Ryne Douglas Pearson's Blog, page 9

Cover For Reissue Of 'Simple Simon'

The reissue of my thriller, Simple Simon, which was made into the Bruce Willis movie Mercury Rising (I always preferred the book...go figure), will be available in eBook and paperback formats in a few weeks. Just wanted to share the final cover.

 

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'Confessions' And How A Book Became Another Book

Confused by the thread title? Yeah, I was too when I realized that I should have thought of... Well, let me start in the right place.

 

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My novel, Confessions, began as an idea years ago. A pretty linear mystery, actually, where the protagonist, Michael Jerome, a priest and Chicago police chaplain, is confronted with a revelation that tests his faith and drives him toward a resolution that might be justice--or vengeance. I knew how it started. How it would end. And most points in between, other than those happy accidents of creation that come as surprises while actually writing.

Then, I talked to someone about it. As I was writing. They looked at me and said something like this: 'Wouldn't it be interesting if it turned out Michael barely knew his sister at all?'

Without giving too much away, let's just say that Michael's sister, Katie, was, in many ways, the driving force behind the story. His love for her was complete, and would remain so, but if I was to embrace this suggestion I had been offered, it would mean that Katie herself would become a parallel mystery that was to be unraveled.

I kicked myself for not coming up with this myself.

Linear is not always bad. It allows a story to race along. But parallel adds depth. In the case of Confessions, it allowed Michael to become an even more complex, and real, character, who must deal with a brotherly love that suddenly seems superficial while he seeks justice for Katie.

These are the sort of wondrous changes that a reader never really knows about. But they are the a ha! moments that writers crave. The moments that make telling stories fun, and fulfilling.

If you're interested, Confessions is available from the following online retailers:

Amazon  Amazon Paperback  Amazon UK  Amazon DE  Barnes & Noble  Borders AU  Sony  Apple iBooks

The Winner Of The 'Make Me Loathe Bacon' Contest Is...

Ellie Ann, with a recipe that can best be described as a gruel-like melange of bacony pre-vomit, ensconsed beneath a quivering skim of barely soldified slime that hints of harbor water.

I'm starving.

Sometime in the next two or three weeks, prepare yourself to watch me ingest this porcine affront to bacon as the entire event, from preparation to consumption to, possibly, regurgitation, will be recorded on video for all to experience.

Well done to all who entered. You're sick people. That's why I like you.

Ellie Ann, shoot me a mailing addy where your fabulous prizes can be sent.

The 'Make Me Loathe Bacon' Contest

Yes, I love bacon. Did you not know that? Well, I do. Thus, I truly believe that bacon makes any food better.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to create a recipe so noxious, so vile, that the inclusion of bacon will not save it. The prize: a DVD of Knowing and a paperback copy of my novel, Confessions.

Now, the rules. The recipe may have no more than five ingredients, and one of those must be bacon. No ingredient can be so exotic that it cannot be found in a standard supermarket. The end product of the recipe must actually be edible, not poisonous. Why?

Because I will make the winning recipe and post pictures/video of it being consumed.

So post your recipe in the comments by 11:59 PM Thursday the 28th, and the winner will be announced Friday. Within two weeks after that auspicious moment, I will prepare the winning recipe for all to see.

So, have at it and Make Me Loathe Bacon.

Four Additional Books Coming This Year

Just this weekend I received confirmation from HarperCollins that the rights to my first four novels, published in the 1990's, have reverted to me. What does this mean?

The series of thrillers featuring FBI agent Art Jefferson will be returning in both eBook and paperback format. This series includes Cloudburst, October's Ghost, Capitol Punishment, and the final Art Jefferson thriller, Simple Simon, which was made into the film Mercury Rising starring Bruce Willis.

These new releases will be in addition to the three new novels already planned for release this year.

It's a busy and exciting time.

Eric Idle On Writing For 'Monty Python'

A funny discussion about different writing (or not writing) styles.

Wise Words From Rod Serling

No matter what you write, this should be your first guiding principle: 'It's story that counts.'

'Top Ten' Back In Print

You can now order a paperback edition of my serial killer thriller Top Ten from Amazon.

 

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What is Top Ten about?

A killer who believes himself an artist of unmatched talent is incensed when he is placed last on the FBI's most wanted list, and begins killing off those fugitives above him, each in a twisted manner that serves his creative vision.

But his horrific climb to the top, which leaves both guilty and innocent dead in its wake, must be stopped by a young, driven FBI agent who is given an almost impossible and equally inexplicable task— save number five on the list.

At all costs.

As I mentioned when making Confessions available in a paperback edition, purchasing a Kindle eBook edition of Top Ten is MUCH more economical, but some people do prefer paper, or may not have an eReader yet.

Review Of 'Four Years From Home'

I've posted reviews of Larry Enright's Kindle bestseller Four Years From Home where one should--Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Goodreads. Below is what I said in those reviews:

You could call this book a humorous look at the familial bonds between a self-described bully and his siblings. You could call it a wrenching tale of loss and discovery. You could call it a story of twists and turns that both entrances and shocks. You'd be right on all counts. The author seems purposed to not only share the story of bully/brother Tom Ryan, but to put us in Tom's head as his world is turned upside down, and as his grasp of it is peeled away bit by bit. We don't just follow Tom's journey--we inhabit it as he seeks out answers to his brother Harry's death while away at college. What we get from this masterfully told tale is always touching, frequently worthy of chuckles born of our own memories of childhood, and also impossible to anticipate. I did not see coming what transpired. Highly, highly recommended. You will be hooked from the first paragraph of this tale that should be treasured.

But more needs to be said. I met Larry by chance on Twitter. We've struck up what I think I can call a friendship. We've put excerpts of our novels in each other's books in a move at cross promotion. He's a genuinely funny guy.

But Four Years From Home demonstrates something else about Larry: he's a natural storyteller. He doesn't rush, or give short shrift to the intricacies which make every human being unique. By the time you finish the first chapter, you're pretty sure his main character, Tom Ryan, should be hit by a train. Why? Because Larry allowed us to feel, in Tom's own words, what it was like to be one of his siblings when they were younger. He didn't allow Tom to even attempt an infusion of sympathy. Which is why, when all is said and done, we don't necessarily feel sorry for Tom, but we understand how much of the bravado he extolled was paper thin. We understand that not only was there a heart within the brash exterior, there was a kinship with those siblings he'd bragged about lording over.

Tom Ryan is a magnificent character, and Larry Enright was skilled enough to let us come to know him with harsh and loving detail. Larry sells the Kindle edition of Four Years From Home for just 99 cents. Yes, less than a dollar. He could--and should--charge more.

And you definitely should buy this book. And read it. And savor it, as I did.

Winner Of The 'Bacon Writer' Contest

It was a grueling task to salivate my way through the entries, but after much deliberation a winner has been chosen.

Dan M. (the crowd goes wild)

Dan's entry is below:

So there I was, gasping for breath and covered with hot cheese, on my back on the floor in the main aisle at Costco--you know, right between the produce and frozen foods--the victim of a vicious hit-and-run senior citizen driving one of those little electric carts. The impact spun me around, bouncing me off one of the sample tables where a Hispanic woman had been slicing grilled Jimmy Dean sausages into bite sized offerings to be wrapped in bacon and pierced with toothpicks before being dipped in jalapeno cheese fondue.

A small Asian man knelt at my side and told me in flawless English, "I don't want you to panic, but the sausage lady's knife is is jammed between two of your ribs on your left side here, and has undoubtedly pierced your lung and created a penumothorax which is why you're having trouble breathing," to which I said, "Huh?"

He said, "I'm sorry, but this may hurt"--massively understated, by the way--and he pulled the knife out of my ribs, then ripped my shirt away to reveal the wound, shaking his head at the sight, before using fondue to glue a thick strip of bacon over the ragged slit in my chest, which, after watching it carefully for a few moments as my breathing grew easier, seemed to satisfy him as he licked cheese off his fingers and pronounced me out of immediate danger.

Dan, good job, and everyone, a thank you for participating!