I'm How Old??
Taking It Easy
Lately these newsletters have been heavy - racial strife, the changes affecting crime fiction and, as a reflection, American society. But I want to take a break from that this month because, whoa, man, we need a break, right? We're two months away from the most desperate presidential election we've ever seen, we're still in the grips of a global pandemic, and we have NO IDEA when our favorite TV shows are going to return. That's a lot to take in, my friends.
And, yea verily, it's also my birthday! What'd you get me?
Anyway, I wanted to use this month's newsletter to share some good news I've had lately, which you might have seen when I blabbed about it on social media.
My upcoming thriller, They're Gone (Crooked Lane, Nov. 10, written under my pseudonym E.A. Barres) has just started making the rounds in trade reviews GULP. Reviews are such a nail-biting experience for a writer. It's one of the first times someone you don't know is going to read your book and, to make it even sweeter, tell the world what they think. NOT WORRISOME!
Kirkus Reviews is famously surly when it comes to reviews, and seem to take a bit of joy in being mean-spirited. I winced when the publisher sent me an e-mail telling me that they had reviewed They're Gone, but...
"Smartly plotted, violent, and utterly absorbing."
- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
I really was so surprised! And that was so nice to see. I have confidence in what I publish but, just based on their rep, I thought Kirkus was going to disparage the book and then come to my house and throw golf balls at my windows or something. I much preferred this.
And then Publishers Weekly wrote:
"Solid, this women-fight-back thriller will please those looking to vicariously smack down a few hulking villains."
Reader, I exhaled. That was exactly what I was going for with this book, and its so lovely that the reviewers are picking up on that.
More to come as we get closer to publication, but They're Gone is now available for preorder through all booksellers, print and ebook (and more coming soon). It would make an excellent birthday gift for someone! And by someone I mean me. You pre-ordering my book, especially given how important pre-orders are for writers, would just be the best birthday gift for me. And you can order it HERE.
Thank you I love you.
D.C. Virtual Noir at the Bar
D.C. Noir at the Bar is BACK on Sunday night, September 13, at 8 PM, featuring nine awesome writers! And Sara Jones will be singing and Chantal Tseng will be slinging drinks and four people will be given gift cards to Loyalty Books! Readings, music, drinks, and prizes! Don't say I never do anything for you. You can register for it HERE.
Also, dang, that lineup is STACKED. Seriously.
Writing is a business that often retreats into hyperbole. I'm not referring to specific instances within books or stories but, rather, in how those books or stories and their authors are described. And the effects of that praise can, consequently, be lost.
I say all that because I don't want to diminish what I'm about to write:
Art Taylor is one of the most powerful short stories writers in the world.
It's not uncommon for writers to have a fondness for short fiction - it's the dominant form taught in writing workshops and, as we learn more about the intricacies of literature, the short story is a compact way to see how writers toy with imagery, plot, timing, prose. It's also a deceptively difficult form to write in. Most novels have meandering moments. In a short story, as Edgar Allan Poe famously wrote (I'm paraphrasing), every word should work toward the climax. There's a rhythm and timing that must be maintained.
Art Taylor's work is astonishing. His writing routinely appears in the most celebrated anthologies of the year, and he's been nominated for and won crime fiction's top awards, often multiple times. I'm an obvious fan, and lucky to also call myself a friend.
And, for the first time, a writer has been recommended a second time - which, to me, speaks volumes about their work. Art Taylor recommends that you read Alexia Gordon (months ago, Erica Wright also recommended her, and check out her new book HERE). In his words:
During the pandemic, I know many readers have been turning to traditional mysteries—not only for warm characters and comfortable settings but also for the order such mysteries ultimately provide. Missing out on travel, I’ve lately also found myself enjoying books set abroad too. All that in mind, I want to recommend Alexia Gordon and her Gethsemane Brown series, beginning with Murder in G Major. In that first book, Gethsemane—an African American classical musician—finds herself stranded in Ireland and suddenly tasked both with wrangling a boys’ school orchestra into shape and with solving a 25-year-old murder. I love stories set in Ireland and stories set in boarding schools, but there’s even more to love here—including a luxurious attention to the world of music and a ghost in a seaside cottage too! The series includes five novels—and be sure to check out Gordon’s podcast series, The Cozy Corner, which features interviews with other writers of traditional mystery.
To learn more about these writers and their work, click on the images above.
It's contest time! The monthly contest winner wins copies of the books listed in my "Two Writers You Should Read" segment. So, for this month, the winners of The Boy Detective and the Summer of '74 and Fatality in F is:
saddle____03@aol.com
Congrats! Check your e-mail for a separate note from me, and happy reading!
I started this newsletter with a mention of social upheaval, and that was what my last column for the Independent was about. It's titled "The New Guard," and I wrote about the controversy with George R.R. Martin and the Hugo Awards, my brief time on the nominating committee for the new ITW Board of Directors, and how all of this factors into crime fiction. You can see it HERE.
Until next time, much love to all of you. Happy Reading!