JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Carol Conn, author of Mascara Saturday
(Park Press International)

A leisurely morning abed with husband and coffee, a quick stop at Bloomingdale’s, and then the movies. What could go wrong?

By day’s end, Rachel Holtner’s been arrested for felonious assault, inciting a riot, hospitalized for acute allergy attack (by perfume). Even worse, she’s suffering from a newly discovered genetic disease: Shopping Impairment Syndrome (S.I.S.).

The symptoms: claustrophobia, impatience and an inability to tolerate delays or inefficiencies — in department stores and shopping malls, hence the name.

S.I.S. is the invention of Dr. Now, a brilliant opportunist who uses his findings to terrify the Retail Federation of America. Maximizing fears of an S.I.S. epidemic, Dr. Now extorts millions in research grants. Rachel is his Shopper Zero. Along with six other women arrested on Mascara Saturday, Rachel is forced to attend Dr. Now’s lame rehab. (“My name is Rachel, and I hate to shop.”)

Muscling in on Rachel’s criminal and civil travails is the legendary litigator Catherine “Madcat” Bingleigh, a lawyer who proves just as manipulative and narcissistic as Dr. Now.

Can Rachel and the rest of the Shopping Seven finesse a victory over Dr. Now? Is there life after tabloids? The answers are revealed in Carol Conn’s novel, “Mascara Saturday”.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write “Mascara Saturday”?

Carol Conn: “Mascara Saturday” started with a newspaper article about pharmaceutical companies scrambling to invent new uses for their drugs so Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Carol Conn, author of Mascara Saturday →