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Update: May 14, 2008 A quick update... Please note that the Racing Can Be Murder gang will be at Barnes & Noble in Metropolis (Plainfield) on Friday, May 16, 2008 from 6-8 p.m.! We'd love to have you stop by. Short Story in Crimespree magazine For those of you who are fans of the Nick Bertetto series, the latest issue of Crimespree magazine carries my short story, "The Medium and the Man." The story is about Nick and his mom and dad, and the love his parents had for each other. I wrote it for my dad, who passed away recently. If you visit your local mystery bookstore looking for the the magazine, here's what it looks like:
The story begins on page 34. Cover Man Some of you know that I live in the small town of Plainfield, which is just outside of Indianapolis. In a weird turn of events, I find myself on the cover of the latest issue of Plainfield magazine, promoting Racing Can Be Murder (see below for details of that book). Here's what the cover looks like:
The story can be read online at www.plainfieldmagazine.com. Racing Can Be Murder! RCBM is an anthology of short stories put out by our local Sisters-in-Crime chapter (Speed City Indiana) that I was fortunate enough to co-edit with Brenda Robertson Stewart. The book has 19 short mysteries, all revolving around the Indianapolis 500. The book launch was last year (October 7th) at the Mystery Company in Carmel, and the book debuted at #14 on the Indianapolis best seller list. We've had good coverage from the local press, and it will be starting up again soon as the Indianapolis 500 race approaches. We have a number of library appearances in the Indianapolis area in April and May. (The list is located below.) My own short story, "The Land Grab," appears in the book. RCBM (as we've taken to abbreviating it) is published by Blue River Press, a division of Cardinal Publishing, ISBN # 978-0-97633-619-8, $12.95 trade paperback.
How to get a copy if we're not coming to a store near you... If you don't see a library or bookstore in the list below and you want an autographed copy, click here for The Mystery Company's website. Jim Haung, owner of the Mystery Company, has some signed copies in stock, and if he runs out, we'll sign more! Just a reminder that Jim ships for free on any new book, hardback or paperback. Latest RCBM panel discussions and signing locations and dates:
Please note that I will not be able to be at all of the signings, in particular Greenwood, Pike, and Lawrence Township libraries, due to other commitments. But there will be many other authors from the anthology signing, and I encourage you to go! Saintly Remains now under consideration. Thanks to all of you who have been asking for news of the third Nick Bertetto mystery! Saintly Remains is completed and is under consideration. We hope that we might have some good news soon. Angels Whisper is out in mass market paperback! Well, sort of. Worldwide Library did in fact bring out the mass market paperback of Angels Whisper ($5.99). That's the good news. The bad news is, because Worldwide doesn't make their copies available to distributors, you won't be able to buy the book in bookstores. The even worse news is, they only printed the exact number of books needed to fulfill their contract with me. That means I received a small number of copies, and they are gone already. (Sigh.) I have a few remainders of the Angels Whisper hardback left, which I sell for a special low price. I'll have them with me at upcoming booksignings, convention appearances, and you can look for it (or ask for it) in independent booksellers who have obtained copies from me. Of course, you can always get my books from Jim Huang's marvelous bookstore, The Mystery Company, which can be reached toll free at 800-643-6737, or you can click here to get to that page on The Mystery Company's website. Check eBay for used copies of my books! Someone showed up at a booksigning recently with a virtually new copy of Angels Whisper in paperback and I asked them where they got it. Turns out, you can find copies on eBay. So I guess if you're looking for a back copy, eBay is the place to search. Odds & Ends:
What I've been reading... State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy is a wonderful paperback original from a hardworking author who is finally getting some long-deserved recognition with this new series. SOTO is about White House chef Ollie Paras, who feeds the First Family and saves the world in her spare time. My take: it injects new life into the tired sub-genre of culinary mysteries. A don't-miss hit. It's been the #1 paperback seller on several mystery lists. Really, don't miss this one; it's a fun read. (Yes, it has recipes in it, too.) Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child is another great entry in Lee's Jack Reacher series. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a recent convention (Love is Murder, in Chicago), and it's clear that Lee loves what he does and constantly works to make his next book even better than the last. BL&T explores another side of the complex Reacher, reuniting him with members of his former military team. I also read Lee's The Hard Way (the book before BL&T) to catch up with the series. It's excellent as well, a great thriller. I almost always read and recommend mysteries, but my friend Alex Kain gave me a copy of The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs, and I have to say it's an exceptional book. Very funny, but also meaningful. It's the non-fiction account of Jacobs' year during which he tried to live according to the laws of the Bible (and if you're familiar with the Bible, you know there are a LOT of them). At times he shows how difficult and impractical it is to live by them (I mean, what if you ALWAYS told the ABSOLUTE truth, not a little white lie, when someone asks a question and you know your real answer is sure to offend them...), but the book is not offensive. Definitely worth a read. Want an autographed, personalized copy of my books? Autographed, personalized copies of any of my books that are still in stock can be had from The Mystery Company in Carmel, Indiana, which is not too far from where I live. The staff will take your book order and ship you a copy. Shipping is FREE! Be sure to let them know that you would like it autographed and personalized (and to whom it should be personalized) and I will go into their store and sign it accordingly before they ship it. Please note that Jim Huang (the bookstore owner) DOES NOT CHARGE for this service! So between the free shipping and the autographed, personalized copy, it's a bargain. The Mystery Company's toll free number is 1-800-643-6737, or you can click here to get to that page on The Mystery Company's website. Appearances Coming Up: (See the above list of library appearances for Racing Can be Murder. As for the rest of this year, I'll add when I know for sure what I'm doing. But I'll no doubt be at Magna.) Magna Cum Murder, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, October 24-26 2008 Magna is one of my most favorite conferences. Kathryn Kennison, who created the conference and heads it up, is terrific. There are always a lot of authors, great panels, and great fans! If you've never been, you should take it in. Everyone is friendly and gracious. |
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