Max Allan Collins's Blog, page 75

Complex Issues

This will be a somewhat brief Update, as I am immersed in working on the new Mike Hammer, COMPLEX 90. It’s a particularly tricky book because it includes a sequence about Hammer in Russia (referred to and essentially outlined in Mickey’s unfinished manuscript) that I am trying to bring on stage. The book takes place in 1964 and is, in part, a sequel to THE GIRL HUNTERS.

I am pleased to report that MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN by Jim Traylor and has received a glowing review from Rod Lott at the web’s premiere review site, Bookgasm. Check this one out.

I’ve been astonished at how much coverage Hard Case Crime’s announcement of the new Jack and Maggie Starr mystery, SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT, has been stirring up. It indicates the PR genius of editor/publisher Charles Ardai. The book doesn’t even come out till next February, and my JFK Heller novel comes out this Fall, and it hasn’t had a whisper of fuss…even if all it does is solve the JFK assassination. But I’m delighted by all this advance coverage of SEDUCTION. I won’t provide links to all of the nice write-ups the announcement has received – I’m getting great reviews for the idea of this book! – but here’s a typical one from that pro Mel Odom.

We continue to get terrific LADY, GO DIE! reviews, and this one is one of my favorites. The review is from a slightly feminist POV, and I love the way the reviewer – and a number of other women who have given this book good reviews – struggle with the females in the novel, grasping that Spillane wrote very strong women and yet having to deal with those women tending to follow Hammer’s lead…plus Hammer calling them “doll,” “kitten” and so on. A while back a reviewer said nobody uses such terms any more. Well, those books take place in the past. On the other hand, I call my astonishingly beautiful blonde wife – in her sixties and looking about thirty-five – “doll” and “babe” all the time. Sue me. Anyway, read this smart, fun review.

We’ll close with a rarity – a fan reviewer who loves one of my Batman stories. It’s called “Robber’s Roost,” is about the Penguin, and is a prose short story. Also, full disclosure: I don’t remember a thing about it.

M.A.C.

Colonel Collins, Lord of Mystery

Barb and I were guests this weekend (actually, we left last Wednesday) for the International Mystery Writers Festival at Owensboro, Kentucky. The event celebrates the world of mystery with a focus on showcasing new plays – three were presented this year, including a new stage-designed version of ENCORE FOR MURDER (the longer audio version of which, starring Stacy Keach, is available from Blackstone Audio, and was a nominee for the Audie).

I was presented with a lovely award designating me the First Lord of Mystery (previous winners, including Sue Grafton, Mary Higgins Clark and Angela Lansbury, were Mistresses of Mystery). Both Barb and I were made honorary colonels by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is an elite group that includes Colonel Sanders, Colonel Lee Goldberg and Colonel Robert Randisi (the latter two received their colonel-ship at the event as well).

I’m not sure how many plays were submitted, but my impression is quite a few. The other two plays that earned production at the fest were LOST AT SEA by Donald C. Drake (the other Firesign radio-style production) and ABSOLUTELY DEAD by Michael Walker (starring Kathy Garver of FAMILY AFFAIR FAME), the latter the “main stage” play.

The event is held at the River Center in Owensboro on the Ohio River, a lovely, massive modern facility with several stages. One is a 1500-seat theater, the main stage. ENCORE FOR MURDER was staged in a smaller “black box” theater similar to the one where ELIOT NESS: AN UNTOUCHABLE LIFE was presented in Des Moines. One highlight was a Lee Goldberg-led interview session, after ENCORE’s premiere, on an expansive patio outside the River Center, with the Ohio River Bridge in the background, where fifteen minutes of clips from my various movies (THE EXPERT, MOMMY, MOMMY’S DAY, REAL TIME, ELIOT NESS, THE LAST LULLABY, ROAD TO PERDITION) were shown on a drive-in-theater-size screen.

People were incredibly nice to us, and we did several signings, as well as just autographing books folks brought up for us to sign as we hung out in the cavernous River Center lobby. Barb and I did a workshop discussing our collaborative approach to the Barbara Allan books, and we attended a similar one given by Bob Randisi and his partner Christine Matthews. Roxi Witt, the manager of the River Center and producer of the event, is a gracious, ebullient hostess whose warmth and kindness are unparalleled.

What made the event really special was the great production of ENCORE FOR MURDER, which was revised and shortened for live production (the original was two and a half hours on audio, and the live version is two acts, each under an hour, with an intermission). Two figures from the legendary Firesign Theater (and regular readers of my updates know what a comedy buff I am) were instrumental in the production. David Ossman co-directed (with his wife Judith Walcutt) and Phil Proctor appeared in three roles, including a very funny Ozzie the Answer, who I described as Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall’s lost love child. Phil’s actress wife Melinda Peterson gave perhaps my favorite Velda performance ever, playing her deadpan as if channeling Keely Smith. Richard Fish made a great Pat Chambers, reminiscent of Paul Sorvino’s in the Assante I, THE JURY, and Amy Walker and Cassie Post were luminous as potential femme fatales. The approach was broader than the original audio, getting all the comic lines across but not camping it up (I had cautioned Phil Proctor that this was Mike Hammer, not Nick Danger). Firesign superstars Ossman and Proctor have been instrumental in presenting radio-style productions at the Owensboro festival. (The festival also presents films and Lee Goldberg debuted his latest short there, produced with the help of the River Center.)

But the MVP player was Gary Sandy. Gary, of course, worked with me on MOMMY’S DAY, and I specifically requested him to play Mike Hammer. Stacy Keach was approached but his schedule wouldn’t allow, and I felt Gary – who lives in Kentucky and had participated in past festivals – would make a great Hammer. And he did. Not easy to step into a role so identified with another actor, but he put his own spin on the role and brought an incredible energy that became the engine of the show. He won Best Actor in the event’s awards, and the play essentially swept those awards.

I am already considering returning next year with a play version of THE LITTLE DEATH.

Next week I hope to have photos for you from the festival and specifically from the production of ENCORE FOR MURDER.

Lee Goldberg, Phil Proctor, and Max

Hard Case Crime has announced my Jack and Maggie Starr novel, SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT. Check out the fun news release here (the cover is depicted…small, but it’s there).

More about the book, and a much larger look at the cover, is here.

Mystery writer Mike Dennis has posted a great review of LADY GO, DIE! at his site.

And another nice review can be found here, at Radiant Lit.

Good ANTIQUES DISPOSAL reviews continue to roll in, like this one.

And this one.

Finally, here’s a fun blog post about a reader who discovered my work when she was ten, thanks to the DICK TRACY novelization. Here’s hoping she got the 6th printing (sold only through schools), which includes the ending.

M.A.C.

Can You Feel the Suspense

photo by Bryan Leazenby/Onsite Images

Last night Barb and I watched the last run-through of the radio-style play version of ENCORE FOR MURDER, wtih Gary Sandy making a terrific Mike Hammer and a wonderful supporting cast that includes Firesign Theater’s Phil Proctor in three, count ‘em three, roles. If you are in driving distance of Owensboro, don’t miss it (tonight is the first of four performances). Nice write-up here.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/jun/14/can-you-feel-the-suspense/

M.A.C.

There’s a Podcast on the Loose!

Mickey Spillane, signed:

“Hi Max, a big hello to my hero!”

At the St. Louis Bouchercon, EQMM editor Janet Hutchings asked me to read for a podcast the Spillane/Collins story they published a while back, “There’s A Killer on the Loose!” Well, it’s available for free download now, right here:

http://eqmm.podomatic.com/entry/2012-06-01T05_36_55-07_00

Right now Barb and I are getting ready for the International Mystery Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, later this week. Today I did a final edit on the script for the live presentation of “Encore for Murder” starring Gary Sandy as Mike Hammer (it will be presented a number of times, but the premiere is Thursday night. More info is available right here.

I’ve been encouraging you to pick up the new book by Jim Traylor and me, MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN, at Barnes & Noble online, because of the great price. Well, now Amazon has it at a reduced price as well. Even on sale, this is an expensive book, but I swear it’s a good one, with great pictures and jammed full of information and informed opinion. If you like Mickey or me or especially both, you want to bite the bullet and send for this.

Here’s another positive review of LADY, GO DIE! that seems slightly ashamed of itself. Why reviewers can’t like this book without apology or a patronizing tone is beyond me. But I’m glad they like it. This one got picked up all over the place.

Here’s one more interview with me from the LADY, GO DIE! cyber tour. I know, I know – enough already. But it’s an interesting one, I think.

And here out of the past comes a positive review of a BATMAN short story I wrote some time in the previous century.

Finally, my son Nathan has been gradually upgrading this site. It’s very much a W.I.P., but you’ve probably noticed the cool new headers on the first page, and there are other new graphics here and there, as well as updated bios of me and my band Crusin’. He feels it’s premature to mention this, but I’m pleased with the progress he’s making and hope you’re noticing some of the changes and improvements.

M.A.C.

2012 Shamus Nominees—M.A.C. up for Two!

NEWS FLASH:

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) just announced this year’s Shamus Awards nominees, and M.A.C. made the cut not once but twice—for BYE BYE, BABY and QUARRY’S EX. Here’s the full list, and Max’s Update continues below.

2012 Shamus Awards Nominees

BEST HARDCOVER PI NOVEL

Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins / Tom Doherty

1222 by Anne Holt / Scribner

When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley / Riverhead Books

A Bad Night’s Sleep by Michael Wiley / Minotaur

The Highly Effective Detective Crosses the Line by Richard Yancey / Minotaur

BEST FIRST PI NOVEL

The Plot Against Hip Hop by Nelson George / Akashic

Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran / Houghton Mifflin

The Ocean Forest by Troy D. Nooe / Ingalls

The Shortcut Man by P.G. Sturges / Scribner

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams / Bantam

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL PI NOVEL

Quarry’s Ex by Max Allan Collins / Hard Case Crime

Threat Warning by John Gilstrap / Kensington

Serial by John Lutz / Kensington

Long Pig by James L. Ross / Perfect Crime Books

Fun & Games by Duane Swiercyzinski / Mulholland

BEST PI SHORT STORY

“A Bullet From Yesterday” by Terence Faherty in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Jan.)

“Mr. Monk & The Sunday Paper” by Lee Goldberg in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (July)

“Who I Am” by Michael Z. Lewin in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Dec.)

“Vampire Slayer Murdered in Key West” by Michael West in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Sept. / Oct.)

“Dancer in a Storm” by L. A. Wilson in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (Jan. / Feb.)

First Lord of Mystery—No Kidding

The International Mystery Writers Festival at Owensboro, Kentucky, has fast become one of the most popular events in the world of mystery fiction. My pal Lee Goldberg has been raving about it to me for several years, and I suspect his fine hand is at work in my having been invited to participate. In fact, I’m “The First Lord of Mystery” (previously honored mystery writers at the festival have been female), and will be doing all sorts of signings and workshops with Barb at my side. Most exciting, the first public performance of the Mike Hammer radio play “Encore for Murder” will be be presented opening night, Thursday June 14, with Gary Sandy as Hammer. Some of you may recall that Gary is one of the stars of my indie film “Mommy’s Day.” Involved in the production are several Firesign Theater luminaries. The festival is June 14 – 17 at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro, and you can read about it here.

The cyber press tour for LADY, GO DIE! continues to wind down, but an important stop along the way is Forbes.com, where a strong interview with me was given a lot of play, and picked up hither and yon.

That fine writer and good pal of mine, Ed Gorman, has lavished praised upon MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN at his entertaining blog, the first review of that I’ve seen. Grab this from Barnes and Noble, who still have the best price (though it’s gone up a couple of bucks).

The second half of the Comic Geek interview appears here.

And yet another interview at Comic Attack.

Another blog by a guy named Ed is devoted to a perceptive review of I, THE JURY, the reviewer prompted by LADY, GO DIE! to go back to the beginning of the Hammer saga.

Here’s another one of those odd positive reviews of LADY, GO DIE! that seems apologetic for liking it.

Jon Jordan at Crimespree asked me to discuss the five books and five albums that changed my life. Check this out – it’s a refreshing change from all of these interviews I’ve been giving.

M.A.C.

Mike Hammer Wallpaper

Here’s a new wallpaper from the collected Mike Hammer comic strip announced last week. Several more cover wallpapers, including Return to Perdition and Quarry’s Ex, can be found at the Downloads page.

Mickey Spillane’s From the Files of Mike Hammer

Image from the Hermes Press collected reprint

Art by Ed Robbins



4:3 large (1600 x 1200) | 4:3 medium (1024 x 768) | HD (1920 x 1080) | 16:10 widescreen (1440 x 900)

Hammer and Noms

Two Mike Hammer projects have earned nominations in the annual Scribe Awards from the International Association of Media and Tie-in Writers. “The New Adventures of Mike Hammer: Encore for Murder” is nominated in the new audio category, and KISS HER GOODBYE is nominated in the Best Original Novel category.

The Daggers are British awards for crime and mystery fiction. I don’t know much about them, other than that they are prestigious; but the Hammer short story “A Long Time Dead” has been “shortlisted.” Whether this is a nomination or an even shorter list of nominees will follow, I can’t tell you. But here’s the full “short” list.

My cyber press tour, which I thought had wound down, continues, at least for a while. Comic List broke an interview with me into two sections, one on LADY, GO DIE and other things, another centering on the long-threatened ROAD TO PERDITION sequel. Several people comment that there should not be a sequel – apparently unaware that I’ve already written three (and the “in-between-quel, RTP 2: ON THE ROAD).

Hermes Press has announced my collection of the Mike Hammer comic strip. We have apparently located the missing Sunday lacking in the long-out-of-print previous two-volume edition, plus I’ve done two new essays about the strip and Mickey. It’ll be a very handsome book.

This fairly positive but condescending review of LADY, GO DIE! is (somewhat unfortunately) probably the widest circulated of any of that novel’s reviews. The reviewer refers to the novel as a “sequel” to I, THE JURY (yes, using quotes, apparently to question its authenticity – Mickey’s partial manuscript was very clearly a sequel to I, THE JURY, and I don’t appreciate the doubt this reviewer appears to cast).

Here is Part One of an interview I did with Comic Geek (Part Two will appear later this week).

Yup, here’s another interview with me. Tired of hearing me yammer? Me, too.

For a change of pace, here’s a nice review of THE MILLION-DOLLAR WOUND, indicative of the new lease on life the Amazon reprints and e-books have given Nate Heller.

I love this review of LADY, GO DIE! (“Why don’t you marry it?” – Pee Wee Herman).

This LADY, GO DIE! review is nice, too.

So is this one.

And an overview here.

While the cyber press tour has certainly slowed down, I still have an interview or two coming up. I wonder how this is impacting sales? I don’t see how Titan could have done much better in getting the word out on the web.

If you haven’t picked up LADY, GO DIE! yet, let me encourage you to do so, and not just because I’m the co-writer. As I may have mentioned, the book is physically beautiful, with the classic Spillane photo tipped in on the front cover and his signature boldly reproduced on the back (gotta slip off the dustjacket to see this).

In the meantime, work on the fifth of the Hammer collaborations begins this week – COMPLEX 90.

M.A.C.

You Say Hello, I Say Bye Bye

The mass market paperback of the latest Heller novel, BYE BYE, BABY, is out today, with a cover I much prefer over the hardcover edition’s. I also made a few corrections to the text, so completists may wish to double dip to get the final version.

Speaking of covers, here is the revised cover of the next Heller, TARGET LANCER. The version on Amazon has yellow lettering that I found nauseating, and my editor went to bat for me and got this big improvement.

Something happened yesterday that was not a big deal but demonstrates the odd position I find myself in at times. A guy called at 8:30 Sunday morning, leaving a message that I should call him – a stranger. Now maybe 8:30 Sunday morning is late for you. For us, it’s early, very damn early (while we live in Iowa, we are not farmers), particularly when I get in at 3 a.m. after a band job. In addition, the ringing phone woke my wife, who does not always have the gentle disposition you might imagine.

Fifteen minutes later, he called again – 8:45 a.m., finding us up and awake (thanks to him). He was calling Sunday morning because he was writing a book about the Irish in Iowa and thought I would like to help him. He was not in particular a fan, although he was familiar with ROAD TO PERDITION (which takes place in Illinois, not Iowa). I tried not to be rude – he seemed friendly and good-natured – but I told him his project was not in my wheelhouse, but that I could give him one useful piece of advice: don’t call strangers at 8:30 Sunday morning.

Writers have a lot of trouble with this kind of thing. Most of us don’t have unlisted numbers, because we want to be accessible as freelancers. A controversial essay has bounced around the net by a successful screenwriter who says (I’m quoting from memory here), “No, I will not read you f**king screenplay. I will also not ask you to clean my f**king house, or wash my f**king car.” Professional scribes are always having people – seldom anyone close to them – expect them to read manuscripts and help them on their way to a successful career.

And it gets awkward. I often have reviewers with blogs ask for blurbs for books they’ve written. This reeks, not so vaguely, as of tit for tat. They’ve given me good reviews, now I’m expected to do likewise for them. It’s harder when a fan, particularly one you’ve corresponded with or know from frequent book signings, wants you to read a manuscript or a self-published book. I get it – they want my approval, on one level, and on another they, too, have a vague sense of having supported me, so I should support them.

When I decline – or worse, say yes, and the book goes on a pile of things I intend to get to, but never do – I feel guilty. I was once a fan who approached Don Westlake, after all – although in fairness, I don’t recall ever asking him to read my stuff (although my first agent, knowing Don and I were friendly, did). And I should note that by the time Mickey Spillane and I became friends, I was about a decade into my career.

For me the greater problem is time – I am reading research all of the time. I am working on my own fiction all of the time. And I avoid reading fiction while I’m writing it, because I don’t want to be stylistically influenced. What little recreational reading I did is, frankly, in the bathroom. I recently finished Rick Harrison’s excellent book on his show “Pawn Stars” (don’t remember the title). I read something else light before that, but I don’t remember what.

Further complicating this is that I am frequently asked to blurb books by other authors. Often directly or through editors, sometimes my own editors, who I don’t want to alienate. And I am put in a position of having to ask other writers to blurb me, a spot editors put writers in constantly. So this makes me a hypocrite and, possibly justifiably, a rude jerk, if I say no.

On the other hand, if you are interested in cleaning my house or washing my car, let me know.

* * *

The cyber tour for LADY, GO DIE! seems to have wrapped up, and the fruits of my labors are blossoming all over the web.

Here’s a fun write-up by Jedidiah Ayres who picks his top five M.A.C. projects.

And here’s a well-done interview with me, about my continuing the Spillane legacy.

The interviewer above takes an in-depth look at the Spillane films here, and follows with a nice review of LADY, GO DIE! (although like a lot of critics who like the book, he seems ashamed of himself).

I was asked to pick my top ten films noir by Film School Rejects. I expected lots of heat (big heat) on my picks, but so far my choices have not been unduly attacked.

This very good interview/article appeared in the Oklahoman and got picked up all over the place.

Here’s an excellent LADY, GO DIE! review at Comic Attack.

Another UK response to LADY, GO DIE! is a tad condescending, but on the whole smart and positive.

A really nice review here, though the comments show what Mickey remains up against.

Here’s a brief, basically very nice review of TRIPLE PLAY. But it demonstrates how odd internet blog reviews can be. The reviewer complains that the language is “dated” (before admitting it’s appropriate to the time frame of the tales) and then claims these stories lack suspense because they are about some of the major crimes of the 20th Century – arguably, the Lipstick Killer is a well-known crime, but the other two are obscure.

M.A.C.

From Huff Post to Penthouse

Lots of nice readers stopped by to chat and buy a book or two (or more) at our book-signing at the Davenport Barnes & Noble Sunday afternoon. The store got in lots of interesting titles besides LADY, GO DIE! and ANTIQUES DISPOSAL – all of the Quarry Hard Case Crime titles, all of the Eliot Ness “Speaking Volumes” trade paperback reprints, among other titles. The hardcovers of BYE BYE, BABY and ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF are there, too. We signed all the stock. We are not doing a major tour, so if you want signed books, you can contact Paul at CRM2970@bn.com. He’ll help you out.

I am not writing an in-depth Update this week because there is plenty to read about me and by me right now as my Internet “tour” continues to generate lots of web attention.

Of the interviews I’ve done, the standout is (not surprisingly) by Jeff Pierce of The Rap Sheet, who really went in depth about the writing process behind LADY, GO DIE!

The big flashy, splashy appearance was an article with slide show I did at Huffington Post on the game-changing detectives. Be sure to read the comments to see how many “readers” don’t bother to read what they’re commenting on.

Here’s a brief behind-the-scenes article by me followed by an excerpt from LADY, GO DIE!

The Playlist did an interesting, mostly favorable review of LADY, GO DIE! that got picked up all over the place.

The Criminal Element posted an essay I wrote for them discussing “noir” as the replacement word of “hardboiled.”

George Kelly briefly, nicely discussed LADY, GO DIE! as a “forgotten book.” Well, it was forgotten by Mickey….

In the midst of the Spillane flurry, Bill Crider posted a great review of ANTIQUES DISPOSAL. Bill’s site remains my favorite in the mystery field, even when he isn’t reviewing me.

I wrote a brief blog on the Mike Hammer movies for Destroy the Brain. For the complete story, take advantage of the Barnes & Noble huge discount on the just-published MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN by Jim Traylor and me.

Here’s another nice LADY, GO DIE! review from Daily Rotation.

Finally, check out this month’s Penthouse – Mike Hammer is mentioned on the cover, and LADY, GO DIE! gets an excerpt with cool art on the inside. Yes, you should read it for the articles and the fiction…like I do.

M.A.C.