Newsletter 08/12

August 2012

First, the big news — I’ve finally completed The Panther and I am now unemployed. But not for long, because I’m thinking about starting my next book. In fact, I thought about it all week at the beach. And I’ll think about it for the rest of the summer.

I believe The Panther is one of my strongest John Corey books and I hope you do too. Publication date for The Panther is Tuesday, October 16. Here’s an interesting factoid: Virtually all hardcover fiction is published on a Tuesday. Why? The answer, if you care, will be revealed in the next Newsletter.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to see a sneak preview of The Panther on my website, click here. Or if you purchase the recently released paperback of my last book, The Lion, in the back of the book is the preview of The Panther.

And don’t forget, you can pre-order The Panther from your favorite retailer or etailer. In fact, you should do that now. I’ll wait.

Back already? Okay, as I mentioned in my last Newsletter, I’ve written a short story titled, “The Book Case,” which is now offered as a Kindle Single eBook through Amazon for $1.99. 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 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 in 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” was published on August 1 as a stand-alone short story eBook and is available through your favorite etailer. And if you
order “Death Benefits,” you’ll also receive the preview of The Panther for free.

What is “Death Benefits” about? As I said in my last Newsletter, it’s about an author who plots to kill his literary agent. It’s pure fiction, of course, or maybe fantasy.

As I also mentioned in my June Newsletter, my childhood friend, Thomas Block, who is my co-author on Mayday, has written an airline disaster/thriller titled Captain which is available online. Visit  Tom’s website here and check it out. Tom is a former U.S. Airways captain so he knows what can go wrong at 30,000 feet.

As I also reported in my last Newsletter, there is some strong interest in a cable TV series of the John Corey books. I’ve been in discussion with the heads of a few cable networks and also with Sony TV. Aaron Eckhart remains interested in playing John Corey, and if we can get everyone onboard, this may become a reality. Stay tuned.

August is my birthday month, and to mark this occasion, I’ve asked my congressman to introduce a House Resolution declaring August as “Read a Nelson DeMille Book Month.” He has responded, “Okay, but what’s in it for me?” Well, we’ll work that out. Dealing with Washington is not that different than dealing with Hollywood.

On another subject, the end of the world, according to the Mayan Calendar, is December 21, the first day of winter. The good news is that it will be a short winter.

Which brings me to a new book by Dustin Thomason titled 12.21. Dustin co-authored, with Ian Caldwell, a novel titled The Rule of Four, which I enjoyed very much, and which was a bestseller. Now Dustin has written 12.21 and as you can guess, this novel is about the end of the world. Note that 12.21 has been published in August, well before the events in the book come true and abruptly end all book sales. Smart publishing and clever merchandising.

My own book, The Panther, will have a predictably short run on the bestseller list — October 16-December 21 — but the book and I will go out in a blaze of glory.

Many people ask me if I’m going to make personal appearances when The Panther is published, and the answer is yes. We don’t have a complete publicity schedule as yet, but I will post my book signing schedule on my website soon and update it as it develops. Note, there will be nothing scheduled after December 21. Hope to see you at one of these events.

On the subject of appearances, I am sharing the stage with my pal and fellow author, Susan Isaacs, on October 2 at The Landmark on Main Street. The Panther won’t be out yet, but Susan’s newest, Goldberg Variations, will be published that day. Susan, as you know, is the author of Compromising Positions and twelve other novels, all bestsellers. I’m reading Goldberg Variations now, and as always Susan Isaacs is witty and intelligent. You can pre-order Goldberg Variations at your favorite etailer. Hope to see you at Landmark in Port Washington (Long Island), NY for what promises to be a great evening. For more information, click here.

Want a free book? I will have advance reading copies of The Panther by the end of August. Advance reading copies (ARCs) are limited editions, usually sent to reviewers, booksellers, media, and others who need an early copy of a book before it is published in hardcover. But you can have an autographed ARC of The Panther by entering my contest, click here. Be the first on your block to read this book before it’s available to the public.

This is the month of vacations, and traditionally a lot of books are sold as people have more leisure time to read. Here’s my pick for a great vacation read: Plum Island, by Nelson DeMille. This has just been reissued in a large paperback size which fits nicely into a beer cooler.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and live it up; the first day of winter is not far off, if you know what I mean.

 

Sincerely,