B.V. Lawson's Blog, page 212
June 3, 2014
Literary Rock Stars
Book Expo America added a new event this year, BookCon, produced by the same folks behind New York Comic Con. While BEA is usually geared more toward industry insiders, BookCon was open to the general public - at least the first 10,000, as attendance was maxed out at that limit, with each attendee forking over $30 for a one-day event pass (kids got in free).
Barbara Marcus, head of Random House children���s books, told The Bookseller that BookCon���s was "the most diverse population I���ve...
June 2, 2014
Media Murder for Monday
MOVIES
Robert De Niro has signed to star opposite Robert Pattinson in French filmmakers Olivier Assayas' Idol's Eye. Details of the heist action-thriller are being kept under wraps, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
John Moore (A Good Day to Die Hard) has been hired to direct The Hunters, based on the book by Chris Kuzneski, with a screenplay by Robert Mark Kament (Taken). The story follows a team of renegades financed by a billionaire philanthropist who are tasked with finding the worl...
May 31, 2014
May 30, 2014
FFB: The Hanging Doll Murder
It's amazing that Roger Ormerod (1920-2005), a native of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, managed to end up as writer, given his background. Born in 1920, he worked various jobs, including postal worker, shop loader in an engineering factory, clerk in county court, inspector for Department of Social Security, and listed his hobbies as amateur tailoring, wine making, stereo photography and high fidelity.
But somehow in the middle of that, he wrote some 22 standalone crime novels; four...
May 29, 2014
A Noir Affair
Every two years, fans of the devilishly dark and the tortuously twisted descend upon Philadephia for NoirCon. As the organizers note, "The sins, moral failings and dark truths of the human condition find a home at NoirCon���a forum where writers, filmmakers, publishers, and other noir fans share the trials of uncovering the dark side of life for readers and viewers. We look into the minds of tortured fictional characters and see real people, the mirror images of ourselves, coping with deep l...
May 28, 2014
Mystery Melange
White cat book sculpture by Mike Stilkey
Traditional publishers are still feeling their way around the new digital revolution, with some interesting partnerships turning up as a result. Simon & Schuster has signed up with book subscription services Scribd and Oyster (think Netflix for books) to make the publisher's backlist ebooks titles available. HarperCollins also inked a deal with the children's book subscription service, Epic, and St. Martins Press joined up with Swagbucks, an online...
May 27, 2014
All Things Anthology
Summer is a great time to catch up on reading, even if you only have short bites of time here and there. And what better to fill those short bites than some short stories?
New anthologies that may be of interest include Faceoff, edited by David Baldacci and sponsored by the International Thriller Writers group. The volume includes eleven tales that match up two protagonists from different authors. For instance, "Rhymes with Prey" by Jeffrey Deaver and John Sandford has Lincoln Rhyme and Luca...
May 26, 2014
Media Murder for Monday
MOVIES
Benedict Cumberbatch is in talks to replace Guy Pearce in the new Whitey Bulger drama Black Mass currently filming in Boston, taking on the role of Billy Bulger, brother to the famous mob boss. The film is based on the book Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal, and will be released in theaters next year. Adam Scott was also added to the cast.
Dr. Who alum Karen Gillan is joining Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, and Taissa Farmiga in writer-director Ti West���s revenge t...
May 24, 2014
May 23, 2014
FFB: I'll Sing you Two-O
Anthea Mary Fraser (born 1930) was inspired by her novelist-mother to be a writer, but her own first published novel had to wait until 1970. The 1974 paranormal novel Laura Possessed was her first break-through success, followed by six other books in a similar vein and some romantic suspense titles before she turned to crime fiction.
She created two series, the first with Detective Chief Inspector David Webb of the Shillingham police, totaling 16 novels in all from 1984 to 1999. The second...
