Jason Pinter -- Official Website

Blog - The Man in Black

Friday, August 21, 2009

Why is Reed Farrel Coleman scared of Jason Pinter?

If you watch this video, you'll see that they have a WHOLE lot in common...and you'll understand why renowned author Reed Farrel Coleman is just a little bit scared. Happy viewing!

Labels: signings, THE FURY

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Back in Town

We got back in to JFK last night around 1:30 am, and naturally couldn't get to sleep due to our internal clocks being three hours earlier. So, in an effort to try and fall asleep, we turned on "27 Dresses" starring Katherine Heigl. Two quick notes on this movie:

1) Is it just me, or does Katherine Heigl seem mildly annoyed in every movie/tv show she stars in?

2) "27 Dresses" is an absolutely abysmal movie.

Note: This is not a biased opinion on chick flicks (we watched "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" the other night and I was terribly disappointed). But "Dresses" is just stupid, contrived and lame. And can Heigl play anything other than "slightly frazzled"?

Anyway, not to be completely negative, I have two big time recommendations:

1) THE SPELLMAN FILES by Lisa Lutz. I started this on my wife's recommendation, and loved it. Lutz is a terrifically funny writer, and her characters are witty and rich. We have the second book in the series, CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS, and I'm eager to dive in.

2) I was at the Barnes & Noble in the Grove in L.A. and heard a song over the speakers that I immediately thought was fantastic. I used the 'Shazaam' app on my iPod, and found out that the song was called "People, Turn Around" by a band called Delta Spirit. Well, I downloaded the song, then their live album, and I can honestly say I now love this band. Check them out.

And finally, I went with Brett Battles and Stephen Blackmoore to Barry Eisler's signing at the Mystery Bookstore. Barry surprised Brett and I by wearing the very t-shirt we gave him back in the summer of 2006 at ThrillerFest in Arizona:

I also finally had a chance to meet Bobby and Linda, both a pleasure, and they gave me the honor of signing the store's 'Jail Registery', a literal who's-who of every author who's set foot in the store. Everyone from Michael Connelly to Mickey Spillane. Needless to say, I took pictures:

Is there more eclectic company than Jerry Stahl, Val McDermid and Joan Rivers?

I sold three copies of my books on the 14th--and I was there as a fan. Now that's a great bookstore!

Labels: killer year, signings

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Signing Tonight

I will be signing books tonight at at Barnes & Noble on 86th street between 2nd and 3rd in NYC at 7:00 pm. A portion of all proceeds will go to benefit Breakthrough New York, a wonderful organization that helps children and young adults pursue careers in education. Hope to see you there!

(special thanks to MF!)

Labels: signings

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Review of Alafair Burke's ANGEL'S TIP book launch

A few days ago, the Killer Year folks received a request to review Alafair Burke's new Elle Hatcher novel, ANGEL'S TIP. Since we don't post reviews on the Killer Year blog, we politely declined. I went to Alafair's launch event last night at the Tribeca Barnes & Noble, and I figured if we couldn't review her book, I should at least review her signing. So here we go:

I arrived at the store at about 6:40 and walked around for a few minutes, soon bumping into fellow crime writer and forensic pathologist Jonathan Hayes. Jonathan was kind enough to offer some help with forensic research for my next Henry Parker novel. I first met him at ThrillerFest. He's an exceedingly nice guy, so Alafair already gets points for her good taste in fans.

We eventually wandered over to the signing area, which was slowly filling up to max capacity. I met Alafair's publicist, saw her agent and a few other publishing folks and authors, and by the time the event started the signing area was standing room only. Points for Alafair's drawing power. Points subtracted because I stupidly finished my iced coffee before the event started and I was thirsty.

After a brief intro by the bookseller, Alafair came onstage accompanied by Lee Child. In an interesting twist, rather than conducting a traditional reading, Lee agreed to interview Alafair about her books. Alafair wore a black blouse (was it a blouse? I'm not good with fashion) and Lee wore a cool Vic Mackey-esque black leather jacket. Points subtracted because they both wore the same color. I think that's some sort of fashion faux pas.

Lee began the interview by asking Alafair about her career, and why she chose to switch protagonists (from Samantha Kincaid to Elle Hatcher). Alafair offered good answers, discussing how she reached a crossroads at a certain point in the fourth Kincaid novel which led her to go in a different direction, and went into detail about how her two lead characters differed. Said Alafair, "I didn't want Elle to just be a blond Samantha." Points for her ability to create two distinctly different lead characters in two very different settings (New York and Portland). Points subtracted because Samantha Kincaid isn't good at taking care of her dog.

They also discussed a scene in a recent Reacher novel where Jack meets a prosecutor named Samantha in Portland (hint hint) and has a few nights of romance (wa wa wee wa) with her. Points because the perpetually broke Reacher paid for the pizza.

Alafair discussed why her law background made it a necessity to get all the details right in her books, and how personal experience aided in the writing of the first Hatcher novel, DEAD CONNECTION. Points for her candidness. Points subtracted because, despite what Alafair said, no husband is ever difficult. Cough.

After Lee finished with his grilling, they took questions from the crowd. Alafair pointed out a bunch of her former students (she's a tenured law professor) in the audience. She also discussed the difficulty of being Professor Burke in the classroom, and Alafair Burke the author in public. Points because I went through a similar thing while juggling editing and writing. Points subtracted because she undoubtedly handled it better than I did.

Once the Q&A was finished, Alafair and Lee signed copies of their books. Points subtracted because each row was called up individually, like we were boarding an airplane. Points added because Alafair signed my book with a funny inscription.

Final Grade: Lee Child was an engaging and witty interviewer, and Alafair's answers were always interesting and provocative. This was a nice change of pace from the traditional reading/signing, and it made me want to read ANGEL'S TIP. So my final grade for Alafair's event is an A.

Labels: random, signings

Monday, August 18, 2008

Catching Up

I'm back in town after a week in Israel, and trying to get over some severe jet lag (we were asleep by 9:00 last night). Needless to say Israel was a far different experience than my last time in the country fifteen years ago (this time I didn't have to memorize a Torah portion, and a plate of Chinese food was not dumped on my lap by a family member). The wedding was a wonderful affair, and we spent lots of time on the beach and seeing historic sites in Haifa and Tel Aviv. I even got yelled at by a Rabbi at the Western Wall (for donating money to the synagogue, but not enough money). A sincere thanks for the hospitality of my generous hosts, you know who you are!

Thanks to everyone who came out to my signings recently. This Thursday I'll be signing copies of THE STOLEN at the world famous Murder by the Book, alongside fellow Killer Year mates Marcus Sake y and Dave White. Then on Friday, I'll be in Clinton, NJ for a signing at the Clinton Book Shop with Dave (again) and Duane Swierczynzki.

Anywho...a few pieces of press to catch up on:

Jason Boog was kind enough to come to the Borders signing and videotape some of it for The Publishing Spot. I also participated in his feature, "Five Easy Questions." They certainly didn't allow for easy answers.

I did a podcast interview for eHarlequin, which can be listened to here.

Labels: bsp, interviews, signings, THE STOLEN

Friday, August 08, 2008

Friday, then away...

Today at 4:00 I'll be on a crime fiction panel with Harry Hunsicker and Reed Farrell Coleman at the Backspace Writers Conference. I stopped by the conference today and was very impressed with the attendees. They've come prepared with great questions, so if there are aspiring crime writers hopefully we'll teach them a thing or two. Or at least offer them a chair to fall asleep in.

After that I'll be heading over to the Barnes & Noble on Court Street in Brooklyn to read and sign copies of THE STOLEN at 7:00 pm. I'll be thrilled to meet any Brooklynites who come by. Thanks to everyone who came by Borders the other night. We sold out, and had a great Q&A session.

On Saturday I leave for a Israel, my first time in the country since I was thirteen years old. My wife's cousin is getting married in Haifa, so we'll be spending a few days there before traveling to Tel Aviv. It should be a very interesting trip, and I'm eager to see the country for the first time as an adult. I'm also thinking about what tv shows/movies to download for my iPod for the 12 hour plane ride. Suggestions are welcome...

Labels: conferences, signings, THE STOLEN

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

First NYC Signing...Tonight!!!

If you live in the NYC area, or have a bunch of spare miles, please stop by the first Manhattan signing for THE STOLEN. Deets* are below:

*I've been informed that 'Deets' is the new hip slang for 'Details' that all the kids are using

Wednesday, August 6th

7:00 pm

Borders Books

576 Second Avenue (at 32nd st.)

After the signing we'll be trekking across the street for drinks and Beer Pong at the world famous Whiskey River saloon. And who knows, you just might see Cindy McCain topless!

Labels: signings, THE STOLEN

Friday, June 06, 2008

Bristol Calling

I have only three hours left in London before catching a train to Bristol for the CrimeFest convention. This is CrimeFest's inaugural year, and was apparently inspired by the success of Left Coast Crime which was held in Bristol in 2006. (I heard a funny story regarding Tony Blair and the city of Bristol, which will be a great icebreaker at the bar)

A slew of terrific authors are attending, including Ian Rankin, Jeff "Dexter" Lindsay, Karin Fossum, Laurie R. King, and many more. I h

ave two panels on Saturday, the first at 9:00 am as a participant:

SCARED TO DEATH: Thrills and Chills

Moderator: Declan Hughes

Katherine John

Michael Morley

Jason Pinter

James Twining

Then I'll be moderating a panel at 1:30:

WRITING THE WRONGS: Morality in Crime Fiction

Moderator: Jason Pinter

Steve Mosby

Kevin Wignall

Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Laura Wilson

And if I may digress, I noticed perhaps the strangest sentence in the history of newspapers this morning while reading The Daily Telegraph. In the (very good) review for Ben Affleck's "Gone, Baby, Gone" the reviewer wrote, "(Michelle) Monaghan, who bears an unfortunate resemblance to Janet Jackson..."

And I was thinking, wait, is there a different Janet Jackson I'm not aware of? Because here is what Michelle Monaghan looks like:

And here is what Janet Jackson looks like:

My time in London has been wonderful, though I'll have to take another trip back to stay here and in Dublin for a good old touristy trip soon. Yesterday alone I had six interviews and three stock signings, and at one point I actually fell asleep for ten minutes in the waiting room at the BBC Radio studios in Oxford Circus.

Last night I had drinks and dinner with the UK publishing team. Lots of wine was consumed, and a good time was had by all.

And in a moment that has to mean something...when we walked into the Naked Turtle restaurant for dinner, the haunting Johnny Cash song "I Hung My Head" was playing over the speakers. In my second novel, THE GUILTY (due out in the UK in December), there's an epigraph. And that epigraph is from...wait for it..."I Hung My Head" by Johnny Cash.

I literally got chills. And if I didn't know before, that moment confirmed that this trip has been worth every second.

Labels: foreign editions, signings, THE MARK

Thursday, June 05, 2008

London Calling (and book signing schedule)

I'm feeling awake and refreshed this morning (perhaps having to do with sleeping past 5:30 am for the first time since Saturday), and excited for my first full day in London. I arrived back from Dublin yesterday morning and immediately went for a lunch with several reps from my publisher as well as journalists and book retailers. We had a great conversation about books, politics, the economy, and I've noticed that almost inevitably when speaking to someone not from New York 9/11 ends up a topic of conversation.

After lunch I passed out for a few hours, then took a long walk into Hyde Park and over to Notting Hill (sadly I did not see Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts, though I did see a lot of guys that looked like Rhys Ifans). My midnight interview went smashingly (I'm already turning into Madonna), and today I have a slew of BBC radio interviews scheduled, followed by several signings (see below for times).

Tonight is a dinner with my UK publishing team, who have gone far above and beyond the call of duty. Plus I've been told to wear my drinking hat. (That I've been traveling around Ireland and London for nearly three days and have only had one single, solitary pint of Guinness is inconceivable)

I've read two books on the trip so far: Ian Rankin's classic first Rebus novel KNOTS AND CROSSES and Kevin Wignall's multi-nominated WHO IS CONRAD HIRST?

The response to THE MARK has been wonderful here. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as I'm pretty unaware of how foreign tastes in crime fiction compare to the U.S., but so far it has been a great experience. I've also had a chance to address some questions about my career and about publishing that I don't get to touch on too often. The genre's role in literature (sadly most people consider genre and literature to be two entirely different species). Whether age or looks help get more publicity for your book (if you're a young woman writing a roman a clef about fashion, publishing or gossip, yes. If you're a young man with unruly hair and/or a pocket square with a 'literary pedigree' writing either a memoir or thinly-veiled memoir, yes. If you're a young man or woman writing crime fiction, no).

One thing I've noticed on the bookselling side--from the relatively few stores I've been in, granted--is how few hardcovers are sold in the UK. I've only seen three books being sold in hardcover: Ken Follett's WORLD WITHOUT END, Jeffrey Archer's PRISONER OF BIRTH and Sebastian Faulk's James Bond novel DEVIL MAY CARE. I've been told that larger paperbacks are the most popular format for big-name authors, both for price and convenience, and only the top, top, top authors come out in hardback.

Oh yeah, and the dollar don't buy squat here.

Book Signings

Since I've heard from a few UK readers, I'll be signing copies of THE MARK at Waterstone's at 421 Oxford Street at 2:30, and then at Waterstone's at 19-23 Oxford Street somewhere around 3:15.

Labels: foreign editions, signings, THE MARK

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Festival of Mystery photos

Apologies that most of these photos were taken from behind my table while I was seated. I was petrified that if I got up to take pictures, a swarm of 172 people would immediately come to buy my books, but leave because I wasn't there. Yes, I am a paranoid freak. I had a terrific time. The staff and volunteers of the Mystery Lovers bookstore couldn't have been nicer, and the fans were great and eager to try out new authors. In the literary sense.

Labels: conferences, signings

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Festival of Mystery

On Monday I'll be signing at the 13th annual Festival of Mystery, sponsored by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Pennsylvania. If you live in the Pittsburgh area, stop by to get your copy of THE MARK and THE GUILTY signed. And if you don't, I won't be your friend.

Labels: signings

Monday, March 17, 2008

Seattle: Not just coffee and Pearl Jam!

Enjoy the batch of photos from my trip last week to the city of Seattle, where I partook in a signing at Third Place Books and an interview that will run on authormagazine.org. First off, I have to give a special thanks to writer/reviewer extraordinaire Jeff Ayers, who was kind enough to show me around the city. Not to mention patient enough to wait in the car while I took pictures of the space needle. And without further ado...

Seeing THE GUILTY at the Detroit Metro Airport during my first layover. A cool way to start the trip.

The view of downtown Seattle outside my hotel room. No match for the brick wall view from my NYC apartment.

Oh, who am I kidding.

The Space Needle. Apparently there's a restaurant at the top. Of course there is.

I got a fever...and the only cure...is MORE SPACE NEEDLE.

According to Jeff, this is the hill where Frasier Crane lives. Yes, I know Frasier is not real.

The Needle, seen rising above the Seattle Science Fiction Museum. The museum was built by Paul Allen. Allen also owns the Seattle Seahawks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and Eddie Vedder.

Third Place Books, the store gracious enough to host my signing and interview. Any time a book store is the tentpole in a fairly large mall it's a good thing.

The placard for my signing. To the right there's a stack of about a bazillion Jodi Picoult books. Though my books fought hard to defend the onslaught, Jodi Picoult fights dirty.

With my buddy Jeff Ayers. If you're a Trekkie, make sure to check out his book VOYAGES OF IMAGINATION: The Star Trek Fiction Companion. If you're not a Trekkie, you stopped reading after "Jeff Ayers."

A pleasant surprise: one of my former editees, Alex Bash, made an appearance. Alex's first book, THE IMBIBLE, comes out in August. It's a flat out hilarious book. Bonus: you might get a hangover just reading it.

More needle.

A restroom at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport during my second layover. I swear, Larry Craig walked by the second I put my camera away.

Labels: interviews, signings, THE GUILTY

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Checking in....

...from the 18th floor in a hotel room in Seattle. I'm here for a signing and interview at Third Place Books. A more detailed account will come shortly. But I had to share this: apparently the hotel shampoo is called 'softening sea lettuce' and the body wash is called 'stimulating sea rocket.' Let's just say there are a few props missing from the XXX version of "The Little Mermaid."

And also...Eliot Spitzer's 'friend' Kristen has a MYSPACE PAGE!

Labels: signings, THE GUILTY

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

On Making a Career

Next Wednesday, I'm flying to Seattle for a book signing and interview session. This got me thinking about my career to date, where it's gone thus far, and where I want it to be.

I'm excited to for my trip to Seattle. I've spent very little time on the West coast, and have never been to Seattle in particular. It's always nice to see a city, especially such a prominent one, for the first time. Though I'll only be there for one night (try the veal), it should be a blast.

Of course there's a lot about this trip that I see as a small microcosm of my career to this point. I figured I'd break it into two parts.

Things I'm thankful for:

--I just published my second book.

--That my publisher had enough faith in me after a relatively short period of time to extend my original contract, so that I now have seven novels under contract. Additionally, I feel their promotional support has been outstanding.

--That I'm fortunate enough to be in a position--financially and with a supportive spouse--to be able to write full time.

--That the critical and reader response to my books has been, for the most part, very positive.

I'm grateful for all of these things. Yet at the same time, I want to grow as a writer. Both in terms of my ability and in terms of exposure. Listed below are the main issues I'm struggling with right now. Please refrain from playing the world's smallest violin. These are not complaints--again I am grateful--but in order to take the next step some, if not all of the following bridges must be crossed. Some must be crossed sooner, some will take time.

Issues that must be addressed:

--As of right now, my books are being published as paperback originals. While this has permitted terrific distribution and a likely far greater print run than I would have seen publishing in hardcover to date, there is a stigma attached to PBOs, both critically and commercially. Especially in the crime genre.

--It is very, and I mean very difficult, outside of trade magazines and websites, to get reviews for my books. I've made it into a few smaller places, but those have come more from being in the right place at the right time (one newspaper reviewer requested a galley via MySpace, one I met at a conference, etc...). I have a publicist for THE GUILTY who's lined up a bunch of cool stuff, including my first radio interviews, but the publicity and review issue is a big one.

--It is very hard to set up book signings for PBOs. The simple economics of publishing make it hard for stores to profit off of mass market signings unless the author is a major name or has a large enough following in the area. I tried to set up a signing at a favorite indie store in my hometown, but was told they couldn't unless I guaranteed 75 copies sold. While I do have friends and family in NYC, I didn't feel comfortable 'guaranteeing' that kind of turnout.

--I have never officially toured. Though I have a signing and interview lined up in Seattle, and will be going to the UK in June to promote my release there, in both cases I'm traveling on my own dime. Barring Ichiro promoting my Seattle signing, there's no way in hell I'm going to sell enough copies to cover the cost of that trip. I'm ok with this. I understand that you have to spend money to make money, and I'm more than happy to plant some seeds in the hopes that in the future that will bear fruit. The same goes for various conferences I'm scheduled to attend, where travel, hotel and bar tabs eat up a pretty penny.

--The long-term goal, of course, is for my books to be published in hardcover. My publisher, I believe, is making a smart choice publishing me in paperback first. Having worked in the industry, I've seen too many first novels come out in hardcover to a mediocre sell-through, from which the author's career might never recover. Starting the other way around, establishing a base readership who will (hopefully) follow my books into hardcover when the time is right seems a safer long-term option. The flip side is that there's a lot more money in hardcover than paperback (royalties are about $2.50-$3.75 on a $25 hardcover, versus $.64 on a $7.99 paperback). Again, I'm a younger guy with no children (unless you include Wilson), so I'm willing to take the slow, steady approach and hope it keeps me in the race longer. I look at other authors who've achieved success with this model (Harlan Coben, Laura Lippman, Jim Butcher), and hope the same happens here. I want to be writing as long as I'm alive, and whatever it takes to achieve that, I'm willing to do.

(so if anyone needs a kidney...drop me a line)

Labels: publishing, signings, THE GUILTY, writing

Thursday, January 31, 2008

How to Become a Successful Author

Look like a bigger bad ass than anyone else in the room.

(from Monday's KILLER YEAR signing at Partners & Crime)

Labels: killer year, signings

Monday, January 28, 2008

Five Writers, One Killer Event

The place: Partners & Crime bookstore (44 Greenwich Ave., NY, NY)

The time: 7:00 pm tonight

The culprits: Lee Child, MJ Rose, Jason Pinter, Dave White and Duane Swierczynski

The crime: Penning one of the best-reviewed anthologies of crime fiction in recent memory

Come meet us and get your copy signed tonight!

Labels: bsp, signings

Friday, January 25, 2008

ABA Winter Institute

Hello sports fans, I'm checking in from the Hyatt Regency in Louisville, Kentucky where I'm in town for the American Bookseller Association's Winter Institute meetings. There are something like 500 independent booksellers here, many of whom will hopefully want to meet me and pick up a signed galley of THE GUILTY. (and perhaps hug me, squeeze me, and name me George) Whether or not they will be able to ignore present literary stalwarts like Tobias Wolff and Mary Roach, or up-and-comers like Vincent Lam and Garth Stein (whose dog-narrated tear jerker novel was bought for something like $174,249,203 at auction), for a crime writer whose "office" overlooks a brick wall remains to be seen.

Throwing a small wrench in my presentation is the presence of 11 stitches in my upper lip, courtesy of an accident on Monday night that necessitated a trip to the emergency room and the services of a plastic surgeon who had to be called away from dinner (seriously). I have about a week's worth of beard growth, and hopefully this scruffiness will distract booksellers from focusing on the Betsy Ross job on my face. (for morbid weirdos who also watch YouTube videos of skateboarders breaking their arms in half, I do have a photo of said accident)

In any case, I am excited for tonight. Having the chance to meet people who want to read and spread the word about your stuff is just a thrilling notion, and I hope I don't disappoint. THE GUILTY hits stores in just over 4 weeks, and I can't wait to hear peoples' reactions. I am very proud of this book and hope it goes over well with booksellers and readers. Typing "The End," though, is just the beginning.

Labels: conferences, signings