Brian Freeman's Blog, page 39

2013 Thriller Awards

Some wonderful news today...SPILLED BLOOD is a finalist for Best Hardcover Novel in the International Thriller Writers 2013 Thriller Awards.

What an amazing honor! This is my second short-listing for Best Novel in the ITW Awards, after The Burying Place two years ago. I've been a judge in this kind of awards process, and I know how difficult it is to choose finalists among so many terrific books. So it means a lot to me to get this recognition from my peers in the writing world.

A big congratulations to the other finalists: Sean Chercover, Lisa Gardner, Gregg Hurwitz, and William Landay. I'm in great company!

Bemidji Library Book Festival

Enjoy a very special evening with two stars of Minnesota's mystery community! Brian Freeman and William Kent Krueger team up to talk about their Midwestern suspense novels and take questions from readers. Take a break from the lake, and don't miss the excitement as Jonathan Stride meets Cork O'Connor at the Bemidji Library Book Festival.

Hooked on Reading

Sometimes readers tell me things that remind me why I do what I do. A comment I received today is one of those messages that will stay with me for a long time. Here's what she said:

"I have never been a reader. I've probably read maybe 5 books in my life. That is until Immoral! I was hooked! I have now read 10 books in the last year (for me, that's remarkable!) But not only that, just seeing me... read, has encouraged my kids to read more! My fifth grader has improved, my first grader is now reading at a high 2nd grade level, and my pre-schooler is trying really hard to read by himself... all because I read Immoral!"

Publishing is a tough business, especially in the last few years...but messages like that keep me going. So THANKS to all of you readers out there!

Pleasant Hill Library

Brian visits the river town of Hastings, Minnesota, to talk about his books, answer questions from readers, and provide a sneak preview of his upcoming Stride novel THE COLD NOWHERE. Be sure to bring your books to be signed...and all of his books will also be available for sale.

The Bookstore at Fitgers

Brian hits the half-century mark this month...and he's celebrating his birthday in Stride Country. Join him at the Bookstore at Fitgers in Duluth to say Happy Birthday and enjoy a piece of birthday cake. You can also get a sneak peek of the new upcoming Stride novel THE COLD NOWHERE...Brian will be doing a special reading from the new book!

Catch Up

My first five books -- Immoral, Stripped, Stalked, In The Dark (also known as The Watcher overseas), and The Burying Place -- all featured Duluth police lieutenant Jonathan Stride and the two strong women who make up a triangle in Stride's life: Serena Dial and Maggie Bei. In addition to the twists and turns of each story, the novels took the heroes on an emotional roller-coaster ride.

Stride, Serena, and Maggie have taken a break for the last three years. In the interim, I've written The Bone House and Spilled Blood. The most recent, Spilled Blood, is a pure stand-alone and one of my own favorite books. Although The Bone House began as a stand-alone, the Florida investigator in the novel -- Cab Bolton -- became so popular that readers demanded his return. So I'm in the midst of a new Cab Bolton novel right now, and that book will be out in 2014.

However, I don't want anyone to think that I've forgotten about Stride & Co. The new Stride novel THE COLD NOWHERE will be released in the UK on 9 May and in the US later this year (details to follow soon). For those of you who already know Stride, it's a long-awaited return.

For readers who are new to me in the last two books -- or to your reader friends who haven't discovered me yet -- this is a great time to catch up on Stride. Even though the books are part of a series, I write them carefully so that you can read them in any order. I've had new readers discover me with each of the books (and most people didn't even realize they were in the middle of a series...which is exactly what I want). However, many readers enjoy watching the characters develop throughout the books, so if that's what you like, start at the beginning with Immoral.

So help me get the word out to new readers about Stride...you can tweet (find me on Twitter @bfreemanbooks), use Facebook (like my fan page at www.facebook.com/bfreemanfans), or share my books with your friends on Goodreads (I'm a Goodreads author so link to my page).

Then you'll be ready to enjoy THE COLD NOWHERE!

Stride is Back This Year

My readers all know that my first five books -- Immoral, Stripped, Stalked, In The Dark, and The Burying Place (which was a finalist for Best Novel in the International Thriller Writer Awards) -- feature Duluth police lieutenant Jonathan Stride.

After the hell I put the poor guy through in those books, I thought he deserved a vacation. So my two most recent books, The Bone House and Spilled Blood, introduced readers to new characters.

But the vacation is over. Readers have been clamoring to meet Stride again, and they'll get their wish later this year. My 2013 novel will be THE COLD NOWHERE, and it's another Duluth-based drama featuring Stride and the two women in his life, Maggie Bei and Serena Dial. A lot of readers had questions about the next steps in Stride's life after the end of The Burying Place...and all those questions will be answered! But as is typical of Stride, not without a lot of drama in between.

The UK edition of THE COLD NOWHERE is due out on 9 May. I don't have an exact release date in the US yet, but I will share it when I know it. In the meantime, start re-reading those early books in the series, and get ready for Stride's return!

As for all of you who are Cab Bolton fans (from The Bone House), Cab will be back in a new novel next year.

Fox Cities Book Festival

Brian visits the library in Neenah, Wisconsin, as part of the Fox Cities Book Festival. He'll discuss the research for his books, including his Door County-based book THE BONE HOUSE and his upcoming Stride novel, THE COLD NOWHERE. All of his books will be available for sale and signing.

The Souls of the Ships

It's the Christmas season...and I have a gift for you.

Those of you who read my books know that I usually write dark, emotional suspense, but you can also enjoy my romantic side this season. My Christmas short story, "The Souls of the Ships," is a bittersweet tale of two lonely people who come together on Christmas eve on the shore of Lake Superior. I hope it reminds you of everything that's sweet and miraculous -- especially the power of love -- at this time of year.

For those of you in the U.S., you can enjoy a free audio version of "The Souls of the Ships," courtesy of my audio publisher, Blackstone, and Joe Barrett, who serves as the narrative voice on all of the audio editions of my novels. Click here to visit Downpour.com to get your free audio edition of the story.

For those of you in the U.K., you can download an exclusive e-edition of this short story for your Amazon Kindle. It's free for a limited time, so click here to visit the Amazon UK Kindle store to download it.

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Please feel free to share these links with your friends, so we can spread the word about the story and get it in the hands of as many people as possible.

To all of you...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Keep reading!

Holiday Gifts

Books make great gifts for family and friends! (Or for yourself!) If you're looking for books to put under the tree this year, you have lots of options.

You can now order a signed U.S. first edition of THE BONE HOUSE. It's available for delivery anywhere in the world, and economy shipping in the U.S. is free. Get more details by clicking here.

Your local bookstore can always order copies of any of my books, if they don't have the one(s) you want in stock. Just ask the owner/manager or visit the Customer Service desk. Or you can visit my Amazon store or my Buy the Books page for links to online retailers.

Avid fans may also want to think about t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, mugs, and other gifts with "I Love Brian Freeman Books" logos and other designs inspired by my books. You can see the entire selection at my Cafe Press store.

If you're looking for particular editions (including translated editions), you can also write to me directly at brian@bfreemanbooks.com. I'm happy to help where I can.