Heckuva Book Shelf

The Killer Year debuts are all now available.

Let's Talk About Guns

Sean Chercover talks about guns over at The Killer Year blog. He's talking about their appearance in fiction and movies, and discusses his pet peeves with how they're often portrayed. Good stuff.

But I want to talk about guns in a bit more serious light. Yesterday, as you all surely know by now, a monumental tragedy occurred at Virginia Tech, dozens injured or killed by a gunman.

An event like this is going to bring up all kinds of talk. Gun control advocates will make their case. Gun support advocates will make their case. Immigration will come into it, because now we know the gunman was a resident alien from South Korea. This event will "prove" all manner of things for all manner of people. Yes, but -- no, but. Accusations will fly. "How dare you politicize this tragedy!" will be among the most common, I suspect, leveled by folks of every political stripe against folks of every other political stripe. Most of the time, what folks will really be saying is, "How dare you disagree with me." The main goal of such talk will be to demean, dimininish, or silence others. Meanwhile, the families and friends of the victims will be dragged out and put on display as they try to cope with what for them is a very personal tragedy.

Welcome to America. Hell, welcome to the world.

I don't know what the right answer to the dilemmas raised by such an event is. Clearly the situation is bigger and more sprawling than gun advocacy catchphrases (pro and con) might suggest. In all likelihood, guns themselves, despite being the chosen tool, are the least important aspect of the why and how. It will take weeks, months, or event years to make sense of it all, assuming we even can.

But for today, I admit, one thing yesterday's events do for me is shine a light on my own feelings about guns. About my relationship as a crime fiction writer to the issue of guns in our society. About my relationship as a consumer of crime fiction (written and performed). I think it's a reasonable statement that popular entertainment glorifies guns, raises them to talismanic status. Fetishizes them. They have an almost magical power in our popular imaginations. And?

I confess to ambivalence. As a reader and writer of crime fiction, obviously guns play a role in my life, albeit mostly metaphorical. I'm not a gun owner, and I never will be gun owner, but I have fired guns and enjoyed it. I'll probably fire a gun again should the opportunity arise. Politically, I would probably be best described as a "liberal," which means different things to different people. Given that label, it might surprise some to know I consider the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as important as all the others. I'm not a fervent gun control advocate, nor am I gun ownership advocate. Personally, I think the world would be a better place with fewer guns, but if you want to own one, that's your choice. Given the power of guns, I think it's a good idea to be careful in their dissemination, but I also don't support draconian measures to keep guns out of so-called "law-abiding" citizens hands. I see both sides of the larger gun-control meta-argument, and I think both sides have merit. I also often find that both sides devolve into absurd melodrama as they attempt to make their cases. For what that's worth.

Here's the thing. A gun is a very efficient killing machine. Say what you want, your average handgun exists as a tool for projecting a chunk of metal at high velocity into a body. People can talk about loving to target shoot (I do), but in the end, a gun is about killing something, or someone. And here's another thing. Guns are often amazing and sometimes even beautiful artifacts. I have often been transfixed by the look and feel of guns I have held and fired. The polished metal, the intricacy of the mechanism. The power. The killing power. And that's part of it. Not that I want to kill anyone, but when I hold a gun I know part of what I'm responding to is what I know I could do with it. I am fascinated, and yet they frighten me. The main reason I will never be a gun owner is because I don't want that power too close to me. Down at the range once in a blue moon, that's fine. Hell, it's even fun. But not in my home.

And yet, some of them are so cool. I'm probably not so different from a lot of crime fiction writers in that I even have favorite guns. SIG Sauer P232 is one. And the Desert Eagle. Holy frack, what a machine. A terrifying, overwhelming, alluring machine.

Yep, I'm ambivalent.

I have no idea what, if any, influence the strange, contradictory relationship America has with guns had on yesterday's horror. Maybe it made it more possible. Maybe it would have happened anyway if our gun laws and attitudes were more akin to places like Great Britain. I don't know, but I think it's fatuous for people to argue that the circumstances would have been different with more stringent gun laws or more relaxed gun laws. (What if someone had a conceal permit and shot the perpetrator before he could kill too many? Yes, but what if someone else had a conceal permit and shot the person who shot the perpetrator? Do we want Bagdad in Virgina? . . . or . . . if only gun control laws were more strict, this could never have happened. Except instead he drives into a crowd, or makes a fertilizer bomb, or — what?) The mechanical details of the event will probably turn out to be the least important as we come to learn more about what drove the gunman to such extremes. I believe it would be over-simplifying to focus on simply the guns.

And yet here I am. Focusing on the guns.

Killer Year 2008

Killer Year began in 2007 as a group of debut thriller/suspense authors who banded together to help promote each other. In the end thirteen authors were involved. Efforts that they used in promotion included the Killer Year blog, Killer Year website, a chap book mailed to several hundred independent booksellers, organizing Killer Year panels at various conferences and bookseller events, and producing a Killer Year anthology which will be published by St. Martin’s in 2008.

For their hard work, they’ve received major press coverage, radio interviews and feature articles as well as the support of ITW.

If you are thriller/mystery/suspense writer whose debut novel is being published in 2008, go to http://2008.killeryear.com to learn more about Killer Year 2008.

So get ready, because 2008 is gonna be another Killer Year.

Application deadline is June 15, 2007.

It's a trend.

Something has gotten into the water. This pic came over the transom over the weekend, and what can I say? Gorgeous! To be fair, this is a friend, but hey, even so. Such taste, such style!

I'm blogging over at The Killer Year today. What? I never blog at home anymore? I'm still thick in a rewrite of Whatever It's Called, but that's going well. Still, it's demanding most of my attention.

But not ALL of my attention. Over the weekend I gave some attention to a story by my friend M.G. Tarquini called Absolution. I can't believe I missed it last spring when it first appeared. Steven Torres invokes As I Lay Dying in his praise of it, and I can't do better than that. Even so, let me be one to add my own praise. This is a wonderful, evocative, must-read tale. Get thee there, forthwith, say I!

Also, have a look at Chuck Zito's inaugural post at InkSpot, and be sure to say hello.

Forecast: A Wicked Snow

Today marks the release of fellow Killer Year member Gregg Olsen's A Wicked Snow. (It seems rather appropriate that the forecast for the Pacific Northwest today includes blustery snow.)

In A Wicked Snow, Southern California criminal investigator Hannah Griffin teams up with FBI agent Jeff Bauer to catch her mother, a notorious serial killer who pulled off the greatest vanishing act in history.

I've had a chance to read Gregg's marvelous debut novel, and this is a must-read. But don't take my word for it:


"A WICKED SNOW is a tightly-plotted, gripping police procedural made even more terrifying by Olsen's straightforward storytelling and eye for detail. Gregg Olsen's riveting debut is an outstanding addition to the suspense genre."
--Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of THE PREY, THE HUNT and THE KILL

"As good as it gets."
--Lee Child, NY Times bestselling author of ONE SHOT

"Wickedly clever! Gregg Olsen delivers a finely-crafted, genuinely twisted tale of one mother's capacity for murder and one daughter's search for the truth. A WICKED SNOW does not disappoint."
--Lisa Gardner, New York Times Bestselling author of HIDE

"A WICKED SNOW is a compelling story, tightly woven, that kept me riveted to the final page."
--Susan R. Sloan, bestselling author of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

"With A WICKED SNOW, Gregg Olsen delivers an irresistible page-turner. The suspense builds and builds. A WICKED SNOW grabs you on page one, and never lets go until the heart-pounding finale."
--Kevin O'Brien, USA Today bestselling author of LEFT FOR DEAD

"Olsen's A WICKED SNOW is a top-notch thriller. Unpredictable plot twists, realistic characterization and an authentic portrayal of police procedure makes it a powerhouse of a book. You will not put this suspenseful page-turner down. Look out Michael Connelly, Lee Child and all the other excellent writers of crime fiction. Gregg Olsen is about to add his talented voice to the genre."
--Donna Anders, bestselling author of AFRAID OF THE DARK

"Gregg Olsen's A WICKED SNOW keeps the reader guessing and gulping from the very first page. Part John Grisham, part James Patterson, part Dean Koontz, Olsen knows the dark currents that can flow beneath family secrets, and has crafted a very nifty brain-teaser of a thriller."
--Jay Bonansinga, bestselling author of FROZEN, THE KILLER'S GAME, and TWISTED

About Gregg
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen is the author of eight books, including the Western Writers of America Spur Award finalist, The Deep Dark : Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine (Crown Publishers). As a journalist and true crime author, Olsen has been a guest on Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, Fox News, 48 Hours, and other national and international programs. The Seattle native lives in rural Washington with his wife, twin daughters, five chickens, and obedience school dropout cocker spaniel Milo. A Wicked Snow is his fiction debut.

A Wicked Snow was selected as a feature alternate for The Book of the Month Club, Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and Mystery Guild.

Have a great day, Gregg!

To Have Written

Today I'm blogging over at the Killer Year blog, so I'm gonna point you that way.

I'll give you a little taste, though. My entry begins:

"Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."
- Gene Fowler

"I do not like to write. I like to have written."
- Gloria Steinem

Killer February

I'm thrilled to be able to brag about my friends and fellow Killer Yearbies Patry Francis and Robert Gregory Browne whose novels were just released!


About The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis, Tess Gerritson said, "Patry Francis is a sly and seductive writer, and in THE LIAR'S DIARY she inexorably sucks you in for a twisting ride full of dangerous curves and jaw-dropping surprises. This is one of my favorite reads of the year!"

In The Liar's Diary, a teenage boy is arrested for a particularly brutal murder. His mother seeks to learn the truth, and finds herself increasingly ensnared in a web of lies.


In Kiss Her Goodbye by Robert Gregory Browne, ATF agent Jack Donovan is just getting reacquainted with his estranged daughter, Jessie, when a ruthless gunrunner kidnaps her and buries her alive. With the clock ticking, Jack soon realizes that the only way he can save her is to follow a killer into the darkness of death itself.

Gayle Lynds said, "From rich characters to heart-pounding suspense, KISS HER GOODBYE explores not only the deadly terrain of murder but the nuances of the soul. It’s a first-rate novel that will glue you to your chair until you finish the last satisfying word."

Congratulations, Patry and Rob, on exciting and fabulous debuts. May these be the first of many!

Chris Well: Learning Curve: KILLER Q&A: GREGG OLSEN, PT 1

Be sure to check out Chris Well's interview with Gregg Olson!

Chris Well: Learning Curve: KILLER Q&A: GREGG OLSEN, PT 1

- - - - -

In other news, I continue to bang my head against the last half of that last chapter. I've had about four false starts that I abandoned once I realized what I was doing.

First there was the Deus Ex Machina ending, which not only do I never like when I encounter it in other novels, but was also a complete and utter betrayal of everything I'd done with my character to that point. Axed.

Then there was the Lifetime Movie Channel ending. Weepy and maudlin, though somehow impossible to look away from. Also just didn't fit with what I'd been doing either. Axed.

After that came Captain Obvious. You know, the one where you're reading along and you finish the chapter before and you think, "Well, I hope in the next chapter X doesn't happen, because that is so obvious." And then X happens and you throw the book through a plate glass window. Baleeted!

Finally there was the Dr. Auric Thunderball ending. "Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!" Ten pages of confession, all the while you're thinking (along with Scott, Dr. Evil's son), Just. Shoot. Him. Axed.

The good news is I got all that out of my system. Then I had an idea at midnight last night, so of course I got out of bed (where I had only been for 30 minutes), and slogged down to the computer and tapped out a page or so. I might be on the right track at last. Unless I read the page in the next little bit and realize I'll hafta axe dumb ending number five.

I'll be leaving for Left Coast Crime tomorrow, and my goal has been to have this damned chapter done before I leave. The whole rest of the novel is through a second draft, so this is it. But today will be busy. I'm going to grab some time between packing and getting a haircut, but I have a feeling I'll be working on the chapter early next week yet. Still, so close...

If you happen to be going to Left Coast Crime too, be sure to say hello!

I got a phone call

About this:

William A. Cameron
Saturday, January 20, 2007
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, in Mountainview Christian Church in Gresham for William A. "Bill" Cameron, who died Jan. 18 at age 52.

Mr. Cameron was born Aug. 8, 1954, in San Francisco. A graduate of Willamette University, he lived in Portland before moving to Gresham in about 1995. He was a salesman for Anderson Builders & Construction. In 1986, he married Linda Anderson.

Survivors include his wife; son, William II; mother and stepfather, Martha and Joseph Norton; brother, Christopher Norton; stepbrother, Jeffrey Norton; and stepsister, Cheryl Herzog.

Remembrances to Habitat for Humanity. Arrangements by Omega.

He wasn't me. My middle initial is H, and I live further west. The fact that somene called me about it didn't surprise me, though. I've been hiding for a bit. As you may have noticed. But I have a good reason! At least I think so.

Next novel is coming along, but I am running up against a timeline thingie. What are they called? Deadline. That's it. It's partially self-imposed, partially from my agent. But I like it. It's helping me focus. I am almost done with the second draft, and my goal is to be done before I leave for Left Coast Crime next week. I have two chapters to get through, plus a new chapter which is about a third written. It will be tight, but I'm gonna do it.

Then, when I get back from LCC, I'm giving myself two weeks for a refinement and continuity revision. Then it's in the mail!

Plus, work suddenly went nuts. And by nuts, I mean all these crazy people (clients) coming out of the woodwork demanding satisfaction. If only what they wanted was a duel. What they actually want is for me to do work for them. Which is not something I'm complaining about, but it has contributed to this lack of sleep thing I've got going right now.

So this is a fly-by Hi! (Hi!) I may not surface again until after LCC, unless I do. But before I go, I want to encourage you to check out Chris Well's Interview of Patry Francis, fellow Killer Yearbie.

And also, here is a picture:




And another picture (the yellow one is the Killer Year chapbook):



This pic is brought to you through the encouragement of the loverly Julia Buckley!

Um.

Reports of John Rickards' death have been greatly exaggerated. Reports of me not getting any sleep for a million years have not.

It's been a busy week. On the plus side, I'm getting billable hours aplenty and am making progress on my rewrite of what I am now tentatively calling Chasing Smoke.

On the negative, my eyeballs are two glowing coals, as I told Angie in the comments of my previous, and ancient, post.

Today, I blogged over at The Killer Year. Maybe it is controversial. Or maybe I am too tired to produce a coherent thought, so any hope of controversy is lost in a flurry of . . .

*Oh, sorry, dozed off.)*

. . . a flurry of babbling.

Another Killer Day

I have a few things I'd like to cover today. So much news, so much news. Yes, a couple more Killer Year books are hitting the streets today. Though I got one of them yesterday! Hah hah!

Before I get to that, I want to take a moment to offer BIG congratulations to M.G. Tarquini for placing in the 21st Annual City Paper Writing Contest. You can read an excerpt from her winning entry here, and lemme tell ya, it's got some zing. Mindy has a great, refreshing voice that really grabs ya. Good for you, Mindy!!!


Today marks the official release of BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover. I cheated and bought it yesterday, but only because I could. Heh.

About BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD
A disillusioned newspaper reporter turned Chicago P.I., Ray Dudgeon isn't trying to save the world. He just wants to do an honest job, and do it well. But when doing an honest job threatens society’s most powerful and corrupt, Ray’s odds for survival make for a sucker’s bet. The worlds of Hollywood moviemaking, Chicago organized crime, and Washington power politics collide in Big City, Bad Blood.

About Sean, Ken Bruen says, "This is James Crumley for a whole new generation, with the spirit of Nelson Algren walking point. Not only is Sean Chercover the new kid on the block, he may well be the only kid on the block."


Also out today is THE BLADE ITSELF by Marcus Sakey. I tried to buy it yesterday too, but the bookstore I was at said it hadn't arrived yet. I got dibs, though.

About THE BLADE ITSELF
For Danny Carter, retired thief turned respectable businessman, sharing a normal life with his loving girlfriend seems like the ultimate score -- until his former partner comes looking for him. A hardened killer fresh out of Stateville, his partner wants to kidnap the son of Danny's millionaire boss, and needs help to pull it off. Doing the job could cost Danny his career, his relationship, and his freedom; refusing could cost him his life.

T. Jefferson Parker says, "A terrifically good debut—streetwise, heartfelt, and exciting. I loved this book."

And I say congratulations, gentleman! We're off to a killer start to a killer year!

Suspicious Circumstances

It's a Killer Week, with the first Killer Year entries appearing. We start with SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES by Sandra Ruttan, and tomorrow two more will enter the fray: BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD by Sean Chercover and THE BLADE ITSELF by Marcus Sakey.

But let's start with SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. This is what I had to say about in blurb form...

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES grabs you by the throat on a storm-swept cliff's edge, and never lets go. Sandra Ruttan writes with a machine gun rhythm that pulls you through every unexpected twist and dark turn in her complex and richly drawn debut. Don't have plans when you sit down to read this tasty, dazzling thriller. Every page of SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES leave you gasping--and begging for more.

And I mean every word of it!

Hop on over to Sandra's blog and say congratulations! And go looking for your own copy. You can pick it up from online bookstores, or better yet, visit your favorite brick-and-mortar haunt and ask for your copy!

Killer Yearbie Marcus in the New York Times

Killer Year member Marcus Sakey gets reviewed in the New York Times. Check it out!

The book is The Blade Itself, and it will be available next week!

- - - - - - - - - -

And when you're done with that, have a look at Chris Well's interview of Killer Yearbie Robert Gregory Browne!

Rob's novel is Kiss Her Goodbye, available in February!

This and That, Plus Bill Gets All Weepy

Today I will be sending you on your way. (Mindy, don't hurt me.) I have nothing new to say, but I did want to mention that over at the Killer Year blog, all week we've been sharing our recommendations for books that really did it for us this year.

Meanwhile, Bethany Warner has interviewed Killer Yearbie Brett Battles, so be sure to check that out.

Sandra has had a busy holiday week, which just blows my mind. I barely am able to think this week, but here she is posting about all kinds of interesting, if sometimes gloomy, stuff. Stop that!

John Rickards has a brand-new web site. I think it looks pretty damn good. I just updated my own website too, as it happens. Have a look and let me know what you think. I'm still tinkering.

I have also created the first pass a trailer for lost dog.



Lost Dog Trailer on Vimeo

I will continue to tinker with it, I think.

Today is Angie's fifteenth wedding anniversary! Congratulations, Angie!

And finally, but to me the most amazing, Anne has posted her thoughts on lost dog, and as happened when she first sent them to me, I got teary-eyed.

I hope everyone's having an awesome holiday week!

Sean Chercover Interviewed by Chris Well

Head on over to Chris Well's blog, Learning Curve, for part one of his interview with Killer Year member Sean Chercover. Part two will appear on Friday.

Chris will be interviewing each member of the Killer Year over the next few months, so be sure to stop by his blog for that, as well as fascinating talk about crime fiction, movies, television series, and writing.

Sandra Ruttan Interviewed by Chris Well

I just wanted to take a moment to alert you to part one of an interview with Sandra Ruttan by writer Chris Well. Part two will appear on Friday.

Chris will be interviewing each member of the Killer Year over the next few months, so be sure to stop by his blog for that, as well as fascinating talk about crime fiction, movies, television series, and writing.