GUEST BLOGGER: M.J. ROSE

I am thrilled to have M.J. Rose as my guest blogger. I discovered her first book, Lip Service, while I was working at Borders at least ten years ago, and I've been a fan ever since. M.J. has grown tremendously as a writer, and her latest, The Memorist, has just been released and is available at bookstores nationwide and online.

M.J. was kind enough to send along this little tidbit. She said,

"Stacy, Here is a totally original unpublished anywhere else cut excerpt from The Memorist that is not in the book and won't appear anywhere until after it is at your blog."

Thanks, M.J.! I know my readers will enjoy this--

The six-year-old boy could not tolerate anything or anyone touching his upper chest or his neck. No clothing. No sheets. Not a seatbelt or his father's embrace.

When his mother had first brought him to the Phoenix Foundation to see the famous reincarnationist, Dr. Malachai Samuels, the boy had responded well, laughing at the doctor's magic tricks and then happily settling on the floor and playing with the assorted toys. He favored the puzzle and while he fit the pieces together he answered question after question, slowly giving up the details of his recurring nightmare: of the tree branches closing in over his head, of the thick coil of hemp they wrapped around his neck and kept him tethered to the tree until someone finally cut it and he fell to his death.

In three subsequent sessions, while the child played, Malachai helped him explore his deepest memories until he had gathered enough details to research them and find the historical facts to back up the boy's memories.

The final step in the regression treatment was to take the boy to the house where he had once lived and died as someone else and when the child stood upon the spot where the hanging took place he broke down. Through his sobs, Malachai could just make out the words: I don't want it to be real… I don't want it to be real.

Not his mother or his father, but Malachai took the child in his arms and whispered to him in soothing tones, saying, yes it hurt, yes he understood how scared he was, how alone he felt, how sad it must be to remember so many people from the past who were no longer alive, how confusing it was to remember this other time and place and this other pain.

And all the while that he comforted the boy, Malachai was consumed with envy because through all these years, no matter how desperately he tried, he couldn't find a single shred of a memory from his own past. And that was the tragedy of his life.

Please check out an additional excerpt and check out the book trailer! The Memorist has garnered rave reviews, and I couldn't be happier about it, they are richly deserved.

“Gripping… Rose once again skillfully blends past and present with a new set of absorbing characters in a fascinating historical locale.”
— Starred Review, Library Journal.

"Rose's fascinating follow up to The Reincarnationist…skillfully blends past life mysteries with present day chills. The result is a smashing good read."
— Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly

And BookBitch's own Becky LeJeune's review:

"When Meer Logan was young, she suffered from terrifying dreams of an elaborate box and a haunting melody. Desperate for help, her father contacted Malachi Samuels head of the Phoenix Foundation. Jeremy Logan and Samuels believed that Meer’s issues stem from reincarnation. Meer believes, however, that the box and the music are actually the result of false memories created by her own mind.

Then her father discovers the real box and a letter hidden inside that appears to have been written by Beethoven himself. In the letter, Beethoven talks of a flute that when played with a specific tune will allow people to see their past lives – a memory tool.

Meer’s dreams begin to return and she travels to Vienna in hopes that she can finally make sense of them. Instead, the dreams become even more vivid and seem to be leading Meer straight to the famous flute. Word of Logan’s discovery has been made public, though, and they’re all about to see just how far people are willing to go to get their hands on yet another memory tool.

Rose delves into the mysteries of the mind and reincarnation again in this magnificent follow-up to last year’s The Reincarnationist. The Memorist features an all new cast of characters, with the exception of Samuels and the Phoenix Foundation, and can easily be read without having read book one. Like The Reincarnationist, Rose moves easily from one storyline to the next, from one character to another, and from one century to another. The plot is elaborate and totally engaging; a page-turner that will stick with you long after you put it down. "

M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of 10 novels and is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book. She is a founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory. Please visit her website at http://www.mjrose.com.

JUDY BLUME & OBAMA

Legendary author JUDY BLUME has come to South Florida just to speak about the upcoming election.

She’ll tell us why this is the most important election of her lifetime and why she is voting for Barack Obama.

This is the author who shaped your childhood with Blubber and Super Fudge.

This is the author who taught you about growing up with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Forever.

This is the author who wants you to VOTE EARLY.

Come hear what Judy Blume has to say to kids (and their parents) about the upcoming election.

Sunday, October 26, 2:30pm
Kids 4 Obama
Peacock Park
2820 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove, Miami
305-582-6396


Monday, October 27, 9am
Lehrman Community Day School
727 – 77th St., Miami Beach
305-866-2771

Monday, October 27, 4pm
Books & Books
265 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables



Please note: These events are not booksignings.

Michael Connelly & James O. Born

You gotta see it to believe it....

Opie, Andy, Richie, the Fonz & Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Free download of THE REINCARNATIONIST

I am delighted to offer a free ebook giveaway of THE REINCARNATIONIST by MJ Rose, one of my favorite authors. It's a terrific page-turner and was named one of 2007's six best suspense novels by BookSense, so it's a great book to get as a giveaway. The free download is at this page, but hurry, the offer will end October 31.

By way of background, THE REINCARNATIONIST is the first book in the Reincarnationist Series. The sequel, THE MEMORIST, debuts next week and has received starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal.

"Rose's fascinating follow up to THE REINCARNATIONIST…skillfully blends past life mysteries with present day chills. The result is a smashing good read."
-- Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

"Gripping… Rose once again skillfully blends past and present with a new set of absorbing characters in a fascinating historical locale."
-- Starred Review, Library Journal

"THE MEMORIST is a riveting and suspenseful page-turner that throws open a magical door to the past, revealing how history may influence not just our individual destinies, but the future of us all."
-- NYT Bestselling Author, Steve Berry

Chosen by IndieBound as a November "Great Reads from Booksellers You Trust."

You can see more information and read an excerpt here on MJRose.com.

Interview with Michael Connelly

If you haven't read my review (and why haven't you???) I loved THE BRASS VERDICT, the latest Mickey Haller (LINCOLN LAWYER) book. It's also the latest Harry Bosch book.

Anyway, yesterday Michael was interviewed on the new LittleBrown Blog Talk Radio. I was unable to make it, but sent along a couple of questions which the host was kind enough to ask. Check it out!

Live Interview with Michael Connelly (archived)

SPOOKTACULAR BOOK GIVEAWAY!

And now for something a little different.....a book giveaway for Blog readers only! Win all these books --

Spooktacular Hachette Book Group Giveaway

THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER By Kathleen Kent

ISOLATION By Travis Thrasher

THE 13 BEST HORROR STORIES OF ALL TIME By Leslie Pockell

THE MONSTERS: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein By Dorothy Hoobler , Thomas Hoobler

THE MYRTLES PLANTATION: The True Story of America's Most Haunted House By Frances Kermeen

GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS: True Stories of America's Haunted Inns and Hotels By Frances Kermeen

THE TERROR By Dan Simmons

DRACULA By Bram Stoker

WHEN GHOSTS SPEAK: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits By Mary Ann Winkowski

THE HISTORIAN By Elizabeth Kostova


To enter, CLICK HERE or send an email to contest@gmail.com with "SPOOKTACULAR" as the subject.
You must include your snail mail address in your email. Mailing addresses may NOT include a Post Office box or your entry will be eliminated.
All entries must be received by October 31, 2008.
Five (5) names will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. Each name drawn will receive a free copies of all the books listed in this blog post, courtesy of the Hachette Book Group.
All books will be sent directly from the publisher.
This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age who reside only in the United States or Canada except Quebec.
One entry per email address, please.
Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.
All entries, including names, e-mail addresses, and mailing addresses, will be purged after winners are notified.

LUSH LIFE by Richard Price

My guest blogger today is a good friend, Geoffrey R. Hamlin. He shares some thoughts on mysteries, literature and Richard Price.

There is a never-ending, but thoroughly enjoyable argument as to whether “mysteries” (now crime fiction) can be deemed worthy of consideration as literature. I am firmly in the camp of Raymond Chandler who not only practiced “literature” himself but argued forcefully in his Atlantic Monthly essay “The Simple Art of Murder” that there were good and bad mysteries, just like there were good and bad novels, short stories and plays. The top tier of these all share characteristics that qualify them as literature.

Among today’s crime fiction writers, James Lee Burke and Richard Price can both be considered creators of literature. Mr. Burke because he grapples with big themes, including Good and Evil in cosmic proportions. Mr. Price’s writing offers even more.

Mr. Price is a master of place. His work, like that of George Pelacanos, not only gets the “hood” right down to its grimiest details, but also successfully contrasts it to the area surrounding it and the world at large. Lush Life is set in the lower East Side of New York, a neighborhood in a state of flux, inhabited by old ethnic populations, newer ethnic poverty and the early beachheads of the upwardly mobile. Price not only conveys the details and essence of this area but also shows how influential it is upon the actors and outcome of the story. The neighborhood almost becomes a character itself in Lush Life.

Then there is his word choice. In his book The Joy of Music, Leonard Bernstein wrote that Beethoven’s genius lay in choosing exactly the right note. Mr. Price is a composer of dialogue displaying the same sort of genius. This skill is regularly commented on by others (Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times, for one). It is evident in his movies (Sea of Love, The Color of Money) and television work (The Wire, CSI). And it is displayed at the very top of his form in Lush Life. One reviewer (James Wood in the New Yorker) has commented to the effect that if Price’s words sometimes do not accurately portray the way cops and bad guys really talk, it is something even better. The fact that each of these reviewers seizes on different passages to illustrate their point shows how consistently right the language in Lush Life is.

Next is the story itself. In Lush Life, we are treated to a very detailed account of the events surrounding a neighborhood mugging which resulted in a fatal shooting. The lead investigator is presented with conflicting evidence and initially concludes that he cannot rule out one of the two men who were accosted as actually committing the murder. He decides to hold him for further questioning to see if he can break down this man’s story. The consequences of this small decision have a major impact on the lives of all the novel’s players - the suspect, the policeman, their families, the family of the murdered man, the actual killer and all those around them.

Finally, there is meaning. After this rich novelistic meal, we are left to consider and digest the message that although we live in a society where alienation and loneliness are rampant, nonetheless the decisions we make every day and our smallest actions still have a significant impact on many people around us, even people of whom we are not aware. Perhaps, we should take a little more time and care with our decisions.

For these reasons, I believe that Richard Price has produced a work of literature in Lush Life. For the same reasons, I believe that his Clockers and Samaritan would also qualify. Lush Life is the best of the three and I expect that it will probably be the best book that I read this year. (And I read a lot of books.)

Guest blogger Geoffrey R. Hamlin is a reviewer for BookBitch.com and the Tampa Tribune.


A comment from the BookBitch: Dennis Lehane is the author that has been generating a lot of buzz about this melding of mystery and literature recently. The author of the mystery Mystic River and the thriller Shutter Island, along with a mystery series, released his latest book that was several years in the making. The Given Day, if one needs to categorize it, would most appropriately be called historical fiction, as the story is set in the early part of the twentieth century. It is fine literature, but to me, so were Mystic River and Shutter Island.

Guest Blogger: ANN LITTLEWOOD

Ann Littlewood, author of NIGHT KILL, a “zoo-dunnit”, is graciously adding a guest post to the blog today. Here's what she has to say about why she writes mysteries set in zoos:

Let’s assume—why not?—that you intend to write a mystery. Among the daunting number of decisions and choices you need to make is the locale. Where, exactly, are your characters going to enact that fantastic plot that’s almost clear in your mind? Be warned, you’re going to live in this place for at least a couple of years and probably never escape it entirely.

For me, it was an easy call. I abandoned zookeeping for a corporate cubical and I missed it, missed the animals and the people and all that biology. A zoo is a rich source of ways to die (tigers, elephants, pythons, dart pistols…) and great terminology (prüsten, flehmen, lek, “shit” as a technical term) as well as plenty of births, illnesses, injuries, and deaths. I can populate it with any animals I want (the research is the most fun ever); I get to name it after a stellar Northwest conservationist—William Finley, and name my human characters after biologists. And half the characters are critters. What better place to pack up and move my mind to?

I don’t have to share the place with a divorce-wracked detective drinking unto oblivion in a grubby bar, the vicious cop who decided to fight for justice after all but still has to pay for past sins, a serial killer hacking up a woman after a fun evening of sex torture… Nope, I chose the smell of zebra manure over stale beer, a male mandrill monkey terrorizing females half his size over a john punching out a prostitute, a quarantine room with rare frogs over a police station interrogation room. No need to keep it to sweet cooing and gentle cheeping—plenty of opportunity for the ground to shake when a rhino whirls and charges, the sound of lion jaws crushing a femur, or the smell of guts when a carcass is ripped open.

And what about those characters? Some times they show up round and full, ready to roll. Sometimes I start with somebody real and then warp and subtract and expand until I find who I’m looking for. Of course I need to understand what this character wants and how he or she intends to get that. But the most fun for me is trying to see through a character’s eyes, and my characters, some of them, see through a different lens. I reach back to my twelve years as a card-carrying zookeeper, after a college degree in behavioral psychology. Immersion in natural history and animal behavior changes how you react to other people, changes what you see and hear, changes how you raise your child. Plenty for a writer to work with there, especially when zoo characters, human and otherwise, think in terms of dominance hierarchies, social alliances, and survival instincts.

And plot? Not to deny our humanity, our wonderfully deviant DNA, but we really are just a great ape that’s gotten a little ahead of itself. Yeah, sure, we create Roundup Ready corn seed, artificial heart valves, ginormous dams, and the iPod, but we can’t resist our innate love of fat and sugar, we are suckers for addictions, we haven’t a clue why we make the choices we do, and we’re largely blind to the consequences of our own actions. That disconnection between our flashy modern cortex and our hidden, recalcitrant, intuitive ancient brain is the stuff of conflict, and conflict is the blood and bone of fiction.

So that’s why I write mysteries set in zoos.

Ann Littlewood was a zoo keeper in Portland, Oregon for twelve years. She raised golden cats and raccoon dogs, an orangutan and mandrill monkeys, as well as parrots, penguins, lions, and tigers. And not to forget a multitude of native mammals and birds. She was bitten by young lions, wolves, seals, barn owls, and Canada geese, scratched by bears and cougars, and once cornered by a terrifying domestic pig. These experiences were distilled into a new mystery series set in a fictional Northwest zoo.

The financial realities of raising primates (two boys of her own) led Ann to exchange a hose and rubber boots for a briefcase and pantsuit in the healthcare industry. Ann has maintained her membership in the American Association of Zookeepers and has kept in touch with the zoo world by visiting zoos and through friendships with zoo staffers.

A Web 2.0 Book Launch

Freezing Point by Karen Dionne
An innovative thriller author throws a new kind of party

In a YouTube world, it's becoming ever more difficult for authors to grab and hold readers' attention. To a Web 2.0 generation accustomed to tag clouds, wikis and widgets, authors' static text-and-images-only websites are as outdated as Fred Flintstone's writing tablets.

"Authors naturally think in terms of words," says Karen Dionne, whose debut thriller Freezing Point about an environmental disaster in Antarctica releases October 2 from Berkley. "But on the Internet, we're not limited to text. Today's Internet is very visual, very interactive."

Savvy authors are taking a page from the digital age and posting book trailers to their websites. Dionne is going them one better. With help from renowned thriller authors David Morrell, Lee Child, James Rollins, Gayle Lynds, Douglas Preston, and John Lescroart, Dionne is throwing an online book launch party where family, friends, and fans can mingle and win prizes - and catch the buzz about her new novel in the process.

As co-founder of Backspace, an Internet-based writers organization with hundreds of members in a dozen countries, Dionne knew only a handful of friends would be able to attend her book launch no matter where it was held. So she set out to recreate the traditional launch party experience on the Web.

Entertainment for the October 1 - 3 event includes video welcomes from bestselling thriller authors, a reading by a professional voice actress who's also a New York Times author, standup comedy from one of her author friends - even testimony from a medical doctor regarding the science behind the story's premise. There are door prizes: a boxed set of the BBC's "Planet Earth" series on DVD, bottles of genuine iceberg water, and Penguin Gear from her publisher. And because a book launch party wouldn't be complete without, well, books, two independent booksellers are making signed copies available.

"Writers shouldn't be afraid of the Internet," says Dionne. "We're creative people. We can figure out how to use the Internet to spread the word about our books in new and exciting ways."

Compared to a real-world book launch, Dionne says her online party has definite advantages. "Where else but on the Internet could my mom hang out with Lee Child?" There's no limit to the guest list, work schedules and time zones don't even factor, and perhaps best of all, Dionne's guests can attend wearing their pajamas.

Visit Karen Dionne's book launch party at www.freezingpointlaunchparty.com.

Books for Barack

More than 750 authors have contributed signed copies of their books to novelist Ayelet Waldman, who created Books for Barack, an online promotion whereby people who donate $250 to Senator Barack Obama's campaign through her site receive a mystery bag of 10 books. The books include a canvas tote bag with the Books for Barack logo. The first bags will be sent out this coming Friday, September 26.

Waldman wrote that another 40 books arrived this past Saturday, "a slow day. . . . My living room is a nightmare as you can imagine, so at some point Michael [Chabon, her husband] may put the kibosh on it."

The promotion started with the idea of auctioning a handful of signed books at an Obama fundraiser but grew when Waldman e-mailed other authors, who responded in droves. Among them are Stephen King, Ursula LeGuin, Judy Blume, Lemony Snicket, Richard Price and Amy Tan.

I spent the night with Brad Meltzer...

Well, not the whole night. Only 40 minutes or so. On the phone - he was in Atlanta and I was home in Florida. So it was me & Brad....and his publisher and a bunch of bloggers. And it was awesome!

We got to ask Brad anything we wanted, and he was open and forthcoming and so much fun. We talked about The Book of Lies of course, but also Brad's fascination with Superman, the Siegel & Schuster Society, the graphic novels that Brad likes to read, how much research goes into his books, and his unusual experience with Homeland Security. Brad spoke movingly about losing his mom this year, about his loving family, and was just thoroughly engaging, entertaining, and enlightening.

I wish I could have brought you all with me, but since I couldn't, I brought the conversation here, courtesy of the Hachette Book Group:

Listen!

Did I mention he was funny? You can probably hear me giggling throughout the conversation. It was great to connect with other bloggers too, so make sure you check out these sites:

www.bermudaonion.wordpress.com
www.brokenfrontier.com
www.scoffery.com
www.supermanhomepage.com
www.wordstomouth.com
www.WatchTowerPodcast.com
www.linussblanket.com
Brad Meltzer is the next John Grisham Facebook group

Finally, Hachette Book Group has provided a free excerpt - go look:

James Crumley, 1940-2008

I was so sorry to hear about the passing of James Crumley, one of the finest hardboiled crime fiction writers. A good friend gave me his book, The Last Good Kiss, several years ago, and I've heard Dennis Lehane rave about it. It's destined to become a classic. His other books include One to Count Cadence, The Wrong Case, The Mexican Tree Duck, Bordersnakes, The Final Country, and most recently, The Right Madness.

Rest in peace.

Good deal for book groups!

This just in from Josh Henkin, author of the NY Times Notable Book, MATRIMONY:

"I wanted to let you know about a special offer my publisher Vintage is making to book groups. Sign up by midnight September 21 and Vintage will set up a phone chat for your book group with me to discuss MATRIMONY, my NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE novel, which has just come out in paperback. Normally, only five book groups are chosen among the entrants, but I have agreed to talk to all book groups that sign up. Here's the link to do so.

http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/chat.html

Best,

Josh
http://www.joshuahenkin.com"

BLACKOUT BY LISA UNGER OPTIONED FOR FILM

According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Longtime Martin Scorsese producer Barbara De Fina, Austin Chick and Andrew Kletjian have optioned Lisa Unger's new Random House thriller "Black Out.""

Read the story in its entirety here.