Newsletter 06/12

June 2012

Lots of news to report and I’ll start with the announcement that my hardcover bestseller, The Lion, is now out in paperback. But in the back of this edition is a sneak preview from my work-in-progress, The Panther. I urge you to buy The Lion to catch a little of The Panther. Or, for free, you can see this sneak preview on my website by clicking here.

The rest of The Panther will be published on October 16, and it’s not free. But you can Pre-order from your favorite retailer or etailer.

Also, I’ve written a short story titled, “The Book Case,” which is now offered as a Kindle Single eBook through Amazon for $1.99. “The Book Case” has been in the Top Ten of Kindle Bestsellers, since it came out on May 8. This is a great short story at a great price and also available for a limited time in print.

In addition, “The Book Case” is available as an audio download through Hachette Audio, read by Scott Brick who reads most of my novels for audio, and who is an excellent narrator.

What is “The Book Case” about? It features my character of John Corey in his early days as an NYPD detective, before he became an agent for the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force. Check out the customer reviews on Amazon.

So, to recap, “The Book Case” is available as an Amazon eBook and an audio download through Hachette, and as a limited print edition at Mysterious Bookshop. Enjoy.

On to the next short story: “Death Benefits.” This story originally appeared in the Mystery Writers of America 2011 Anthology titled The Rich and the Dead, published by Grand Central Publishing and still available in all formats.

“Death Benefits” will now be published as a stand-alone short story eBook in August. Again, a great story at a great price. Check it out at your favorite retailer.

What is “Death Benefits” about? It’s about an author who plots to kill his literary agent, and it was a labor of love for me to write. You can see the love on every page.

Moving right along, my childhood friend, Thomas Block, has written a novel titled Captain. Tom, as you may know, was my co-author on Mayday, an airline disaster novel which is available in all formats, including a waterproof life raft edition.

Captain, too, is an airline disaster novel, and Tom, a former U.S. Airways captain, brings his thirty years of flying expertise into this edge-of-your-seat story of midair terror. Captain Block is also an accomplished writer and he blends both these skills into a flight to remember.

Even though we were classmates since kindergarten, Tom is twenty years older than me, and he brings that maturity to his writing. Also, Tom is my technical advisor on many of my novels and he’s also written articles for aviation journals, and penned a number of other novels on his own, so he understands this flying stuff, like lift, drag, thrust, and why airline food sucks.

Captain is now available online with great customer reviews. Visit Tom’s website here.

Another fellow writer and friend, Alafair Burke, has instituted the annual Duffer Awards, which are bestowed on fictional characters who appear in novels and are not really alive.

Last year, my character of John Corey was nominated in the category of “Most Likely to Save the World.” This year John Corey is once again nominated for a Duffer Award, and the category is “Guy You Call at 3 A.M.”

The winners in all categories are not decided by a panel of inept judges with an ax to grind, but by you, the reader. To vote for your favorite fictional character in all categories, go to www.alafairburke.com. You can also comment on your choice.

So let me put in a good word here for John Corey: He is definitely the Guy You Call at 3 A.M. because closing time in most New York bars is 3 A.M. and John has nothing to do after last call. You may not get the full benefit of his intellect, or the best advice at that hour, but you won’t be waking him out of a deep sleep. Voting begins June 10.

Also, Alafair Burke is a great writer and her latest, Never Tell, will be published on June 19. It received a top starred review in Publishers Weekly and I highly recommend Never Tell and all her past novels.

BookExpo, the annual gathering of the publishing industry, will be held at the Javits Center in New York City, June 5-7. If you are attending, I will be there on Wednesday, June 6. I have a busy schedule, and I really don’t want to see you, but if you corner me, I’ll be polite and charming if you tell me what a great writer I am. You can check out my schedule here.

The Panther is nearing completion, and as I said it will be published on October 16, in all formats. If you enjoy the sneak preview chapters included in the paperback of The Lion, or on my website, please let me know. And while you’re at your computer, Pre-order The Panther.

On the Hollywood front, the cable TV series of the John Corey books, possibly starring Aaron Eckhart, is still in the talking stage, but hopefully moving closer to reality. In my last Newsletter, I mentioned that the series would be along the lines of “Heartland,” but what I meant was “Homeland.”

In any case, I see the series as a cross between “Mad Men” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The producer does not share my vision, which is a good thing. More on this in my next Newsletter.

Summer is almost here, followed by fall, followed by the end of the world on December 21st, according to the Mayan Calendar.

So if you’re ordering The Panther online, you need to order no later than, say, December 16, to receive it and read it before the lights go out. An eBook, of course, is instant and you can wait until, say, December 19th if you’re a fast reader. I’d like to get these sales credited to my royalty statement before the world ends. So, just go ahead and order now. Thank you.

In conclusion, I also want to thank you for your emails and snail mails and for your good wishes and many years of support and encouragement. Writing is a lonely profession and I barely speak to anyone during the day, except my banker, so I appreciate your communications, all of which are read, even the handwritten letters that are barely legible, and the emails that are totally devoid of punctuation and remind me of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” in written form. Thank you.

But seriously, I look forward to hearing from everyone and I wish you a happy spring and great summer reading.

Sincerely,