Author Jack Getze Visits, Plus a Giveaway

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Jack Getze here today as part of his Great Escape Virtual Book Tour for his recent release, BIG MONEY, the latest installment in his Austin Carr Mystery series.

As part of the tour, Jack has graciously answered some questions for me concerning his writing. In addition, he is giving away 2 e-Book copies of BIG MONEY to two lucky visitors to Thoughts in Progress and a special tour-wide giveaway. Please see the end of the post for details.

Here’s a brief synopsis of BIG MONEY (Austin Carr Mystery):
Publisher: Down & Out Books (January 12, 2014)
E-Book File Size: 884 KB
ASIN: B00HHAOZN4
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1937495671


      
In this jaunty follow-up to Big Numbers, a scruffy stockbroker returns to tangle with mobsters, women and his own big mouth.
      The good news, as the story opens, is that the hero is in the company of a gorgeous naked lady.
      The bad news is that she’s pointing a shotgun at him.
      It’s a typical predicament for Austin Carr, a semi-shady New Jersey financial professional temporarily in charge of Shore Securities…He’s being extorted into opening a money-laundering account for local crime boss Bluefish; an auditor who was investigating his company has turned up murdered; a fetching state police captain figures he’s the key to her organized-crime probe; and his boss’s mother has been picked up for fixing her church bingo game.

Here’s what one reviewer had to say about the Austin Carr Mysteries:

      Carr is continually getting into trouble over his weakness for breasts, his penchant for self-incriminating statements and his vestigial moral sensibility, which, like an appendix, makes itself felt at inconvenient times. — Kirkus Indie

Now here’s Jack to answer questions. Welcome, Jack.

Mason - As readers, we always wonder where book ideas come from and how characters come to be. What inspired you to create your protagonist Austin Carr?

Jack:
It's no coincidence the Austin Carr books are written in the first person. Moving to New Jersey from California was something of a shock for me, but using the telephone to solicit sales and feed my family -- after collecting information on the phone for The Los Angeles Times -- I found most distressing. I had to change and Austin is the butterfly that emerged from my cocoon. You can't hear it, but I'm laughing.

Mason - What is a typical writing day like for you?

Jack:
I love to start writing before the sun rises -- usually around 4 a.m. If I sleep much later, the dog jumps on my bed and demands to use the outside facilities -- my wife's flower garden. I make coffee, feed the cat and the dog, get to the computer about twenty minutes later. I check a few things on line -- You know, see what my Amazon sales numbers are, run my eyes over the email to see if Ron Howard wants me, that kind of thing -- then start writing. My fiction comes first, and I'll spend all day on it if I can. But these days authors have a lot of non-fiction to write for marketing purposes. I take many breaks -- to eat, do some housework, including most of the cooking for my wife and I -- but I basically write all day long and even into the night if my wife works late, or (like the day I'm answering your question) she's traveling. She does that a lot since I retired and started staying home. 

Mason - Now that the book is out, what surprised you the most as you were writing it?

Jack:
The character Mama Bones. As usual with Austin's supporting cast, she began life as part of a story I'd heard since moving back to New Jersey -- a story about cheating on a church bingo game. I put the story in BIG MONEY early, thought I was probably done with her, but Angelina "Mama Bones" Bonacelli turned into a major player in Austin's life. Even more so in the next one, BIG MOJO. As an author I have to be careful -- it's my story and I can't let a character take over just because she's become extremely forceful. Someday she might have to start her own series, however. I cannot shut her up.

Mason - If you could write a book with any author (living or dead), who would it be and what type of book would you write?

Jack:
I'd love to write a book with the recently deceased Elmore Leonard, have him mark up my pages, teach me craft as we collaborated. As for what kind of book, I suppose I'd try to get Elmore to write a "big book," something we could pass off as world class thriller. He liked smaller stories about brave but unknown men. I loved every one I ever read -- thirty at least. But I wish he'd tackled a few blockbuster plots.

Mason - Most authors also enjoy reading. What was the last book you read and are you currently reading anything?

Jack:
At the crime writers convention Bouchercon this year a fellow I knew online stuck his new book from Stark House in my hands. I started on an airplane, mainly to pass the time, but got stuck in the characters, loved it to death, and read it straight through when I got home, much to the dismay of my family who hadn't seen me for a while. GRIND JOINT by Dana King. Wonderful cops and scary robbers. Very entertaining.

Finishing up BITCHES OF BROOKLYN by Rosemary Harris. Also very entertaining, although more in the humor category.

Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?

Jack:
Number three in the Austin Carr series, BIG MOJO, should be out before summer. Mama Bones and her son want revenge; Austin's best friend Luis and his new wife face her dangerous old boyfriend; and Austin gets lanced by Cupid's arrow. Or is this redhead just another pretty murderer?

Jack, thanks for joining us today and answering my questions. It’s always fun for me as a reader to learn how a story comes together and get a little insight into the writer.

 
Here’s a bit of background on Jack:

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. Through the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Syndicate, his news and feature stories were published in over five-hundred newspapers and periodicals worldwide. 

His two screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued by DOWN & OUT BOOKS, with the new BIG MOJO to follow. His short stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir and Beat to a Pulp. 

Jack is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.
For more on Jack and his writing, visit his website and connect with him on Goodreads.



TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
Jack is busy all this month with 28 stops in 31 days. Be sure to check out the following blogs to learn more about Jack, his writing and for additional chances to win.
March 1 – Mystery Playground - Interview, Giveaway
March 3 – Victoria's Pages of Romance - Spotlight
March 4 – rantin' ravin' and reading - Review, Interview, Giveaway
March 5 – Back Porchervations – Review, Giveaway
March 6 – Beth's Book Reviews - Guest Post, Giveaway
March 7 – Storeybook Reviews - Spotlight
March 8 – Kelly P's Blog - Interview
March 9 – A Chick Who Reads - Review
March 10 – Christa Reads and Writes - Review
March 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
March 12 – fundinmental – Review - Giveaway
March 13 – readalot – Review
March 14 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post
March 15 – Books-n-Kisses - Review
March 16 –
March 17 – Omnimystery – Guest Post
March 18 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – Guest Post
March 19 – Deal Sharing Aunt - Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
March 20 – A Blue Million Books - Interview
March 21 – Teena in Toronto - Review
March 22 – Socrates' Book Review Blog - Review
March 23 – Reviews By Molly - Review, Giveaway
March 24 – Jane Reads - Review, Giveaway
March 25 – Darla King Series - Interview
March 26 –
March 27 – Chloe Gets A Clue - Interview
March 28 – Christy's Cozy Corners – Spotlight, Giveaway
March 29 –
March 30 – Brooke Blogs - Review, Giveaway
March 31 – Queen of All She Reads - Review, Guest Post, Giveaway

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This giveaway is for two e-Book copies of BIG MONEY. The e-Books will be gifted through Amazon or Barnes and Noble, depending on the winner’s format choice. 

To enter the giveaway for a digital copy of the book, just answer the question below in the comment section. Be sure to include your email address, if it isn’t included in your profile. If you wish not to be entered in the contest, just say ‘Not entering’ and then comment all you’d like. I don’t want to discourage someone from commenting just because they don’t want to enter the contest.

The deadline for entering the contest will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Monday, March 10. The winner will be selected by Random.Org and I will notify the winner by email with the subject line ‘Thoughts in Progress Big Money.’ The winner will have 72 hours to respond to the email with their mailing information or to notify me they’ve already won the book elsewhere. If there isn’t a response in 72 hours, a new winner will be selected.

BTW if you’d like extra entries in the giveaway, tweet about the giveaway (return and share the link), share it on Facebook (return and share the link) and pin it on Pinterest (return and share the link). 

Remember, answer the following question for a chance to win a digital copy of BIG MONEY: “Do you like your protagonist with a good sense of humor or more serious minded?”

Thanks so much for dropping by and spending a bit of time with us. Now here’s the additional tour-wide giveaway. Just click on the Rafflecopter for a chance to win this awesome prize. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway