Mick and Jim are two incompetent, Soho-based, corporate video producers who drink too much, don’t earn enough and get too many death threats. So when the Mafia come calling, demanding back rent of £6,000, they have ten minutes to do a runner. All they have is an old Morris Traveller (a Woodie, if you’re in the US) and a tank full of petrol.
Their sudden flight takes them to the sex trade in Southsea, out-of-body experiences, horrendous amateur dramatics, Death Metal pubs, foul-mouthed, 80-year-old punk grannies and hit men dressed in pink Mexican outfits.
Under constant threat from mafia enforcers, they get offered a mystery job in Las Vegas. When they arrive in the US, six Reservoir Dog lookalikes are waiting for them. They make their escape using the world’s most mercenary taxi driver.
During the next 24 hours, they chicken out a freight train, walk six moonlit miles across the desert with cactus-punctured groins, find out what badly manufactured LSD can do to you, avoid Thelma and Louise suicide-a-likes, have sex with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, make a commitment in front of a Bourbon-fuelled Elvis at Big Derek’s Gay Marriage Emporium and blow up a Harley Davidson. The final showdown takes place with the Mafia boss in the world’s most unspeakably lurid theatrical environment. A very neat twist propels them from sudden death into a totally different way of life.
Or does it?
What are the main themes of your book?
It’s about two highly unsuccessful video producers who drink too much, don’t earn enough and get too many death threats.
Who or what inspired your story?
Nothing really. I just knew a videocamerman who invented the They Win. You Lose. philosophy as a way of keeping calm when things got difficult on a shoot.
What do you like best about your primary characters?
Their love/hate relationship and their interaction with the bizarre characters who come their way.
What are their worst peculiarities?
Self-interest, drinking too much.
How does your main character evolve?
There are two main characters. They don’t evolve at all. They are just as disgusting on page one as they are on the final page. However, circumstances around them change dramatically, usually based on their own decisions, which in turn are mainly based on money and a desire to avoid an early violent death.
What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?
Sooner or later, we all like to read something funny.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book? (include a link to the review)
“Brilliant! Clever, fast paced, outrageously funny and never a dull moment. So many laugh out loud scenes, quotable lines and memorable characters. This book is relentlessly entertaining! A great read.” George T. Link here.
Where can we purchase it?
About the Author
Stan Arnold is a professional copy, speech and scriptwriter. He previously worked as a stand-up comedian and wrote for the BBC.
He lives in Lanzarote with his wife, Dee, and cat, Bonzo.
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