Paul LaRosa/Here is New York

What would Don Draper do?

With my new book"Seven Days of Rage" coming out Tuesday, September 15^th,  the same day as Dan Brown's follow-up to "The DaVinci Code," I knew I had a marketing problem. So I thought to myself, what would Don Draper do? So, at least in my dreams, I went to see dapper Don of AMC's "Mad Men" fame.

Draper ushered me into his office at Sterling, Cooper, and walked over to his bar.

"What are you drinking?" he asked.

"It's 10 in the morning, Don." (continue reading...)

New Year, New Blog...

Hi everyone,

I'm continuing with this blog but I've begun a new blog you might find interesting. Check out The Murder Book 2008. Thanks and please leave comments or pass the link along to anyone who might be interested.

Paul

Truth in advertising.....

Someone asked me recently if my friends and family members wrote the online book reviews that appear on Amazon and elsewhere. The answer is a qualified 'no.' None of my family members has written any of the reviews and neither have I. A couple of friends read my book, told me they liked it and I suggested they post a review so they did. BUT the majorit y of the reviews were written by people I do not know hence 'truth in advertising.'

Here are some recent comments left by bloggers/posters on various interview sites, including courttv.com about my new book "Nightmare in Napa." To my knowledge, I don't know any of these folks but I'm appreciative. Thanks.

-- "I was pleasantly surprised that this was one of the few crime books I've read that didn't have crime scene photos in it.

I thought the author did a good job in conveying the vibrancy of the two women and the sad and sweet dynamics of their families and friends.

The love of daughters and mothers resonated thru out the book, along with the love of friends."

-- "I just recently finished your book and couldn't put it down. I am a true crime fanatic and can't believe this guy flew under the radar of the police."

-- "What a book! I couldn't stop reading from the moment I started . I was utterly fascinated - and rather horrified.

Paul,you have done another thorough job of reporting!

I highly recommend this book as well as "Tacoma Confidential.""

-- "I think you did an EXCELLENT job writing both books! I enjoyed reading "Nightmare in Napa" but "Tacoma confidential" really impressed me! "

-- " The book was great, it held my attention to the last word.
I like the way you treated the story, and the people it all involved.
I liked the pics , nothing depressing or crude.
You have written 2 good books, Thanks"

Article on yours truly!

How to write a 'Mystery'

CBS crime show spins off books

BY MARISA GUTHRIE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Posted Saturday, April 21st 2007, 4:00 AM

Former Daily News reporter Paul LaRosa is the author of the first ''48 Hours Mystery'' book.

---

The true crime genre has been a perennial in bookstores; everyone loves a good whodunit, after all. But the genre has exploded on television in recent years.

"Reality never disappoints," says Paul LaRosa, producer of CBS' "48 Hours Mystery." "The ring of truth is always compelling."

The CBS News magazine was rebranded "48 Hours Mystery" in 2004. Since then, it has consistently been the No. 1 (nonsports) show on Saturday evenings. Now the show has come full circle, inspiring a line of companion books with the "48 Hours Mystery" logo.

LaRosa, who was a Daily News reporter for 16 years before going to CBS News in 1992, has written the first book in the series, "Nightmare in Napa," which hits stores Tuesday. The "48 Hours" documentary about a bizarre double murder in California's bucolic wine country airs tonight at 10.

"The Devil is in the details," says LaRosa, "and we try to put as much detail as we can on TV. But we're limited. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that will never make air."

For instance, producers shot 150 hours of video on the Napa murders of best friends and roommates Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna, who were brutally stabbed to death on Halloween night 2004. "48 Hours Mystery" first investigated the case for a segment that aired in 2005, when the killer was still at large. Tonight's hour includes the trial of the confessed killer, who was lurking in many of the shots from the original "48 Hours Mystery."

"He was the quintessential quiet guy," says LaRosa, of the killer. "He was so quiet that the police never interviewed him."

"Nightmare in Napa" (published by Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books, which is part of CBS Corp.) is LaRosa's second true-crime book. It won't be his last.

"I love to write," he says. Being a News reporter "taught me an appreciation for the crime genre.

"But the odd thing is that television is what enabled me to get back into print," he says, adding with a laugh, "[CBS doesn't] give me any time off to do it. I just do it in my spare time."

---

Announcing the new book!!

      CBS NEWS LAUNCHES NEW TRUE-CRIME BOOK SERIES BASED ON “48 HOURS MYSTERY” BROADCASTS “48 HOURS,” in Partnership with Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books, Expands into True-Crime Books --

     “Nightmare in Napa” is the First to be Published on April 24 CBS News, in partnership with Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, will publish a new series of books based on the compelling stories reported on CBS News’ 48 HOURS MYSTERY.

       The books will expand on the 48 HOURS content and characters, including a behind-the-scenes look at the television storytelling process, the latest court action and the stunning crime scene breakthroughs that turn cases around. 48 HOURS MYSTERY: “Nightmare in Napa,” which inspired the first book, is to be broadcast Tuesday, April 17 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

        The debut title in the book series, Nightmare in Napa, written by 48 HOURS producer Paul LaRosa, will be published on April 24, 2007. The book has already received praise from Publishers Weekly, which said it was a “…riveting account….LaRosa’s clear chronology and thorough research give the tale the weight of reality, while his skillful winnowing of details and novel-like prose keep the pace up and the pages turning; anyone with a taste for true-crime will happily gulp down this sharp, satisfying narrative.”

        “48 HOURS has proved to be a powerful force on television,” said Susan Zirinsky, Executive Producer, 48 HOURS MYSTERY. “In this age of multi-platform programming, the book series is a natural. It's a great way to further tell these fascinating real-life stories.”

         The second book in the series is co-written by Emmy Award-winning 48 HOURS correspondent Peter Van Sant and producer Jenna Jackson. Perfectly Executed, the story of two boys who wrote a screenplay involving murder that was either fiction or a clue to a real crime, is scheduled to be published in late August.

        The gruesome mystery told in both the broadcast and book versions of Nightmare in Napa began on Halloween night 2004 in idyllic Napa, Calif., a beautiful place with a strong community of neighbors and friends. Two young female roommates—a transplanted southern beauty queen and a popular engineering graduate from the Napa area—were brutally stabbed by an intruder who entered their home through a first-floor window. A third roommate heard the horrific commotion but never saw the killer. News of the tragedy sent shock waves throughout the region as well as the nation, but while investigators pursued every angle from a satanic cult to a disgruntled suitor, the murders of Leslie Mazzara and Adriane Insogna remained unsolved—until someone close enough to the women to escape suspicion came forward with a shocking confession.

        LaRosa, the author of the book, is an award-winning producer for 48 HOURS MYSTERY. He won a primetime Emmy for the acclaimed CBS documentary 9/11 and has also won a Peabody Award, a Christopher Award, and an Edward R. Murrow Award. For 16 years, he was a reporter for the New York Daily News, where he was the co-winner, with Anna Quindlen, of the Meyer Berger Award given by Columbia University’s School of Journalism.

       48 HOURS MYSTERY debuted in January 1988 and has received 17 Emmy Awards and three George Foster Peabody Awards, among many other awards. Now in its 19th season, it is still winning its time period and expanding its scope. The executive editor of the broadcast is Al Briganti and the executive producer is Zirinsky. Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster and part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. * *

      Author's website: www.paullarosa.com for a free first chapter.

Rave review for my new book from Publisher's Weekly! Check it out!

Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders
Paul LaRosa. Pocket, $7.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-4165-4365-7

LaRosa, a producer of the CBS newsmagazine 48 Hours, kicks off that show's true crime paperback series with this riveting account of the horrific 2004 murder of two young women living in the peaceful wine country of Napa, Calif. On Halloween night, Lauren Meanza awakes to the screams of her housemate, Adriane Insogna. Taking cover in the backyard, Lauren watches as an intruder escapes through a window; inside she finds Adriane bleeding profusely and their other housemate, Leslie Mazzara, laying unresponsive nearby. Neither survive. Police investigation of the murders focuses on Adriane's troubled relationship with boyfriend Christian and the many paramours of former beauty queen Leslie. When a look into Leslie's past leads law enforcement to a number of dead ends, and th e suspects all fail to match DNA evidence from the crime scene, the investigation stagnates; new developments, however, eventually reveal another suspect. LaRosa's clear chronology and thorough research give the tale the weight of reality, while his skillful winnowing of details and novellike prose keep the pace up and the pages turning; anyone with a taste for true crime will happily gulp down this sharp, satisfying narrative. (May)

The Page 69 Test...

So in surfing through the web, I came across this fascinating blog that asks authors to submit their books to the so-called "page 69" test. According to this blog, it's something Marshall McLuhan came up with -- to see if you'd want to read a book, turn to page 69 and read it. If you like it, read/buy the book. If you don't, skip it. I applied the test to my upcoming book and liked what I read. Hmmm, I wonder if I'd like my book no matter what page I turned to? Anyway, check it out for yourself. Here's the link:

http://americareads.blogspot.com/2006/08/page-69-test.html

Paul

Good news about the new book!

As some of you may know, my new book "Nightmare In Napa" is going to be published on April 24th. I got some news today. Three national book clubs -- The Literary Guild, The Mystery Book Club and the Doubleday Book Club -- have all picked "Nightmare" as one of their upcoming featured selections. It's exciting news and more is on the way. I'll keep you all posted -- literally with this blog.

Stay well,

Paul