Ed Gorman's Blog, page 250

Pro-File: Doug Allyn

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1. Tell us about your current novel or project.
I tend to work on several things simultaneously, and have just finished a pair of not-so-short stories, (12K words each.) They'll simmer a bit before a final edit, then off into the ether.

2. Can you give us a sense of what you're working on now? For openers, I'm basking in the glow of the term 'sense.' being used in reference to my work, even peripherally. I've long been convinced that some of my stories do make sense… But I digress. A...

Pro-File: Jon Breen

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Pro-File Jon Breen

1. Tell us about your current novel (or project).

My most recent novel is Probable Claus (Five Star), a Christmas book that came out last February, allowing plenty of time to build toward its eventual status as a holiday perennial. Give it a couple more years. It is a sort of parody of the Big Trial genre in which the official Santa Claus of a Midwestern city (state unspecified, so I didn't have to worry about keeping the law accurate, and I was never good at geography anyw...

Forgotten Books: The Ham Reporter by Robert J. Randisi

These days Bob Randisi is probably best known for his larky look at The Rat Pack, novels that aren't just fun to read but also map out show biz morality--or lack thereof--with skill and grace. Randisi's changed publishers for the next couple and I can't wait to read them.

But the novel I'd like to discuss here is Randisi's 1986 historical The Ham Reporter first published by Doubleday in 1986 and reprinted last year (along with The Disappearance of Penny and still available) by Stark House.

It's...

Pro-File: Parnell Hall

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Parnell Hall is the author of the Puzzle Lady crossword puzzle mysteries, the Stanley Hastings private eye novels, and the Steve Winslow courtroom dramas. His books have been nominated for Edgar, Shamus, and Lefty awards. Parnell is an actor, singer/songwriter, screenwriter, and past president of the Private Eye Writers of America.

1. Tell us about your current novel (or project).

THE PUZZLE LADY VS THE SUDOKU LADY (The Battle of the Century!), is based on an idea suggested by my editor, Rut...

Stranglehold

Coming in November from St. Martin's
The Second Dev Conrad Suspense Novel

We always hear about political dynasties in this country. The large ones, the Kennedys, the Cabot Lodges etc., are well-known. Back in the late Sixties while I was writing speeches for a Democratic congressman I started having beers with a GOP op and his wife who worked for our competitor. None of us felt we were working for mental giants. Amazing what you hear getting bombed in a bar. One of their best series of stories ...

Pro-File: David Handler

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David Handler has written six Connecticut shoreline mysteries featuring the mismatched crime-fighting duo of Mitch Berger and Des Mitry. His first, The Cold Blue Blood, was a Dilys Award finalist and a BookSense Top Ten pick. His newest, The Shimmering Blonde Sister, will be published this fall. He is also the author of eight novels about the witty and dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart Hoag and his faithful, neurotic basset hound, Lulu, including the Edgar and American Mystery Award--winni...

Private Eyes

A friend of mine e mailed me a link to a somewhat absurd article that seemed to claim that there hasn't been a good private eye writer since the era of Chandler and Hammett. And my God the claims the writer made for Chandler. Fawning praise that turned ridiculous in places.

I won't go through my usual litany of Chandler's shortcomings as I see them. He was a wonderful stylist and storyteller but with few exceptions his characters were straight from B movies and his vaunted tour of LA seems (a...

Gossip headlines

Ed here: I got a funny e mail this morning asking if I ever planned to do gossip headlines again. Okey-dokey. These are from the Huffington Post's Entertainment section today.

Lindsay Lohan Forgets Her Bra

Katy Perry Is Menstruating, Not Pregnant

Madonna's Boyfriend Flashes Pubic Hair, Talks Career

Why Kiefer Wore A Dress On Letterman

Gwyneth: My Brain Drives Me Mental

Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester Acts Like A Brat At Restaurant

Jennifer Love Hewitt Bedazzled Her Vagina

Jessica Alba Loves Her Cellul...

A notable launch

As many folks will tell you young adult and middle grade novels are selling very well, so well in fact that a new series that is already tied into movies is about to break. And break big time. This is from SF Scope:

Cornelia Funke's Reckless to debut with million+ printing
By Ian Randal Strock January 14, 2010

More news of Cornelia Funke's Reckless. Publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has announced that they're planning to print one million copies for the US market, for a publicatio...

Forgotten Books: Death's Sweet Song

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Motels seemed to fascinate Gold Medal writers of the early Fifties. John D. MacDonald did at least one book with a motel setting, Day Keene did at least one, too, and I'm pretty sure there were two or three other writers who used motels as the focal point of their stories. John D. in The Crossroads talked about the serious business of running a big motel with all the amenities. But Keene and the book at hand, Death's Sweet Song by Clifton Adams, used failing motels as the reason their protago...