Gregory Stout's Blog, page 2

Two New Books

This year will be a good one for me. Following Lost Little Girl, the first PI novel in the Jackson Gamble series, The Gone Man is scheduled for release in October. My second YA book, Connor's War, will be coming out from Beacon Publishing group in late July. So, beyond this bit of self-promotion, what's this about? Just this: none of this would have happened if I had not gotten involved with a couple of local writer's groups. The camaraderie, friendship and encouragement from the membership has been, I think, the greatest single factor in my being able to find publishers for my books. And with that in mind, I'd strongly urge any would-be writers to connect with a local writers group or guild in their own area, as the association, whether you are publishing independently or traditionally, will be extraordinarily valuable. Good hunting!

Manhunter

Okay, not a book, but almost like one. After endless prodding from friends and spouse, I broke down and bought a ROKU, principally to watch certain UK-based mysteries on Acorn, a channel that offers only British TV shows. One show I stumbled across, and that I had never heard of is called Manhunter, a limited series (only 7 episodes over two series) starring Martin Clunes, who portrays real-life DI Colin Sutton. The two series depict how the London police go about solving two cases, one involving a serial killer and the other a serial sex offender. It is different from most U.S.-based crime dramas in that it depicts what actually takes place in apprehending an offender, which, in these two cases, was both complicated and protracted. In neither instance was anyone shot, nor was there a car chase, nor did a larger-than-life detective single-handedly crack the case. If you have access to Acorn, this is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of mysteries. I only wish there had been more episodes.

It's Almost Here!

Today I participated in a podcast that was recorded and will be uploaded to most platforms to conicide with the launch of my debut mystery novel, Lost Little Girl, scheduled to be released on October 25 by Level Best Books. LBB (https://www.levelbestbooks.us/) is a Maryland-based publisher that specializes in mysteries and has numerous authors on their roster, so I feel that I have found a home here. Lost Little girl is a book that has been almost 40 years in the making, and is, by far, the best thing I have ever written, so much so that it was actually accepted by four (!) different publishers. As might be imagined, I am very excited by this, and will post again when when the launch takes place. I'm planning a giveaway in conncection with this, provided I can figure out how to do it.

GS

Okay, I Admit it...

...I couldn't quite figure it out. I just finished James Ellroy's newest effort, This Storm. Laying my cards on the table, I'm a huge fan. I've read all his full-length novels, beginning with L.A. Confidential and continuing right through Perfidia and now This Storm. In this instance, however, I found it next to impossible to figure out not only what was going on, but also how the multiple narratives that comprised the story. There were, of course, familiar characters such as the despicable Dudley Smith (who finally gets his in an earlier book, but in a later time--go figure). But there were also characters I couldn't identify, including "The Wolf"--was this a person or a for-real lupine? And who was delivering the closing narrative? That speaker never identified himself/herself. Anyway, good luck reading this book. If you're a fan, like me, you'll be rooting for the next one. If you're not, or if you're new to Ellroy, good luck. Read L.A. Confidential first. At least you'll have the movie as backup.

Good Book

I recently finished reading the final draft of a new novel by Cathi Stoller called LAST CALL. This is the second in the "Murder on the Rocks" series of New York City-based murder mysteries featuring owner/restaurateur Jude Dillane. On New Year's Day, a body with a knife through its heart turns up in the dumpster behind her establishment, sending Jude on a one-woman search for the killer. I would call this book sort of a "cozy," in that the murder is not described in graphic detail, and all the suspects are part of a circle of friends and customers who frequent Jude's establishment. In the end, the book keeps the reader guessing and provides more than enough suspense, and, yes, a little danger for the heroine to work through, for even the most seasoned mystey lover. Congratulations, Cathi. You have a winner.

Free At Last

This is kind of a tip 'o' the cap to private detective Jackson Gamble, a character I created about three decades ago. He first came to life on loose-leaf, college-ruled paper in a three-ring binder and written in pencil while riding back and forth to work on a Chicago & North Western commuter train. From loose-leaf paper, he moved to 8-1/2 x 11" plain paper typed on an IBM Selectric, then to green-bar paper printed from a 5-inch floppy on a CPM system, then a 3-1/2" floppy, then a succession of hard drives and then a flash drive, and now, finally, a final move onto the printed page, which will be released in the coming year entitled Lost Little Girl. Congratulations, buddy, and thanks for being so patient. You made it.

About That Agent...

Last time I wrote that I thought maybe I needed an agent, as I seemed to be spinning my wheels placing a detective novel I had recently finished called "Lost Little Girl." So, with that in mind I began sending query letters to agents that I found listed on various web sites, and guess how many responses, favorable or unfavorable, I got...wait for it...none.

So while I wated to hear from (as it turned out) nobody at all, I began sending the manuscript directly to publishers, about a dozen in all. Stipulating that 12 is the right number, I got three responses. One was a rejection, one was, "we'd like to see the entire manuscript" (I just sent the first three chapters) and one was an offer for a three-book deal, which I accepted.

So, what's the moral of the story? I think it's the same one that I use when I give local-area book talks at writers guild meetings and author fairs, and that is, never, and I mean never, give up. If you have a good product, it will find a home. Trust me.

Or Maybe I Do

Some while back I posted a short essay having to do with whether a writer needed an agent. At the time, I thought not, but since those heady days I have learned a bit more about the publishing business. And one of the things I learned, as other writers I know have also learned to our collective dismay, is that the business is very different from how it was prior to the introduction of social media. These days a writer is expected to take a major role in selling his or her book(s), which I guess works fine if you have 20,000 Facebook friends, but if you are an adult writing for young adults or children, you'd better not have 20,000 friends unless they all have children of an age appropriate to what you are writing and are not themselves children. (Spoiler alert: if the latter is the case it will likely tag you as a pedophile and a candidate for having your front door kicked in some dark night.)

Thus, I am now thinking that perhaps an agent can provide more guidance and assistance in finding just the right publisher. We will see. Meantime, I am trying to place a detective novel called "Lost Little Girl," and am working on another YA novel which I am calling "Connor's War." We will see how each of these works out.

Life Imitates Art

Back in the days when I was a middle school reading teacher, I ran across a book called "Life As We Knew it," by Susan Pfeffer. Without spoiling it for anyone who hasn't read it, the premise of the book is that the moon is hit by an asteroid, which alters its orbit around the earth in such a way that it creates radical climate change, e.g., volcanic eruptions due to the moon's more powerful gravitational pull. This, in turn, causes less sunlight to reach the earth which upsets normal crop production...you get the idea. The problem is exacerbated by an ineffective/incompetent response on the part of government which leads to food shortages electrical brownouts, etc. Anyhow, it got me to wondering how many books relating to the COVID-19 outbreak are now in development, what with the problems we are now seeing, including a sharp spike in unemployment, shortages of common items and hit-or-miss "stay at home" orders that are defied by party-goers, Easter worshippers, and the genuinely foolhardy--all this coupled with a Federal response that seems more focused on propping up the stock market than saving lives. Anyhow, although I am not a science fiction writer, the current situation would seem to be a good writing prompt for somebody. I'll be interested to see what if anything arises from this.

SAD DAY

Spoke to a friend recently who told me his book had been rejected by a publisher who had earlier expressed interest. I felt badly for him, in part because I helped edit it, but in greater measure because it really is a good (nonfiction) book that has been carefully researched with solid documentation. So you say, well, he can just send it somewhere else, but the problem is, this is a volume of local history, which kinda means find a local publisher, and with many university presses either cutting back or shut down altogether, I think he is likely to have an uphill climb.

Sometimes writing can break your heart.