The Jana Lane Mystery Series and Me
by Joe Cosentino
author of PORCELAIN DOLL, a Jana Lane mystery, published by
Wild Rose Press
Okay,
I’ll admit it. I was always a ham. As a kid I played make believe
constantly. “Let’s put on a show!” was my motto with full scale musicals in the
garage starring my sister and me. Thankfully my parents and teachers indulged
me (rather than committed me-hah). Eventually I became an actor in film,
television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane,
Rosie O’Donnell, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Morphing into writing plays
and now novels seem like the perfect progression. It
occurred to me that acting is storytelling in the same way that writing is
storytelling, so I decided to give writing a try. After writing some plays, I
knew my novels would include show business in some way, since show business has
always been such a huge part of my life. As an avid mystery reader, it was
clear to me that my novels would also be page-turning mysteries with clever
plot twists, engaging characters, romance, and lots of clues leading to a
surprising yet earned conclusion. Since coming from a funny Italian-American
family, I also knew humor would play a role in my novels.
As
a child I loved child stars like Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, and Patty Duke,
seeing their movies over and over. Any of you old enough to remember them? So I
created a heroine who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on
the studio lot at eighteen years old. In Paper
Doll we get that back story. In
PORCELAIN DOLL, Jana at thirty-nine lives in mansion in upstate New York. She
makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why.
Her heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous romantic co-star,
America’s heartthrob Jason Adonis. The other suspects include Jana’s James Dean
type young co-star, her older John Wayne type co-star, her children’s Eve
Harrington type nanny, the film’s gossipy makeup and hair artist, a local
reverend trying to stop the film’s production, and Jason’s agent.
Though
not yet released, I also wrote Satin Doll,
where Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in
a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate
chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the muscular
detective. In China Doll, also not
yet released, Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted
by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. Through
the course of the books, Jana not only solves the mysteries, but also reclaims
the courage and fortitude she had as a child. This is an
important message for all of us. As one reviewer wrote, she starts out as a
wounded bird, and ends as tiger. I’d love to
come full circle and play Jana’s funny, resilient, and fiercely loyal agent,
Simon Huckby in film or television version!
I
set the series in the 1980’s since I love the music, hair styles, clothing, and
decadence of that era. I had great fun writing about Jana’s mansion, wardrobe,
makeup, and hairstyles. I was also able to incorporate some of the music,
films, television shows, Broadway shows, and political and social events of the
era. Since Jana’s agent and best friend are gay, and she is somewhat of a gay
activist, I also included the AIDS epidemic.
The
reviews have been amazing. For example: “Porcelain Doll is Joe
Cosentino at his finest. We are drawn back to the fashions and attitudes of the
1980's in a character-driven story full of intrigue and passion." Kirsty
Vizard, Divine Magazine
“Beautifully written
and intensely detailed, Porcelain Doll
is one not to be missed. Flirtatiously decadent with a strong moral undertone,
set in a decade of extraordinary social change this is a story of its period
that is as poignant today as it was then. Joe Cosentino controlled the emotions
that the book encouraged with a deft but delicate touch. Suspenseful and
mysterious, Porcelain Doll is a
masterful creation, one that was impossible not to be affected by.” Carol
Fenton, BooksLaidBare Reviews
As
another reviewer wrote, I use my insider knowledge of show business to devilish
ends!
I hope
you will read PORCELAIN DOLL, and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear
from you at http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.
PORCELAIN DOLL, a
Jana Lane mystery
by Joe Cosentino
published by The
Wild Rose Press
Released: March 16, 2016
Pages: 260
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Paperback: 978-1-5092-0603-2
Digital: 978-1-5092-0604-9
Buy at:
http://www.wildrosepublishing.
Is art imitating life in 1982? Jana Lane, ex-child star, is doing a
comeback film about murder. When a crew member is killed on the set, it looks
like Jana could be next. Thickening the plot is Jana’s breathtakingly handsome and
muscular leading man, Jason Apollo, whose boyish, southern charms have aroused
Jana’s interest on screen and off. Will Jana and Jason stop the murderer before
the final reel, or end up on the cutting room floor in this fast-paced whodunit
with a shocking ending?
Praise for PORCELAIN DOLL, a
Jana Lane mystery:
“Porcelain Doll is Joe Cosentino at his
finest. We are drawn back to the fashions and attitudes of the 1980's in a
character-driven story full of intrigue and passion." Kirsty Vizard,
Divine Magazine
“Beautifully written and
intensely detailed, Porcelain Doll is
one not to be missed. Flirtatiously decadent with a strong moral undertone, set
in a decade of extraordinary social change this is a story of its period that
is as poignant today as it was then. Joe Cosentino controlled the emotions that
the book encouraged with a deft but delicate touch. Suspenseful and mysterious,
Porcelain Doll is a masterful
creation, one that was impossible not to be affected by.” Carol Fenton,
BooksLaidBare Reviews
Excerpt:
1982.
Jana Lane,
America’s most famous ex-child star, ran on the grounds of her estate. The
forty-year-old kept up a quick pace as someone, or something, followed closely
in the woods just out of sight. Her heart pounded, and sweat dropped down her
neck, arms, and legs. As she turned to avoid falling into the lake, Jana raced
past a large oak tree. A hand reached out from a branch. Jana screamed.
Waking with a
gasp, Jana rested her head on her silver satin pillow, and took in some deep
breaths. Then, she sat up in bed and tried to shake away the nightmare.
Keep it
together, girl. Don’t go off the deep end like before.
Thinking that
music might help, she flipped on the radio, perched on her white and gold
French provincial night table.
As Diana Ross
crooned “Mirror Mirror,” Jana rose then stood in front of her floor-length oval
mirror. Staring back between the white and gold molding was a forty-year-old
woman with porcelain skin, sky-blue eyes, a button nose, deep dimples, ruby red
lips, and velvety strawberry-blonde hair. (Yet all Jana could focus on were her
newly acquired crow’s feet, laugh lines, frown lines, and three gray hairs.
After giving birth to three children, the figure underneath her pink satin
nightgown was still shapely and petite, but Jana only noticed the tiny belly and
unwelcome stirrings of cellulite.) Moving to the red satin canopy bed with its
gold circular headboard, Jana slipped on her silver satin robe and fluffy pink
slippers. Feeling a man’s strong hands around her, she screamed.
Meet the Author
Amazon Bestselling author
Joe Cosentino wrote Paper Doll the
first Jana Lane mystery (Whiskey Creek Press), Porcelain Doll the second Jana Lane mystery (The Wild Rose Press), Drama Queen the first Nicky and Noah
mystery (Lethe Press), Drama Muscle
the second Nicky and Noah mystery (Lethe Press), An Infatuation & A
Shooting Star & A Home for the Holidays & The Naked Prince and Other
Tales from Fairyland (Dreamspinner Press), Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back (NineStar Press), and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
(Eldridge Plays and Musicals). He has appeared in principal acting roles in
film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie
O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. His one-act plays, Infatuation
and Neighbor, were performed in New York City. He wrote The Perils of
Pauline educational film (Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe is currently Head
of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily
married. His upcoming novels are Satin Doll the third Jana Lane mystery (The Wild Rose Press), China Doll the fourth Jana Lane mystery
(The Wild Rose Press), Drama Cruise the third Nicky and Noah mystery
(Lethe Press), and Cozzi Cove: Moving
Forward (NineStar Press). Joe was voted 2nd Place for Best MM Author
of the Year in Divine Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2015.
Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino
Giveaway~ Post a comment about why you love romantic mysteries. The one that gets our little gray cells the most excited will win a PDF copy of Paper Doll, the first Jana Lane mystery.
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