Author Talk: July 14, 2026
Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman have teamed up again for their latest novel, THE KINGS OF VEGAS. This sexy and suspense-packed thriller is about the prodigal daughter of a Las Vegas casino empire who returns to take over her family business --- only to discover that she’s up against the Mob, the Feds and her own brothers. In this interview, Karen and Jennifer discuss their writing process, their research, the inspiration for the book, and what they hope readers will take away from it.
Question: Karen and Jennifer, as longtime collaborators, what is your writing process? How do you both write and create stories together?
Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman: We’ve collaborated on four novels and a weekly book column for the LA Times. Most of the time, we write sitting side by side, computer next to computer, as if in a writer's room. Once a section or chapter is drafted, we read the work aloud, which catches awkward phrasing or dialogue that doesn’t ring true. At times, we’ve written chapters from different states --- and even different continents --- with the same results. The constant is trust, shared taste, and a mutual commitment to keeping the work sharp, fast-moving and emotionally grounded.
Q: Karen, you grew up in Las Vegas just like Josie. Did your upbringing serve as inspiration for THE KINGS OF VEGAS?
KM: My family has lived in Las Vegas for three generations. My grandfather moved there in 1929, during the Great Depression. He owned a small casino called the Jackpot, back when Fremont Street was still a dirt road, and casinos were mom-and-pop operations.
My father later became president of a Las Vegas casino. He graduated from Las Vegas High School, and so did I. When people ask me about early Las Vegas, I tell stories passed down from my grandfather and father about a city still inventing itself, where opportunity and danger lived side by side.
Growing up, we would pluck scorpions out of our sandbox, our neighbors had names like Ice Pick Willy and Dave the man, our high school French class had an annual brunch at the Sahara with showgirls as guests. My childhood was colorful, to say the least.
THE KINGS OF VEGAS draws on these experiences to recreate the vivid and authentic world I know. Many of the characters are composites of real people, and the details of their lives --- the way they worked, how they lived, and the rules they followed --- are grounded in reality. The story captures the energy, risk and layered social dynamics of Las Vegas, offering readers a window into a world that is glamorous, dangerous and unlike anywhere else.
Q: Much of Vegas’s dark and exciting history, background and infamous figureheads are mentioned or referenced throughout the book. How much research took place when writing THE KINGS OF VEGAS?
KM and JK: We read biographies of famous casino pioneers, as well as articles and interviews about mobsters involved in the casino world at the time this book takes place. We also researched material about the natural world surrounding the city of Las Vegas, specifically the wildlife --- the wind-swept dunes, red rock canyons, and the sweet aroma of the pinon pine and the stately Joshua tree that grows in the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The desert sky goes on forever, and the deep purple and orange sunsets blaze the sky. Josie and her family are shaped by the world in which they grew up. The desert is not a wasteland. To Josie and her family, it is teeming with life and beauty. The wonders and dangers of this environment are an essential part of the story.
Q: What do you hope readers will get out of reading THE KINGS OF VEGAS?
KM and JK: We hope they will appreciate the fact that the main character, Josie, isn’t perfect, but is still able to beat the odds. She tackles difficult family relationships and love, all the while amassing power and rising to the top in a male-dominated world.
