Ruth Francisco-- The Pigtailed Heart

I worked in the film industry for many years in production, screenwriting, and promotion.   My first book, “Confessions of a Deathmaiden” was published by Warner Books in 2003, followed by “Good Morning, Darkness” and “The Secret Memoirs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis”.  I am a frequent contributor to the “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine”. 

My last two books, “Amsterdam 2012” and “Primal Wound”, are now available exclusively on Kindle.

Product description:

On the gritty mean streets of 1940s Los Angeles, investigator Jack Clayton has few illusions—he knows all about LA corruption.  Yet when the great defense lawyer Jerry Giesler asks him to find witnesses for Hollywood’s last sensational murder trial, he tumbles into a web of gambling, corruption, and international espionage, and into the arms of  a siren so dangerous she could set off the whole powder keg.

Based on a true criminal trial and years of research, this sweeping, rip-roaring saga lives and breathes the hardscrabble times of pre-war Los Angeles: glamor, gambling, political corruption, and the explosive appetites of a thriving young megalopolis. 

Q: What will readers like about your book? 

I wanted to write a fast-paced noir detective novel, but I also wanted to reveal the rich historical texture of the period.  I want readers to feel as if they’ve time-traveled back to 1940, to hear the roller coasters on Santa Monica pier, the jazz playing in the gambling ships, the rap tap tap of Tommy guns.  To feel this era—its glamor and despair. 

I want readers to fall in love with noir. 

Q: Why did you go indie?

I published my first Indie book on Kindle in February, after my publisher turned down my Euro thriller Amsterdam 2012 for being too controversial.  It met with great success.  I was inspired to publish other books on Kindle, and to get back the rights on my backlist.  What started out as an experiment looks like a career choice. 

There is vitality and vigor to writing this way, and I find it all very exciting.  

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Chandler, Mosley, and Ellroy.  Beyond being great storytellers, all of these writers reveal the wonderful texture of the era—the feeling of a world on edge, verging on despair, clinging to our essential humanity.  And they use language beautifully.

Available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pigtailed-Heart-ebook/dp/B00433TYKW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284934091&sr=1-1