Official Website of Jason Pinter

Publication Party for THE MARK

The Chase Begins Today

Indy is Back

So maybe "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was 18 years ago. Maybe Harrison Ford turns 65 in three weeks and is older than Sean Connery was when he played Indy's father. Maybe Ford hasn't made a decent movie since "What Lies Beneath" in 2000 or a good one since "Air Force One" in 1997. Maybe this movie should have been made 15 years ago. Maybe the dozens of scripts they allegedly plowed through never quite hit the mark. Maybe it will suck horribly.

But damned if I didn't see this pic of Harrison Ford wearing that fedora and get a little excited for next summer...

And the Winner Is...

Don Anderson!

Congrats Don, a signed copy of THE MARK is on the way. Don chose Andrew Vachss's FLOOD as a book that had a profound influence on him.

Check back next week for another contest...

Crunch Time

While prepping for the release of THE MARK on Tuesday, I'm also in the midst of finishing up final edits on THE GUILTY, scheduled to come out in March 2008. I'm very curious to see the eventual reactions to this book. It's a kickass story, in my opinion (duh), and I just hope I did the idea justice. After THE MARK, it was a pleasure to write the next Parker/Davies novel. While writing the second book in the series, I wanted to remain faithful to the storyline and pacing from THE MARK, while introducing new elements, characters and villains (especially the villain) that would make it fresh. I hope THE GUILTY accomplishes both. Whether it does, in the end, is up to readers.

I've been waiting for June 26th for a long time. But when that day comes, I wonder, what exactly will change? It's not like I'm going to be sitting in bookstores watching to see who buys it, and there won't be any sort of applause-o-meter letting me know what readers think. And it'll be a little while before we have a sense of how it's selling.

It's like getting psyched for the beginning of the baseball season. Opening day is a thrill, but it takes a while to see how your team stacks up. (unless you root for the Royals, in which case you don't have to worry about reserving playoff tickets)

Also...This is the final day to submit your entry to win a signed copy of THE MARK. Click here to learn how!

One Week to Go

455.

That's the number of days since I agreed to my book deal.

And now only seven remain.

In seven days, Henry Parker and Amanda Davies will be in bookstores around the country. It's a day over 20 years in the making, ever since I wrote my first story in grade school. The whole thing is still quite surreal, and it will be even more so on June 26th.

Anyway, here are a few links to start the day:

"Indiana Jones 4" has officially begun production. Check out this video of new cast member Shia LaBeouf discussing his love of the Indy films, and what it means to him to be in the new movie. Unlike most of the young Hollywood celebutards, this guy seems to have his head on straight. Of course this means he'll garner 1/100th of the press given to actors and actresses who get arrested for drunk driving, public urination, assault with a cellular phone, and general stupidity.

As if there wasn't enough space in the newspapers for snarky political coverage, it's now spread to the movie section. Check out the review for Michael Moore's "Sicko" in the New York Post and then the New York Daily News.

Maybe we can get a Norman Mailer slot machine made...

A really good take on the "Sopranos" series finale from...Gawker??

And remember to submit your entry to win a signed copy of THE MARK!

Win a Signed Copy of THE MARK

Here's your chance to win an autographed copy of THE MARK, my debut novel. The book is hot off the press, and won't be in stores until June 26th. Click here to check out advance reviews for THE MARK.
To win, simply post a comment to this blog containing the following:

The title and author of a book that has had a profound influence on your life and/or career

The winner will be chosen at random, and announced this Thurday. Best of luck!

What's The Last Book You Read?

Call this a lazy Friday post, but what was the last book you read? Bonus points if you reveal whether or not you enjoyed it and why.

I'll kick things off...

The last book I read was TURNING ANGEL by Greg Iles. I'd never read Iles before, which I'm regretting now, because I polished off this engrossing, 600+ page thriller in two days. It just sucked me in, both with the stellar writing, intriguing premise, and story that just kept twisting. It takes a few detours at the end I was certainly not expecting, and Iles raises some interesting issues about love, life, race, class and justice in Small Town, U.S.A.


What's the last book you read?

Guns N' Roses

I came across this on GalleyCat, who found it through Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, if you haven't seen it, check out the discussion over at Dwight Garner's blog "Paper Cuts" regarding the issue of reviewing in the NYTBR, especially when it comes to popular fiction (romance, crime fiction, etc...). I put up a post at eHarlequin as well, hoping to get thoughts from more romance readers, since romance novels are one of the main topics addressed on Dwight's blog.

Update:
It turns out that the "Jen" commenting on Paper Cuts is none other than New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, who discusses the issue further on her blog SnarkSpot.

Wednesday Update

Sopranos, etc...

I'm late to the game, but I had to fly to Toronto late Sunday night for business and my hotel didn't have HBO (damn Canadians). I DVR'd the episode, and stayed away from newspapers and any internet sites that might mention the show. I tried to read the sports section at breakfast, but had to put it down because the headline read, "Spurs or Sopranos: What Did Viewers Watch?"

On to the episode (if you're one of the three people who haven't seen the episode, stop reading).

First off, this season was a godsend after the last one. Every episode had a purpose, the narrative kept flowing, and there was a minimum of pointless subplots that went nowhere (pooping in the shower notwithstanding).

Like most Sopranos fans, I went through a dozen different scenarios trying to guess how the show would end. Needless to say if this was an NCAA pool, I would have finished dead last. But so would everybody else.

Let's concentrate on the final scene.

Aside from the controversy, this had to be one of the most tension-filled scenes I've ever watched. And I've watched a lot of TV. Every time the diner door opened, I was twitching. Now what does the ending mean? A lot of theories have been thrown about, and David Chase himself has refused to comment on specifics.

A popular theory is that Tony was killed. Recalling his conversation with Bobby Bacala, about how when death arrives "You never see it coming," the show cutting to black might have been Tony's death (at the hands of one of the 284 potential suspects in the diner). Because the show is predominently from Tony's POV, if our world went to black, so did his.

My opinion? I think this scene was meant to recall the final scene of season 1, when the Soprano family dines at Vesuvio during the thunderstorm. AJ even makes mention of Tony's comment about cherishing the good times. While Tony might have meant this seven years ago, he can barely remember it now, and dismisses it. Rather than dining among friends in a classy restaurant, the Sopranos have been relegated to a dingy diner, alone. Rather than arriving as a family, they all arrive separately. The family has been split apart.

Carmela and Tony's marriage has suffered breach after breach, and the intimacy is all but gone. They are parents now, more than husband and wife, not to mention business partners due to Carmela's spec house.

A.J. is no further along than he was years ago, stuck in a permanent cycle of laziness disguised as misery. He has accepted a job working as a D-Boy (recalling the Jon Favreau D-Girl episode) for Little Carmine, which is one step away from working for the mob. Even if, as Tony claims, Carmine is "branching out" from porn. A.J. is closer than ever to following in Tony's footsteps, as evidenced by his thrill at watching the SUV explode. One thing this season has done exceptionally well is show that, like his father before him, despite his vocal disapproval, A.J. is innately drawn to violence. And as worthless as AJ is, we've been led to believe Tony was very similar as a youth (except for the desire to learn Arabic).

Meadow still bounces from relationship to relationship, but like all women from the Soprano bloodline (Livia, Janice), she is about to embark on a life (in the legal system) that will put her at odds with Tony. And, like Carmela, the prospect of money has corrupted Meadow's values, as she is content to leave pro bono work for a prestigious firm. Meadow has truly become her parents' daughter.

Give him this, David Chase has mighty big stugots for ending the show the way he did. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find a way to pry "Don't Stop Believin" from my head.

Quote of the day

"They put him up on a pedestal, and then he committed the crime of being human."
--Greg Iles, TURNING ANGEL

Quote of the Day

"I can almost state this is a fact. The worse the script is, the more money you're offered. Show me a bad script, and I will show you a big payday. Conversely, show me a really great script and forget it. You're lucky if you don't have to pay for it."
--Al Pacino

Killer Cast

Killer Year's own Brett Battles and Robert Gregory Browne have launched their very own podcast, which you need to check out at www.battlesandbrowne.com.

The first episode is called "Character is King," and augurs well for the future of this dynamic duo. (I always thought Elvis was the king, but they're older than me)

Got My Book

Yesterday I received 6 finished copies of THE MARK, which finally arrived after a snafu in the shipping department (i.e. they were accidentally sent to my old address in Murray Hill).

Holding a copy in my hand for the very first time, it was just an indescribable feeling. I actually went to a few local stores yesterday and put a copy on the shelf to see how it would eventually look.

Just...wow.

Three Weeks to Go

Am I getting nervous? Um, hell no (ok, yes).

A few brief updates, starting with this thing called BEL or BEE, or whatever you call that Book Expo at the Javits Center this weekend (where apparently air conditioning is frowned upon slightly more than obscene price gouging). Both of my signings went very well, and we ran out of books in pretty short time. I ended up signing bookmarks (or bookMARKS, as you'll know if you got one). Except, of course, for the polite lady at the MWA booth who refused my bookmark and said, "I don't need any more of that crap."

You stay classy, BEA.

Saturday night my publisher threw a very cool party, and I managed to have a few drinks while being shuttled around to meet reps and buyers from various accounts. I learned that there are some amazing plans in place for my book's publication, of course raising the tension meter another three or four notches. Special thanks to Kayla Perrin for being so kind. Another special thanks to fellow Deadly Seven author Michelle Gagnon--a fellow Wesleyan alum--who kindly offered up her spare bedroom if I ever tour on the west coast (I'm not sure if she consulted her husband on this).

In other cool news, THE MARK is currently being produced as an audiobook by Audible and should be available both on Audible.com and iTunes right around publication. Bea Arthur has been tapped to play Henry Parker. Brilliant casting, if you ask me. (Kidding, kidding. About Bea Arthur, not the audiobook. That's actually happening)

And congrats to M.J. Rose whose upcoming novel THE REINCARNATIONIST was selected as one of of the "buzz books" of the show.

Tonight is the season finale of "The Shield." Promos for the episode boast that it's the episode we've been waiting for (insinuating that Shane finally gets his comeuppance for killing Lem). I have a sneaky feeling they'll swerve us, somehow.

It got me thinking--ever since Lem died, the show has been without a true "good guy," someone who acts as the Barn's conscience. Claudette is too cold, Vic has crossed the line too often, Hiatt is too much of an enigma, Danny doesn't have enough screen time, Dutch is too close to snapping and becoming a serial killer and Ronnie is too milquetoast.

R.I.P. Lemonhead, we miss ya.

The schedule for this year's ThrillerFest, to be held at the Grand Hyatt NYC from July 12-15, is now available. You can check out the full conference schedule here. The 2006 conference was an absolute blast, and this one promises to be even bigger and better.

I'll be on two panels:

FIRST BLOOD
2007 Debut Thriller authors breakfast
Friday, July 13th (9:00 am)
hosted by Lee Child

SNARE OF THE HUNTER
How writers and publishers work to get you to buy their books
Sunday, July 15th (10:00 am)
hosted by Neil Nyren
with Tess Gerritsen, Matthew Baldacci, M.J. Rose and David J. Montgomery