Craig McDonald

HEAD GAMES FREE ON KINDLE TODAY!

2012-01-27T05:48:00.005-05:00

Starting today for a very brief time, my 2007 debut novel, HEAD GAMES, is available for free download exclusively for your Kindle right here.

This is the novel that introduced crime novelist Hector Lassiter, “the man who lives what he writes and writes what he lives”—the internationally critically acclaimed character who went on to headline TOROS & TORSOS, PRINT THE LEGEND and last year’s ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

HEAD GAMES WAS:

• 2008 Edgar® Nominee for Best First Novel

• 2008 Anthony Award Finalist

• 2011 Sélection du prix polar Saint-Maur En Poche

• 2008 Gumshoe Award nominee for Best First Novel

• Head Games shortlisted for 2008 CrimeSpree Magazine award for Best First Novel

"One of the great American road novels."
—Heirloom Books

"This slick caper novel touches chords of myth, history, loss and redemption just enough so you can hear echoes faintly under the gunfire."
—Publishers Weekly

ABOUT THE BOOK:
“In a dusty cantina on the far side of the Rio Grande, larger-than-life and recently widowed crime writer Hector Lassiter and Bud Fiske, a callow young poet sent by True Magazine to profile Hector, are handed a carpet bag. Inside they find the stolen head of Mexican general Francisco ‘Pancho’ Villa—a long missing relic that may point the way to a fortune in lost treasure or a blood-and-thunder death...

“In the dank, hallowed halls of Yale University creep the members of the Skull & Bones, a secret society shrouded in whispers. They are a fraternity whose members include media barons, über executives and politicians, including three generations of men called Bush—and their sanctum sanctorum's trophy cabinet is purportedly packed with the stolen bones of long-dead luminaries...

“In a '57 Bel Air, Hector, Bud, and the beautiful Alicia tear through the desert with a trunk full of human heads. Caught in a crazy crossfire, they lead all manner of headhunters on a breakneck chase across Lost America. U.S. intelligence services, murderous frat boys, the soldier of fortune who stole Pancho's head from its grave, and the specter of a dead Mexican legend all want Villa's head—though they might settle for Hector's...”

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What some other authors have said about Head Games:

"Head Games is terrific, a real discovery, informed by—but never weighed down by—Craig McDonald's intimate knowledge of pulp fiction, politics, history, literature, film noir and all manner of frontiers. A truly original debut that leaves one eager to see what this writer will do next."
—LAURA LIPPMAN, author of What the Dead Know

"Moves like a bullet, like a trajectory of magnificent artistry and line-on-line of almost casual, throwaway description. The beautiful, understated humor running like a sad song all through the whole novel...I'm beyond impressed."
—KEN BRUEN, author of American Skin

"Reading Craig McDonald's Head Games was like reliving those wonderful and exciting, tequila-fired weekend border-town tours of my youth in the '50's. A different character, vivid and lively, waiting around every new corner of the artfully twisted plot. The time and place are captured perfectly, and story never falters as it dashes to the surprising ending. It made me homesick for El Paso the way it was."
—JAMES CRUMLEY, author of The Last Good Kiss

"Few writers can blend a contemporary feel with what drew us to old-style pulp and original paperbacks: that momentum, that craziness, the thrill of the downhill slide and crash. Head Games is smart, it's funny, and it moves like a roach when the lights go on—what's not to love?"
—JAMES SALLIS, author of Drive

"Head Games is fast, funny, furious, heart wrenching, real smart and totally unapologetic...a five-star page turning sizzler in a four-star world. Talk about nailing your debut...Head Games seals the deal and establishes McDonald as the new badass on the writing block. Kick back with a shot of Cuervo and a cold Tecate chaser. Enjoy the search for Pancho's missing head in this fast-paced thriller of lost and sorely missed Americana."
—CHARLIE STELLA, author of Shakedown

"Head Games is contemporary noir at its finest. Prose that bites like a guillotine blade. A voice that sings in your skull. And in aging pulpster/adventurer Hector Lassiter, a hero who's the real deal—morally complex and damned funny."
—ALLAN GUTHRIE, author of Hard Man

Selected as one of The San Francisco Chronicle's Top 10 crime books of the year: "Craig McDonald, a genuine expert on the history of crime fiction, gives free rein to all his obsessions in a debut novel that's a berserk 1957-based caper running roughshod through the politics and pop culture of the latter half of the 20th century. Strap in, hold on, enjoy the ride."
—EDDIE MULLER, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Head Games is a gravel and mescal cocktail, a one-day burn, a novel of genuine piss and vinegar, the kind of book you thrust on people with the wild eyes and intent of a PCP freak. It's Tom Russell singing ‘Tonight We Ride’ with a gut full of tequila and a loaded Colt. Craig McDonald knows the tough guy, has created one of the very finest, a pulp writer called Lassiter who knew Hemingway, Welles and Dietrich, and who I wish wasn't fucking fictional so I could hunt for his books. He spits in the eye of the pansy-ass authority hero that has glutted the crime market, reminiscent of Crumley at his best and with Ellroy's sick historical verve. Bottom line, McDonald's a talented bastard."
—RAY BANKS, author of Saturday's Child

"A booze-soaked tribute to those great gonzo noir writers of days gone by."
—ANTHONY NEIL SMITH, author of The Drummer

"Yeah, I'm late catching up to this guy, but damned if this 1950's set tale of a crime writer carrying the head of a Mexican rebel in a bag across some kind of crazy road trip didn't set my pulse racing. There's a strange switch at a late stage in the novel which might divide some readers in the way the ending of No Country For Old Men did its audience, but for my money it's a bold move that more or less works exactly as intended. This McDonald guy is definitely one to keep your eye on."
—RUSSEL D.

FREE TOROS & TORSOS FOR KINDLE: AN UPDATE

2012-01-24T07:33:00.010-05:00

More than 4,000 Kindle users downloaded a free copy of my novel TOROS & TORSOS yesterday. (You can still do so until sometime early Wednesday a.m. here.)

(HEAD GAMES, the first Hector Lassiter novel, remains available for just $2.99.)

At this writing, TOROS is hovering somewhere around the fifties in Kindle's Top 100 list (in the forties for just fiction). It's been #1 in historical mystery for most of a day, and it's about #3 in literary fiction (just behind Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities and something by some writer named Hawthorne).

To those who downloaded a free copy of T&T, or will today, my thanks for your interest. I would ask that thumbs up or down, you please consider posting a review of T&T to Amazon once you've read the book.

For those still considering taking a look, I'll direct you to one of the most amazing reviews I have ever received. The following assessment was written by Corey Wilde at the Drowning Machine. Someday, I aspire to actually write a novel as fine as the one he describes. You can read that review here.

Also, a couple of book trailers to give you the flavor of TOROS & TORSOS.

FREE ON KINDLE TODAY ONLY: TOROS & TORSOS

2012-01-23T10:36:00.004-05:00

TOROS & TORSOS is available for free download as an eBook exclusively from Amazon.com just for today (Monday, January 23).

Although it is technically the second novel in the Hector Lassiter series, the book is set decades in advance of number one, HEAD GAMES, and so is a perfect starting point for first-timers.

Throughout the day, I'll be offering looks at some of the secret history and events that inform TOROS & TORSOS.

First up, the Great Keys Hurricane of 1935.

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Here's a bit more about the novel:

Hector Lassiter is a legendary crime novelist who writes what he lives and lives what he writes. But Hector frequently goes a step beyond, drawing friends and lovers into the tawdry and turbulent territory of his fiction. Now, the large-living pulp author has at last met his match in the ultimate performance artist: a phantom killer committed to the art of murder… a blood-thirsty provocateur who leaves a string of macabre tableaus modeled on famous works of surrealist painting and photography…

Against the vivid backdrops of a killer hurricane that nearly destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935, the Spanish Civil War, post-war Hollywood and the first days of the Castro regime in Cuba, Hector engages in a decades-long duel against a cabal of killer artists…

As in its Edgar®-nominated predecessor Head Games, history and myth merge, drawing on recent scholarship pointing to the existence of a dark underground of artists, photographers and art collectors that flourished in Europe and United States through most of the Twentieth Century.

In a blood-limned haze of love, deception, murderous metaphor and devastating betrayal, nothing is what it seems and obsession and creativity collide in a wicked and unexpected climax that will shake the art world to its foundations…

*********
TOROS & TORSOS was also:

• A 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Favorite Book

• A 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Best in an Ongoing Series

• One of Woody Hauts' Favorites of 2009 (You can read his take on the book here.)

You can also learn more at my official site, and view additional trailers, access interviews and various other extras related to TOROS & TORSOS, including an interview I gave in France regarding surrealism and serial murder, right here.

TOROS & TORSOS FREE ON KINDLE ON MONDAY

2012-01-22T07:46:00.011-05:00

"A bold, ambitious, genre-bending novel from the talented Craig McDonald."
— GEORGE PELECANOS, THE TURNAROUND

TOROS & TORSOS will be available for free download as an eBook exclusively from Amazon.com on Monday, January 23.

Although it is technically the second novel in the Hector Lassiter series, the book is set decades in advance of number one, HEAD GAMES, and so is a perfect starting point for first-timers.

Here's a bit about the novel:

Hector Lassiter is a legendary crime novelist who writes what he lives and lives what he writes. But Hector frequently goes a step beyond, drawing friends and lovers into the tawdry and turbulent territory of his fiction. Now, the large-living pulp author has at last met his match in the ultimate performance artist: a phantom killer committed to the art of murder… a blood-thirsty provocateur who leaves a string of macabre tableaus modeled on famous works of surrealist painting and photography…

Against the vivid backdrops of a killer hurricane that nearly destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935, the Spanish Civil War, post-war Hollywood and the first days of the Castro regime in Cuba, Hector engages in a decades-long duel against a cabal of killer artists…

As in its Edgar®-nominated predecessor Head Games, history and myth merge, drawing on recent scholarship pointing to the existence of a dark underground of artists, photographers and art collectors that flourished in Europe and United States through most of the Twentieth Century.

In a blood-limned haze of love, deception, murderous metaphor and devastating betrayal, nothing is what it seems and obsession and creativity collide in a wicked and unexpected climax that will shake the art world to its foundations…

*********
TOROS & TORSOS was also:

• A 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Favorite Book

• A 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Best in an Ongoing Series

• One of Woody Hauts' Favorites of 2009 (You can read his take on the book here.)

You can also learn more at my official site, and view additional trailers, access interviews and various other extras related to TOROS & TORSOS, including an interview I gave in France regarding surrealism and serial murder, right here.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER: THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY

2012-01-15T15:56:00.010-05:00

Sixty-five years ago today, the body of Elizabeth Short, "The Black Dahlia," was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles.

The case remains unsolved.

In 2008, I published my second Hector Lassiter novel, TOROS & TORSOS, incorporating the Black Dahlia murder as a key plot point.

The Hector Lassiter series is all about secret history — a blending of fact and fiction that aims to get at something like the hidden truth.

Toros & Torsos (aka, Hector Lassiter #2), spins on the premise that surrealist art and theory may have informed or inspired several bloody, unsolved crimes of the 20th Century — most notably the murder of Elizabeth Short, the so-called “Black Dahlia” as she was dubbed by panting L.A. journalists circa January 1947.

The correspondences between Elizabeth Short’s mutilation murder and photographs and paintings by Man Ray and Salvador Dali were first put forth by Steve Hodel in his 2003 nonfiction study Black Dahlia Avenger, a New York Times notable book and Edgar® Award finalist.

Hodel’s theories were greatly expanded upon by Mark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss in their excellent 2006 release, Exquisite Corpse: Surrealism and the Black Dahlia Murder.

Using the Nelson, Bayliss and Hodel works as a springboard, I extrapolated outward to construct a multi-decade saga that encompasses not only the Dahlia murder and the post-war Hollywood surrealist art circle (which included such diverse personalities as John Huston, Fanny Brice and Vincent Price), but also the Spanish Civil War in which the surrealists played a pivotal propaganda role.

Further research in that area uncovered jaw-dropping reports of Spanish torture chambers designed and constructed to surrealist aesthetics — a sort of crazy cross between Escher and Abu Ghraib.

It takes a strong stomach and a cold eye to confront the evidence put forward in the Hodel and Nelson/Bayliss books — particularly in Exquisite Corpse. But once key surrealist works are compared to Elizabeth Short’s autopsy photos (reproduced in graphic detail in the Nelson/Bayliss books) it’s difficult to shake the notion surrealist imagery was very much on the mind of Betty Short’s twisted, never-apprehended killer.

Life imitating art…art imitating death, and for some, it seems, it wasn’t truly art until somebody died.

EL GAVILAN NETS MORE RAVES; CONTEST ENDING THIS WEEK

2011-12-26T07:48:00.014-05:00

In recent days, a number of reviewers have turned their attention to EL GAVILAN (officially released about a week ago yesterday):

The New York Journal of Books says, "Craig McDonald uses his skills to write a drama that demands the reader pay attention, if a character has a Latino or Anglo name, the reader can’t make assumptions about where the character’s sympathies lie. His descriptions of the town and the characters are that vivid.”

The Huntington News calls EL GAVILAN: "A nuanced crime thriller," and notes, "It's difficult to find a good book that explores the tensions in the nation's heartland fueled by both legal and illegal immigration, but I think Craig McDonald has aced it in 'El Gavilan.'"

From Shelf-Awareness: "McDonald smudges the lines between right and wrong, leaving readers with potentially conflicting feelings about the characters. It's this conflict that makes 'El Gavilan' so irresistible: love or hate the characters, you can't help but invest in them. The story draws further power from McDonald's descriptive skills, as the sights, sounds and even the smells of his fictitious Ohio town reach from the pages and pull the reader in. 'El Gavilan' proves that Craig McDonald is as capable working in the contemporary thriller as he is with historicals."

And from Technorati: "McDonald explores values, attitudes, emotion, ethics, relationships, and the nature of intolerance in a satisfying, thought-provoking novel. Well-developed characters with unsteady moral compasses populate the pages of 'El Gavilan,' giving the reader much to consider and reconsider."

ONE WEEK LEFT TO WIN THE ULTIMATE EL GAVILAN RARITY

Here’s something quite a bit different: I’m offering a chance to win a major chunk of handwritten writing—a legal pad full of the opening pages of my new standalone novel EL GAVILAN—as I originally penned them.

What you’ll get is a fragment of the idea for the novel as jotted down when inspiration first hit—call it an impulsive mission statement—then about seven chapters’ worth of first pages…first glimpses of characters Tell Lyon, Able Hawk…a first take on the opening pages of the book.

This is truly first pass stuff. I tend to write longhand, then key in the material, revising as I go along. If you, lucky winner, detect breaks in the continuity in the legal pad, that’s a result of me toggling over to write first draft on the computer—something I tend to do more with dialogue heavy scenes.

Now, as originally announced via my newsletter, to win this item, contestants were asked to answer a trivia question related to the book. Unfortunately, jiffy “Look Inside the Book” posting by Amazon made that a far too easy affair.

Also, book availability got a little crazy with some copies getting out far in advance of today’s Dec. 18 official release date.

So I’m changing the contest conditions just a bit, and the deadline for entry.

Want a chance to win some raw EL GAVILAN? Just drop me a note via craig @ craigmcdonaldbooks.com. (Delete the spaces on either side of that @, of course; or contact me here.) Subject line: EL GAVILAN CONTEST.

Then, briefly, say what you’d be more interested in reading next: Another standalone, or number five in the ongoing Hector Lassiter series. Also tell how you purchased your last book written by me—was it a bound copy, or an eBook?

(If you already submitted an answer to the trivia contest, no worries; I've got your entry and you're still in the running.)

That’s all it takes for a chance to win.

On New Year’s Eve, I’ll gather all the submissions in a hat, and a name will be drawn. The winner will be announced in this space New Year’s Day and contacted for mailing information.

In addition to getting the legal pad, you’ll also get a finished, signed copy of the novel containing the polished prose only you will have access to in my own block-letter scrawl.

WIN A PIECE OF EL GAVILAN IN THE AUTHOR’S HAND

2011-12-18T11:43:00.010-05:00

Here’s something quite a bit different: I’m offering a chance to win a major chunk of handwritten writing—a legal pad full of the opening pages of my new standalone novel EL GAVILAN—as I originally penned them.

What you’ll get is a fragment of the idea for the novel as jotted down when inspiration first hit—call it an impulsive mission statement—then about seven chapters’ worth of first pages…first glimpses of characters Tell Lyon, Able Hawk…a first take on the opening pages of the book.

This is truly first pass stuff. I tend to write longhand, then key in the material, revising as I go along. If you, lucky winner, detect breaks in the continuity in the legal pad, that’s a result of me toggling over to write first draft on the computer—something I tend to do more with dialogue heavy scenes.

Now, as originally announced via my newsletter, to win this item, contestants were asked to answer a trivia question related to the book. Unfortunately, jiffy “Look Inside the Book” posting by Amazon made that a far too easy affair.

Also, book availability got a little crazy with some copies getting out far in advance of today’s Dec. 18 official release date.

So I’m changing the contest conditions just a bit, and the deadline for entry.

Want a chance to win some raw EL GAVILAN? Just drop me a note via craig @ craigmcdonaldbooks.com. (Delete the spaces on either side of that @, of course; or contact me here.) Subject line: EL GAVILAN CONTEST.

Then, briefly, say what you’d be more interested in reading next: Another standalone, or number five in the ongoing Hector Lassiter series. Also tell how you purchased your last book written by me—was it a bound copy, or an eBook?

(If you already submitted an answer to the trivia contest, no worries; I've got your entry and you're still in the running.)

That’s all it takes for a chance to win.

On New Year’s Eve, I’ll gather all the submissions in a hat, and a name will be drawn. The winner will be announced in this space New Year’s Day and contacted for mailing information.

In addition to getting the legal pad, you’ll also get a finished, signed copy of the novel containing the polished prose only you will have access to in my own block-letter scrawl.

EL GAVILAN OFFICIALLY RELEASES TODAY

2011-12-18T07:36:00.026-05:00

My first standalone novel, EL GAVILAN, officially releases today. (That means it is also officially available for download for Kindle and Nook and other eReaders.)

It goes out into the world in a book buying market that remains uncertain and tumultuous. My sincere thanks to those who have already read and ordered the novel, or are considering doing so.

(A request, also, to any who have taken the time and effort to review EL GAVILAN to please consider cross-posting those reviews to online book selling venues. It's become increasingly clear such reviews, up or down, do have a profound influence on book buying decisions, even by those who ultimately purchase from independent, bricks-and-mortar booksellers).

A synopsis and some review clips from EL GAVILAN follow:

******
EL GAVILAN

The news is full of it: escalating tensions from illegal immigration, headless bodies hanging off bridges and bounties placed on lawmen on both sides of the border.

New Austin, Ohio is a town grappling with waves of undocumented workers exerting pressure on schools, police and city services. In the midst of the turmoil, three very different kinds of cops scramble to maintain control and impose order.

Police Chief Tell Lyon is a hurting man: a former California Border Patrol commander whose family was brutally murdered by a vengeful gang of smugglers. Tell has fled the desert and returned to the heartland to be New Austin's chief of police. He's arrived expecting a Mayberry-like experience, but soon learns "the border is now everywhere."

Conservative hard-liner Sheriff Able Hawk takes a direct approach. Hawk stages mass arrests, posts inflammatory blog entries and bills back the Federal government his costs for jailing illegal immigrants who have nicknamed him El Gavilan.

Walt Pierce is sheriff of neighboring Vale County. Walt has a storied history and long rivalry with Able Hawk. Pierce, a vindictive, closed-minded man and a dangerous enemy, takes an immediate dislike to Tell Lyon.

The rape-murder of a Mexican-American woman triggers a brutal chain of events that threatens to leave no survivors.

El Gavilan is a novel of shifting alliances and whiplash switchbacks. Families are divided and careers and lives threatened. Friendships and ideals are tested and budding love affairs challenged.

With its topical themes, shades-of-gray characters and dark canvas, El Gavilan is a novel for our charged times.

******

"Searing. Sobering and as urgent as tomorrow's headlines. McDonald deftly...dissects one of America's most tormenting social problems."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"An addictive read."
—Library Journal

"Everything you'd hope to get from a modern day master stretching his impressive-as-all-hell wings."
—Spinetingler Magazine

"A fascinating thriller...highly recommended."
—The Drowning Machine

"A thoroughly gripping crime story."
—Mystery Scene

"Stunning."
—Suspense Magazine

"A major step forward for [McDonald's] already formidable breadth and range."
—Barnes & Noble Book Club

LINKS FOR ORDERING:
(EL GAVILAN IS PUBLISHED IN SIMULTANEOUS HARDCOVER AND TRADE PAPERBACK)
IndieBound (Hardcover)
IndieBound (Paperback)
Amazon (Hardcover)
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Hardcover)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Books-A-Million (Hardcover)
Books-A-Million (Paperback)

******
MORE:
• El Gavilan at My Book, the Movie.

• El Gavilan: The Page 69 Test.

• Writer's Read: Craig shares thoughts about recent reads.

• J. Kingston Pierce interviews Craig at Kirkus Reviews & The Rap Sheet.

• Guest blog at Spinetingler regarding El Gavilan/Hector Lassiter secret connections.

• A free short story drawn featuring a character from the novel here.

ONE TRUE SENTENCE FIRST ROUND WINNER

2011-12-13T20:48:00.006-05:00

We've wrapped up our first round of playing ONE TRUE SENTENCE and the winner is Marty McCabe.

The game, being played evenings on Twitter (@HectorLassiter or at #1TS) to celebrate the release of my new novel, EL GAVILAN, requires players to finish a sentence I start, as short and truly as they can. At the end of each week's round of play, a winner is picked to receive a signed first edition of one of my novels.

Marty's winning One True Sentence:

"With one jug of water and 30 miles of desert to reach the border, Miguel eyed Juan bleeding out in the sand; now, it was just a long walk."—Marty McCabe

We'll start a fresh round of play Wednesday night on Twitter at 8 p.m. eastern.

In other book news, Joe T. at Austin's BookPeople has declared ONE TRUE SENTENCE one of his favorite five works of fiction of 2011. Also making the cut were SNUFF by Sir Terry Pratchett, OF BLOOD AND HONEY by Stina Leicht, HEARTSTONE by C.J. Sansom and THE WISE MAN'S FEAR by Patrick Rothfuss.

EL GAVILAN A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY PICK OF THE WEEK

2011-12-10T08:49:00.005-05:00

Publishers Weekly has declared EL GAVILAN a Pick of the Week.

Fellow Tyrus Books authors D.C. Brod and Reed Farrel Coleman were also singled out as December top picks:

"Picks this week include a big new Norwegian thriller from master-of-the-form Jo Nesbø, a fresh adventure from Tom Clancy, a girl's guide to hunting and cooking, the story of a Marine and his dog, (another) science-of-time-travel book, and three—three!—star-worthy releases from Tyrus books, your independent publisher of fine crime fiction since 2010. Plus tigers, ducks, and sprouts—you know, for kids."

December 18

El Gavilan by Craig McDonald (Tyrus, F+W Media dist., $24.95; ISBN 978-1-4405-3191-0)

To read Publishers Weekly earlier, starred review of EL GAVILAN, click HERE.

THE EL GAVILAN/HECTOR LASSITER CONNECTION

2011-12-06T20:23:00.010-05:00

After four entries in the Hector Lassiter series, why the EL GAVILAN standalone, and what's its connection to that aforementioned series?

I provide some answers in a special guest blog over at Spinetingler. You can read it here.

Suspense Magazine has a longish review of EL GAVILAN. In part it goes: “This is a truly in-depth tale regarding murder, mayhem, and a very ‘real’ look into the tension and stress that’s currently affecting the nation regarding the subject of immigration. This author does a stunning job of presenting the delicate balance that is in effect in our world right now. From the subject of immigration, to gangs taking over and threatening communities, to the delicate and long-term subject of racism, this author delves deeply into subjects that are slowly turning citizens of the United States against one another.”

Barnes & Noble Bookclub has also weighed in: "With his latest, El Gavilan, Craig McDonald takes the border into New Austin, Ohio where a recent flood of immigration has rocked the status quo and three very different lawmen set about policing the population three very different ways. On a good day they’re uneasy allies, but municipal chiefs Tell Lyon and Walt Pierce and county sheriff Able Hawk will subvert, out-maneuver and finally come into mortal combat with each other over the investigation of a brutal crime. When the body of a Mexican-American woman is discovered raped, murdered and dumped at the nexus of municipal lines, the race is on to claim jurisdiction over the potential landmine of a case. McDonald manipulates the plot—forward action balanced with flashback histories of the major players—to maximize the impact of every event… A major step forward for his already formidable breadth and range.” Reviewer Jedidiah Ayres has more to say about El Gavilan here. (Kudos to Mr. Ayres for correctly identifying much of the music this novel was written to.)

ONE TRUE SENTENCE: ROUND TWO RECAP

2011-12-04T22:11:00.004-05:00

Round two of the Hemingway-inspired, ONE TRUE SENTENCE competition on Twitter is now history. We play to celebrate the release of EL GAVILAN.

I start a sentence and participants finish it, well and truly, adding the hashtag #1TS for a chance to win a signed first edition of one of my seven books. (Please read on below last night's results for an explanation about how to get in on the action.)

Here are some highlights of what our second-round players came up with to finish the sentence:

José shrugged and said, “It’s Mexican math, that’s all—stolen drugs plus one pissed off cartel chief and minus an AK-47 equals…
----
"...a cocaine fueled haze of violence and a high body count."— Mystery Dawg

"...a trail of interrogations by machete leading right across the border. And it's about to get much uglier."—Thomas Pluck

"...Lee Child's next Reacher book." —Naomi Johnson

"...mayhem to make the devil jealous."—Jen Forbus

We'll play againat 9 p.m. Eastern Monday night. Here's a refresher regarding how to join in:

Follow me @HECTORLASSITER. At a pre-announced time each night, I’ll start a fresh round of One True Sentence by posting the start of a sentence.

Any takers can finish that sentence, rationing just enough of their 140 characters in order to add the hash tag #1TS.

Every Friday night, I’ll review the One True Sentences on the #1TS page, and pick the week’s winner. The one who writes the truest One True Sentence will be awarded a first edition of one of my books with their own One True Sentence inscribed inside. Our One True Sentence.

Remember, you have to use the hashtag #1TS to play (and so I can see your entry).

ONE TRUE SENTENCE: ROUND ONE RECAP

2011-12-04T11:03:00.012-05:00

Last night we debuted the latest round of the Hemingway-inspired, ONE TRUE SENTENCE competition on Twitter to celebrate the release of EL GAVILAN.

I start a sentence and participants finish it, well and truly, adding the hashtag #1TS for a chance to win a signed first edition of one of my seven books. (Please read on below last night's results for an explanation about how to get in on the action.)

So, here are some highlights of what our first players came up with to finish the sentence:

"With one jug of water and 30 miles of desert to reach the border, Miguel eyed Juan...

----
"...and realized he knew exactly what another man's life was worth."— Vince Keenan

"...and little Sophia, cursing his wife for dying, for dropping her own jug and leaving him with this impossible choice."—Alison Dasho

"...like the tall drink of water Selma had said he was."—Jennifer Jordan

"...passed his younger brother the jug and said, 'for Mama,' before he passed out under the relentless sun."—John Kenyon

"...bleeding out in the sand; now, it was just a long walk."—Marty McCabe

"...and wondered how deep blood lines ran on his mother's side of the family."—Tyrus Books

"...water wasn't a problem and now with Juan ready to drop, soon meat wouldn't be either."—Craig Zablo

We'll play again tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. Here's a recap of how to join in:

Follow me @HECTORLASSITER. At a pre-announced time each night, I’ll start a fresh round of One True Sentence by posting the start of a sentence.

Any takers can finish that sentence, rationing just enough of their 140 characters in order to add the hash tag #1TS.

Every Friday night, I’ll review the One True Sentences on the #1TS page, and pick the week’s winner. The one who writes the truest One True Sentence will be awarded a first edition of one of my books with their own One True Sentence inscribed inside. Our One True Sentence.

Remember, you have to use the hashtag #1TS to play (and so I can see your entry).

BOOKLIST ON EL GAVILAN

2011-12-04T09:30:00.007-05:00

Booklist has weighed in with its take on EL GAVILAN, my new thriller about illegal immigration and my first standalone novel:

"El Gavilan is a big and broad story, and McDonald effectively uses a just-the-facts-ma’am narrative, fleshing out primary characters via flashbacks. It’s also an evenhanded story that begins with desperate families making a dangerous journey to an uncertain future. Crime fans will find much to like, and readers unfamiliar with the complexities of the issue will be engaged and informed." — Thomas Gaughan

You can read more of the review HERE.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EL GAVILAN

CHECK OUT MY NEWSLETTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A CHUNK OF HANDWRITTEN, FIRST-DRAFT MATERIAL FROM EL GAVILAN

TIME TO PLAY ONE TRUE SENTENCE ON TWITTER

2011-12-03T11:17:00.010-05:00

LEARN MORE ABOUT EL GAVILAN

CHECK OUT MY NEWSLETTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A CHUNK OF HANDWRITTEN, FIRST-DRAFT MATERIAL FROM EL GAVILAN

Let’s play a game. The prizes are signed first editions.

The arena is Twitter, and the time is every evening, or thereabouts, over the next few weeks.

The name of the game is One True Sentence.

The phrase, “One true sentence,” was a goal and a kind of mantra for author Ernest Hemingway.

When faced with his own writing that seemed false, or prefatory, Hem claimed to dig down into the manuscript of a short story or novel until he arrived at his first “true sentence,” and then begin his tale with that “one true” line of prose.

My continuing character, crime novelist Hector Lassiter, first appeared in a short story called “The Last Interview,” published in the Mississippi Review what seems like a lifetime ago.

In the course of that story, a callow young interviewer sent to write an article on the aging Lassiter circa 1967 ends up engaging in a high-stakes game of One True Sentence with the author.

Hector, a Hemingway intimate for several tumultuous decades, used to play the writing game with Papa over the years and countless drinks, as he explains to his young interrogator.

The game went this way, according to Hector: One author would start a true sentence, and the other had to finish it, nice and pithy, and on the spot.

Something about that game I invented hung with me. When I decided to center a novel around Hector Lassiter — HEAD GAMES — I equipped Hector with a gift Zippo from Hemingway. The windproof lighter bore the following inscription:

To Hector Lassiter:
‘One true sentence.’
— E.H.
Key West,
1932

Asked about the lighter in that novel, Hector says of it, “Something from an ex-friend you’ve been lately reading. A kind of shared credo. I remember it. Not sure he does anymore.”

In the second Lassiter novel, TOROS & TORSOS, Hector and Hemingway are actually seen playing their game. Some of their collaborative “One True Sentences” from that novel roll this way:

• “The old man died…” “illusioned and therefore disappointed.”

• “The drunken priest, awaiting execution..” “…wished that one of his fellow prisoners was a whore.”

• “Absinthe tastes…” “…like regret.”

• “A man truly alone…” “has no last words.”

• “A best friend…” “…one day stands alone.”

Okay. You get the hang of it. We played this game for a while earlier this year when the novel, ONE TRUE SENTENCE was fresh, and some nights had several dozen in the game.

So, to celebrate the release of my first standalone, EL GAVILAN, over at Twitter, I’m going to be re-challenging all takers to a game of ONE TRUE SENTENCE. Our first round starts tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. We'll probably go about 30 minutes this first time.

Here’s how it rolls:

Follow me @HECTORLASSITER. Starting tonight (Saturday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m. Eastern), I’ll start One True Sentence by posting the start of a sentence.

Any takers can finish that sentence, rationing just enough of their 140 characters in order to add the hash tag #1TS.

Every Friday night, I’ll review the One True Sentences on the #1TS page, and pick the week’s winner. The one who writes the truest One True Sentence will be awarded a first edition of one of my books with their own One True Sentence inscribed inside. Our One True Sentence.

Remember, you have to use the hashtag #1TS to play (and so I can see your entry).

So…

Want to play a game?

MYSTERY SCENE REVIEWS EL GAVILAN

2011-11-30T19:23:00.015-05:00

Mystery Scene has weighed in with its take on my new standalone thriller, freshly available from Tyrus books, EL GAVILAN.

Mystery Scene reviewer Derek Hill says in part:

"A thoroughly gripping crime story...(Tell) Lyon is thankfully anything but a clichéd cop... Lyon’s ability to hold on to his humanity as he moves from one tragedy into the next makes for a refreshing and fascinating character... Even more impressive is the portrayal of the imposing Hawk. El Gavilan is a dark and difficult journey at times, but it never loses sight of its characters' complexities.”

The full review is available here.

In other news, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, my earlier 2011 release (the fourth novel in the Edgar/Anthony/Gumshoe nominated Hector Lassiter series), has been named to two year's best lists.

Book People says of OTS: "McDonald looks at gun-toting Texas crime writer Hector Lassiter during his Lost Generation days in Paris, when he and his buddy Ernest Hemingway were on the hunt for someone murdering publishers. A bittersweet portrait of artists as young men."

Murder, Mystery & Mayhem also selected ONE TRUE SENTENCE as a top historical novel of 2011.

EL GAVILAN INTERVIEW AT KIRKUS REVIEWS & MORE

2011-11-29T20:09:00.006-05:00

As of last Friday, EL GAVILAN, my first standalone novel, is now available a good bit ahead of its official Dec. 18 release date.

At KIRKUS REVIEWS, you can read a new interview with J. Kingston Pierce regarding the book. Some material that didn't appear in the Kirkus version or our discussion can be seen exclusively at The Rap Sheet.

If I were a mogul with deep pockets, I'd adapt the novel for the screen myself. You can see my own preferred cast for such an undertaking at MY BOOK, THE MOVIE.

EL GAVILAN is also subjected to the Page 69 test HERE.

Also, a very fine, thoughtful review of EL GAVILAN can also now be found at The Drowning Machine. An excerpt:

If you're interested in learning more about EL GAVILAN, as well as a chance to win signed books and a rare prize—a legal pad filled with original, first-draft, handwritten material of the novel—you can sign up for my newsletter HERE asap.

EL GAVILAN CHAPTER READING; SPINETINGLER REVIEW

2011-11-13T11:10:00.015-05:00

My first standalone novel, EL GAVILAN, will be released by Tyrus Books in December (official release date Dec. 18, but copies will probably get out a bit in advance of that date).

The Nerd of Noir recently weighed in on the novel at Spinetingler:

“Folks are gonna talk about this one, dear reader... It’s a social novel that doesn’t beat you over the head with its themes and a thriller that doesn’t cheat or go too ‘big.’ It’s tender one moment and savage the next. The storytelling is organic and clean yet you can never guess where the novel will take you next. El Gavilan is big, bold socially relevant stuff delivered painlessly through tight prose and unflagging tension. In other words, it’s everything you’d hope to get from a modern day master stretching his impressive-as-all-hell wings.” You can read the full review HERE.

Over at The Comics Journal, Frank Santoro surveys the comic and creators' scene around South Beloit IL. Among those mentioned is artist Kevin Singles, who, as noted in the article, is at work on the graphic novel of HEAD GAMES for First Second. You can read more about that HERE. You can get a sneak preview of some of Kevin's work on the graphic novel (including glimpses of Hector's iconic ’57 Bel Air and swanky hacienda) HERE.

An update to my official site related to EL GAVILAN will be coming sometime next week. Including word of contests and various prizes. Also, start sharpening your pencil: later this month, we'll be once again playing ONE TRUE SENTENCE on Twitter. I start a true sentence and all types from all over the Twitterverse try to finish it, short and sharp, for a chance at a signed book or the like.

In the meantime, a new video of a reading of the opening passages of EL GAVLAN to acquaint you with the new standalone:

WHERE STORIES COME FROM

2011-10-22T09:59:00.013-04:00

This time next week, I'll be north of the border for the first in what will likely be a proud line of annual conferences for Canadian crime fiction fans called QuébeCrime. My fellow panelists/speakers include Daniel Woodrell, Lawrence Block, Hilary Davidson, Denise Mina, Louise Penny, Ian Rankin and more.

Last night a journalist posed a couple of questions for a Canadian newspaper article to promote the event. One was about where the ideas come from.

My next novel, EL GAVILAN, comes out in December (please consider pre-ordering HERE...end of pitch). Technically, it's my fifth novel, at least in terms of publication sequence.

But the order in which my novels have appeared have been, at best, idiosyncratic...the blessing or maybe the curse of having so much written for so long and kind of culling a back catalogue for the next book to see the light of day.

In that sense, EL GAVILAN's pedigree is strange, even by the standards of my own rather unusual publication history.

In 2005, I was on a kind of epic writing tear. I completed three novels, and a second collection of author interviews, ROGUE MALES.

As to those novels...

I've always written to music, in fact drawing more story and setting inspiration from songs than from other books or from films.

During the winter of 2005, I was writing what would become my debut novel, HEAD GAMES, a Tex-Mex period piece inspired by the music of Tom Russell, a songwriter I regard as the finest we have in America presently. I was drawing plot points from Tom's songs and even writing in little winks to a lyric here or there that I figured nobody but me would ever realize was there.

One song in particular started speaking to me, a song Russell composed with the great Dave Alvin about a California border patrolman. A song called "California Snow."

As HEAD GAMES unfolds, its narrator, fiction novelist Hector Lassiter, is in the launch phase of his own newest novel, a novel set along the southwest borderlands...a story about a border patrol agent he calls THE LAND OF DREAD AND FEAR. Sometime, while still writing HEAD GAMES, I decided I really wanted to write Hector's novel about the border patrolman. EL GAVILAN began to take conception.

In 2005, times were still good and the flow of migrants across the Mexican border and up into even my pocket of Ohio was striking. The effects in terms of social services, school stresses and crime were profound. As a journalist, I was getting a ground-eye view of the results, even in my hometown.

When, I finished ROGUE MALES, and completed a final draft of HEAD GAMES, I set down to write my own version of Hector's land of dread and fear, EL GAVILAN. I wrote that novel in a burst over the course of a spring and long, hot summer, grabbing plot points from the headlines of papers I edited and from what I was observing around me.

In late summer, I called the book done and passed it over to my agent. Casting around for something to cool down with, I wrote a short story about Hector Lassiter prepping for a hurricane in a Key West bar. When I was done, the short story felt more like a first chapter. Between October 1 and Dec. 24 of 2005, I wrote the second Lassiter novel, TOROS & TORSOS. From there, a string of six other Lassiter books followed.

EL GAVILAN is the first of my novels to appear with a contemporary setting. It draws deeply on my own experiences and observations as a journalist and marks the first book set roughly where I live. It comes from life, but it also comes from a single song written by two fine songwriters. Check out Tom performing that tune with Michael Martin:

BARNES & NOBLE ON EL GAVILAN & OTHER COMING READS

2011-10-11T19:18:00.005-04:00

Coming off a starred review in Publishers Weekly, EL GAVILAN gets some pre-release attention from Barnes & Noble via Jedidiah Ayres:

"El Gavilan by Craig McDonald. McDonald's first novel Head Games was an instant classic, a terse, two-fisted, bullet-riddled and amphetmine-fast introduction to his fictitious mid-century American pulp writer Hector Lassiter. Three Lassiter books later, he's sidestepping to a new stand-alone and modern day tale of border tensions in... Ohio? Man, this looks fantastic with its James Ellroy-esque three-cop structure and lurid, ripped from the (tabloid) headlines, bloody tale of 'shifting alliances and whiplash switchbacks.' Can't wait."

Read more of Mr. Ayre's recommendations here.

Publishers Weekly: Starred Review to EL GAVILAN

2011-10-06T20:12:00.005-04:00

After four Hector Lassiter novels, this December brings a standalone from Tyrus Books: a thriller centered on illegal immigration and its effects on a small Ohio Town.

Publishers Weekly has given a starred review to EL GAVILAN, in part, saying, "As sobering and as urgent as tomorrow’s headlines, this searing novel by Edgar-finalist McDonald (Head Games) traces the struggle of the residents of fictional New Austin, Ohio, to cope with out-of-control illegal Latino immigrants...McDonald deftly balances his “now” against the “then” backstory as he dissects one of America’s most tormenting social problems.—Publisher’s Weekly

The entire review can be found HERE.

More about the novel HERE.

HURRICANE SEASON & CRIME FICTION

2011-08-27T11:31:00.008-04:00

The Halifax Public Library system's Halifax Reader has offered up some timely fiction recommendations as the East Coast braces for the devastation (or the anticlimax) of Irene.

The Reader's round up of several recent crime fiction novels that are keyed to hurricanes includes TOROS & TORSOS, which opens with the infamous Key West, Labor Day weekend storm of 1935 (76 years ago, they didn't name tropical storms).

TOROS is still available in paperback and hardcover, or for a mere $2.99, you can read it in eBook format.

There's also a killer audio version available read by the incomparable Tom Stechschulte. You can listen to a sample here.

Back when TOROS was just out, I penned a piece on the 1935 hurricane. That's still available here.

THE SUN ALSO SETS: Hemingway's death, 50 years later

2011-07-01T21:35:00.057-04:00

“There are never any…
successful suicides.”
— Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway has been something of an obsession of mine, dating back...well, for decades.

I was acutely aware of Hem as a persona in the 1960s. He checked out July of ’61. I checked in July of ’62, five days short of Hemingway's own birth date.

The fact Hemingway was first a reporter probably did more to put me on the same career path as anything else that resulted in my making a living as a journalist.

And then there was that larger-than-life persona Hemingway cultivated...

If you grew up a bookish male in the 1960s, your ideal of manhood was, more likely than not, shaped by Hemingway and Sean Connery's James Bond. Those two potent, iconic pop-culture images represented twin poles of a certain brand of impossible to sustain masculinity. Hemingway, I always insist, was destroyed by his aging body and that face in the mirror that couldn't measure up to the words and protagonists he put on the page. Similarly, Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, killed himself early with cigarettes, liquor and a lifestyle that would have put his perpetually 30-something literary creation in an early grave.

"Hem had judged himself.
“'Papa' just didn’t measure up to his own standard for a man, Hector figured.
Writers don’t retire and Papa couldn’t write anymore." — from TOROS & TORSOS

A lot of Hemingway admirers — and detractors — felt or still feel suicide violated Hemingway's own stoic masculine code and revealed Hem to be some kind of hypocritical coward. I've never counted myself among those who feel suicide is an act of cowardice. Despair? Yes. Selfishness? Often. But cowardice? I can't quite agree...

Hemingway looms large in the first four of eight books in the series of Hector Lassiter novels. In the first book, Head Games, Hem casts a long shadow. The second novel, Toros & Torsos, in which Hemingway is a prominent character, ends on the morning of Hemingway's death in Ketchum, Idaho, July 2, 1961.

The third novel, Print the Legend, is an exploration of Hemingway's death, and it examines the role that the FBI and his last wife, Mary, might have variously played in Hemingway's demise. (Interestingly, Hemingway intimate A.E. Hotchner has recently revised his opinion of Hemingway's notorious FBI obsession...echoing a thesis I put forward in PTL. You can read Hotchner's essay from The New York Times here.)

Earlier this year, the fourth Lassiter novel, One True Sentence, was published. Set in 1924 Paris, the novel is driven by a plot revolving around a kind of suicide cult.

The fact Hemingway is used to such a degree in the first four published Lassiter novels has "typed" me with certain critics around the world. On a recent trip to Paris to promote two novels in which Hemingway figures prominently, a French reporter remarked, "So, you'll go out the same way, yes?" That bizarre assertion led to a discussion of whether suicide is a coward's act, or that of a courageous man. Papa's kid brother, a man who'd eventually take his own life, regarded Ernest's death as something akin to the last act of a defiant samurai...as a kind of heroic ritual aimed at beating the Grim Reaper to the KO.

In Arizona earlier this year, at a book event with James Sallis, a man in the audience offered his opinion that the Mayo Clinic and the decision to give a depressed, ailing Hemingway electroshock treatment drove Hemingway to a destructive act he would not otherwise have undertaken.

It didn't seem worthwhile to rebut the man's theory...not in that setting. But I wholly reject the notion that a failed treatment for depression put Hemingway in the ground.

Fact is, Hemingway tried to kill himself several times before he ever received shock treatment. He had guns taken from his shaking hands and hidden from him in his sad, concrete-constructed last house. He tried to walk into a spinning airplane propellor on his way to the Mayo Clinic. If certain sources can be believed, he once tried to open the door of an airplane while in flight.

Long before Hem's father turned a gun on himself, Hem often wrote of suicide. In an excised portion of Print the Legend, I counted the ways in which suicide loomed in Hemingway's fiction, including some pieces he wrote in his teens, each of which ended in self-inflicted death.

Truth is, I firmly believe Hem's own story could only have one bloody outcome.

But what does that violent end have to do with a literary legacy? A lot of articles being published on this grim July anniversary hinge on that question. But that's not a question that resonates with me.

"Trust the art, not the artist," is a kind of mantra that appears in various forms throughout the Hector Lassiter series, and, particularly, in the novels in which Hemingway figures. Writers I submit, more often than not, are better on the page than in person. "It is a dangerous thing," Hemingway said, "to know a writer." Bittersweet personal experience leads me to believe Hem was mostly right on that sad point.

On the 50th anniversary of Hemingway's death, the appropriate thing to do is not to lift a glass, or make a pilgrimage to some Hem-associated site which long ago lost any patina Hemingway himself would have recognized.

Better to crack a spine on a collection of Hem's sublime short fiction, or to delve into The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, or A Moveable Feast.

Authors live most fully in the pages of their books. Even after fifty years under a big stone marker in the Ketchum Cemetery, Hem still speaks to us through his revolutionary prose.

Excerpt from PRINT THE LEGEND:

July 2, 1961

He rose with the sun as he had every morning since childhood.

It was Sunday and the old man was alone in the house with his wife, Mary.

George, his ex-boxer pal, was in the cinder block guest quarters next door. He trusted his damaged memory on that much.

The old man shrugged on his “Emperor’s robe” that draped his wasted frame like a red circus tent. He hardly recognized his own face in the bathroom mirror — his wispy, white fly-away hair was going every which way and his smile back at himself was something terrible to behold. Passionate brown eyes each of four wives praised as his best feature were now as empty and dead as those of the trophy heads gathering dust at his abandoned Cuban Finca.

He reached for his toothbrush with a trembling hand, then thought better of it: perhaps the funk of morning mouth would mask the taste of the oiled barrels of the shotgun.

Mary had locked his guns away from him in the storeroom. She left the key to their hiding place resting on the ledge over the kitchen sink. He had seen the key there last night — as she had perhaps intended…left the key just sitting there on their first night back from the Mayo Clinic. The old man’s rattled brain kept wondering at Mary’s reason for hiding the key in plain sight.

A taunt, or invitation?

A characteristic half-assed kindness?

He snorted at the mystery of his last wife’s motive for making this he was about to do possible, and, grimacing, tiptoed down the stairs to the storeroom.

The old man selected a silver-inlaid, 12–gauge double-barreled Boss bought years before at Abercrombie & Fitch. He broke open his carefully cared-for shotgun and cradled it in the crook of his left arm. He pulled open a drawer and selected a box of shells. The old man’s hands trembled so badly he couldn’t draw any from the container. Disgusted, he emptied the shells into the drawer and scooped a handful in a fast reach for his robe’s puckering pocket. Two cartridges — more than enough to do the job — fell true; the rest pinged as they hit the floor and rolled to the four corners.

The self-declared “former writer” would normally be deep into his morning’s composition at this early hour, but that was in another country, the old man thought bitterly, and his muse was at last dead.

He trudged back up the stairs, lugging the big English-made gun. He thought of his father, making a similar last climb up a flight of stairs, intent upon effecting a bloody escape from his own intolerable half-life. He now had the answer to the question he had posed so many years before, in a story inspired by his father: “Is dying hard, Daddy?”

He knew now how easy it could be, denied your desires and the things you are driven, for better or worse, to do.

He crossed the living room to the foyer directly under Mary’s bedroom, pausing to stare out the window at the cloudless sky and rising July sun glistening on the ripples where the rocks lay thickest on the bed of the Wood River from which two deer now drank.

Gnats sported in the rapid’s spray in easy reach of the trout that gorged on them.

Chipmunks darted through the dew-kissed grass, unaware of the old man’s stalking cats.

Bald buzzards wheeled on the rising vapors.

It would be a good morning for others to hunt or hike or to go fishing...

Seppuku by shotgun: If he could wait nineteen days, he could celebrate his sixty-second birthday.

The old man’s trembling hand rooted the pocket of his robe for the first shotgun shell. His heart beat faster. Robbed of his own words, he resorted to those of another to whom he had once been improbably compared. He muttered the favorite quote over and over to himself:

A man can die but once…he that dies this year is quit for the next.

-©2010 by Craig McDonald

THIS SATURDAY IN ANN ARBOR...

2011-05-05T21:01:00.012-04:00

I'll be appearing with the great Brian Freeman in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the Ann Arbor District Library this Saturday at 2 p.m. The event is hosted by Aunt Agatha's bookstore.

Ann Arbor was actually the setting for a key sequence in 2010's PRINT THE LEGEND, which brought Hector Lassiter to town under rather harrowing circumstances.

As it happens, over at Jen's Book Thoughts, Jen is tracking writers reading at the nation's great independent bookstores this month as part of a "Crime Writers Caught Reading" special. The series kicked off with this shot of Mr. Freeman reading a certain 2008 Best First Novel Edgar finalist...

Speaking of great indy book stores, also very much looking forward to catching up with Robin and Jamie at Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor.

Conversations with Daniel Woodrell

2011-04-26T21:45:00.007-04:00

A slightly recast version of the Daniel Woodrell interview featured in ROGUE MALES is now available online at the Mulholland Books blog. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. The interview was conducted in 2006 when WINTER'S BONE was just arriving in bookstores.

For more a more up-to-date interview, and a very excellent one at that, check out Jed Ayres' conversation with The Master here. A revelation from that interview? This collection to look forward to come The Season of the Witch.

HEAD GAMES NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK, + MORE

2011-04-24T09:06:00.015-04:00

With the release of HEAD GAMES to eBook format for Kindle and Nook, the entire Hector Lassiter series can now be read in digital format.

I retained digital rights on my first four books and late last year released TOROS & TOROS to Kindle and Nook. The first two books can now be read for less than $6. Books three and four, PRINT THE LEGEND and ONE TRUE SENTENCE, are also available, although their eBook prices were set by their publisher, Macmillan.

The eBook version of HEAD GAMES goes a bit beyond the original bound version, including a reader's guide with suggested discussion topics, as well as the short story, THE LAST INTERVIEW, that introduced Hector Lassiter more than five years ago. The package is rounded out by opening chapters from all four books.

This week also saw some more foreign press in terms of an online review by Paris Match of the French edition of PRINT THE LEGEND. The print edition of that magazine also contains an article about the Lassiter series and photos from my recent travels through France.

A great article and interview with me also appears in Les Echoes, and two online articles from France are also out there, one a very fine review, and the other still another interview.

On a last, French-related note, the mass market paperback edition of TOROS & TORSOS will be released soon there. Here's a look at the new cover (a wink to a certain Salvador Dali painting that features importantly in the plot).

Closing out, a teaser for another book I'll be discussing in greater detail soon. For now, a cover image, and a book trailer for this September's offering:

POSTCARDS FROM FRANCE, 2: HECTOR LASSITER'S PARIS

2011-04-10T16:53:00.070-04:00

My newest novel, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, is set during one week in February, 1924, in Paris.

In that novel, we see a 24-year-old Hector Lassiter, and his friend, Ernest Hemingway, both not yet known as the writers they will become, living and moving along the Left Bank of the Seine, primarily in the area known as Montparnasse. That's where all those great writers of the 1920s more or less were based: the photographers, the painters...those wicked surrealists.

It's where the famous cafés in which they wrote, drank and talked are centered — La Rotonde, Le Select, Le Dôme and La Coupole and Hemingway's own favored café, a bit of walk from those other four, La Closerie des Lilas.

Two weeks ago, I was walking the streets Hector Lassiter and Ernest Hemingway walked. In a kind of post-modern turn, I found myself using my own novel as a sort of guidebook for morning and evening tours of the quarter around interviews my French publisher had scheduled for me in the City of Lights.

ONE TRUE SENTENCE will not be published in Paris until sometime in 2012. The novel of mine that is currently new in Paris is PRINT THE LEGEND, which does include a couple of brief scenes set in 1920s Paris. (My French publisher, Belfond, calls the novel ON NE MEURT QU'UNE FOIS.)

Somehow, perhaps deliberately, when I left a crime conference in Lyon, France to spend a couple of days in Paris with reporters, videographers and photographers, I was booked into a newly refurbished ancient hotel at 9 rue de la Grande Chaumière, the Hotel Best Western La Villa de Artistes.

If I turned left out my hotel door and walked to the corner, I was just yards from the Rotonde, the Select and the Coupole — all those cafés Hector and Hem would sit inside during the winter, or on the terrace if it was warmer, watching the street traffic.

If I turned right out my hotel door, in a very few yards, the street terminated at rue Notre Dame des Champs. That's the street that Hemingway lived on in 1924, shortly after returning to France after a brief and disastrous return to journalism in Toronto, awaiting the birth of his first son. It's the street where Ezra Pound maintained (a seldom used) studio.

Turning left onto the rue Notre Dame des Champs takes one to La Rue Vavin — the street upon which Hector lived in Paris and, specifically, in ONE TRUE SENTENCE. This street view is taken from La Rue Vavin's terminus at the Jardins de Luxembourg. It's established Hector lived on the fourth floor of a building on this street (in France, you don't count the ground floor as number one).

If you walk up Vavin in this direction, you pass by the (now being restored) facade of the building in which the primary action of "Last Tango in Paris" was supposed to have been set. Continue on to the corner, and you reach this famous watering hole.

Following a rainy Sunday night train ride through the countryside from Lyon to Paris, Svetlana Pironko of Author Rights Agency, the first reader outside the inner circle to have made Hector Lassiter's acquaintance and his agent abroad, met me at the train station. I checked into hotel, then we headed to Le Select for dinner and drinks. There I also made the acquaintance of Mickey, the café's venerable cat, who is, by all accounts, somewhere around the quarter century mark, but still relatively spry. Mickey is so famous and beloved, he has a framed photograph of himself above his favorite perch at the bar. I watched to see if he sampled any of the dregs of drinks left languishing on the bar — something that might explain his longevity — but never saw him take a taste.

After dinner, we passed through others of the famous cafés, walked Hector's street to the Gardens, and to the approximate spot where Hemingway's second Paris apartment would have been located. (Svetlana noted, ruefully, many historic buildings, including Hemingway's, were lost in the 1970s. Their replacements, to be charitable, are undistinguished, at best.)

That first night established something quickly: One walks in Paris. I believe I took two cabs in two days there — one to lunch my last full day in Paris, and one to the airport.

Knowing Paris first and most vividly through Hemingway's A MOVEABLE FEAST, and having some sense of the places he'd walk any given day — and taking into account the hilliness of that quarter of Paris — I was struck by something that must have troubled Hem, particularly. Hemingway suffered severe injuries to his legs in World War 1, and actually had a reconstructed kneecap. Having twisted my ankle on a bad landing off a stage in Lyon, and now walking a hell of a lot, I figured those first couple of years in Paris, particularly, must have been murder on a fairly gimpy, if young, Papa.

That night, flummoxed by my room's temperature control system, I slept with the windows open, listening to the city and two doves that nested outside my window. Awakening the next morning, I looked out my window at the view across the rooftops of Paris. My hotel, believed by one clerk to date back to the 1700s, backed up against equally old structures. In the morning dark, before the satellite dishes and TV aerials presented themselves, it was easy to imagine the view circa 1924.

The next two days, I was visited at my hotel by magazine, newspaper, online and television interviewers. Photographers also dropped by, and we walked around the Quarter, snapping shots at Hemingway sites and other suitably dramatic backdrops.

Evenings were my own and my family at last joined me in Paris the last two nights. Crossing the Jardins de Luxembourg in a drizzling, cooling rain, we visited Hemingway's old quarter, where he first lived as an unknown writer in a working class section of narrow streets behind the Panthéon. Appropriately, there is now a bookstore under the apartment where Hemingway lived and wrote during his tyro days in the City of Lights.

74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine was where Hem and first wife Hadley lived for many of Hem's formative writing years in Paris. It was from this location he would leave on European assignments as a correspondent for papers back in Canada and the States.

Around the corner, there's another historic Hemingway sign which has history about half right. It claims Hemingway lived above the café now there for several years. Story from Hem himself goes, in the building, one in which the poet Paul Verlaine died, Ernest rented an upper room in which to write. It's in this room, blocked, that Hem describes in A MOVEABLE FEAST his attempts to calm himself with the assurance he need only write "one true sentence."

The last of my Paris interviews was held on a Tuesday afternoon at this restaurant called Kong.

ONE TRUE SENTENCE opens with a scene set on one of the most noted bridges across the Seine, the Pont Neuf. As fate would have it, Kong is located under a glass canopy of an old building overlooking the Pont Neuf.

After lunch, Svetlana and I more or less retraced Hector's walk from the bridge back along the Seine and eventually to his home on the Rue Vavin...a walk he made in light snow in February, and we made in coming rain in late March. We passed Notre Dame and the book stalls Hemingway remembers in his memoir frequenting. Browsing there, I saw French editions of James Crumley, James Sallis and Daniel Woodrell. Later that evening, I shared a similar walk with my wife and daughters.

A key figure in ONE TRUE SENTENCE is the American bookseller Sylvia Beach who ran Shakespeare and Company — a kind of bookstore, lending library and mail office for expatriate writers. She also published ULYSSES by James Joyce. Nazi occupation pretty much killed the original bookstore, but a new one in another location up against the Seine sprang up several decades ago.

For me, the association with the bookstore is Hemingway, even if he never set foot in this version.

My daughters, Madeleine and Yeats, on the other hand, tend to think of the bookstore as the one under which the world's oldest Immortal, Methos, lives, as established in the syndicated series, Highlander.

For our last evening in Paris, my wife, Debbie, Svetlana and I, journeyed by Metro to this particular café, another of Hemingway's prime spots and one immortalized in A MOVEABLE FEAST (pictured below is Svetlana and I, taken by Debbie). It is also in Les Deux Magots where Hector Lassiter shares his first dinner with the pivotal woman in his life, Brinke Devlin. We sat out on the terrace of Magots with Svetlana, facing the street as one typically does on the terraces, watching night settle over the City of Lights.

In a bookstore next door, we found a copy of this volume:

For a last toast in Paris, it seemed only appropriate to end where it began, at Hector's probably most-frequented café, on the corner of his street, in the heart of the section of Paris he loved best.

"Il n’y a que deux endroits au monde où l’on puisse vivre heureux: chez soi et à Paris." —Ernest Hemingway

("There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.")

POSTCARDS FROM FRANCE, PART 1

2011-04-03T16:51:00.051-04:00

Last week I was an invited guest at the Quais Du Polar crime fiction festival in Lyon France from March 25-27.

Each year, a handful of authors from various countries are invited to the festival to participate in panels, host films and meet with the French press and readers.

I arrived in France after a bumpy, sleep-deprived flight from Detroit early Friday afternoon, French time. I shared some coffee and pastries with my foreign rights agent, Svetlana Pironko, at Charles de Gaulle airport, then hopped a train for Lyon and arrived just about an hour before I was scheduled to participate on a panel regarding "the thriller of the Americas."

I represented the USA; my fellow panelists included RJ Ellory (from Great Britain, of course, but who writes books set in the United States); Patrick Sénécal, Quebec; Ramon Diaz-Eterovic, Chile and Martín Solares of Mexico (Martín's excellent novel, THE BLACK MINUTES, was a book I happened to pick up while touring in Austin, TX, a few weeks before — a highly recommended read).

The majority of authors were put up in the Hotel Carlton in Lyon, a short walk from Le Palais du Commerce, home to most of the festival's key events, and to about the most majestic book room imaginable.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I participated in my first panel. Because of the number of nationalities involved, and languages spoken, small radios and ear phones were necessary to understand the moderator's questions and fellow panelists' responses. The United States, and its alleged role in various foreign wars and clandestine operations, dominated much of the discussion of that first, rather charged panel.

Next we moved to the Beaux-arts Museum of Lyon for an official opening ceremony for the conference, and awards ceremony.

Friday night concluded with a dinner with my publishers and fellow writers from Belfond and its various allied imprints at Les Négociants for the first of two author's dinners.

I sat with Brian Freeman (who I will be appearing with at the Ann Arbor Library on May 7) and British novelist S.J. Parris. Brian and I agreed that our hotel — particularly its elevator — reminded us powerfully of a similar quaint lift that served as the setting for a memorable fight scene with Sean Connery in 1971's "Diamond's Are Forever."

The elevator has a gated cage that must be closed in order for the elevator to operate for the next user.
Once inside, swinging wooden doors have to be closed. The elevator itself operates on a mirrored counterweight. Because of its small size, often as not, in high demand periods, you found yourself using the spiral staircase that wraps around the open elevator shaft. This was particularly so on the way to breakfast each morning.

Riding up in the lift together, Brian and I ended the evening reciting lines from the Bond film that preceded the death of "Peter Franks" in just such an elevator at James Bond's hands: "I speak English...Who is your floor?"

Saturday morning, authors were asked to gather in front of the Palais for an official group photo. That was the first of many photographic sittings, as it turned out, as various photographers pulled us aside for portraits, photos of our hands and with our ink pens, and, later, with crime scene tape and even weapons of choice (I opted for a .45). Saturday began a series of videotaped and print interviews for a number of outlets, leading up to a recording of a radio show before a live audience.

My interview with the nationally broadcast radio show Mauvais Genre hosted by François Angelier, will be aired later this year. We spoke about the Hector Lassiter series, about the tension of art and life, and about such "ogre" like figures as Hemingway and Orson Welles who appear in my novels. We also had a spirited exchange about the question of surrealist art and whether or not it embodies an element of misogyny. After the show was recorded, I was approached by two or three women who bought the French edition of TOROS & TORSOS and thanked me for making such assertions about the surrealists and their attitude towards women. "We don't hear that sort of thing very often here," one said. I was to see as I spoke with subsequent interviewers, particularly in Paris, my take on the surrealists is a very charged and controversial one.

When pressed once too often about the credibility of surrealist enthusiasts committing crimes, I pointed them in the direction of this series of crimes committed recently in France.

Saturday rounded out with signings, more photos and interviews, then a dinner we'd been hearing rumblings about involving traditional fare (talk of swine snouts abounded). We dined at Chez Paul at rue Major Martin. There I ate with the legendary French crime fiction expert, Claude Mesplède (also immortalized as a very bad ass character in James Ellroy's Underworld U.S.A. trilogy), Arni Thorarinsson and Dominique Sylvain who very kindly and patiently translated for Claude and I.

Rather flummoxed by the menu, I eventually broke down and asked for an English menu. Having done that, I felt I'd failed some test. Turns out, the menu wasn't illuminating. Still ordering somewhat blind, I made my selection, eliciting a thumbs-up from our waiter. Dominique said something like, "Do you know what you just ordered?" Claude looked at me with pity. Seems I ordered some kind of sauteed cows stomach...turns out, it was far from the strangest thing offered that night.

I walked back to the hotel with Megan Abbott and Karin Slaughter. To our chagrin, we returned to find the hotel bar had closed at an oddly early hour for a Saturday. Probably just as well: It was daylight savings time in France, and clocks would move up an hour around 3 a.m.

Sunday morning included a leisurely lunch at Le Cintra that I shared with David Peace and John Harvey, whom I'd met at the train station and rode in with on our first day by taxi.
My last panel in Lyon was shared with Alexandra Schwartzbrod, Patrick Bard and moderated by Martine Laval. Discussion was focused on borders and frontiers, and much of that discussion centered on Mexico-US border tensions.

After some book signings following the panel, my publicist, Diane du Périer and I boarded the train for Paris for a rainy ride through the French countryside.

NEXT: The City of Lights and walking Hector Lassiter's Paris from ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

VIDEO OF AN EVENING WITH CRAIG MCDONALD AND JAMES SALLIS

2011-03-17T06:51:00.004-04:00

Poisoned Pen has posted the video from the February 2011's event:

Watch live streaming video from poisonedpenauthorevent at livestream.com

If player doesn't work, you can also access HERE.

NEW REVIEWS FROM THE DROWNING MACHINE & SPINETINGLER

2011-03-12T11:13:00.006-05:00

The past few days brought two new reviews of ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

The first, from THE DROWNING MACHINE, can be found HERE. (You can also check out THE DM's earlier reviews of TOROS & TORSOS and PRINT THE LEGEND.)

SPINETINGLER also weighs in on ONE TRUE SENTENCE in a review penned by the Nerd of Noir. You can also check out earlier takes from the Nerd on TOROS & TORSOS and PRINT THE LEGEND.

A VOTE FOR HECTOR LASSISTER IS A VOTE FOR...

2011-03-09T05:28:00.004-05:00

Jen Forbus has launched her second annual competition to declare the World's Favorite Amateur Sleuth, and Hector Lassiter (Head Games, Toros & Torsos, Print the Legend and One True Sentence) is in the running.

Here's how Jen sets it up at her site:

"Below you will find the first week's match-ups for the World's Favorite Amateur Sleuth Tournament. Choose your favorite sleuth in each pairing and when you've completed as many pairings as you'd like to vote on (you are not required to vote in each category if you choose not to), click the FINISH SURVEY button at the bottom. You will be able to adjust your responses until Saturday March 12th but you can not vote more than once..."

To cast your votes, (please consider a vote for Mr. Lassiter), click HERE.

TROUBLE IN MIND; OTS, THE MOVIE

2011-03-01T21:19:00.015-05:00

Over at the Medicine Show blog of the sublime Megan Abbott and Sara Gran, I have a guest essay/review of the 25th anniversary DVD release of the lost neo-noir cult classic, Trouble In Mind, set in a pre-Starbucks Seattle and starring Kris Kristofferson, Divine and Keith Carradine, among others. (I also participated in the Abbott/Gran Q&A, which can be found here.)

At My Book, the Movie, I take a turn at casting a film adaptation of ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

Wrapping up today's ONE TRUE SENTENCE news, tonight we played a new round of ONE TRUE SENTENCE the game.

Some quick background: Every night, I start a True Sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag #1TS), and all brave takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a signed book (this week we're playing for ROGUE MALES).

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author created and played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Here's a sampling of results from our latest round (my apologies to those that got by me because no hash tag was used).

Madame Zira peered at his palm and said…

@APMonkey "Didn't your mother tell you you'd get hairy palms if you didn't stop that?"

@bkfaerie “You should wash your hand more often.”

@ BlackIrishBlarn “Swedish Fish?”

@scarletncream “The truest parts of yourself are hidden so deeply that you will die of untapped potential.”

@scarletncream "Death would be too kind a punishment for your sins so the cosmos will allow you to live.”

@jenforbus “How's the bucket list going?”

@jenforbus "Here, Palmolive, soak in it.”

@romyk "You need a tree surgeon, not a fortune teller."

@vpkeenan “Too late."

@LolosLetters "This lifeline would look much better attached to a body...”

@brianlindenmuth "So this is the guy who called me a damn dirty ape?"

@matthewjmcbride said nothing, her expression blank as fresh paper; the hand was detached, he was already dead.

@wampusreynolds “Behind you, left shoulder, is a thug with a baseball bat so your other hand better have something in it.”

@xesands “Oh honey, that's gonna cost you an extra twenty..."

@BlackIrishBlarn "You pulled the nail out all by yourself did you?"

@nj713 "So it's true what they say about hair on your palms."

THIS WEEK'S WINNER IN THE ONE TRUE SENTENCE CONTEST & MORE...

2011-02-27T20:07:00.010-05:00

We've wrapped up week two of playing ONE TRUE SENTENCE — the game modeled on the one that Hector Lassiter and Ernest Hemingway play in my novels: one starts a sentence; the other finishes it, short and pithy.

The winner of this week's round was Judy Bobalik: "If slaying Chet was a sin, how come it didn't feel good?" Judy wins the ultra-rare TOROS & TORSOS limited edition (the novel in which Hem and Hec most frequently play the game).

Oscar night, we kicked off Week Three of the ONE TRUE SENTENCE challenge. This coming Sunday, the winner who produces the week's best ONE TRUE SENTENCE will receive a signed copy of my Macavity-nominated second collection of author interviews, ROGUE MALES, with their true sentence inscribed inside.

Before hitting the Sunday night recap of the Oscar edition of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, a note that I'll be guest blogging on Monday at Megan Abbot and Sara Gran's site here.

Over the past week, I logged mucho miles, hitting Murder by The Book in Houston, Book People in Austin, and, in a special event with James Sallis, Poisoned Pen in Arizona. If you're looking for signed copies of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, any of those fine stores can see to your needs. Speaking of that latter event, an-after-event shot of Mr. Sallis signing books with me:

A last reminder that GoodReads is offering a chance to win one of eight copies of ONE TRUE SENTENCE. Details here.

Okay, our recap of the Oscar/Sunday night round of ONE TRUE SENTENCE (you can play Monday by checking in here.)

Sue and Ken had a shotgun wedding; when it came time to divorce…

@vpkeenan knives would suffice.

@WarZoneCameron Sue wanted everything, including his prized Superpro comics.

@JudyJB a wood-chipper came in handy.

@scottchasebooks she decided to use it again.

@cavalieresq he wished he'd saved a slug.

@RuroRemy he felt that the Academy Award on the fireplace mantel was enough.

@ RuroRemy it was time to dig up the hatchet.

@KD_James Sue's daddy made sure that this time the shotgun was loaded.

@xesands Ken licked his wounds and Sue...well Sue simply reloaded.

@jennsbookshelf it was a full blown armory.

@picky_girl the shotgun came back out.

@jenforbus they pulled the pins from their grenades.

@jasummerell they were still fighting over the color of the tiny casket.

@...brianlindenmuth it was a Saturday night special.

@ JHammons they employed an ax.

@le0pard13 their first proceeding involved knives.

@bkfaerie they both had to shell out...

@APMonkey Ken used a stake through the heart to be sure.

@hilarydavidson the only question was who'd reach for the gun first.

@nelizadrew neither could remember the lock code, so Sue used it as a bludgeon.

@djgerg it was atomic all the way.

@matthewjmcbride the dissolution was confirmed by the razor sharp teeth of a chainsaw.

@dboshea it was no more pump, no more side-by-side.

@scubagirl7 the bloodshed looked like a scene from Texas chainsaw massacre.

@dboshea he opted for the no-longer-my-dear slug.

@dboshea he saved the second barrel for her lawyer.

@matthewjmcbride Sue laid down the terms with rounds of severe uncompromising gunfire.

@dboshea Sue and Ken had a shotgun wedding; when it came time to divorce, she gave him full custody of both barrels.

@SebDuper one of them got sawed-off.

CONTEST AT GOODREADS.COM

2011-02-24T15:43:00.002-05:00

Eight copies of ONE TRUE SENTENCE will be awarded by Goodreads.com early next month.

Details for entry are HERE.

TONIGHT AT POISONED PEN

2011-02-22T18:46:00.008-05:00

A quick reminder that tonight I'll be appearing at 7 p.m., Scottsdale, AZ time, with the incredible James Sallis at Poisoned Pen.

The event marks the end of the first leg of the ONE TRUE SENTENCE tour (more events will be following in the weeks ahead).

If you can't be there in person, copies of Mr. Sallis' novels, and my own, will be available from PP.

To mark the occasion, Poisoned Pen recently posted a guest blog about the event.

Mr. Sallis is, of course, the author of numerous fiction and nofiction works, including the Lew Griffin Series, the Turner Trilogy (recently collected under the title, WHAT YOU HAVE LEFT), and DRIVE, which is forthcoming as a film starring Ryan Gosling and "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks.

The next novel from James Sallis, THE KILLER IS DYING, is forthcoming in August.

ONE TRUE SENTENCE: New essays; new events

2011-02-21T22:39:00.014-05:00

Tuesday marks one week since the release of my new novel, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, a literary/historical thriller set in the 1920s Paris of Hemingway and Gertrude Stein and featuring crime novelist Hector Lassiter.

The novel is the fourth in the Edgar/Anthony nominated series that began with HEAD GAMES. Strictly speaking, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, chronologically, is the first book in the series because of its February 1924 setting.

Since last Tuesday's book release, I've racked up many miles; signing books in Houston at Murder by the Book, and at Austin's BookPeople. I've played ONE TRUE SENTENCE with many a brave soul nightly on Twitter.

The past couple of days have also seen several new essays appear:

-At Patti Abbott's, I penned a piece about "How I Came To Write the Book" that debuted Monday.

-The Paperback Dolls are hosting a specil week dubbed, "Passport to France," for which I contributed an essay on ONE TRUE SENTENCE's Paris setting. You can read it here.

- At the Poisoned Pen site, I have an essay on "Pulp Fiction" in preparation for my Tuesday, Feb. 22 event with the remarkable James Sallis. That piece can be read here.

- At Writer's Read I described some of the books I've recently been delving into.

PLAYING ONE TRUE SENTENCE, ROUND #5

2011-02-21T10:19:00.005-05:00

The fifth round of the new game to celebrate the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth Hector Lassiter novel, wrapped up week one of competition. (This week's winners will be announced the evening of Feb. 21.)

Some quick background: Every night, I start a True Sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag #1TS), and all brave takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a rare copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited edition.

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author created and played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Here's a sampling of results from Round Five (my apologies to those that got by me because no hash tag was used).

It would have been the perfect crime, if only Dody had...

…remembered there's no safety on a Glock. @hilarydavidson

…not returned to the store to claim his $2 scratcher win. @popculturenerd

…had busted out his teeth w/ the hammer when she removed his fingerprints w/ the saw. @matthewjmcbride

…not carved his initials in her smooth white abdomen. @maddeejames

…remembered to check the toy shelf for a nannycam. @romyk

…not felt the need to moon the cops as we drove away. @nj713

…not tripped on his shoelace. @WhatnotShops

…given a damn. @LitHousewife

…gotten the address right. @spitballarmy

…had decided not to leave his cell phone charging at the crime scene. @jennsbookshelf

…eaten toast instead of the bean quesadilla. @jasummerell

…loaded the gun. @jenforbus

PLAYING ONE TRUE SENTENCE, ROUND #4

2011-02-18T20:48:00.009-05:00

The fourth round of the new game to celebrate the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth Hector Lassiter novel, produced some of the cleverest comments, yet.

Some quick background: Every night, I start a True Sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag #1TS), and all brave takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a rare copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited edition.

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author created and played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Here's a sampling of results from Round four (my apologies to those that got by me because no hash tag was used).

On Sunday, Jon saw his own face on a milk carton; on Monday...

...he got plastic surgery. @LolosLetters

...he was joined there by the only person he loved. @erinfaye

...he was dead. @JudyJB

...he couldn't see anything at all. @xesands

...it was on the evening news: "Man wanted: considered armed and dangerous. @jennsbookshelf

...he tossed the hair clippings & Loreal box in the trash as he drove away. @jenforbus

...he saw it on the billboard outside of town. @thedeMentedmom

...he saw a more recent photo of himself at the post office. @nj713

...he snatched his daughter from the playground and ran. @JHammons

...he finally started to accept that his brother was dead. @brianlindenmuth

...he killed the man who had put him there. @erinfaye

...he found out the wrong people were looking for him. @wampusreynolds

...he ran away from the cult that had always been home. @scarletncream

...the milk expired, as did ill-fated Jon. @shelfmagazine

...he left the house burning behind him. @romyk

...he demanded that his parent's tell him the truth. @thedeMentedmom

...he drank from the carton, tossed it, and untied the girl from the bedpost. @picky_girl

...he drove all night, kicked his dad's door down, and climbed the stairs.@picky_girl

...he switched to 2% milk because his face looked thinner on the carton. @jpjacquet

...he woke early and stood staring in the mirror, just to be sure. @spitballarmy

...he became lactose intolerant. @dboshea

...he switched to a different brand that didn't use such shiny cartons. @WRNaturalist

...his mutilated body was found stuffed in a dumpster behind the Taco Shack. @usedguys

...he saw it wasn't his face at all, but the face of the man who was already dead. @matthewjmcbride

...he woke up from his coma. @popculturenerd

...he became lactose intolerant. @dboshea

...he discovered that the dairy didn’t offer wallet-sized. @wolfeislander

...he phoned the dairy and told his ex-wife to knock it off. @wolfeislander

...he saw Jesus' face there. @graham_powell

...he woke to find himself chained to his bed post. @bushdog51

...he shot his surgeon so no one could link his new face with his old one. @hilarydavidson

...he was past his “best before” date. @wolfeislander

...he realized that yes, that was right. @AdamDetritus

PLAYING ONE TRUE SENTENCE ROUND #3

2011-02-17T21:07:00.010-05:00

The third round of the new game to celebrate the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth Hector Lassiter novel, produced a few recurring motifs and a growing number of participants. (We'll be playing about 7 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 18.)

Some quick background: Every night, I start a true sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag #1TS), and all brave takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a rare copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited edition.

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author created and played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Here's a sampling of results from Round Three (my apologies to those that got by me because no hash tag was used). Also, after tonight, we'll be limiting players to a single entry. As more than one has pointed out to me since we started this game, it is, after all, ONE true sentence...

Ned Troy reckoned it was true love right up to the moment...

...her husband came home. (@JudyJB)

...she waved the poison bottle in front of his fading vision. (@jenforbus)

...he turned his back on the girl and felt the rifle push hard into his spine. (@matthewjmcbride)

...he saw the gun. (@cavalieresq)

...his lady pulled the trigger. (@pokerben)

...he awoke, bound and gagged, and saw Dora kissing his brother. (@hilarydavidson)

...she surprised him by saying, "Yes!" (@xesands)

...Lisa blithely categorized their relationship as a mere summer fling." (@scarletncream)

...Stan pulled out his Republican Party membership card. (@oddmonstr)

...she cut off his cock. (@JudyJB)

...she said I love you. (@scottchasebooks)

...she said "I’m from Fox News." (@wolfeislander)

...he lost consciousness, his mind spiraling into darkness. (@jennsbookshelf)

...a slug punched a hole in his throat and his esophagus detonated like a bomb. (@matthewjmcbride)

...she started speaking Klingon. (@wolfeislander)

...he was left on the side of the road, smell of exhaust the only memory of her. (@picky_girl)

...he saw the woman with the tattoo across her back, a pattern of small orange leaves, and he ordered another drink. (@usedguys)

...he awoke to find his body held tight to a chair and his cock inside a toaster. (@matthewimcbride)

...she said she was really his sister. (@popculturenerd)

...the paralytic took effect and he saw the pillow approaching. (@LolosLetters)

...he had the operation. (@usedguys)

...the stripper hit him with the champagne bottle and grabbed his wallet. (@hilarydavidson)

...she said "Hi." (@TheTrustNovel)

...she read the poem about her brother's penis. (@usedguys)

...she sized him up with her pinky and ran laughing out of the room. (@LitHousewife)

...Jeff pulled a copy of US Weekly out of his bag. "Read to me," Jeff cooed. (@oddmonstr)

...until he saw the bulge under her skirt." (@keithr34)

...the girl of his dreams said, "Hi, Daddy." (@vickidelany)

...she cooed, "I've made curried tofu for dinner." (@vickidelany)

...he hit his wife in the face with his Academy Award. (@usedguys)

...his lust-frenzied bride gripped his hips and bayed for Ned's best friend, César. (@BlackIrishBlarn)

...they were told their baby daughter was dead. (@usedguys)

..he ate her heart for breakfast. (@popculturenerd)

...he found the engagement ring hanging from his rearview mirror. (@maddeejames)

And...

(Canadian edition): "Ned Troy reckoned it was true love right up to the moment she told the Newfie joke." (@wolfeislander)

Check in @HectorLassiter for your chance to play...

PLAYING ONE TRUE SENTENCE, ROUND #2

2011-02-16T20:41:00.015-05:00

Wednesday night, we kicked off the second round of a new game to celebrate the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth Hector Lassiter novel. (We'll be playing from about 8-9 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 17).

Every night, I start a true sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag #1TS), and all takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a rare copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited edition.

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author created and played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Round two found some answers taking a decided turn for the blue, and, mysteriously, the second appearance in as many nights of some gardening implements.

Here are the results of Round Two:

Only two things can truly kill a person…

...love and hate. (@jenforbus)

...and believe me, I'm working on number three. (@BlackIrishBlarn)

...and it was my luck to meet up with both of them on the same day. (@hilarydavidson)

...and those fuckers that left me here sure as shit ain't it. (@brianlindenmuth)

...so I used the third thing and make him live with what I did to him. (@popculturenerd)

...existential boredom, and my giant nail-studded cock. (@DocNoir)

...and luckily, I am proficient at both. (@LolosLetters)

...and both, surprisingly, involve an old 45 by the Greg Kihn band. (@DocNoir)

...a twenty hour erection and a jealous bastard with some gardening shears. (@DocNoir)

...I survived the first but was about to meet the second. (@erinfaye)

...absence or too much-- the classic old man/young punk dichotomy I fruitlessly tried to avoid on my final day. (@wampusreynolds)

...24 hours without a drink and a soulless woman. (@keithr34)

...a knife planted in your heart or a hot smoking round of lead to the face. (@matthewjmcbride)

...a law degree and good intentions. (@wolfeislander)

…a good friend and a great love. (@nj713)

Check in @HectorLassiter for your chance to play...

PLAYING ONE TRUE SENTENCE, ROUND #1

2011-02-16T18:42:00.009-05:00

Last night, we kicked off a new game to celebrate the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth Hector Lassiter novel.
Every night, I start a true sentence on Twitter (@HectorLassiter, hash tag#1TS), and takers finish that sentence.

Each Sunday, I pick the best sentence of the week and award the winner with a rare copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited edition.

In the world of Hector Lassiter, the game was one the author played, chiefly with Ernest Hemingway, but sometimes with others, and, sometimes, for unthinkable stakes.

Here are some results from round one:

It's not really murder if...

...you loved her completely. (@keithr34)

...it took the bastard ten years to die. (@hilarydavidson)

...you can't find the body. (@scubagirl)

...no one knows. (@BlackIrishBlarn)

...it's justice. (@nj713)

...the check isn't cashed. (@TyrusBooks)

...the warm rain washed away the sins of the day. (@MysteryDawg)

...the son of a bitch deserved it. (@brianlindenmuth)

...they don't find the body. (@brianlindenmuth)

...they were brothers. (@brianlindenmuth)

...the killer was stark naked and the dead possessed both garden shears and a history dirtier than a Scottish outhouse. (@BigDaddyThug)

Check in @HectorLassiter for your chance to play...

ONE TRUE SENTENCE: DAY ONE

2011-02-15T19:58:00.004-05:00

A heartfelt thank you to all those who helped to get the word out today about ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth novel in the Hector Lassiter series.

Today brought:

• A great review from Barnes & Noble's Ransom Notes.

• A guest blog at Jen's Book Thoughts, run by the sublime Jen Forbus. Today's entry focuses on mystery writer Brinke Devlin, the woman who, for all intents and purposes, made Hector Lassiter into...Hector Lassiter.

• The Story Behind the Story of ONE TRUE SENTENCE at The Rap Sheet, which also includes a chance to win one of four copies of the hardcover first edition of the novel. (Get your entry in between now and midnight, Monday Feb. 21.)

ONE TRUE SENTENCE LAUNCHES TODAY

2011-02-14T21:30:00.006-05:00

Today marks the official release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Paris, 1924

The place "where the 20th Century was," as Gertrude Stein put it.

A city teeming with would-be poets, writers, painters and publishers...the Lost Generation.

Hector Lassiter, fledgling author and best friend of Ernest Hemingway, is crossing the Pont Neuf when he hears a body fall into the icy Seine -- the first in a string of brutal murders of literary magazine editors that throw a shroud over the City of Lights.

Frantic to stop the killings, the literati form their own improbable vigilante band: Gertrude Stein gathers the most prominent crime and mystery writers in the city, including Hector and the dark, mysterious mystery novelist Brinke Devlin. Soon, Hector and Brinke are tangled not only under the sheets, but in a web of murders, each more grisly than the next.

They learn the killings may be the work of a strange cult of writers led by the mysterious "Nobodaddy"...a literary movement embracing nihilism and the siren song of the void.

As he is drawn deeper into the hunt, Hector is pitched between three women writers with hidden agendas and the darkest imaginations.

From the cafés of Montparnasse, through the historic graveyards of Paris and the Grand Guignol of the Catacombs, One True Sentence is an erotic literary thriller and richly sensuous, funhouse mirror that evokes the most romantic and suspenseful appeals of A Moveable Feast and The Dante Club.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
"This is One Strange Book. In a good way. Vivid, remarkable characters—the historical people as well-drawn as the fictional ones!—in a rich, evocative setting, and a gruesome serial killer with one of the most unusual motives ever. Absolutely gripping!"
—Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

"One True Sentence is the real stuff. A story that transports you into Hemingway's Paris as the backdrop for one hell of a crime novel. From the start I was there—walking in the Saint Germain district and along the Seine; eavesdropping in literary salons, smoky cafés, and used bookshops. The novel is sharp, smart, and fascinating. McDonald brings alive a unique time and place with not only his talent for history but style that would make his subjects proud. I read this one straight through."
—Ace Atkins, author of DEVIL'S GARDEN and INFAMOUS

"Craig McDonald proves he is a master of literary suspense in this riveting historical thriller set in the 1920s Paris of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. Complex protagonists, shocking murders, and a gripping tale will leave you wanting to read more."
—Stefanie Pintoff, Edgar®-award winning author of A CURTAIN FALLS

"Nobody does mad pulp history like Craig McDonald. Reading a Hector Lassiter novel is like having a great uncle pull you aside, pour you a tumbler of rye, and tell you a story about how the 20th century really went down."
—Duane Swierczynski, author of EXPIRATION DATE

"In One True Sentence, Craig McDonald has not only created a double-stranded mystery marked by shocking scenarios and revelations, but at the same time a veracious re-creation of that world of the American expatriots in Paris in the 1920s. And what is more remarkable is that he has fused all of this into a singular world. That is, the very people of that era who most fascinate us—Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Ford Maddox Ford, Alice B. Toklas, Sylvia Beach, and many others—are not only here, but here as major characters in the mystery. Stein as a goader of her acolytes to solve the murders. Hemingway as the muscle behind the investigations of Hector Lassiter, and so on. And what's most pleasing is that you come to know and appreciate these characters as real people—or is it the other way around? In any case, they come alive in three dimensions, and you find yourself caring about them in ways you haven't before. It's a kind of amazing (and very smart) montage of mystery, murder, meta-fiction, and literary-history, quite unlike anything I've read before. I enjoyed it immensely."
—Craig Holden, author of THE JAZZ BIRD

"Although more graphically explicit than I normally enjoy, I could not put One True Sentence down. Craig McDonald has a gift for sure-footed mysteries rooted in historical accuracy. This time out, he has recreated Paris of the 1920s and peopled it with colorful members of the Lost Generation. Witty, gritty and wry. I can't wait to see where he takes Hector Lassiter next."
—Margaret Maron, Edgar®-winning author of the Deborah Knott mystery series

"A finely-crafted pulp historical mystery featuring a group of literary notaries themselves caught in a dark and fascinating pulp-like mystery. McDonald's formidable narrative strengths are all on display here—you get a sharply-wrought crime tale full of wit, wistfulness, sly satire, and authentic portrayals of Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and a dozen other legends set against the creative maelstrom of 1920s Paris. While McDonald plucks your heartstrings his wily hero Hector Lassiter will pound out a drum roll on your short ribs, and yes, you actually will be thankful for the experience."
—Tom Piccirilli, author of SHADOW SEASON

"The fourth Hector Lassiter novel is one heck of a ride through 1924 Paris—a time and place readers need not be familiar with to enjoy the story. The mystery follows a classic trajectory, with enough red herrings and curveballs to make readers who guess at the culprit early on feel exceptionally smart."
—Michelle Wiener, RT Book Reviews Magazine

"In 1924 in Paris, a killer targets the editors of small literary magazines. The culprit's M.O. is never the same with each murder more gruesome than any of the previous ones. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas order mystery writers and potential lovers Hector Lassiter and Brinke Devlin to solve the case before someone else dies. The latest Lassiter 1920s mystery contains more twists than Lombard Street in San Francisco. This is an enjoyable historical amateur sleuth (novel) as readers meet a who's who (including) Hemingway as well as the two grand dame authoresses ordering Lassiter, Devlin and other crime novelists to find the killer."
—The Mystery Gazette

"When crime novelist Hector Lassiter sees a body fall into the Seine from the Pont Neuf in 1924 Paris, Gertrude Stein rallies the troops, and Lassiter and pal Ernest Hemingway pair up to find out who is killing the city's literary editors. Edgar®—nominated author McDonald takes such care to describe the American literary expatriate community in Paris in the years after World War I that readers will feel as if they are walking alongside Hemingway and his buddies as they look for a vicious killer. VERDICT Certain to attract Hemingway aficionados and readers who enjoy hard-boiled historical crime fiction."
—Library Journal

"This time out, crime writer Hec Lassiter and best friend Ernest Hemingway are young members of the Lost Generation in Paris in 1924. Someone is murdering editors of the city's many literary reviews, and Gertrude Stein assigns Hec, Hem, and two female mystery writers to track down the murderers, a nihilistic cult called the Nadaists. It's another juicy setting for McDonald to mix real people, well-known parts of the Hemingway legend, invented characters, and murders most foul. Gertrude Stein, Alice and her brownies, Ford Maddox Ford, William Carlos Williams, Man Ray, and Aleister Crowley all play parts of varying sizes, and McDonald paints a vivid picture of Lost Gen life in Paris. He tweaks Papa by giving credit for several of his best-known lines to Hec and a Paris cop. And he creates Brinke Devlin, a stunning mystery novelist with whom Hec falls in love, even though he suspects her of evil deeds. Sadly, the preface reports that Papa will be retired from the Lassiter novels. But fans will always have Paris."
—Thomas Gaughan, Booklist

"Craig McDonald has created one of my favorite characters in recent years, Navy Colt-packing crime novelist Hector Lassiter, who finds himself in the shadows of twentieth century history, occasionally with his buddy Ernest Hemingway. McDonald's latest, One True Sentence, takes Hector back to his early days—the Left Bank of the 1920s. As in previous books, McDonald weaves the pulp through the period and its people, giving weight to the book's fantastic elements. Many times those elements are used to explore literary culture, particularly its dark side. He shows the Lost Generation in an exciting, believable mix of energy, individuality, experimental hedonism, new ideas, and self-involvement. He also shows them as just another bunch of writers trying to get published, making these historical, larger than life figures very human."
—Scott Montgomery, BookPeople

"Craig McDonald came up with a brilliant premise for a mystery series. McDonald researched the career of the legendary novelist Ernest Hemingway. Then he imagined another writer named Hector Lassiter to be Hemingway's best friend. McDonald sprinkles One True Sentence with cameo appearances by famous novelists, poets and artists who lived in Paris during that period. Then he imagines a cast of characters who force the action. McDonald's ingenious plot has this maelstrom of mystery writers who are writing their own fictional stories while simultaneously being whirled through a lethal tsunami of impending doom."
—Vick Mickunas, Dayton Daily News

"Murder and Paris...what could be more perfect? Craig McDonald's fourth mystery featuring a young Ernest Hemingway and his fictitious pal Hector "Lasso" Lassiter is out and it's a lot of fun. The plot involves 'Lost Generation' writers who are being murdered and the survivors' attempts to figure out who the killer is before one of them becomes the next victim. The plot, though, is almost beside the point. If you enjoy period mysteries (this one is set in 1924), then pick up One True Sentence. It will make you glad you were an English major because you'll 'get' all the references."
—Katherine Tomlinson, Kattomic Energy

"This is Craig's masterpiece. McDonald blends the fictional pulp writer Hector Lassiter, into a world of non fiction characters such as Gertrude Stein, Alice Tolkas, Aleister Crowley, Man Ray, and of course Hadley & Ernest Hemingway. McDonald humanizes these literary icons like only he can. I have always found the Lassiter novels to be intelligent, rich and thought-provoking, but One True Sentence takes the series to a new level. This one has it all, mystique, intrigue, mystery, erotica, murder, the occult."
—Signs and Wonders

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

French translation coming from Belfond

Unabridged audio edition from Recorded Books

LEARN MORE/ORDER HERE

NEW ONE TRUE SENTENCE INTERVIEW BY JOHN KENYON

2011-02-14T19:57:00.003-05:00

On the eve of the launch of ONE TRUE SENTENCE, John Kenyon interviews me at Things I'd Rather Be Doing about the new novel, and the Hector Lassiter series... Check it out HERE.

LET'S PLAY ONE TRUE SENTENCE...

2011-02-13T17:20:00.015-05:00

Let’s play a game.

The arena is Twitter, and the time is every evenin’, or thereabouts, over the next month or so.

The name of the game is One True Sentence.

The phrase, “One true sentence,” was a goal and a kind of mantra for author Ernest Hemingway.

When faced with his own writing that seemed false, or prefatory, Hem claimed to dig down into the manuscript of a short story or novel until he arrived at his first “true sentence,” and then begin his tale with that “one true” line of prose.

My continuing character, crime novelist Hector Lassiter, first appeared in a short story called “The Last Interview,” published in the Mississippi Review what seems like a lifetime ago.

In the course of that story, a callow young interviewer sent to write an article on the aging Lassiter circa 1967 ends up engaging in a high-stakes game of One True Sentence with the author.

Hector, a Hemingway intimate for several tumultuous decades, used to play the writing game with Papa over the years and countless drinks, as he explains to his young interrogator.

The game went this way, according to Hector: One author would start a true sentence, and the other had to finish it, nice and pithy, and on the spot.

Something about that game I invented hung with me. When I decided to center a novel around Hector Lassiter — HEAD GAMES — I equipped Hector with a gift Zippo from Hemingway. The windproof lighter bore the following inscription:

To Hector Lassiter:
‘One true sentence.’
— E.H.
Key West,
1932

Asked about the lighter in that novel, Hector says of it, “Something from an ex-friend you’ve been lately reading. A kind of shared credo. I remember it. Not sure he does anymore.”

In the second Lassiter novel, TOROS & TORSOS, Hector and Hemingway are actually seen playing their game. Some of their collaborative “One True Sentences” from that novel roll this way:

• “The old man died…” “illusioned and therefore disappointed.”

• “The drunken priest, awaiting execution..” “…wished that one of his fellow prisoners was a whore.”

• “Absinthe tastes…” “…like regret.”

• “A man truly alone…” “has no last words.”

• “A best friend…” “…one day stands alone.”

Okay. You get the hang of it.

So, to celebrate the Feb. 15, 2011 release of Hector Lassiter number four, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, over at Twitter, I’m going to be challenging all takers to a game of ONE TRUE SENTENCE every night through February and much of March. Our first round starts the evening of the novel’s release on February 15, probably about 7 p.m. eastern so intrepid types on the west coast can play, too.

Here’s how it goes:

Follow me @HECTORLASSITER. Every night starting this Tuesday, I’ll start One True Sentence.

Any takers can finish that sentence, rationing just enough of their 140 characters in order to add the hash tag #1TS.

Every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. eastern, I’ll review the One True Sentences on the #1TS page, and pick the week’s winner. The one who writes the truest One True Sentence will be awarded the ultra rare limited edition of TOROS & TORSOS with their own One True Sentence inscribed inside. Our One True Sentence.

So…

Want to play a game?

FIRST PRINT REVIEW FOR ONE TRUE SENTENCE

2011-02-12T08:33:00.004-05:00

One True Sentence won't be officially released until this coming Tuesday (Feb. 15), but the first print review is in courtesy of Vick Mickunas and The Dayton Daily News.

Mickunas writes, "McDonald’s ingenious plot has this maelstrom of mystery writers who are writing their own fictional stories while simultaneously being whirled through a lethal tsunami of impending doom. At one point Hector muses: 'Oftentimes, the obvious solution is the right one, he told himself. Except in crime and mystery novels.'”

For the whole review, click HERE.

Last year, Mr. Mickunas interviewed me regarding Print the Legend. That interview can be heard HERE.

RT BOOK REVIEWS GIVES ONE TRUE SENTENCE 4 STARS

2011-02-08T18:45:00.006-05:00

The March edition of RT BOOK REVIEWS carries a four-star review for ONE TRUE SENTENCE (coming February 15 from Minotaur Books).

Reviewer Michelle Wiener describes the novel as "one heck of a ride through 1924 Paris. The mystery follows a classic trajectory, with enough red herrings and curveballs to make readers who guess at the culprit early on feel exceptionally smart." The entire review can be read HERE.

Also, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona has released its staff picks for February. ONE TRUE SENTENCE is a four-staffer choice among booksellers at that fine establishment.

I'll be appearing at The Poisoned Pen on Feb. 22 with the great James Sallis (pictured left). More on that event HERE.

A SIGNS AND WONDERS RAVE FOR ONE TRUE SENTENCE

2011-02-06T22:13:00.005-05:00

ONE TRUE SENTENCE gets a rave review over at Signs and Wonders, which declares the novel, to be released Feb. 15, 2011, a "masterpiece."

Particular attention is paid to the central female character in the novel, mystery writer Brinke Devlin.

Read the entire review HERE.

HEAD GAMES, THE eBOOK, IS COMING

2011-01-29T22:23:00.010-05:00

I get a lot of questions on the eBook front these days.

TOROS & TORSOS has been available as a downloadable eBook for Nook and Kindle for a couple of months now. As a result, I've been increasingly receiving inquiries about HEAD GAMES, the only one of the Lassiter novels not offered in eBook format, and whether one can be expected.

The answer is, yes, sometime in March, likely — April at the latest — HEAD GAMES will be released to Kindle and Nook.

I retained digital rights for my first four books, so I have been taking some time to figure out ways to best present/augment the books in this new format. Learning curves can be irksome, but they also can give you some fresh perspectives.

TOROS was released with some preview materials regarding ONE TRUE SENTENCE attached at the back.

For HEAD GAMES, I decided to cast a wider net. In addition to the novel, the eBook version will also include a reader's guide with suggested book club questions/topic discussion points.

I've also enclosed the original short story that introduced the Hector Lassiter character (and figures tangentially in the novel), "The Last Interview." Excerpts of TOROS & TORSOS, PRINT THE LEGEND and ONE TRUE SENTENCE, the fourth and forthcoming novel in the Lassiter series, will also be included.

I'm still mulling possibilities for bringing over my two collection of author interviews, ART IN THE BLOOD and ROGUE MALES, to eBook format and how best to do that.

An obvious notion would be to expand the books: incorporate interviews with authors who didn't make the books as originally published. That's one possibility.

Because I have audio tapes of the interviewed authors, I'm investigating the possibility of incorporating some audio files as part of an enriched format. Unfortunately, not all eBook readers are created equally, so it may be a matter of allowing the technology to kind of even out across platforms before attempting anything quite that ambitious.

So, eBook fans, what are your thoughts on supplemental materials? Is it overtaking the plumbing, or a value-added enticement? Beyond the book itself, what would interest you in an eBook version of a novel or nonfiction title?

One True Sentence Book TRAILER

2011-01-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

5 faves 4 2010: Stella, Bruen, Rudolph, Badal & The Boss

2011-01-15T12:57:00.018-05:00

Jed Ayres kindly asked for a list of 2010 favorites several weeks back for posting by Barnes & Noble at the Ransom Notes site.

That list is now up.

Check it out for my take on books: Charlie Stella's first historical crime novel, JOHNNY PORNO, and Ken Bruen's latest in the Jack Taylor series that skirts the supernatural.

Also, a gripping piece of True Crime reportage from James Jessen Badal regarding a vintage Cleveland serial killer cycle.

A classic neo-noir film by Alan Rudolph and tunes from The Boss round out my five selections.

LIBRARY JOURNAL ON ONE TRUE SENTENCE

2011-01-06T20:25:00.004-05:00

Library Journal has weighed in with its take on ONE TRUE SENTENCE (Minotaur Books, February 16, 2011):

LIBRARY JOURNAL
When crime novelist Hector Lassiter (Head Games; Print the Legend; Toros & Torsos) sees a body fall into the Seine from the Pont Neuf in 1924 Paris, Gertrude Stein rallies the troops, and Lassiter and pal Ernest Hemingway pair up to find out who is killing the city's literary editors. Edgar-nominated author McDonald takes such care to describe the American literary expatriate community in Paris in the years after World War I that readers will feel as if they are walking alongside Hemingway and his buddies as they look for a vicious killer. VERDICT Certain to attract Hemingway afficionados and readers who enjoy hard-boiled historical crime fiction. [Six-city author tour.]

THE YEAR AHEAD: ONE TRUE SENTENCE & MORE

2011-01-02T15:46:00.018-05:00

First up in 2011 is the release of ONE TRUE SENTENCE (Minotaur, February 2010). Given the novel centers on a pivotal romantic relationship in the life of series character Hector Lassiter, that Valentine's-time lay-down date seems particularly appropriate.

The novel also is set in one week in Paris, February 1924, and while in publication sequence the fourth novel in the Lassiter series, in terms of chronology, this one is theoretically the first, and, so, a perfect place for new readers to get on board.

Booklist has just weighed in on the novel:

"This time out, crime writer Hec Lassiter and best friend Ernest Hemingway are young members of the Lost Generation in Paris in 1924. Someone is murdering editors of the city’s many literary reviews, and Gertrude Stein assigns Hec, Hem, and two female mystery writers to track down the murderers, a nihilistic cult called the Nadaists. It’s another juicy setting for McDonald to mix real people, well-known parts of the Hemingway legend, invented characters, and murders most foul. Gertrude Stein, Alice and her brownies, Ford Maddox Ford, William Carlos Williams, Man Ray, and Aleister Crowley all play parts of varying sizes, and McDonald paints a vivid picture of Lost Gen life in Paris. He tweaks Papa by giving credit for several of his best-known lines to Hec and a Paris cop. And he creates Brinke Devlin, a stunning mystery novelist with whom Hec falls in love, even though he suspects her of evil deeds. Sadly, the preface reports that Papa will be retired from the Lassiter novels. But fans will always have Paris." — Thomas Gaughan

In addition to its hardcover release, ONE TRUE SENTENCE will also be available as an eBook, and in unabridged audio from Recorded Books. ONE TRUE SENTENCE is also a Mystery Guild Alternate Selection.

Tour dates are being finalized now; stops will include Austin, Texas; Scottsdale, Arizona; Dayton, Ohio and in-and-around Columbus, Ohio, among others, sometime in late February.

About that same time, PRINT THE LEGEND will be given its French release by Belfond, under the alternate title, ONE ONLY DIES ONCE. As that book makes its way to French bookstores, I'm tentatively scheduled to appear at the 2011 Festival Quai du polar in Lyon, France in late-March.

Steps are also underway to at last release HEAD GAMES as an eBook (TOROS & TORSOS became available in that format late last year). Once that is done, all of the Hector Lassiter novels so far published will finally be available in electronic format.

Stay tuned for more announcements regarding future projects, including the possible release of a standalone novel about a trio of Midwest cops later this year.

PRINT THE LEGEND ON A DOZEN-PLUS YEAR'S BEST LISTS

2011-01-02T08:36:00.027-05:00

PRINT THE LEGEND, the third novel in the Hector Lassiter series, made a humbling number of year's best lists and garnered several honorable mentions, as well.

I'm grateful to each critic and fellow writer who singled out the novel for recognition at year's end. A round up of those lists follows, and, later today, some words about what's to come in 2011.

• Barnes & Noble/Ransom Notes on PRINT THE LEGEND: "Chapter three of a proposed eight installment series featuring the fictional 20th century pulp writer Hector Lassiter. This one focuses on the death of Ernest Hemingway. Notice I didn’t say suicide. McDonald has created a three-dimensional character in Lassiter and an intricately layered mythology of the twentieth century for him to inhabit. Print is the third Hector Lassiter book - catch up with HEAD GAMES and TOROS & TORSOS."

• The Rap Sheet/January Magazine: "The Hector Lassiter series took a significant step forward in 2010 when author Craig McDonald released his third book about the renegade hard-boiled writer...Like the previous entries in the Lassiter series, HEAD GAMES (2007) and TOROS & TORSOS (2008), in PRINT THE LEGEND McDonald pulls from the archives of conspiracies and skullduggery to compose a rollicking yarn, taking no prisoners and never letting up on the adrenaline."

• Things I'd Rather Be Doing/John Kenyon on PRINT THE LEGEND (and others): "What set these books apart was not simply having a great story or compelling characters. It was the fact that the authors were daring and adventurous. Every book here is evidence of an author taking chances, and in each case, those experiments and leaps of faith paid off handsomely."

• Crime Factory/Keith Rawson on PRINT THE LEGEND: "My favorite ongoing series. Each entry in the Lassiter series keeps getting better and better. I can't wait for ONE TRUE SENTENCE."

• The Paperback Dolls (a Day pick for PRINT THE LEGEND for her top 5).

• Jen's Book Thoughts/Jen Forbus: "Why I don't hear McDonald's name mentioned more often is one of the great wonders of this world. PRINT THE LEGEND is extraordinary. It's unique, masterfully blending fact with fiction. McDonald refused to be confined by any conventions. He's paving his own road, and I'm gladly traveling along enjoying the fruits of his labors."

• Book People/Scott Montgomery: "A unique thriller that has McDonald’s pistol-toting crime writer, Hector Lassiter, a shady government agent, and Ernest Hemingway’s widow circling around some lost manuscripts. Smart, slow burn suspense as well as a deft meditation on literary culture."

• Naomi Johnson on PRINT THE LEGEND: "It's no secret how much I love the Hector Lassiter series. I can't even think about this book without wanting to re-read it."

• Charlie Stella names PRINT THE LEGEND as a 2010 favorite.

• Vince Keenan on PRINT THE LEGEND: "Yes, technically I read it in 2009. But I remembered it."

• Lazy Thoughts From A Boomer: A Top 10 list with nice mentions of PRINT THE LEGEND and kudos for narrator/actor Tom Stechschulte.

• The Mystery Bookshelf picks PRINT THE LEGEND as a top read.

Also, to make it a baker's dozen, and then some:

• Hilary Davidson's best of list includes Thuglit's anthology, BLOOD, GUTS & WHISKEY, including the short story, "These Two Guys..."

• The Drowning Machine More kind words for PRINT THE LEGEND, and its linked short story, "Colt."

PRINT THE LEGEND MAKES YEAR'S BEST LISTS

2010-12-22T21:55:00.007-05:00

PRINT THE LEGEND, the third novel in the Hector Lassiter series cropped up on three different year's best lists overnight.

I'm very grateful to the critics and booksellers who singled out PTL among the hundreds of books published in 2010.

January Magazine/The Rap Sheet's Stephen Miller wrote:

"The Hector Lassiter series took a significant step forward in 2010 when author Craig McDonald released his third book about the renegade hard-boiled writer, Print the Legend. Set in Ketchum, Idaho, in 1965, four years after Ernest Hemingway’s suicide, old Papa pal Lassiter finds himself the keynote speaker at a symposium about his drinking and writing rival and fellow spirit. Hemingway is on the verge of becoming the literary cottage industry that we know today with dissertations, journals, and academic jealousies. On top of it all, Mary Hemingway, the black widow herself, is still ensconced in the Ketchum home where she is said to be ready to release a posthumous memoir Hemingway wrote about his experiences in 1920s Paris, a book familiar to us today as A Moveable Feast. Yet all is clearly not right, since a rogue CIA agent named Donovan Creedy is lurking about the symposium, apparently hell-bent on destroying Papa’s reputation -- and take Lassiter out in the process. Meanwhile, Lassiter is trying to subdue the widow Hemingway, retrieve some long-lost papers, and keep Creedy from screwing Papa over once and for all. McDonald helps to keep this story timely by dovetailing it nicely into the recent controversy surrounding a re-editing of A Moveable Feast by one of the great author’s grandson, Sean Hemingway -- a “restored” version that received significant criticism from Hemingway loyalists. Like the previous entries in the Lassiter series, Head Games (2007) and Toros and Torsos (2008), in Print the Legend McDonald pulls from the archives of conspiracies and skullduggery to compose a rollicking yarn, taking no prisoners and never letting up on the adrenaline. One can’t help but be reminded, when reading several sections of this novel, of that old joke about why battles in academia are so vicious: because the stakes are so modest." -- Stephen Miller

Scott Montgomery, of Austin, Texas' Book People writes:
"A unique thriller that has McDonald’s pistol-toting crime writer, Hector Lassiter, a shady government agent, and Ernest Hemingway’s widow circling around some lost manuscripts. Smart, slow burn suspense as well as a deft meditation on literary culture."

(By the by, Book People's crime fiction club will be reading TOROS & TORSOS in January and I'll be visiting via speaker phone; hope to make an in person visit during the ONE TRUE SENTENCE tour early next year, too.)

And Jen Forbus at Jen's Book Thoughts writes:

"Why I don't hear McDonald's name mentioned more often is one of the great wonders of this world. PRINT THE LEGEND is extraordinary. It's unique, masterfully blending fact with fiction. McDonald refused to be confined by any conventions. He's paving his own road, and I'm gladly traveling along enjoying the fruits of his labors."

TOROS & TORSOS: A NEW FRENCH VERSION, AND EBOOK COMING

2010-10-23T08:26:00.018-04:00

TOROS & TORSOS: Number two in the Hector Lassiter series, is now two years old.

This week, it debuts in France from Belfond with a new title, RHAPSODIE EN NOIR (translation by Pierre Reignier), which is, in a very meta-twist, the title of Hector Lassiter's own first novel — a novel he will be seen composing in the forthcoming ONE TRUE SENTENCE (coming February 2011, from Minotaur).

Belfond recently released HEAD GAMES in mass market paperback to help promote the launch of TOROS/RHAPSODIE. (Belfond will also be publishing PRINT THE LEGEND and ONE TRUE SENTENCE in translation.)

HEAD GAMES introduced the character of crime author Hector Lassiter. My debut was part pulp-lit, part road novel and a study of old-world masculinity under multi-front assault.

TOROS was a change up. Hector narrated the first book; TOROS moved to limited third-person point of view and was spread across multiple decades. In the novel, Hector chases a phantom killer inspired by surrealist art. We're on the scene of the devastating 1935 Florida Keys Hurricane with Hector and Hemingway... We're the Spanish Civil War in 1937 where an increasingly erratic Hemingway burns bridges with John Dos Passos and others against a backdrop of an under-siege Madrid... We're in Hollywood in 1947 with Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, caught in a crossfire from the Black Dahlia murder... And we're in Cuba at the dawn of the Castro regime.

Apart from its American hardcover (in sold-out limited edition format, and trade hardcover) and trade paperback release from Bleak House Books, T&T was also recorded in unabridged audio by Recorded Books (check Audible or your local public library).

Before such things were on many people's radar, I elected to retain my eBook rights for HEAD GAMES and TOROS. In a few days, I'll be releasing TOROS in eBook format. That version will include samples of the other novels, including a preview of ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

More details on TOROS& TORSOS, the eBook, coming soon...

• 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Favorite Book

• 2009 Crimespree Award finalist for Best in an Ongoing Series

• One of Woody Hauts' Favorites of 2009

"Nothing short of a surrealistic masterwork."
— PAUL GOAT ALLEN, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"This is granite poetry in all its stone glory."
— KEN BRUEN, PRIEST

"Deftly mixes myth, history... McDonald's imaginative tale takes an enjoyably different approach to art and murder."
— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

HEAD GAMES AT THREE

2010-10-15T22:24:00.000-04:00

It was about this time, three years ago, that HEAD GAMES, my debut novel introducing crime novelist Hector Lassiter, "the man who lives what he writes and writes what he lives," made the scene.

As debut novels go, particularly ones from small independent presses, HEAD GAMES had a pretty startling run, garnering a number of heady awards nominations (the Edgar, Anthony and Gumshoe awards, among others), making a number of year's best lists and launching a series whose fourth installment will debut around Valentine's Day next year from Minotaur Books.

Perhaps more amazing — and very gratifying to me — is that the novel continues to roll along...still collecting reviews...still finding expression in different formats and languages.

Apart from the original Bleak House Books editions of HEAD GAMES which was published in three simultaneous formats — limited edition hardcover (sold out); trade hardcover (sold out) and trade paperback (still some of those available) — the novel was also recorded and released in unabridged audio by Recorded Books.

Last fall, BELFOND published a French translation in trade paperback format. (They call it THE HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA in those parts.)

This fall, HEAD GAMES is back out in France in mass market paperback. It's been published in Russia and soon will be published in translation in Japan.

In 2012, HEAD GAMES will again hit stands in graphic novel format from First Second with art by Kevin D. Singles. (A small sample of that appears below.)

Authors always say choosing favorites among their own books is like asking them to choose between their children. I don't quite buy that analogy, but first novels certainly earn a certain spot in their author's heart.

So, here's to HEAD GAMES at three.

ROGUE MALES: THE STEPHEN J. CANNELL INTERVIEW

2010-10-02T06:45:00.000-04:00

I was stunned yesterday to get a text message that Stephen J. Cannell had died. Cannell's work, particularly The Rockford Files, had a tremendous effect on my own writing.

In tribute to Mr. Cannell, the following is a long interview I conducted with the producer/screenwriter/novelist in 2003, taken from my second collection of author interviews, ROGUE MALES.

STEPHEN J. CANNELL:
HOLLYWOOD TOUGH
(JANUARY 5, 2003)

Stephen J. Cannell boasts a staggering résumé: screenwriter, producer, director, mogul, actor and best-selling novelist.

His success as a writer is still more stunning to those in the know:

Cannell was an undiagnosed dyslexic whose condition went largely undetected until the age of 35. By the time that diagnosis was made, Cannell was already one of Hollywood’s hottest screenwriters and producers.

His reading/writing disability apparently hasn’t affected his output — his screenwriting credits run to the four figures.

The list of TV shows he has created or co-created is staggering: The Rockford Files, The A-Team, Baretta, Toma, The Commish, The Duke, Greatest American Hero, Hardcastle & McCormick, Hunter, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Silk Stalkings, Renegade, Wise Guy, The Hat Squad, Tenspeed & Brownshoe, Riptide, 21 Jump Street, Unsub, Sonny Spoon, Stingray, and the list goes on….

His big break came in the 1960s, when he landed a job as head writer on the Jack Webb-produced series Adam-12, starring Kent McCord and Martin Milner as a couple of LAPD patrol officers.

That gig brought Cannell into direct proximity with the prickly personality of Webb. Cannell tells a story of spending several sessions working with Webb and “Joe Friday’s” daily tendency about the same time each afternoon to lash out at Cannell without provacation. Finally fed up, Cannell called Webb out: “Say that again Jack, and you better get your hands up, because I’m coming at you.”

Cannell needed to be tough, going toe-to-toe as he later would with scrappy personalities like Robert Blake, Robert Conrad and George Peppard.

In recent years, Cannell has turned his attention to writing novels, determined to fulfill the unlikely goal he set with a single word selected to describe himself in his high school yearbook: “author.”

Cannell has since moved to the top of the best-seller lists with several highly-praised novels.

Several of his books are currently in development for screen adaptation, as are several of his hit TV series, including The A-Team, 21 Jump Street and The Greatest American Hero.

Cannell and his wife of 35 years, Marcia — his high school sweetheart — have three children and what certainly must stand as one of the most enduring marriages in Hollywood.

Cannell spoke with me from his Los Angeles film production office, and again at a stop along his U.S. book tour.

***

When you were starting your career as a screenwriter, there were still several westerns and medical shows on the television landscape — what led you to the crime genre?

When I started writing, I just wanted to write anything that I figured I could get a job writing. I was willing to write half-hour comedies. I wrote some half-hour spec scripts. I wrote a Batman script on spec that I couldn’t sell. I was a very disciplined writer and I still am, so I would write for five hours a day, five days a week, and then on Saturday and Sunday I’d write all day long, because I had a regular job. I’d come home after working for my dad (Joseph K. Cannell, the namesake for Jim Rockford’s father, Joseph “Rocky” Rockford), driving a furniture truck, and I’d get home at 5 o’clock and write until 10 p.m. every night.

I was specing-out feature film scripts and TV scripts of all different varieties. What ended up happening was I started getting employed in the hour drama. The first company that put me under contract was Universal. I was doing Adam-12. I was the head writer on that show. There was a reward out for Universal’s sense of humor in those days. There were no comedies on that lot. Nothing. They were the hour-drama shop. We had Kojack, Rockford, Baretta and just every show, the Mystery Movies — Columbo, McCloud, MacMillian and Wife. It was all dramas, even though some of them had a light take to them, like The Rockford Files did.

Then, what happened was, my success there was pretty major, which surprised the hell out of me. But then you get sort of defined by your successes. The idea that I would sit down and write Cheers, or something like that — even though I would have loved to have tried — they all go, “No, no, we don’t want you to do that.” I used to go to the networks all the time and pitch shows with female leads. I’ve always wanted to do a show with a female lead. They wouldn’t let me do it. They just kept pushing me back toward what I had already done. Even though I ended up with shows like Silk Stalkings, where “Rita” was a great female character, or Hunter, where “DeeDee” was a great female character, basically they were male-driven kinds of shows.

To this day you haven’t created a show with a female lead?

I wrote a couple of pilots over the years, but you know what? They didn’t get bought. One of the things that happened in the latter part of the ’90s, going into 2000 and on, was that the networks finally got hip to the fact that women were a larger percentage of their audience than men. The reason for that was men were being drawn off by ESPN and cable channels that were offering sports. So you had a higher degree of women watching television. Then, slowly, the female-lead drama began to become an important staple of network programming, but prior to that, they weren’t doing it.

I find it interesting that Adam-12 was your first major writing job in Hollywood. I tend to associate you with projects that have some overt or covert sense of humor. Adam-12 always struck me as perhaps the most humorless show on TV.

Yes and no. It’s actually not so. One of the things that we used to do on Adam-12 was — it was a great, by the way, I hasten to say — it was a great place to start. They were half hour shows, and we would write these what we called “spine stories.” The spine stories were something that was generally going on between Reed and Malloy, the two principal characters. You’d hit it three times basically during the half-hour. An example might be that Reed’s going back to college, and Malloy isn’t sure that this is the right thing and that’s part of it. So you’d have that spine story. Then there would generally be some major crime story, like some guy holding up 7-11s that they end up catching in the last reel of the picture. Then there were a couple or three of these little pieces — a lady calls and her cat’s in a tree and she’s got to get him down. These kind of silly little things that were like the comedy things.

What ended up happening on Adam-12 was that those things ended up being played very broad. The woman would have curlers in her hair and she would really be this silly kind of caricature-type of person. That was sort of the way the show was being done. When I got there I decided, “You know what I’m going to try and do with these comedy bits, if I can?” — almost like in a writing class, where you’d come on a character in page 7 and you’d be out of the character on page 8 or 9. But that character had to exist during those three pages or four pages and be funny and at the same time, real. I sort of developed this technique of saying, “Every character has to have a yesterday and is going to have a tomorrow.” What I noticed with a lot of these scripts that I had seen prior to my coming in there was that they were just played for laughs. I decided if the woman comes out there, and her cat’s in the tree, instead of it being some dopey thing about the cat being in the tree, I’d have this lady be late for her night school class in law. So there would be another energy in the thing beyond just, “Oh my cat’s up in the tree! Can’t you boys get it down?” It turned out to be really good for me, because, when I started doing shows like The Rockford Files, I gave them a yesterday and I gave them a tomorrow and that was all part of what I was doing on Adam-12. So it was a very good learning process for me.

Turning to your books, you’ve mentioned Michael Connelly as a writer you admire.

Yeah, I love him.

Connelly, Dennis Lehane—

Another of my favorites. In fact I was just filling out a thing for West Coast Crime, where I’m going to go, and they asked my favorite authors and I put Dennis and Michael, and Nelson DeMille and I like Jefferson Parker…I thought Silent Joe was a cool book.

Connelly and Lehane started with recurring characters, or series, then moved into stand-alone novels in order to recharge, or because the characters were getting a bit stale for them. You’ve tended to go the other way, starting with stand-alones and now your recent books have centered on this single character, Shane Scully. Was that a conscious choice?

What happened was, when I started, I told my publisher, “I don’t want to write a series,” because I had been writing series television for 30 years. I thought, “God, the fun of writing these novels is that I can create a whole new world, every time.” Eventually, I wrote The Tin Collectors (featuring Shane Scully’s debut). It’s interesting what makes an author select an area to write in. You know you’re going to be writing a book for months, and you want to pick something that is going to be exciting to you. I also want to pick something that is going to stretch me, a little bit, and I want to pick something that hopefully I haven’t written before, a relationship I haven’t written before. One day I was sitting around thinking, “You know, I’ve never really done anything on Internal Affairs.” I’ve written about Internal Affairs, but I don’t know my ass from second base about Internal Affairs.

They’re an easy heavy for a crime writer.

Exactly. Yeah, the “shoe flies,” the cops who go after cops. My inclination — my feeling — was, well, you know, they’re kind of assholes who don’t like the department and who don’t like cops, negative stuff like that. That was my kind of stereotypical view and that’s basically the way they are written in most people’s novels. Even in motion pictures, whenever they are portrayed. So I decided I’d go down to Internal Affairs in L.A. The Internal Affairs Division for the LAPD is actually headquartered in the Bradbury Building. The Bradbury Building is this incredible building that was built about 1910. It almost looks like an old Louisiana courtyard with wrought iron railings and an interior courtyard that has been glassed-over and these old, filigreed, wrought iron elevators. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings. We shoot it all the time. I’ve shot it a half-a-dozen times, usually for thirties private eye-type shows.

I called up to find out where Internal Affairs is located, and, lo and behold, they’ve rented the top three floors of the Bradbury Building. So I go down there, and one of the things about LAPD is it is open, it’s an open proceeding, unlike a lot of others. I walk in and I’m instantly recognized. I’m sitting in the back of what’s called a Board of Rights hearing. They want to throw me out because they’re afraid I’m there to write about it, but the commander — the guy who’s running the Board of Rights hearing — says, “No, it’s an open hearing, Mr. Cannell has a right to be here.” So I was trying to convince these guys that I was thinking about writing a book about Internal Affairs.

Well, I ended up spending two-and-a-half months down there. Anytime I had a half-a-day off or I wasn’t doing something, I would go down there. I showed up at Internal Affairs probably 50 times over the next couple of months. Sometimes I’d just go for two hours over lunch. I got to know all of the advocates and all of the defense reps and I wrote this book called The Tin Collectors which is about Internal Affairs. I thought it was going to be a stand-alone. Then I was having lunch one day with a friend of mine who used to be the Special Agent in Charge of the L.A. office for U.S. Customs. I hosted a TV show for a year called U.S. Customs Classified. I was the “Robert Stack” of that show — a nationally syndicated show. I got to know this guy, Bill Gately, who was the Special Agent in Charge of the L.A. office. He’s a really cool character. I actually patterned the cop in Final Victim after Bill Gately.

We’re having lunch one day and he starts to tell me about the “parallel market.” The parallel market is Fortune 500 companies using their product to launder Colombian drug cash. The more he tells me about this, I couldn’t believe what was happening. This has been happening for 25 years. The Federal government knows the Fortune 500 companies are using their product to launder this Colombian drug money. And, now, al Quada is doing the same parallel market laundering for drug money out of Afghanistan. The more I thought about it, I thought, “You know, I could use these same characters from The Tin Collectors, and I could have Shane Scully tackle this case. Instead of doing it as customs case, he’ll do it as an LAPD case.” So I went and pitched it to my publisher and they said, “Will you please write a series? Please!" And I said, “Look, I don’t want to write a series, but I’ll write a second book.” Then The Tin Collectors became a New York Times bestseller, and so did Viking Funeral, and I got trapped.

Now you’re on to book number three.

I have finished three, Hollywood Tough.

Are you going to do a fourth?

Yeah, because, you know what? People like him. But, what my publisher has allowed me to do is, well, I’m very disciplined. I’ve been writing two novels a year, anyway. I was starting to pile novels up. I had three completed novels that actually didn’t yet have publication dates. One is a stand-alone called Runaway Heart, that will be released by St. Martin’s in June (2003). So we’re going to do two novels next year. I’ve also written a stand-alone called Love at First Sight, which will probably come out a year from June. So now I’m doing two novels a year. I’ll have my January “Shane Scullys,” and my off-season stand-alones, and I’ll do that until I fall over, I guess. I do enjoy stand-alones, but I’ve been having fun with Scully. I’m getting ready to write another Shane Scully. I’ve sort of plotted it. I know what the story is, but I haven’t sat down and written an outline yet, which I’ll do when I get back from my tour. It’s a great idea for a story, called Vertical Coffin. A “vertical coffin,” by the way, is a doorway.

I was about to ask.

In police jargon, any doorway is often referred to as a “vertical coffin,” because when you go through them you can die. This particular vertical coffin is a very specific killing that takes place in a doorway. So, I’ve got a good story for that, and, Hollywood Tough, again, was a story that I’ve wanted to write about the underworld trying to take over the below-the-line film industry.

Yes, again, I found it interesting that only now, several novels in, are taking on your old Hollywood milieu.

Well, it was just a great story. Back in the 1930s, Al Capone and Meyer Lansky and those guys actually controlled the IATSE, which is the organization of below-the-line film unions in Los Angeles, for about five years by running off all the other candidates and getting one of the business agents to run for president. They basically controlled the I.A. The idea was that they (the mob) would control IATSE, then they would cut special deals with producers and let them shoot on the low budget rate card, in return for which they would get ownership of the backend of the pictures. Well, that’s what this guy (the villain of Hollywood Tough) is trying to do. He believes that by controlling IATSE, he will eventually get his hands around the $70-billion California film industry, which would make him one of the most powerful men in California. In fact, this mobster would have the power to call a strike and literally shut down the fire and police departments, because we are that dependent on taxes from the entertainment industry. A guy actually came out here with the intention of doing this about ten years ago. The police department found out about it, and ended up setting up a phony movie company to sting him on a RICO charge. Which is what Shane Scully does in this novel. He ends up producing this film which gets out of control. He’s on this horse that he can’t ride. He has to go back to the LAPD and say, “I need another $150,000...I need another half-a million.” They want to keep this guy out of town, but, at the same time, when they get over a million dollars in pre-production in this movie, it’s pretty funny.

It is pretty funny, and it comes across as funny, but it doesn’t come across as a particularly fond portrait of the industry. Or, at least, it didn’t to me.

If you want to talk about the excesses of Hollywood, you look at something like the Twilight Zone (1983) film and, I’m blanking on the name of the director…

John Landis?

Yes, John Landis. Nobody says “no” to these guys. I think it’s important for people to hear “no” occasionally. If you think you can have anything you want, then pretty soon you’re screaming at a helicopter pilot, saying “Lower, lower, lower, and—”

And Vic Morrow is dead?

They forget completely there are children and Vic Morrow is under there and you blow a charge and bring a ’copter down and it’s bad behavior. It is bad behavior.

You owned your own production studio and created many, many shows, yet never found yourself caught up in those kinds of excesses?

I owned the 38 shows that I produced from my company. Actually, I love Hollywood. My experiences in this industry have been charming, in a way. I find show business people to be fun and entertaining. There is no anger in me at all. But there is a high degree of lunacy in show business. It’s lunacy that is created by the fact that it is not a real world. There is celebrity. You know, people are actually really, really concerned about who Madonna is (sleeping with). I say, “Who cares?” There are articles written about it every day — cover stories in magazines. Pretty soon, the people in this industry start to take themselves a little bit too seriously. It’s a very seductive thing. It’s happened to me, too, and I’m pretty grounded. I’ve got really great parents and, fortunately, I’ve also surrounded myself with people who will grab me by the throat when I start to act that way and go, “What are you doing?”

You also have maybe one of the record-long marriages in Hollywood.

I do. And my wife is certainly one of the first to stomp on me if I start to wander around and lose control. She says, “Listen, I remember you when you had acne,” because we were dating in the eighth grade. It’s great to have people around you who are not impressed by you. Even though I’d love to have people around me read every script that I wrote and tell me that it was great and actually have them be great, the greater problem was to have them tell me it was great if it wasn’t. I’ve learned over the years to find true critics, who come in and say, “You know, you may want to take another look at this — it isn’t as great as you think it is.” And then if I fire that guy or gal for having that opinion, then I’m liable to fall prey to this very thing you see happening with these characters in Hollywood Tough. But the whole thing with that Neural Surfer movie (in Hollywood Tough), it isn’t that far off the truth. Look at Battlefield Earth (the 2000 science fiction film starring John Travolta and based on a novel by the L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, of which Travolta is an adherent). Nobody would tell John Travolta that that was a piece of shit, you know? That thing had been around forever, but he was determined to have El-Ron’s piece brought to the screen. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with John Travolta having that belief and that love for the material, but, if he’s wrong, somebody needs to tell him.

When you are writing a script for Rockford, for instance, I assume you are visualizing James Garner and hearing his voice delivering the dialogue. Do you “cast” your characters in your novels, so to speak? Do you have an actress or actor in mind when you shape the characters?

No, never do it.

You mentioned a friend who served as the model for a character in Final Victim — the character of “John Lockwood,” I take it —

God, you have read the books, haven’t you?

I’ve enjoyed the hell out of ’em….

Well, yeah, Bill Gately was my take on John Lockwood. But it was just because of Bill, who was one of these guys that really, really was a guy who put catching criminals above his own career, which ended up costing him pretty dearly. He was guy who did not play politics. A guy who was willing to take on his own bosses to succeed. As a result, he was accused of stealing money by the U.S. Customs Department. They ran a whole Internal Affairs investigation on him. Basically took him off the job, sent him to Washington, made him fly a desk…never told him that he was exonerated by their own investigation. He had to file a Freedom of Information Act to find out that he had been cleared. They wanted the axe held over his head so he wouldn’t shoot his mouth off to the press. He was this guy who I thought was really colorful, and, at the same time, a really heroic character in my own mind. So I didn’t make John Lockwood sound like Bill, but just the idea of that character being willing to be off the page a little bit. Basically, though, I don’t try to write for actors. When I created the Rockford Files, when I wrote the pilot script, I didn’t know that Jim Garner was going to play it. I thought that we were going to get one of the people under contract at Universal (Studios).

I read somewhere that Robert Blake was up for it.

Well, actually, Frank Price (then-Universal Television President) wanted Robert Blake to play it after he read my screenplay. He called Roy Huggins (the creator of the series Maverick, which also starred Garner) and me up to his office. I was, like, 29-years-old: I didn’t know my ass from second base. We go up to the office and he says, this is exactly what he said, “I’ll tell you one little change you could make in your material that will guarantee you a five-year hit,” and he said, “it won’t take you five seconds to make the changes.” Now, what a fuckin’ deal that is. And I said, “Well, what’s that Frank?” And he goes, “You know, every successful detective show on the air today, the detective has something strange or different about him. Longstreet is blind…”

Cannon is fat.

Yes, “Cannon is fat. Ironside is crippled.” He goes through the whole list. And he says, “I think that Rockford should be five-foot, three-inches tall.” And I said, “Jeez…” I’m sitting there, and Roy Huggins, who was my godfather in the business and the best there ever was, he’s sitting there, and I’m looking over at him thinking, “Roy, you’ve gotta stomp on this!” Roy had this thing, when he hated an idea — and I knew he hated this idea — he would always do this: When he hated an idea, he would always go, (falsetto) "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh…." (Laughing). That always meant “What a horrible idea.” So Roy went, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh….” like that. But he didn’t say anything else. So Frank says, “Go see Electra Glide in Blue” (starring Robert Blake) and we left the meeting. I go, “Roy, if we make Rockford a little guy, when he chickens out, it’s not funny anymore. It’s like he’s chickening out because he’s a shrimp.” Roy said, “No, no: I understand, you don’t have to tell me that.” He says, “You know, when you get a horrible casting idea, the way you overcome it, is you just get a better idea.” And I said, “What are we going to do?” I’m panicking. Roy says, “You know what you’ve written here? You’ve written Maverick in the private eye genre.” And Roy had produced Maverick and created Maverick. So he got the script over to Jim, and within hours after we had sent the script to Jim, we got a call from Meta Rosenberg saying, “We want to do this.” So now we had Jim Garner and Robert Blake became a distant memory, but, as it turned out, Frank was determined to get Robert Blake on the air, and he was right, so we came up with Baretta.

The CBS movies — the reunion movies — of The Rockford Files that were done a few years ago: Were those something that you initiated, or did someone come to you?

I’ll tell you exactly who it was: Charlie Engle, who was an executive at Universal back all of the years ago when we were making the show. And it was still Universal who ended up selling it to CBS. You couldn’t sell in to NBC (where The Rockford Files originally ran), because they wouldn’t do it. But he sold it to CBS, which was probably actually a better place for it, because they had an older audience. So they cut the deal with Jim, and they gave him a fortune to do it. Then they wanted to reassemble our writing staff. They brought Charles Johnson in to be the executive producer, and Juanita Bartlett was the co-executive producer and they made me the supervising producer which was what I was during the series. That was fine, because at the time, I was running my own studio and had six shows on the air: the last thing in the world I really wanted to do was to go to work for Universal, but, at the same time, I didn’t want to not be part of this project. So when the thing was all over (laughing) they don’t have any money for me. So, they say to me, "Well, how can we get you to do it?" So I agreed to be the supervising producer on those for like $5,000 an episode, which is like…well, everyone else is making, like, $50K. David Chase —

Of Sopranos fame….

Yes, who was also one of our writer/producers on the show — everyone knows how great David was — but, back when we were doing these movies, David was sort of odd-man out. His television career had not blossomed as I thought it should have, because I always thought he was one of the best writers I ever knew.

I loved his episodes of Rockford.

They were always the best.

But then along came Northern Exposure, which never seemed the right fit for him.

He did Northern Exposure and some other things, and he always had such a specific voice, you know? And I really wanted him to be part of the reunion shows’ writing team, because the idea was that Juanita, David and I would come up with all of the stories and write all of the scripts, which, in fact, we did. I got paid as a writer, but I was producing for $5,000 an episode. So (laughing), they were trying to cut the deal with him, and they said, “Well, how much do you want?” and David said, "Just give me whatever you gave Cannell," thinking that I got a huge number. So David and I both ended up doing the show for $5,000 an episode. We did eight of them for that. He was there for all of them and he was so great. He finally came in and said, “Man, we got boned.” And I said, “What do you mean?” And he said, “How come you did it for $5,000?” And I said, ‘Because I’m really not going to be producing that much, because I’ve got six hours on the air and I really can’t sit here and cut film, but I want to be part of the scripting.” So we did ’em all. I wrote two, David wrote two and Juanita wrote three and we got one other writer to write the last one. There were eight.

It was great to have it back for a while.

Well it was a great show. And of course we had the best star you could ever have. Jim (Garner) was so respectful of all of the writers — David, Juanita and myself. He never changed a line of dialogue. It was a dream job for a writer, because he literally wouldn’t change anything. Juanita wrote very short — if you looked at a Juanita Bartlett script, her lines of dialogue were very short. One or two sentences. And she had this amazing ability in a very few number of words to say so much and be so funny. David (Chase) wrote soliloquies. Some of his speeches went on half a page. I was somewhere in the middle of the two of them. My speeches were longer than Juanita’s but not as long as David’s. And we all wrote kind of differently. David is a very cerebral writer. I’m a very visceral writer. I think Juanita is a visceral writer. But all of us were able to write that show and make it slightly different. All of our minds were slightly different. I used to read David’s stuff and go, “God, I’m never going to be as good as this guy.” And he told me he used to read my stuff and felt the same way. I just talked to him the other day, and he said, “I’d think, I’ve done it, this show has got nowhere to go, then I’d read one of your scripts and think, ‘Oh, there’s still some stuff we haven’t done. There’s still stuff to do on this show.’” We had that kind of great respect for one another, and then Jim would never change anything.

He must be the only actor I’ve ever heard that said of.

If a guest star was paraphrasing material, he would listen to it in the first camera rehearsal. Then he would go up to the guest star and he would say, “You know, I think we have the best writers in Hollywood working on this show, and I just never change anything, and it would mean a lot to me if you wouldn’t either.” So we got our lines exactly as written from everybody because Jim protected us. Well, there was this one time: It was about the fifth year, and David had written this script, and as I said, he wrote these very cerebral and sometimes quite long lines. They were sometimes a little hard for actors to remember, because, since they were cerebral, they weren’t coming from an emotional center, they were coming out of David’s head. Very much like Paddy Chayefsky used to write. So sometimes the connective tissue between one thought to the next was a little obscure, so actors couldn’t remember the dialogue. It would occasionally happen with David’s scripts. By the way, that doesn’t mean shit — his stuff was beautiful. I on the other hand, was a visceral writer, so there was an emotional connection between one line and the next because it was all coming out of my visceral viewpoint.

So, one day I get a call from the director on the set, and he’s saying, “You better get down here because Jim is going nuts! He can’t remember this dialogue.” Jim hated to hold up the company. He hated to be the guy booting the line. So I get David, because it is his script, and we’re walking down to Stage 12 at Universal. I’m saying, “This is amazing: five years on this show, and this guy has never asked for a line to be changed. Not one. This is just the exception that proves the rule.” David is kind of grumbling, and the red light goes off and we step on to the stage, and we hear Jim screaming profanities. I can just see David cringing because he wrote the material. I pulled Jim aside and I said, “Hey Jim, I understand you’re having a little problem,” and he said, “Yeah, I can’t remember the goddamn line.” I said, “Well, you know, it’s an awful long speech, I can have Rocky come in and say something, and David will fix it for us.’ And Jim said, “What, you mean? Change the line?” And I said, “Yeah.” He said, “Steve! It’s a great fucking line! I just can’t remember it!” (laughing) So that was it. We never changed a line, even in that case. He was perfect. What a joy to work on a show like that. That’s why we all came back for the reunion movies even though we were all busy with other things.

Let me ask you a little bit about reducing — or adapting — your own books for the screen. You’ve said in other interviews you enjoy the format because you can pace it your way, fill it out and take your own time, but I understand that you’ve adapted at least one of your own novels into screenplay format. What’s that like?

It’s an interesting process. I’ve sort of learned how to do it now.

Do you find yourself cursing yourself — the screenwriter in you cursing the novelist for coming up with something crucial that doesn’t adapt to the screen easily?

No, actually, I congratulate myself, and I’ll tell you why. One other time, I have adapted a book by another novelist, and one of the things that often happens with novels is that there is no second act. All stories need to be told in three acts, whether they’re novels, whether they’re screenplays, whether they’re Broadway plays, whether they’re jokes. A good joke always has three acts. It’s generic. Yet, a lot of novelists, because act two is the hardest act to plot, don’t. Act two contains the two most important plot moves: One is the complication of the original idea, which would be at the top of act two, and the second most important part of act two, which is what we call the second act/curtain, which is “the wipe-out.” Basically that destroys the hero’s plans. And during act two, you should always have your heavy or adversary in motion and your protagonist in motion. Every move for your protagonist should be a move forward. In screenplays and television, even though television is written in four acts, generically, it’s three acts. Every story is in three acts. So, when I wrote my books, I worked them out in three acts when I did the outlines. You name the novel, I’ll give you the three acts.

They’re ready to go?

They’re ready to go. They’re laid out. That second act is there, man, and it’s the second act which is always the hardest. If you’re trying to adapt a novel with no second act, then you’re trying to put a complication into the novelist’s original idea and you’re trying to put in a second act complication where it doesn’t exist and literally, the entire plan crashes. And then you’re also trying to stay at the same place in the end. Fucking hard to do, because you can’t mess with the front. And, then, you’ve got a producer who loves the book, but you’re going, “Guys, we can’t be in the same place on page 60 that we were on page 30. Something has to happen that changes all of this.” It’s critical to structure. Well, my books all have three act plots.

What I do, when I start, the first thing I do, is I write down generically the three acts. What are the three acts of the novel? Act 1 defines the problem. Pick the novel — the first act defines the problem. The complication is at the top of Act 2. Okay, I know I need to keep my complication and I know I need to keep my second act complication and I need to keep my second act wipe-out, my second act curtain. This is before I ever start writing. Now, I start to say, “Okay, what in Act 1 is really not that important?” And I go back and I just start eliminating things: “You know, I really don’t need this subplot.” It’s cool for the book, but I don’t really need it. Now, I make a beat sheet, basically. Here’s the new outline. It still basically follows the track of the novel, same complications, same second act/curtain, same solution, but these things are missing. I’m not going to write this subplot with the girls this way, I’m going to make the love story this. I’m going to make the changes this. And then I sit down and write myself an outline basically for the script. Then I’ve learned not to marry any of the dialogue in the novel. One of the things I learned when I first adapted my first novel, there were certain scenes that I really loved so I had my novel in my lap and said, “I don’t want to leave these lines out.” You can’t write that way. I’ve never written that way. So I just throw all of the dialogue from the book away. I don’t even look at it. I write completely new scenes. They may be about the same things, but the dialogue is completely fresh. Because then I can stay fresh. If I stay fresh, then hopefully there’s some snap in the work. If I’m just regurgitating the novel, then it doesn’t work.

That’s fascinating. You see the occasional screenplay that a novelist has adapted from his own work, and it tends to be slavish to the book and—

And it’s usually just a bad job. If you don’t try to save any of your dialogue, and you start all over again, then you have the chance to let the character to grow in a completely different direction as you are writing. I just finished adapting Riding the Snake, and it was a great process. I found things in this guy that I never found in him in the novel. It was good.

Do you watch much episodic TV these days yourself?

Yeah. I watch some.

Can you let go and enjoy it?

Oh, sure.

I wonder if the craftsman in you is critiquing or intruding as you watch.

No it never did, even when I was day-to-day doing it. You have to be able to appreciate your calling’s work instead of sitting there being a critic all of the time. I mean, that’s no fun. When I watch Dick Wolf’s stuff, or Steve Bochco’s or Don Bellasario’s, I sit there and I just let these guys take me for a ride. You can’t sit there and say, “Oh, I see what he's doing,” or, “I know what he’s up to here,” or, “I see where he’s going.” I don’t do that. I don’t try to out-think the story, I don’t try to get to the punch-line ahead of the actors. I just watch it like I would any other movie. Same as if I’m reading a book. If I’m reading Michael (Connelly) or Dennis (Lehane), if I’m reading Mystic River I’m not trying to figure out what is he doing, why is he doing this?

How did he pull that off?

How did he pull that off? I’m just letting him take me on the ride because he’s a good enough writer to do it. The only time I get in trouble with a writer or author is if he doesn’t write well. If an author doesn’t write well, or when they don’t know their subject matter, then I start to get angry and frustrated. If I ever have that desire to take out a pencil and correct something, then it doesn’t work.

You read Michael Connelly or Dennis Lehane, and when those cops are on that murder scene, man, you are at a murder scene. These guys are taking you to a murder scene. They sign the crime scene attendance sheet. All of the stuff on forensics is correct. They know the stuff and research. When I went to Internal Affairs when I was writing The Tin Collectors, I learned so much about what was going on down there that I had no idea was happening, but which made my book so much richer.

The first thing I found out is that they aren’t all a bunch of ne’er do wells down there who hate the police department. That initial concept that I had — that everybody else has — is incorrect. You know what they all are? They’re the climbers. They’re the guys who want to go to administration. They’re the smartest and sharpest. They’re the best-looking. I never saw so many guys in Armani. There isn’t one guy in Internal Affairs who wears his gun on his hip — they’ve all got ankle holsters because they don’t want to spoil the cut of their clothes. It’s fucking amazing.

It’s like going to the networks. So, starting right there, everything changed…everything about the way I wrote this book. The first guy who did this — who really took you into the world of police, was Joe Wambaugh. He wrote those guys like they really were. You read The Glitter Dome and you go, “Jeez, these guys are all suicidal.” Well, yeah, after I read that, I found out that one of the highest suicide rates is among police. Divorce rates, too, and all the rest of that bad stuff.

On a different subject, were you surprised by the strong reception for the Hunter reunion TV movie that was on recently?

No. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I would have been surprised had it not done that well. Here’s the problem with Saturday night: When Frank Lupo and I went over to NBC, I walked into Jeff Zucker’s office and I said, “Okay Jeff, this is going to be the shortest meeting that you will ever have. You will either love this idea or all of us are going to be sitting on our asses out on the street here in about thirty seconds.” I said, “Hunter on Saturday night, as a movie first, and then maybe as a series.”

I said, “This is a show that controlled it’s time period for seven years at NBC. Walker, Texas Ranger did exactly the same thing on CBS. There is a market for this and it’s not being serviced by — what’s on Providence, or whatever is on … The District.” I said, “You put this on and all of those people that don’t want to go out and shake their booty on Saturday night — an older demographic — will be there.”

He said, “I love it: can you make it for a price?” We argued about license fees for a few minutes, and I said “You give us a number and I’ll get there with a picture.” He gave us a number and we actually made it for that. I would have been really surprised if it hadn’t worked. Because that kind of programming is not the sexy, very fresh sort of thing. I know how to do shows like NYPD Blue. I can write dark material. We did it with Wiseguy and some of my novels are that way. Frank and I sat there and wondered, should we modernize this? Should we make it shades of gray, or should we do it back like it was in the 1980s? I said, “Do it like it was back in the eighties, because the people who are going to be watching it are those same people. They are the ones who are home.” Our demographics were horrible — they were older than hell — but we won the households. You’re never going to get a high 18 to 34-year-old viewership on Saturday night. They’re not home … they’re not there to watch. So it performed pretty much the way I expected it to.

AT THE BRINKE: ONE TRUE SENTENCE

2010-08-29T18:02:00.000-04:00

Monday evening should bring a fairly sweeping Web site update, complete with some news about foreign editions, some new audio-video content, and, most notably, the first bits of news about the next novel, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, coming February 15 from Minotaur Books (and now available for pre-order pretty much everywhere).

Below is the cover illustration for OTS — the first Hector Lassiter novel since TOROS & TOROS to be graced by a painted cover (T&T featured a painting by the great Diego Rivera).

In a way, that's strangely appropriate, as ONE TRUE SENTENCE was written immediately after TOROS and envisioned as a kind of spiritual companion to TOROS.

Both novels take place relatively early in Hector Lassiter's crowded life. TOROS opened in 1935 (Hector was born on Jan. 1, 1900). ONE TRUE SENTENCE opens in February, 1924 and gives us our earliest, full length view of Hector. The novel's structure is also a good bit different than the previous entries in the series.

The first three novels had a tendency to spread across time. HEAD GAMES encompassed 1957, 1967 and 1970 (and flashbacked to the early 1900s). TOROS & TORSOS opened in ’35, as previously noted, then moved to the Spanish Civil War in 1937, on to post-war Hollywood in 1947 and from there to 1959 Cuba before ending on a coda set in New Mexico in 1961. PRINT THE LEGEND was largely set in 1965, before making leaps ahead to the early 1970s, the middle 1980s and wrapping up in our present year.

ONE TRUE SENTENCE is set in exactly one week of February 1924...just seven fast-moving days in Paris. The cast of characters for this one includes Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Sylvia Beach, Ford Maddox Ford, William Carlos Williams and Jean Paul Fargue, among others.

This novel — one I'm particularly proud of — also introduces us to THE pivotal woman in Hector Lassiter's life, Brinke Devlin — a kind of mash-up of Louise Brooks and Craig Rice. Brinke is a mystery writer who shapes Hector into the man we've come to know through the earlier books and stories. (Check out the cover artist's version of Brinke below.)

This novel also represents a kind of turning or tipping point in the series — appropriate in its way as this was envisoned, and written, as an eight-book series.

So Monday night, if you're inclined, swing by the site: there'll be plot summaries, extended blurbs from authors Margaret Maron, Diana Gabaldon, Stefanie Pintoff, Ace Atkins, Craig Holden and Tom Piccirilli...book trailers and a longish excerpt of the opening chapters of the new novel.

Down the road, you can expect more news on tour dates, special promotional items and another limited edition chapbook featuring a short story tied to ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

NEW INTERVIEW/CONTEST

2010-08-08T12:41:00.000-04:00

Jean Henry Mead interviews me at Mysterious Writers HERE.

Topics include strong female characters, the issue of "mystery" various "crime fiction" and more.

Also, leave a comment regarding the interview at Jean's site for a chance to win signed copies of HEAD GAMES and TOROS & TORSOS.

THURBER HOUSE EVENT THIS WEDNESDAY

2010-07-25T20:32:00.000-04:00

This Wednesday (July 28, 2010) I'll be the featured speaker at the Thurber House Literary Picnic, talking about, and reading from, PRINT THE LEGEND.

Despite a prodigious amount of touring in recent months, I've never actually read from my work before a crowd, so this will constitute one of many firsts.

The Thurber House is the restored home of Ohio's native son James Thurber. It's located just a bit east of downtown Columbus. Thurber House is noted for its author visits and over the years has brought through a number of crime fiction writers including Lawrence Block, Laura Lippman, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard, Lee Child and David Liss, among many others.

The evening also includes a dinner option. More information here at the Thurber House blog.

An interview with me from the Columbus Dispatch regarding the event can be found here.

Ohio author reimagines Hemingway's death as possible murder

2010-07-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

The Sunday Columbus Dispatch's interview with me in promotion of this Wednesday's (July 28, 2010) appearance at Thurber House to discuss and read from PRINT THE LEGEND: Ohio author reimagines Hemingway's death as possible murder

FATHER'S DAY; COMING TO FRANCE THIS FALL...

2010-06-20T08:13:00.000-04:00

The Paperback Dolls have been hosting a "Male Authors Rock" series leading into Father's Day.

I wrap up the week with a tribute to the day and some thoughts about how becoming a father changed the way I write and, to some extent, gave me voice as a fiction writer.

You can read the piece here; also, if you leave a comment, you will be entered for a chance to win a limited edition of my second novel, TOROS & TORSOS.

Speaking of TOROS, the French edition of that novel will be released this September by Belfond. Like HEAD GAMES before it, TOROS will be getting a new title for French audiences, BLACK RHAPSODIE, which is surreally close to the title of one of crime novelist Hector Lassiter's own works of fiction.

Also, HEAD GAMES will be coming out in mass market paperback in France this September. Here's a look at its new look:

ROGUE MALES NOMINATED FOR MACAVITY AWARD

2010-06-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who've written, Tweeted or posted to Facebook congratulations on ROGUE MALES being a Macavity Award finalist.

The complete list of nominees follows:

Macavity Award Nominations 2010

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International. The 2010 Macavity Nominations are for books and stories published in 2009. Mystery Readers Journal is MRI's publication. The winners will be announced at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, in October. Bouchercon will be held in San Francisco in 2010. This award is named for the "mystery cat" of T.S. Eliot (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats).

Best Mystery Novel
• Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott (Simon & Schuster)
• Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman (Busted Flush Press)
• Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie (Wm. Morrow)
• Nemesis by Jo Nesbo, translated by Don Bartlett (HarperCollins)
• The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Minotaur)
• The Shanghai Moon by S.J. Rozan (Minotaur)

Best First Mystery Novel
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Delacorte)
• Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti (Wm. Morrow)
• A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield (Minotaur)
• The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville (Soho Crime)
• A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (Picador)

Best Mystery Nonfiction
• L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America's Most Seductive City by John Buntin (Random House: Harmony Books)
• Talking about Detective Fiction by P.D. James (Alfred A. Knopf)
• Rogue Males: Conversations & Confrontations About the Writing Life by Craig McDonald (Bleak House Books)
• The Line Up: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives, edited by Otto Penzler (Little, Brown & Co)
• Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo (Penguin Press)
• Dame Agatha’s Shorts: An Agatha Christie Short Story Companion by Elena Santangelo (Bella Rosa Books)

Best Mystery Short Story
• “Last Fair Deal Gone Down” by Ace Atkins in Crossroad Blues (Busted Flush Press)
• “Femme Sole” by Dana Cameron in Boston Noir (Akashic Books)
• “Digby, Attorney at Law” by Jim Fusilli, (AHMM, May 2009)
• “Your Turn” by Carolyn Hart in Two of the Deadliest (Harper)
• “On the House” by Hank Phillippi Ryan in Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers (Level Best Books)
• “The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away” by Marcus Sakey in Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down (Mira)
• “Amapola” by Luis Alberto Urrea in Phoenix Noir (Akashic Books)

Sue Feder Historical Mystery
• A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell (Forge)
• In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff (Minotaur)
• A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd (Wm. Morrow)
• Serpent in the Thorns by Jeri Westerson (Minotaur)
• Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt)

PRINT THE LEGEND ON UNABRIDGED AUDIO

2010-06-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I completed a listen to the newly released, unabridged audio version of PRINT THE LEGEND by Recorded Books and featuring Tom Stechschulte as reader.

PRINT THE LEGEND is the third of the Hector Lassiter novels and the third to be read by Tom. Tom was my first choice to serve as the voice of Hector Lassiter and all those who people Hector's world including Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, John Dos Passos, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich and a host of other historical figures.

Tom earlier read my debut novel, HEAD GAMES — one in which Hector narrates the tale — eerily bringing to life the voice and attitude of the man I'd been hearing in my head as I composed the eight novels in the Hector Lassiter series. (Yes, all eight are already written; number four, ONE TRUE SENTENCE, will be released by Minotaur Books in April 2011). You can hear a sample of Tom reading from HEAD GAMES here.

Next came TOROS & TORSOS, which is presented in third-person POV, and required Tom to embody not only a younger Hector Lassiter than the 57-year-old man of the first novel, but also to portray Ernest Hemingway; a young, obsessed Orson Welles and a woman I envisioned as the kind of ultimate femme fatale. A sample of Tom reading TOROS can be found here.

And now we come to PRINT THE LEGEND. Hector Lassiter is 65-years-old throughout most of this book, and Tom gives Hector the charisma and bearing appropriate to a legendary writer who has been dubbed "The man who writes what he lives and lives what he writes," as well as, "The Last Man Standing of the Lost Generation."

PRINT is Tom's best peformance yet, giving us not only a convincing old and ailing Ernest Hemingway, but also the writer's formidable, alcoholic and dangerous widow, Mary...a passel of Hemingway scholars, the deadly FBI agent Donovan Creedy and the book's heroine, young, Scottish and very pregnant fiction writer Hannah Paulson.

You can read an interview I conducted with Tom earlier this year here.

PRINT THE LEGEND, the recording, is available from Audible here, where you can also sample the opening passages of the recording. The audiobook is also available at your local library.

THESE TWO GUYS...& BLOOD, GUTS & WHISKEY

2010-05-29T08:18:00.000-04:00

BLOOD, GUTS & WHISKEY, the third anthology in a series gathering stories from Thuglit, and edited by Thuglit kingpin Todd Robinson hit stores earlier this week.

This one is keynoted by a deft introduction by Max Allan Collins — a kind of mini-history of the crime short story and the way it drove the development of the hardboiled novel. BLACK MASK, Hammett, Chandler and company are all there in Collins' quick primer on dark, violent short fiction.

The contributors include the late great Eddie Bunker, as well as Jordan Harper, Tom Piccirilli, John Kenyon, Colin O'Sullivan, Pearce Hansen, Scott Wolven, fellow 2008 Best First Novel Edgar finalist Derek Nikitas, Justin Porter, Glenn Gray, Dana King, Stuart Neville, Michael Penncavage, Kiernan Shea, Jedidiah Ayres, Brian Murphy, Dave Zeltserman, Stephen Allan, Andy Turner, David Harrison, Lawrence Clayton, Sean Doolittle, and, representing all of womanhood, Hilary Davidson — noir rose in a thicket of thorns.

My contribution is a story called "These Two Guys..." that debuted online on Thuglit, became a finalist for BEST AMERICAN MYSTERIES and lives again in BLOOD, GUTS & WHISKEY.

The story comes out of a cycle of stories that follow the path of two New Jersey thugs who have drifted from New Jersey to Ohio through installments that have cropped up here and there including "The Devil's In the Details," (hear the audio version here), "Broken Promised Land" and a few that have since fallen off the web as some other ezines have folded...a few on my hard-drive awaiting a good home...

Anthologies are nearly always a mixed bag — collections in which you have to take the rough with the smooth. I'm about half-way through this one and it's hitting hard on every cylinder. Do check it out this long holiday weekend.

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO! (AKA BORDERLAND NOIR, REDUX!)

2010-04-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

“Swing for the fences…Gut-shoot me and/or break my heart, because, tonight, I just want to feel something.”

Many years back, pre-HEAD GAMES time, I was invited by Dave Zeltserman to guest-edit an edition of the now long-gone Hardluck Stories e-zine.

The year was 2006. I immediately pitched this theme concept tied to Cinco de Mayo I dubbed BORDERLAND NOIR. Dave Z. was dubious, but ever the gentleman, gave me a shot. I wrote this pitch for the sucker that drew some pretty potent submissions:

"La frontera … what El Paso-based songwriter Tom Russell describes as 'that delicious, dark-eyed myth of the border.'

"We’re headed way out west, out past where you’ve dared to go before. Out to Touch of Evil country (that’s the film, not the book, hombres).

"Our troubadours are Russell, Dave Alvin … Marty Robbins and Ry Cooder. Mariachi bands dominate the shortwave radios down this way, where tortured widower Orson Welles hands out justice with his ham-sized fists, all the while muttering under his boxy Stetson.

"We’re not looking to be slavish about the coordinates: The Border is a state of mind every bit as much as it is a geographic boundary. But fiction or nonfiction, I will be seeking that Malcolm Lowry/Day of the Dead/Cinco de Mayo vibe.

"Focus on that uneasy friction between Old Meh-hi-co and El Norte … because, way down deep, we all know that you can leave Brownsville, but you can never get Matamoros out of your soul.

"Give me stories about young lives snuffed out chasing the dream of more money and better futures up north.

"Show me guilt-stricken 'coyotes' who can no longer stand to roast peasants in locked freight cars, or to abandon babies and their too-young mothers in the scrub-oak purgatory of the Sonoran desert.

"Tell me tales of Narcotrafficante madmen with too much cash and bent imaginations who build crazy tunnels under miles of wasteland to smuggle drugs. I’m craving stories about bad bastards who kidnap tourists and mail them back one-finger-at-a-time, seeking impossible-to-pay ransoms from gringo wage-slaves whose one foreign vacation has gone so terribly south on them.

"To this day, cherry boys with butterflies in their bellies steal across the border to get laid … to drink rum at TJ’s infamous 'longest bar in the world' and to find out exactly what the hell a 'Donkey Show' is. But sometimes things take a turn. Rum and tequila and first sex are a treacherous mix. Show me how treacherous.

"Emiliano Zapata said, 'It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.' So, in that spirit, swing for the fences, amigos. Give me strong and original voices. Gut-shoot me and/or break my heart, because, tonight, I just want to feel something."

Well, we put that issue out on May 5, 2006. Ken Bruen kicked in a Johnny Cash-inflected story. Manuel Ramos had a wonderful story, too. Then we had these great pieces by Mike MacLean, Garnett Elliott (whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person in Arizona this past February), Theresa Kennedy, Bradley Mason Hamilton and Rick Deckard.

Dave Z. kicked in a terrific essay on Touch of Evil. We fronted the whole package with a painting (the original hangs on my living room wall) by singer-songwriter Tom Russell whose album, Borderland, inspired the theme for that special edition of Hardluck Stories.

Sucker took on a life of its own. The next year, Head Games came out with its own Borderland Noir vibe and Touch of Evil aspects. Ken and Manuel's stories were promptly anthologized. Rick Deckard has a book contract and will be putting out a borderland noir-length novel from Serpent's Tail.

Hardluck Stores, however, folded, and I thought all that material was lost.

Turns out, it's archived...

So here, for your Cinco de Mayo inspection, is BORDERLAND NOIR, now aged to a sublime and palate-teasing four years. As I said in the introduction back then:

"The Tecate is cold and a storm is coming across the desert.

"The jukebox is grinding on in the corner: Freddy Fender singing “Across the Borderline”….

“A thousand footprints in the sand … reveal the secret no one can define.”

But watch these writers try."

Check it out HERE.

THE LAST VILLISTA (& WHERE IS PANCHO'S HEAD, ANYWAY)?

2010-04-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

Time is a funny thing: stuff that seems so long ago, really isn't. This man passed away last month. A very old man. He lived a lot of the things I wrote about it in my first novel. He experienced Pancho Villa, up close and personal.

1916: That was the year Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico and triggered the Punitive Expedition.

The expedition into Mexico was Woodrow Wilson's kind of foreshadowing of George W. Bush's invasion of Afghanistan in search of Bin Laden. Wilson's incursion across the border stoked a lot of resentment against America on the part of Mexico's people.

Wilson sent 100,000 men down into the desert to chase Pancho Villa...to bring him back "Dead or alive." The chase didn't go well.

In my literary world, one of the men who rode down into the desert after Villa was a young Hector Lassiter, who lied about his age and rode off after Black Jack Pershing into the Mexican desert (all of this fuels my first novel, HEAD GAMES).

Like Bin Laden many decades later, Villa proved infuriatingly elusive. Once we lost interest in him, Villa eventually settled down on his ranch, put on some weight, stepped up his womanizing, and started amassing this arsenal. What he meant to do with that latter remains a mystery: Villa was gunned down by parties unknown before he could stir up further revolts or revolutions. A few years later, Pancho's grave was robbed and his head stolen. (Again, all described in HEAD GAMES.) The head remains missing. We'll get back to that, shortly...

Now, I don't consider myself a relic, but I have actually known/met a couple of Punitive Expedition members (both dead for some number of years now). One I met as a child. The other I met as a young reporter...spent an afternoon with him hearing tales of the trail and looking through old photo albums only to be told by the lonely old man he forbid any article be written about him. He just wanted company to pass a summer afternoon. That man, and the other man from my hometown who rode with Pershing, are both name-checked in HEAD GAMES.

I'd come to believe most of the men of that time were long passed. But last evening I ran across this obituary for a man pretty wonderfully named Juan Carlos Caballero Vega. He claimed, at the age of 14, to have ridden with Villa into New Mexico that night to attack Columbus. He claimed to have been Villa's young chauffeur. In a sense, his actual story reflects an opposite-sides-of-the-border version of Hector Lassiter's tale.

Vega passed away on March 30, 2010, at the age of 109. He'd hoped to live to see November 20, the centenary of the Mexican Revolution in which he fought alongside Villa.

According to an article in the Telegraph, he attributed his long life to "love," much walking and an active sex life (he remarried at the age of 99). You can read Vega's story, much of it in his own words, here. An image from Corbis of the old Villista shows a man with some real character etched into his face:

So Vega's gone. And Pancho's head remains elusive. Interestingly enough, the Wall Street Journal this past week took another look at Villa's missing remains (more than just his noggin, really)... Of course, Skull & Bones (the culprits behind Villa's grave-robbing as posited in HEAD GAMES) also got a mention... You can read that piece here.

COWBOY'D ALL TO HELL; CANCION MIXTECA

2010-04-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

As noted in a post earlier in the week, HEAD GAMES, the first Hector Lassiter novel, was partly dedicated to singer/songwriter Tom Russell whose music inspired and informed not just the character of Lassiter, but some of the plot moves of that first book in the Lassiter series.

One song, in particular, runs like a thread through HEAD GAMES — a Mexican folk-song that was not penned by Tom Russell. Yet Tom Russell introduced me to that song.

It's called "Cancion Mixteca." As HEAD GAMES unfolds, Hector becomes increasingly focused on that tune...it becomes a kind of refrain and theme song for the book, and Hector, circa 1957.

We'll get back to that particular piece of folk music...close the circle in due time.

Tom Russell has a new album out. It's called COWBOY'D ALL TO HELL.

It's a partial re-release of Russell's album COWBOY REAL (Philo 1991). Eight of that vintage album's 11 tunes are re-presented in re-mastered form.

From there, the album pushes out with some new recordings of cowboy tunes that graced Russell's SONGS OF THE WEST, as well as INDIANS COWBOYS HORSES DOGS and THE MAN FROM GOD KNOWS WHERE — all of the tunes re-recorded and peppered with asides and some occasional historical notes about the songs' origins. It's a great, casually assured collection of cowboy songs that are raw and real — never sentimental.

The collection closes with a new recording of the song "The Rose of the San Joaquin," a tune Russell penned with Ian Tyson "one dusty afternoon down in the California desert," according to Russell's on-album aside. When I let myself fantasize about a HEAD GAMES film adaptation, that movie opens with Tom Russell's "Tonight We Ride," and closes with a gunshot and then an over-the-credits rendition of "Rose of the San Joaquin."

At the end of the COWBOY'D ALL TO HELL version of "Rose," Tom disarmingly segues into a raw and wrenching version of "Cancion Mixteca."

As I said, I first heard the song at a Russell concert in Columbus, Ohio many years ago. I looked it up later and found a version of the song by Harry Dean Stanton that appeared in the film PARIS, TEXAS.

Here's Stanton's take of Hector Lassiter's fleetingly "favorite song":

To close out, perhaps my new favorite Tom Russell borderland ballad, sung by its composer (You can find this one on Russell's BLOOD AND CANDLE SMOKE:

THE RAWSON INTERVIEWS

2010-04-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

It dawned on me while preparing a Web site update for my official page, that in the haze of the PRINT THE LEGEND tour, I never got around to posting here the two-part interview that the terrific Keith Rawson pulled together during my rainy sortie into Arizona during March.

A lot of ground is covered: Not just stuff about my series and continuing character, but discussion of the state of genre fiction, the dangers of series characters and the like... And, ahem, that Kindle matter.

Craig McDonald part 1 from Damon Cap on Vimeo.

Craig McDonald part 2 from Damon Cap on Vimeo.

MUSIC, THE MUSE & ONE TRUE SENTENCE

2010-04-10T17:34:00.000-04:00

I write fiction to music...always have.

Of course that's not particularly unusual in itself. Was a time I did what a number of authors tend to do: create a kind of soundtrack or mix for a book, then listen to that self-generated tape or CD while drafting a novel. George Pelecanos, Michael Connelly and John Connolly, among others, have actually bound such discs into their books, or released them in tandem with advance readers copies of their resulting novels.

Others post their playlists for particular novels on their Web sites.

My own tendency has been to microfocus on a single artist, or album. Sometimes, even a single song. Then I weave the music, song titles, lyrics or even the performers (albeit in fictionalized guise) into the novels the music helped to inspire.

HEAD GAMES was dedicated to Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin because the character Hector Lassiter was inspired by Tom Russell's cover of "Tramps & Hawkers," an old Celtic air given a Tex-Mex spin by songwriter Jim Ringer. That song, essentially, inspired not just Hector, but the short story "The Last Interview," that introduced Hector. Here, the Jim Ringer spin on the old Scottish tune is performed by folk singer Todd Crowley:

When it came time to write HEAD GAMES, I pretty much wrote the novel to a steady diet of selected Tom Russell's albums: THE ROSE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN, BORDERLAND, SONGS OF THE WEST, HOTWALKER and INDIANS COWBOYS HORSES DOGS. The title track of the latter, "Tonight We Ride," is essentially a perfect candidate for a HEAD GAMES theme song.

The other primary disc played throughout the composition of HEAD GAMES was Andrew Hardin's BLUE ACOUSTIC. Hear some here.

The second novel, TOROS & TORSOS, was written to a string of oldies which are named, song for song, throughout the book: Jo Stafford, Billie Holliday...it goes on. But there was a particular song I listened to over and over — so much so that I essentially trashed the CD. That tune was Bryan Ferry's cover of the torch song, "Where or When." The lyrics of the song, essentially, summarize the central plot element of that novel:

PRINT THE LEGEND was a different beast. If HEAD GAMES was informed by Americana music, and TOROS & TORSOS by standards and torch songs, PRINT was conceived to be more operatic...written to a battery of classical compositions for violin, mostly performed by Lara St. John.

LASSITER #4, due out in Winter of 2011, is entitled ONE TRUE SENTENCE.

I wrote this one immediately after finishing TOROS & TORSOS, and conceived it as a kind of companion book. Where TOROS sprawled across space and time (Key West in 1935, Spain in '37, Hollywood in 1947 and Cuba in 1959), ONE TRUE SENTENCE is confined to one week in Paris in February, 1924. Think A MOVEABLE FEAST re-imagined as a noir love story.

It's the last novel in which Ernest Hemingway figures. Again, as in TOROS, Hem is functioning as Hector's sidekick. ONE TRUE SENTENCE effectively completes the Hemingway trilogy that informs the opening movements of the Lassiter series. After OTS, it is a Hemingway-free zone.

Because the novel is centered around the Lost Generation — a generation shaped by an infatuation with the void and living oft-times hedonistic lives with no eye to consequences — I found myself drawn to a particular album while writing the novel. I listened exclusively to that album in the winter months I spent writing the first draft of OTS.

That album is by singer-songwriter Melissa McClelland, and is entitled THUMBELINA'S ONE NIGHT STAND. It's a smart, seductive, engaging collection of songs...informed by suicide. And, if, like HEAD GAMES before it, ONE TRUE SENTENCE has a "theme song," it's this tune from Melissa's album:

If you want to sample a little Melissa in a decidedly noir vein, try this one from THUMBELINA:

So, a question for those writers among you:

Do you write to music? If so, who are your musical muses?

100 YEARS DOWN NIGHTMARE ALLEY: A CARNIVAL NOIR

2010-04-04T17:47:00.001-04:00

Seems these past few weeks that a whole new generation of crime fiction fans have "discovered" William Lindsay Gresham's NIGHTMARE ALLEY.

My own "discovery" of this noir classic came about 1985 with an obscure paperback version I picked up partly because of the strange, duotone cover that graced the book — an image I'd later learn was taken from the poster for an eventual movie adaptation of the novel that starred a dubiously-cast Tyrone Power.

This Tuesday, NIGHTMARE ALLEY will be available in a new edition that includes an introduction by Nick Tosches.

A year ago last month, I wrote an essay on ALLEY, and its very haunted author, for Crimespree Magazine to mark what would have been Gresham's 100th birthday.

In honor of NIGHTMARE ALLEY'S rerelease, I'm presenting that piece again here:

100 Years Down Nightmare Alley
By Craig McDonald

It’s one of my favorite crime novels.

It’s the only transcendent piece of writing its author ever got down on paper.

But how many writers get even a single masterpiece?

Here’s a noir life for you:

This summer marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of William Lindsay Gresham.

Like Cornell Woolrich, David Goodis and a few doomed others, Gresham was never going to be a centenarian.

He was born in Baltimore on Aug. 20, 1909. His family fled Maryland for New York. There Bill found the Coney Island sideshow and his eventual writerly milieu. He later wrote: “Coney Island, before the First World War, was a raucous, blaring playground… Here, for the first time, I saw women with painted mouths on the streets in broad daylight… At the island, the cops were well taken care of; the joint was running wide open. And to me, even under the handicap of a starched Buster Brown collar, a day at Coney Island was paradise.”

But Bill would be a while getting to write about all that. Like Chandler, like Ian Fleming, he was a late-blooming novelist and would be nearly 40 before publishing his one great book.

First he bummed around; Greenwich Village busker…Spanish Civil War medic…TB ward habitué and a failed suicide (a botched attempt at hanging himself).

In ’39, he got work in the pulp magazine combines. He married poet Joy Davidman, his second wife, and had a couple of kids. It wasn’t a happy or lasting union; Joy eventually lighted out from her alcoholic husband, running to writer C.S. Lewis (an affair dramatized in Shadowlands.)

In 1946, casting back to his longstanding fascination with the midway, Gresham wrote the classic carnival noir Nightmare Alley. It made him fleetingly rich.

The novel tells the story of smalltime grifter Stan Carlisle and his rise from tent show mentalist to A-list attraction — the kind of pitiless ascent required to set up a terminal-velocity crash-dive to the deepest depths of the pit.

It opens: “Stan Carlisle stood well back from the entrance of the canvas enclosure, under the blaze of a naked light bulb, and watched the geek.”

Twenty-two chapters later, we’re in another sideshow tent; in the novel’s closing paragraph, we’re again confronted with a chicken-head biting geek. Between those two paragraphs dwells one of the blackest noirs.

A year after its publication, Tyrone Power, looking for a meaty role for himself, optioned and filmed the novel. Bowdlerized as the 1947 production is, that version of Nightmare Alley stands as a twisted and powerful piece of film noir.

But Gresham, the author, had already peaked. In ’49, he published his only other novel, Limbo Tower, a less than pulpy misfire set in a TB clinic.

In 1954, Gresham cobbled together articles written for a batch of slick magazines and constructed a nonfiction meditation on the carnival he called Monster Midway, effectively establishing himself as the poet laureate of the mitt camps, flat stores and alibi joints.

The book’s jacket flap bio makes Gresham sound like a bonhomie guy gushing joie de vivre: “He is an expert knife thrower, magician, ‘mind reader’ and has tried his hand at fire-eating.”

The dust jacket photo doesn’t embody that man: it depicts a big-eared, ferret-faced man who looks older than his years. He’s got a pencil-thin moustache, slitted eyes and he’s wearing a trench coat and fedora. His smile is pained; there’s a faint overlay of derision there, too. His marriage will soon fail; Bill will move on to his ex-wife’s first-cousin…eventually join AA and slide into spiritualism.

He’s still pining for the carnival. He closes Monster Midway with a letter from a carny friend trying to lure Bill out onto the road: “I got a swell-break this spring, a seal boy…He’s a real good seal-boy, no legs, only stumps of feet and hands coming out of his shoulders. He can shave himself fine… If you can ever pry yourself loose from that typewriter of yours why don’t you wire me and hop a plane out here? Why don’t you give in, kid, and admit it? You’re a carny at heart.”

Bill didn’t run away with that circus.

He delved into nonfiction again in ’57 — a fairly dispensable biography on Houdini written with the assistance of magician and professional debunker James Randi.

Gresham’s last piece of published writing was a book on body-building.

Bill was on his way down — a doom-laden spiral to rival the one he fashioned for “Stanton the Great” Carlisle in that one brilliant novel.

It’s 1962: Bill’s vision is fading. The former fire-eater is diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. It’s less than 20 years since his best-selling debut novel hit stands.

He’s tried suicide before…

In September ’62, he checks into the Dixie Hotel that he had haunted while writing Nightmare Alley. He registered under the name, “Asa Kimball, of Baltimore.” He’s 53, on a suicide run and this time he means to get it right.

September 14 he succeeds — felled by a fistful of sleeping pills.

In Monster Midway, Gresham opens a chapter with the suicide of a magician famed for his bullet-catching trick. Change a few details, and the vignette could stand as Gresham’s own death notice:

“Showman and recluse, genius and brooding adolescent, solitary drinker and mystifier of crowds, (he) had given up the battle with the dragons of his own mind. He left behind him an odd assortment of friends, few of whom knew each other, for he kept his social circles from overlapping.”

Grim? Sure.

But noir and happy endings aren’t acquainted.

They say Bill’s death didn’t get much attention…largely unnoticed by the press other than a bridge columnist.

Chances are, the centenary of his birth will also go largely unremarked upon.

But he had that one great novel. That’s something…

Right?

-© March 2009, Craig McDonald

WHEN THE SACRED FACTORY REOPENS

2010-03-27T07:50:00.000-04:00

Can a magazine change your life?
Arguably, one changed mine.
Few years back, I was losing the faith on fiction writing and kind of drifted away from it for a time.
On a whim, I decided to try and score an interview with James Ellroy who was then touring for THE COLD SIX THOUSAND.
It was spring of 2001...a different world in some ways.
I heard about this new magazine called Crime Factory...made pitch to the man behind it, David Honeybone, to give him a version of the Ellroy article. He accepted and shot back a wish list of other writers he'd love to have interviewed.
It went like that. The Factory led me back to crime fiction...kind of kick-started me writing my own stuff again.
I wrote a review or two, gave Crime Factory — an Australian-based, slick crime magazine — a slew of author interviews.
And I had this running correspondence with David. One day, I got a note: "Find everything you can by Ken Bruen, now. He's the real thing."
It was the first time I'd heard that name.
Couple of months later, another note: "Bruen's coming to New York. Try and get to him."
That took some effort. Some folks in his own publishing house were too new to Bruen to know what they had on their hands. But I got the interview and put the first article out there in the American press about the Pope of Galway Bay.
At some point, as too often happens with labors of love that become real work, David made the decision to close down the Factory. It was an understandable, if bittersweet, choice.
I went on my way...eventually sold a novel.
The Factory remained a great memory.
Then, this guy in Arizona named Rawson, and some intrepid associates, got this hankering to reopen the Factory...grease the cogs, clear out the debris and sweep off the cobwebs.
Crimefactory, v.2, is now up and running, and issue 2 is freshly available in a variety of media.
Somewhere in there, among the short fiction pieces and appreciations of carnival noir kingpin Bill Gresham (a personal favorite I wrote about late last year for Crimespree), is an interview Charlie Stella and me conducted with one another. I'm talking about PRINT THE LEGEND. Charlie's talking about his new one — his first historical crime novel and a 2010 must-read.
You can check out the new issue of Crime Factory here.

CONTEST
There's still a couple of days to win a signed copy of the first edition of PRINT THE LEGEND over at Lesa's Book critiques. Details here.
I'll be announcing another contest later this evening that will give you chance to win a signed copy of the hardcover edition of ROGUE MALES. To my memory, I've never signed a hardcover of that particular book, so this will be rarity in the extreme.

THE NERD TACKLES PRINT...
The Nerd of Noir gives a decidedly blue thumbs-up to PRINT THE LEGEND over at Spinetingler Magazine. Definitely not a workplace friendly take on the novel. He ends his review hoping for a Hemingway-free next book. Well...
As noted earlier this week, what I've been talking up as the next novel, a World War II Lassiter told in HEAD GAMES-like first-person POV, has been pushed back.

...AND SOME STUFF ON THE NEXT NOVEL
It's a decision I initiated and supported.
The next novel will cast back to February 1924 and Left Bank Paris. Unlike the decades jumping that occurs in the first three novels, this one unfolds in seven consecutive days in a Paris winter. It's the book I wrote immediately after TOROS & TORSOS and I view those two as companion novels.
So, sorry, Nerd, but Hemingway is in that book as Lassiter's sidekick (the last book in which Hemingway appears). But this next one is very Hector-centric. It's the novel in which we see Hector become Hector and the writer we've come to know. Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Ford Maddox Ford, Syliva Beach, Crowley. Blood cults and and treacherously triangular affairs.
And a certain British mystery writer named Quartermain first introduced in a short story called "The Last Interview."
That novel's coming winter 2011.
And, because I'm seemingly feeling in a contest-y mood, a copy of the TOROS & TORSOS limited hardcover edition to the first person who correctly guesses the title of Lassiter #4. Hint: It's a turn of phrase that's become strongly associated with Hector.

ORSON WELLES & THE MAJESTY OF TOM RUSSELL

2010-03-23T22:29:00.000-04:00

Doug Moe has penned a great column on TOUCH OF EVIL: the film directed by Orson Welles (based on "Whit Masteron's" novel BADGE OF EVIL) and the great song of the same name written by singer/songwriter Tom Russell (appearing on his sublime album, BORDERLAND.)

It's not much secret I'm a Tom Russell fan. I've written a lot of prose while listening to his music. A rare print interview with Russell — who actually penned a crime novel a few years ago — is featured in my collection of author interviews, ROGUE MALES.

I also dedicated HEAD GAMES to Russell, as Moe notes in his piece on the comparative beauties of the Welles film — generally regarded as the last great piece of American film noir — and Russell's ballad that uses the film as a metaphor for male/female love/friction.

Check out Moe's piece here, and, if you're in the vicinity, plan on taking in Orson's film.

WANDERINGS IN THE LAND OF WOLVERINES

2010-03-21T16:41:00.000-04:00

Been making these regular runs to Ann Arbor going on sixteen years. The past two years, however, it's been much harder to squeeze in a run up north.

This past Saturday, I visited Aunt Agatha's in that city up there — a bookstore I've visited countless times as a patron — but this time as a signing author.

More than a bit surreal, that experience. Had similar feelings at Westerville's Foul Play a few weeks back: another bookstore I've visited for, well, decades, but as a reader/collector.

Very pleased to say that Aunt Agatha's is in fine shape and I'm very grateful to Robin and Jamie for hosting a great event. Also heartfelt thanks to those who came, and to co-signer Mark Terry whose new novel is THE FALLEN. Do check it out.

Apart from below's HEAD GAMES-style display at Aunt Agatha's, behold this shot of Robin with the store's vintage Pocket Books display...the stuff collectors' dreams are made of.

I've always enjoyed my sorties to Ann Arbor: a good walking town...a great bookstore town.

Apart from the wonderful Aunt Agatha's, Dawn Treader and the West Side Book Shop were right were I left them. Books from their shelves line my shelves. A couple of other frequent bookstore haunts are still there, but have moved to new environs.

On the other hand, Shaman Drum's passing has left a big empty downtown there in the smile of State Street.

I knew before I headed up, of course, that bookstore had closed, but it was still depressing to see that Big Empty across from The Red Hawk — a favorite dining destination on each run to the Kindom of the Wolverines.

It was Shaman Drum that hosted James Ellroy on the two occasions I drove north to see/interview him — the last time for THE COLD SIX THOUSAND interview that appears in my book, ART IN THE BLOOD. It was at Shaman, in an upstairs office space, I also interviewed the great Alistair MacLeod.

Now the store is gone, gone, gone....

I've pretty much reconciled myself to the closings of a lot of favorite dining and entertainment venues in the throes of this so-called "Great Recession," but bookstore closings still go down hard and thick.

This weekend was, also, the theoretical wind-down of the road-heavy PRINT THE LEGEND tour, although I am in talks to add one or two more weekend events before the end of April. Stay tuned: having worked the west, it seems time to head at least a bit easterly....

In the meantime, if you're looking for signed copies of PRINT THE LEGEND, you might still find a few in Houston at Murder by the Book, in Austin at BookPeople, in Arizona at Poisoned Pen, and in Michigan at Aunt Agatha's. (The latter also has signed copies of HEAD GAMES, TOROS & TORSOS and ROGUE MALES).

They may even have a few copies left of the now nearly depleted limited edition chapbook containing the short story "COLT" in which Hector Lassiter crosses paths with a famous, Ohio-born writer whose larger-than-life legend ended in mystery somewhere in the Borderlands early last century.

Next Saturday I'll be stopping back by Foul Play in Westerville, Ohio to sign more editions of PRINT THE LEGEND for those who didn't get copies when supplies ran out.

Signing off with an image of a Terry/McDonald cake. More on this craaazzzy confection here.