The Zen Man: Read It, Wear It
Hello, my name is Colleen Collins. As you see in my "handle" my nickname is CoCo (although most people just spell it "coco"). I’m a writer, private investigator and new member of Coffee Time Romance. I look forward to getting to know all of you, starting with this blog.
A little background about me…
I’ve had 20 novels published in the past, most by Harlequin. I was first published for its Love & Laughter line in 1997 (anybody remember that romantic-comedy series?). Sadly, it closed after a few years. Next, I wrote for Duets, which also closed after awhile. Then I wrote for Temptation…yep, it closed. But to prove I’m not the kiss of death to Harlequin series, other lines I’ve written for (Blaze and several Harlequin anthologies) thrive to this day. Along the way, I also wrote a paranormal-romance thriller for Dorchester writing as Cassandra Collins.
As I mentioned above, I’m also a PI. Never dreamed I’d become one, but you know how life is…sometimes a door opens and you march into a new world. How’d I find this door? Back in 2003-2004, I was convincing my then-boyfriend (now husband) that he should be a private investigator (as a former attorney, he’d trained numerous PIs so he well understood the business). Almost overnight, I found myself on stake-out, too. That was eight years ago, and I’ve done dozens, maybe hundreds, of surveillances since then.
The Zen Man
My current book, The Zen Man, is what I call a “21st-century Nick and Nora” mystery. A quick refresher: Nick and Nora Charles are the husband-and-wife PI team in the 1934 film classic The Thin Man, based on the book The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. The film starred Myrna Loy and William Powell, who spent their days getting cheerfully drunk on martinis while solving crimes with their dog Asta.
Fast forward to The Zen Man, which also features a PI man-and-woman team (Rick and Laura), although only one of them drinks martinis these days. Another difference: Whereas Nick Charles carried a gun, Rick Levine stashes a stun gun under the front seat of his Pontiac. But when it comes to investigating cases, some things never change. Nick and Rick must use guts, tenacity and an ability to “think outside of the box” to find the real killer.
Book Blurb
Just as washed-up criminal defense attorney, life-long Deadhead (nickname “The Zen Man”), and current PI Rick Levine decides to get relicensed as a lawyer, he’s charged with killing one and ends up in the slammer with a half-mil bail.
Released on bond, Rick and his girlfriend Laura have 30 days to find the real killer. In the course of their investigations, they dig for dirt among Denver’s shady legal backrooms to its tony corporate centers. Dodging bullets, a kidnapping, trumped-up charges and the FBI's unwanted intervention, Rick and Laura continue tracking key suspects who have motive…eventually learning that true redemption begins at home.
The Zen Man is available on Amazon, Nook and Smashwords.
To read an excerpt, click here.
"Move over Sam Spade, Nick and Nora; make room for a Denver who-dun-it, Colleen Collins’s The Zen Man. Brilliant and fast-paced writing. I couldn’t put it down." ~ Donnell Ann Bell, Award-Winning Author of The Past Came Hunting
Today’s Blog Question:
What Fictional Private Eye Would You Most Like to Be?
I love the private eye genre, from books to film. Confession: I own the DVD collection containing every TV show in the 70s’ TV series The Rockford Files starring James Garner, maybe the first beta-hero in the private eye genre. I thought it’d be fun in this blog to ask, “If you could be a fictional private eye, either one in a book, TV show or movie, who would you be?” Honey West, Emma Peel, Kinsey Millhone, Sharon McCone, Jessica Fletcher, Veronica Mars? Doesn’t have to be a woman – maybe some of you would dig being Sam Spade, Magnum, Monk…or Rockford!
Although I’d love to live in a trailer on the beach a la Rockford, I’d prefer being Emma Peel (from the 60s’ TV show The Avengers) who’s a master at martial arts, drives a convertible and looks smashing in catsuits.
Giveaways!
You can not only read The Zen Man, but wear it too.
Two names will be randomly picked from today’s comments to win a Kindle download of The Zen Man (if you don’t have an ereader, no problem. You can download it to your PC, Mac or numerous other devices). Each winner will also receive a The Zen Man T-shirt (M, L or XL).
So let’s hear from you…what fictional private eye would you most like to be and why?
10 Responses to “The Zen Man: Read It, Wear It”
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I'd most like to be Emma Peel. I wear size XL. I'd love to win book and t-shirt.
What a great post today. Colleen. Thanks for this interesting background on your life and the fascination with P.I.'s from the past. They have a definite appeal and are real men. I enjoyed the books and movies that depicted these characters so well. My favorite has to be Mike Hammer. Yes, Emma Peel definitely was great with her kicks and outfits. Loved her and Steed.
I want to be Stephanie Plum.
Not only for the crazy family, that loves her to death, but for Ranger interactions. LOL
I loved Nick and Nora Charles and their dog, Asta. They were such a stylish couple. I also loved Hart to Hart. They both had a tongue in cheek style that made you smile. It's interesting to see how characters and Private Investigators have changed over the years.
Far too many solo acts these days, and I really miss the banter and romantic temptation of Moonlighting. I'd like to be a PI working in the Blue Moon Detective agency. Thanks for the great blog Coco!
I've already bought The Zen Man, read up to chapter 4, and I'm loving it! What private eye would I like to be? V. I. Warshawski (did I spell that right?). She's a tough cookie, the opposite of me
Fun question!
Good afternoon! Glad you dropped by and shared your private eyes.
Ellie, if you love Mike Hammer, you might like the book "The Big Bang" that was one of the "lost" 60s' novels (finished after Mickey Spillane's death by Max Allan Collins). Even with another writer finishing it, it's vintage Mike Hammer. One of my recent favorite reads.
Mary, I'm with you on Emma Peel.
Susan, Stephanie Plum rocks. Bounty hunter, but that profession overlaps with PIs (we both do a lot of locates!). Little known fact: Shaun and I (my husband and PI partner) were once filmed for the Dog the Bounty Hunter series. Shaun knows Bobby Brown (the bounty hunter/bailbondsman who's Dog's Colorado Springs sidekick). Shaun and I accidentally ran into Bobby Brown while the show was filming, so they included us in a brief segment.
Rosemary, I love Nick and Nora, too. My next book in this series is "After the Zen Man" (homage to "After the Thin Man").
Colleen/coco
I'll go with Emma Peel. Her looks and her sophistication–well she's the woman I'd want to be. And SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO smart too!
The two winners of today's blog, each winning a copy of THE ZEN MAN and a T-shirt are…
Ellie and Whitney!
I'll be emailing the two of you to check T-shirt sizes…your gift book copies will be arriving via email.
Thanks to everyone who participated in today's blog, have a great weekend, Colleen/coco
There's a new show called The Finder that is hilarious. Walter is a little on the nutty side but is a great guy. If I had a chance, I would become his partner. Other than that I read alot of suspense stories and their has been a couple that has P.Is in them but can't think of them right now
Thanks for the giveaway, The Zen Man sounds great.