I loved this book. It could be my f%#@&$* autobiography!”
For More about THE DON CON, take a look below…
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Meet Joey Volpe, the
world’s unluckiest actor…
Joey Volpe’s life sucks. As an actor, he hit the peak of his career when he played a bit part as a mobster on The Sopranos. If you blinked, you missed it.
But now, at age 40, he’s unemployed, broke, and forced to make a living by signing autographs at pop-culture fan conventions. His lack of income, along with his chronic womanizing, has put his marriage at risk, too.
Joey’s life gets even worse when a real mobster shows up in his autograph line and makes him an offer he can’t refuse:
He forces Joey to rob all the celebrities of their cash at the next fan convention. When the heist goes bad, the mobster frames Joey to take the fall.
With two long years in prison to plot his revenge—plus a cellmate who’s an expert at running con jobs—Joey comes up with a plan to get back at the mobster, make millions of dollars for himself, and save his marriage in the bargain.
But if the plan fails, Joey could find himself fitted for a pair of cement overshoes.
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Watch THE DON CON "Trailer" Now!
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Here’s what people are saying about THE DON CON
“After working in fan conventions for 30 years, I can assure you THE DON CON captures the magic, the absurdity, and the truth of this world. From this landscape, Armstrong has created a clever, fast-paced, and bittersweet caper. THE DON CON is to Fan-Cons as “Galaxy Quest” is to Star Trek conventions.”
“I loved this book. It could be my f#@%#@& autobiography!”
“Richard Armstrong does it again. THE DON CON lets loose on acting and stardom, Shakespeare, the mob, prison, revenge, redemption, and a dog named Gizmo. With non-stop one-liners, Armstrong takes his place with Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield. And the “Con” in the title is even a triple entendre. An amazing performance. Read it! You’ll love it.”
“Sheer and unadulterated reading pleasure. Meets the gold standard: ‘Made me laugh, made me cry, I loved it!’”
“You’re in for a wild romp through pop culture peppered with mobsters and mayhem in Richard Armstrong’s terrific new novel THE DON CON. The book’s smart, witty, and a joy to read from first page to last.”
“Another terrifically entertaining novel from Richard Armstrong in a new genre he seems to have either invented or perfected—the comic caper novel with clever plot twists and compelling criminal characters.”
“If you start this book at LGA (LaGuardia) and finish it at LAS (Vegas), you’ll not only take the same journey Joey Volpe does, but you’ll be laughing all the way. Hopefully, you won’t have to rob a fan convention, spend time in prison, or fend off the Mafia to get there!”
“THE DON CON is a clever mash-up of fan conventions, the Mob, and robbery, armed and otherwise, that looks at what happens when worlds collide. Whether television bit player or Mafia big shot, every character in this book comes alive. Genre-savvy readers will love the references to fandoms from The Godfather to Star Trek, and everyone who likes a good, suspenseful caper will be eager to keep reading.”
“Just wait ’til you meet Joey Volpe, bit actor on The Sopranos, rueful ladies’ man, involuntarily Mafioso and silver-tongued narrator of THE DON CON. Joey takes readers on a rollicking personal tour of pop culture, from Star Trek to aging child stars to Comic-Con, as he navigates the equally impossible systems of the Screen Actors Guild and organized crime. He’s funny, creative and — despite his self-destructive tendencies — a total optimist with a sunny spirit. From the moment his dog, Gizmo, is kidnapped until he wages battle with the Philadelphia mob, you cannot help but root for Joey to come out on top.”
“What’s a washed-up actor to do? Why, join the Mob of course. Thing is, hapless Joey Volpe doesn’t realize he’s done so until he finds himself facing RICO charges for an acting job – an acting job! – gone awry. Joey has two years in the slam to plot revenge against Don Tony, the mafioso villain of THE DON CON, and the scheme Joey comes up with is a doozy. Join him and his prison pals on this romp through the hidden worlds of minimum-security jails, Fan-Cons and more. You couldn’t possibly have more fun than I did.”
“Richard Armstrong’s novel GOD DOESN’T SHOOT CRAPS is one of my all-time favorites, in part because it is the only ‘inside baseball’ novel about direct-mail shenanigans I know of, but also because it’s fun. His newest, THE DON CON, takes us inside a different world, fueled by our insane obsession with celebrities—even barely celebrities; fan conventions like Comic-Con, the Star Trek events, and all the rest. It’s a damn funny, fun, fast-paced caper story you won’t want to put down. I envy his talent.”
“The con is on when terminally down-on-his-luck Joey Volpe unwittingly teams up with the mob. Marvelously entertaining, with witty dialogue, off-the-wall characters, and Shakespeare, THE DON CON is clever, exceptionally well-written, and wildly funny.”
“Here’s your beach trip packing list: 1) Swimsuit; 2) Sunscreen; 3) Richard Armstrong’s superb new caper novel THE DON CON. It’s a great summer read about ham actors, ham-fisted gangsters, and inept con artists, told with great humor and an insider’s eye. Not going to the beach soon? Just buy the book and read it indoors.”
“Actor Joey Volpe has trouble making the D List. Hell, he can’t even pay his bills. Which is why he’s relegated to signing autographs for peanuts at fan conventions. And why he falls in with mobsters, gets sentenced to two years in a farce of a trial with the world’s worst lawyer, and ultimately plots a comeback scam so improbable it just might work. From its clever title to the crackling dialogue to the running gags that never get old, Richard Armstrong’s The Don Con is a hilarious, fast-paced yarn in the tradition of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen.”
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Persuasion Secrets of the World’s Greatest Con Men!
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No Obligation, No Commitment, Nothing to Buy!
In the process of writing THE DON CON, I did a lot of research into how con men operate. I found out how they sucker their
victims into making foolish mistakes. How they convince their “marks” to believe things that aren’t true. How they get away with the money before their victims even know they’ve been conned.
Contrary to popular belief, for example, con men do NOT prey on gullible, naïve, or stupid people. Instead they look for people who are highly intelligent … but overly emotional and impulsive.
In my research, I discovered a variety of tricks and techniques used by con men that you can use (legally!) whenever you need to convince anybody of anything.
Please download your FREE copy of “HOW TO TALK ANYBODY INTO ANYTHING: Persuasion Secrets of the World’s Greatest Con Men” now. It’s an instant free download. No obligation.
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Scroll down for a word about the author
Richard Armstrong
Richard Armstrong is the author of LEAVING THE NEST (Morrow, 1986), THE NEXT HURRAH (Morrow, 1988), and GOD DOESN’T SHOOT CRAPS (Sourcebooks, 2006).
A former actor himself, he is still a proud member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and the Actor’s Equity Association. As a union member, Richard always votes in favor of strikes “because then I’m not the only one out of work.”
When he’s not on strike or writing books, he makes his living as a freelance advertising copywriter. His clients are among the most iconic names in direct marketing, including Boardroom, Agora, Prevention, Kiplinger’s, and Reader’s Digest. In 2014, he was named “Copywriter of the Year,” joining such previous winners as Dan Kennedy, Bob Bly, and Clayton Makepeace.
Richard lives in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, DC with his wife Sharon. For more about Richard, please visit: www.freesamplebook.com
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If you buy “The Don Con” online, you will receive a receipt or confirmation number from the seller.
Email that receipt or number to me as proof of purchase at richarm1@aol.com.
I’ll send you a FREE copy of my first novel GOD DOESN’T SHOOT CRAPS … plus a free report on “Storytelling” from the novelist’s point of view.
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I’d love to hear from YOU!
I’d love to hear from you with comments, questions, compliments or critiques, and … well, whatever you feel like talking about. I promise to reply.
Please contact my publisher or publicist about speaking events, interviews, or media appearances.
Feel free to email me directly about anything else.
I’d love to connect with you on social media, too.
Email: richarm1@aol.com
PUBLISHER’S INFO:
Media Contact: Jaguar Bennett
Jaguar@lindenpub.com
1-800-345-4447
PACE PRESS
An Imprint of Linden Publishing, Inc.
2006 S. Mary Street
Fresno, California 93721
Distributed by Ingram Publisher Services
PUBLICIST’S INFO:
PUBLICIST: Claire McKinney
Claire McKinney PR
New York, New York
PHONE: 908-955-7563
EMAIL: claire@clairemckinneyPR.com
Do You Have A Book Club?
If you’re in the Washington, DC area, I’ll gladly show up in person to talk about the book (and I promise not to drink all your wine). If not, I’d be happy to Skype or Facetime into your meeting. Please email me directly for details and availability.
EMAIL: richarm1@aol.com