Brian Freeman's Blog, page 43

Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Brian is back at the Seattle Mystery Bookshop! Come stop by on your lunch hour and talk about crime, crab, the Night Stalker, and, oh yes, Brian's new book SPILLED BLOOD. It's Seattle, so he'll be hopped up on original Starbucks and ready to talk.

Murder by the Book

Brian heads to the west coast! He's in Portland to visit the Murder by the Book store to chat with readers and talk about his newest book, SPILLED BLOOD.

Vero Beach Book Center

Brian is back in Florida, one of his very favorite states, to visit the Vero Beach Book Center for the second time. Come hear about his new book, SPILLED BLOOD, and plans that may take him back to Florida (where the opening sections of THE BONE HOUSE took place).

Barnes & Noble

Brian is back in the Big D (first time in almost five years) at the Lincoln Park Barnes & Noble for the kick-off event for his new book, SPILLED BLOOD. Join him to talk about writing and publishing, and get a signed copy of the new book! Don't forget to bring your old books to sign, too.

American Library Association

Calling all librarians at the American Library Association Annual Conference! Join Brian and other mystery authors at ALA's Pop Top Mystery Day Stage for panels on Saturday. More details about specific times soon. A book signing will follow each panel!

The Bookstore at Fitger's

Brian is back in Duluth! Join him at Fitger's, and get a signed copy of his seventh psychological suspense novel, SPILLED BLOOD. The annual Fitger's event is always a great opportunity to meet Brian, chat, and get your questions answered. (You may even get a sneak preview of his eighth novel, which marks the long-awaited return of Jonathan Stride.)

The Finalists Are...

Some nice news this morning. My sixth book THE BONE HOUSE was just named a finalist for the 2012 Minnesota Book Award in genre fiction. The winners will be announced at a gala banquet on April 14.

This is my second nomination for this award. STRIPPED was also a finalist back in 2006. Should I wonder about the irony? The two books I've written that were NOT set in Minnesota have both wound up as finalists for a Minnesota award!

Big congratulations to my fellow finalists, authors Richard Thompson, Michael Stanley, and Kent Krueger.

A Pirate's Life

There's been a lot of debate about copyright protection on the Internet lately. Well, I got an expensive lesson about intellectual property theft today.

My agent just informed me that pirated editions of the Spanish book club translations of my novels have been widely distributed at free download sites. The direct cost to me: likely cancellation of contracts that would have brought books three and four to Spanish bookstores, loss of thousands of dollars, and extreme disruption in one of my most important markets.

Note to pirates: I'm not Sony or Disney. This is not stealing from "faceless" corporations. This is stealing from a real person who's just trying to make a living in a very tough business.

Overseas

It's a busy period for my books overseas.

In the Netherlands, THE BONE HOUSE will be released on Tuesday January 24 under the title BRANDMERK (Burn Mark). This is my sixth novel available from The House of Books, and I can't wait to get it in reader hands. You can see the cover and buy it at BOL at the following link: http://www.bol.com/nl/p/nederlandse-boeken/brandmerk/1001004011517890/index.html.

It's also a busy time in France. My fourth book LE VOYEUR is one of 10 finalists for La Plume du Thriller International at the wonderful French books site, Plume Libre. The winners are selected by YOU -- the readers -- and voting is not limited to readers in France. So if you're a fan of IN THE DARK (called THE WATCHER overseas), just click over to the Plume Libre site and cast your vote: http://www.plume-libre.com/concours/plumes2012/Plumes2012.php.

Meanwhile, THE BURYING PLACE is due out in France on February 9 under the title JE T'AURAI. (It means I WILL HAVE YOU.) My French publisher also signed on this week to release my next two books, THE BONE HOUSE and SPILLED BLOOD, over the next two years.

I'm also awaiting the release of THE BURYING PLACE in Poland soon, so it's a hot winter in Europe for Brian Freeman books. Yay!

Meanwhile, closer to home, there will be plenty of news about SPILLED BLOOD very soon -- plus a special Jonathan Stride story in February. Stay tuned!

The Souls of the Ships

This year, I've arranged a special holiday bonus for all of my readers! I've partnered with my U.S. audio publisher, Blackstone Audio, to offer a free download of my Christmas short story, "The Souls of the Ships." The story is read by Joe Barrett, who also does the narration for all of the Blackstone audio editions of my first six novels.

"The Souls of the Ships" is one of my personal favorites among my stories. It's set up in "Stride country" in Duluth, and it's the haunting tale of two strangers who meet by the shore of Lake Superior on Christmas Eve to learn about the power of loss and love. I hope that you and your whole family enjoy this little gift from me, Blackstone, and Joe Barrett...and I hope you will share the link with your friends, too.

To receive your free download, just click on this link to Blackstone and sign up with your e-mail address. Blackstone will automatically send you a link to download the story in MP3 or M4B format -- absolutely free.

All of my novels are available in audio editions read by Joe Barrett, and Blackstone is also offering a 25% discount on the CD audio books between now and the end of the year!

Merry Christmas! I'm sending you and yours my warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy, prosperous 2012.

P.S. Look for news from me early next year about a special Jonathan Stride short story, as well as more information about my seventh book SPILLED BLOOD - due out this spring!

|