This little ditty about Jack and Diane is a fast-paced read that finds a few new wrinkles in a familiar genre. ~ Kirkus Review
Retiring thief Jack Apple is offered a low-risk, six-figure payout to heist a medical marijuana dispensary from the feisty and impetuous Diane Thomas after Diane steals the robbery plans from her shady ex-husband Alvin, hoping to beat him to the score.
Description:
Release Date: June 15th, 2018
Retiring thief Jack Apple is offered a low-risk, six-figure payout to heist a medical marijuana dispensary from the feisty and impetuous Diane Thomas after Diane steals the robbery plans from her shady ex-husband Alvin, hoping to beat him to the score.
Diane promises to stay out of Jack’s way but she can’t help interfering, forcing them to take hostages inside the dispensary when the robbery is interrupted by law enforcement, inciting a media circus that deteriorates into a full-on urban riot.
To escape, Jack and Diane must negotiate the hostages, their agendas, an army of Sheriff’s deputies, the tenacious local news media, crooked deals, corrupt politicians, rioters, Diane’s shady ex-husband Alvin, and their growing attraction to each other.
GUEST POST
“Adventure Is Just Bad Planning”
The quote is attributed to Roald Amundsen, who was the first explorer to discover the South Pole and who was most likely not talking about fiction writing at the time. Whether intended to or not, the quote highlights a central element to all drama: conflict. Good plans that go wrong are an essential plot element in crime, heist and caper novels. Without that conflict, my first book in the new “Bad Apples” series, “Burn One Down”, would likely be my first pamphlet.
I’m no expert in armed robbery. You know what I’m an expert in? Good plans that go wrong. I had socks that lasted longer than my first marriage. My second wife and I bought a house at the height of the housing boom, then lost it three years later. I’m still waiting for the baseball cards I’ve held onto for decades to gain value. It’s all a part of life. Despite the hard work, best intentions, positive thoughts and borderline obsessive-compulsive planning, when you turn out the light at the end of the day, life isn’t perfect. Things don’t always work out the way you planned. That conflict makes life interesting. It makes for interesting crime fiction, too.
Think about the people in your life that have it together. They’re on Facebook or Instagram living a perfect, almost scripted life. Life is fabulous, and they’re grateful. Great job, great family, great life. Now think about that distant relative or long-ago friend. You know the one. The one who always posts pictures of their partying, gives out way too much personal information, and argues with everyone. They’re a wellspring of discord, inappropriate behavior and neuroses and would be a nightmare to deal with on a regular basis, but their posts are the most entertaining thing you’ll read all day. Who’s more interesting to read about?
I want to read about the screw-ups.The person whose plan didn’t work. The one who went for it and flamed out in spectacular fashion. Maybe it’s that I want to feel superior. Maybe it gives me perspective; that no matter how bad things in my life might be, at least I’m not this guy.
I feel the same way about crime fiction characters.I’m fascinated by thieves and grifters, and why they do the things that they do, but I don’t want these people in my day to day life. I don’t know any thieves and grifters, and I don’t hang around with them. I still enjoy reading about how their minds work, their motivations, and their justifications.I want to understand them, even when I don’t want them anywhere near my life.
A former Iranian hostage once said, (and I’m paraphrasing) “Human beings are like tea bags; you don’t know your own strength until you get into hot water.” With good crime fiction, if everything had gone the way they planned from the outset, I wouldn’t find out about any of this strength. I’m reading an instruction manual, and I hate instruction manuals.
Because there’s no adventure with good planning.
About the author:
Jeffrey A. Cooper lives in Los Angeles, CA. His previous novel, “How to Steal a Truck Full of Nickels” was published in 2015. Jeffrey has optioned several feature film scripts and co-created two shows executive produced by Emmy-award winning comedian Louie Anderson.
Jeffrey lives with his wife, daughter, two rescue dogs, a rescue cat and a fish who all get along famously.
Author's Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 comment:
Great post! So true!
Post a Comment