Quote of the Week

"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living."

--- Anais Nin

Another (e-book) Party Heard From

In the midst of all this e-book hoopla that has been appearing in articles, web sites and blogs, Barnes and Noble, world's largest bookstore chain, announced that they would be opening a "mega e-book store" on their site, bn.com.

According to the NYT article: "In an announcement on Monday, Barnes & Noble said that it would offer more than 700,000 books that could be read on a wide range of devices, including Apple's iPhone, the BlackBerry and various laptop or desktop computers. When Barnes & Noble acquired Fictionwise in March, that online retailer had about 60,000 books in its catalog."

Me personally, I'll always have this thing for paper books. Call me a sentimentalist. And I think the other reason that e-readers are not a bigger percentage of book sales is the cost. Most readers are still around $300 and above, as opposed to mass-market paperbacks which are generally all $7.99. Still a little high for a mass market book, but still readily affordable to many more people.

Now, I realize, I'm far from the first person to mention e-books, and I certainly won't be the last. But I'm curious to know, what do you all think of the whole e-book thing in general? Is it the true future of publishing? Will it make the printed book a thing of the past? How will this affect authors and the publishing industry as a whole?

Anyone who comments on this within the next week or so, will be entered in a drawing for two $25 gift cards. One for Barnes and Noble and one Visa for just about anything you'd like.

Quote of the Week

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk come out of my nose."

--- Woody Allen

Frank McCourt Passes Away

Frank McCourt, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela's Ashes, as well as New York City school teracher of almost thirty years, passed away yesterday from cancer at the age of 78.

McCourt had been treated for melanoma but then became seriously ill with meningitis. He died at a hospice in New York City, according to his brother Malachy.

McCourt considered himself to be a late bloomer in the publishing world. Angela's Ashes was published in 1996 when McCourt was 66.

That's the Way It is

Walter Cronkite, the voice of broadcast journalism for more than a generation, --- who covered such news stories as the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, the moon landing and Watergate --- died yesterday at his home in New York. He was 92.

Walter Cronkite tells the story of his "That's the way it is" sign-off line.


Announcing the Death of JFK

Forever Young

Have you ever noticed that, generally speaking, superheroes and villains in comic books never seem to really age? Sure they may look different from when they were firs created, but over all, they always seem to be in the same age bracket. Take Superman for example:

Early 1930's


Today

Notice the huge difference in the way The Man of Steel is drawn, but they look to be around the same age.

But what if as the comics continued, superheroes and villains aged? Italian cartoonist Donald Soffritti shows us what the results could be.

The Reason We Have Laptops

Go into any Starbuck's and something you're likely to see are people with their laptops, busily typing away. Whether they're writer's, students or business people, all of them are tapping at those keys. Which begs the question: "What if the laptop never came to be?" The fun people at Improv Everywhere attempt to answer that for us.



And for more fun, be sure to check out the "Missions" section of their website. Some of my other favorite "missions" include Best Buy, Surprise Wedding Reception, Frozen Grand Central and Food Court Musical.

Quote of the Week

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

--- Voltaire

Happy Birthday Franz

It was this day that writer Franz Kafka was born in 1883. Franz Kafka is the writer of such works as The Metamorphosis and The Trial.

And now as a special treat, here's a special look at Franz Kafka: The Rock Opera.

Quote of the Week

"The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt."

--- Sylvia Plath

Quote of the Week

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without."

--- Confucius

Quote of the Week

"Write your first draft with your heart. Re-write with your head."

--- From the movie Finding Forrester

Kindle Goes "Big Time"

Think of it as the large print edition for the Kindle.

This past Wednesday at Pace University, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos introduced the new Kindle DX (that's deluxe). Designed primarily for reading book pages, this latest version of the Kindle has a screen that's two and a half times larger than the regular Kindle. Bezos stated also gave limited information about deals with partnerships whose goal it is to put Kindles into the hands of more university students and newspaper readers.

Of course, this new Kindle comes with a new hefty price tag: $489.

According to an article in the New York Times, six colleges and universities -- Pace, Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Reed College and the University of Virginia -- would begin testing the "large print" Kindle with students later this year.

In another agreement, three major newspapers -- The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Washington Post -- offered the KDX at a reduced price in exchange for long-term subscriptions, but only in areas where the print editions were not available.

I can understand the goal of wanting to save the environment as well as being a convenience so that we don't have to carry around numerous tomes with us everywhere we go, but I believe that Amazon, as well as other companies who are pushing a "paperless society" with their e-readers are overlooking a very : There are MANY people who can't pay the large price. In a society that has sky high rates on essentials (such as health care and education), a high homeless population, and people who have to live check by check, these pricey e-readers are not accessible to the masses, unlike a newspaper or paperback book.

You've all heard my opinions on this before, so, what do you think about this whole Amazon/e-reader thing?

Anyone who leaves a comment will get the chance at a gift card from Barnes and Noble. I'll announce the winner within the next few days (or posts) from now.

(Sorry, I'm one of the masses who can't afford the Kindle DX to offer as a prize)

Apologies in advance if i don't answer right away. I'll be on the road for most of the day.

Quote of the Week

"The walls of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its disasters."

--- Ross MacDonald

And the Edgar goes to:

Here are the winners for this year's Edgar Awards:

Best Novel

• Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
• Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
• The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House – Delacorte Press)
• Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)

Best First Novel By an American Author

• The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
• Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
• The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)
• Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
• A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House - Doubleday)

Best Paperback Original

• The Prince of Bagram by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
• Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
• Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House - Dell)
• China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library – Obsidian Mysteries)
• The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House - Bantam)

Best Critical/Biographical

• African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Company)
• Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto (Columbia University Press)
• Scene of the Crime: The Importance of Place in Crime and Mystery Fiction by David Geherin (McFarland & Company)
• The Rise of True Crime by Jean Murley (Greenwood Publishing – Praeger)
• Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Sterling Publishing – Metro Books)

Best Fact Crime

• For The Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz (HarperCollins)
• American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum (Crown Publishers)
• Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution by T.J. English (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Hans van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez (Harcourt)
• The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)

Best Short Story

• "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" - Hardcore Hardboiled by Sean Chercover (Kensington Publishing)
• "Skin and Bones" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by David Edgerley Gates (Dell Magazines)
• "Scratch a Woman" - Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• "La Vie en Rose" - Paris Noir by Dominique Mainard (Akashic Books
• "Skinhead Central" - The Blue Religion by T. Jefferson Parker (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)

Best Young Adult

• Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (Random House Children’s Books – David Fickling Books)
• The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Harry N. Abrams Books – Amulet Books)
• Paper Towns by John Green (Penguin Young Readers Group – Dutton Children’s Books)
• Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins Children’s Books - HarperTeen)
• Torn to Pieces by Margo McDonnell (Random House Children’s Books – Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Best Juvenile

• The Postcard by Tony Abbott (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• Enigma: A Magical Mystery by Graeme Base (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
• Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House Children’s Books – Wendy Lamb Books)
• The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie (Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
• Cemetary Street by Brenda Seabrooke (Holiday House)

Best Play

• The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL)
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the story by Robert Lewis Stevenson (Arizona Theatre Company)
• Cell by Judy Klass (International Mystery Writers’ Festival)

Best Television Episode Teleplay

• “Streetwise” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Paul Grellong (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
• “Prayer of the Bone” – Wire in the Blood, Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson (BBC America)
• “Signature” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Judith McCreary (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
• “You May Now Kill the Bride” – CSI: Miami, Teleplay by Barry O’Brien (CBS)
• “Burn Card” – Law & Order, Teleplay by David Wilcox (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)

Best Motion Picture Screenplay

• The Bank Job, Screenplay by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (Lionsgate)
• Burn After Reading, Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Focus Features)
• In Bruges, Screenplay by Martin McDonagh (Focus Features)
• Tell No One, Screenplay by Guillaume Canet and Philippe Lefebvre, based on the book by Harlan Coben (Music Box Films)
• Transsiberian, Screenplay by Brad Anderson & Will Conroy (First Look International)

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award

• "Buckner's Error" - Queens Noir by Joseph Guglielmelli (Akashic Books)

Mary Higgins Clark Award

• Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton (St. Martin's Minotaur)
• The Killer’s Wife by Bill Floyd (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Random House - Doubleday)
• A Song for You by Betsy Thornton (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• The Fault Tree by Louise Ure (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

Grand Master

• James Lee Burke
• Sue Grafton

Raven Awards

• Edgar Allan Poe Society, Baltimore, Maryland
• Poe House, Baltimore, Maryland

Congratulations to all the winners as well as nominees.

Quote of the Week

“Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.”

--- Truman Capote

Quote of the Week

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."

--- Erma Bombeck

Mankell's Wallander is coming to PBS

Kurt Wallander, the detective created by Swedish writer Henning Mankell, is coming to PBS in a series, simply titled "Wallander". The first episode is set to air on May 10th as part of PBS's Masterpiece Mystery. Slated to play Wallander is Kenneth Branagh.

Banned Book Week Founder dies

Judith Krug, the librarian who was responsible for founding Banned Book Week, died this past Saturday in Evanston, IL. at the age of 69.

Throughout the years, Krug has been a proponent of First Amendment rights for The American Library Association. She even fought to have books that she herself found offensive to be stocked on library shelves, such as The Blue Book from the ultraconservative John Birch Society.

In a 1972 interview with the New York Times, Krug said that "My personal proclivities have nothing to do with how I react as a librarian. Library service in this country should be based on the concept of intellectual freedom, of providing all pertinent information so a reader can make decisions for himself."

Quote of the Week

"I always read the last page of a book first so that of I die before I finish I'll know how it turned out."

--- Nora Ephron

Quote of the Week

"God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny."

--- Garrison Keillor

"Omit Needless Words"

When Cornell English Professor William Strunk, Jr. self published a small guide for his English classes, he probably never imagined that E.B. White, one of his former students, would help make the little book one of the foremost authorities on writing. Yet, 50 years later, Strunk and White's Elements of Style has sold well over 10 million copies and is on almost every bookshelf or desk of anyone who has ever written an article, essay, academic paper and/or book.

And according to one article, this valuable little gem would have been lost if someone hadn't broken into the library at Cornell University, stolen one of the two original copies of Strunks original book and sent it to White (who had lost his own copy long ago).

I know my well used copy of Elements of Style still holds its prominent place among my reference books.

Quote of the Week

"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."

--- Eleanor Roosevelt

Location, Location, Location

To promote his upcoming book Afraid, which hits shelves tomorrow, author Joe Konrath (aka JA Konrath and Jack Kilborn), has been guesting on various blogs talking about such things as landing an agent, self promotion, blogging and other random things. Today he stops by to discuss setting and its role in a story. So please join me in welcoming Joe Konrath to Out in WriteField. And make sure you check out Joe's entertaining and very informative blog A Newbie's Guide to Publishing.

----

My name is Joe Konrath. I write a thriller series set in Chicago under the name JA Konrath, and I recently wrote two horror novels under the name Jack Kilborn.

The first is called Afraid, and is being released on March 31. It is set in a small, Wisconsin town. The second is called Trapped, and it is set on a tiny island in Lake Huron.

So lets talk about setting.

My series character, a Homicide cop named Jack Daniels, works out of Chicago. You may have heard it said (possibly by me) that when choosing the setting for your novel, the setting should be integral to the plot. If you're writing a book set in Chicago that could easily be set in Sheboygan, you aren't paying enough attention to your location.

I chose Chicago for Jack Daniels for several reasons, including:

Chicago has the second largest police force in the country, and it's still very much an old boys network, sexist and chauvinistic. Since Jack is a woman, this setting speaks to her character. She has to be tougher, smarter, and more determined than the cops she works with.

Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the country, making it perfect for a busy Homicide cop.

Chicago is a city made up of diverse, distinct neighborhoods, which means I never have to travel far for a change of scenery.

Setting is also a place to make your story come alive in the readers mind. Reading is a mental trip to a new place. This is your chance, as a writer, to take readers to a world you've created. If it's based in the real world, make sure you get your facts straight. Research shouldn't take the place of writing, but it is certainly required if you want to paint an accurate picture in your reader's mind.

Though I chose Chicago--a place that really exists--the personality I give the setting comes from me. Many writers use Chicago as a back drop for their stories. But my Chicago isn't Libby Fischer Hellman's Chicago, or Marcus Sakey's Chicago, or Robert W. Walker's Chicago.

The feeling, or tone, you bring to your setting should enhance your story. Chicago can be scary, desperate, fun, exciting, sexy, moody, romantic, or deadly, depending on your personal voice.

In Afraid, the Wisconsin town of Safe Haven, population 904, is a small, easy-going community where everyone knows each other. Normally, an idyllic place to live. It's so small and quiet it doesn't even need a full time sheriff.

Then something horrifying comes to town and begins to wipe out the population. Everything that made Safe Haven a perfect place to live now makes it a perfect target.

The hometown feel it normally has quickly turns threatening, and the local hubs of the community, like the diner and the Junior High School, are perverted into places of our darkest fears.

In Trapped, I take a normally pleasurable event--camping in the woods--and turn it into the ultimate nightmare. What should be a night of campfire songs and roasting marshmallows becomes a fight for survival.

Weather plays a part in setting. The temperature and humidity can effect the mood of both the character and the reader. It also effects a character's actions. I've set books during all four seasons, in varying weather extremes, to enhance the story.

If done properly, your setting is almost like an extra character in your story, providing additional conflict and incentive for your protagonist. The things that exist within the setting become obstacles to overcome.

Have you picked the right setting for your story? Here's a quick checklist:

* Why is this setting the only setting that works for your story? You should have several reasons why it is interesting, unique, and essential.

* What research is needed to make this setting come alive for the reader? Do you have to visit it? Live there? Or is the Internet enough?

* What mood and tone do you want your setting to express? The background enhances the foreground.

* What conflicts does your setting add to the story? Physical and environmental, emotional and psychological?

* What's the weather like? Why are you choosing to make the weather that way?

As I'm found of saying, I'm a storyteller. I'm not a characterteller, or a settingteller.

But even with the greatest plot in the world, if you have lame characters and an unmemorable setting, you're going to lose readers.

Choose your setting wisely, and be able to justify why you've chosen it.

Of course, if you really want to learn about setting, you should learn by example. As Salvador Dali said, "Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing." So go buy all of my books and study how I use setting. They're conveniently available in print, as ebook downloads, and on audio.

See you on the road...

---
There you have it. Setting and story, going hand in hand. Thanks to Joe Konrath (and/or Jack Kilborn) for stopping in and offering his valuable insight. And don't forget to pick up your copy of Afraid tomorrow.

Person Joe Konrath

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Cheeta Tells All

Apparently, Lassie can do more than just let people know that little Timmy is stuck in a well. She also reviews a book or two every so often. Her latest is a review of Cheeta the Chimp's tell-all book Me Cheeta: My Life in Hollywood. One has to wonder what Cheeta has to reveal about Tarzan, Jane, Boy and the rest of the odd jungle characters.

Quote of the Week

"Humor is just another defense against the universe."

--- Mel Brooks

Don't Misunderestimate Me

We knew that this moment was coming. It was only a matter of time. Former president George W. Bush is working on a book. However, it won't be a traditional memoir, but rather a telling of twelve difficult decisions (both political and personal) that he had to make in his life. The book, tentatively titled Decision Points, is scheduled to be published in 2010 by Crown Publishing.

Well, at least this can be said: Should the book sell well, the people at Crown will have no problem in having money to help put food on their families.

Quote of the Week

"If no one ever took risks, Michaelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor."

--- Neil Simon

Quote of the Week

"Imagination... its limits are only those of the mind itself."

--- Rod Serling

Goodbye, Barbara Parker

Barbara Parker, NYT best selling author of numerous thrillers, died Saturday at the age of 62.

Mitch Kaplan, owner of Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL, called Parker a "a unifying figure to the writing community."

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to help writers. Donations can be sent to the Author Sponsorship Fund, Mystery Writers of America, 1140 Broadway, New York, NY 10001.

Quote of the Week

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

--- Edgar Allan Poe

Buried Treasure

Sorry for the absence last week folks. Things were a little crazy but have finally calmed down. Right. Let's get to this!

Books will often offer hidden treasures in their stories. But sometimes, you can find something more. Specifically, have you ever bought a used book and found someone else's shopping list tucked away between page 98 and 99? When I looked through one of my old books, I found the bookmark from the store where I bought it (the store had closed down years ago). Sometimes, my mom would use heavy books to press dried flowers. Musician Dan Zanes once used a book to store a prized possession given him by his mother — a rare photograph of J. D. Salinger, taken by Mrs. Zanes’s mentor, the German photographer Lotte Jacobi. Henry Alford wrote in The New York Times Book Review that one time even bacon was found within a book's pages. Though, I have to question that one.

So, how about any of you out there? Have you ever found some interesting item in a book? Any of you used a book to stash a little something?

Quote of the Week

"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."

--- Jane Austen

Breakin' the Law, Breakin' the Law

One of the new experimental features (a text to voice feature that reads in a computer-generated voice) of the new Kindle 2 from Amazon has the Author's Guild in an uproar. (See additional article here)

Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, said of the feature: "They don't have the right to read a book out loud....That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."

Quote of the Week

"Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence."

--- Alice Walker

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Apparently, Stephen King had a few choice words regarding Twilight Saga author, Stephanie Meyer.

Of course, literary feuds are nothing new.

LITERARY FIGHT NIGHT

GERTRUDE STEIN v. ERNEST "PAPA" HEMINGWAY

This was a case of a mentor/student relationship gone bad. Stein originally had nothing but great things to say about Hemingway, that is until he became a bigger literary star. Stein then wrote a scathing review about one of Hemingway's book. Papa responded by talking about Stein's sex life with Alice B. Toklas in his memoir, A Moveable Feast.

GORE VIDAL v. NORMAN MAILER

The on-going feud between these two egotistical novelists came to a head at a dinner party in New York when Mailer challenged Vidal to a fight and threw a drink in his face. Apparently, the two also came to blows (including slapping and headbutts) backstage of The Dick Cavett Show, before going on the air and engaging in what was called a memorable war of words.

MAIN EVENT
TOM WOLFE v. NORMAN MAILER, JOHN IRVING AND JOHN UPDIKE

When Wolfe's novel A Man in Full was published in 1998, the three "literary giants" all agreed that the book was horrible. Wolfe fired back at the trio in a Canadian TV show by calling them The Three Stooges and said that they were jealous of him. "It must gall them a bit that everyone, including them, is talking about me."

There you have it just three of the famous literary feuds. To read more, check out Anthony Arthur's book Literary Feuds: A Century of Celebrated Quarrels from Mark Twain to Tom Wolfe. And for the record, notice there weren't too many (if any at all) feuds among the crime writing community. :-]

Quote of the Week

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

--- Helen Keller

In Library News

Local Libraries Seeing More Use

With the poor state of the economy, people are spending less money on books and heading off for their local library. In an article in The Cape Cod Times, contributing writer Laurie Higgins said:

"Public libraries are no longer just quiet places where people go to check out books or study. In the past 10 years, librarians have worked hard to respond to patrons' needs, and today many libraries are vibrant community centers offering information, education, modern technology and entertainment."

It's a great thing that libraries offer these services for their communities. Unfortunately, some could face the possibility closing due to state budget cuts. Let's just hope that this doesn't happen and that these library can continue to provide a haven for the many avid readers out there who are trimming their book buying budget in these tough economic times.

Fairstein's Latest Book Involves NYC Public Library

Speaking of Libraries, Linda Fairstein's latest book Lethal Legacy will bring readers into a fascinating world: The New York Public Library's rare books and maps archives. Lethal Legacy is the eleventh book in a series featuring Manhattan sex-crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.

Author Linda Fairstein touring the NYC Public Library

The Passing of Another Great

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author John Updike died today at the age of 76. According to Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Updike's publisher, Mr. Updike, who was a long time residence of Beverly Farms, died at an area hospice of lung cancer.

This is yet another loss to the literary world, coming so close to the death of Donald Westlake.

Quote of the Week

"Writing is a form of prayer."

--- Franz Kafka

Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-d to the Bone

It's stuff like this that really makes you wonder.

A Victory for the Little Guy

In today's book selling industry, it's not often you see a story like this. Score one for the indies!!

Quote of the Week

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

--- Robert Frost

Quoth the Raven: "Happy Birthday!"

It has been 200 years since the birth of Edgar Allan Poe and in honor of that, there are two new books (books make great gifts by they way) out now.

The first is On a Raven's Wing, an anthology released by The Mystery Writers of America. It features new tales in honor Mr. Poe and his work. Contributors include Stuart M. Kaminsky (who also edited), Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas H. Cook, Don Winslow, John Lutz and the late Edward D. Hoch.

The other book (also from Mystery Writers of America) is a new collection of some of Poe's work titled In the Shadow of the Master. The stories are followed by essays by some of today's top writers such as Stephen King, Jeffrey Deaver, Lisa Scottoline, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly and Tess Gerritsen.

Also, in an earlier post I detailed some of the events hat would be going on in Baltimore as part of a year-long celebration of Poe called Nevermore 2009.

James Earl Jones reciting "The Raven"


Vincent Price performing "Tell-tale Heart" (Part 1)

Oh Lord Won't You Buy Her a Mecedes Benz?

It was on this day in 1943 that singer Janis Joplin was born.

"On stage I make love to twenty five thousand people; and then I go home alone. "

Janis performing Piece of My Heart

2009 Edgars Nominees

Today the Mystery Writers of America announced the nominees for the 2009 Edgar Awards.

Best Novel

• Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
• Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
• The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House – Delacorte Press)
• Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)

Best First Novel By an American Author

• The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
• Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
• The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)
• Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
• A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House - Doubleday)

Best Paperback Original

• The Prince of Bagram by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
• Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
• Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House - Dell)
• China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library – Obsidian Mysteries)
• The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House - Bantam)

Best Critical/Biographical

• African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Company)
• Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto (Columbia University Press)
• Scene of the Crime: The Importance of Place in Crime and Mystery Fiction by David Geherin (McFarland & Company)
• The Rise of True Crime by Jean Murley (Greenwood Publishing – Praeger)
• Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Sterling Publishing – Metro Books)

Best Fact Crime

• For The Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz (HarperCollins)
• American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum (Crown Publishers)
• Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution by T.J. English (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Hans van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez (Harcourt)
• The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)

Best Short Story

• "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" - Hardcore Hardboiled by Sean Chercover (Kensington Publishing)
• "Skin and Bones" – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by David Edgerley Gates (Dell Magazines)
• "Scratch a Woman" - Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
• "La Vie en Rose" - Paris Noir by Dominique Mainard (Akashic Books
• "Skinhead Central" - The Blue Religion by T. Jefferson Parker (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)

Best Young Adult

• Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (Random House Children’s Books – David Fickling Books)
• The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Harry N. Abrams Books – Amulet Books)
• Paper Towns by John Green (Penguin Young Readers Group – Dutton Children’s Books)
• Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins Children’s Books - HarperTeen)
• Torn to Pieces by Margo McDonnell (Random House Children’s Books – Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Best Juvenile

• The Postcard by Tony Abbott (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• Enigma: A Magical Mystery by Graeme Base (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
• Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House Children’s Books – Wendy Lamb Books)
• The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie (Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
• Cemetary Street by Brenda Seabrooke (Holiday House)

Best Play

• The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL)
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the story by Robert Lewis Stevenson (Arizona Theatre Company)
• Cell by Judy Klass (International Mystery Writers’ Festival)

Best Television Episode Teleplay

• “Streetwise” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Paul Grellong (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
• “Prayer of the Bone” – Wire in the Blood, Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson (BBC America)
• “Signature” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Judith McCreary (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
• “You May Now Kill the Bride” – CSI: Miami, Teleplay by Barry O’Brien (CBS)
• “Burn Card” – Law & Order, Teleplay by David Wilcox (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)

Best Motion Picture Screenplay

• The Bank Job, Screenplay by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (Lionsgate)
• Burn After Reading, Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Focus Features)
• In Bruges, Screenplay by Martin McDonagh (Focus Features)
• Tell No One, Screenplay by Guillaume Canet and Philippe Lefebvre, based on the book by Harlan Coben (Music Box Films)
• Transsiberian, Screenplay by Brad Anderson & Will Conroy (First Look International)

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award

• "Buckner's Error" - Queens Noir by Joseph Guglielmelli (Akashic Books)

Mary Higgins Clark Award

• Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton (St. Martin's Minotaur)
• The Killer’s Wife by Bill Floyd (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Random House - Doubleday)
• A Song for You by Betsy Thornton (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
• The Fault Tree by Louise Ure (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

Grand Master

• James Lee Burke
• Sue Grafton

Raven Awards

• Edgar Allan Poe Society, Baltimore, Maryland
• Poe House, Baltimore, Maryland

Congratulations to all who were nominated.

Quote of the Week

"Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die."

--- Tom Clancy

Goodbye, Donald Westlake

Donald Westlake, author of the Dortmunder series, numerous crime novels and short stories as well as the Parker series under the name Richard Stark, has died at the age of 75. He was on his way to a New Year's Eve party, when he collapsed of an apparent heart attack.

I first discovered Mr. Westlake when I read Money For Nothing in 2003. I was really impressed with this book and immediately went back to read his others. Two favorites include The Hook and The Ax. I even found out that A Slight Case of Murder, one of my favorite movies, was based on a story by Westlake.

Needless to say, I, along with the rest of the crime fiction community (readers and writers alike) will be feeling the loss of this prolific writer. You can see the numerous tributes here.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Westlake. You will be greatly missed.