Here’s a little more info about me...
Novels by Christopher Pinto, Author
I am proud to currently have three novels, a book of flash fiction, a satire on Vampire slayers and two books on digital advertising available in paperback, and for Kindle/iPad:
- Murder Behind the Closet Door: The Wildwood Paranormal Mystery
- Murder on Tiki Island: A Paranormal Mystery in the Florida Keys
- Murder Under the Boards: The Atlantic City Paranormal Mystery
- A Flash of Noir: Flash Fiction and Short, Short Stories with a Twist
- How to Kill Vampires because they are unnatural jerks
- SEO for Car Dealers made easy!
- SEM for Car Dealers made easy!
About my books
All of my fiction books are written in a style that mixes classic noir fiction with neo-paranormal/occult. Think of it as "Mickey Spillane meets Stephen King." I write stories that I would enjoy reading myself, and that translates into books that a whole lot of people enjoy reading. My murder mysteries incorporate my favorite gumshoe character, Detective Bill Riggins, a tough-guy cop who finds himself drawn into supernatural events. So far my books are averaging 5-Star reviews. Here's an example of my style...
She dropped the cigarette to the wet pavement and lightly tapped it out with the sole of her shoe, those dark red heels that reminded me of her past.
StarDustMysteries.com
“So now what?” she asked with her trademark silky tone.
“You know the score,” I answered without any emotion, “I’m a private dick. You’re a murderer.”
She hung her head low, then brought it back up with glassy eyes. “But it’s Christmas,” she whined as the tears flowed, for real this time. I gently took her arms in mine and pulled her in close as the aroma of her perfume mingled with the lingering scent of the cigarette’s smoke. I could feel her shaking, subtly, under the mink. Her lips met mine in a splash of fire, rushing in the feelings that had gotten me mixed up with all this craziness in the first place, but I didn’t care. I took her hands in mine.
“Christmas is over, doll,” I said darkly as I slipped the cuffs over her wrists. “Happy New Year.”
Copywriting and Graphic Design by Christopher Pinto, Creative Director
I have been a professional ad man for over 20 years as a graphic designer, art director, copywriter and creative director. My experience includesworking advertising agencies, a newspaper, corporate headquarters and a tourist mall. I have worked at Engelhardt and Partners Advertising Agency since 2003 when I started as Art Director, and have been Creative Director since 2005. Other titles I have held include:
- Senior Art Director, Office Depot Corporate Headquarters, Delray, FL
- Advertising Art Director, At The Shore Magazine, Atlantic City, NJ
- Senior Copywriter/Art Director, Margate Advertising, Margate, NJ
- Freelance graphic designer
- Producer/Director/Writer/Actor, StarDust Productions Mystery Theater, Atlantic City, NJ
- Marketing Director, The Shops on Ocean One Mall, Atlantic City, NJ
Digital Advertising Books
I am currently writing a series of four books on digital advertising for automotive dealers. This is a very specialized area of web marketing, and there are hundreds of companies and individuals ready to take advantage of car dealers who aren't up to speed on digital advertising. The goal of each book is to lay down the basics, in 30 minutes or less, so that automotive dealership owners and managers can get a solid understanding of these processes quickly and painlessly. Without going into great detail, my books give the reader enough knowledge about SEO, SEM, Social Media and Digital Strategy to be able to speak intelligently with vendors and marketers and make informed decisions about how to proceed.
Advertising Graphic Design
I started as a graphic designer during the first wave of "desktop publishing", learning design skills and software from factory-trained designers. The first computer I used was a Mac 512 with QuarkStyle, Adobe Photoshop 2.0, and Adobe Illustrator 88. Today I am proficient in QuarkXpress 9, Adobe Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, and Adobe InDesign, and have a working knowledge of Dreamweaver, Flash and Microsoft Office. I still work on a Mac, but it's a little faster than that 8 MHZ Macintosh with 512k of memory and System6.
I have won several awards for graphic design, including four NJPA first place awards and a Metro Graphics Service award.
Advertising Copywriting
From restaurant menu descriptions to automotive dealership sales brochures, I've done it all. Currently I write for three blogs, Tiki Lounge Talk, StarDust Mysteries, and the Engelhardt & Partners Automotive Advertising blog. I have extensive experience wrting for websites, including SEO copywriting.
Web Design
I am not a web designer, but I do design websites. Confused? Ok, dig this...I'm not a tech guy. I don't write code and I don't spend hours manipulating someone else's code to do my bidding. I design the look, style, and usefulness of a website, then turn it over to the coders to make it come to life. I do have some working ability with websites...I built this one, and the others that I've listed here...but would never try to call myself a "website designer".
Art Direction, Photography and Broadcast Production
I'm not the world's best photographer but I know how to set up a shoot, merchandise products, and get people to do what I want. I can direct a photo or video shoot with ease, and work with the editors to make the concept come to life. As far as print goes, I can do any kind of layout from an upscale, airy resort ad to a jam-packed used car catastrophe that still looks great.