Official Website of Jason Pinter

This is my second experience of having a release week, and there aren't too many differences. Lots of fretting, hoping new reviews and/or publicity comes in, and hoping the reader response is positive. I had my very first live radio interview(s) on Tuesday, and aside from thinking don't curse don't curse can I get fined for saying 'damn' I thought they went well. And to all my new fans in Des Moines...what's up y'all???

Last night my parents hosted a launch party, and I hope to post some pictures later. It turned out the bookseller was the nephew of an author, Michael Wallis, whose book was instrumental in my research for THE GUILTY. That's gotta be a good omen, right?

And yesterday was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had as an author. I walked into my local b&n to buy a fantasy baseball magazine (my draft is approaching), and of course went to the new paperback section to see if the stack of copies of THE GUILTY had been depleted since my last visit. I approached to find a random guy perusing the racks. He picked up the new James Patterson, read the back cover, then put it down. Then he picked up my book. I was less than three feet away from this guy, silently willing him to go to the cash register...go to the cash register. He read the back cover, turned it over a few times, then, sadly, he put the book back on the shelf.

I go get my magazine, and as I'm waiting on line I look behind me to see, who else, the same guy from before. He's holding a book. I look closer, and it's a freaking copy of THE GUILTY. After I paid, I waited by the exit just to watch the guy pay for the book. He did, and thankfully I wasn't arrested. I've seen people pick up my book in stores before, but never witnessed someone actually buy it who wasn't related to me.

Now I know what Nora Roberts feels like twenty times per minute.

--Publishers Weekly

"Newspaper reporter Henry Parker returns in Pinter's exciting follow-up to THE MARK...a suspenseful and shocking tale that will leave readers clamoring for the next Henry Parker novel." 

--Library Journal

"In one of the best thrillers of the year, Pinter brings to life America's most legendary outlaw in an action-packed story. Parker is a hero we can cheer for without regrets...
a can't miss thriller, THE GUILTY is guaranteed to leave readers breathless for the next Parker mystery."

--Press & Sun-Bulletin

"Readers who enjoyed Pinter's first book, THE MARK, won't be disappointed with his followup. It's equally topical and well written." 

--Romantic Times BOOKreviews

The past few months have been incredibly exciting, as notices keep rolling in for my debut novel, THE MARK.

--THE MARK was nominated for "Best First Mystery" by Romantic Times magazine.
--The Strand magazine named THE MARK one of its best books of 2007.
--THE MARK was optioned to be a major motion picture, with award-winning director Paddy Breathnach attached to helm.

I'll be doing several appearances to support THE GUILTY. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by!

February 27th, 2008 6:30pm
New York Noir: Urban Crime (view flyer)
New York Public Library
New York, NY

March 12th, 2008 7:00pm
Third Place Books
Seattle, WA

March 18th, 2008 6:30pm
New York, New York: It's a helluva town... to die in (view flyer)
New York Public Library
New York, NY

April 6th, 2008 1:00pm
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ

April 28th, 2008 5:00pm
Festival of Mystery
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
Oakmont, PA

May 1st-3rd, 2008
Oklahoma Writers Federation Conference
Midwest City Sheraton and Reed Center
Midwest City, Oklahoma

THE GUILTY is available to order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well at your local bookstore. A writer wouldn't exist without readers, so if you enjoy my books please recommend them to your friends and family.

As I lie in bed with Amanda, ignoring another late-night call from my ex, a shot rings out in the New York night and a beautiful starlet dies outside the city's most popular nightclub. This is the kind of story I was born to chase—but I never dreamed this story began over a hundred years ago.

Suddenly another life is taken, the bullet fired from one of the deadliest guns ever made. Both victims are highly controversial, their murders more like public executions. My search leads me into the twisted world of The Boy—a world defined by a demented code of honor and shocking, long-buried secrets of the world's most infamous outlaw.

When this assassin realizes I'm getting too close to the truth, uncovering the past could jeopardize everything I care about. Because in his world there's a fine line between good
and evil, and the difference between innocence and guilt depends on who's holding the gun.…

1881-2008

In case you happen to be living on the moon, under a rock, with your fingers in your ears, you know that on May 22nd the long-awaited 4th Indiana Jones movie hits theaters. I've been a huge fan of the Indy series, and even though Harrison Ford is three years older than Helen Mirren, I have hopes that IV4 will rekindle the same feeling of joy and exilharation I had watching the first three films. And to give you an idea of how much time has passed, I saw the last installment, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," in theaters at my friend Jon's 9th birthday party.

But it got me thinking. The Indy films were a huge part of my childhood. I must have spent at least five straight Halloweens dressed as Indy, rubbing burnt cork on my face to simulate beard stubble. It got me thinking about what other movies had that kind of effect on me. So here's a list, far from comprehensive, of the movies that have, for whatever reason, stuck in my craw over the years. These are not the greatest films ever, just movies that for whatever reason "did it" for me. Here a few that popped into my head:

I watched this in grade school, and had to try my hardest not to cry at the ending. I still remember that feeling in my gut when the movie ended and the lights came on.

Not so much because this was an enjoyable popcorn flick, which it was, but more because of the circumstances in which I saw it. ID4 came out while I was spending a summer at the UCLA campus studying television production. I managed to snag tickets to the opening day screening at the massive Los Angeles Theater. Every one of the two thousand-plus seats was filled, and everyone in attendance spent the entire 2.5 hours on their feet, cheering, laughing, and screaming as our heroes battled to save the world from an alien invasion. The most interactive film experience I've ever had (and not just because of the three ladies sitting behind me who turned into blabbering fools every time Will Smith came on screen).

Sam Raimi is the man. Period. Arguably the most over-the-top inventive, energetic, insane and awesome horror/comedy ever made. Coined the term "Splatstick." And if you can watch the scene where Bruce Campbell crawls out of the cellar and says, "Yo, she-bitch. Let's go" without getting chills of glee, your soul has already been swallowed.

A great movie, but more memorable because it's the movie my wife and I saw on our very first date.

If you ever wonder why Billy Bob Thornton still gets work, watch this movie. As mentally disabled Karl Childers, Thornton gives one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. As a man struggling to reenter a society that never wanted him in the first place, Karl shows how horrific violence and stunning kindness can inhabit the same man.

The only time I've ever walked out of a movie unable to speak. This is a harrowing, brilliantly acted and devastating portrait of four lives brimming with hope, which are systematically destroyed by drugs. Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly are known as brilliant actors, but it's Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans who steal the show as best friends who start out with visions of gold, but wind up on their own roads to hell. And it has one of the most haunting musical scores ever.

Before ID4, Jurassic Park, the new Star Wars trilogy, Lord of the Rings, and The Matrix, this movie ushered in a new era in which worlds and characters could be manipulated digitally. T2 opened up infinite possibilities, and reinforced James Cameron as one of the most influential filmmakers of the last quarter century. The first time the T-1000 took a shotgun shell to the face and then turned around to show a gaping, silver hole where his eye used to be, you knew you were watching a revolutionary film.

Probably my favorite movie ever, one that stands the test of time, proving that good old fashioned special effects can trump their digital counterparts when there's enough heart and passion involved. Even though Bruce the shark was made entirely of metal and plaster, he's 1,000,000 times more effective than the cartoon fish in "Deep Blue Sea." Not only is Jaws one of the most electrifying thrillers ever, the dialogue is pitch perfect, and unlike most action/horror movies there are real characters. And Quint's speech about the sinking of the Indianapolis...just chilling.

Feel free to add to the list!

I'm back from a short vacation. Batteries recharged, my skin only slightly crispy. And I have a freshly copyedited manuscript on my desk that requires urgent attention.

In just one week my second novel, THE GUILTY, hits stores. I'm feeling butterflies just as I did when THE MARK came out last summer. These are slightly different butterflies, since as a writer you want to progress, write better stuff, and nobody wants to see the words "sophomore slump" in a review. The story for THE GUILTY is more complex than THE MARK. It required more research and a tighter hand weaving several storylines together, hoping all the threads created one taut narrative rope.

So when I read reviews like this one, from Kevin Lucia in the Press & Sun-Bulletin, those butterflies do a happy little butterfly dance of joy.

Just one week to go...

I'll be away for a few days on a short battery recharging trip, and then it'll be mach 5 (or mach 17, or whatever the new razor is) until THE GUILTY comes out on the 26th.

See you soon!

I've had to keep this quiet for a few months until all the contracts were signed, t's dotted and i's crossed (or something like that), but after long last here's the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace:

Now having little more experience in the film industry than in waste management, I have no idea if a movie will ever actually get made. I'm certainly crossing my fingers. But I have spoken to the producer, who was very, very cool and excited and made it seem like a real possibility. True story: the producer bought a copy of THE MARK at LAX, read it on his flight, then called my agent. And I was at dinner for my Dad's birthday when the call came.

Hopefully all of that bodes well, and you might see Henry Parker on the big screen.

The winners of the very first GUILTY PLEASURES contest are:

Email me at jason@jasonpinter.com with your mailing address and your choice of Guilty Pleasure from the list here. I'll also send over a signed copy of THE GUILTY, which won't be in bookstores until February 26th.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for more. And on February 26th, pray for the guilty...

You have until 11:59pm EST to submit your entry for the Guilty Pleasures contest. Entries have come in fast and furious from all corners of the globe, including New Jersey. There are less than 30 hours to submit your chance to win all the guilt-inducing pleasures listed here, as well as a brand new, signed copy of my second novel, THE GUILTY (in stores February 26th!).

To enter, just post a comment on the original blog, or email me at jason@jasonpinter.com. Good luck!

I was reading one of my local New York papers this morning when I came across a review for a new movie called "The Hottie and the Nottie." In case you, like me, had not heard of this "film," it's because it stars Paris Hilton. I'm not going to go into plot details, because it stars Paris Hilton. In an unironic manner. That's all you need to know.

Anyway, I'm calling out all the legitimate newspapers who actually reviewed this movie. Is there nothing you could have done better with that space? Covered some underreported, deserving story? Hell, sold ad space?  Book review sections are being slashed like a Freddy Krueger victim, and yet somehow legitimate newspapers still find room to vomit up 500 words on a Paris Hilton movie? Just despicable.

A shameful glance goes to the:

If your local newspaper has sunk low enough to review this abomination, let me know and I'll add it to the list.

And on a brighter note, there are 3 days left to enter the GUILTY PLEASURES contest. Either post a comment on the blog here, or drop me an email at jason@jasonpinter.com.