Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime: Video Finale

May's "Crime Writer's Caught Reading Crime" culminates in this video, where author's pay tribute to reading. Hope you enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

CAUGHT! - The last hurrah!

Well, it isn't the total last hurrah, later today you'll have to check back to see the Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime video grand finale. For now, though, the photo finale will be an explosive finale, kinda like the end of a fireworks show. Let it roll:

At the beginning of this month, you may remember I went to see Sophie Littlefield, Brad Parks and Carla Buckley. And you may also remember that I told you they read from each other's work. Here they are, three debut authors, in all their glory:

Sophie read from Carla's THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE:

Brad read from Sophie's A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. He said he always hears Stella's voice with a Southern dialect, and so that's how he read it:

And Carla read from Brad's FACES OF THE GONE:

I can't imagine a better way to end this month of Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime than with a debut author reading one of the genre's legends! Here we have Ken Mercer, author of SLOW FIRE, reading James Crumley's THE LAST GOOD KISS.

Many thanks to all the folks who helped make this possible by helping me catch crime writers reading crime! We may have a go at this one again since people enjoyed the photos. So, everyone be on the lookout for your favorite crime writers reading crime!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, later today I'll have the video finale with some extra special guests chiming in! And don't forget to leave your final comments for the drawing for Michael Koryta's SO COLD THE RIVER. All the summer reading recommendation lists are coming out. Let us know what you are looking forward to reading this summer. And are you planning to read anywhere fun? Share with us!

Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, Brad Parks, Carla Buckley, Sophie Littlefield, Ken Mercer, James Crumely

They Said WHAT?

I can't believe another month in 2010 is gone already! Since it is the last Sunday of May, it is time for my favorite lines from books I've read this month. This was a great reading month, and I still have quite a few reviews to catch up on, but here are my favorite lines.

REDEMPTION STREET by Reed Farrel Coleman is simply packed with wonderfulness. I could almost just reproduce the entire book for you here, but since Reed would probably take issue with that, I'll limit it to these lines:

"The funny thing about forgiveness is that it comes from the inside out, not the other way around."

"There's just something men and hardware stores. I am by no means a handy sort. The tool I use best is the telephone, to call the superintendent. It's to civilization's benefit that it was never dependent upon my dexterity to move from one state of development to the next, or we'd still be without fire, stone tools, and the wheel."

This month I also listened to HELL HOLE by Chris Grabenstein. Another book that I could simply give you the whole book. And I guess since that's the case, I'm saying both books are ones I think you should add to your TBR list if they aren't already there. But in the meantime, here's some snippets of goodness from HELL HOLE:

"I'm thinking a deep-fried Baby Ruth would be delicious, once you got past a name that sounds like a gruesome form of child abuse."

"One step at a time. That's Ceepak. Me? I'm forever jumping to conclusions. It's how I wind up flat on my ass so often."

"These people are on vacation. Beer and chips? Down the shore, they're like beef: it's what's for dinner."

"Ceepak steps into the stall. I don't follow. I could easily fit in there with him but two guys squeezing into the same toilet booth at the same time might earn more stares than Ceepak's Kodak moment with the commode. People might think we'd just been playing footsie between stalls and have decided to run for Congress."

"He had journeyed into the valley of the shadow of death and discovered he was the one casting the shadow."

And wrapping up the best lines for this month, I have a couple from Lisa Unger's upcoming FRAGILE. Looking back on these three particular reads from May, I'm seeing three entirely different books, different voices, different styles. It makes me smile. There's so much to take advantage of in this genre. Wonderfulness everywhere. And in FRAGILE, it includes:

"But she knew it was impossible to live a life that way. It was all woven together in one great tapestry - the past, the present, the future - colors and textures mingling and entwined. It was nearly impossible to extract the present moment from what came before it, from what might lie ahead."

"As she told them all about her buried memory, she felt an awe at how all their separate lives were twisted and tangled, growing over and around one another, altering, aiding, and blocking one another's paths."

There you have it. Those are my favorites this month. Did you have any fun lines from reading this month? I hope your June is jam-packed with them!

Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: Chris Grabenstein, Reed Farrel Coleman, Lisa Unger, Great Lines

CAUGHT! - Christa Faust

I'm not sure where YOU are today, but here in Northeast Ohio, it's sunny and warm. So, this picture of Christa Faust reading Gary Phillips' THE JOOK is especially appropriate! Her waters in Fiji look a wee bit bluer than the waters of Lake Erie here, but what can you do?

Christa's own MONEY SHOT was nominated for nearly every award possible. Most recently, Christa collaborated with Gabriel Hunt in this year's release of HUNT BEYOND THE FROZEN FIRE.

Technorati Tags: Christa Faust, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

CAUGHT! - A Double Dose!

It's Saturday, so that means a double dose of Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime! It's also the last Saturday of May. We're almost to the end. So remember, if you'd like to get entries in the contest for a copy of Michael Koryta's SO COLD THE RIVER, make your comments on the CAUGHT! posts this month. And since Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to summer, now's a great time to let us know what you're planning to read for the summer as well as where you'll be reading it.

L.J. Sellers has found a nice spot in her lawn chair. Her husband caught her taking a writing break to read Teresa Burrell's THE ADVOCATE.

L.J.'s third book in her Detective Wade Jackson series, THRILLED TO DEATH, is due out this August.

If you know Laura Lippman from Facebook then this fella looks very familiar. This is Laura's stand-in for her profile. And let me just tell you that this robot gets access to all the great books. And here we've caught it with Alafair Burke's 212. That robot has good taste!

The robot stands in for Laura so that she can be working on her own books. One of which, I'D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE, is headed to bookstores in August.

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, L.J. Sellers, Laura Lippman, Alafair Burke, Teresa Burrell

CAUGHT! - Reed Farrel Coleman and James O. Born

We caught a couple of fish reading in the pond today! Reed Farrel Coleman and James O. Born know how to enjoy their reads.

Here we catch "Can't be too safe" Reed wrapped up in Jim's WALKING MONEY, while Jim indulges in Reed's REDEMPTION STREET. Next month Jim will be releasing THE DOUBLE HUMAN under pen name James O'Neal. Reed has a new Moe Prager, INNOCENT MONSTER, that will be available in October.

I hope many of you spend your holiday weekend with sun, fun and books. Take a lesson from Reed and Jim. Happy Reading!

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, James O. Born, Reed Farrel Coleman

A BOLT FROM THE BLUE - Diane A.S. Stuckart

FIRST LINE: "Bright brown eyes peered over the edge of my notebook, the unexpected sight distracting me from the portrait in which I had been engrossed."

Dino, a.k.a. Delfina della Fazia, is called on by his Master, Leonardo da Vinci, to assist in the building of his flying machine. Relations among the city-states of Italy are volatile and the Duke of Milan wants to make the concept of the flying machine a reality so he can take control of the skies to have the advantage over his adversaries. Leonardo also hires a master carpenter to consult help with the development; he hires Dino's father. 

They have hardly begun their work when another apprentice to Leonardo is murdered. The clues quickly indicate that the murder is tied to the flying machine. Before the murderer can be discovered, the flying machine and Dino's father disappear. Dino must race against time to find his father and recover the flying machine. If it finds its way into the wrong hands, it could have dire consequences for all of Milan.

A BOLT FROM THE BLUE is Diane Stuckart's third book in the Leonardo da Vinci Mystery series. As with the previous two, it is a quick, light, enjoyable read. Delfina continues to develop as a character, and the inclusion of her father is a nice addition to the series. Leonardo remains an important character but keeps more to the background in this tale. What is brought to the forefront again is his exceptional intelligence. While Leonardo's apprentices study painting skills under him, this chapter in the saga focuses on da Vinci's engineering skills and of course the concept of his flying apparatus. Stuckart does a superb job throughout this series of reminding readers that da Vinci was indeed a Renaissance man.

Stuckart develops the time period, the setting, and the political unrest without bogging down the reader. The sum of all the story's elements bring Leonardo da Vinci's Italy to life. 

While A BOLT FROM THE BLUE came out earlier this year, when snow was still plaguing my neck of the woods, it will make a great beach read for cozy lovers. Some references are made to the first two books in this series, but BOLT can easily be read and fully appreciated without prior knowledge of those books.

A BOLT FROM THE BLUE is available now from Berkley Publishing Group (ISBN: 978-0-425-23217-0) in trade paper.

Technorati Tags: book review, Diane Stuckart, cozy mystery

Audio Book Thursday: An Online Audio Book Community

I am grossly behind on my reviews and need to be posting those, but I also need to tell you about a great online community I was alerted to. And since it is an online community dedicated to audio books, what better time to discuss it than on Audio Book Thursday. I'm still just discovering everything, but I've already joined a group dedicated to specific genres. So, we've been discussing crime fiction audio books.

This community was created by the Audio Publishers Association and I invite you to check it out. It's a great place to stay apprised of what's going on in the audio book world and to chat with other audio book lovers.

The site is appropriately named Audiobook Community. Stop on over and have a look! And by the way, did you know that June is Audiobook Month? Hopefully this link will work. It's a pdf document with information about Audiobook Month. I am also trying to cook up some fun stuff for that, so be on the look out!

In the mean time, let us all know what audio book(s) you're enjoying right now. I just recently finished Reed Farrel Coleman's REDEMPTION STREET, read by Andy Caploe, and am working on Chris Grabenstein's HELL HOLE, read by Jeff Woodman. I highly recommend both. I have about 15 more loaded on my iTouch, but the next one up will be THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Yes, I know! I'm probably the last soul on Earth who has not read this book, yet.

That's it for today. Happy Listening! . 

Technorati Tags: Audio Book Thursday, Audiobook Community

CAUGHT! - Ali Karim

Ali Karim gets credit for a handful of the pictures in this project, and this time we catch HIM reading. In his array of choices set out on the table, he opts for Stieg Larsson's THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE.

Ali has contributed to a number of crime fiction resources and most recently he contributed to the THRILLERS: 100 MUST READS. You can also see his work at January Magazine, The Rap Sheet, Shots eZine, Crimespree, Deadly Pleasures and Mystery Readers International.

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, Ali Karim

You've the Right to Six Words: Week 2

Welcome back for Week 2 of the second season of "You've the Right to Six Words." We have another great line-up of authors sharing their six-words with us. Again we have an array of crime fiction writers, so let me introduce you.

Starting off this week we have an author who just released her sophomore novel while celebrating an Edgar win for Best First Novel. Stefanie Pintoff first won the Minotaur/MWA Best Crime Novel competition with her debut novel, IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM. The novel went on to be nominated for the Agatha Best first novel and take home the Edgar Best First Novel.

Stefanie earned her law degree from Columbia Law School and her Ph.D. from New York University. She spent a short time practicing law, then she taught, and THEN she put her fascination of New York City history together with her dream of writing, added a dash of talent, and presto award-winning author.

Stefanie says you can't beat the feeling of walking into a bookstore or library and seeing your own book there. Now she's seeing two books. The follow-up to IN THE SHADOW OF GOTHAM was released this month and it's titled A CURTAIN FALLS. Since both novels are historical mysteries and Stefanie is living out her dream, it makes perfect sense for her to say:

Writing the past, living the present.

Like Stefanie, Brian Freeman made a splash right out of the gate with his debut novel IMMORAL. It was nominated for an Edgar, Dagger, Anthony and Barry award. It took home the Macavity Award. While IMMORAL was Brian's debut published novel, it definitely wasn't his first. He started his love of writing crime fiction in the sixth grade. He saw his dreams come to fruition with publication of IMMORAL 30 years later. This year, Brian published his fifth Lieutenant Stride novel with THE BURYING PLACE.

I'm going to share with you Brian's memoir and the do something a little different than our norm. In conversations we had about his memoir I asked him to give us a little background. He was gracious enough to do so and I have that to share with you. So first, Brian says:

Donna picked Venice. I picked Duluth?

How apropos after the Detectives Around the World theme week? And I think it hits on the value of setting in crime fiction, but here's what Brian had to share with us about Duluth:

“Why a remote locale like Duluth? I think extremes enrich drama, and Duluth has a wonderful combination of extreme elements. Obviously, Minnesota is known for its bitter winter weather, and weather plays an important role in most of my books – just as it does in the daily lives of Minnesotans. But there are other qualities about Duluth and Minnesota that enhance the depth of a mystery. There is a rich natural environment here, from the Great Lake to the northern wilderness encroaching from Canada. This locale gives Duluth a frontier feel, as if it is always beating back the forces of nature. There’s also a sense of faded glory about Duluth. In the old days, this was a wealthy town, where huge fortunes were made on iron ore. That’s all gone, and it’s now a city of perpetual economic struggle. Its glamorous past gives the region a sense of sorrowfulness that meshes with the dark, emotional quality of my books. I don’t write urban, big city drama; I write psychological drama at an intimate level, driven by emotions and secrets. Duluth and Minnesota provide a wonderful backdrop for that kind of personal mystery.”

Perfect! Many thanks to Brian for that extra tidbit to enhance this week's six-word memoir post.

And today we'll wrap up with another attorney and award-winning author. As an attorney Scott Turow has been on both sides of the courtroom. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago after graduating with honors from Harvard Law School. Today he's a partner in a Chicago law firm and has done a great deal of pro bono work, including a case that cleared an innocent man who sat on death row for 11 years.

Despite his extensive work in the legal field, Scott never left his first love, writing. Scott received an Edith Mirrielees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center after graduating from Amherst College in 1970. In 1987 he published PRESUMED INNOCENT, his first novel. He's since published eight additional novels, including the sequel to PRESUMED INNOCENT; INNOCENT was released earlier this month.

In addition to his novels, Scott has published two non-fiction works and continues to publish essays and op-ed pieces in various publications.

As if all this lawyering and writing wasn't enough to keep him busy, Scott also remains active in organizations that promote literacy, education and legal rights. He's serving as the Author's Guild president for the second time, his first presidency being 1997-1998. And he performs with the Rock Bottom Remainders. You may remember them from when Ridley Pearson shared his memoir.

Scott Turow has obviously made a big impact in many realms. He is an amazing part of the crime fiction community and we're fortunate to have a part of his legacy here. And while he was slightly over on the six-word part, I think we can grant Scott a little leeway, especially when his memoir is:

Even when life's good, it's not easy.

Isn't that the truth? We're all glad Scott Turow and all of our authors today chose to fight it out and contribute to the world of crime fiction. Please join me in thanking these authors for their wonderful memoirs.

I don't know. This pace may be hard to maintain. All these great crime fiction writers! Check back next week and see if I can keep up with this star power.

For today, though, if the desire so strikes you, you can join me over at the Kittling Books Blog where little ole me is featured on the Scene of the Blog. I've opened the bat cave so you can all see where the mischief is taking place! See ya there!

Happy Reading!


Technorati Tags: You've the Right to Six Words, Scott Turow, Stefanie Pintoff, Brian Freeman

CAUGHT! - A Whole Quartet

This quartet isn't singing, it's reading. And what a line-up of reading material, too.

From left to right on the literary sofa we have, Robert Gregory Browne reading Andrew Grant's brand new DIE TWICE, Brett Battles is captivated by Tasha Alexander's TEARS OF PEARL, Tasha Alexander is caught up in Brett Battles' SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (which just came out in paperback yesterday), and Andrew Grant is enjoying Robert Gregory Browne's WHISPER IN THE DARK. Got all that? I think when they all finish they're going to do another swap. They should have enough reading to get them through at least the end of this week, right?

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, Robert Gregory Browne, Brett Battles, Tasha Alexander, Andrew Grant

Opening the Bat Cave

While a lot of the book world is headed off to BEA this week, I'm hanging out over at Kittling: Books. Cathy invited me to be this week's Scene of the Blog, so if you stop over tomorrow, you'll catch a glimpse of where I typically do my blogging. Yikes! I did manage to get the cats to stay off the desk long enough so I could take a picture of it. I'll be taking questions over there, so here's your chance to ask me about MY setting!

Here we'll have another great week of memoirs, so check in for that. If you missed last week's be sure to check that out. Was thrilled to kick off this season with John Sandford, Richard Lange, and debut author Douglas Corleone

And I wanted to let you know about a great contest that Lisa Unger is holding. She's giving away a set of her books, signed first editions. So you can learn about that here. And stay tuned here at the blog for a review of her upcoming FRAGILE. Look for that a little later this summer.

Last but not least, remember that this is the final week of the "Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime." I have a special surprise to wrap things up on Memorial Day. And you can still get your comments in on those posts for a chance to win a copy of Michael Koryta's SO COLD THE RIVER. I'll even get it personalized for the winner if he/she would like!

Happy Reading!

CAUGHT! - Alafair Burke

"Mom! Can I please read the book myself? I CAN read it myself, you know."

"That's better. Golly! This Koryta guy is pretty good."

Alafair Burke and The Duffer are enjoying Michael Koryta's SO COLD THE RIVER, which releases two weeks from today. Meanwhile, Alafair's 212 is making a splash and collecting all kinds of rave reviews.

Technorati Tags: Alafair Burke, Michael Koryta, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

CAUGHT! - Robert Crais

It's my God! Er, I mean, it's Robert Crais. Ali Karem helped out on this catch. He catches RC reading Stav Sherez's THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND.

And around here we all know that THE FIRST RULE was RC's release this past January. We're also all anxiously awaiting next year's arrival of THE SENTRY.

Technorati Tags: Robert Crais, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

CAUGHT! - Bryan Gruley

Well, we didn't catch him at the Edgar Awards, but we did catch the Edgar-nominated Bryan Gruley reading Michael Harvey's THE FIFTH FLOOR.

Bryan's STARVATION LAKE was, of course, nominated this year for the Best First Novel Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America, and his second novel THE HANGING TREE will be out on August 3rd.

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, Bryan Gruley, Michael Harvey

CAUGHT! - A Double Dose

We have another incredible double dose of Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime today. First up is a writer, editor, publisher, interviewer...well, he just wears many, many hats in the Crime Fiction community. Keith Rawson is caught reading Charlie Williams STAIRWAY TO HELL.

One of Keith's stories can be found in the recently published NEEDLE Magazine. Other story locations can be found at his blog, Bloody Knuckles, Callused Fingertips.

And the second half of our double feature today, with thanks to Crimespree Magazine, is Peter Robinson. The Inspector Banks author was caught here reading Jeremiah Healy's ACT OF GOD.

Peter's newest Inspector Banks novel will come out in August in the U.S. And it's titled BAD BOY. ALL THE COLORS OF DARKNESS was released this past March in paperback.

Technorati Tags: Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime, Keith Rawson, Peter Robinson, Jeremiah Healy, Charlie Williams

Caught! - Gregg Hurwitz

Be still my heart! My two favorite thriller writers. Gregg Hurwitz is caught reading Marcus Sakey! Here we find him indulging in Marcus' most recent release, THE AMATEURS.

Gregg will be releasing his next thriller this July. THEY'RE WATCHING is garnering rave reviews everywhere already. You'll definitely want to snag it for your vacation reading.

Technorati Tags: Gregg Hurwitz, Marcus Sakey, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

Audio Book Thursday - THE POWER OF THE DOG

FIRST LINE: "The baby is dead in his mother's arms."

THE POWER OF THE DOG is an epic novel. The lives of Art Keller, Nora Hayden, The Barrera family, and Sean Callan intertwine as Don Winslow tells an over-reaching story about the Mexican-American drug trade.

Art Keller is a DEA agent set on making a difference in the trafficking of drugs to the United States. When his friend and colleague is kidnapped, tortured and murdered because of Art's actions, Art moves from "set on a making a difference" to "hell bent on gaining revenge."

The Barrera family is Art Keller's target. They are one of the controlling drug families in Mexico. But before the Barrera brothers took control of the family business and the dominance in Mexico, they were friends with Art Keller. Their history makes the desire for vengeance that much stronger.

Sean Callan is an Irish boy from Hell's Kitchen who winds up as a button man for the mob. When some contingents from the mob start talking business with the Mexican drug lords, Callen finds himself mixed up in the drug trade as well.

And Nora Hayden is a escort, a high-priced prostitute. The hands of fate move Nora into the Barrera circle and soon all four elements are interconnected. But these are volatile elements and they can't all co-exist in harmony. Ultimately a reaction is going to occur.

I don't believe anyone could have done this tale as much justice as Don Winslow. As I mentioned in the summary, this is an epic tale. It spans families, geography, cultures and time.

Winslow's dialogue is always masterful, but what I found even more astounding in this novel was the prose. Told in the third person limited point of view, the prose alters depending on which character is the chapter focus. So when he writes of Art in the first chapter, the reader is introduced to the educated, experienced federal agent:

"He's half-surprised, glancing at the sleeve of his own shirt, to see blue denim instead of army green. Reminds himself that this isn't Operation Phoenix but Operation Condor, and these aren't the bamboo-thick mountains of I Corps, but the poppy-rich mountain valleys of Sinaloa."

Then in the second chapter, the reader meets Sean Callan, a young teen without strong family ties, not a lot of education and living in Hell's Kitchen:

"He's seventeen years old and he's slamming beers in the Liffey Pub on Forty-seventh and Twelfth with his buddy O'Bop.

Only other guy in the bar besides Billy Shields the bartender is Little Mickey Haggerty. Little Mickey's sitting at the far end of the bar doing some serious drinking behind an upcoming date with a judge who's a lock to put him eight-to-twelve from his next Bushmills. Little Mickey came in with a roll of quarters, all of which he fed into the jukebox while pressing the same button. E-5. So Andy Williams has been crooning 'Moon River' for the past hour, but the boys don't say nothing because they all know about Little Mickey's hijacking beef."

The tone, the pace, the atmosphere of each section is completely different. The excerpts reflect the setting but more importantly the focus character. All while maintaining the third person point of view.

If ever a person deserved the title of "wordsmith" it's Don Winslow. In POWER OF THE DOG as with his other works, he massages the language to form his fictional world, whether he's developing a character, creating setting or delivering action. He manages to throw the comic lines in at the precise time that they are most effective. Most times they are subtle and situational, but they catch the reader off guard making the humor a little funnier.

Each of the characters comes alive on the page and there is no black and white, save the print of the font on the white sheets of paper. Life's circumstances blur the lines of "good guys" and "bad guys", "winners" and "losers." And yet, the reader will be able to identify with elements of EVERY character because Winslow brings out each one's humanity.

THE POWER OF THE DOG is not for the feint of heart. It's not for the reader that has a stanch objection to language or violence. But the reader who wants a realistic, intense look at a world that doesn't have easy answers, heroes or "happily ever afters," THE POWER OF THE DOG will move you in ways you didn't know a book could move you. It will likely make you question beliefs you've held as truth. THE POWER OF THE DOG will challenge you to be an active participant, not a passive onlooker.

It's Audio Book Thursday, so I listened to POWER OF THE DOG on audio. Ray Porter is the narrator on this unabridged version from Blackstone and he did a superb job. Porter is an outstanding narrator who has an excellent script to work with. Porter seems to have a strong grasp of Winslow's voice - or voices in this case. He nails the sarcasm, which is essential to the humor in many cases. He's able to move seamlessly between shifts in tone or pace. This audio book is an effective representation of Winslow's work. I highly recommend it.

THE POWER OF THE DOG was originally published by Knopf in 2005 (ISBN: 978-0-3754-0538-9). Vintage published the trade paper version (ISBN: 978-1-4000-9693-0) in 2006. And the Blackstone audio (ISBN: 978-1-4332-4546-6) was published in 2008.





Technorati Tags: Don Winslow, Audio Book Thursdays, review, crime fiction

Caught! - Duane Swierczynski

Looks as though we caught Duane Swierczynski at a rather chilling scene in Allan Guthrie's SLAMMER. Either that or it's Duane's X-ray we see on the book jacket! This is a book I definitely want to check out.

Duane recently released the stunning EXPIRATION DATE and he also writes for Marvel Comics. This guy keeps The Hulk in his place!

Technorati Tags: Duane Swierczynski, Allan Guthrie, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

The Return of "You've The Right to Six Words"

Back by popular demand, the six-word Wednesdays! I've been working on lining some great new authors up for another season of "You've the Right to Six Words." I'm aiming for 10 to 12 weeks and we'll see what happens. Throughout this season I'll be making every attempt to link the authors' book titles to independent book stores where you can purchase the books if you so choose. I'm in no way compensated for this, I just want to offer you an indie store that can provide you with the books. If you have an indie in your neighborhood, I encourage you to buy from them and support your local businesses. If you're like me and you don't have one close, the links can help you out. I'm also linking to the authors' websites and/or blogs. I've had so much fun perusing these sites and learning about the authors. If there's an author who catches your interest, I encourage you to check that author out further.

So let's start off Week One of Season Two with a bang, shall we?

I know many of you are going to like this first author because you were voting for his characters in the "World's Favorite Detective" tournament.

Our very first author for Season 2 of “You’ve the Right to Six Words” is a man who started a journalism career in the military. John Camp, whom we know better as John Sandford, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in American Studies, but went on to pursue a career in journalism after a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. He worked for the Girardeau Southeast Missourian, The Miami Herald, and the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, where he would be a finalist for the Pulitzer in 1980 and win a Pulitzer in 1986. He left full-time journalism to pursue his novel writing in 1989, but his roots still pull him back on occasion to write book reviews, a series about being embedded in Iraq and even coverage of the Republican National Convention.

In 1989 John Camp prepared to release his first two novels, THE FOOL’S RUN (first of the Kidd series) and RULES OF PREY (first of the Prey series). Since they were to be published three months apart, his publisher asked him to publish RULES OF PREY under a pseudonym and thus, John Sandford was born. THE FOOL’S RUN would later be re-issued under the John Sandford name. Since 1989, he has published four novels in his Kidd series and three novels in his Virgil Flowers series (with number four, BAD BLOOD, due in September). But Sandford’s most popular series is the Lucas Davenport Prey novels, and yesterday, the 20th book in that series, STORM PREY, hit bookstores across the U.S. Sandford and Davenport are both taking the crime fiction community by storm.

A father, grandfather, journalist and novelist, John Sandford sums it all up with

Have gun (and laptop), will travel.

And the crime fiction genre, luckily, will never be the same.

From seasoned to debut. I'd like to introduce you to Douglas Corleone. Right out of the gate, Doug is earning awards. His debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE won the Minotaur/MWA First Crime Novel Award. Doug's debut novel deals with a hotshot defense attorney, Kevin Corvelli, who loses big. It isn't until his client dies in jail that the client's innocence is discovered and Corvelli is disgraced. The case haunts Corvelli when an eerily similar case arises. Before ONE MAN'S PARADISE, Doug worked as a criminal defense attorney in New York. Today he's soaking up sun in Hawaii and working on the next novel. Douglas Corleone decided he'd

Rather write about law than practice.

Welcome to the crime fiction community, Doug.

And we'll finish off the first week with a man who's experienced a tremendous amount. His first novel being published last year seems like the icing on an amazing career. I, in no way, want to make it sound like he's at the end of his career, we all hope that Richard Lange has a much, much longer career writing crime fiction.

Richard went to film school at the University of Southern California, taught English in Barcelona and then worked in publishing. His short story "Bank of America" appeared in BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2004. 2007 brought about the publication of his collection of short stories DEAD BOYS. And last year Little Brown published his novel THIS WICKED WORLD.

If that doesn't sound like a polished enough resume, let's add his 2008 Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Literature and his 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship. Last week THIS WICKED WORLD came out in paperback and Richard is hard at work on another collection of stories, a new novel, AND a screenplay for German director Matthias Glasner. See what I mean? There's no end to this career in site!

I absolutely love what Richard has to say about all this success:

My old life was good too.

Well, we're thrilled with whatever brought Richard Lange to the world of crime fiction.

As I've been working this past week to get everything in order to re-start this series, I'm once again astounded at the generosity of the authors participating. It is my honor to share these fun, creative and revealing tidbits they've contributed to this project.

Thanks everyone for coming back. I look forward to sharing more memoirs with you in the coming months, and I thank John, Doug and Richard for hangin' out here at Jen's Book Thoughts today.

Happy Reading!


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