Newsletter 04/09

April 2009

This is my first Newsletter since December, and I’ve spent the last three months writing the sequel to The Lion’s Game. I have no title for the book as yet, so I call it Lion’s Game II. LG II is coming along and I’m enjoying revisiting my old characters — John Corey, Kate Mayfield, the agents and bosses at the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, and Corey’s old nemesis, Asad Khalil, aka, The Lion. Khalil is nastier than ever, and he’s back in the U.S. to settle some old scores from The Lion’s Game. The first score he intends to settle is with John and Kate. This publication of LG II is scheduled for June 2010, in time for Father’s Day.

More publishing news: The Gate House sold very well, and it was listed by Publisher’s Weekly as the #15 bestselling novel of 2008. I want to thank all my readers who bought this book and made it such a big bestseller. And I congratulate all the authors who had the first 14 bestselling novels, and I wish them continued success. Actually, I wish they’d retire, but I don’t want to sound petty.

The paperback edition of The Gate House is scheduled for publication in November, and if you liked the hardcover edition, you’ll like the paperback even more because it’s cheaper. Also included in the paperback of The Gate House will be Chapter One of Lion’s Game II at the end of the book. So, for this reason alone, it’s worth buying The Gate House again.

More publishing news: The last John Corey book was Wild Fire, which is still available in mass market paperback. But this fall, Wild Fire will be available in the larger, trade paperback edition, and included in this larger paperback will also be Chapter One of Lion’s Game II, plus a new author’s foreword.

To recap: Chapter One of my work in progress, which is Lion’s Game II, will be available this fall in a) the paperback edition of The Gate House, b) the trade paperback edition of Wild Fire.

Moving right along to movie news: The producers of The Gold Coast are about to sign a major star to play the part of Don Frank Bellarosa. I have been sworn to secrecy until the deal is done and the name is made public, but I can say that this is one of the best actors in Hollywood, and someone who is perfect for the role. When this actor commits, the rest of the cast should fall into place very quickly. I’ll put out a Newsletter when this is a done deal.

I’ve received a rather nice check from BARF — the Bestselling Author’s Relief Fund — which I deposited into a bank that failed. The FDIC — Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — sent me a check to cover this loss, which I invested with a brokerage house that also failed. The Treasury Department sent me a bailout check to cover my lost investment, and I sent this check to the I.R.S. to help cover my April 15 taxes. The I.R.S. has just notified me that my Treasury Department check bounced. I think we have a problem.

I hope everyone had a happy and joyous Easter and Passover season. Happy Spring!

Sincerely,