I almost hate telling people that I'm a writer because almost every single one of them immediately asks the same stupid question: "Where do you get your ideas from?"

    If you meet a chef do you ask him/her, "How did you decide what kind of food you like to cook?" Do you ask the major league baseball player, "How did you figure out how to catch that third-inning fly ball?" Would you ask someone, "Why did you decide to fall in love with that woman?"

    You don't open a web page or tap your smart phone to find a list of people you will love or food that you want to cook or stories that you want to write. We all encounter large numbers of people and events and some resonate with us and some don't. Who knows why?

    Every time I'm about to start a new book I have to ask myself what story I want to tell. For me, the answer is always based on the emotional situation I want to explore – revenge, redemption, betrayal, perseverance, whatever. In order to get my level of energy up I need to find the emotional core to the story I'm going to write.

    I liked the idea of a decent, courageous lawman willing to do whatever it took, no matter the personal cost, to bring a gang of ruthless killers to justice and that idea became Shooting Crows At Dawn.

    I liked the idea of child mistakenly thought dead rescued through the innate decency of an ordinary person and returned safe to her family and from that idea arose The Concrete Kiss.

    I liked the idea of a technically smart but socially clueless young cop being mentored by a skilled detective in the hope that someday the kid could himself become a great member of the Murder Police and from that notion came Death Never Sleeps.

    I first need to find some emotional situation that excites me and then construct a story around that idea. Every writer is different. Lots of crime novelists like writing what I call "puzzle stories," books with complicated plots and clues. There is a crime. There are lots of suspects. The killer may or may not even be on the suspect list. The detective follows the threads until, eventually, he or she finds the culprit.

    I could write a book like that but I won't write a book like that because there's no excitement, no emotion, in it for me. For me, it's just work. I may as well be digging a ditch. There are plenty of writers who love writing puzzle books, who enjoy figuring out the clues and the plot twists. Good for them. I enjoy reading books like that. I just don't enjoy writing them so I immediately cross all kinds of pure puzzle stories off my list.

    Getting back to the "where your ideas come from" question, it's not so much how you think up a story. It's more about looking at that list of story ideas and then deciding which one you think you will enjoy writing versus all those other stories you could think of that would be drudgery to write.

    Where do those story ideas come from? The same place that a chef gets the dinner menu and the artist gets the subject for his/her painting. They all come from the individual's imagination. If you don't have any imagination then you aren't going to be much of a fiction writer, painter, chef, musician, etc.

    Maybe people who ask the question don't have much of an imagination. Maybe it's like someone who can't add 11 + 19 in their head asking the accountant how he knows that the answer is 30. He just does. That's how his brain works. But here's the crucial thing: the real trick is not coming up with the correct total. It's figuring out which numbers to add together in the first place.

    –David Grace

Big trouble and light hearted investigations…

A beautiful stage show star, come whore house madam, is suddenly foully murdered, despite her apparent gangster protection.  A disgruntled Japanese business tycoon hires a hit man to assassinate Australia’s Prime Minister.  An unbeatable game show contestant takes a recreational bungee-jump, only to have her rope break in what her friend thinks is dubious circumstances.  Enter the low-life world of Paddy Pest, sometimes Private Investigator and sometimes secret agent for Australia’s spy bureau ASIO.  Pest is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, though is very frequently an international traveler.  He is a master of dubious disguises, and often manages to solve the case despite his shortcomings.  Here is a world where virtually everybody has a rancorous underbelly, and where murder is a common life event, but where good will eventually win out (even if by fluke).  These humorous short stories will beguile you, entertain you and make you chuckle.  Gerry Burke’s Pest On The Run: More Humorous Short Stories From The Paddy Pest Chronicles (iUniverse, c2012) is ideal for the lover of crime and murder mystery tales, but will also suit busy people looking for a witty amusement to fill a free hour or two.

Paddy is a frequent visitor of both upper class and lower class hotel bars, and these tales have the ethos of a pub yarn: unlikely events, boisterous pride, and male machoism lubricated to dubious heights.  The style is very chatty, with Pest narrating his stories as if he is talking to an interested acquaintance.  There are asides to the reader.  When pertinent, Paddy occasionally reminisces about his past, including his childhood.  With a flair for drama he sometimes skips over the more mundane details to get to the action and juicy bits.  These stories certainly deal with the darker side of life, and a few times death is narrated, but the great majority of these plots take place after the brutality is over.  This book is about solving crime, not depicting crime and is overwhelmingly light hearted.  Paddy is certainly a ladies man and the ticklish subject of sex is often alluded to, though not specifically depicted.  In tune with the ‘pub ethos’, Paddy’s descriptions of women can be quite humorously crude, without actually being offensive, except perhaps to the conservative.  There are several laugh out loud moments and every story will leave the reader smiling.  Most stories have moments of high drama, though here the unlikeliness of the action is taken tongue in cheek.  Occasionally Burke includes good phrasing that lifts the text.  We read for example the atmospheric and slightly philosophic sentence: “Often, when you visit a country with a different culture, it is difficult to break through the veneer of reserve that camouflages a human spirit that is primed to explode” (Burke, p. 25).  More of this care in writing would make the book even better.  There is occasional foul language, but this is completely in tune with the macho low-life spirit of the book and will not offend most readers.  This is a book by an Australian author and there is quite a sprinkling of colloquialisms and cultural references which may be unfamiliar to international readers.  Some are explained in the text, which erases any difficulty, but some are not.  These are, however, in no way essential to the text and will at the most cause a moment of wondering before the reader passes on.

In his collective stories Burke presents us with an interesting portrait of “Patrick Pesticide aka Paddy Pest” (Burke, p. v).  Paddy is of Irish heritage, though primarily Australian in outlook.  Burke thus combines both Irish luck and silliness, with the Australian macho male.  He is a gambler and bets on race horses, and has quite an eye for the women.  Paddy is of dubious background.  He says of himself “I would not say I was straight or bent – somewhere in the middle” (Burke, p. 4).  On the down side Paddy can be quite sexist, seeing women in many ways as bodies first.  Full of pride Pest sees himself as a “master of disguise” (Burke, p. 37), though others are not nearly as convinced.  While Paddy is in training in New Guinea one character comments on his being “dressed in a ridiculous head-hunter’s outfit” (Burke, p. 188).  By creating this mix of good and bad Burke has created an endearing, eccentric character that we can like because he gives us a slightly spicy escape from our ‘ordinary’ lives.  Paddy reminds us of the rough, tough boy at high school who everybody admired, but who never really did anything seriously wrong.  He is a ‘lad’ and the reader is charmed.  Paddy of course comes in a great tradition of incompetent Private Investigators / Spies.   We think of Austin Powers, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, Agent Maxwell Smart and even Inspector Gadget.  Burke, however, has given us his own particular spin on the pattern, and we do not feel that we are reading a complete copy.

A few other characters pop up more than once.  There is Stormy Weathers, the totally competent ASIO agent, who has a cover job as barmaid at Sam’s Fly by Night Club.  There is Justin O’Keefe, the slacker police Inspector with an attitude.  Mostly these secondary characters are at a minimum.  Burke does, though, give them personality traits that flesh them out a bit.  Stormy, for example, is a jealous lover.  Occasionally Burke gives us a potted history of a character, giving us a summary of their eccentricities and adventures.  Murder victim Frankie Hogan, for example, is a memorable woman with true spirit.  Burke describes her in three pages giving the story depth and poignancy.  Burke is quite skilled at this kind of detail and his writing would benefit by including more of it.

As we have noted Pest himself can be quite sexist.  At one point for example he outrageously poses the equation that large breasts equals many friends (Burke, p. 200).  Much of the humor, however, arises from the fact that many women are in actuality much more competent than him.  As Pest himself says: “There had been two attempts on my life and, once more, I had been saved by a woman” (Burke, p. 77).  These stories are indeed filled with dynamic, no-nonsense women you would think twice about crossing.  There is a dangerous female assassin, successful business women, and several able female secret agents.  Frankie Hogan takes no sexual nonsense from men, has “personality” (Burke, p. 3), and is a success in all her career ventures.  Not to err too much on one side Burke has included one nasty, negatively-portrayed, female villain (Burke, p. 118).  On the whole this book will pass Feminist standards, though some may not take the humor.

Shifting to male roles and Gender Studies it should be noted that these stories are in some ways very much in the ethos of the 1950’s though they are set in contemporary times.  This is the world of the tough guy, the gangster, the merry bachelor.  Men should not really have soft feelings.  Hyman Finkelstein, a low-life criminal, doesn’t even like people looking at him (Burke, p. 151) let alone be able to have a mature relationship.  Fear is a sign that a guy must be a “nancy boy” (Burke, p. 230).  Paddy, on the other hand, is able to hug an old, male friend (Burke, p. 17).  Women are very much a sexual adjunct to the male ego.  Paddy does have a kind of steady relationship with Stormy, but even that is very much a breakable, uncommitted relationship.  This whole ‘retro’ male image is, however, held up to debunking humor.  This male world is on shaky ground.  The great male image repeatedly is out shone by women and needs females to save it.

As with the issue of women and Feminism, Paddy Pest, and those he meets, can be quite homophobic.  Paddy, for example, refers to gays by a disparaging name (Burke, p. 244), as does Hyman Finkelstein (Burke, p, 151).  Finkelstein is particularly negative about gays. The actual representations of LGBTIQ people, however, on the whole are not that negative about that aspect of their lives.  LGBTIQ people are primarily represented by two stories.  First there is The Candidate which spotlights Lindsay Dove and his life-partner Jay Sniggle.  Lindsay is a U.S. presidential candidate and Jay is an IT consultant.  Then there is Who Was That Masked Man? highlighting the ‘butch-fem’ caterer Cate Edwards.  Cate is a villain, but the story is not negative about her being a lesbian.  This second story indeed has Ellen DeGeneres making fun of Paddy’s cloddish ignorance of the LGBTIQ community.  Ellen is mentioned (as an LGBTIQ person) in another story (Burke, p. 84), as is k.d. Lang (Burke, p. 154).  Gay Mardi Grass are mentioned twice.  A number of times women are suspected to be lesbian (not in a negative way) and a ‘drag-queen’ secret agent is depicted canoodling with an unwitting male politican (Burke, p. 138-139).  On another occasion Paddy comes upon a not so pretty ‘drag-queen’ (Burke, p. 21), but this is the only negative description, and of course not all transvestites are necessarily beautiful.  Once again the issue should not offend interested parties as long as the humor is taken into account.

The often ignored Indigenous and Racial Minorities also feature.  Lindsay Dove is “black” (Burke, p. 79) as well as being gay.  In A Long Time Gone Australia’s Jewish minority is highlighted in the character of Hyman Finkelstein.  Hymie is a gangster villain, but Burke goes out of his way to point out that he is not being anti-Jewish (Burke, p. 158-159).  Louey is a successful “Polynesian” bar owner on Norfolk Island (Burke, p. 121).  In The Goodbye Wave, though, the head of Fiji is referred to as a “baboon” (Burke, p. 129).  This is a rather racist description, even for humorous purposes.  Overall this is a very multicultural book, with Chinese, Japanese, Philipino, Hong Kong, Russian, Balkan and Greeks mentioned with stories being set in many different countries.  We get a true sense of the world, rather than a monosyllabic, white Anglo-Saxon perspective.

The aged feature in a very minor way in these tales.  There is one uncomplimentary portrayal (Burke, p. 176) and one positive description of an older (though not necessarily aged) woman (Burke, p. 195).  Burke could lift his game a little here, as the world is not full of only those under 55 years, even though some agencies such as advertising would have us believe this.

From the Capitalism verses Socialism perspective wealth in these stories is certainly suspect.  These tales show only a very slim difference between corrupt businessmen and rich gangsters.  Politicians and even judges don’t exactly receive compliments.  The lower classes are not lauded, but they are not seriously criticized.  The Little people’ more often than not help Paddy.  The middle class is to a degree absent, but this is not so surprising as they are not likely to have the funds to hire a Private Investigator and are too ‘clean’ to have information on gangsters.

From the broader outlook of society in general, the Catholic Church is foot-noted as being anti-gay (Burke, p. 82 & 154) and rather a kill-joy for the more spirited members of the world (Burke, 149).  The Police are depicted as being often incompetent and corrupt.  These two institutions of society, perhaps in tune with Socialism, could be improved.

Before departing from these various social issues it should be stressed that these stories rely very much on outrageous statements and circumstances for humor.  The book is full of politically incorrect text, but we are meant to take everything tongue in cheek.  If we read these tales too critically we will be deeply offended, but Burke wants us, on the one hand to ‘lighten up’, and on the other hand to look a bit deeper.  If this is kept in mind the book can very much be enjoyed.

From a Postmodern perspective it can be noted that there are no hard edge binary oppositions in Pest On The Run.  There are definite ‘bad’ guys, but good and bad blur.  As has been noted, Paddy himself is shady.  We like him precisely because he is a ‘wag’.  In Murder Before Lunch Pest even works for a crime boss.  This blurring of categories makes for a more realistic and interesting read.  It adds ‘spice’ and avoids boring oversimplification.

Many stories have a mythological quality, and indeed these elements can be what attract us most to an author’s work.  For Paddy Pest we need only to turn to the Joker Card in the modern playing card pack.  As court jester, the Joker is dressed in a funny costume, and Pest similarly assumes dubious disguises.  The Joker’s cap has pretentious baubles and he holds a wand topped with a manikin of himself.   Pest is none to retiring in describing his own talents as a spy and lover.  Yet the Joker possesses almost magical powers that no other card has, and in its presence many a losing hand can be transformed into a winning hand.  Pest does solve the case, even if by sheer luck.  Of course, most of all, the Joker tells silly stories and jokes, and that is the overwhelming ethos of Burke’s book.

Gerry Burke has written a very entertaining book for the not so serious at heart.  He manages to take a look at a wide variety of social issues, such as Feminism, while at the same time making us laugh.  The dark world of crime is depicted, occasionally with the brutality described, but good always wins out and we are mostly entertained by a light hand.  Most stories are around 20 pages long, and are ideal reading if you are short of time.  Pest On The Run was a pleasure to read and I am happy to rate it as 4.5 out of 5 stars.

http://goo.gl/pfzodA   Pest On The Run (Book ed.)

http://goo.gl/PJDHzw Pest On The Run (Kindle ed.)

http://goo.gl/rxzUnD   Gerry Burke’s Facebook Author Page

http://goo.gl/QisYTm   Gerry Burke’s Web Site

Gerry Burke

Waking Up Dead is a paranormal mystery novel that follows the quest of a ghost to solve the crime of another murder victim.

LOUISVILLE, KY., Oct. 9, 2013 -- Author Margo Bond Collins is proud to announce the recent release of her novel Waking Up Dead. Waking Up Dead is a paranormal mystery novel that follows the quest of a ghost to solve the crime of another murder victim. The compelling book trailer for Waking Up Dead was revealed today on DGT Book Promotion news. In addition, Margo Bond Collins shared an insightful interview this week on the Reading and Writing Addiction blog about herself and the release of Waking Up Dead. Margo’s interview can be read at www.readinwritin.blogspot.com and the official Waking Up Dead trailer can be viewed on YouTube.

About The Book

When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?

Praise for Waking Up Dead

Waking Up Dead is “A definite winner! One of the best paranormal mysteries I’ve read! ” – A readers review.

About the Author

Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter and several spoiled cats. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. The paranormal mystery Waking Up Dead is her first novel; her second, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy due out from World Weaver Press in 2014.

Waking Up Dead is available at Amazon.com. To learn more about Margo Bond Collins and Waking Up Dead, visit www.MargoBondCollins.com.

Affordable book promotion for authors with DGT Book Promotions

Today, I bring you the sixth chapter of my book, "Jew in Jail."

By reading it, you will hopefully gain some insights into the insanity one deals with when he or she is a defendant going to court in the New York State judicial system.

Of course, had I not put myself in this predicament in the first place, none of this would have ever even taken place!

6. BACK TO COURT

Going to court from Rikers Island was an experience in itself. After attending my first two meetings in the S.A.I.D. Drug Program the day before, which consisted mainly of observing everything, and then going to bed at 9:00 PM, I was awakened at 4:30 AM by the C.O. to get ready for court on Monday, June 22, 1998.  I had also spoken to my parents the night before and knew that they would be in court as well.

I shaved, took a shower, got dressed, and then went to the mess hall to eat breakfast. Then, everyone who was going to court was herded into the gymnasium, located inside the main building. One by one, the C.O.s called out the five boroughs of New York City—Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx—and when the borough where you were going to court was announced, it was time to go to the bullpen, but not before getting searched.

I brought a manilla folder full of legal work, mostly cases, which I had researched and made copies of in order to show my attorney, Mark Jankowitz. So, after patting me down, the C.O. went through my folder as if I were concealing the plans for the atomic bomb. But I knew that he was just doing his job, and besides, it made me feel important in some strange way.

When the bullpen became full of inmates, we were all moved to a larger one, where we then had to wait ninety minutes or so until the buses arrived to transport us to the court building.

This was the time, at least for me, to ponder my situation, and try to figure out what was going to take place later in court. But for others, it was the perfect time to discuss the events of the week.

“Yo, son, the po-lice (C.O.) in my house is whack,” said one guy to his friend, who he probably hadn’t seen since the night before! “That motherfucker won’t let a nigga do his thing,” meaning that security is very tight.

“No doubt, no doubt,” answered his partner in crime. “They all on point.”

“Hey, yo, T, my man, Born came in yesterday from Brooklyn House (of Detention),” another pillar of the community shouted across the bullpen to his crony. “You heard?”

“Yeah, Tisha told me when I called the bitch last night,” replied this old-timer, who had all of his years of past incarceration etched on his wrinkled face.

With all of this high-level dialogue going on, it was virtually impossible to concentrate on the issue at hand, so I just tried to rest until it was time to get ready to load the buses.

But since the C.O.s failed to enforce the no-smoking rule, and the bullpen looked like a high-stakes poker game had been going on, the smoke, combined with the oppressive heat of the summer, even at seven in the morning, prevented me from doing anything else than just sitting and staring about.

Twenty more minutes and it was then time to load the buses. After hearing my name called, and walking over to the C.O. to give him my book, case number, housing unit, I was handcuffed to another detainee, placed on the bus, and locked in one of the steel cages, all set for the trip to New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

“There is no smoking or yelling out the windows,” announced one of the two C.O.s who were assigned to our bus, as we began our journey.

Forty minutes later, after we battled through morning rush-hour traffic on the Grand Central Parkway, we arrived in lower Manhattan. It felt good to be out amongst the throngs of people, even though I was caged in like an animal on the bus.

It was a few more blocks to the court building, and the natives were getting a little restless.

“Yo, baby, I should be home in five to ten,” shouted a big, fat black guy a few rows in front of me; he was not only trying to make a date with a pretty lady on the street for 2008 or so, but was also ignoring the C.O.’s earlier order not to yell out of the bus when we first departed Rikers Island.

We finally pulled up to 100 Centre Street, the Supreme Court Building, and took our place in line in the parking lot, behind the first three buses to have already arrived from the island and other jails throughout the city.

About an hour and a half later, the C.O.s received the word to bring us into the building through the back entrance, as usual. Still handcuffed to a partner, we all had to walk two flights up a narrow staircase until we reached the elevator. Then we were crammed inside and taken up to the twelfth floor.

We were released from our bracelets, passed through a metal detector, and put into a giant, noisy, and filthy bullpen. A few minutes later, my name was called, and I was taken to yet another bullpen, this one smaller and right outside the courtroom, where I would soon be facing the judge. The C.O. gave out cold baloney-and-cheese sandwiches and a cup of Kool Aid, both of which I took a pass on.

An hour later, Mr. Jankowitz arrived, and we had a brief get-together.

“Gary, you’ve been indicted,” he revealed to me.

“What exactly does that mean?” I asked, knowing the answer full well, but wanting my mouthpiece to earn every last cent that the state of New York was paying him to defend me.

“It means that the Grand Jury found sufficient evidence to charge you with robbery in the second degree,” he said.

“But I wanted to testify in front of the Grand Jury as to the fact that I’m an alcoholic and a drug addict, and that I was intoxicated and high on pills on the day of the crime,” I asserted.

“I waived your right to testify before the Grand Jury,” admitted Jankowitz.

“You had no authority to do that without checking with me first,” I shouted.

“Trust me, Mr. Goldstein, I know what I’m doing,” he replied. “You were better off staying away from the Grand Jury.”

“Well, I Xeroxed these cases here for you to look at,” I quickly fired back, “and they show how the police are not supposed to make any promises in order to secure a confession. I want you to ask for a Huntley hearing to have my confessions suppressed.”

“It’s too early for that right now,” Jankowitz informed me. “When we go out into the courtroom and the clerk asks you, ‘How do you plead?’ I just want you tou say, ‘Not guilty.’ That’s it. You’ve already said enough by confessing.”

Several minutes later, the court officer took me out of the bullpen, and escorted me, without handcuffs, into the courtroom. As I entered, I immediately saw my parents and waved. There were only three other people, besides my mother and father, sitting in the audience, and it felt a little intimidating knowing that everyone in the courtroom—the judge, assistant district attorney, court officers, clerks, stenographer, Mr. Jankowitz, and my parents—were all directing their attention on me.

“The People of the State of New York versus Gary Goldstein, indictment numbers 5013/98 and 5013A/98,” the court clerk announced. “Mr. Goldstein, how do you plead?”

“Not guilty,” I asserted.

Then, after a few minutes of legalese among Mr. Jankowitz, the assistant district attorney, and the judge, I was escorted back to the bullpen. As I walked out, I motioned to my parents that I would call them later that night.

I was expecting to see Mr. Jankowitz again to ask him what took place after I pled not guilty, but I never saw him anymore that day. (I also never got a chance to ask him about my arraignment, when, after that sidebar conference, the judge ordered my bail at ten thousand, so I was left puzzled as to what exactly had transpired that day as well.) But, of course, as with anything else in the great U.S. of A., you get what you pay for, and since his fee was being paid by the state of New York and not me, Jankowitz refused to go that extra mile.

All I learned from the C.O., as I was then taken from the small bullpen outside the courtroom back to the main one where I was earlier in the day, was that my next court appearance was going to be in three weeks, on July 13, in Part 71.

Since it was now 12:15 PM, and I missed the first bus going back to Rikers Island (the first “go-back”), I had to return downstairs to wait in another bullpen until four-thirty, when the afternoon buses would be ready to leave.

After passing through another metal detector, and again refusing to take a baloney-and-cheese sandwich, I took a seat in the bullpen. I was hungry but was planning on going to “sick call” the next morning at Rikers Island in order to be put on a low-cholesterol, special diet, so I wanted to get a headstart on watching what I was eating. I knew that I would be getting dinner later anyway upon my return to the island, so I decided to wait.

For four hours, I just sat and stared at what was going on around me. As the bullpen became more and more crowded, the noise level increased to a deafening pitch.

Guys were letting off steam after having just seen the judge, and now was the perfect time to discuss the events of the day with each other.

“Yo, son, my lawyer’s trying to get me to cop out (plead guilty) to a five to ten (a five- to ten-year sentence),” said one guy to his friend. “Aint no motherfuckin’ way it’s gonna happen. I told him I’m going to trial, you heard?”

“No doubt, I know what you sayin’,” said the other guy. “But at least you saw somebody. My lawyer didn’t even show up, so I came for nothing.”

Then I focused my attention in another direction.

“They’re trying to charge me with a body (murder),” claimed this obese, biker-type white man, to whoever would listen.

“They like to bluff,” responded the guy sitting next to him, as if this were just a game. “I bet the next time you come to court, the charges will go down.”

I couldn’t believe I was right in the middle of all of this bullshit. I had such disgust and disdain for all of these animals I was locked up with. But mostly, I was mad at myself for getting arrested in the first place.

A few minutes later, the C.O. came around with a basket full of extra sandwiches to give away and everyone ran to the door to get one. Except me.

“Yo, my man,” said this old, sickly looking Puerto Rican fellow. “If you don’t want your sandwich, can you get it and give it to me?”

After thinking for a moment, I said, “If you hold my seat, I’ll get you a sandwich.”

I got him the sandwich and proceeded to watch him devour it like he hadn’t eaten in days, which was a good possibility. Thinking that he might have AIDS, I tried to avoid looking at him anymore, fearful that he may come over to talk to me and inadvertently spread his germs. From that day on, I became even more obsessed about cleanliness than ever before.

So I just closed my eyes and pretended to be sleeping until it was time to load the buses for the trip back to Rikers Island.

The sound of handcuffs jingling from the C.O.’s belt loop alerted me that the time had finally arrived, and a short time later, the buses departed.

The same rules were in effect for the trip back regarding the restriction of smoking and noise, but guys still had a lot of stress to get off their chests. Besides, they knew that since they were already in jail, what more could the C.O.s actually do to them?

As soon as the bus left the parking lot and we were on the streets of lower Manhattan, the shenanigans began.

“Hey, baby, you’re looking good today,” one guy hollered to a woman apparently on her way home from work.

“I’ll be home in three to six,” added another, as the woman continued to ignore it all. “You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”

After a few more minutes of the same, we approached the highway, and by five-thirty, were back on Rikers Island.

I was starving by then and knew that as soon as we were all registered back into the jail, dinner would be served. Since it was also count time when we returned, I realized that it would be about an hour until we were all taken back to our housing units, and I was finally able to take a shower and lie in my own bed.

Everyone else must have been hungry and tired as well, because we were all put back onto the count and registered in no time at all.

I sat in the bullpen and ate my chicken, bread, and peas, and washed it all down with a small container of milk then sat and waited for the C.O.s to call names for the walk back.

The first thing I did when I got back to Sprung 2 was sign the sick call sheet for the next day to get on that low-cholesterol diet. I couldn’t eat kosher anymore like I did in the Tombs because it was too high in fat and salt content, and I found out that my total cholesterol level was two hundred and forty-two when I was still there.

Then I went to my bed and told Willie what happened in court.

“You should fire your lawyer,” Willie advised, “because he doesn’t appear to be working with you.”

“I’ll see what happens in court next time,” I said, as I proceeded to take a much-needed shower.

I had some questions that I wanted to ask Willie when I returned from the shower, but when I got back to my bed, he was reading.

So I just lay down and went to sleep.

Looking for a quick read?  A good but short mystery that you can escape into for a day at the beach or a few afternoons on the hammock or in your favorite recliner?  Either Fake Pastor or Widows Indeed might be just what you’re looking for. 

In Fake Pastor, the first in the Rose Jackson Series, you will meet Rose, a 32 year old single Mom of two children living in North Central Arkansas and temporarily unemployed.  A job opens up, one that she has no training, education or experience for, but it is so intriguing.  They need a pastor at the Church of the Cross.  OK, she wasn't positive that there was a God, but she could certainly be a good pastor, couldn't she?  And, for awhile, it is the perfect job, until three of her parishioners are killed.  Is Rose herself involved?  After all, she is the one who has visions that get two people arrested.  Then, Rose is kidnapped. 

Widows Indeed is also a murder mystery, but takes place in New Hampshire on the Sugar River near Sunapee Lake where I grew up.  (Arkansas is where I ended up.)  In the sleepy little fictional town of Elmsdale, an elderly woman is found with her throat slit - the blood drained from her body into the ground.  She is over seventy, a pillar of the community.  Who would want to kill an elderly widow?  And shortly after, another widow is killed in exactly the same way.  Two detectives from a nearby city head to Elmsdale to help the local police chief, Frank Tolliver, solve the crimes.  Is there a local pervert turned serial killer loose in this seemingly quiet and peaceful New Hampshire town?  Pete one of the detectives thinks so.  In fact he has decided that Garth Baxter, a man with downs syndrome, is the killer.  While Pete blusters ahead to prove his theory, his partner, Judy Wittoski and Frank delve deeper into the killings looking for a connection between the killing of old ladies and that of a young girl, an 18 year old, who was raped and killed several years ago.  She was left in the same place as one of the widows, and the cut to the throat is all but identical.  The girl was Frank's daughter. 

You can see a sample of the books at Book Daily, bit.ly/ZzzmL9 or on my website www.frantouchette.com or to buy a print or eBook go to  amzn.to/VQ84V6 

LOCKDOWN REALITY TV SERIES COMING SOON

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhbV0My3NxE&feature=player_embedded

Another one of Glenn Langohr's stunning memoirs--a brave, unflinching account of life in prison~ Prison Killers Book 4

The California Prison System houses a mixture of Mexican cartel members, Mexican mafia, Bloods, Crips, and thousands of other street gangs fighting for control and the author turns this story into a pulp thriller of true crime.

The author of Underdog, Glenn Langohr, takes you on a journey back into prison as he remembers a prison riot days before his release date where he left his friend on the way to Pelican Bay.

The story follows the author years later as he visits his friend in Pelican Bay during a prisoner developed hunger strike against sadistic and cruel guards who get off on their isolation and enjoy adding violence to their torture.

A spotlight on the flaws at how Pelican Bay determines gang validation and solitary confinement.

"With lazer-like precision Glenn Langohr lays bare the festering under-belly of our criminal justice system in a driving, graphic narrative that somehow finds the humanity in this most inhuman setting." Phillip Doran, T.V. Producer and Author

For Glenn Langohr's complete list of books in print, kindle and audio book in the U.S. go here~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A For the U.K. go here~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

Available for interviews and reviews at rollcallthebook@gmail.com http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com

Prison Riot, A True Story of Surviving a Gang War in Prison by Glenn Langohr is Available in Audio Book to Listen to Like a Movie

To listen to an excerpt for free or purchase go here- http://amzn.to/XByCbW

Another one of Glenn Langohr’s stunning memoirs–a brave, unflinching account of life in prison

Glenn Langohr Speaking to 100 Students in Professor Reiter’s Criminal Justice Class About Prison Life and His Books

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks0yTJZ_AeY&feature=player_embedded

Professor Reiter read and gave Glenn Langohr’s prison book Pelican Bay Riot a five star review on Amazon. After, she interviewed him and he spoke to her class. Speaking as a guest Lecturer, Glenn Langohr explained why solitary confinement is torture and how there isn’t a court of law involved in determining who goes to solitary and how inmates can get out. To check out Glenn’s complete list of drug war and prison books in print, kindle and audio book go here-http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

"This book does not glamorize prison life but rather accurately reports on the cruel reality, which may shock and frighten many readers. The author skillfully makes the point that the general public has more awareness for and more compassion for caged dogs than for prisoners. He also reaches through the bars and describes how the guards are organized into gangs and other criminal enterprises." JT Kalnay Attorney 

And ex-con Langohr can describe the hell of life inside better than any other writer. His vivid passages on just surviving in prison describe a nightmare we'd rather not know about.

Glenn Langohr’s New Books- Roll Call & Lock Up Diaries, Expose the True Story of How the Son of a Sheriff and His Buddies Videoed the Gang Raping of an Underage Girl

New Books-”Roll Call” & “Lock Up Diaries,” Expose the True Story of How the Son of a Sheriff and His Buddies Videoed the Gang Raping of an Underage Girl.

In Glenn Langohr’s novel Roll Call, the Haidl rape case unravels in gruesome detail and exposes all the dirty little secrets. The case drew national attention in part because Haidl’s father was the assistant sheriff of Orange County, California. In Glenn Langohr’s, Lock Up Diaries, he takes the reader inside of California’s hardest core prison where prison vigilante justice on sex offenders is a matter of honor for many inmates who have been abused in childhood themselves.

Glenn Langohr-Portrayed as B.J in Roll Call

Pelican Bay Prison art for Gladiator by Glenn Langohr with Kindle/Nook

Lock Up Diaries on Kindle/Nook

Roll Call book cover

“Those without sin cast the first stone” A district attorney receives video evidence of his son dealing drugs from a released Pelican Bay inmate.

Roll Call by Glenn Langohr takes the reader into the story behind the story of the Haidl rape case. In prison on drug charges during the writing of “Roll Call”, Glenn Langohr felt the rape victim’s pain and further embarrassment of being labeled, “a promiscuous girl who aspired to be a porn star”, by private investigators and attorneys intent to clear the son of the sheriff of rape charges.

“I was sick of the hypocrisy of our criminal justice system,” Glenn stated.

Though “Roll Call” is a drug war novel with the intent to bring compassion and smart on crime back to the Justice System, the thread with the Haidl rape case is one of many twist and turns of corruption uncovered for social justice in his books. $16.99 paperback or 2.99 with kindle on Amazon.

Kirkus Discoveries- “A Master Director of modern pulp thrillers and a harrowing down-and-dirty depiction of the War on Drugs, sometimes reminiscent of Solderburgh’s Traffic, by former dealer, California artist Langohr.”

Also by Glenn Langohr- “Lock Up Diaries- A California Pelican Bay Prison Story Series”

A depiction of life inside of prison and a look at the political landscape between races, segregated by cell after being released from the Pelican Bay SHU in California. The amazing details of prison life – code words that prisoners use, explanations of how they communicate from cell to cell – really make you feel you have entered a different world, or like you are watching a movie. 2.99 with kindle, 7.99 in print and 6.97 in audio book on Amazon and other outlets.

“A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who’s been there could know.” Review by Phillip Doran, author of A Reluctant Tuscan

After a decade in prison on drug charges, Glenn Langohr’s vision is to help other drug addicted and lost prisoners find their voice through writing and art. He uses prison art for some of his book covers and started a publishing company, lockdownpublishing.com to open a new avenue for prison authors. Past radio interviews include KSBR 88.5 in Orange County and Buy Back America in Utah

For Glenn Langohr's complete list of books in print, kindle and audio book in the U.S. go here~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A For the U.K. go here~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

Available for interviews and reviews at rollcallthebook@gmail.com http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com

An Interview With Drug War And Prison Author Glenn Langohr

What’s the worst nightmare you’ve ever had? —-I am blessed with the ability to fly in my dreams. The act rarely happens, but when it does, it is so awesome and vivid, like I really can fly. When I am able to fly in my dreams, it happens night after night, but eventually, I stop being able to. When that happens I have bad dreams of impending doom where I’m being chased and have to remember how to fly. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? —-I trust God and love Jesus. Before I started writing I ran away from a broken home at 13 years old. I got into some reckless behavior and experimented with drugs. That turned into selling them and 10 years later that turned into organized crime charges. I spent 10 years in prison with 4 years in solitary confinement. From a cell, I started writing drug war and prison books. I was released from prison in 2008 and started a publishing company, http://www.lockdownpublishing.com , and published my first novel, Roll Call, A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption. Since then I published Upon Release From Prison, Race Riot, Lock Up Diaries, Gladiator, Underdog and Prison Riot. I married my dream girl, Sanette, who plays Annette in one of my novels. Most recently, I learned how to narrate my own books and started http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com I believe what Jesus said in the Bible, that when you are helping the least fortunate, you are doing God’s work. 

 

What do you do when you are not writing? —–Part of my publishing company’s mission is to help other prisoners turn their lives around through writing and art. I write a lot of prisoners and have received some amazing stories and art work. I also had the opportunity to speak to 100 students at the University of California Irvine in a Criminal Justice class about prison life and how solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment as it intersects with the 8th Amendment. 

Do you have a day job as well? —-I work part time in a restaurant. 

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book? —-I started writing from a prison cell in solitary confinement in 2002. It took me 7 years to perfect my drug war novel Roll Call. 

How did you choose the genre you write in? —–The genre chose me. The drug war and prison life are gritty, true life entertainment. Plus the spiritual aspects of good versus evil in characters on both sides of the law make for a great plot line. 

Where do you get your ideas? —-Almost all of my ideas are based on life experiences. In some cases, I paint with the true colors of life on a fictional landscape. 

 

Do you ever experience writer’s block, if so, how do you deal with it? ——I do experience writers block at times. Usually during sections of the book that are in a transition from one scene to another. When that happens, I stress out and pace back and forth. It really helps! I start seeing the scene come to life in my imagination and run back to the computer. 

Do you work with an outline, or just write? —--I just write. But I always keep in mind that a story has a beginning, middle and end. 

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? —–First and foremost, the Bible. The stories have the perfect balance of God over evil and how He uses imperfect characters. A lot of other authors have shaped my writing style. My books are similar to James Patterson’s in that I have fast moving scenes and short chapters. 

 

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?—— Marketing is an art I would rather have someone else do for me! I found that getting big name reviews are a great selling tool. I went after Nielson Media’s review service, Kirkus Discoveries for my first novel Roll Call and got, “A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction–sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic–of America’s war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr. Locked up for a decade on drugs charges and immersed in both philosophical tomes and modern pulp thrillers, Langohr penned Roll Call. A vivid, clamorous account of the war on drugs. –Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, N.Y Yk For my book Underdog I went after John South from American Media to get- “In his latest novel, “Underdog,” Glenn Langohr takes B.J. back into the dreaded Supermax at Pelican Bay, California’s toughest prison. At first he’s just fighting to survive, hopelessly outnumbered by Mexican and black gang members, but then he goes back to try and help his friend, still inside, ferociously battling to change the penal system.

And ex-con Langohr can describe the hell of life inside better than any other writer. His vivid passages on just surviving in prison describe a nightmare we’d rather not know about.
He compares the plight of abandoned dogs, locked and horribly mistreated in rows of cages in animal shelters, to California prison inmates, locked and abused in the same cages.
Not a book for the faint of heart. We who sleep peacefully in our beds at night, unaware of the savagery going on behind prison walls, can only thankfully say: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” 

For Race Riot I went after TV Producer and author Phillip Doran to get,  ”A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who’s been there could know.”  I use all the social media sites and produce a lot videos and pictures. I document things like radio interviews or speaking at the University, to build credibility. I use prison art to represent the culture and flavor. 

 

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?——– During my prison sentence, I really battled with giving my life completely to God, and surviving in prison through brute force and my own will power. I’m waiting for God to show me how to write it. 

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?—– I have gotten a few bad reviews from ex prison guards but I’ve also gotten some good reviews from law enforcement as well. I love getting great reviews from lawyers and Professors.

 

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Do it because you love it. Don’t do it for money, it’s a lot of work! 

 

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? I would like to thank all my fans and readers for the reviews and feedback! A special shout out to my U.K. readers for making Race Riot number 1 in three categories for 3 months! 

Glenn Langohr’s books are available in print, kindle and audio book and are on sale and Free for prime members. Amazon author page in the U.S.  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A Author page in the U.K. http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A Link to all of Glenn Langohr’s audio books- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=glenn+langohr%27s+audio+books

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia Facebook pics- Facebook pics Fan page https://www.facebook.com/lockdownpublishingdotcom?ref=hl

Time Heals, Forgiveness Mends

In this suspenseful crime story Susan Morgan's life is turned upside down after her husband, John, is brutally murdered. Suspects are questioned, one by one, each having their own motives for the killing. Susan's life has drastically changed, but with time and forgiveness she races ahead to mend past hatreds and abuse. There are some who think she has gone off the deep end when she reaches out to the very ones who are suspects in her husband's murder, but someone has to break the cycle of vengeance and hatred. Can Susan do it?

 Pattimari Sheets( Diamond)  Cacciolfi 

Glenn Langohr

about his book: I wrote Race Riot to show the world that by sending people to prison for being addicted to drugs, we are breeding bigger criminals where gangs and violence are the calling cards. In prison a drug addict is bred into a displaced human being once released. While in prison, it gets politically racial and everything is solved with violence and gangs are bred. Race Riots over things like drug debts, alcohol, disrespect and any trivial reason are regular things. In Race Riots, BJ, a young convicted drug dealer struggles to survive a race war between the Black and White inmates.

• “A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who’s been there could know.” — TV Producer Phillip Doran

Infamous convicts like Gary Gilmore, Jack Henry Abbott, and Charles Manson would agree with the rough-and-ready story that is this book. Glenn Langohr’s “Race Riot” ranks right up there with the best in nonfiction prison literature available today.

All of Glenn Langohr’s drug war and prison books are available in print, kindle and audio book to listen to a free sample here- http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

For Glenn Langohr's complete list of books in print, kindle and audio book in the U.S. go here~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A For the U.K. go here~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

Available for interviews and reviews at rollcallthebook@gmail.com http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com

about his book: Lock Up Abroad contacted me to be on their show this year as they focus on Prison Life in the U.S. They want me to be in one of the final episodes to end with a redemptive theme. While being interviewed they asked me, “How much of your books are fiction?” I told them, “Society can’t handle all of the truth!” With this in mind, I wrote Prison Riot.

Prison Riot is a true crime memoir where BJ, a young and battle tested inmate serving time on drug charges, gets caught up in a Mexican gang war over gangland tattoos. The prison explodes into chaos as each building erupts in deadly violence. For BJ, the war isn’t over when he and over a hundred inmates get housed in solitary confinement, it’s just beginning. For getting involved, he’s labeled a southern Mexican gangster.

• “Wow! I read this book in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. The way Mr. Langhor writes this book, made me feel like I was in that cell woth B.J. and Giant, I actually felt claustrophobic and trapped and could almost feel the pepper spray burning me.” — MSMAD 2009

• “I am reading all of this authors books and this one is incredible. I can’t even imagine having to survive through what this guy has lived through. Prison war riot, Solitary confinement, respect, pride, survival. Forget reality TV, this is much better, it is reality!” — JDOG

To check out all 8 of Glenn Langohr’s prison books in print, kindle or audio book ( Listen for a free sample ) go here http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

While in Prison on Drug Charges, Glenn Langohr Spent 4 Years in Solitary Where He Wrote Books.

While in Prison on Drug Charges, Glenn Langohr Spent 4 Years in Solitary Where He Wrote Books. As a runaway from a broken home, Glenn Langohr reflected on his bad choices in the drug world from a cell in solitary where he turned it into writing books. 

With nothing else to do in a prison cell for 22 hours a day, Glenn Langohr wrote drug war and prison books. For a complete list of his books in print, kindle and audio book to listen to like a movie, go here- http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A If you purchase a book make sure you email Glenn at rollcallthebook@gmail.com and he will gift out a book.

Glenn Langohr started solitary confinement in the county jail in the modules where inmates only come out of there cells for 2 hours a day. In prison he was sent to solitary for riots and investigations. He states, ”It is very hard to avoid any violence in prison where the isn’t much rehabilitation. People with mental issues, drug and alcohol issues interact with gangs and people just trying to survive and the ingredients are toxic. In prison every inch of space is decided over and often fought over, like who can use which tables, showers, space on the yard, work out bars etc.”

The first novel Glenn Langohr published when he got out of prison in 2008 was Roll Call, A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption. Kirkus Discoveries Nielson Media related Langohr’s novel to the movie Traffic along with other accolades. Glenn Langohr has since published 7 other books that are selling well and getting great reviews. See his complete list on Amazon in print, kindle and audio book. Check out his audio book, Lock Up Diaries  here- http://tinyurl.com/lockupdiaries

For Glenn Langohr's complete list of books in print, kindle and audio book in the U.S. go here~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A For the U.K. go here~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

Available for interviews and reviews at rollcallthebook@gmail.com http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com