That's Amore--but this is A Murder

Tattoo artist Brett Kavanaugh inks high-class clientele in her Las Vegas shop, The Painted Lady. And when she's not on the job, she sets her designs on catching killers. . . .
Las Vegas is a rocking place where impersonators of the legendary Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. - are alive and well and performing nightly at clubs all over town. Except they're not all. Alive, that is.

( ...to be continued...see below)
**Driven To Ink

Well, ain't this a kick in the head? Karen Olson is back--she's such a pal of Jungle Red--and we are thrilled that her newest book is out. (How many is this now? Seven?) Now Karen's gone all Vegas, baby, and probably has a cigarette in a long holder and long white gloves and a sllinky red dress and shakes a mean...martini. (And knows the rules of blackjack, which are obviously incomprehensible.)

But her inspiration is from the golden age of Vegas. Like Dino himself sings, er, sang: memories are made of this. Volare, everyone. Now, take it away Karen.

THAT'S AMORE...but this is--a Murder

KAREN: I’ve always had this thing for the Rat Pack.

Ever since seeing Ocean’s 11 for the first time, the original one, not the one with George Clooney (although admittedly, the George Clooney version is very easy on the eyes), but the one with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The Rat Pack, which also included Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, Shirley McLaine, and Angie Dickinson, really were Vegas in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The group, brought together by Sinatra, were all around town, drinking and performing and having a blast.

They became legend.

So when I was trying to come up with a plot for my third tattoo shop mystery, DRIVEN TO INK, set in Vegas, I knew I had to pay homage to this bit of Sin City’s history.

So what did I do? I killed off a Dean Martin impersonator.

And not just any Dean Martin impersonator. A Dean Martin impersonator whose job was to serenade couples getting married at the That’s Amore Drive-Through Wedding Chapel.
Okay, sure, Dino wasn’t the most famous Rat Packer. Frank was. But Frank seemed so clichéd, so done. And I’d already used Frank in my Annie Seymour series, in which private eye Vinny DeLucia bears a striking resemblance to the old crooner (not the fat Frank from his later years, but when he was younger, with Ava).

That was in part for my husband, who is a huge huge HUGE Frank fan. So much so that if we hear a Frank song on the radio, we have to stop for a moment of silence to honor his memory. I’m totally not kidding. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my husband say wistfully, “He can sing like that because he’s loved and lost.”

So Dino it was for this new book. And not just one impersonator. No. I had to do it right. There is a whole stable of Dinos at That’s Amore. And someone seems to be targeting them.


My editor was concerned that my readers might not know what the Rat Pack was. I found that a little hard to believe. I mean, who hasn’t heard of Frank Sinatra? Or Dean Martin? Maybe they haven’t heard of Peter Lawford, he’s a little more obscure. But regardless, I had to put a sentence explaining the Rat Pack to my readers, just in case they live under a rock.

Or get them confused with the Brat Pack. Remember them? From the ‘80s? Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jr., Judd Nelson. That dreadful movie St. Elmo’s Fire. The Rat Pack they weren’t.
But I digress.

If you were going to write a book set in Vegas and had to pick one of the Rat Pack to put in it, which one would you choose?

HANK: Angie Dickinson! That's who I'd be. I mean, choose. How about you?

******************************************

Karen E. Olson’s newest tattoo shop mystery, DRIVEN TO INK, is now available. Visit her website at http://www.kareneolson.com/

...continued from above..

When Brett lends her car to Sylvia Coleman and Bernie Applebaum for a drive-through wedding, she's not expecting to get it back with a dead body in the trunk - much less one who looks like Dean Martin and sports a clip cord from a tattoo machine around his neck.
As for the newlyweds, they vanish before they can start their honeymoon, so Brett and Jeff, Sylvia's son, go undercover as bride and groom to sniff out the rat who seems to be targeting the impersonators. Whatever's going on, it's not amore. . . .

****************************************************************************************************************

And we're quiet for a moment, today on September 11....

****************************************************************************************************************

Getting to Know You Day

Whoooo are you? Who who, who who?
**The Who

HANK: Hey! Who's out there? If we talk about what we're doing and where we are and what we're thinking, will you do the same?

It's Getting to Know You Day on Jungle Red!

One of us has a brand new book out--hurray, Rhys! So she gets to go first and get the spotlight. The rest of us are..well, you'll see.

And then it's your turn. Introduce yourself!

And one lucky commenter will get a free copy of Rhys' new book! And hey, why not, someone else will get one of mine--AIR TIME. (Any other JR's want to jump in here? Watch the comments, readers, and see!)

RHYS: Royal Blood is spilled today!
Today my penniless royal heroine is back with a new adventure, called Royal Blood.

Lady Georgie is thrilled to be asked to represent the royal family at a wedding in Europe, until she finds out it's at a castle in Transylvania. She is a modern young woman. She doesn't believe in vampires--but something is definitely crawling up the castle wall, and why does the bride have blood running down her chin? Rhys has had tremendous fun with a completely spoof of the vampire genre. If you love to laugh and be scared at the same time, then this is for you.I'm setting off on a book tour this week, and would love to see Jungle Red fans along the way. The schedule is posted on my website.

HANK: I'm in Boston, and where did summer go? My dahlias are amazing, and I can't even cut them fast enough. Still fighting the stupid biting ugly earwigs that love to live in the beautiful flowers. (Is that a metaphor? I do think it is.)

In my study, working working working. Will it be a new book? I'm thinking about how many people it's believable to have killed in one two-week period in one city. A big city. So--what's ridiculous and what's logical? (On so many levels.) I had a synopsis, but that's getting changed every second as I write the actual book.

In my day job as TV reporter--desperately looking for a blockbuster story or two. (Any ideas?) And got a new sweater dress and boots. So it's fall, for sure. (Anyone wearing the little ankle boots with skirts? Can't get used to the look.)

HALLIE: I'm enjoying everything about summer's end. Going barefoot. Eating delicious fresh tomatoes and corn. Sleeping with the windows open. Walking on Wollaston Beach (Boston) where it's easy to find parking.

Noticing how all the weeding this summer I did in my garden has paid off and everything looks abnormally tidy and peaceful. Ideas for the next book are starting to bubble up. Did we have stretches of hot disgusting summer weather? I've already forgotten.

Also gearing up for "Seascape Escape to Write" retreat in Madison - this will be the fourth time Roberta and I and S. W. Hubbard and I have run this intensive Friday-Sunday workshop in a wonderful house that used to belong to Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue set on the beach in Madison CT.

ROBERTA: Of course, I'm getting ready for "Seascape: Escape to Write" too! We're expecting 15 students this year, all crime fiction writers--so that's a lot of work reading everyone's submissions so we can be prepared. Always so much fun to put faces to the names and the work--and then to watch the stories improve over the weekend by leaps and bounds!

Last night, I took the train into New York (from Connecticut) to the MWA New York chapter meeting where James Patterson was the speaker. I won't take up too much time here--I've posted more on my blog. (http://www.robertaisleib.com/blog) If you don't think that room was crammed with people wanting to know the secret of his success!

And work--yeah. Slaving away on a thriller, maybe it's suspense, never can tell the difference. And waiting to hear about a couple of other irons in the fire. Does everyone have their fingers and paws crossed out there?

JAN: After two and a half weeks on the beach (in Nantucket) I'm ready for fall. I never want to eat grilled food again, and I'm thrilled to be home and back to my work routine. While I was away, I got a lot of big breaks on my non-fiction book, tentatively named the Combat Zone, and am working out the fine points of the proposal. This is the same 1976 murder I wrote a screenplay about and let me tell you, it's incredibly hard to go from a Screenplay to a book. You have to get the first structure out of your head, but it doesn't want to stay out. It keeps infiltrating.

I also finished the first draft of my novel, The Devil In Waverley, when I was on vacation YAY!!! Still a a second draft to go, but the Challenge and the change of seasons have done wonders for me. And if I'm being completely honest, I've benefited from tennis elbow and not being about to get on the court!

ROSEMARY: I was at the Patterson dinner too. Got to sit with the great man himself. Really charming - especially when one questioner asked how he chose his writing partners "Do people send you sample chapters?" Yeah, right!

My garden (in Connecticut) was heavenly this summer, but I'm bringing in far too many plants to overwinter. Spent two long wonderful days at the US Open and hope to see Roger Federer hoist that trophy before I head for the Cape where I will kayak and hatch some ideas for next book.

Oh, yes...lots of drama this week over the cover for SLUGFEST. Life would be so simple if people just did what I told them to do.

HANK: Oh, YES. I'm with ya, Ro. Going to mention that to my boss right now. And SPILL! What did James Patterson say? And as for paws and fingers,yes, crossed. Big time. (And for you, too.)

So, your turn! Who's out there? Where are you? What's on your mind? What are you working on?

The Scoop On Spinetingler

HANK: Intrigue. Revenge. Plotting and planning and scheming. Rejection and excommunication.
And that's BEFORE the fiction even starts! If you've ever wondered what would it be like to edit a mystery magazine, don't touch that dial. It's got all the suspense and conflict of a top-notch thriller. How do I know? Sandra Ruttan, the editor-in-chief of SPINETINGLER, tells all. Including how to win her heart. (And also how to make her very very angry...)

HANK: What's Spinetingler?

SANDRA: Spinetingler is an ezine that was started in late 2004. Sometimes, for newer writers, it can feel like you have to be "in the club" before your work is even taken seriously. Spinetingler wasn't built on publishing names; it was created to publish good stories,
regardless of who wrote them.

HANK: Do you remember your first issue?

SANDRA: Yes. Vaguely. If I remember correctly, it was in our first issue that we published a story called Jesse's Toothbrush. I know it was very early on, and that story still makes me laugh. It's about a man who becomes obsessed with his girlfriend's toothbrush.

HANK: And it was good?

SANDRA: I think the story was good. At the very least, it was memorable. That one's stayed with me, some crazy guy who's practically having an emotional affair with his girlfriend's toothbrush. That's a special brand of crazy.

HANK: Well we're talking mystery authors, after all. And now, it's really evolved...

SANDRA: It grew into a forum for reviewing books, interviewing authors and featuring other sites online that were worthy of note. I've always been a natural champion for what I love,
and Spinetingler provided an official forum for helping writers with talent get more exposure. It's amazing to think about how much Spinetingler has grown over the past six years.

HANK: It used to be--in issues, right?

SANDRA: Yes, in the past, Spinetingler was produced in issues. It's now an ongoing, continuous publishing format, which means we can respond in real time to breaking news in the industry if we choose, and we have greater flexibility with our publishing schedule. There are also more
people involved. For the most part, I don't select fiction; our fiction editor, author Jack Getze, does. Sometimes I'm asked to look things over and give a second opinion, but that's not common. Brian Lindenmuth handles all the non-fiction, recruits reviewers and contributors and tries to ensure there's new content daily.

HANK: It must be so much work! DO you get a lot of inquiries? Over the transom submissions?

SANDRA: We're getting tons of submissions. In fact, we reject an awful lot of stories that are really, really good. Since Spinetingler was MWA-approved, the submissions have increased even more. Jack would like it to grow to the point where we're publishing one story a week,
but we're also committed to a minimum payment of $25 per story, and that means we have to work within a budget. If ad revenues increase, we'll publish more, as long as the quality of the work is maintained.


HANK: What makes a great story? How soon can you tell? (Is this a question for you? Or should we ask Jack?)

SANDRA: Well... it depends on the story. Have you read My Name Is Priscilla?

The genius is truly in the reveal. Sometimes, you know right away you've got something special. Sometimes, it's that "wow" factor that comes after you've seen how it all unfolds. I'm actually partial to those stories. The quality of writing has to be strong and engaging
to keep a person reading, but if feels like it's building to something and it pays off, it really pays off. Which is much better than starting off strong and fizzling out with a weak ending.

HANK: Wait--I'm off reading...oh, wow. Sandra, you guys are truly..well. Anyway. So--what advice do you have for someone who wants to submit?

SANDRA: Follow the submission guidelines. And don't submit to us if you don't want to be published by us. Jack recently went through the headache of accepting a story, working with the writer to edit it and bring it up to a whole new level, the story was slated for publication and at the 11th hour the author pulled the story and decided to enter it in a contest. He was, understandably, furious he'd invested time in this writer, only to have them take advantage of
his editorial services.

And if he wants the writer banned for life, I'm fine with that.

We've had a few authors who've been difficult, and since this is a labor of love for us, and we volunteer our time and work hard to see that these writers get paid something for their
efforts, I won't make anyone work with someone who's proven they're unprofessional.

HANK: Oh, yikes. Interesting to see the world from the other side. And revealing to know you're taking names! So--Do you think of it as a "magazine"? Do you think paper magazines are on their way to oblivion?

SANDRA: I do think of it as a magazine. I'm not convinced paper is about to die. I don't like reading on my computer, and e-readers haven't reached the price point where I'm tempted to try them.


HANK: Wait. What? How do you read your own e-zine??

SANDRA: I don't mind reading online in small bits. But I'm a slow reader, and a book typically takes me 10+ hours. I'm not going to sit and read for hours at a time online. Ezines are like blog surfing to me, so they work for me; books online don't. Not yet.

I still like holding something in my hands and flipping the pages, and I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way. I think we provide different services, and I think we can complement each other. We can publish content daily; print magazines can't do that. But print
magazines have an archival value that we don't have. There's good things about both formats.

HANK: So what scares you these days?

SANDRA: I'm more optimistic about the industry than some people seem to be. I think you can put your backlist out on Kindle and work it and maybe even make a lot of money for a little while, but eventually the demand will dry up. You have to keep producing at that level, in
volume and quality, in order to maintain those sales. I'm nervous about the possibility that some of the recognized authors leading the charge to self-publish via e-books are setting everyone up for disappointment. Writers who won't achieve overnight fame and fortune and huge readerships, and readers who will find there's so much more crap to wade through that they can't find what's really good anymore.

This is a huge concern for Spinetingler. When I set up authors to do guest columns, I have to decide if I'll take self-published authors, or if I'll take e-book authors. I'm still nervous about opening the floodgates. I don't have the same rules as some of the other organizations - I have no problem with a product that's been professionally edited. Even small POD presses that aren't covers for Vanity Presses have to invest money in putting out a book, whether they pay an advance or not, so there's at least a vetting process in place. I'm really nervous about throwing open the floodgates to products that haven't been screened by anyone other than the writer
putting them up for sale.

A few months ago, I'd received a review copy, and it seemed legit, so I started it. I wasn't wowed straight off, but I hadn't abandoned it. Then, a few days later I got an email from the
author, saying that because of review feedback he'd re-written the first chapter and was mailing out a revised copy. That gave away the game, and I was also furious, because he didn't hire me to edit and critique his book; he asked me to review it. I review finished books, not manuscripts. You want a critique, ask me straight up, don't try to pull an end-run to get free editorial services. That was time I could have spent on a real, finished book.

So, I'm nervous. And I continue to take these decisions about how to proceed one step at a time.

HANK: What do you wish you had known?

I wish I'd known just how petty people could be. When writers argue over rejections or slam you on sites because they assume you must have a prejudice against them because you didn't publish their stuff it really puts you off. This is the reason most sites prefer to work with professionals.

I really want new writers to have a chance to develop their craft, but so many make it extremely difficult. I've found the more established the writer, the more professional and easy to work with. It's never the professionally published authors who argue over editing their work; it's the people we've never heard of. And if there was one thing I wish new authors could grasp it's just how important it is to foster good long-term working relationships. I will say that's
probably something I've learned more from doing this than anything else.

HANK: Wow. Sandra. Thank you! You're terrific. Questions, anyone?