Brian Freeman's Blog, page 44
November 15, 2011
Coming Soon
I'm starting to get e-mails and Facebook posts from impatient readers, who want to know when the next book is coming out. Well, it's still several months away, but I'll have more news on the book very soon. By the end of the year, you'll find the new book posted on my home page, as well as a summary and a link to the exciting prologue.
Oh, and the title? Sleuths can find it online, but I'll wait and reveal it when you can see the covers, too.
When will it arrive in stores? Book seven will be available in the UK starting 1 March 2012 and in the US starting May 1 2012. Okay, I know, it seems like a long time! However, it will be worth the wait, I promise. This new book -- my second stand-alone following The Bone House -- will take my brand of psychological suspense to the next level. I can't wait to put it in your hands.
Don't worry, though, I'm hard at work on my eighth book -- the new Stride novel -- right now.
In the meantime, my Portugese readers can enjoy the long-awaited arrival of my fourth novel, O VOYEUR, starting today. I also filmed a brief video clip about the book in Duluth, which you can see in English (with Portugese subtitles) at the book's web page on the site for my Portugese publisher: http://www.presenca.pt/livro/o-voyeur/.
More very soon...happy reading!
September 27, 2011
The Real World
One of my avid readers is a county attorney in Minnesota, and he recently invited me to speak at a course he teaches on criminal justice. It got me thinking about the overlap between the fictional world and the real world in terms of crime and punishment -- and about how we influence each other.
Obviously, I create drama. Wherever I go, I drive up the crime rate. It makes me wonder if the people in places like Duluth or Door County really want me coming back, because I bring nothing but murder, abuse, and dysfunction to their lovely communities. The world of my books isn't "real" -- you wouldn't want to live anywhere that had such things going on all the time. You also probably wouldn't want to read books that captured the reality of life in the criminal justice system, which all too often is about paperwork. If John Grisham wrote about the real day-to-day life of a lawyer, for example, he wouldn't sell too many books.
On the other hand, I crave authenticity in my characters in terms of their emotional experience. I want real people -- not super-heroes or super-villains -- who are drawn across terrible lines. I'm interested in the motivations that lead people to make bad choices, and I'm interested in the emotional toll that crime can take on the people who try to solve it. I hope that's why readers relate to my characters, and I always hope that my stories honor the police by making them genuine people, not cartoons.
Both worlds, real and fictional, affect each other, sometimes in unexpected ways. If anything, science and technology make it harder on a fiction writer, because you can't get away with a crime quite as easily as you could in the past. Your cell phone calls and locations can be traced. Your DNA can be tracked. You're constantly passing cameras that record your movements. You leave electronic footprints everywhere. It makes a writer long for the old days when you could be anonymous! Creating a plausible drama in that kind of world is a challenge, because there are simply fewer "mysteries" that can't be readily solved by the tools we have today.
On the other hand, those tools take time and cost money. Prosecutors bemoan the "CSI effect" in which juries expect every trial to involve DNA and verifiable science, even though most criminal trials still rely on old-fashioned fingerprints more than anything else. Similarly, police on TV (and yes, in books) usually get their lab results back in hours...rather than months or even years, as is common in real life. Imagine the sheer time an investigation takes when you wait nine months to get a DNA sample tested. Victims, families, juries, don't always understand the realities of criminal work, because they are fed a steady dose of fictional drama.
If there is one thing both worlds share, though, it's the importance of story in reaching people. My books are designed to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours, because you can't put down a good tale that keeps you fascinated and surprised. Similarly, the real world of criminal justice relies on the power of stories -- understanding why people behave the way they do, and making others (including juries) understand how the pieces of evidence fit together to form a believable narrative. In the end, we are all storytellers.
September 16, 2011
Totally Criminal Cocktail Hour
Barnes & Noble
August 27, 2011
Out and About
In between my writing duties -- I'm deep into my eighth book right now, the first Stride novel since THE BURYING PLACE -- I'll be making a handful of stops around the Midwest this fall to meet with readers.
You can look for me in Angola, Indiana and Ann Arbor, Michigan (for the Kerrytown Book Festival) on the weekend of September 10-11. Then I'll be in Stevens Point, Wisconsin later in September. In October, I have two stops in Minnesota at libraries in Cambridge and New Prague. All the details are on the Events page of my web site.
If you're located in the upper Midwest, and you'd like me to visit your area, be sure to stop by your local library and ask them to extend an invitation. I try hard to travel as widely as I can and visit new areas. If it's within easy driving distance, I can often add it to my roster.
The trick about touring for authors these days is that it's mostly on our own dime. So the airfare, rental car, hotel, food, etc. -- we pay for all those expenses ourselves. As a result, it takes me a while to get to places that are outside the Midwest. Over the past six years, I've visited Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Arizona, and California...so I do get around! If I haven't made it to your area yet, just be patient with me, and I'll try to get there. (And I'll try to make it back to places I've visited in the past, too.)
Meanwhile, I'll have more details soon about the release dates of book seven in 2012!
August 22, 2011
Minnesota State Fair
August 19, 2011
Cambridge Library
August 16, 2011
New Prague Library
July 28, 2011
Off to Duluth
I'm back to Stride Country on Sunday to scout out locales for my eighth suspense novel. Yes, you know what that means: I'm getting ready to dive into a new Jonathan Stride book, my first since THE BURYING PLACE.
My sixth book THE BONE HOUSE and my upcoming seventh novel -- due out in the spring -- are both stand-alones. (Of course, fans of THE BONE HOUSE can expect to meet Cab Bolton again in another book.) I've enjoyed the opportunity to tackle all-new characters, and the response from readers has been wonderful. As for book seven, well, my editor says it took her breath away. So I can't wait to put that one in your hands.
However, I've missed Stride, Serena, and Maggie...and I know all of you have been anxious to see what happens next in their lives. I've got the story all ready to go, and I'm very excited about it. Now I just need some creepy locales, and I'll be haunting the streets of Duluth for several days to find the best settings for every chapter.
I'll also be back at the Bookstore at Fitger's on Wednesday, August 3, for a meet-and-greet with readers between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. So if you're in the area, stop by and say hello -- and don't forget to bring your books to be signed.
Yes, it'll be awhile until you can read the new Stride novel. After all, I have to write it first! However, I'm hoping to include a long (15,000-word) Stride short story with book seven. That way, you can get a little "Stride fix" while you wait for the new book.
July 18, 2011
Ally Returns
Okay, it's not like I wear a mask and harbor a secret identity like a Marvel Comics hero. However, I do have an alter ego. It's author Ally O'Brien, which I share with my London agent, Ali.
We teamed up a couple years ago to write THE AGENCY, which one reviewer described as a "delicious mash-up of chick-lit and thriller." It was a sassy, sarcastic look at London publishing with a female, first-person narrator -- nothing at all like my dark, emotional suspense novels.
Since then, fans have been asking: Will we see another book from Ally O'Brien? Short answer: yes! It's taken us a while to put on our Ally hats again, but the good news is that we just wrapped up the draft of the second Ally novel. For those of you who loved THE AGENCY, this new book is every bit as funny as the first -- with a big heart and lots of drama. Ali and I think you'll love it.
So when will you see it? Oh, you know the world of publishing -- it always takes forever. I imagine it will be next summer before the book arrives in stores. But we'll give you little hints and previews along the way, and it will be worth the wait. So as they used to say in the James Bond credits, Ally O'Brien Will Return.
