Dennis Collins talks about The First Domino
People often ask me where my ideas come from. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question most of the time. But with my most recent book, The First Domino the answer is both clear and confusing.
A recent search into my heritage revealed much more than I had ever known about an uncle who went missing in action during the Second World War. Long lost letters that were found by one of my cousins described details of my uncle’s fate. A first Lieutenant in the 14th Armored Division, he was hit by a mortar round while fighting house to house in a small town in northern France. A medic was able to reach him but was driven back by heavy enemy fire. When our troops regained control of the neighborhood, my uncle’s body was gone and has never been found. He was initially “Missing in action” and many years later declared “Killed in action.” He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
I’m sure that there are hundreds, if not thousands of similar stories about many of our lost heroes. I wanted to include a tribute to these boys in a book. But how? I write mysteries. I decided that I would develop a back-story that would fill that need.
The first thing I needed was a hero so I decided to use my protagonist’s father. I wanted his background to be clouded in mystery so deep that even his son didn’t know the story. I also wanted him to be buried in such an isolated place that no one had ever visited his grave.
Then came the challenge of building a plot and a powerful enough tale to support the back-story. The main saga had to be strong enough to stand on its own and hold the reader’s interest. It required dynamic characters and plenty of action.
The result is a book that I’m very proud of. It has a little of everything; action, suspense, discovery, love, redemption, joy, sadness, and a satisfying ending.
The First Domino available on Kindle and Nook
Dennis Collin's Bio:
My professional life was spent in automotive engineering where I enjoyed a rewarding forty year career. I’ve always had a taste for adventure and risk taking spending my idle hours flying airplanes, skydiving, scuba diving, motorcycle racing, and over thirty years of professional automotive powered hydroplane racing.
My first publishing credit came as a complete surprise when an article that I wrote for a powerboat racing club newsletter found its way onto the desk of the president of The American Power Boat Association and he submitted it to Propeller Magazine. My first novel The Unreal McCoy was self published and surprisingly successful. I was able to follow up with Turn Left at September published by Behler Publications, a small mainstream publisher in California. Both titles have been converted to electronic format and are now available through Amazon’s Kindle. The next book The First Domino is now also available on Kindle as well as Nook. My Short story, Calvin was a finalist in a contest sponsored by Futures Magazine. I am a co-founder of the Huron Area Writer’s Group in Huron County Michigan and I write a bi-monthly column and review mysteries for www.myshelf.com
Book description:
Joe Pellerito thought he could murder his way into the mob. The son of a high powered Mafia lawyer and negotiator, he assumed that he’d be welcomed into the Family. When Joe’s father died of cancer he waited anxiously for the invitation to join the ranks. But the call never came. Feeling shunned, Joe devised a plan to show his dedication and fearlessness. From a list of Detroit cops who have been problems for the syndicate Joe chose three candidates and pulled off a string of three brutal murders in less than two hours on a bright spring morning.
The philosophy of the mob has moved into the new millennium and has all but abandoned confrontations with law enforcement. Joe’s actions threaten to undo the progress that took two decades to build. The problem of Joe Pellerito must be addressed.
With a price on his head, Joe is forced to flee and tries to hide in Italy where he attempts to gain a whole new identity.
The diligence of Detroit Police detectives Otis Springfield and Albert McCoy helps them sniff out Joe’s trail but the mob has its resources as well and soon the race is on to see who can get their hands on Joe first.
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