DOUBLE EXPOSURE - Michael Lister

Remington James is a successful but unhappy advertising executive when his father dies. He returns to his hometown to run his father's store and care for his mother who is dying of MS. While he is home, he decides to pick up the hobby, the passion, he gave up years ago, wildlife photography. He has set trap cameras in the woods of the Apalachicola River Basin in hopes of maybe catching the elusive Florida panther. As he is out taking pictures and checking his traps one evening, he discovers that he has caught not the panther on his camera, but a murder. And now the murderers are hunting Remington through the pitch black of the Florida woods.

WARNING: I am about to gush over this incredible work of art. My hope is simply that it is a coherent gushing. O.k., you've been fairly warned.

If readers want to read DOUBLE EXPOSURE surfacely and minimally, they are in for a heart-pounding thriller. Lister's written a tight plot that doesn't allow one to slow down for even a second, just like his protagonist.

Lister created a powerful effect by being a minimalist in this novel. His protagonist is a photographer out taking pictures in the woods. Lister's prose mimics that process so you can hear the camera shutter click as you read:

Evening. Glow.
Dark figures.
Shot.
Explosion.
Bloom of blood.
Body dropping to the cold ground.
Death. Digging.
Fire.

And Lister's setting development carries you smack into the middle of Remington's Eden that is horrifically transformed into his Hell all in the course of one night. Remington reminds himself to "Use your senses. All of them." And Lister helps the readers to use their senses, all of them. Whether they are seeing the beauty of the landscape or the nightmare of a murder. Whether they are hearing life:

"Somwhere in the distance, a woodpecker taps out his mating morse code on the resonant bole of a hollow tree, and when a gentle breeze sways the tops of oaks, cypresses, magnolias, and gums, the falling leaves around him sound like the start of a soft rainfall."

Or feeling fear:

"Hairs rise.
Goose bumps.
Quickly. Quietly."

Readers will definitely be in the woods with Remington James on the most terrifying night of his life. But they'll have to listen carefully to hear nature's sounds over the thumping of their own hearts.

If you want to delve deeper, you will find a complex interweaving of theme, plot, character and setting that results in a magical reading experience. Remington is almost a unique character in crime fiction in that he comes from a functional family. His parents loved him and he loved his parents; while Remington doesn't seem conscious of it, the reader quickly learns that both parents taught him skills that made him a great man.

And of course, nature is a prominent theme as well as a symbol in DOUBLE EXPOSURE. The dark of night is essential to build up the suspense, but it plays a role also in the idea that man is destroying nature. So Remington's manic race is not just a race for his life, but a race for nature. Can they both make it out alive?

Brilliant.

Beautiful.

Must-read!

Double Exposure by Michael Lister.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE will be released by Tyrus Books in September. It will be available in hard cover (ISBN 978-0-9825209-2-5) and trade paper (978-0-9825209-3-2). Michael Lister will be donating all profits from DOUBLE EXPOSURE to environmental protection and conservation.

You Have the Right to Six Words - WEEK 10!

Can you believe this is week 10 of the "You Have the Right to Six Words" series? Wow! And I was just looking over the schedule I mapped out and I have to tell you that I'm very excited about ever post for this month in this series. It just isn't letting up at all! I do want to give you a heads up that next week's post will be on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I'll remind everyone, but you can mark your calendars! ;)

Let's get started on this week's memoirists. First our recap from an interview is the author of the Frank Johnson P.I. series, Ed Lynskey. Ed's Johnson series includes THE DIRT BROWN DERBY, THE BLUE CHEER, and PELHAM FELL HERE. TROGLODYTES will be number four in the series and is due out later this year. Ed lives with his wife in the Washington DC area and enjoys walking and gardening. He's also a Nationals fan and a Redskins fan. Ed has been on both sides of writing coin. He's worked as both the author and as the reviewer, and in all aspects of his career he says:

I did the best I could.

First up for our new memoirists is one of my favorite folks on Facebook. What a sense of humor this guy has. However, it isn't as noticeable in his crime fiction writing. Jonathan Hayes is the author of PRECIOUS BLOOD, a thriller about a New York City Medical Examiner who left his career after the traumas of 9/11 only to be pulled back into the fray when he's asked to work as a private consultant. The case he's asked to handle turns out to be dark beyond your wildest dreams. Jonathan himself is a forensic pathologist and he always looks forward to the person in his audience who asks, "what's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen?" And in his other life, Jonathan writes about food and travel. He's even a contributing editor to Martha Stewart living. Up next for Jonathan and his crime fiction writing? A sequel to PRECIOUS BLOOD titled A HARD DEATH that will be on bookstore shelves in the U.S. in early 2010 (UK folks, look for A HARD DEATH in November this year). Is there anything Jonathan won't try his hand at?

Said yes to everything. Regretted nothing.

Sophie Littlefield is preparing for the release of her debut novel, A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. Her novel about a woman fighting back against "problem husbands" is heralding raves from everyone. Sorry breaks the mold of many female protagonists in crime fiction, she's a middle-aged woman who owns a sewing machine shop.

Sophie has seen much of the geography of the United States having grown up in central Missouri, spent 10 years in Chicago and then moved to Northern California. She shares her writing genes with her brother, Mike Wiecek, but she's honed her own distinct voice in the crime fiction genre. Sophie will also be publishing a young adult novel, BANISHED, next year.

One of the reasons I'm so looking forward to A BAD DAY FOR SORRY is the fact that Sophie is one of the bloggers at the 7 Criminal Minds virtual panel blog. Every Wednesday I look forward to Sophie's posts. Folks, this lady can write! And she's gonna write how she wants to write because she

Ain't gonna be who I'm not.

So how's that for spunk? See why I'm looking forward to her book?

Our final author this week is also releasing a book next Tuesday. Stephen White is the New York Times best-selling author of the Alan Gregory psychological thriller series. Stephen builds on his fifteen plus years of experience as a clinical psychologist to bring authenticity to his books. While a practicing psychologist, Stephen spent time in the field of pediatric oncology. At the time only a handful of psychologists around the country worked in pediatric oncology. One of those colleagues was Jonathan Kellerman. While still working as a psychologist, Stephen began writing his first novel, PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. Here he would give birth to Alan Gregory and a whole new career.

In Stephen's newest novel, THE SIEGE, focus changes from Alan Gregory to another series character, Alan's buddy, police detective Sam Purdy. Sam is called on to investigate the mysterious disappearance of several high profile Yale students. Could it be kidnapping? Could it be terrorism? There is no telling. But the disappearances are high profile enough to merit the involvement of the CIA and the FBI. THE SIEGE is Stephen White's seventeenth novel in a career spanning over 20 years. And in those 20 years he's learned to

Live, read. Love, read. Write, rewrite.

Best wishes go out to both of our authors this week who are looking forward to their August 4th book releases. Sophie and Stephen, I'm so glad you could take time out to play with us today before all the big festivities begin; may they exceed your wildest expectations. Thanks also to Ed and Jonathan. They aren't releasing this week but both have books on the horizon and we're looking forward to celebrating those in the near future as well.

Remember next week, we're meeting here on Tuesday to continue the fun. So I'll see you then! Happy Reading!





Bouchercon countdown: 79 days

STILL LIFE - Louise Penny

After many years, Jane Neal, a former school teacher, has finally decided to enter her art in the local event. She's never shown her art to anyone, not even those closest to her but she has decided to enter her "Fair Day" piece in the contest. But Jane will never see her work revealed. When she is found dead in the woods of the small town of Three Pines on Thanksgiving, her death is believed to be a hunting accident. However, when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache comes in with his team to investigate, he begins to believe there is more to Jane's death than meets the eye.

This is yet again another series I'm late to the game on. But this is definitely a case of "better late than never." I'm thrilled to have finally found myself in the town of Three Pines. If murder and mayhem can be deemed delightful, Louise Penny has definitely achieved it.

The title of this book may be STILL LIFE, but the characters are far from a flat representation. They are amazingly dimensional and their intertwining lives make the absence of even one seem unfathomable. In many police procedurals the focus lies primarily on the investigator. Not so in STILL LIFE. Armand Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir, as well as the rather arrogant Yvette Nichol, are important roles in the plot. But they aren't the sole, main focus. And that approach adds more depth to the other characters of Three Pines.

Olivier and Gabri are an absolute stitch. I want to spend my days in their bistro simply to watch: watch the people, watch the life. And if I were really lucky, I could join in as well.

As much as I enjoy character, this book isn't simply a collection of wonderful character. There is a rich depth to the plot that takes it beyond good to the realm of excellent. A plot that keeps you engaged and on the edge waiting to find out what happens next. There is wonderful symbolism and a theme that definitely focuses on seeing what is right in front of you. Add in Penny's fantastically dry humor and you have hours of engaging entertainment at the tips of your fingers.

I listened to STILL LIFE on audio book read by Ralph Cosham. I'm not sure if it is the amazing writing, his reading or a combination of both that brought Three Pines to life in my car for a week. The type of audio book that makes you want to drive around the block a couple more times than you actually have to. Cosham's dialects and pronunciations were magnificent; inflections and tone were precisely placed and never overused. This is a stellar recording and I highly recommend it.

STILL LIFE was published in 2006 by St. Martin's Minotaur Books, and the audio recording was produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Monday Mystery Backlist - The Blessing Way

I decided to highlight THE BLESSING WAY today by Tony Hillerman. I have not yet read any of Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn novels, so I'll be starting all the way back at the beginning with this one, published in 1970. Hillerman has been a strong influence on many of today's crime fiction and western authors. The crime fiction community lost this great author late last year. But it is through first-time readers like me that the love of his work will continue to prosper and his legend will live on.

In THE BLESSING WAY Joe Leaphorn has to deal with a body found along the side of the road, believed to be dead from an alcohol overdose. Leaphorn has his doubts, though, he sees too many signs of witchcraft to be convinced. THE BLESSING WAY blends the Navajo lore into the America culture, examining the world of Navajo witchcraft.

Have you already read THE BLESSING WAY? Feel free to leave your comments and enhance the Monday Mystery Backlist title this week.

A Sidewinder Publishing edition of THE BLESSING WAY (ISBN: 978-0914001133) was released in hardcover in 2007; Harper reissued the paperback (ISNB: 978-0061808357) in May of this year; and the audio book version, read by George Guidall is available from Recorded Books (ISBN: 978-1-4281-4952-6).

It's Coming - DOUBLE EXPOSURE

Yesterday I mentioned that I had just finished reading a great book by Michael Lister called DOUBLE EXPOSURE. The review will be forthcoming for you, but in the meantime, take a look at this trailer. Make sure your volume is turned up for the full effect:

News and Other Such Stuffs...

I have so much to share with you that I'm not even sure where to start! First, how did it get to be the end of July already? Someone is stealing my summer and I'm none too happy about it. It does take us a little closer to Bouchercon in October, though. Official countdown: 82 days! And the other thing about this summer? I've read a lot of GREAT stuff. I just finished Michael Lister's DOUBLE EXPOSURE, which you'll hear about soon, but it was fantastic. Just brilliant. And now I'm in the throws of Ridley Pearson's KILLER SUMMER. Good stuff, good stuff!

First up on the list for today is an announcement for my audiophile friends. Michael Koryta's new book THE SILENT HOUR will be available from Blackstone Audio read by Scott Brick. You can listen to a sample of it here. In addition to that, Michael informs me that ENVY THE NIGHT has been recorded for Audible.com. I don't have more details on that one, but when I do, I'll pass them along.

I've spoken before about The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. These are the folks who so generously allowed me to attend their Festival of Books pre-party back in April. Well, I have to tell you that their customer service continues to astound me. Assistant Manager Linda Brown maintains Mystery Bookstore's Twitter account (@mysterybooks) and whenever possible she tweets during their book events. So, from across the country, I was able to join in the release party for Brett Battles new Jonathan Quinn novel, SHADOW OF BETRAYAL, and was able to attend Gregg Hurwitz's event where he signed my book for me, see:





Linda posted these pictures to TwitPic for me so I could see them in real time during the event. And I got a "hi from Gregg at the author's table." Now that's amazing customer service! And it totally made my weekend. I just love these folks. They have some more great events coming up too if you're interested. If you're in the area, of course nothing tops seeing the authors live. But, this is a great alternative for when the authors aren't close enough to you. And Mystery Bookstore will gladly save books and have them personally inscribed for you if you can't make the event (like me).

You can see the link here for their August events, but I wanted to point a few out to everyone. On August 1st a debut author by the name of Kwei Quartey will be signing his book WIFE OF THE GODS. Kwei will be here on my blog the following week. August 15th they will host Linwood Barclay signing his book FEAR THE WORST. Linwood will be a 6-word memoirist, so he'll be making an appearance here soon, too. And you all know how much I adore Poke Rafferty. Tim Hallinan will be signing BREATHING WATER on August 21st. I haven't posted my review of this book yet, but I'll tell you that you should NOT miss it. Call and order your copy now! And the last event I want to point out to you is the following day and it's called A DEADLY COMBINATION. MBS will host three talented female crime fiction writers, one of whom is Sophie Littlefield. I am SO excited to get my copy of A BAD DAY FOR SORRY, which is coming out this week. I really am looking forward to this debut novel. Sophie will also be one of our upcoming memoirists and she's one of the bloggers over at Seven Criminal Minds.

I've been meaning to mention this for awhile and haven't gotten around until now. I won what I think is the most creative contest from a book blogger. Jennifer over at The Literate Housewife held a contest awhile back to win a membership in the bookmark of the month club. Each month she MAKES a book mark for the folks who won this membership, and these bookmarks are absolutely wonderful!! I wanted to post a picture of a few so you can see. This was just a superb contest. She's a thinker, that lady is.


And another cool book-related item I want to share with you is this gift my boss gave me. It's called the Porta Book and I guess it's been advertised on TV. My boss (who is awesome by the way) bought a case of these to use as graduation gifts. I wanted to know if she was keeping one for herself and if she would tell me how it was for reading in bed because I wanted something since I do that so often. She reached in and pulled one out and said "happy graduation." And let me tell you that this basic little gadget is heaven for reading in bed. I use it literally every night now. I keep a pencil in the tray for making my notes while I read, and it folds up when I'm not using it so it isn't an inconvenience to store. Honest, I'm not trying to do a commercial - "the blogger has not been paid for these comments," I just really love this thing. It has made my evening reading 100 times more comfortable. I love that it props my book up for me and I don't have to hold it - and it weighs nothing. Thanks Candace!!



Really quick I want to remind you that the nominations are still being accepted for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. They will be open until August 15th and EVERYONE, blogger or no, can vote in the nominations - there are quite a few categories. So make sure you get over and recognize your favorite bloggers. If you are an author, publisher, publicist, whatever and you'd like to donate a prize to the BBAW, you can find a form to do so here.

Alright, hopefully that covers everything I wanted to mention...oh wait! One more thing. It's official now (I saw it with my own eyes) so I can mention it. Two of my reviews are printed in the new edition, #31 July/August, of CRIMESPREE magazine! I'm officially published! I don't think I could be more thrilled because I love this magazine. It is all about highlighting the amazing world of crime fiction literature. Every edition I pick up is packed with great stuff. I read about authors I enjoy, I learn about new authors and events. And they have tons of contests for you contest lovers. I am beyond humbled to have my name appear in this magazine. O.k., what are you waiting for? Go buy it!! ;)

Alright, now I really am done. That's all the news for this Saturday. Hope you have a wonderful last week of July 2009. Happy Reading.

The Biggest Challenge - Paul Martin Midden

As one of the stops on his blog tour with Omnimystery, Paul Martin Midden is here to talk about marketing his new novel TOXIN. Paul is a psychologist serving as the Clinical Director of a nationally-recognized treatment center. TOXIN, a political thriller, is his second novel. Without further ado, Paul Martin Midden:

One of the things I have discovered while writing fiction is that the biggest challenge is not in producing the works themselves. That is fun for me with almost no down side. The biggest challenge is marketing.

Because I was published through a small press, it was my responsibility to do book marketing. That seemed acceptable, at least in theory, but the doing of it proved more daunting that I imagined. Finding access points and reviewers seemed like entering a mysterious new landscape (rabbit hole?), one with which I was totally unfamiliar. In addition, the context of my first book, Absolution, was the Catholic Church, and, while it was a positive portrayal, raising questions about sexuality in the Church these days is risky business. So I did the sensible thing: I hired a publicist. Even with a publicist, however, the marketing was slow.

My second book is not about the Church. In fact, it is completely different in style and tone from the first. It’s a thriller, although I did not think of it that way when I wrote it. For this book, Toxin, I also hired a publicist, and the response has been much more positive. We will see how this translates into sales as time goes on, but the initial reviews are quite favorable, and I look forward to more.

Still, how to get a book sold remains something of a mystery to me. And in reality it
does seem to be a changing field. There is a proliferation of book sites online, so it is not that there is no interest in literacy or in reading. As major newspapers cut back--even on book reviewing—the Internet has spread its inclusive arms to embrace almost everyone with an idea. This is a new, democratic, expansive, and bewildering notion. It holds promise for world-wide exposure, but the competition for attention and book dollars is very high. I have a notion that the New York publishing industry used to control book production in a way it cannot do so easily as the process of publishing gets democratized along with everything else. I am not certain that is true, but I imagine silk-stocking agents and publishers holding hushed conversations in elegant restaurants in afternoons over white wine deciding who will and who will not be admitted into their august company.

As with many writers, I have a drawer full of rejection letters from New York agents. So I do not deny there is some bitterness in this characterization. But it does seem that the alternative to New York and its limiting influence is to somehow embrace the chaos of the emerging, democratized book- selling business where limits are almost all self-imposed. That is a exhilarating and daunting challenge.

Paul Martin Midden is giving away a signed copy of his book, Toxin, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, http://paul-martin-midden.omnimystery.com/, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 1221, for your chance to win. Entries from Jen's Book Thoughts will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow (July 25th). No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on their book tour page next week.

THE SILENT HOUR - Michael Koryta

Lincoln Perry has ignored Harrison Parker's letters for several months, but when the ex-con shows up at his office door step, he doesn't have much choice but to talk to the man. So, he'll listen and politely decline.

Harrison Parker served 15 years in prison for murder. After the prison sentence was fulfilled, he entered a unique program for paroled murderers. A program run by Alexandra and Joshua Cantrell. Parker wants Perry to locate Alexandra, who disappeared with her husband twelve years ago; he's convinced Lincoln is the right man to tell the story:

"I see you as a storyteller. You take something that's hidden from the world, and you bring it forward, give us answers to our questions, give us an ending. It's what you do, and you seem to be very good at it. I'm asking you, please, to do that for me. Give me those answers, give me the ending."

The case seems simple enough and despite his determination not to take the case, Perry agrees. Then little by little, he discovers all the details that Parker conveniently left out of his explanation. The details that walk Perry right into the middle of a murder investigation with possible ties to the Cleveland mob.

This is the summary of the crime that Lincoln investigates in this novel. But it is really more of a by-product of the main focus of THE SILENT HOUR. Lincoln does have to be a storyteller and find something that is hidden from the world. However, that search is internal; the major conflict of this book is internal conflict. What Lincoln needs to find most in this novel is his way; the answers to his own questions. And Koryta illustrates that for us figuratively when Lincoln attempts to visit a mob kingpin and he locks his gun in the glove box of his truck:

"...I reached over to the glove compartment, opened it, and took out my gun. It felt good in my hand. Too good. I sat there for a while, caressing the stock with my thumb, and pleasure spread through me and filled my brain and circled around my heart. When I put the gun back, I made sure I locked the glove compartment. Wouldn't want the wrong person getting in there. The sort of person who would use a weapon without need, who'd pull the trigger for reasons of rage and vengeance rather than self-defense. No, I didn't want anybody like that getting ahold of my gun."

Lincoln must find the person inside of himself who isn't full of the rage and the hate and vengeance. Even more than a crime novel, THE SILENT HOUR is a passionate study in character.

The depth of every character in this novel envelops you more completely in to the story. While it is told through the eyes of Lincoln Perry, you are able to feel empathy for Harrison Parker, for Ken Merriman, John Dunbar, Mark Ruzity, even Joshua Cantrell. And your investment in Lincoln Perry draws out anguish, frustration, irritation, and still always compassion.

Lincoln's internal battle is sandwiched between the beginning and the end of his involvement in the Cantrell disappearance/murder. I was pulled so far into his struggles that by the time the case returned at the end of the novel, I found myself thinking, "oh yeah, the investigation hasn't been closed yet."

This is a Koryta novel that is going to wreak havoc on the spectrum of the reader’s emotions, more so than any of the novels before it. And when Lincoln’s story has finally been told, the reader will forever be changed.

THE SILENT HOUR (ISBN: 978-0-312-36157-0) will be released by St. Martin's Minotaur Books on August 4th.

You Have the Right to Six Words - Better Hold on to Your Hats!

I have a loaded post for you this week - Week 9 of YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SIX WORDS! - so folks, hold on to your hats and away we go...


We'll start with our recap memoir. Beth Groundwater is the author of the Gift Basket Designer mystery series. Beth spent the first part of her career working in the computer science field where her writing talent was put to use in the technical arena. She wrote manuals and proposals and reports. But good planning and goal-setting allowed Beth to retire from the computer software world early and put her writing skills to work in the fiction arena. When she's not writing, you can probably find Beth in her garden or in the setting for her second Gift Basket Designer mystery series novel, on the ski slopes. Beth's first novel, A REAL BASKET CASE was a nominee for the "Best First Novel" Agatha Award in 2007. Earlier this year, Beth followed that up with the sequel TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET accompanied by an ambitious blog tour. Beth certainly knows the value of hard work:

Networked and persisted until surprise - published!

New on our list of memoirists this week is a man who is far from new to the world of crime fiction writing. He's a New York Times best selling author many times over and he leaves us on the edges of our seats with thrillers such as THE MILLIONAIRES, THE ZERO GAME, THE BOOK OF FATE, and of course his newest hit THE BOOK OF LIES, which was released this year in paperback. Of course you know I'm talking about Brad Meltzer. Brad wrote his first New York Times best seller THE TENTH JUSTICE while a student at Columbia Law School. As a matter of fact, Columbia gave him credit for writing this book! Brad's books have been translated into over 25 languages. But not only do we know Brad for his crime fiction novels, he's also a comic book writer. Last year he won an Eisner Award for his JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. And he was also one of the co-creators of the television show JACK & BOBBY. It seem contradictory to the genre Brad writes in but by golly:

I'm a Meltzer, not a fighter.

Lisa Lutz has been a bit of a nomad for the first part of her life. She attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England and San Francisco State University. After those college adventures, and no college degree, Lisa set to work on trying to be a screenwriter. And she succeeded in writing and optioning a screenplay called PLAN B. However, she also learned that screenwriting was not where she would stay in her career. So, she packed herself up and headed out to - Westernville, New York? Yep! And that is where she wrote the bulk of THE SPELLMAN FILES. Since then, Lisa had found her way to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and most recently she's made her way back to San Francisco. She's also found her way to two more Spellman publications: CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS and REVENGE OF THE SPELLMANS. And she's found herself nominated for both a "Best Novel" Edgar Award and a "Best Mystery Novel" Macavity Award. Her fourth book in the Spellman series, THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN, is due out at the beginning of 2010. And Lisa thought she didn't get around near enough, so her books are extending her reach. The Spellmans are published in over 20 languages around the world. For Lisa:

Six words is WAY too long.

The final hitter in this powerhouse line-up is also a writer who is no stranger to successful books. His ten mystery and suspense novels have won him nominations for Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Agatha and Macavity awards. Jeff Abbott is the international best-selling author of two highly acclaimed series: the first being his Jordan Poteet mystery series about a librarian and then his Whit Mosley series about a justice of the peace and a detective. He has also penned three standalone thrillers and tomorrow he will release TRUST ME, his fourth standalone and eleventh novel. In his new novel, Jeff will introduce Luke Dantry who works tracking extremists on the Internet. However, the safety of his computer job will soon be shattered.

The novel is not Jeff's only writing format, however. He has also written short stories included in such anthologies as BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES and THE WORLD'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES. So what is a successful thriller writer's favorite book? Why it's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, of course!

Jeff says, "writing brought me my wife, a career I never dreamed I’d have, tons of opportunities, getting to meet the most interesting people in the world . . .you get the idea." So it is not hard at all to understand why his memoir would be:

Writing opens a thousand doors.

This week I think we loaded the bases and hit a grand slam! Many thanks to Beth, Brad, Lisa, and Jeff for being great sports. Are you groaning from my baseball analogies yet? This was a fun week of memoirs. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope to see you back here again, same time next week! Happy Reading!


Bouchercon countdown: 85 days!

THE WATER'S EDGE - Karin Fossum

The Rises take the same walk every Sunday, but this Sunday is different from any other. This Sunday they encounter a strange man walking away from the woods. He is limping, and when Kristine Ris smiles at him, he reacts with a look of terror. The strange man climbs into his older white car and drives away. But when Kristine and Reinhardt start back from their walk, they discover the half-naked body of a small boy left in the woods. Could the man limping out of the woods be responsible for this or was he just a witness like Kristine and Reinhardt? Kristine is disturbed enough by this gruesome discovery, but when Reinhardt begins taking pictures of the boy with his cell phone while they wait for the police, she's simply mortified. Who is this man she's married to?

Inspectors Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre are called in to investigate the death of the boy, but the stakes are raised when another boy goes missing in the midst of the investigation. The key to case has to be the man with the limp in the white car, if only they could locate him.

While this is my first experience with Inspector Konrad Sejer, this is actually Karin Fossum's sixth book in the series. Originally published in Norwegian, it was translated to English by Charlotte Barslund.

Fossum hooks the reader immediately with the discovery of the small boy at the opening of this novel. The tone of the novel is set because there is never anything light or funny about child molestation and murder. The whodunit does not appear to be much of a mystery until Fossum starts throwing in subtle events that make the reader wonder if there is a twist up ahead.

But the greatest strength of this novel comes in the form of its characters. Each character is essential to the book either through his/her role in the plot or through his/her relationship to another character. I couldn't be indifferent to any of the characters; Fossum created them in such a way as to evoke some kind of emotion from me, the reader, whether it be revulsion, pity, empathy or compassion. A true sign of realistic, dimensional characters. And just as Inspector Sejer points out to the press in a briefing, "'Every case is unique,' he said. 'There was only ever one Jonas August,'" so too are the other members of this dynamic cast of characters.

And of course you have to know that I would have a special affinity for Sejer since he brings his dog, Frank Robert, to work with him. But, I also admire this character for his intelligence, his morality, his ethics. He is appalled by the act that has been committed, but he will handle the investigation properly so that the murderer is held accountable:

"Is that what's happened? Sejer thought, I'm hunting a lost soul who has strayed. No, that's not right. I'm hunting a man who puts his own desires before everything else, a man who cannot control himself, a man who will kill to satisfy his urges. When I'm at the police station interrogating him, there will be no room for acceptance. I will be polite and follow procedure, but I will offer him nothing; no mercy, no sympathy."

You will not find car chases or gun fights or fancy martial arts conflicts in this book. This is a chilling story because it is every parent's worst nightmare. And even if you aren't a parent, you can identify similarities in your own communities and make connections to your own lives. That is what makes this story haunt your thoughts long after you've reached the end.

THE WATER'S EDGE (ISBN: 978-0-15-101421-7) is published in the United States by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and will be available August 4, 2009.

Monday Mystery Backlist - 47 Rules of Highly Effective Bank Robbers

My good blogging friend Corey from The Drowning Machine is taking over the Monday Mystery Backlist post today. I love when Corey helps me out with this post, but blasted, I always end up with a longer TBR list afterward! ;) Enjoy today's title:

47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS by Troy Cook is an offbeat tale about an unusual pair of bank robbers. Father and daughter bank robbers. They've been an effective team since Tara was a little girl, but Tara's ready to branch out on her own now, in business and in life. Unfortunately for her, and for anyone close by, Daddy is not at all ready to let her cut that umbilical cord. And even Tara would admit that Daddy is an undeniable sociopath. But Tara is smart, determined and - the most dangerous thing of all - she's fallen in love with the sheriff's son. Could the situation get any more explosive? This is a quirky crime story, with plenty of twists and chases and laughs.

Capital Crime Press (July 1, 2006)
ISBN = 978-0977627660

List price = $14.95 US

My Six

It's been an incredible week already and golly, it's only Wednesday. I hope the rest of the week goes as well as the beginning.

I mentioned Tuesday that the registration for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is up. So if you are a book blogger and want to get in on the action scheduled for September 14th to the 18th, you can register here:

http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/index.php/site/register_for_book_blogger_appreciation_week_2009/

For EVERYONE, blogger or not, you can go and nominate your favorite book blogs for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards here:

http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/index.php/awards/bbaw_2009_award_nominations_now_open/

There is a Mystery/Thriller/Crime category again this year if you think Jen's Book Thoughts is deserving of a nomination. But of course, I would never want to influence your vote or anything! ;) But seriously, go and vote. Show some love to those book bloggers that you enjoy visiting.

Some other exciting news to share with you. John Ceepak and Danny Boyle probably have a new publishing home! Chris is going to share details as soon as everything is signed and sealed. Once I have details, I'll share them with you. And he's working on book #6! Yes, yes, yes!

UPDATE: Since writing this post last night, it has been officially announced that Pegasus will be publishing the next Ceepak novel, ROLLING THUNDER. Oh, happy day!

Also this week I received a copy of THE SILENT HOUR, Michael Koryta's fourth book in the Lincoln Perry series. Many thanks to St. Martin's for that wonderful present that showed up and made my day. I want to remind folks around me that Michael will be in this area August 11, 12, and 13 (Fairview Park Library, Rocky River Community Center, Bay Village Library). He will be in Westerville at Foul Play bookstore on August 5, which is the day after the book release. And my friends up near Ann Arbor, here's your chance now to go to Aunt Agatha's. Michael is going to be there on August 10. His complete event schedule is here.

And I'm filling this blog post with 6s. Today is July 16th. October 16th is when I'm headed to my very first Bouchercon. So, I'm beginning the countdown. Counting today, there are 91 days to Bouchercon!

And finally, the most important 6 of this blog post, which is sort of not even book related. But...in another way maybe it's remotely related. Many authors will mention how music influences their writing. Of course we know Bruce Springsteen influences Chris Grabenstein's Ceepak series, ENVY THE NIGHT came from song lyrics, Tom Schreck's Duffy Dombrowski series is influenced by Elvis, etc. So, now I'm going to springboard off my dear friend Michael over at Lazy Thoughts from a Boomer who did this outstanding post on 6 songs that trigger important memories for him. Mine will not be anywhere near as awesome as his, so I encourage you to go check his out. And I will also warn you beforehand that I have very eclectic taste when it comes to music. I'm sure you'll notice that here. The first three were easy for me to come up with. The last three took a little more effort. But here are MY SIX:

1. Thank God for Kids - The Oak Ridge Boys. This song fondly reminds me of every small child that has had an important role in my life. I've always wanted to have children of my own, but as of now, I've had to make due with enjoying others' children.

2. The Little Old Lady from Pasadena - either Jan and Dean or The Beach Boys. My dad has always been an important influence in my life, and he always loved music from the 50s and 60s, especially Jan and Dean. His love of that era rubbed off on me. My very first music concert that I went to was with my dad and it was to see The Beach Boys. We sat on the lawn at Blossom and it rained...horribly. We were soaked. But, I remember that concert to this day.

3. There Once Was a Man - sung by Harry Connick Jr. and Kelli O'Hara in THE PAJAMA GAME - I don't get to travel a whole lot, but one of the greatest trips I've ever taken was my trip to New York City with my sister and mom. We went with the express reason of seeing Harry Connick Jr. in THE PAJAMA GAME, but we made a weekend of it. This song was my favorite from the show and I can't help but think of this weekend whenever I listen to it. I think it was also my sister's favorite. She calls it the "Wo-Man song."


4. Go Rest High on That Mountain - Vince Gill. I debated including this one because the memory it evokes is extremely painful. But, since it is still a powerful memory, I think it merits being included. My sister dated a young man in high school who was very well liked by our whole family. He died suddenly and inexplicably during his freshman year in college. Vince Gill released this song as a tribute to his own brother right around that same time. To this day I can't listen to that song. It just brings all the pain of that loss right back.

5. Playing with the Boys - Kenny Loggins. In high school, I was a student assistant for the football team and a statistician for the baseball team. I loved these jobs more than anything else in high school. That's where my fondest memories of those years are. I had the soundtrack to TOP GUN on cassette at the time and I remember one especially nice day on the way to a baseball game I had it playing in the car: windows down, volume up, typical teenager. I remember that day as though it was yesterday, and while the day wasn't anything distinctly special, I always remember it. And I, likewise, always associate this song with those jobs in high school.

6. 19 Somethin' - Mark Wills. This song reminds me of almost everything significant that was going on during my youth. And to understand what I mean, you can hear the lyrics and see the video here. (Sorry, I can't embed it.) I think they speak for themselves.

Did you notice the Atari there at the end? So, those are my six. Yeah, like I said, Michael's post was way better! But it was still fun to do. Thanks Michael!!

Now, while I have a couple of reviews I SHOULD be working on, I'm going to sneak off for a date with Lincoln Perry (shhh, don't tell Amy!). Have a great Thursday and Happy Reading!!

You Have the Right to Six Words - Part VIII

Alright! Week 8 of "You Have the Right to Six Words"! This week we have another diverse group of power house crime fiction writers sharing their six-word memoirs with us. And this group reminds me of how many sub-sets of this genre exist. There is really something for everyone.

So let's start out with our interview recap. Diane A.S. Stuckart writes a historical crime fiction series with her Leonardo Da Vinci series, which includes THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT and PORTRAIT OF A LADY. PORTRAIT OF A LADY was released early this year and a third installment of the Leonardo Da Vinci series should be forthcoming in 2010. Diane is a born and bred Texan who was recently transplanted to Florida. Before writing historical mysteries, she wrote historical romance. This lady knows her history. She also knows ghosts. She is a founding member of the Gold Coast Paranormal Society that searches for ghosts in the South Florida area. Like me, Diane is a pet person. She has four dogs and two cats. And now that she's in Florida, she has to keep an eye on those gators. Diane is juggling an awful lot of balls in the air at any one time, so it should come as no surprise that her memoir is:

I've always wanted to try that.

We'll go from historical mystery to traditional mystery...well, sort of traditional. I don't know how traditional we can consider a tattoo artist. Karen Olson began her crime fiction writing career with the Annie Seymour Mysteries. SACRED COWS, the first book in this series centered around a police reporter, was nominated for a Gumshoe Award and won the Sarah Ann Freed Memorial Award. Last week, Karen released the first book in her new series, THE MISSING INK. With this book Karen has moved from police reporter in New Haven, Connecticut, to tattoo artist in Las Vegas, Nevada. As I said, I don't know if "traditional" fits Karen Olson! Karen started her career in advertising then moved on to writing policies and procedures for a securities and investigations company. These positions both preceded 20 years in journalism. While working a night-shift copy editor position, Karen started writing fiction. As easy as Karen makes it seem, she'll be the first to tell you that it's:

Not as easy as it seems.

From traditional mystery we can move on to the legal thriller. Ken Isaacson is a lawyer who completed his undergraduate degree at MIT, his law degree at Columbia, worked as an attorney on Wall Street and now is still practicing law as an in-house general counsel to an international transportation company - WHILE writing legal thrillers! And as if that wasn't enough to keep him busy, he's very active with the Mystery Writers of America, where he received the Silver Noose Award. His first book, SILENT COUNSEL, was released in 2007 to great reviews. And he's hard at work on book number two where he'll deviate from Scott Heller, his SILENT COUNSEL protagonist, to work with a young lawyer just out of law school. His second novel does not have a release date as of yet, but stay tuned! I'll keep you apprised. Ken is also an animal lover. He and his wife have a dog, Oakley, and four cats. Ken is also a proud father, step-father, and while I find this hard to believe, he's also a grandfather. Family is an important part of his life...and his memoir:

Son, brother, husband, father. Enjoying journey.

Today I'm going to wrap up the memoirs with one of the most recent Edgar award winners and an author of police procedurals, sort of. C.J. Box is the author of the award-winning Joe Pickett series. Joe isn't a police officer per se, but he is a trained, armed law enforcement official...a Wyoming game warden. C.J. is also the author of two stand-alone novels: BLUE HEAVEN, for which he won the 2008 Edgar award for best novel, and THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE. His most recent release, BELOW ZERO, continues the Joe Pickett series and was released in June of this year. Like his protagonist, C.J. also lives in Wyoming and is quite the outdoorsman. He's worked as a ranch hand, a surveyor, a fishing guide; he found his start in writing as a small town newspaper reporter and editor. Even his hobbies revolve around Wyoming's great out doors. He hunts, fishes, hikes and skis. When I asked C.J. for his six-word memoir, his response was:

He hoped he got it right.

Well, if he hasn't gotten it right, the man is pretty darned close! My most sincere thanks to all my special guests today: Diane A.S. Stuckart, Karen Olson, Ken Isaacson, and C.J. Box. It means a lot to me, and to everyone reading, that you took the time to share in the fun with us.

Each week I finish up this post and sit back in awe. I really am humbled that so many wonderfully talented writers have contributed to this project. It has turned out greater than my wildest dreams because of everyone's contribution, and especially all the folks who turn out to read it each week and make it the most popular element of this blog! Thank you everyone. And I'm not done! I still have plenty more to share with you. I hope you'll come back next week for Week 9 and see who hangs out with us then!

Happy Reading!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Announced

Just finishing up the final details for tomorrow's six-word memoir post, but I wanted to let you know about the announcement of this year's Book Blogger Appreciation Week.

This year, the celebration will be held September 14th through the 18th. If you are a book blogger and want to register, you can do that here:

http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/

Tomorrow they will be starting nominations for this year's book blogger awards. I'll update you when I have more info on that. Now I have to get crackin' on some fun things to do and give away during that week! If you have suggestions, feel free to send them my way.

See ya tomorrow for memoirs!

Monday Mystery Backlist - James Lee Burke

Tomorrow is the release date for James Lee Burke's RAIN GODS. This will be the 30th publication for Burke, the 28th novel (two books were collections of short stories). This is truly an amazing accomplishment, not so much because he's published 30 works but because the quality of those works has been consistently amazing. And that made today's backlist author choice a no-brainer, but the hard part was picking which title to highlight. RAIN GODS picks up Hackberry Holland, the character from Burke's 1971 novel, LAY DOWN MY SWORD AND SHIELD, so that might be a logical choice. I could also highlight his Pulitzer Prize nominated THE LOST GET BACK BOOGIE, which was rejected 111 times over the course of 9 years before it was published. And there are his two series: Dave Robicheaux and Billy Bob Holland. Finally, one of my favorite James Lee Burke books doesn't fit into any of those categories. WHITE DOVES AT MORNING is a historical novel. Oh choices, choices, choices! And no matter which I choose, I will not do it justice. If you haven't picked up a James Lee Burke novel before, you simply must. If there were ever a writer that I felt everyone should read at some point in their lives, this is the one. But, let me quit stalling and pick a book already.

You may be surprised that my choice to highlight is CIMARRON ROSE, the first book in the Billy Bob Holland series. This is probably the lesser known of the two series that Burke has written (with RAIN GODS I guess we need to say three series now), but this is the book that started me on my love of all things James Lee Burke. For some reason, it called out to me from the bookshelf at the library so I checked it out. I read it in record time and had to find out about the man who wrote this amazing novel. And from there I discovered Dave Robicheaux and the rest is history!

CIMARRON ROSE, as I mentioned, introduces Billy Bob Holland, a former Texas Ranger turned attorney, who finds himself defending his illegitimate son against charges of rape and murder. Meanwhile Billy Bob fights his own internal demons that stem from his family's history of violence and the fact that he accidentally shot and killed his best friend L.Q. Navarro. I'm a reader who often has trouble suspending belief, and yet I found the ghost of L.Q. Navarro to be one of my favorite characters in the book. The ghost is most definitely an element of Billy Bob that he needs to come to terms with, and that internal conflict manifested in L.Q.'s character is incredibly powerful. I wouldn't expect anything less from James Lee Burke.

CIMARRON ROSE was first published in hardcover (ISBN: 978-0786862580) in 1997 by Hyperion Books. It was published in mass market paperback by Hyperion (ISBN: 978-0786889303) in 1998.

And to Jim Burke, congratulations, sir, on book #30. Thank you for the gift of every single one of them!

A Pretty Good Week

How was everyone's week? I had a pretty good week here. I didn't post as much as I did throughout most of June, but I was reading and working on things for future posts.

I knew this was a good week when I had one colleague say in a meeting, "I've been tired this week because Jen is giving me books that keep me up until 1:30." And then another colleague emailed me with the subject line "Durn ya!" He was writing to scold me and inform me that he already has all his bookshelves filled, but now that he's started reading Robert Crais, he has to find more room for those books that he must now hunt down and buy. And a third colleague returned the second book I loaned him and is now ready for a third. I'm hoping to have the whole company converted by the end of the year! Just kidding. I love when people enjoy the book as much as I do!

The sky here in Lorain, Ohio, has been making an awful racket this morning and my dogs are none too happy about it. So, while we muster through this thunder storm, I'll share some online findings from this week.

First, if you haven't heard about this yet, you may want to check it out. The first ever virtual mystery conference! I'm already registered. Hope many of you will join me and help make this a big to-do!

And I HAVE to have this shirt!

If you're interested in the new book SIX SUSPECTS by Vikas Swarup (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE), you can enter to win a copy from St. Martin's here.

And finally, if you remember a couple months ago I attended the Lorain County Young Author's Program. I think I mentioned then that I had participated in the same program when I was in school. Well, my mother found my books from back then. They are proof of why I did not attempt a literary career. I do much better appreciating than writing. But one of my colleagues who looked at them said she couldn't get over how much care I took in naming my characters. I guess even at age 10 character was important to me!

When we made our books, we didn't have all the fancy ways to put them together like they do now. We used swatches from wall paper books to design our book covers. And before anyone says anything, I have no sense of style or design NOW, let alone when I was 10-13!

This was from my very first book at age 10. Don't you love my pencil illustrations? All the typing credit goes to my mother who typed it on an old word processor. We didn't have a computer then.

And this was from the last one. By this book, I had wised up and realized that drawing would never be a future career for me. So I used photos for my illustrations.

It was rather humorous to read back through them. Even at age 10, though, I loved and cherished books. That hasn't changed to this day. I simply hope that I can pass that love on to many others.

Happy reading everyone!

THE MISSING INK - Karen E. Olson

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist in Las Vegas. She owns and operates The Painted Lady where a young woman came inquiring about a custom devotion tattoo, one containing her fiancé's name. When that same young woman turns out to be the missing fiancé of Chip Manning, the son of an extremely wealthy casino owner, Brett becomes the last person to have seen her and the person who knows that the name she wanted on the tattoo wasn't Chip. Now the cops want to talk to Brett, the reporters want to talk to Brett, and the prime suspect in the woman's disappearance - not to mention Brett's business competitor, Jeff Coleman, wants to talk to Brett. But the stakes are raised when a second woman turns up dead. No matter which direction Brett turns, she finds herself smack in the middle of the mayhem.

THE MISSING INK is the first book in Karen Olson's new Tattoo Shop mystery series, and it is non-stop entertainment. From her distinctive cast of characters to the constant plot twists, I found myself repeating, "just one more chapter" until there were no more left.

If you saw the staff of The Painted Lady on the street, you might think that the circus had come to town. But these characters are far more fun than the circus. On the street you might be inclined to stare at them: Bitsy for her small stature; Joel for his large stature; Brett for her piercings and red hair; oh yeah, and all their ink! On the page, you stare because they are witty and unique and devoted to each other. Brett made me chuckle when she was having dinner with a handsome Brit and thought to herself, "If I were in eighth grade, I'd be writing Mrs. Simon Chase over and over on my paper-bag book cover." Quips like this added to Brett's charm. She's smart and funny and independent, but inside she also harbors some insecurities and youthful excitements. All of these qualities roll up into a spunky protagonist.

The plot of THE MISSING INK is quick and full of twists that have you experiencing elements of Las Vegas from a high class resort and casino to an all-Elvis karaoke bar to the neighborhoods that require bars on the doors and windows. And Olson ignites all your senses in this novel as well. She splatters the pages with Vegas' bright neon colors and fashion's palette, but she also walks you through Vegas' "dry" heat, the busy rows of slot machines, and the myriad smells of all that food.

THE MISSING INK is a winning trip to Vegas. I'd recommend booking YOUR trip soon!

THE MISSING INK (ISBN: 978-0-451-22746-1) was released by Obsidian on Tuesday, July 7.

Six-Word Memoirs - Lucky Week 7

Welcome back to Week 7 of "You Have the Right to Six Words!" Today I'll be recapping only one author from a previous interview. I'm trying to spread them out since you all demanded more than 10 weeks. I will deliver. We won't have enough recaps, but I'm sure you won't mind if I fill in the slots with new memoirs when we run out of recaps. We have a loaded list of authors today, so let's get started!

The author I will be recapping today is Michael Lister. If you didn't see his interview, you should really take a minute to go back and check it out. What an amazing human being, and to be a gift writer as well simply astounds me. Michael is the author of a series of books with John Jordan, a prison chaplain. He also authors short stories, plays, and "Florida noir." Michael is a man of many talents that accent his writing. He directs plays, writes reviews for books and movies, edits a newspaper, and teaches religion and writing classes at the Gulf Coast Community College.


This September Michael will release a book he is extremely proud of, DOUBLE EXPOSURE. DOUBLE EXPOSURE is the story of a photographer who accidentally captures a crime on film. He soons finds himself hunted like an animal. Michael is hoping to bring attention to the conservation of the Apalachicola River basin. He will be donating all the proceeds of DOUBLE EXPOSURE to environmental protection and conservation. DOUBLE EXPOSURE will also be one of the very first books published by new publishing company Tyrus.

Michael Lister is truly an artist who is constantly giving back to the world around him. So his memoir couldn't possibly be anything less than

Passionate, compassionate, seeker, open to life.

Wow! It's kind of hard to go on from there, isn't it? But let's try. We have three new authors this week, and they are all extremely talented writers. Of course they are, after all, this is "Memoirs of Crime Fictions Greatest Writers"!

First up this week, I would like to introduce a lovely Canadian author whose career started out in journalism and radio, then moved on to writing award-winning, best-selling books that take place primarily in and around the village of Three Pines in Quebec. Of course you know I'm talking about Louise Penny! I probably don't have enough space to include all the awards Louise's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels have been nominated for so let's settle for highlighting the fact that THE CRUELEST MONTH won the Agatha Award for best novel and has been nominated for the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award, AND the Barry Award for best novel. Whew! In October, Gamache, Beauvoir, and the gang will return in THE BRUTAL TELLING.

Louise, of course, has my undying devotion because of her devotion to her golden retrievers. But Louise also shares her life with a very special person. And she does an incredible job of articulating that on her website. I couldn't do their relationship justice here so, I encourage you to check it out. But I can tell you that special person, Michael, inspired Louise's memoir and in six words, she's shared a million:

Michael kissed me when we met...

As a little side note, Louise shared with me that her memoir is a paraphrase of the first line of James Leigh Hunt's poem Rondeau.

Next up, I'm excited to say Brett Battles is joining in on the fun. Brett is the author of the Jonathan Quinn series about a man who makes things "pretty" when events don't go as planned. He's THE CLEANER. The third book in this series, THE SHADOW OF BETRAYAL, was released yesterday. And a connection to one of last week's memoirists, Brett also has a short story in KILLER YEAR.

Brett calls Southern California home but does quite a bit of traveling to such places as Ho Chi Minh City, Berlin, Singapore, London, Paris, and Bangkok. Yeah, I think that qualifies as world traveler, don't you? And in all of these places he's seeking inspiration for his novels. He says he finds it "anywhere and everywhere." So, his memoir should come as no surprise:

Explorer, both through and around life.

And finally our fourth author for this week is Hank Phillipi Ryan. It's a challenging to capture this woman in a short bio. She's done so much, accomplished so many things. She's amazing! Not only did she win the Best First Novel Agatha Award for PRIME TIME, her first Charlotte McNally mystery about a top-notch TV reporter, but she's also won 26 Emmys (among gads of other awards) for her work in television news reporting. Leading up to these two careers, Hank has worked as a radio reporter, a legislative aide in the United States Senate, and in a two-year stint in Rolling Stone Magazine's Washington Bureau; she worked on the political column "Capitol Chatter" and organized presidential campaign coverage for Hunter S. Thompson.

And like Michael, this is an author who gives back. She is vice-president of the Lyric Stage of Boston where she founded the "First Curtain" program. This program provides theater experiences for underpriviledged students.

I do have to say that the accomplishment I'm most impressed with is her ability to make a soft-serve ice cream cone with a swirl on top. That skill she learned while working at Dairy Queen!

Hank's PRIME TIME was re-released at the end of June by MIRA and her third and newest Charlotte McNally novel, AIR TIME, will make its debut on August 25th.

Before I tell you Hank's memoir, I have to say that many of you have sent me emails or left comments here that have made this project so much fun. But you aren't the only ones who have been excited about it. So many of the authors contributing have been excited, too. And wow! All that excitement really fuels me. Well, Hank is one of those folks who really got excited. When I contacted her about this project, this is what she told me:

"Ever since I first heard about this 6 word thing, I've been fascinated. (And a little obsessed.) My favorite so far, (which I do wish I had thought of, and lust after because it's so perfect for me,) is 'English major. You do the math.' But since we must be original, mine might be: Working, hoping, trusting. And, wonderfully, happy. Or wait--how about: Are the black ones size nine? Or: Wishing for latte, will accept coffee. Or: Trying my best. And very grateful. Yeah, I especially like that one." So, that's what we'll go with:

Trying my best. And very grateful.

Hank, I am very grateful! To you and to Michael and Louise and Brett and all the other authors who have been excited and who took time to come up with 6-word memoirs. This project has truly been an absolute joy for me because of all of you - readers and writers, alike. THANK YOU! And come back next week! We aren't done, yet!

HAPPY READING!