Kathy: In THE DON CON we meet Joey Volpe, a two bit actor who currently makes more signing autographs at conventions celebrating his small role on a hot TV show. Do you enjoy attending similar conventions?
RA: I’ve only been to one fan convention, but it was a doozy. One of my oldest friends was a principal cast member of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He was signing autographs at the Louisville Supercon last fall, and he invited me to have dinner with him along with William Shatner, Henry Winkler, and LeVar Burton. Meeting Captain Kirk, Kunta Kinte, and The Fonz was like hitting the trifecta of iconic television (and fan convention) stars. Ironically, I only went to the convention because I felt it was important for me to experience at least one “con” in person before I started doing publicity for the novel. Everything else I wrote about fan conventions in the novel came from research. But I was pleased to see these fan-cons were very much exactly as I had portrayed them in the book.
Kathy: America has a fascination with old-fashioned gangsters. Why do you think that is?
RA:I think it’s because we all secretly want to be a mobster. Well, at least many adult American men do. No, we don’t want to kill people, or even steal from them. But we want to live life on our own terms. We want to have sex with whomever we want whenever we want. We want to drink, gamble, and carouse all night long without any repercussions in the morning. We want other people to fear and respect us. Of course, very few of us are willing to pay the price necessary to actually attain these desires: Namely, we don’t want to face the constant risk of prison, torture, or death. But we love to daydream about it, and gangster movies and books help us do that.
Kathy: THE DON CON is a caper novel. Do you have any favorite caper novels or movies? Did they influence you in your writing of THE DON CON?
RA:“The Sting” is the mother of all con-man movies, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. It was based on a non-fiction book called “The Big Con” by David Mauer, which is like the Iliad and the Odyssey of con artistry. Any caper novelist who tells you they weren’t influenced by that book is conning you! I also like “Oceans 11,” both the original Frank Sinatra version and the more recent one with George Clooney. I recently started binge-watching “Sneaky Pete,” and it’s terrific. David Mamet’s plays, movies, and books have also been an inspiration to me.
Kathy: What first drew you to mysteries/capers?
RA:A good con artist story is a wonderful mix of drama, humor, crime, thrills, and mystery that is just irresistible to a writer. I’m surprised there are not more of them, frankly. In order to write THE DON CON, I had to do a lot of research on con artists and con games—not all of which I could use in the novel. So I wrote an e-book called, “HOW TO TALK ANYBODY INTO ANYTHING: Persuasion Secrets of the World’s Greatest Con Men.” If you visit my website, www.thedoncon.com, you can download this e-book for free. (No purchase required.) It’s just my way of thanking folks for visiting the website.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
RA:No, both of my published novels were stories about con men. I WISH I could write in either the romance or mystery genres because there’s such a big market for them. If I had to give two words of advice for any budding novelist, the first would be: “Write mysteries or romance novels.” The second would be: “Write a series that follows one charismatic character over time.” Unfortunately, I have failed to follow my own advice!
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
RA:This is a clichéd answer, but I like ALL the characters in my novels, even the evil ones, because they are all various versions of myself. Being a novelist is like being an actor. (And I’ve been both in my lifetime.) In both cases, you want to channel whatever aspect of your own personality that matches the character you’re portraying on stage ... or on the page.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your novel?
RA:I mentioned earlier that I have a friend who was in the cast of “Star Trek.” My wife and I had dinner with him one night, and he regaled us with funny stories about signing autographs at Trekkie fan conventions. (Until that moment, I never knew such things existed!) Among other things, he told us how much cash he made at these conventions, because they are still mostly a cash business. Not long after that dinner, the thought occurred to me: “What if somebody tried to rob all the celebrities at a fan convention of their cash?” That was how I got the idea for THE DON CON.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
RA:I believe that fiction, like all art, is a two-way street. Yes, you do it because you love it and because there’s something inside you that needs to get out. Yes, you’d probably do it whether anybody paid attention to your work or not. Vincent Van Gogh, after all, never sold a painting. (Although it wasn’t for lack of trying!) But I believe a work of art is not fully complete until someone reads it, sees it, or listens to it. In my opinion, the reader brings almost as much to a novel as the writer does. He or she brings their own experience, intelligence, and imagination to bear on it. It’s the communication between writer and reader, artist and viewer, musician and listener that makes the magic of art.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
RA:William Shakespeare would get an engraved invitation. He plays a key role in THE DON CON. Let’s invite Kurt Vonnegut, Michael Connelly, and Lee Child, too, because I’ve read every book they’ve written and loved all of them.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
RA:“Educated” by Tara Westover, a memoir of a young woman who grew up in a survivalist family without an education (or even a birth certificate!) and managed to break free to earn a PhD from Cambridge. Every morning I also read a little bit of “The Story” (a contemporary re-telling of the Holy Bible) and “The Daily Stoic,” a daily dose of Stoic philosophy. The next novel on my list will be “Woman in the Window,” whose author has been getting a lot of interesting (but not good) publicity recently.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
RA:As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big fan of Shakespeare. I’ve read all 38 of his plays and seen nearly all of them onstage, too. Some of them multiple times. I like to travel around the East Coast and see as many Shakespeare plays as I can. Like the main character in THE DON CON, I enjoy annoying my friends by quoting Shakespeare in conversation. Meanwhile, I play golf for exercise ... and humility. I also follow the horses. (And the horses I follow usually follow other horses.)
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
RA:I eat nearly all of my meals out. But in my kitchen you’ll always find olive oil, olives, garlic, and pasta. (I’m a bit of an Italo-phile, too, especially when it comes to food.)
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
RA:No, I’m waiting for a bolt of lightning to strike. It’s been my experience that I can write a novel in about two months, but it takes about five years to come up with a good idea for one.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
RA:I love doing book club appearances. Because unlike book store appearances, everyone in attendance has already read the book. As a result, you can have a very deep conversation about the characters, the plot, the writing, and the meaning of your book. It’s incredibly rewarding and satisfying for a novelist to see how the characters he created come to life in someone else’s head. The readers often ask you questions as if these characters were real people: “It made me mad when Joey did this” ... “Why did Caitlin decide to stay married to him?” ... “I cried when Bianca said this” ... and so on. Trust me, it really blows a novelist’s mind when he takes part conversations like those!
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About the Author: Richard Armstrong has been a freelance advertising copywriter for more than forty years. His previous books include Leaving the Nest: The Complete Guide to Living on Your Own; The Next Hurrah: The Communications Revolution in American Politics; and the world’s only novel about direct mail, God Doesn’t Shoot Craps. Armstrong’s articles have appeared in National Review, Washingtonian Magazine, Advertising Age and many other publications. He lives with his wife Sharon and his dachshund Stardust in Washington, DC.
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Book Details:
Title: The Don Con
Author: Richard Armstrong
Publisher: Pace Press, an imprint of
Linden Publishing Publication Date: April 1,
2019
Price: $14.95 US
Category: FICTION / Thrillers / Crime ISBN 978-1-61035-336-6
5¼" x 8" trade
paperback, 270 pages.
Also available in e-book formats.
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Review
THE DON CON by Richard Armstrong
Known for his bit role in the mobster series The Sopranos, along with a
recurring role in another gangster series, down on his luck actor Joey
Volpe finds the best way to make money is to sign autographs at popular
culture fan conventions. When a real life member of the mafia makes Joey
an offer he can't refuse, Joey finds himself participating in an armed
robbery...which does not go to plan. With an incompetent public
defender, Joey finds himself in prison...where he plots his next role.
Richard Armstrong's novel is one smart caper. Shakespearean quotes flow alongside those from The Godfather and images from Star Trek, melding the tragic with the sublime...and the downright funny. The characters are quirky and memorable. Joey Volpe is a somewhat flawed protagonist, OK, very flawed, but still, somehow, a likeable guy. By their very nature cons are subtle, pieces of art, really. The crew here come for the set up with sledgehammers rather than filigree knives...but the actual con is one smooth operation.
Taking pokes at actors, gangsters, and fan cons while simultaneously embracing all three, Armstrong had me snickering throughout the book and even laughing out loud at times. Wacky scenes abound, but behind it all there's a truth...a reality that gives meaning and makes readers care about what happens to Joey and his family.
Richard Armstrong's novel is one smart caper. Shakespearean quotes flow alongside those from The Godfather and images from Star Trek, melding the tragic with the sublime...and the downright funny. The characters are quirky and memorable. Joey Volpe is a somewhat flawed protagonist, OK, very flawed, but still, somehow, a likeable guy. By their very nature cons are subtle, pieces of art, really. The crew here come for the set up with sledgehammers rather than filigree knives...but the actual con is one smooth operation.
Taking pokes at actors, gangsters, and fan cons while simultaneously embracing all three, Armstrong had me snickering throughout the book and even laughing out loud at times. Wacky scenes abound, but behind it all there's a truth...a reality that gives meaning and makes readers care about what happens to Joey and his family.
THE DON CON is a fun ride filled with outrageous characters you won't
easily forget...even if you're never sure what role Joey actually had on
The Sopranos.
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