, Minton's "Moonlight Over Paris" details the experiences of fictional character Monique Paris Stevens, an investment corporation employee by day; aspiring R&B singer by night. Monique has the heart — and the voice — to follow her dream, Minton explains, but issues in her personal life threaten to derail the path to fame and fortune. Minton said that Monique and other characters in the book are inspired from real people he's met over the years, but names have been changed to protect them.

He said it's his hope that readers will relate to the characters.

"It's a dramatic tale, but based on some things I've been through as a bouncer," said Minton, who often goes by his initials, "K.A." Minton said he has seen many aspiring singers and performers come through the clubs he's worked at, and for him, it's been interesting to see how such artists react to the pressure of the Manhattan stage. Some are successful, he said, and others not so much, but his encounters with them were always eye-opening. "I got to see a lot of things that they went through. I was an observer."

What many people don't know, Minton explained, is that many bouncers are often aspiring writers, singers and/or performers, using their job as a platform to network with industry professionals. Minton said that often times, he and the other bouncers will playfully argue which of them have "the rights" to use a unique event that happened on a given night for their respective screenplays and/or music.