Queen of Kenosha

A coming of age tale, this is the first installment of the Thin Thinline Trilogy, the fiercely independent Nina Overstreet has an axe to grind. A talented singer-songwriter slogging her way through the burgeoning Greenwich Village folk music scene of 1963, the Queen of Kenosha, Wisconsin, realizes that standing on the cusp of stardom gets her little respect and barely a cup of coffee in New York City. It finally comes, but in a way she could have never imagined. A chance encounter withthe mysterious Nick Ladd at a late-night gig spins her life in a different direction--one that becomes a daily balance between life and death, right and wrong. Nick recruits Nina to join him and a team of ex-FBI operatives in a clandestine agency to stop the establishment of the Fourth Reich by undercover Nazis in post-War America. It's a cause Nina believes in ... until she's forced to compromise the very principles of fairness and patriotism she holds dear. As she and Nick grow closer aspartners, she forces him to question his own intentions. But as the body count mounts in pursuit of the Nazi ringleader, the evasive Alex, the stakes grow even higher for Nick and Nina.

New York City, January 1963PAGES 1 - 3 (RAINY NIGHT)* NO TEXT and in black and white - a woman walking down a darkened street, she's being followed by a man holding a small walkie talkie (Nick) and she ducks into a bar called "Louie's Place" Inside The room is relatively small and about halfway filled. The woman sits down toward the stage at table that has a male (only) sitting there with a beer. She smiles at him and he is happy that she has sat down next to him.Nick peels off and stands at the bar watching the woman. The bartender (female mid 30's African American who will return in Chapter 2) asks him what he is drinking. She then places a beer in front of him and he turns around and IN COLOR he sees Nina! PAGE 4 PANEL 1 - Nina/Nick - As Nick glances up (and the page is now in color with the tight focus on Nina) Nina standing on a stage (in a plaid flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up and jeans) is singing "Find myself in New York City, at the bus station there was no welcoming committee, following a dream but the hometown boys won't let me join the team, no money to pay my two leases, I fall to pieces..."PANEL 2 - NO TEXT (Nick standing at the bar is transfixed with Nina, taking his eyes off of the woman at the table for a moment.) Nina finishes the last chord of the song. PANEL 3 - Nina - Thank you, I'll be back shortly. PANEL 4 + 5 - NO TEXT - Nina puts her acoustic guitar down and walks to the bar and stands to Christina's left. Nick continues to look over at Nina.PANEL 6 - CHRISTINA Not exactly a hot crowd. But, hey, at least they're not throwing things at you. PANEL 6 - NINA - I'll take that as a win. Plus, they're drinking and maybe the owner will make enough money that he'll book me again. I'm running out of places to play on the west side. PAGE 5PANEL 1 - CHRISTINA - Don't worry. You just keep writing and playing and I'll get you an audition with John Cameron if it's the last thing I do. PANEL 1 - NINA - I don't know how you still believe in me. Some days, I barely believe in myself.PANEL 2 - CHRISTINA - Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith, knowing that this is going somewhere, that it's worth the fight. You're worth it, you just need a shot.PANEL 2 - NINA (looking away from Christina)- You're too good to me.PANEL 3 - CHRISTINA (smiling) - Don't I know it.PANEL 3 - NINA - Things were a lot easier when we were back home and the biggest decision was choosing to play at a school dance or at Frank's Diner. PANEL 4- CHRISTINA - We certainly ruled in Kenosha! You in your Snap On Tools hat and me with my pink cigarette pants. PANEL 4 - NINA - That seems like several lifetimes ago. Sometimes I want to be that wide eyed thirteen year old girl again.PANEL 5 - CHRISTINA - I know, but back then you were always dreaming about getting out of Kenosha and for your life to finally start.PANEL 5 - NINA (looking seriously at Christina) - I still feel like I'm waiting for my life to start. PANEL 6 - CHRISTINA - - You're 22, most 22 year olds are trying to make their place in the world and I think you will find what you're looking for sooner than you think. Just wait.PAGE 6PANEL 1 - CHRISTINA - I'm going to settle up with the owner, see what our take is.PANEL 1 - NINA - OK, I'm going back up on stage in ten minutes and finish off the set.PANEL 2 - NO TEXT - CHRISTINA WALKS AWAY AND NICK WALKS OVER TO TALK TO NINAPANEL 3 - NICK - (turning to his left and says to Nina) Nice way to work 'I Fall To Pieces' by Patsy Cline into your own song. PANEL 4 - NINA - Yeah, I actually saw Patsy Cline in concert a few years ago in my hometown... I guess you could say the song spoke to me. You might be the only person in here who even knows who Patsy is.PANEL 5- NINA (holding out her hand) - Nina Overstreet.PANEL 5 - NICK (shaking her hand) - I'm Jimmy. Jimmy Holmstrom.PAGE 7PANEL 1 - Nina - So, Jimmy Holmstrom, what brings you into a fine establishment like Louie's on a Tuesday night?PANEL 2 - Nick - Just meeting a friend later. How about I buy you a drink?PANEL 3-6 - NO TEXT - Nick grabs his wallet and opens it to take out cash. He takes a $5 dollar bill out and puts the wallet on the bar with his left hand, holding the $5 bill with his right. He then quickly looks back and sees that the woman is making a break for a side door. PAGE 8PANEL 1 - Nick (to Nina) - I'm sorry, I have to run. PANEL 2 + 3 NO TEXT - He starts to chase after the woman, bumping into a few bar patrons as the woman ducks out the side door. PANEL 4 - Nina - (Seeing that his wallet still on the bar) Jimmy, Jimmy! Your wallet.PANELS 5 - 6 (RAINY NIGHT) Nina follows quickly after him and sees him make a right turn and go down an alley. PAGE 9 PANEL 1 - 6 - NO TEXT - (PANEL 1 +2) NINA IS CAUTIOUS WALKING TOWARDS NICK. (PANEL 3) SHE GETS TO THE SPOT WHERE HE MADE THE RIGHT TURN. (PANEL 4) SHE LOOKS AROUND THE CORNER AND SEES NICK WOOZILY GETTING UP FROM THE GROUND. (PANEL 5) TIGHT CLOSE UP ON HER EYES AS SHE SEES NICK TRYING TO GET HIS BEARINGS. (PANEL 6) ILLUSTRATION OF THE ASSAILANT PUTTING HER RIGHT ARM OVER NINA'S THROAT FROM BEHIND, THE READER CAN ONLY SEE THE ARM AROUND NINA'S THROAT, NINA'S HANDS ON THE WOMAN'S RIGHT ARM AND THE LOOK OF HORROR/SHOCK IN NINA'S EYES.PAGE 10PANEL 1 - 4 - NO TEXT - NINA USES HER KARATE TRAINING AND RIGHT ELBOWS THE ASSAILANT IN THE STOMACH KNOCKING HER BACK, NINA THEN USES A SIDE (RIGHT FOOT) KARATE KICK TO KNOCK THE ASSAILANT BACK AGAINST THE WALL PANEL 5 - NICK (YELLS) - Nina!PANEL 6 - NO TEXT, NINA LOOKS AT NICK PAGE 11PANEL 1 - 4 - NO TEXT - THE ASSAILANT REACHES INTO HER SHOULDER HOLSTER TAKES OUT A GUN AND HITS NINA IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITH IT. NINA FALLS TO THE GROUND.PANEL 5 + 6 - ASSAILANT w/GUN POINTS IT AT NICK AS SHE BACKS AWAY.PAGE 12PANELS 1 - NO TEXT - ASSAILANT CONTINUES TO BACK AWAY BUT KEEPS THE GUN POINTED AT NICKPANEL 2 - NO TEXT - ASSAILANT LOOKS TO HER RIGHT, SEE'S THE FLASH OF SIRENS IN THE DISTANCEPANEL 3 - SHE RUNS AWAY DOWN THE ALLEYPANELS 4- NO TEXT - NICK STANDS OVER NINA CHECKING ON HERPANEL 5 - NO TEXT - A BLACK SEDAN PULLS UP PANEL 6 - FRANK (WINDOW ROLLED DOWN) - Come on, Ladd. We have to get out of here.PAGE 13PANEL 1 - Nick (looking up at Frank) - We can't just leave her here.PANEL 1 - FRANK (WINDOW ROLLED DOWN) - Just get in, LET'S GO!PANEL 2 - NO TEXT - NICK GETS IN THE CAR WITH FRANKPANEL 3 + 4 - CHRISTINA (Running outside, we just see a bubble with the voice without seeing her face .) Nina! Nina, where are you?PANELS 5 + 6 - NO TEXT - FRANK AND NICK RUN TO CAR, WHILE CHRISTINA FINDS NINA AND LEANS DOWN TO CHECK ON HER Excerpted from Queen of Kenosha by Howard Shapiro All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.