Reviewed By Liz

We are delighted to welcome Jack Getze back to Reviewed by Liz. Jack is hitting the road again to promote his second book, BIG MONEY. We read, loved, and reviewed BIG MONEY and you can read our review here. If you missed the BIG NUMERS World Tour, check out the category on the right of the same name. Jack entertained us with stories from the road as he traveled to exotic destinations, survived wardrobe malfunctions, signed books, and endured a hailstorm of frogs. Yes, frogs. Read it and find out.

With his latest adventure from the road, Here’s Jack!

LOS ANGELES — Celebrities are easy to spot in Southern California if you know what you’re looking for–specifically, handsome people in baseball hats and sunglasses.

“That’s Ted Turner in front of us,” a stranger says to me.

“Hard to tell with that hat,” I say, “but the woman with him is definitely not Jane Fonda.”

“Jane Fonda? Oh, honey, they haven’t been together for ages. Where have you been?”

Good question. Let’s see. I started the year in Florida, studying fiction and doing radio interviews between classes. Then it was Denver, Washington, Pittsburgh, Houston, Dallas, Providence, South Pasadena, Whittier, and finally, Los Angeles, home to Book Expo 2008, where the stranger and I spot Ted Turner on the escalator.

“I’ll bet he’s here promoting his new book,” the stranger says.

“Aren’t we all.”

* * *

“Hey! Have you heard about Mouse Puzzles? It’s the next Sudoku. Come on over, let me show you.”

It’s the guy in the booth next to mine. He’s a math whiz, and not a bad hawker. He came up with an idea for a new puzzle, published game books on his own, and now offers them to each and every passerby.

“Do you ever read mysteries?”

That’s my pitch. Everybody with a booth has one. That’s what Book Expo is–about one-thousand pitchmen behind banners and displays and sample material. Mostly it’s books, but there’s lots of other stuff. Candy, office equipment, library cataloging systems. Everybody’s selling something.

“Do you ever read mysteries?” I say to a middle-aged man.

He approaches. “No, but I know who does. Do you have a public relations program?”

Oops. Seems like not all the pitchmen are behind booths.

* * *

I gave away over 100 books at this year’s Book Expo. Can’t say what good it’ll do me, if any, but last year, Book Expo people took 85 copies of Big Numbers and I developed half a dozen book signings and library appearances from those contacts. I’d like to think I found some new readers, too, people who may have bought Big Money since then.

The way I look at it, mystery writers who make money on their first few books are rare. They may not even exist. The idea is to build readership with each new book in the series, finally reaching mystery stardom after, say, five or six books.

Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

* * *

“Let me ask you something, okay?”

It’s the guy on the other side of me, one of two online publishing partners from Singapore. They don’t have much of a pitch, but they don’t care about selling books either. They say they are in Los Angeles to meet women.

“If the street is named Rodeo Drive, why do people here say ‘row-DAY-o.’”

“I have no clue,” I say. “And I grew up here. I think you probably want to ask the next woman walking by in sunglasses and a baseball hat.”

Check out Jack’s web site at www.jackgetze.com.

Get your copy of Big Money from Amazon

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com (c)2008

We are delighted to welcome Jack Getze back to Reviewed by Liz. Jack is hitting the road again to promote his second book, BIG MONEY. We read, loved, and reviewed BIG MONEY and you can read our review here. If you missed the BIG NUMERS World Tour, check out the category on the right of the same name. Jack entertained us with stories from the road as he traveled to exotic destinations, survived wardrobe malfunctions, signed books, and endured a hailstorm of frogs. Yes, frogs. Read it and find out.

With his latest adventure from the road, Here’s Jack!

HOUSTON, TEXAS — Beside me is a friend, a writing chum, but I’m still nervous, apprehensive. Murder by the Book on Bissonnet Street here is rated one of America’s top mystery book stores. EVERYbody comes here. Michael Connelly, Carolyn Hart, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Anne Perry, and–today only–Jack Getze. Gulp.

Thanks to some fancy gab by PJ my PR Lady, I am talking today about my new novel at the center of American Mystery Fiction. Well…it’s a big, famous store, anyway. And The Big Stage is certainly what it feels like, shaking hands with storeowner David Thompson, and my co-author at today’s event, Baron Birtcher.

“Tell me you had Chinese for lunch,” Baron says. “Because if that’s not a noodle on your beard, I don’t want to know.”

My gaze finds an intimidatingly large stack of books David has pre-ordered for this event. A fine sheen of moisture dampens my collar. Hopefully, I’ll sell a few books for the store, get a few new readers for myself. My business plan calls for early round losses. I’m not worried about making money yet.

Good thing.

I wander toward the table where Baron and I will blab about our new releases. First time ever, there are more than 10 people gathered. Baron must be a hit.

“I loved your first book, Big Numbers,” a man in the front row says to me. Baron and I aren’t even seated. “I can’t wait to read this new one. Big Money. It’s a great series.”

I swoon. The store’s floor-to-ceiling racks of multicolored books swirl in a blurred jumble. The floor rolls like a Jersey Shore amusement ride. Baron has to grab my shoulder.

“It’s a fan, dude,” Baron says.

When it’s over, I’ve sold and signed more books than I’ve ever sold in a bookstore. Ever sold anywhere, really, except for the kickoff I threw, where purchase of the book was the price of admission to a cruise ship, with steak and lobster dinner, all-you-can-drink open bar, and a live concert by Madonna.

I did well at Murder by the Book, but I didn’t entirely deplete that stack of pre-ordered books.

“Sign what’s left and send me some bookmarks,” David says. “Why don’t you have bookmarks?”

“I thought they were like, for collectors. Not much good, really, there being so many other bookmarks around.”

He hands me the book I’ve just purchased, Megan Abbott’s Edgar winner, QUEENPIN. “Look inside,” he says.

Oops. Now I get it. Bookmarks with enticing blurbs about Megan Abbott’s other two books are stuffed between the pages. Duh! Bookmarks are a great form of one-on-one advertising–for the bookstore, AND the author.

“When a customer buys a book by another funny mystery author, I’ll stick one of your bookmarks inside,” David says.

My knees tremble. I almost pass out for the second time in an hour. “Expect a box next week.”

Check out Jack’s web site at www.jackgetze.com.

Get your copy of Big Money from Amazon

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com (c)2008

Jack is back!

We are delighted to welcome Jack Getze back to Reviewed by Liz. Jack is hitting the road again to promote his second book, BIG MONEY. We read, loved, and reviewed BIG MONEY and you can read our review here. If you missed the BIG NUMBERS World Tour, check out the category on the right of the same name. Jack entertained us with stories from the road as he traveled to exotic destinations, survived wardrobe malfunctions, signed books, and endured a hailstorm of frogs. Yes, frogs. Read it and find out.

FAIRFIELD, CONN. — I take deep breaths as Diane Defonce takes the microphone to introduce me. Diane is Manager of this two-story Borders store, and was just named Bookseller of the Year by The Romance Writers of America. Tonight is mystery night, however, and seven authors–me included–are talking about their books.

“So tell us about your new novel, Jack,” Diane says.

Here I go again. The pressure’s on. I have ten minutes or so to interest a room full of people in my novel. I’ve learned from experience that being clever, funny, entertaining, and charming is absolutely mandatory.

I wish I’d remembered to wear socks.

“My second novel, BIG MONEY, was sparked by a true event,” I say. “A gangster’s black limousine pulled to the curb in front of my father-in-law’s contracting office one day, and three large men made him go for a ride.”

So far, so good. I have their attention. Now I give them the punch line.

“I didn’t see this happen to my father-in-law. I just read about it on the front page of the local newspaper–the same day I met him.”

It’s a great story. And true. It was 1979. My future wife and I traveled back to New Jersey to meet her parents and attend the wedding of my wife’s brother. At the kitchen dinette that first morning, I found myself eating breakfast with the star of the local paper’s front page.

The big news that day was about the trial of a local gangster, and much of the previous day’s testimony concerned my future wife’s father and that limousine ride. The driver had been wearing a wire, and much of the conversation was played aloud in court.

In the back seat of the limousine that day, a gangster threatened my father-in-law with death if he didn’t pay for protection. My father-in-law said…well, he refused in colorful language. Told the gangster to go ahead and kill him. Then the gangster threatened his wife and children–including MY future wife. My father-in-law said, go ahead and kill them, too, and something like, “They hate me anyway.”

There were a lot of blank spots in the newspaper story, quotes with holes for cursing. At one point in court, during the playing of the taped conversations, a juror raised his hand and asked, “Which one is the bad guy again?”

Of course, when it came down to pointing out the guys who’d taken him for that limousine ride, my future wife’s father refused. He said he couldn’t be sure.

My father-in-law was tough, not stupid.

“You were a big hit,” Diane says after the show. “Does that story really have anything to do with your book?”

“There’s a limo ride,” I say.

Check out Jack’s web site at www.jackgetze.com.

Get your copy of Big Money from Amazon

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com (c)2008