Newsletter 02/11

February 2011

Whoever said that April was the cruelest month must have spent January and February in Barbados. Actually, it was T.S. Eliot, and he wrote that in 1922, before global warming—now known as Climate Change—so maybe April cruel ninety years ago, but now it’s looking very good from here.

I mean, I don’t mind the cold and the snow, but the sleet, hail, and rain is a bit much, and then it gets warmer and everything turns to slush, then freezes again. Also, the wind has been unusually strong. How strong? Well, a flasher on 42nd Street opened his trench coat and got lifted into a holding pattern over the Chrysler Building.

On to other subjects. A few weeks ago I found myself at a dinner party in Michael’s Restaurant on West 55th Street, and sitting across from me was Tony Lo Bianco, who is a very fine actor and a good guy. Mr. Lo Bianco told me that he had just seen Marty Bregman who owns the movie rights to The Gold Coast, and Marty told Tony that, “Al has agreed to star in The Gold Coast.” Great news. Who’s Al? Must be Pacino. Marty had originally bought the movie rights years ago with the idea that Pacino would play the part of Mafia don Frank Bellarosa. Marty had made several movies with Al, so this was exciting when it was first announced twenty years ago. And it’s still exciting—though I have no confirmation of this; I’m just passing along what I heard from Tony, who also said that Marty’s son, Michael (no relation to the restaurant), has written the screenplay (which I knew) and that Al likes Michael’s screenplay. I don’t know if Al read my book, but if he has, I hope he enjoyed it. I, hope, too, that Tony gets a great part in the movie.

Also on the movie front, my agent has told me that Bradley Cooper is reading the screenplay for The Charm School. I guess if Brad likes the screenplay, he’ll agree to play the part of the main character, Sam Hollis. I must confess here that I didn’t know who Bradley Cooper was, but when I mentioned this to my wife, she fainted. So, I guess he’s a hottie. Anyway, that’s the movie news as it has developed since my January Newsletter. More next month if I hear anything new.

And now for some repeat announcements: As I said in January, I will make an appearance at The Southwest Florida Reading Festival in Fort Myers on Saturday, March 19. I’ll be doing a presentation with bestselling author Ted Bell at 12:30 pm, followed by a booksigning, then a presentation with Scott Brick at 2:15 pm, followed by another booksigning. Scott, as you may know, is the narrator of many of my Audiobooks. For more information on this event, click here. Hope you can be there.

Also, as reported, I was invited to be the editor of the 2011 Mystery Writers of America Annual Anthology, titled The Rich and the Dead, to be published on May 2 by Grand Central Publishing. I’ve collected short stories from twenty of the most outstanding mystery writers in the country, myself included, and in my unbiased opinion, this is a superb collection of new and original stories. Pre-order it now online or through your bookstore. The proceeds support the Mystery Writers of America, a great organization that is dedicated to bringing you the finest mystery stories by the best writers in America, myself again included. I was honored to be president of the MWA in 2007 and I served a full year without incident or impeachment, so I like them. Check out their website.

A new announcement: To kick off the publication of the 2011 Mystery Writers of America Annual Anthology, there will be a book signing at the Mysterious Bookshop at 58 Warren Street, NYC, on Tuesday, April 26, 6-8 pm. This is a week before publication but there will be books available to buy or steal. Also, I’ll be there as will many of the other authors who have contributed short stories to the anthology. The deal is, buy a book and all the authors present will sign their stories and/or the title page of the book. This will become an immediate collector’s edition.

The owner of the Mysterious Bookshop is Mr. Otto Penzler, an old and dear friend of mine who has promised some wine and cheese for the occasion. The Mysterious Bookshop is a revered New York institution and one of the last mystery bookstores in the city. Please join us on April 26 for a nice evening. Admission is free, but you need to buy a book to get out.

As I mentioned last month, my last novel, The Lion, which was published in hardcover in June 2010, will be published in trade paperback on June 7 of this year.

Also in June, three of my earlier novels—Mayday, Cathedral, and By the Rivers of Babylon—will be published in the trade paperback edition for the first time, with a Foreword by the author. That’s me.

And don’t forget, all of my novels are available as Audiobooks, eBooks, and in various print editions. As I’ve said, I’m not trying to get you to read my books; I’m trying to get you to buy them.

I get hundreds of emails a month and I assure you I read every one of them, but as I’ve said, I can’t respond to everyone; if I did, I wouldn’t be writing any novels. One frequently asked question, however, can be answered here. Many people have asked me if I’m going to bring back the character of Paul Brenner who appeared in The General’s Daughter and Up Country. Even John Travolta, who played Paul Brenner in General’s Daughter, has asked me about that—even though John turned down the Brenner role in Up Country. Well, with so much reader interest in Paul Brenner, I’ve decided to give him a major part in my new John Corey novel. So, for the first time, two of my main characters meet in a novel. John Corey and Paul Brenner. Two loveable ego maniacs. This should be interesting.

In conclusion, don’t forget that February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Do something different this year. Buy a book for your Valentine and dip it in hot chocolate. Don’t do this with an eBook or Audiobook.

Sincerely,