I, An Actress

ISBN 0-9744614-9-0

By Jeffrey Dinsmore

Singer. Dancer. Burlesque club stripper. Gangster moll. Communist revolutionary. Screen legend Karen Jamey has worn a lot of hats in her time and loved more men than the staff of a Reno cathouse. From her auspicious beginnings on the Baltimore stage to her status as the reigning queen of the B-movie scene, I, An Actress takes a sordid journey through the darkly funny underbelly of fame.

With characteristic wit, candor, and cluelessness, Ms. Jamey reflects on the events that have shaped her into the beloved American figure she is today-her mother's sad descent into hoboism, the untimely death and subsequent resurrection of her grandfather, the films that built her up, and the men that tore her down. Relentlessly doling out morbid humor and mercilessly skewering Hollywood clichés, I, An Actress is a rabid romp through the twists and turns of fame.

     

Danger City

ISBN 0-9744614-8-2

By Various Authors

Contemporary Press presents Danger City, thirteen twisted tales of heartfelt revenge, unsavory cops, huggable drug dealers, badly-timed payoffs, and strange love. Completely without restraint, totally unhealthy, and more addictive than a slot machine full of whiskey, the short fiction in Danger City puts the bite back in noir and the wood back in pulp.

For months, Contemporary Press combed endless streets, bus stations, and dive bars seeking the finest in modern noir writing. These up-and-coming authors have created a truly sordid pulp underworld, filling Danger City with page-turning adventure, knuckle-biting suspense, and laugh-out-loud humor. Once you begin wandering through its shadowy alleys and seedy motel rooms, you may find it difficult to leave.

     

Dead Rite

ISBN 0-9744614-7-4

By Jim Gilmore

Samuel Shelton likes to relax with an ice-cold vodka and a California sunset, but he has a lot on his mind: his wife is dead and his washed up Hollywood starlet of a girlfriend is ignoring him. When Shelton is discovered in a shallow grave, Officer Hicks is on the case. Hicks avoids the media frenzy, and does things by the book until the trail of clues leads straight to putting Hicks at the scene of the crime. Fast-paced and deadly, this is one man's dark trip through the riches of sunny Hollywood.

     

How to Smash Everyone to Pieces

ISBN 0-9744614-6-6

By Mike Segretto

Ex-stunt woman, mass murderer, and champion wise-cracker Mary is furious to discover that her twin sister Desiree — accused of murdering her husband — has been wrangled back to an Arizona prison by a grizzled detective named Tuttle. Fueled by an unnaturally obsessive love for her twin, Mary sets off on a homicidal cross-country campaign to free Desiree from the clutches of the law, recruiting a bizarre bunch of cohorts on the way.

Exploding with action, uproarious one-liners, and more cartoon violence than an episode of Tom and Jerry, How to Smash Everyone to Pieces is one of the most perverse and hilarious tales ever to come tearing down the highway.

     

G.O.P. D.O.A.

ISBN 0-9744614-5-8

By Jay Brida

While the city braces for 20,000 Republicans to descend on New York, a Brooklyn political operative named Flanagan uncovers a bizarre plot that could trigger a Red, White, Black and Blue nightmare. Populated by buffoons, hacks, thugs and the Sons of Joey Ramone, G.O.P. D.O.A. is a fast paced, ripping yarn that gorges on the American buffet of sexual hypocrisy, political ambition and the Republican way of life.

     

Johnny Astronaut

ISBN 0-9744614-3-1

By Rory Carmichael

In the future, disco is king. Johnny Astronaut is the story of a hard-boiled, hard-drinking P.I. who stumbles upon a mysterious book that changes his life forever. Caught between a vindictive ex-wife, a powerful crime boss, and a sinister race of lizard people, Johnny becomes embroiled in a fast-paced, hilarious adventure that stretches across space and time.

     

DOWN GIRL

ISBN 0-9744614-1-5

By Jess Dukes

In Down Girl, 29-year-old Pauline Rose Lennon works too hard for every cent she ever made until she meets Anton, willing to give her more cash than she's ever imagined... for one small favor. Pauline's life spins hilariously out of control, but she pulls it back from the brink just in time to prove that just because you're down, it doesn't mean you're out.

     

DEAD DOG

ISBN 0-9744614-0-7

By Mike Segretto

A curmudgeonly shut-in's life is turned inside-out when he becomes involved with a trash-talking femme fatale, a trio of psychotic gangsters, and a dog whose incessant barking has caused him years of sleepless nights. Spiked with ample doses of sex, violence, and campy humor, Dead Dog is a riotous road trip from an Arizona trailer park to hell.

     

WET WORK

ISBN 0-9744614-2-3

By Jay Brida

Wet Work is a story of lusty agents turned on by violence, lazy detectives on the take and drug-abusing Russians looking to kill American leaders. And those are the good guys. With memorable characters, zinging dialogue and a sexy, twisting plot, Wet Work takes on all comers and mops up the floor with them.

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