Evil E

Is April gonna be an exciting month, or what?   Well, it will be for some - and for others not quite the same.  Yes, yes…I know the Edgar winners won’t be announced until May 1st - but we’ve got the Gumshoe Award winners due on April 21st - and the nominees for ITW’s Thriller Award are out. 

The lists are a bit lengthy, but stick around for one hell of a fabulous interview with the one and only LEE CHILD.  I spent much time pondering Lee’s introduction.  I mean, the guy has been written up a zillion times, right?  What more could I add?  Well, maybe that I’d wished he’d been pegged as the new James Bond instead of Daniel Craig.  Don’t get me wrong - Craig is okay, but to me he just doesn’t have that elusive sang-froid (as in tres cool), or the same elegant stance, or the low-key, but very sexy joie de vivre that oozes from Lee.  And darlings, no one…I mean no one can smoke a cigarette like Lee.  Even Jeremy Irons could take a lesson.  So what to do?  Well, when you get down aways, you’ll see…

AND NOW - THE NOMINEES…

THE GUMSHOE

This prestigious award from MYSTERY INK was created by one of our most discerning reviewers - David Montgomery.  In it’s seventh year, The Gumshoe has become one of the most coveted awards in crime fiction.  An additional award - Lifetime Achievement - will be announced along with the winners on April 21st.  You can cheer, or weep at http://www.mysteryinkonline.com   

BEST MYSTERY

James Lee Burke - TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN  John Connolly - THE UNQUIET  Ariana Franklin - MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH  Charlie Huston - THE SHOTGUN RULE  Laura Lippman - WHAT THE DEAD KNOW

BEST THRILLER

Lee Child - BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE  Robert Crais - THE WATCHMAN  Joseph Finder - POWER PLAY  Michael Gruber - THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOW  Richard K. Morgan - THIRTEEN

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Sean Chercover - BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD  Philip Hawley,Jr. - STIGMA  Lisa Lutz - THE SPELLMAN FILES  Craig McDonald - HEAD GAMES  Nick Stone - MR. CLARINET

THE THRILLER AWARD

Already in it’s third year - the winners will be announced on July 12th - at Thrillerfest.

BEST NOVEL

Linwood Barclay - NO TIME FOR GOODBYE  Robert Crais - THE WATCHMAN  Robert Harris - THE GHOST  Gregg Hurwitz - THE CRIME WRITER  Jesse Kellerman - TROUBLE

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Jennifer Lee Carrell - INTERRED WITH THEIR BONES  Sean Chercover - BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD  Gerry Doyle - FROM THE DEPTHS  Brent Ghelfi - VOLK’S GAME  Joe Hill - HEART SHAPED BOX

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Anthony Flacco - THE LAST NIGHTINGALE  P.J. Parrish - A THOUSAND BONES  Tom Piccirilli - THE MIDNIGHT ROAD  Robert McCammon - THE QUEEN OF BEDLAM  Jay Bonansinga - SHATTERED

WHEW!!  So many of my favorite books and favorite people - best wishes to you all! SPOTLIGHT ON THREE DYNAMIC DUO’S!Three great writing teams - and all family! 

  

P.J. PARRISH aka Kris Montee and Kelly Nichols are the critically acclaimed and NYT bestselling sister-authors of the Louis Kincaid series.  Their books have been nominated for the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony and the Thriller - which they won last year for AN UNQUIET GRAVE - and again this year for A THOUSAND BONES!  Not to forget all the hard work they do for Sleuthfest and MWA!

   

PERRI O’SHAUGHNESSY - another marvelous sister team - Mary and Pamela - have thirteen books under their respective belts - hit the NYT list - and hoards of fans breathlessly waiting for the next - SHOW NO FEAR - out this fall.  Now that’s sisterly love when you can collaborate on that many books and be best friends as well!

 

P.J. TRACY - This time we have a mother & daughter team!  P.J. and Tracy Lambrecht hit the ground running with their first book, MONKEEWRENCH - by nabbing the Anthony, Barry and Gumshoe awards!  Two more followed with great acclaim - and their next - tenatively titled DISCONNECTED - will be out this fall.Aren’t these dynamic duo’s fantastic?  Just goes to show - the family that writes together… Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that.  In the meantime, ladies - thanks so much for hours of intrigue, all those tense moments - terrific plots, and simply great characters.  You will all always be on my TBR pile…and not just because you’re all terrific writers - but because you’re also great people.

GENT’S I LIKE TO DRINK WITH… Due to number of e-mails accusing me of copping out by not divulging who my favorite bar mates are - I decided to fess up.  I must admit I was being rather secretive - and, I guess - just plain stingy - and maybe just a little evil.  So - here they are…

Ha!  Did you really think I’d tell you?

GREAT NEWS DEPARTMENT…

Paul Guyot, our resident rascal - who is - in case some of you out there didn’t know - an award winning TV writer whose credits include SNOOPS, JUDGING AMY - and, as he puts it - ‘that mother of all crime shows - FELICITY’, has been nabbed by Fox to adapt Sean Chercover’s terrific BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD for TV.  Can you imagine this pair working together?  The laughs?  The late nights - the empty pizza boxes (gourmet of course) - the bloodshot eyes?  Guyot making sure Sean didn’t scam his watch when he was taking forty winks?  Oh, to just be a gofer for these two.   Well, on second thought…maybe not.  I need my beauty rest.

AND A LAUGH OR TWO…

Kris Montee sent this great photo taken at Sleuthfest when Doug Lyle won the Flamango Award (correct spelling!).  The award, Kris tells me, is ‘their cheesy and totally un-PC award that the women give to their favorite SF man (based on whatever criteria the women attendees think goes into ‘giving good conference’).  The coveted trophy is a bottle of Jack Daniels with a minature plastic he-man on top.

AND NOW, FOR THE SERIOUS STUFF…

When we last followed our intrepid crew, they were getting close to the LAST CALL, and time was running out.  They had to reach THE KILLING ROOM, and avoid THE FAULT TREE by the CITY OF THE SUN if they were going to make it back in time to solve the MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS.  Finally, luck was with them when…well…actually, they screwed up and got sidetracked by the LUSH LIFE for a day or two.  But it didn’t SHATTER their resolve, so on they went.  With NOTHING TO LOSE but time (duh?)-they STALKED past THE WILD TREES and THE VAGABOND VIRGINS, and made it to the LAST POST at GAS CITY.  Creeping like a RED CAT, they felt like a STRANGER IN PARADISE when they spotted the WIZARD’S DAUGHTER and prepared for a NAMELESS NIGHT.  But, being it was OSCAR SEASON, and they were losing too much time screwing around, FEVER KILL continued to hound them, and hell, they’d committed to being IN FOR A POUND, right?  After a powwow, they regrouped, checked their GPS, and headed back to DEADMAN’S SWITCH when suddenly they saw a LOST DOG dodging FREE FIRE.  Holy Moley!  Could that be the QUEENPIN again hot on their heels?  Naw, last they’d heard, she was after the WATCHMAN, and so were the L.A. OUTLAWS.  Hell, they’d been after the WATCHMAN since the SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI and still couldn’t nab him.  They even tried to hire THE CRIME WRITER, but he was busy with a new caper.  Checking their RECORD OF WRONGS (double duh)-they knew they were nearing their LAST CALL.    So they decided their best bet was to…

AND NOW, LADIES AND GENT’S - OUR PERSON OF INTEREST…

I GIVE YOU, LEE CHILD.

 

ALI KARIM:

I follow your book blurbs with alacrity and especially enjoyed “Derailed’ by James Siegel and most recently, “Child 44″ by Tom Rob Smith which had your name on the covers with terrific cover blurbs - so - can you name two books you didn’t blurb that you really enjoyed, and wished you’d been asked to blurb - and come up with imaginative blurbs for them.

LEE:  I tend to really enjoy the kind of books I couldn’t write myself - like “The Power of the Dog” by Don Winslow, or the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, or the Inspector Rutledge series by Charles Todd.  I can’t do imaginary blurbs - too easy to head for “Blurbs You Will Never See” territory.  My personal favorite would be “Of all the books I read this year, this was one of them.”  I’ve also heard, “She was good in bed and the book is OK too.”  But I would never go there.

Recent articles in the press indicate the importance of the internet for your research - so which internet sites do you use for recreation rather than research? (R-rated answer only please)

LEE:  I used to enjoy the Emperors Club VIP.

PAUL GUYOT:

What is it, exactly, Mr. Child, that makes us all worship the slightly chunky and overly sweaty feet of David J. Montgomery?

LEE:  Well, Monty is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, isn’t he?  And you know that writing tip that says don’t just tell us the character is a good guy, but show us other characters reacting to him as if he were?  That’s the key to Monty.  His wife is beautiful and charming.  His daughter hasn’t taken out a restraining order yet.  So I guess we all suspect there’s something good going on inside that big round furry head, and I guess we’re all anxious to find out exactly what it is.

Of all the watches you’ve purchased since the Reacher money started rolling in, which is your favorite and why?

LEE:  I blame you for the watch thing, Guyot.  Entirely.  Before you piqued my interest I was happy with regular quartz things.  But I guess I have always had a thing for small nice objects made of metal - I grew up in Birmingham, England, the ultimate artisanal metal-working city - so as soon as you wakened my interest I had to go for it.  By now I have bought and sold and traded my way to a top two:  an Agathon by Faerge (the old Tsarist jeweler) which is number six in a series of six, and a very plain old Breuget.  They’re both simple, elegant, and classic.  One is yellow gold, one is white gold.  Each of them cost more than my car, and it’s all your fault.

LOUISE URE:

You’ve helped so many new writers break into publishing with your advice, your time and your blurbs.  If you had one piece of advice for aspiring writers, what would that be?

LEE:  Tough to pick just one piece of advice.  Generally, I would say: be yourself.  All good writers have a unique, uncompromised voice and sensibility all their own.  It’s the X-factor - not a guarantee of success, but its absence is a guarantee of failure.  Specifically I would say: get a great agent.  I am where I am because of my agent, and I’m not reluctant to say so.

DAVID J. MONTGOMERY:

Your brother, Andrew Grant, recently sold his first novel.  I’ve always been a fan of sibling rivalry, so I have to ask:  Who’s the better writer in the family?

LEE:  Ah, a trick question.  Two brothers are mentioned, but the word you use is “best”, not “better”.  I know you know the difference - you were a college professor once.  So that widens the pool.  My daughter writes very well - one-hour TV drama - with a great ear for dialog and a good sense of structure.  My dad can turn out short, dry, pithy, sardonic stuff.  My niece Katie got a poem published at age eight.  My niece Dana Kaye is one to watch.  My brother Andrew’s book is a genuinely fine piece of work.  But the best?  Me.  Deal with it.

JASON STARR:

Do you have plans to at some point write a non-Reacher novel?

LEE:  I had an idea about a beautiful young make New York writer - you know, long hair, black clothes, Upper East Side cool - who hangs with an older, gnomish Irishman and they get into scrapes and write noir books together…but it seemed too unrealistic.

ALLISON BRENNAN:

So writing is now a family business…what do you think about your brother following in your footsteps?

LEE:  I love it.  But “footsteps” implies more than it should.  He’s about fifteen years younger than me - a late accident - so we were never really in a family context together.  He’s more like a close friend.  And he’s stubbornly independent.  The first coherent sentence he ever spoke was on vacation one year.  I had dropped in to join my parents on the beach.  My mother was worried about the kid getting sunburned (my mother is a worrier - this was England, after all.)  She said, put a T-shirt on Andrew.  I grabbed a shirt and approached the kid.  He snatched the shirt from me and yelled, “I’ll do it MYSELF!!”  Exactly the same now, with the book.  I had nothing at all to do with it.  But I read the final draft in February and loved it.  He’s got what he needs - the voice, the pace, and the main character has got the swagger.  I hope it’s huge.

Fess up - in how many states have you received speeding tickets?

LEE:  States?  Let’s start out with nations - current outstanding total is three, involving eleven tickets, seven of them for one four-hour journey in the UK.  In the US, how many states are there?  How many have I driven in?  I think it’s somewhere between ten and twenty.  Fortunately I have a combative nature and a law degree.

NICK STONE:

At the Harrogate Festival last year, you mentioned that you named characters after people who’d done you over in the past.  Anyone threatened to sue you yet, Lee?

LEE:  No.  I have what lawyers call the “Small Dick” defense on my side.  Who wants to stand up in court and say, “You know that treacheous, traitorous, back-stabbing ugly scumbag on page 100? That’s ME!”  But I was approached by a scammer in Scotland, who claimed I had ripped off his book, and did I want to settle out of court?  I asked if he wanted to eat through a straw the rest of his life.  Never heard from him again.

Does Tom Cruise still own the Reacher books?

LEE:  Cruise/Wagner - which is not effectively United Artists - and Paramount hold the option jointly.  As far as I can tell, they’re not doing anything with it.

What do you think of fans who buy Reacher’s guns?

LEE:  I guess they’re better than the ones who buy his clothes.

Bill Clinton loves Jack Reacher.  What advice would Reacher give his fragrant wife?

LEE:  Tough question, Nick.  People my - and Reacher’s - age have known a hundred Hillarys.  We talked with them through the night at college, we dated them, we slept with them.  Some of us even married them.  My life has been immeasurably enriched by Hillarys.  The world, too, no question.  But people my age are supposed to have garnered some wisdom.  We’re supposed to have figured some things out by now.  So Reacher and I would say:  Kid, you know we love you to bits.  Always have, always will.  But you’re yesterday, right now we need tomorrow.  You are what you railed against during those long nights of talk.  Remember?  The candlelight, the sweet smoke, the bright eyes, the passion?  That’s someone else now.  So do the bravest, smartest thing you have ever done, and back away.  I know it hurts, to stand on the shore and watch the ship sail without you.  I know it’s a terrible moment, when you face the fact that those infinite possibilities once in front of you are now a ruined landscape of botched compromises, all of them behind you.  But that’s life, kid.  We’re all facing it, right now, right beside you.  Letting go is the ultimate test of integrity.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:

Recent news reports (Daily Mail 3/12/08) indicate that traditional British dishes like Spotted dick and Toad in the Hole are on their way to extinction.  Will you miss such delights as Lancashire hot pot and steak, and kidney pie?  Or - have you embraced the American way of fast food?

LEE:  Well, almost everything in the Daily Mail is a lie.  I even check a calendar when I read the date on the masthead.  This story probably blames the Labor Party and goes on to bemoan an imminent collapse in house prices.  It’s that kind of paper.  And I never ate food like that anyway.  I think I fell between the region/class cracks.  Thing is, those are mostly poverty dishes.  They were about stretching the food dollar - or pound - a little further.  So if they disappear, that’s probably a good sign.  Plus, I don’t care much.  I don’t really like food.  I actively enjoy the feeling of being hungry.  A writer’s life includes two or three lunches or dinners a week, and that’s enough for me.

EVIL E:

If the two of us were free to run away together - where would we go, and what would we do besides looking for a smoking area?

LEE:  We’d be looking for one giant smoking area…possibly the French half of St. Martin?  But the beaches are topless there, so I guess I’d be having more fun than you.  Especially when it came to the part where you want suntan lotion rubbed in.

Well, folks - it’s a damn good thing I still adore my husband - and Lee’s taken - and I’m not twenty years younger - ’cause right now I’m having major hot flashes.

As always - many, many thanks to our monthly interview guests for willing to be grilled by our fantastic interrogators.  So thank you, Lee - for your great sense of humor, your candor - and for all that you do for so many writers.

And my thanks, naturally, to - Ali Karim, Paul Guyot, Louise Ure, David Montgomery, Jason Starr, Allison Brennan, Nick Stone and Julia Spencer-Fleming for taking time from their tight schedules, and never failing to come up with terrific questions.

Please do join us next month - MAY 12th (instead of the 5th-I’ll need rest after the Edgars!), when the QUEENPIN of Noir - MEGAN ABBOTT will be our Person of Interest.  Also - I hope to have a slew of photos from Edgar week.  Just those suitable for public viewing, naturally.   As for the rest of them - well, they don’t call me Evil E for nothing. 

And by the way - Zack (school supplies for the Afgan kids) sends his thanks!  You folks were wonderful! Thank you…

So, see you next month - or not.

Until then…stay safe, stay warm - and be nice to each other.

 

ONCE UPON A TIME…A WRITER WROTE.

But that was long ago and far away.   Michael Palmer and I were chatting about this, and he pondered - ”In this day and age, what is harder…writing novels, or getting people to read them??”  As if this terrific guy and superb writer had this problem - but it’s a legit question for all writers - NYT list-ers or not.  And it got me to thinking about this thing we call ‘ the writing game’…and what it takes to find readers today.

Think about it.  This isn’t the age of the giants (and not so giant) who - I’ll bet - didn’t have to spend 80% of their time on promotion.  This is now.  This is when a writer has to do more than fashion a good story that will please not just the reader, but the agent, the editor, the marketing staff, the publicity department, the distributors, the indies and the chains.  And yes, the reviewers.   

Anyway, after chatting with Michael, I got to thinking about what we’d discussed - and sat myself down at my trusty computer and made a list (off the top of my head) of what one must do today to entice, acquire and maintain a reader base.  No doubt I’ve left something off - so please feel free to add to the list.

To be blunt, today’s writer has to wear too damn many hats.  And for some, they don’t fit well.  Not everyone is comfortable being what I’ve snark-ely termed - a ‘carney barker’ - forever pumping their product at signings, cons, speaking events, blogs, crime fiction on-line communities, short stories for e-zine magazines, YouTube (or howeverthehell you spell the damn thing), Facebook, Myspace, Crimespace, The Red Room, anthologies, essays to crime fiction magazines, web sites, and now - video trailers!  And then of course, one must belong to the many writers associations, subscribe to all the magazines hoping to see your photo there, or at the very least - a review.  And don’t forget the mailing lists for readers, bookstores, libraries and book clubs.  And newsletters.  Oh, right - and  business cards, bookmarks, and postcards ready to foist upon anyone who is within a two-mile radius.  Some writers I know even include bookmarks when they pay their bills.   I tell you - by the time I made this list - I was worn out just thinking about all we had to do and needed a nap.

But the biggest surprise was when I added up all the cons that go on throughout the year.  Do you have any idea how many there are now? Ha!  How about THIRTY-EIGHT?!  Okay, so a few of them are across the pond, but still?  It’s a brain drain just trying to figure out which one to attend.  Not all might fit your speciality, but you want readers, right?  You want to establish a presence, right?  But you don’t have the luxury of mega frequent flyer miles?  Oh, gosh.  What to do, huh?   Kinda makes your head swim, don’t it? :)        

I dunno, kids - would Faulkner, Chandler or Cain go along with all this?  Probably.  Like I said, that was then…this is now.  

Damn, I wish Michael hadn’t asked that question…

ANYWAY…

I’m hoping to pull on your heart strings here - and your great American spirit of giving.  There’s a fine young National Guard Sergeant named Zack Bazzi - who is asking folks all over the country to help him furnish the children of Afghanistan with school supplies.  Now, don’t start thinking that with all the billions of bucks our country has sent over there…etc, etc., okay?  Forget that - we know the story already.  Let’s just move past that and think about young children eager to learn and who are without pencils, paper, rulers…and have nowhere to buy them.  So how about giving up a few lattes and joining in?  The next time you’re out picking up paper and ink for your computer, or school supplies for your own family - how about adding a few boxes of pencils, maybe a couple of notebooks and a ruler into the cart for them?   And - if you’re a writer (or not), add a book or two for the guys and gals over there.  Come on - you know you’ve got a few stashed away for special gifts.  Let this be one of them.   And tell Zack Evil E sent you.

Here’s where to send them:

Zack Bazzi

ARSIC-N (PMT4)

CAMP MIKE SPANN (MES)

APO AE  09354

Zack thanks you.  I thank you.  The children of Afghanistan most assuredly thank you.

SPOTLIGHTING…

I was all ready do a ‘Dangerous Duo’ thing here this month - and spotlight three authors who are in reality a twosome - namely - P.J. Parrish, P.J. Tracy  and Peri O’Shaugnessey.  Also missing this month - a few other departments.  But look for these fabulous gals next month on April 4th…

The terrific interview with Otto Penzler is kinda long - and while I appreciate your dropping in today - I didn’t want to overburden your eyes.  See how considerate I am?

HOWEVER - I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT JOHN RAMSEY MILLER’S NEW BOOK!

SMOKE AND MIRRORS is out now - and here’s what PW had to say!  “Full of breathless blood and guts action, hairpin twists and turns, Miller’s cocktail of murder and dirty business is potent and compelling!”  Wow.  Is that a terrific review, or what?  But then, John’s one hell of a fine writer - so I’m not surprised.  And did I say what a hell of a fine guy he is as well?  John and I were both Edgar judges for Best Novel (he said I could ‘out him’) - and through those long months of reading and emails, I had the great opportunity to get to know this gentleman whose integrity I found to be impeccable. And whose wit is a killer! 

AND…the great review Paul Guyot received for his short story “WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD”  in the new MWA anthology - BLUE RELIGION.  And, I quote - “TV writer Paul Guyot contributes one of the volume’s strongest selections.”  Ain’t bad, huh?

AND…congrats to Allison Brennan’s thriller - KILLING FEAR - on the NYT list! 

AND…R.I.P.  William F. Buckley, Jr.  Others much more eloquent than I shall ever be have said all there is…

INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS CORNER…
More bad news on the bookstore closings…

R.I.P.

High Crimes Mystery Bookshop - Good Yarns - Dutton’s

But all hail to those who are sticking in there.  With stores closing faster than a speeding bullet, I’m not sure these days who to list anymore - so this maybe a vanishing segment of Evil E.  Maybe I’ll just list stores you folks out there would like to have mentioned.  Let me know…

AND NOW…FOR THE SERIOUS STUFF…

Yes, our team managed to avoid THE DROP EDGE OF YOUNDER - but only because they recognized a DARK TIDE was approaching and they were damn glad they didn’t have to resort to BODY SURFING.  I mean, they knew this region was NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.  Not, of course, that any of them were - but still.  Anyway, it didn’t take them long to avoid those DEADLY SHOALS and make their way to shore.  Once there, and glad they hadn’t had to get on their knees and pray for ATONEMENT, they had to rethink their plans once again because naturally - only FOOLS RUSH IN - and even though they were pissed they had missed the OSCAR SEASON in THE KINGDOM WHERE NOBODY DIES - their quest was more important and such trivial thoughts must be put aside.  After much discussion about which direction to head, their decision was made when they saw THE BLACK DOVE.  They only hoped this was a good omen, and would lead them past THE DEVIL’S FOOTPRINTS - or, at least - not end up in the land of UNKNOWN MEANS.  Now, that would really tick them off.  I mean, this has been a trek that one might say was…well…you fill in the missing word.  EVEN CAT SITTERS GET THE BLUES, huh?  Okay, they shrugged off a hint of KILLING FEAR in spite of a strange ANCIENT RAIN that began to fall, and plauged by THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWN, off they headed past THE ISLAND OF BONES to GAS CITY, which was just outside of HELL’S BAY, and east of MOONLIGHT DOWNS.  They knew they had to avoid THE CHAMELEON’S SHADOW - who they figured was just another FRIEND OF THE DEVIL - you know, the guy who’s always after ALL MORTAL FLESH?  Anyway, they were getting close to the LAST CALL, and time was running out.  They had to reach THE KILLING ROOM, and avoid THE FAULT TREE by the CITY OF THE SUN if they were going to make it back in time to solve the MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS.   Finally, luck was with them when…

AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTS - OUR PERSON OF INTEREST!

Not a man to mince words, or soft pedal his opinions - our guest is a rarity these days.  Whether or not you agree with some of the things he’s said over the years - he is his own man.  And that - male or female - is something I always applaud.

With a list of credits longer than an Escoffier recipe as a publisher, editor and award winner - not to mention the proprietor of one of the most celebrated book stores around - THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP - and whose newest book - THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF PULPS is being hailed as a tour de force - and - (on the way - THE BEST AMERICAN CRIME REPORTING (with Jonathan Kellerman and Thomas H. Cook) - how does one introduce such a crime fiction luminary?  Simple.

PLEASE WELCOME OTTO PENZLER…

Our interrogators today are (in alpha order): Allison Brennan, Paul Guyot, Sam Hill, Ali Karim, David Montgomery, Jason Starr, Nick Stone and Louise Ure.

ALLISON:  Often we read a book and have a picture of the personality who wrote it.  What author have you met who was different from what you imagined?

OTTO:  It has been my experience over many years that mystery writers tend to be among the nicest people on the planet. Two who were the exact opposite were Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell, both of whom are/were odious, ergo different from what I expected.  Ditto Martha Grimes, while I’m at it.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, I asked Elmore Leonard’s publisher, then Arbor House, if he would do a signing at The Mysterious Bookshop.  That was about 25 years ago. Then I saw the jacket photo and this mean-looking dude, squinting under his longshoreman’s cap.   I was scared to death of him.  When he got to the store, he turned out to be the sweetest guy one could meet.  I have photos of him hanging little Christmas ornaments on our tree.  We’ve been close friends ever since.

PAUL:  So, if I have a manuscript where an elderly woman with talking cats solves crimes whenever she’s not holding court at her knitting circle…would you blurb it?

OTTO:  Yes, I would happily blurb it.  Immediately following my admission to The New York Center for the Insane and Senile.

SAM:  Otto - is this a good time or bad time for writers?  On one hand we see the consolidation of publishers and boostore channels and ever-shortening backlists, which seem bad, but we’re also seeing record numbers of new books published and new on-line channels.  What do you think?  And - how do you feel about the increased niching of the mystery market, specifically, do you think the next big thing after cats might be a dog that solves crimes?  How about a parakeet, since that would give the opportunity for the lead character to talk?

OTTO:  Yes, it is a good time for writers and a bad time for writers.  I have been in publishing for 32 years and have always heard, both from writers and publishing people, that this is a tough time.  Mergers have made it harder for mid-list writers (those who sell fewer than 7-8,000 in the U.S., or one-fourth that number in the U.K.) to find a good home, and publishers are less patient in allowing a writer to find his readership while he continues to lose money for the house.  It is largely a question of economics: huge houses have huge overhead costs, and selling a couple of thousand books is a guaranteed loss, hence the focus on big best-sellers.  The good news is that small presses have been springing up everywhere, so most good writers will surely get their books published.  The flip side of the good news is the bad news, which is that small houses don’t have much money, so authors will not earn quite enough to stay alive.  As for the niching (I don’t think that’s a word, but it should be), you’re too late.  There ARE dogs solving crimes (see Carol Lea Benjamin and such titles as The Long Good Boy).  Since there are usually about 12-1400 new mystery titles published in English each year, I’m fine with it.  I don’t read animal detective books, and you don’t have to either.

ALI:  Otto, can you tell me about the Mysterious Press relationship withQuercus Publishing in the U.K., and what delights have you for us in the U.K. In 2008?  And, last time we met (at the London Bookfair last summer), youtold me that you’d recently married - so how does your wife cope with your love of books and all the reading that you do?

OTTO:  Catch up, Ali.  I sold The Mysterious Press to Warner Books in 1989.  I have had no connection to them since 1991, except they published a bunch of my anthologies a few years ago.  Presumably you mean the connection between my imprint at Harcourt and Quercus, which is both simple and unique.  Every book I acquire for my Harcourt list automatically goes onto the Quercus list, unless U.K. rights were previously acquired by a U.K. publisher.  The only case where this is true is witht he great John Harvey who, alas, seems pretty happy where he is.  I also acquire books exclusively for Quercus where U.S. rights are not available, as with Robert B. Parker and Donald E. Westlake.  Hence, and “Otto Penzler Books” imprint on two continents.  As for my (still) fairly recent marriage, Lisa doesn’t really “cope’ with my love of books and reading.  She reads more than I do, also loves books, and tragically, is a lot smarter than I am.

DAVID:  I know you’re a great admirer of the work of the late Ross Thomas, as am I.  Is there anyone writing today whose work you’d compare with his?

OTTO:  No.  The spectacularly gifted Ross Thomas was in a class by himself.  The closest I’ve ever read is Thomas Perry, whose Metzger’s Dog was so Ross Thomas-like that I almost thought Ross had written it under a pseudonym.  Perry’s later books retain the similar, clear prose style, but the plots are not as varied as Thomas’.  If you ever read someone as good as Ross Thomas, please let me know immediately.

JASON:  Hey, Otto!  What are the three most memorable books that you’ve edited?  And - can you tell us a good story about working with Patricia Highsmith?

OTTO:   The Dark Fantastic by Stanley Ellin, a book about a racist that his regular publisher for more than 20 years, Random House, and the legendary editor, Robert Loomis, didn’t have the guts to publish.  Out on the Rim byRoss Thomas, the first of a three-book contract for which he was paid a million dollars.  I begged him to bring back Artie Wu and Quincey Durant, the stars of Chinaman’s Chance, and he did.  Then, in the original version of the manuscript, he killed Georgia Blue, a character with whom I’d fallen head-over-heels in love.  He allowed me to browbeat him into saving her life.  Blood on the Moon by James Elroy.  It was titled L.A. Death Trip and had three times as much violence as the published version, still one of the most violent books one is likely to read.  Rewritten several times over an 18-month period, it was the first hardcover book of Elroy’s career and the beginning of a long friendship.

I can tell a Highsmith story, and you can decide if it’s good.  I brought her to America to promote the first of a half-dozen of her books that I was to publish.  I thought it would be nice to take her to dinner with my then-wife.  The very young publicist for the Mysterious Press, who was to work with her on the tour, joined us.  She arrived with a single red rose each for my wife and for Pat Highsmith.  My wife was effusively thankful.  Pat took the flower, made no eye contact, made no sound, and threw the rose to the floor.  And that’s the most pleasant she was for the rest of the evening. 

NICK:  I’ve just ordered The Black Lizard Book of Pulps.  Who, at a push, are your favorite five crime writers and why?

OTTO:  Hey, did you order The Black Lizard Book of Pulps from my store?  No?  I’m not answering your stupid question.  Kidding.  Five favorites change from time to time, but Wilkie Collins, Raymond Chandler, Arthur Conan Doyle are ALWAYS on the list.  Ross Macdonald, Thomas H. Cook, Rex Stout and Robert B. Parker are usually there.  Some people you may not know, like Stephen Greenleaf (great private eye writer), E.W. Hornung (creator of Raffles) and Frederick Irving Anderson (brilliant short story writer), would make the list most days if it could be expanded to 10.  Why?  Because they’re good, each in their own way.  A full, comprehensive explanation of why I love each, for so many different reasons, would require serious Freudian analysis and more time than I can take.

LOUISE:  Who’s your favorite female crime fiction writer these days?  Other than you wife, the lovely Lisa, of course.

OTTO:  In the hopeless battle for second place, it would have to be Joyce Carol Oates who, although not generally regarded as a mystery writer, has been nominated for an Edgar,is a perennial in Best American Mystery Stories, and has a dark, dark heart to go along with a sunny spirit.

My thanks to Otto for joining us today - and to my wonderful interrogators who rose to the occasion - as they always do - with great enthusiasm and terrific questions.

And please do join us again next month when Lee Child will be our Person Of Interest on APRIL 4th…

See you next month…or not.

Until then…stay safe, stay warm and be nice to one another.

Yep, you guessed it - Edgar nomination time…and the fur is already flying.  But then, you’re not surprised, are you?  I’m sure as hell not.    

And - as usual - some of the whiners haven’t a brain between them, and trying to detect some logic in their complaints is like fighting with a one-armed man.  Naturally, it’s the same old story line - favorite’s  weren’t nominated and should have been, yada, yada, yada.  People seem to forget that the Edgar’s is not a popularity contest.  But the major bitch - again - and this was in several places - was that of the fifteen slots in Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Paperback Original - only three women were nominated.  Oh, please.  I mean, can’t we get past this?  Isn’t it time to stop with this nonsense and lay off the judges?  I mean, come on here - it should be obvious by now that judges are acutely aware of the ’gender bias’ screaming that would ensue.  Don’t you think they all felt that swinging sword hanging over their heads as they read over 500 submissions?  Can you imagine what that felt like?  If you’ve ever been a judge, then I know you do.  If you haven’t, then don’t cast stones, okay?  I guarantee you they worked like hell to be fair and objective, and deserve a vote of thanks for giving up damn near a year of their free time. 

And how - you may ask - do I know this to be true?  Easy.  I was one of the judges…one of eight for Best Novel.  So if you still feel a need to complain, you know where to find me.  And I’m also an ITW judge this year for Best First Novel.  When that list comes out - you may not like that one either.  So, like I said…you know where to find me.  But not yet, okay?  We’re not even ready for a short-list.

Something else to keep in mind - judges have their favorite writers and books just like you…so your favorite writers didn’t make the cut?  Well, maybe some of our personal favorites didn’t either.  Ever think about that?  What it all boils down to is that the books are eventually short-listed because of their excellence…voice, originality, execution and plot.  No agenda, no smoke-filled back room, no politics, no cliques, no diabolical plots, and no playing favorites.    So, like my pal, F. Paul Wilson said when we discussed this very issue at the first Thriller Awards banquet (when we were both judges) - “It’s what’s between the pages, not between the legs.”    

The new story, at least to me, is how many members of Dorothy L and 4MA had never heard of many of the Edgar nominees!  Now, these are a pretty savvy group of readers - 4,000+!  Many of whom are reviewers, authors, indy booksellers and librarians.  That alone tells me all the Edgar judges did a hell of a job in selecting books based on what they deemed merit and not author popularity, gender, or promotion buzz.

So - let’s just wish all those nominated our congratulations for being singled out by their peers…and remind them…and everyone else…that win, or lose, the nomination alone is a great honor and they should all take a bow. 

And so should all the judges for a difficult and time consuming job.

What’s more important than complaining about who was, or wasn’t nominated - is that we should be concerned about the health of Mysteryville.  With folks worried about the economy - book sales are already plummeting, indies are closing shop and print reviewers are dropping like flies.  Looks like a stormy year ahead for the book biz, kids.  So if your sales are down, don’t take it personally, don’t scream at your publisher, your agent, your dog - or doubt yourself - it’s just life right now.  Will the boom days return?  Hell if I know. 

Publishers Lunch said they reported 6,500 new deals in 2007!  Granted, that figure includes non-fiction, and, no doubt, new contracts for established writers, but when you include the slew of new writers joining the fold every day (don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing) - you gotta wonder just how much of the pie is left, huh?  Methinks the slice days are over - so grab what crumbs you can, tour where the cost won’t kill you, and keep a smile on your face.  It could be worse.  Yeah, it could - folks might go back to watching TV instead of reading. :)

ANYWAY… 

I was going to add a ‘GENTS I LIKE TO DRINK WITH’….but I changed my mind. Purely selfish reasons.  If I told you who they are, there might not be room for me at that cozy table in the bar.  So you’ll just have to find out on your own.

And - no LADIES YOU’D LIKE TO LUNCH WITH this month.  I’m on a diet.

I’LL BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW DEPT:

 Got this from the latest Smithsonian - Marmosets display ‘unsolicited prosociality‘.  This means they give without expecting something in return.  Kinda nice, huh?  And this can also be exhibited by humans now and then.  Think Patry Francis.  Several of her writer gal pals did a mega blog blitz on January 29th talking up her debut book - THE LIAR’S DIARY.  Patry, as most of you know, has been seriously ill and unable to get out and promote.  So, kids - give her a try, okay?

Going to LOVE IS MURDER?  Got some advanced scoop for ‘ya.  Be sure to check out what will probably be one of the funniest damn panels ever devised - ‘FRIENDS OF DAVE’.  Yep, you read that right.  David Montgomery will be moderating what I’ll bet is gonna be a hilarious roast.  Oh, the friends?  Well, how’s Barry Eisler, Paul Guyot and Lee Child?  Okay, you guys - I’m expecting photos from that panel for the March column!

People are talking about Amazon’s Kindle.  And so is Consumer’s Report.  They aren’t crazy about it at all.  If you’re thinking about laying out $400 for one,  I suggest you pick up a copy.

This one cracked me up - and Allison Brennan will probably hit me over the head with her new lap top for telling you - but Ballantine is promoting her as “Thomas Harris meets Julie Garwood”.  I love it because it’s true.  She’s that good.

SPOTLIGHTING…

The one and only Michael Palmer.  Why did I say ‘the one and only’? Because he is not just another NYT writer who keeps us glued to his books - he’s a rare man who, besides giving us thrilling plots  - still finds time to work part time for the Massachusetts Medical Society as an Associate Director of their physician health program, helping doctors put their lives together as they suffer with  physical and mental illness - and - sadly - substance abuse.  A round of applause, if you please, for a dedicated humanitarian! 

Michael’s latest - THE FIRST PATIENT - is out now and you’ll never guess who gave him this blurb:  “An exciting thriller that is full of surprises and captures the intense atmosphere of the White House, how the medical system works, and how the 25th Amendment could be brought into play. I thoroughly enjoyed it!”  Give up?  Bill Clinton.  Yep, you read that right.  Not bad, huh?  But then, neither is Michael.

And then there is C.J. Lyons - yet another angel of mercy.  Besides working full time as a pediatric ER doctor, C.J.’s debut book - LIFELINES - finally comes out March 4th.  Admid all of this - I still don’t know where C.J. found the time to chair the first ThrillerFest in Phoenix.  Talk about a workaholic!  Best wishes to you, C.J.!

One might call Sharan Newman an ‘angel of mercy’ as well.  I mean, if you read the Da Vinci Code. :)  Thanks to Sharan’s best seller - THE REAL HISTORY BEHIND THE DA VINCI CODE - a lot of misinformation was finally cleared up.  The book is ingeniously in encyclopedic format and gives information on various topics mentioned in DVC.  And now, Sharan - who is a medieval historian, a Macavity and Bruce Alexander award winner - has a new page turner for us - THE SHANGHAI TUNNEL.   Oh, what you’ll learn about Portland, Oregon’s history!

INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER’S CORNER…

Vicki Lane generously gave me a list of her favorites…of course, you need to be in North Carolina to drop in…

Malaprops, 55 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC

Accent on Books, 854 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC

City Lights, 3 E. Jackson Street, Sylva, NC

Osondu Booksellers, 184 N. Main Street, Waynesville, NC

AND CONGRATS TO…

Nick Stone - KING OF SWORDS is gonna be a movie!! TA DA!! This really is one hell of a book.  Just remember to keep the lights on when you go to bed.

Carl Brookins - the first book in his new series - BLOODY HALLS - is out now, and is based on his years of working in academia. Ouch.

Barbara Fister - finally, this terrific writer has a new book coming out in April - IN THE WIND.  I’m telling you about it now because I want you to be sure to make a note to buy it.  And, well…my office is a mess and I might lose the note.

Evil E’s Interrogators - Julia Spencer-Fleming is joining our intrepid team!

Steve Brewer - whose birthday is…TODAY!  Happy Birthday, Bubba!

AND NOW…FOR THE SERIOUS STUFF…

We left our team deciding there was no point in BEATING THE BABUSHKA, so instead they trode on IN COLD PURSUIT of DEADMAN’S SWITCH hoping to catch up with ROBBIE’S WIFE who would, they thought, reveal WHO IS CONRAD HIRST?  But some of the team held little hope - feeling certain they were in for a series of HEAD GAMES.  Nonetheless, with THE WHOLE WORLD WATCHING, they knew THE STAKE was worth their efforts and they’d do what was necessary.   Even in THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT - they knew ALL SINS FORGIVEN would be something to hang their hats on.  By nightfall, they found MOTHER BRIMSTONE who pointed them to ANGOLA SOUTH - and that was one hell of a RUDE AWAKENING!  All this time - and they’d been going in the wrong direction?  No!  It was impossible!  Man, these guys were ready for THE SCREAMING ROOM about now - but - tough as they were - and not ignoring this latest reality check - they still felt as if they’d been hit with a SUCKER PUNCH even though THE SCENT OF BLOOD was still fresh.  THE COMMISSION must go on, and while the road ahead was dangerous with DRY ICE, they had THE HUNTER’S MOON to guide them, on this, THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR.

The DEAD DON’T LIE was an UNSPOKEN truth between them, so they headed back toward THUNDER BAY and CHILLWATER COVE in hopes THE WIDOW’S MATE was still hanging out by WRECKER’S KEY.  They found the ACCIDENTAL SLEUTH instead.  He was living in REDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES, so they gave him some SPARE CHANGE for THE DEATH LIST he’d snitched from THE CHINESE ALCHEMIST, and then headed back to their REFUGE in MAGIC CITY to regroup and make up a new plan of attack and a better RECIPE FOR TROUBLE.  Alas, and alack - as they rode the current DOWN RIVER, they saw THE ALIBI MAN on the shore waving his arms and shouting about a DEEP STORM heading their way.  It was too late to turn back by then - THE FIRST WAVE had already hit them.  Their only chance of survival was hoping THE NAVIGATOR could steer them to THE EDGE, and hope to hell they could avoid THE DROP EDGE OF YONDER.  Luck was with them when…

AND NOW - OUR PERSON OF INTEREST!

 A slight change this month…thought you might get a kick out of a few snippets from ’On The Bubble’ interviews I did some months ago.  Just for the hell of it, you know?

I asked this of JLW - aka James Lincoln Warren - who is, you no doubt know - one of the most talented short story writers out there.

“My spies have reported that your plans to take a production of “The Full Monty” to Bouchercon this year is on the back burner now that Paul Guyot has dropped out.  I mean, this stellar production has legs!  Have you found a replacement yet?”

And he said…

“Nothing could replace Paul.  I mean it.  Nothing is the absolute perfect replacement for Paul.  The biggest problem I’m having with casting is that all my friends at mystery conventions, quite naturally, are sublimely attractive women and no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise, none of them want to play skanky male strippers.”

Ian Rankin was one of my first guests at On The Bubble - and was a great sport to play along with the off beat questions I posed…

Especially this one…

“Is it really true that Rebus’s chair has been stolen and the thief is threatening to list it on eBay unless you write him into the next book as the hero who saves Rebus’s life?”

And he said…

“If Rebus’s chair were stolen, the lazy sod would lie on the floor rather than go buy a new one.  Me, too, come to that.  But I do write real people into my books all the time.  Problem is, they have to pay charities for the privilege.  Stealing my mate’s chair isn’t going to make me write anyone into my book.  And if they don’t like that, well, they can sit on it…and rotate.”

Tess Gerritsen has got to be one of the loveliest ladies around - and it was great fun having her ‘On The Bubble’ - this is one of my favorites…

So, Tess, I asked…

“Everyone has a Walter Mitty dream, what’s yours? ”

And she said…

“Brad Pitt decides Angelina Jolie just isn’t hot enough for him anymore, and then his gaze meets mine across the room, and… No, honestly, I’m already living my Walter Mitty dream.  I still can’t believe I’m getting paid so well just to make stuff up.”

There are many more - and maybe every now and then I’ll throw a few in just for the hell of it.  Jim Rollins was a hoot, Dylan Schaffer drove me nuts, Gayle Lynds was a riot, and then there’s Barry Eisler, Cara Black, P.J. Parrish, Alex Kava, Donna Moore, Jim Born, and so many more great sports, so - like I said -I’ll add one or two on occasion.

NEXT MONTH’S PERSON OF INTEREST - ON MARCH 3RD - WILL BE THE ONE AND ONLY OTTO PENZLER.  I GUARANTEE YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!

So, before I leave your wonderful company - I’d like to offer a few scintilating quotes…

Josh Billings (1819-1885) said… “About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.”

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) said…”I was working on the proof of one of my poems all morning, and took out a comma.  In the afternoon, I put it back again.”

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) said… “The world is overstocked with people who are ready and eager to teach other people to write.  It seems astonishing that so much bad writing should find it’s way into print when so much good advice is to be had.”

See you next month…or not.

Until then…stay safe, stay warm and be nice to one another.

WELCOME TO 2008 - THE  YEAR OF THE RAT.

Well, it doesn’t really start until February 7th, but what’s a month, right?  But do take notice (especially writers out there) this will be a year of hard work (Duh), activity (long hours on the keyboard) and renewal (two shots of espresso in your coffee every two hours).  And a good year to begin a new job (new contract?), get married, launch a product (your book?), or make a fresh start (a series, or a new one?).  Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns (oh, really?), but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared (read meets deadlines) and resourceful (know where the bodies are buried or have photos?).   The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find (schmooze in the bar at the cons). 

Aren’t you just revved up like crazy now?  Can’t you just wait to crank out that great American Novel (okay, maybe a killer mystery- or a thriller - or the resurgence of noi?) that has been haunting you for months and months?  So what’s holding you back besides yourself?  But wait…don’t leave yet!  Stick around….got a great Person Of Interest in the interrogation room this month - Shamus Award winner LOUISE URE.  And you’re invited to help us celebrate her new book with her - THE FAULT TREE - out in just a few days.  My Spotlight today includes a few  independant mystery booksellers and LADIES YOU’D LIKE TO LUNCH WITH.  

BUT FIRST  - some important facts you simply must know about what happened a hundred years ago…so you can sound semi erudite when next you bend your elbow as those terribly soigne cocktail parties I know you all attend…so write these down…

**Simone de Beauvoir, Ian Fleming and Louis L’Amour were born in 1908.

**E.M. Forster wrote ‘A Room With A View’, Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote ‘The Circular Staircase’, Gertrude Stein wrote ‘Three Lives’ - Edith Nesbit wrote ‘Jack And The Beanstalk’, Lucy Maude Montgomery wrote ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (50 million copies sold to date!) - and Matisse coined the term ‘Cubism’. 

**General Motors was formed - and Ford produced the first Model ‘T’.  But here’s the biggie…The new baseball regulations ruled the spitball illegal.

AND NOW - TIME FOR SHOUTS, WHISTLES AND APPLAUSE….

While two days late - let’s all gather round and wish KEN BRUEN a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!    

And - how about a round of applause for ALLISON BRENNAN  whose new book (Jan 29th) - KILLING FEAR - got a top pick from Romantic Times Book Review.  I tell you - this gal is a dynamo.  She’s got THREE books coming out this year.  I’m wiped out just thinking about it.  

And - keep your lights on when you read NICK STONE’S new thriller - THE KING OF SWORDS.  I finally had to stop reading it in bed - all my senses were on full alert as I turned each page and couldn’t get to sleep…and honestly…as much as I love Nick - and Botox is not an option…old bags like me need beauty sleep to slow down the wrinkles around the eyes.  THE KING OF SWORDS won’t be in US bookstores until September - but don’t let that stop you from ordering it!  It’s too good to wait for.  Trust me.  And, uh - well, Nick seems to know a hell of a lot about Voodoo, so you might wanna get a copy soon, huh? 

And - our hearty congratulations to Liz Reinhardt and Steve Berry who tied the knot a couple of months ago.  You all know who Steve is - but maybe you aren’t aware that Liz - while not listed on ITW’s committees - is one of the hardest workers for ThrillerFest - and besides being just plain gorgeous - she’s an absolute love to know.  

SPOTLIGHTING:

Independent booksellers.  Need I say more?  To start the ball rolling - the first ones I’d like to feature are:

Molly Weston at Meritorious Mysteries - 500 W. Chatham Street, Apex, NC

Mary Elizabeth Hart at Mysterious Galaxy - 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA

Ed Kaufman at M Is For Mystery, 86 E.3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA

Jean May at Murder By The Book, 3210 S.E. Hawthorne, Portland, OR

Janine Wilson at Seattle Mystery Bookstore, 117 Cherry St, Seattle, WA

Robin Agnew at Aunt Agatha’s, 2135 4th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI

Got a favorite indy seller?  Let me know and we’ll give them some ink…

LADIES YOU’D LIKE TO LUNCH WITH…

At least I would…and so would you.  Why?  Because other than being terrific writers - they’re interested in more than just themselves, their book sales or having their nails done - and I know you’d find them as fascinating as moi. 

JUDY GREBER aka GILLIAN ROBERTS

Obsessed with 17th century Mexico at the moment (now there’s a conversation starter!) - for a new historical in the works - this Anthony award winning gal,  who has written two series - the Amanda Pepper and Kate Howe series - also finds time to teach writing and has a marvelous ‘how-to’ - YOU CAN WRITE A MYSTERY - to her credits as well.

LINDA L. RICHARDS

Mystery writer turned noi!  Editor and co-founder of JANUARY MAGAZINE, and contributor to THE RAP SHEET, this dynamo has her own blog and has played a huge role in showcasing not just NYT authors - but non-household names whose books she truly feels have merit and wants us to know about them.  She can talk books like no other!  Linda’s new book - DEATH WAS THE OTHER WOMAN debuts this month, so lets thank her for all her hard work and put her new book on your list, k?

PATTY SMILEY

With a BA in Sociology, and an MBA with honors, a Specialist Reserve Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, and the VP of the SoCal chapter of MWA - Patty has a wealth of conversational nuggets that would make for a fascinating and very long lunch.  As much fun, I think - as her essays on NAKED AUTHORS.  Oh, did I mention her terrific Tucker Sinclair series received starred reviews from Booklist, top picks from Book Sense and let’s not forget being on the LA Times best seller lists?

CHASSIE WEST

Oh, man - talk about dynamos?  How about twenty-seven books under her belt - including a Nancy Drew caper as Carolyn Keene?  And then, of course - there’s the Edgar and Anthony nominations for her beloved Leigh Ann Warren mystery series.  And then her short in the book shown here.   Some company she keeps, huh?   Plus, a standalone that she’s recently finished.  You wanna learn about writing?  Have a looong lunch with this gal!  But wait - there’s more.  Chassie’s working on a non-fiction project that will…well…knock your socks off.   But I can’t talk about it.  I promised.

Actually - lunch with these gals wouldn’t do justice to all they have to share.  A long weekend might do it.  Thank you, ladies - for being all that you are - for being wonderful examples to emulate - and for being …a lady.

NOW FOR THE SERIOUS STUFF… 

We left our crew in the WALLA WALLA SUITE at THE PICASSO FLOP hotel hoping to watch some PRIMETIME - but the film & TV writers were on strike.  So - what did this deranged bunch do?  Well, hell - they weren’t sure yet - but they knew they’d come up with something and being where they were was a hell of a lot better than being CAUGHT DEAD IN PHILADELPHIA even though the thought of an order of PHILLY STEAKS was pretty tempting.  Still - they knew they were short of MAD MONEY - and while the CALCULATED LOSS wasn’t great, they knew TIME AND TROUBLE waited for no man (or woman!)  At SUNRISE, they faced their LOSS OF INNOCENCE.  They’d had enough grief with a series FALSE PROFITS.  I mean, going on the chase was a costly proposition, you know?  So, facing  the  prospect of added SHORT CHANGE - it was time to move on.  At least they hadn’t had to contend with THE MUMMER’S CURSE.  They knew it only affected THE BLUEST BLOOD - and since that wasn’t a problem with the lineage of this motley crew, they packed up their gear and headed for ORACLE LAKE in search of THE PENGUIN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH - and who, if they were lucky, would put them in touch with the master of KILLING KIN - MISTER B. GONE - who, they’d heard - was KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE and might be in the mood to point the way to THE WATCHMAN who in turn could help them avoid MURDER AMONG THE OWLS.  That alone would be a massive coup!  Alas, that ended up being a DEAD CONNECTION.  Well, what the hell did they expect?  LYING WITH STRANGERS, especially in THE BLUE ZONE, was like A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART.  They knew the only way out now, was to find THE CHINESE ALCHEMIST and have him prepare a dose of BLOODSHOT and THISTLE AND TWIG to give them enough energy to DANCE WITH THE DRAGON when they reached MAGIC CITY. 

Once they accomplished that - and they knew they would - SIMPLE GENIUS would carry them through to ZUGZWANG where they knew they’d have time to figure out WHY MERMAIDS SING before moving on to find AGNES AND THE HIT MAN.  Not that they needed another one in the crew, but one never knows, right?  I mean, THE SERPENTS DAUGHTER blew them off in the DEAD OF THE DAY when they stopped by THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY to see if they could rent the SPIDER TRAP, but that didn’t end up being much of a SWEETHEART DEAL…more like A WALK IN THE DARK, you know?  But they were in luck after all - they ran into THE MENTOR who pointed them towards DEVIL’S PEAK, but warned them that FOOLS RUSH IN so avoid the GLASS HOUSE and circle THE HOUSE OF THUNDER and watch out for THE WALKING DEAD.  Armed with all this advice, our intrepid crew thanked THE MENTOR, and headed for THE DRAINING LAKE and THE CITY OF SHADOWS, only to find RAINFALL was slowing them down.  It was time, once again, to rest and consider their next move.   And while DANGEROUS GAMES and a HARD TIME was ahead, they knew they were THE PURE IN HEART, and would prevail.  Alas, there was no point in BEATING THE BABUSHKA, so instead they…

AND NOW - OUR PERSON OF INTEREST!

Time to put LOUISE URE on the hot seat.  Guest interrogators this month - along with the regular hard hitting investigators - David Montgomery, Allison Brennan, Ali Karim, Paul Guyot, Nick Stone and Jason Starr - are Zoe Sharp and Ken Bruen.

NICK STONE:  Hi, Louise!  I remember we did a panel at Left Coast Crime in Bristol/2006.  Do you still kep the books on your shelves in country order?

LOUISE:  Nick, I think that panel was one of my all time favorites - eight debut writers in conversation with the inimitable Laura Wilson.  What a great time!  And yes, my books are still shelved geographically by where the murder took place.  Yours are quite happily nestled on the shelf just south of John D. McDonald, and to the right of Martin Cruz Smith’s Havana Bay.

ZOE SHARP:  Your titles - FORCING AMARYLLIS and THE FAULT TREE - are wonderful.  Do you get to choose?  And, if so, at what stage in the writing process does the title come to you?

LOUISE:  I’ve been lucky so far that my publishers have agreed with my working titles. I don’t know how I’d feel if they changed them…maybe you guys have had that experience and can tell me.  Can you love your child as much if she goes and changes her name on you at the eleventh hour?  Or do you still refer to her by her childhood nickname?  And I can’t start writing without a title in mind.  It has to come before anything else…a character, a plot, a voice…but it leads to all the rest of it.

PAUL GUYOT:  Can you tell us about your racing career, and just what it is that makes driving a Shelby Cobra the next best thing to sex (or better than sex if the sex is with me)?

LOUISE:  Paul, Paul.  Racing is going around in circles, fast.  Lovemaking is not. 

But I do have a new passion in racing.  It’s called “The 24 Hours of LeMons.” (http:///www.24hoursoflemons.com)  That’s not a typo.  It’s “lemons” and not Le Mans.  From their website: “Nasty.  Brutish.  Not Short Enough. — The crowd. The spectacle.  The pall of blue smoke and roasted clutch discs.  In all motorshpot, no event captures the universal human need to whale on old crapcans and hoover down greasy barbecue like the 24 Hours of LeMons.”  Cars must be purchased, fixed up and track-prepped for less than $500 and are then divided into grids lke PW (Prayer of Winning), NPW (No Prayer of Winning), and WFIMFY (Won’t Finish in a Million Frickin’ Years).  Some cars are called off the track for infractions, only to then have a six foot metal rooster welded onto the roof as a reminder to ’stay alert’.  There’s a prize for the best meal cooked on your car’s engine.  I’m shopping for my entry now.

DAVID MONTGOMERY: According to you bio, you attended l’Universite de Dijon in France.  Did you receive your degree in msutard making? And your new book - THE FAULT TREE features a protagonish who’s blind. Was it a special challenge writing about a character without the sense of sight?

LOUISE:  No mustard making for me, but I did learn enough about the wines of Bourgogne to be able to say “the second maturation process is not equal to the aromatic bouquet of this vintage” in six languages.   Your other question is the biggee.  It was a huge challenge writing from the senses other than sight, but in plot movement.  How could she help track down a killer without using any visual clues?  And how could I have her move around, meet people, go places she’d never been before without being able to drive or see anything around her?  I don’t know if Cadence Moran will come back in another book.  Right now, I think I’d rather be knee-deep in disease and go bald-headed from a burning fever than to have to write another book from the point of view of a blind person.

JASON STARR:  In your first two novels you’ve very convincingly tackled very different subject matters.  Do your stories come out of personal experience, or do you do a lot of research?  And if you do research - how do you go about integrating the material into your stories in such a natural, unforced way?

LOUISE: I think the first two books, while different in character and crime, do have a commonality:  they’re both about guilt and blame and fault and responsibility.  I have a black belt in self-recrimination, so that required no reseach at all.  But for other specific skills or knowledge (jury consulting and forensic science in THE FAULT TREE) I use my own background and personal interviews with experts.  I even recreated all of Cadence’s tasks myself with a blindfold on, just to make sure I got it right.  I’m glad it doesn’t look like research.  Thanks for saying that.

ALLISON BRENNAN:  Your covers are beautiful and eerie at the same time and eyes play a part in the overall concept that I think is particulary ‘eye’ catching (pardont the pun).  I’m very interested in your cover development, what input you might have had, and what you find alluring about eyes in cover art.

LOUISE:  Aren’t those covers gorgeous?  Remarkably, they’re from two different publishing houses, so I’m doubly lucky that the books work so well together.  In both cases, I wrote a short note to my editor, describing the tone and voice of the book, and included a relevant sentence or two that led me to the title.  They took it from there.  And the woman’s face they picked for THE FAULT TREE?  I don’t kow how they did it, but they came up with exactly the woman I had in mind when I created Cadence Moran.  Downcast eyes and all.

ALI KARIM: Louise - when I read FORCING AMARYLLIS in 2006, I was staggered that it was a debut novel tackling a rather tricky subject.  What had you written prior to this debut, and did you worry about the subject matter?

LOUISE:  Ali, thank you.  Before FORCING AMARYLLIS I had written nothing at all.  Unless you want to count a couple of particularly creative IRS submissions at tax time.  Do I worry about the subject matter?  No.  but I do take it seriously.  That first book was about date rape and the lies we tell ourselves and others.  THE FAULT TREE is about selfishness and blame and murder.  The next book is about the child abuse and people that need killing.  I don’t take any of those subjects lightly.

KEN BRUEN:  How much of yourself is in your characters and do readers who know you, recognize you?

LOUISE:  They recognize me, Ken, but more in ythe voice, the attitude and the language, than in the characters themselves.  Of the characters I’ve created so far, I’m probably most like the chain-smoking, elderly aunt in FORCING AMARYLLIS, who updated obituaries of notable folks for the newspape in case they died unexpectedly.  She’d rewritten Richard Nixon’s obituary twenty-nine times, “always hoping this one would take.”

Thank you guys, and Elaine.  Wonderful questions, from wonderful people.

Au contraire, Louise!  Thank you for sitting on the other side of the table this time.  And I know I speak for all who know you - not the least your legion of fans - when I wish you the very best and zillions of sales for your most remarkable new book.  A posse ad esse!

So, gang - that’s it from Evil E this month.  I hope you’ll stop back on February 2nd for another escapade.  Jason Starr will be our Person Of Interest and I know you’ll love to hear what our interrogators will come up with for him.

p.s.  Authors out there!  If you’ve got a book coming out this year - send me an e-mail with the title and pub date and I’ll be sure to include it in the book title saga.  

Stay safe, stay warm - and be nice to each other.

In keeping with Evil E’s reminder of what Christmas is really about - we wanted to include the link to this song from World War 1 - “Christmas In The Trenches” - sung by John McDermott - and dedicate it to all the men and women serving overseas, away from their loved ones.  We want you to know we thank you for the job you do, and wish you all a safe and very Merry Christmas, and Peace in the coming year. 

Christmas in the Trenches   (John McCutcheon)

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
‘Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, “Now listen up, me boys!” each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
“He’s singing bloody well, you know!” my partner says to me
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was “Stille Nacht.” “Tis `Silent Night’,” says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky
“There’s someone coming toward us!” the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man’s Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave ‘em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
“Whose family have I fixed within my sights?”
‘Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they’d kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I’ve learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won’t be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we’re the same

Never mind…you’ll only tell me that the older you get, the faster time flies.  So forget it…

Just glad you dropped in today - got some interesting folks with us, so grab your coffee - and join in. This month’s edition is rather long, but then, it’s the end of a wonderful year and there are some particular folks - besides all of you - that I wanted to thank.

DECEMBER’S PERSON OF INTEREST is…ZOE SHARP!  My merry band of interrogators have some very interesting questions they’ve put to her…

BUT FIRST - I’d like to ’spotlight’ some great contributors to our world.  People who, for the love of the genre, give their all -  and they do it unselfishly  - and often unheralded.

 I think I must have told Doug a zillion times that he had to start charging us writers every time we called on him to help us out with a medical or forensics puzzle.  Think he listened to me?  Nope.  But then, that’s the kind of guy he is.  He saved my bacon with a question I had about the mummified corpse I had in DEADLY COLLECTION.  I’d venture to guess that he’s helped more writers out of a mess than he’d ever admit to.  But the good news is - Doug was honored and recognized with a Best Fact Crime Edgar nomination for FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES in 2005, and WON the MacAvity in 2005 for FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES!  So THANK YOU, Doug - for all that you give so freely - and for being such a sweet guy.  So be sure to pick up his new book - FORENSICS & FICTION as a thank you.

Another terrific contributor - is the great photographer, Mary Reagan.  Mary’s photos for CrimeSpree and so many of the mystery magazines all the more interesting and fun to read.

Remember those hilarious photos of Gregg Rucka, David Corbett & dana Cameron I featured last month?  Those were just a fun example of Mary’s work - but take a gander at these!  This lady has a special eye and I know you’ll agree after you’ve seen these.

                                  

                  

                                       

Mary tells me one of the highlights for her was when ‘Time Out Moscow’ asked to use one of her shots of Ken Bruen for an article about his books being translated into Russian.  Many of her photos have been used in MWA and PWA newsletters, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind and The Rap Sheet.  Not to mention the dozens of shots she’s taken at all the major mystery conventions, Backspace and the PEN World Voices Festival.

Our thanks, Mary - for capturing so many fun memories for us!  Oh, uh, my right side is best.  Just thought you might want to know…

Next spotlight is on a favorite guy, a terrific writer - and one of my inquisitive interrogators - JASON STARR.

 Much buzz about Jason being the heir to the throne of noir.    Even the covers on his books scream darkness, intrigue, conflict and all that kinda scary stuff.  I mean, just look at this cover.  See that dame standing in front of the window?  Is she nuts, or what? I mean, she’s just looking for trouble, right?  Ah, but we know that Jason has something in store for her, huh?  Gives you chills, don’t it?

Attention short story lovers - or just lovers of great fiction…Don’t miss CHICAGO BLUES!  Seriously.  But don’t just take my word for it - PW said - ‘This impressive volume has soul, grit and plenty of high notes.’  Kirkus tells us ‘Twenty-one excellent reasons to stay out of the Windy City.”  Brilliantly edited by Libby Fischer Hellman (whose own YOUR SWEET MAN is included) - you know right off the bat that she’s rounded up a terrific band of scribblers.  One of my favorites is THE SIN EATER by Sam Hill of Buzz Monkey & Buzz Riff fame - and how can you not love anything by Stuart Kaminsky, Sara Paretsky, or Sean Chernover, or…Just get it, okay?

This and that…

Most of my friends know I’m in the throes of quitting smoking, and one of them - Ivan Van Laningham - sent me this - this sign is at the entrance of his cubicle at work:

“I am a Vietnam veteran, I used to work at the Post Office, I am quitting smoking, and the only thing that stands between you and certain destruction is this silly little patch I’m wearing.  Be very nice to me.  You’ve been warned.  :-) ”

And did you know that…120 years ago this month, Arthur Conan Doyle published his first Sherlock Holmes story, A STUDY IN SCARLET, in 1887’s BEETON’S CHRISTMAS ANNUAL?  Or that a copy of Beeton’s sold at auction for $156,000?!  Or…that Holmes NEVER did utter ‘Elementary, my dear Watson.’?  Oh?  You did?  Of course you did!  I mean, Evil E’s readers are the cream of the literati…

And I LOVE this one…

This came in from a friend of mine - the one and only Stan Davis!

A crowded flight was cancelled - a single agent was re-booking a long line of travelers.  Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his was to the front, slapped his ticket on the counter, and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be first class!”  The agent calmly replied, “I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to get in line.  I’ve got to help the folks ahead of you first.  I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

Loudly, so everyone could hear him, the passenger said, “Do you have any idea who I am?”  Without hesitating, the agent smiled, and grabbed the mic - “May I have your attention please?  We have a passenger here at Gate 14 who doesn’t know who he is.  If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 14.”

While everyone in line laughed, the man glared at the agent, and swore, “Fuck You!”  Without flinching, the agent smiled, and said, “I’m sorry, sir, you’ll have to get in line for that too.”

Sound like anyone you know?  Let me know - we’ll compare notes.

Speaking of Sam Hill…he sent me these…can any of you come up with more?  And yeah - he needs to be certified one of these days - but I love him just the way he is!

Rudolph The Blood Stained Slain Deer
Frosty The Stalker
Away In A Station House
God Rest Ye Merry Victims

By the way - did you know that…The estimated total annual revenue of panhandlers in the Las Vegas metro area is $24,000,000.00??  Do ya think we’re in the wrong business?  And that the minimum number of edits to Wikipedia since June 2004 that have been traced back to the CIA is 310?  And I’ll bet you also didn’t realize that the estimated number of stripper poles sold in the U.S. last year, for home or gym use, was 59,000.  I just love Harper’s Index…

NOW FOR THE SERIOUS STUFF…

We last left our team heading for the ISLAND OF EXILES, where they’d been told A THOUSAND BONES could be found on the DEAD STREET.  Well they got there and found THE LAST FAMILY instead - all standing SIDE BY SIDE watching them turn buildings INSIDE OUT and damn near UPSIDE DOWN.  But the clues were TOO FAR GONE by the time they reached the DARKHOUSE down the road.  THE FIRST WAVE of regret was soon displayed when they knew they’d been FOILED AGAIN.  HEARTSICK, they stayed until DAYBREAK, knowing THE CHASE might not require only NIGHT WORK.  By the time they got DOWN RIVER, they were positive they were ON THE WRONG TRACK when they found a sign that read T IS FOR TRESPASS.  Finally, one of the team decided the only way to find the right route was to open THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOWS.  If they followed those clues, and waited until it was time for the FEVER MOON, the path to the MAGIC CITY would be clear, as long as they didn’t run into any DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, or THE 47TH SAMURAI.  They knew they had to ignore the VOICES of the followers of THE QUEENPIN, or they wouldn’t be able to SLIDE past THE SEANCE and THE CURSE OF THE HOLY PAIL.  But like most capers, it all boiled down to TRIAL & ERROR.  When one of the team members became A REAL BASKET CASE, it was time for some HOT LAPS to avoid A CONCRETE MAZE.  Was it possible they’d been victims of a SHELL GAME of clues?

Nearly TAPPED OUT, they rushed to find THE PERFECT GRAVE so THE SHADOW OF THE RAVEN could lead them to WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, which is precisely what they were freakin’ after!!  I mean, let’s face it - who could better answer the identities of the killers than the dead??  Duh!  But alas and alack, that SLIVER OF TRUTH demanded A HARD BARGAIN, and they needed time to think.  They also knew they’d have to rest, so they hit the trail for SANCTUARY HILL in OLD TOWN and hoped to hell they could get some shut-eye at THE PICASSO FLOP hotel.  They were in luck for once - the WALLA WALLA SUITE was available and they settled down for some R & R - hoping to watch some PRIMETIME.  But as usual - foiled again!  The film & TV writers were on strike!!  What to do?  Stay tuned…

Bet you didn’t know this charming, soft-spoken dame could easily dislocate your shoulder without batting an eye.  Of course, she’d only do that if you interrupted her when she was making up a batch of Molotov cocktails…Zoe’s newest?  SECOND SHOT

TIME TO PUT ZOE ON THE HOT SEAT…but first I want to introduce a new addition to the investigating team - PAUL GUYOT.  I invited Paul to join us so that he may add a modicum of sanity to our sometimes irreverent questions.  Stop laughing.

ALI KARIM:  Now that your heroine Charlie Fox seems to be spending more time in the US, can you see her relocating permanently to the US?

So apart from the Charlie Fox novels, I know you write a number of short stories - do you think you’ll do a stand alone any time soon?

ZOE: Charlie kind of moves to the US with Sean at the end of SECOND SHOT, and the majority of next year’s book, THIRD STRIKE is set there.  New York, Boston, and Texas, with a brief trip back to Cheshire.  She both fits into the U.S. and stands apart from it, which sounds weird, but I’ve always thought of Charlie as an outsider to sivilian life.  Her ability to kill set her outside the bounds of acceptable behavior.  And putting her in a foreign landscape means she’s doubly removed from her surroundings, looking at America from a Brit perspective.

I’m not a natural short story writer, but if someone gives me a deadline, I do one.  The latest is in the HELL OF A WOMAN anthology of female noir, edited by Megan Abbott, which is just out.  And, funny you should mention the standalone.  I’ve already delivered next year’s Charlie Fox book, so I’m writing something new at the moment, something which is bigger and darker - I hope.  It was intended to be the first in a series, but as i go on it’s taking on more the feel of a standalone.  We’ll see how that turns out…

ALLISON BRENNAN:  Charlie Fox has a dark side and you’re not afraid to explore.  What about your own dark side?  Can you share without having to kill us?

You built your own house?  Are you insane?

ZOE:  I’d rather let my demons speak to the reader through the characters on a page.  Yeah, writing is a kind of therapy - it’s certainly a compulsion.  I just put on some dark music and sit down at my computer and let it all come spilling out.  Charlie’s dark side, the way she deals with it and the way it threatens to take over, is one of the things I find most interesting about her.  Someone suggested recently I might find a wider audience if I softened her down some, but she wouldn’t be Charlie if I did.  I think I’d rather kill her off first.

Yeah, we built the place.  It was a field when we bought it.  Andy and I did all the interior joinery, the kitchen and bathrooms, plumbing, wiring, lighting, heating, insulation, tiling, etc.  Being our own contractors meant that at least we always turned up when we expected us, and