Deadline hell is nearing an end, as is my Olympics obsession, just in time for some light travel. So for those wondering about the loss of the Weekend Update, it'll be back in earnest after Labor Day, and in ersatz form, well, now:
Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, the First Couple of crime fiction, are profiled in the Sacramento Bee.
My own profile of Tish Cohen, focusing on her film and TV deals and the poignant and funny new novel INSIDE OUT GIRL, ran in Maclean's last week.
Patrick Anderson feels like Bill Loehfelm's FRESH KILLS was something of a bait and switch, though I suggest it was a case of letting expectations overshadow the text.
Speaking of Loehfelm, he's profiled in the Staten Island Advance.
More reviews: David Montgomery's Sun-Times roundup, Marcel Berlins doing the same in the Times, Oline Cogdill's rave for Marcus Sakey's GOOD PEOPLE, Donna Rifkind on Bart Schneider's THE MAN IN THE BLIZZARD, Susanna Yager on new offerings from Gianluca Morozzi and Barry Matiland, the Charleston City Paper loathed THE GIRL IN THE DRAGON TATTOO, and the Guardian's Patrick Ness loving the new Kate Atkinson.
Perserverance paid off for Amy McKinnon as her debut novel, TETHERED, finally appears in stores.
More on Black Star Crime, Mills & Boon's new crime fiction imprint. M&B continues to celebrate its 100th anniversary, by the way.
The shortlists for the new ITV3 Crime & Thriller Awards.
More Crime in the City segments from NPR: Colin Cotterill, Jason Goodwin, Matt Beynon Rees and Denise Mina. Plus George Pelecanos on Weekend Edition.
Jeffery Deaver explains in Parade Magazine (!) how his identity being stolen provided the inspiration for THE BROKEN WINDOW.
Great film news for Duane Swierczynski.
Laura Lippman's new Tess Monaghan tale will run in the New York Times Magazine starting September 7.
P.D. James profiled in the Times of London.
Sam Savage's FIRMIN is an international hit! How cool is that?!
More people should give each other the benefit of the doubt, yes.
The Oregon Mail Tribune has a lengthy piece on the Gilley murder case and Kathryn Harrison's WHILE THEY SLEPT.
Killer Nashville, which took place over the weekend, got a nice writeup in Nashville Scene.
Where in the world is Keith Reinhard? Or, for that matter, John Lake?
And finally, this is a real commercial. I know.
God bless the Charleston City Paper. It's refreshing to see someone point out what garbage that TATTOOED GIRL book is.
"This is easily one of the worst books I've ever read." Ha!
Posted by: David J. Montgomery | August 18, 2008 at 10:35 AM
I was beginning to think I must be nuts, as until now I had yet to encounter anyone else who didn't absolutely love The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--including some people whose taste I really trust. I ordered it from the UK back in January based on great reviews, and I loathed it pretty much from the first page: everything--prose, character, plot--grated horribly. By page 300, I was speed-reading, just wanting to find out if there was going to be any payoff. What a terrible disappointment, and how good to finally find out I'm not alone.
Posted by: Levi Stahl | August 18, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Now see, Sarah, how useful your links are and why we miss them so when they're not there. The "Tattoo" ARC has been inching its way up my TBR stack for a while, and now it goes over to the "maybe never" stack.
Posted by: Michael | August 18, 2008 at 11:21 AM
My ruse worked, I see - so many links and what gets fixated on? The negative review of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.
But Michael, sometimes vociferous negative reaction is just the thing to keep a book in the maybe pile. But then, I thought it was pretty damn great, even if many criticisms (too long, too stilted prose, too overstuffed) are valid.
Posted by: Sarah | August 18, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Thanks, Sarah! And I also got a kick out of the bad review. So much for those doubters on another site who insisted critics never write bad reviews.
Posted by: I.J.Parker | August 18, 2008 at 05:24 PM
I don't get people who say "73 rejections" is perseverance.
I'm on Novel #11 and over 2000 rejections.
That's perseverance.
Posted by: Stacey Cochran | August 19, 2008 at 11:07 AM
There is persistence. And there is beating your head against a brick wall. At some point we often have to give up our dreams, even those we hold most dear. (I still remember quite clearly, and probably always will, the day I realized that no matter how good a hitter I was (or thought I was), I was never going to make the major leagues. Or even Single A ball. So I hung it up and went to law school instead.) I say this with respect, but even an industry as dysfunctional as publishing is not prone to making errors forever. Perhaps novel writing is not for you. It's not for most people who try it. There is no shame in that.
Posted by: Leonard T. Carruthers | August 19, 2008 at 05:25 PM
Well, I signed a major book deal for a non-fiction title with Macmillan/St. Martin's Press this summer... so there's hope yet for me!
And my self-published novels have been kicking ass in audio, with 50,000+ downloads.
And I produce an author-interview TV show that reaches 90,000 viewers three times every week.
And I operate http://www.howtopublishabook.org which is on track to earn me about $10,000 this year.
I have faith that a redneck like me can get a novel published with a major NY publisher and make it the top of the NYT bestseller list.
I appreciate the encouragement though, Leonard. Thank you.
Go rednecks!!!
Posted by: Stacey Cochran | August 19, 2008 at 07:31 PM
Wait a minute---you teach people how to get published, but you've had 11 novels rejected 2000 times? Christ on a crutch, you've got balls the size of Cleveland! You may not be able to write but with chutzpah like that maybe you'll make it after all. Lord knows this isn't a business for the timid.
I'll be damned. Good luck to you!! You're allright, kid.
Posted by: Leonard T. Carruthers | August 20, 2008 at 02:59 PM
An inspirational photo...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v719/Sox_Sweep_Again/Big_Balls2.jpg
Posted by: Stacey Cochran | August 23, 2008 at 01:24 PM