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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From Geek vs Vegas:
…
“This is a sweet suite. What is it you do exactly?”
She turns to me, a different Natasha from the bar. She has a priority in her eyes. She must really want it. I take a seat on the bed. It’s firm, perfect for lovemaking.
“Place looks clean. Do you have it?” she says.
What is she talking about? Wait. I know what it is. I keep one in my wallet for a rainy day, or a hot night in Vegas. At least I think I have one.
“Let me check,” I say.
I open my wallet to a couple of twenties, insurance cards for my car and my health, my CVS ExtraCare card, and my work I.D. Where is it?! I always keep one in here. I sure as hell didn’t use it. “Shit. I don’t have one, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” she says.
“Condoms.”
“Condoms?” she whips back.
This is going the wrong way. I need to back this up, to bring us back to the bashful banter at the bar. The flame is bouncing off her silky legs. I reach over to pet them, but she jumps back and pulls a pistol on me. What the fuck?! Oh my God. I have a pistol pointed at me!
“Whoa! Okay. I’ll go get some,” I say.
“Forget the damn condoms! Who are you?”
“I’m Benjamin Pollock from Los Angeles.”
“You’re not the Handler?”
“Yeah, I thought…” I begin saying. Isn’t this part of her game? I thought we were playing Bond and Bond girl. Is that gun real?! “…the Handler? No, I’m an Information Systems Policy Analyst.”
“I don’t believe you. Who sent you?”
“Sent me? I came with Javier.”
“Javier from the cartel?” she says, furrowing her brow.
“No, Javier from Penn State,” I clarify.
She tightens her grip on the gun. Its barrel pierces my soul. I could be dead any second now. All she needs to do is flex her pointer finger, and then I’m finished. I don’t want to die! I’m just a computer geek playing a game. I reach into my pocket to grab my wallet, but she waves the gun at me.
“Whoa! Whoa!” I say with my wallet in hand. “No, see, look. This is my work badge. I just thought the innuendo was part of your sexual foreplay.”
She snatches my work I.D. “Nice picture.”
“So, I don’t want to know anything. I don’t know you. I never saw you before. This all never happened.”
She throws the I.D. at me. I put it back into its holster.
A gun pointed at you feels like you’re trapped underwater with your breath running out. It’s weird; once it’s planted on you, you lose focus on the person behind it. It’s just you and the gun.
“Why don’t you go look for a girl at the corner of walk and don’t walk,” she says, putting the gun down on the nightstand.
“Huh?” I reply.
“Get the hell out of here!” she yells.
…
Don’t miss the exciting new comedy novel about a smart, almost-gainfully-employed, outgoing-only-in-the-mirror guy geek named Benjamin who finds himself on a one-night adventure through the shadows of Las Vegas. From swingers clubs, to hookers, to Russian spies, Benjamin’s goal of getting laid turns into a goal of staying alive through the night!
Part dark comedy, part coming-of-age tale, Benjamin represents the voice of Generation Y, lost in their twenties with too many pathways to take in life. Where will Benjamin be in ten years? Married? Kids? Single? Dead? He must make it out of Vegas alive to even have a chance to reach his thirties!
Available now on the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook!
With much anticipation, I’m very pleased to share the trailer to the new short film that I wrote and co-produced called LIGHTS OUT. The story is about a family who wins a Vegas vacation and finds that the city tempts them with forbidden fruit.
The premiere of the film will be at the 168 Film Festival, Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the Aratani Theater in the Japanese-American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA.
Watch our new trailer, vote on it, and please share!
LIGHTS OUT
Directed by Marlon Jay Manuel
Produced by Gigi Guizado and Jonathan Sturak
Written by Jonathan Sturak
Director of Photography Jim Sams
The 168 Film Festival is a signature speed filmmaking competition. Teams have 168 hours (7×24) to shoot and edit a short film based on a theme and a Bible verse (pre-production lasts 10 days). Tens of thousands of filmmakers have competed since 2003.
Our randomly assigned bible verse is below. You’ll be surprised how we interpreted this for our Las Vegas film!
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Are you ready for one night in Vegas that you’ll never forget? People are calling Geek vs Vegas “Funny as Hell” and “Office Space meets The Hangover.”
Benjamin Pollock is 26 and has been working a dead-end job for three years in Los Angeles. He is overwhelmed with options in life, not knowing what he wants to do or whom he should model his life after. But things change after his old college roommate, Javier, invites him to Las Vegas for a night of sin with the promise that getting laid will solve his problems. From swingers clubs, to hookers, to Russian spies, Benjamin’s goal of getting laid turns into a goal of staying alive through the night!
Part dark comedy, part coming-of-age tale, Benjamin represents the voice of Generation Y, lost in their twenties with too many pathways to take in life. Where will Benjamin be in ten years? Married? Kids? Single? Dead? He must make it out of Vegas alive to even have a chance to reach his thirties!
Geek vs Vegas is available NOW in paperback and on the Amazon Kindle. Click the cover to read the exciting introduction! Cheers!
Watch and share this sexy new video for an intimate look into the exciting thriller novel VEGAS WAS HER NAME. Available now! Check out a FREE sample on Amazon!
Watch as I introduce my new thriller novel VEGAS WAS HER NAME at the famous Las Vegas sign!
Noir Nation Books has just released my exciting new thriller novel, Vegas Was Her Name. The book is available now on Amazon. Take a journey through the shadows of Las Vegas where you’ll follow the lives of four individuals all concealing a secret. Be sure to check out a sample on Amazon!
Forthcoming from Noir Nation Books, my new thriller novel, VEGAS WAS HER NAME. The story is about a wealthy businessman who finds his family, his business, and his life in jeopardy after having a secret affair. More information coming soon!
If you are in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 6, come out to the Clark County Library where Jonathan and a dozen other authors will be signing copies of their books. Whether you’re in the mood for some romance, some Vegas nonfiction, some thrills, or some chills, the Spring Fling Book Fair at the Clark County Library is sure to satisfy!
When: Saturday, April 6, 2013, 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Where: Clark Country Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89119
Join me at this exciting event in Las Vegas!
When: Saturday, October 6, 2012, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Where: Clark County Library, Jewel Box Theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89119
Who: Authors Jonathan Sturak & Roger DeBlanck
Have you written a novel, memoir, or other book and are now wanting to publish it? Visit the library for a publishing workshop presented by Roger DeBlanck, author of the historical novel The Ramos Brothers Trust Castro and Kennedy, and Jonathan Sturak, author of the psychological thriller A Smudge of Gray. They will discuss the changing face of modern publishing and provide insight for how to contact agents, how to prepare queries and book proposals, and how to consider self-publishing and independent presses. They will also provide strategies for marketing your book and establishing an online presence for promoting your work.
The Jonathan Sturak Site 