MWA Announces 2007 Edgar Award Winners

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce the winners of the2007 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2006.

BEST NOVEL: The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR: The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson (Random House)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara(Bantam Dell)

BEST FACT CRIME: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson(HarperCollins)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL: The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fearby E.J. Wagner (John Wiley & Sons)

BEST SHORT STORY: "The Home Front" Death Do Us Part by Charles Ardai(Hachette Book Group)

BEST JUVENILE: Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

BEST YOUNG ADULT: Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready(Penguin YR)

BEST PLAY: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure by Steven Dietz(Arizona Theatre Company)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY: Life on Mars; Episode 1, Teleplay by Matthew Graham (BBC America)

BEST TELEVISION FEATURE/MINI-SERIES TELEPLAY: The Wire, Season 4, Teleplays by Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, DennisLehane, David Mills, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon & William F. Zorzi (Home Box Office)

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY: The Departed, Screenplay by William Monahan(Warner Bros. Pictures)

First Crime Novel Competition Announced During Edgar Awards Week

NEW YORK, April 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Daniel J. Hale, Executive
Vice President of Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and Andrew Martin, Vice
President and Publisher of St. Martin's Minotaur, today announced the first
annual St. Martin's Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel
Competition.

This contest provides a previously unpublished writer an opportunity to
launch his or her career with a major mystery imprint, St. Martin's
Minotaur. The winner will receive a one-book, $10,000 contract.

The competition will be officially announced during MWA's April 2007
Edgar(R) Award festivities by Mr. Martin. Entries will be accepted
immediately through December 15, 2007. The winner will be recognized at the
2008 Edgar Awards banquet, and his or her novel published in 2009.
"We at Mystery Writers of America are excited to partner with St.
Martin's Minotaur in offering this terrific opportunity to get an
unpublished writer's career off the ground... way off the ground!" said Mr.
Hale.

Mr. Martin commented, "For more than 60 years MWA has been recognized
as the preeminent organization devoted to the craft of writing mysteries
and crime fiction. For more than 50 years, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur
have been a publishing well-spring of award-winning crime fiction. Now we
come together to discover great new talent. Only one question: What took us
so long? I'm thrilled to begin this exciting new program with MWA and can't
wait to announce our first winner at next year's Edgar Award ceremony."

The competition is open to any writer who has never been the author of
a published novel. Details, rules and specific guidelines on eligibility,
as well as entry forms, are available at the St. Martin's Minotaur website:
http://www.minotaurbooks.com.

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is the premier organization for
mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring
crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre:
http://www.mysterywriters.org.

St. Martin's Minotaur is an imprint of St. Martin's Press which
launched in 1999 and which publishes 130 hardcover crime fiction titles a
year. St. Martin's Minotaur grew out of a fifty-year tradition of
publishing quality crime fiction at St. Martin's Press.

St. Martin's Press is part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, the U.S.
publishing group owned by Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GMBH of
Stuttgart, Germany.

GUEST BLOGGER: RON BLOCK ON "MUCH ADO ABOUT BOOKS"

I am so excited to introduce my very first guest blogger, Ron Block. Ron works for the Jacksonville Public Library but prior to that, he was my boss (poor guy - but he did survive and he's all the stronger for it!) I miss him dearly, and was supposed to go visit last weekend and attend Jacksonville's famed book fair, Much Ado About Books, but I had to cancel at the last minute. Ron was kind enough to write about his day at the book fair. Great job, Ron, and thanks!

Much Ado About Books
Prime Osborn Convention Center
Jacksonville, Florida
April 21, 2007

http://www.muchadoaboutbooks.com/

I had the privilege to be able to attend the 11th annual book festival in Jacksonville. Viewing the line up of authors and programs, I thought this would prove to be a great event.

As a fan and friend of Stacy Alesi, (www.bookbitch.com), I was especially excited to have her join me to show off the Jacksonville literary community and also to use her to brush closer to the authors I knew she has already befriended(Ok, I am a celebrity hound and never miss an opportunity to get near them, while still trying to look cool and unfazed).

Unfortunately, Stacy was unable to attend, so I had to put my dark glasses and hat away and attend the festival as a normal booklover.

When I arrived, I was surprised to find so many people attending. I quickly checked out the location board and planned my attack. First up was a trip to the author tables. They were laid out in a huge rectangle and I decided to just scout out the talent. There were authors signing their book in abundance! They included authors works in Chick Lit, Florida travel and history, Children’s Literature, Romance, Fiction, Thrillers and Mysteries. As I walked toward the back the names got bigger and bigger…Steve Berry, Sandra Brown, Alex Kava, Tim Dorsey, James Grippando, Joseph (Call me “Joe”) Finder, Lee Child, Luanne Rice and Brad Meltzer. If only Stacy were with me, I would have jumped behind the tables and had my picture taken with them, helped them sell books and protect them from other stalkers!

After I began to breathe again, I went to a panel discussion featuring Alex Kava, Joe Finder and David Hagberg. This seemed an odd grouping, but the moderator started things off on a light note by injecting a lot of humor into the introductions and as the time passed the authors shared a wealth of information about their research methods, writing style, backgrounds and convinced me that I should begin that long awaited novel writing career right away. This panel easily could have been the featured panel of the day. When it was time to wrap it up, neither the standing-room only audience (including Lee Child and Steve Berry-how psyched was I???) nor the panel wanted to leave the room.

My only complaint about the day thus far was the luncheon that was served in the main room ahead of the featured panel. It was a lame attempt at a chicken salad already set up on every table and a dessert. There was no telling how long it had been there-but it was easily pushed aside to focus on the main event. The stage was huge with dual rock concert sized screens on either side so even the little people in the back could get a close look. I was expecting Barry Manilow to come out!

The program began with speeches from representatives of the Library Foundation and Local Government, followed by a charming presentation to local students who had entered an won a “Young Writer’s Award” presented in several different categories.

When the Young Writer’s had received their award and had their picture taken, Pat Yack, the Editor of the Florida Times-Union, took to the podium and introduced the featured author panel of Luanne Rice, Sandra Brown and Brad Meltzer. He did a bang up job interjecting his laid back North Florida/South Georgia style to really make the panel feel at home and make the setting feel very intimate.

After a few microphone mishaps, the panel got to answer some prepared questions from Pat. These included many standards such as what clothes they wear while writing, how much time do they write each day, etc. There were later a few very pointed questions as well that I took special notice of.

Luanne Rice relayed a wonderful story about her father’s contributions during WWII and while researching it for her new book, got to feel closer than ever to her father who had died not long ago. Sandra Brown (who is even more beautiful than her book covers suggest) displays an easy laid back Texan charm sure to win her instant friends and fans told a great story about cooking chili (the only thing she knows how to cook) for famous southern author Pat Conroy-I can’t imagine how interesting and amazing that pairing must have been!

If Brad Meltzer ever wants to take on another career, he can easily slide into stand up comedy. His quick wit and self deprecating delivery made him a huge crowd pleaser. When the moderator had to step away to check on additional microphone problems, Brad decided to interview himself to fill the gap:

“Brad, how DID you get to be so handsome?”

“Well, Brad, it’s all in the genes.”

The crowd of over 600 ate it up. He then went on to describe how his largest demographic sales turn out to be in Boca Raton, Florida - his mother. He credits her with single handedly getting him on the map down there and being his biggest fan. How else could someone edge out sales in huge cities like New York and Los Angeles!

Following the panel, the authors signed copies of their books and took a lot of time talking to attendees. The afternoon was full of writing workshops which generated a lot of positive feedback and buzz for next year, but I could not go. I was in greater need of a Bombay Sapphire Martini…

All in all, this event has gotten better and better each year. The caliber of authors has steadily grown as well as overall attendance. At this rate Much Ado About Books will soon sit alongside it’s bigger siblings in New York and Miami, but with a more laidback style.

Great Job, Jacksonville Public Library Foundation!

Ron Block

The Dying Art of the Book Review?
Is this even possible? What is going on in this country?

First I read this post on DorothyL this morning:

"Of even more concern is this news from Oline Cogdill, a friend to DorothyL and one of the country's most important mystery reviewers:

... We have just undergone a redesign of our lifestyle/arts section and books space has been cut back. I will still be doing mysteries, for now, but it may not be as many books per week as in the past. in addition, thetribune co. just got sold so who knows. bad times for newspapers....on that cherry note... Oline

Oline works for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel but her reviews are syndicated to papers all over the country. Letter writers man (or woman) your writing implement! Con Lehane"

and this afternoon, I received this press release from the National Book Critics Circle, of which I am a member:

April 23, 2007

Last week, the Los Angeles Times folded its book review section into an opinion section, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution eliminated its book review position. Not a good week for book criticism, but not a surprising one, either: in the past few years, newspapers from the Chicago Tribune to the Dallas Morning News to the Village Voice have seen book coverage shrink.

The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is not taking these developments lying down. This week, in an effort to support book reviews, book editors, book pages, and book culture, the NBCC is launching a Campaign to Save Book Reviews. During the last week in April and throughout the month of May, the NBCC is asking authors and editors, journalists and publishers—and in fact anyone interested in literary culture—to speak out on the value of books and book reviewing.

The campaign’s launch pad is an effort to save the book review position at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, held until last week by Teresa Weaver. Explains NBCC president John Freeman, “Teresa has the opportunity to apply for a job within the company, but it's not clear what the fate of the book page will be—whether it'll be reassigned to an existing editor, whether it will go entirely to wire copy, or whether it will be removed altogether.”

A petition to save Weaver’s job has already secured nearly a thousand signatures, including those from luminaries as varied as Michael Connelly, Richard Powers, and Ian Rankin. Those interested in signing should go to
http://www.petitiononline.com/atl2007/petition.html.

Throughout the campaign, Critical Mass, the NBCC’s blog, will feature Q&As, posts by concerned writers, and advice on petitioning the media to assure continued book coverage. Current posts include a lengthy Q&A with David L. Ulin, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review.

Checkout http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/ to join in our efforts and to track developments in this ongoing and important campaign.The National Book Critics Circle, founded in 1974, is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization consisting of nearly 700 active book reviewers nationwide who are interested in honoring quality writing and communicating with one another about common concerns. It is managed by a 24-member all-volunteer board of directors.

For more information, please go to www.bookcritics.org.

For questions, contact Barbara Hoffert, hoffer@reedbusiness.com or646-746-6806.

SleuthFest!

This weekend was the 12th annual conference for mystery writers sponsored by the Florida chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. I don't generally go to this event as it is really geared towards writers, not fans. In fact, I was supposed to go to Jacksonville this weekend for their big book fair, Much Ado About Books, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to cancel at the last moment. So basically, I crashed SleuthFest.

One of my favorite authors, Jonathan Santlofer, was going to be there and I arranged to spend some time with him so I figured even if they wouldn't let me into anything else, my time wouldn't have been wasted. But the folks running Sleuthfest couldn't have been nicer. They welcomed me, finagled me a lunch ticket, a pass for the day and I was in. So a big thank you to Randy Rawls, Christine Kling, Martha Powers and Terry Lewis for making this gate-crasher feel so welcome.

Pictured: Bob Williamson, President of the Florida chapter of MWA, who offered me $20 not to publish this picture!

It was a very interesting experience. Anyone who is thinking about writing mysteries really ought to do whatever you have to do to get there. It's an interesting mix of newbies, midlist authors and the super successful, and I would say the panels lean more heavily towards those for the newbies. It's a lovely way for those authors who can afford to write full time to give back to the writing community. But there are also panels for those who have been doing this forever, so there really is something for everyone.

Santlofer told me he attended a panel called "Death Scene Investigations" which was given by the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Miami-Dade County. All I can say is I'm eternally grateful I missed it. Apparently it was an eye opening experience for those who write about the victims of violent crime, with a gruesome slide show in full, glorious color.

I also had an interesting chat with Santlofer and William Lashner about writing for a different gender. Lashner hadn't done it - his protagonist, Victor Carl, is like himself in many ways. But Santlofer writes a wonderful series featuring Kate McKinnon, and writes from the female point of view. They had attended a panel called "Across the Gender Divide" moderated by Oline Cogdill, mystery reviewer for the Sun Sentinel, and featuring writers who write their opposite gender: P.J. Parrish, two sisters whose co-write the Louis Kincaid series with a male protagonist, Lawrence Light and Peter James Quirk, who have female protagonists.

Then it was lunchtime. I was fortunate to share a table with Santlofer, Lashner, Carol Fitzgerald (BookReporter.com) and several others. They were great company. I adore Carol, I've been running into her a few times a year at various book functions and always enjoy chatting with her. The first order of business was the presentation of the coveted Flamingo Award by Stuart Kaminsky, a previous recipient. This year's recipient was Daniel Keyes, author of Flowers for Algernon, among several other books. Keyes couldn't be there so his daughter accepted the award on his behalf.

The guest of honor at the luncheon was the Emmy-award winning writer/producer, René Balcer of Law & Order fame. The introduction was great - they asked everyone who had won an Edgar award to stand up. There were several people standing. Then they asked everyone who had won two Edgars to remain standing. The number dwindled considerably. Then they asked for everyone who had won three Edgars, then four Edgars to remain standing. Balcer was the only one standing.

He talked about the TV shows, and showed a couple of clips of some favorite scenes. He talked about how they often use news headlines as story ideas, then told a great story about how one of their stories became news. Balcer was looking for a location near a river where a body could wash up. He found a spot that had lots of flotsam and figured that would work. The next day he brought the crew down to film, but the producer didn't seem to think it would work. He complained that the tide was too strong and it curved wrong, but as they approached the area to film, they had to stop. There were a couple of police cars and an ambulance at the location - you guessed it - a body had floated up to the spot Balcer had selected. All in all, he was an intelligent, articulate and entertaining speaker.

After lunch, I stopped by the bookstore, hosted by none other than Joanne Sinchuk of Murder on the Beach, my favorite bookstore. Christine Kling had made a giant card for Elaine Viets, and I wanted to sign it. In case you hadn't heard, Elaine had a serious stroke last week and at first, wasn't expected to make it. But Barbara Parker announced at the luncheon that she and Kristy Montee (half of P.J. Parrish) had been to see her the day before and she was coming along just fine and is expected to make a full recovery. I was so happy to hear that. I just saw Elaine a month or so ago and she looked fabulous, so it was just devastating to hear what happened to her. They had to rearrange the schedule a bit at Sleuthfest due to her absence and she was missed. Her new book, Murder with Reservations, comes out May 1.

I caught the end of a panel called "Team Writing: Myth & Mystery" moderated by Kristy Montee and featuring the writing duos Lawrence Light & Meredith Anthony, and Joe Moore & Lynn Sholes. They talked about the good and bad of having a writing partner, and discussed a lot of the technical details that need to be addressed, even the legal ones. Anthony talked about how their latest book, Ladykiller, was a different type of book for them - they thought it was much darker than their previous books. They took it to a noir publisher, but were told that it was "too light." So they took it to their regular publisher, but they said it was "too dark." Anthony called it the "Goldilocks" of books! Finally, last summer at ThrillerFest, they found a publisher.

The next panel was "Sex & Mysteries," and with a name like that you can bet the room was filled. William Lashner, Jonathan Santlofer & the writing duo known as P.J. Parrish - Kelly Nichols & Kris Montee - started off the session by each reading a sex scene from one of their books. Kris was brave enough to go first and told us that their Kincaid series never had a sex scene, but their publisher had asked them to spin off a female cop into a new series. The first book, A Thousand Bones, comes out in June.

This same editor asked them to add a sex scene into the book, and that's the one that Montee read. She was just adorable in her embarrassment. She was followed by Santlofer, who read at breakneck speed a hilarious scene from The Death Artist. He told us that he only includes sex scenes that are integral to the story, otherwise, he'd just be entertaining himself. Lashner told us that his protagonist, Victor Carl, is a dog - and he read a great scene that was in first person and had Carl sort of sitting back and watching the action. Lashner feels that sex is revealing of the character, and necessary. He said his first book did so well because of the bad sex. The authors all seemed to agree that that sex doesn't sell mysteries, not the way it does romance or romantic suspense and that is just isn't inherent in the genre.

The last panel I attended was called "Finding Your Dark Side: Believeable Bad Guys" and was moderated by Christine Kling. Panelists included J. A. Konrath, David Corbett, Peter James Quirk and Vicki Hendricks. Dark chocolate and dark rum were served, although Konrath latched onto the rum and practically dared anyone to take it! Jonathon King was brave enough - and big enough - to intimidate Konrath into sharing. This was an interesting panel, with Corbett pointing out that he doesn't write whodunits, he prefers exploring the bad guy so we always know "who dun it." Konrath pointed out that fear and laughter are closely related. He gave a very vivid explanation that when you are near a rollercoaster, all you hear are people either screaming or laughing.

On my way out, I was so excited to run into Kate White. White is editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and I've been a Cosmo reader since, well, too long to think about! She also writes terrific chick-lit mysteries featuring Bailey Weggins, and has a new one coming out next month called Lethally Blonde that I'm really looking forward to.

I had a great time at SleuthFest. The hotel, The Miami Beach Resort & Spa, was lovely and brought back some memories - I stayed there in the 1970's when it was still the Doral. The weather was perfect, the beach gorgeous and views from every window in the place were spectacular. I would have liked to seen Kate White's panel, Peter Spiegelman (I loved Red Cat and I've never met him) and Linda Fairstein, the SleuthFest guest of honor.

Quick Linda Fairstein story: I went to her book signing for Bad Blood at Murder on the Beach not that long ago. I brought my daughter, who had never read her. Linda bought my daughter a book, and personally inscribed it to her. She was so excited and I was so touched - what a sweet, generous thing to do. Besides being a terrific writer and an incredible champion of women everywhere, Linda is also one classy lady. I'm sorry I missed her, but SleuthFest sure picked a winner for their guest of honor.

Shortlist Announced for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize

Thu Apr 12, 8:04 PM ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters)

Salman Rushdie, Chinua Achebe and Margaret Atwood are among 15 authors selected as finalists for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize, the award's organizers said on Thursday.

The 60,000-pound ($118,000) award is presented every two years to highlight a living writer's continued contribution to fiction on the world stage. The inaugural prize was awarded in 2005 to Ismail Kadare.

It differs from the prestigious Man Booker Prize because it is available to fiction writers of any nationality so long as their work was written in or translated into English.

The 2007 nominees announced in Toronto also include John Banville, Peter Carey, Don DeLillo, Carlos Fuentes, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan, Harry Mulisch, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Amos Oz, Philip Roth and Michel Tournier.

The panel of judges is chaired by U.S. literary critic Elaine Showalter and includes writers Nadine Gordimer of South Africa and Colm Toibin of Ireland.

The winner will be announced in early June.

BEA/Writer's Digest Books Writers Conference

The fifth annual BEA/Writer's Digest Books Writers Conference will be held on Wednesday, May 30 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York.

The all-day event, which takes place prior to the BookExpo America trade show, offers information sessions and workshops on the business and craft of writing. The keynote speaker is best-selling author Jodi Picoult. Breakout sessions on writing novels, screenwriting, humor, young adult, poetry, short story and magazine writing, featuring Don Maass, Christina Katz, John Warner, Sharlene Martin and more! Will Schwalbe, senior v-p and editor in chief of Hyperion and Judy Hottensen, v-p and publisher of Miramax Books will also be speaking. Plus, the editors of Writer's Digest Book, Writer's Digest magazine and Writer's Market!

You'll also have the opportunity to pitch your book idea and get instant feedback from the largest collection of agents of any conference in our famous PITCH SLAM SESSION!

The registration fee is $199, which includes a 6 month subscription to WritersMarket.com. For more information, visit www.writersdigest.com/bea.

Registration is at www.bookexpoamerica.com.

The Passing of an American Icon

I am so sad to post that Kurt Vonnegut passed away yesterday.
from AP:

Novelist Kurt Vonnegut dies at age 84

NEW YORK - Kurt Vonnegut, the satirical novelist who captured the absurdity of war and questioned the advances of science in darkly humorous works such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," died Wednesday. He was 84.

Vonnegut, who often marveled that he had lived so long despite his lifelong smoking habit, had suffered brain injuries after a fall at his Manhattan home weeks ago, said his wife, photographer Jill Krementz.

The author of at least 19 novels, many of them best-sellers, as well as dozens of short stories, essays and plays, Vonnegut relished the role of a social critic. Indianapolis, his hometown, declared 2007 as "The Year of Vonnegut" — an announcement he said left him "thunderstruck."
He lectured regularly, exhorting audiences to think for themselves and delighting in barbed commentary against the institutions he felt were dehumanizing people.

"I will say anything to be funny, often in the most horrible situations," Vonnegut, whose watery, heavy-lidded eyes and unruly hair made him seem to be in existential pain, once told a gathering of psychiatrists.

A self-described religious skeptic and freethinking humanist, Vonnegut used protagonists such as Billy Pilgrim and Eliot Rosewater as transparent vehicles for his points of view. He also filled his novels with satirical commentary and even drawings that were only loosely connected to the plot. In "Slaughterhouse-Five," he drew a headstone with the epitaph: "Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt."

But much in his life was traumatic, and left him in pain.

Despite his commercial success, Vonnegut battled depression throughout his life, and in 1984, he attempted suicide with pills and alcohol, joking later about how he botched the job.

"I think he was a man who combined a wicked sense of humor and sort of steady moral compass, who was always sort of looking at the big picture of the things that were most important," said Joel Bleifuss, editor of In These Times, a liberal magazine based in Chicago that featured Vonnegut articles.

His mother killed herself just before he left for Germany during World War II, where he was quickly taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge. He was being held in Dresden when Allied bombs created a firestorm that killed an estimated tens of thousands of people.

"The firebombing of Dresden explains absolutely nothing about why I write what I write and am what I am," Vonnegut wrote in "Fates Worse Than Death," his 1991 autobiography of sorts.
But he spent 23 years struggling to write about the ordeal, which he survived by huddling with other POW's inside an underground meat locker labeled slaughterhouse-five.

The novel, in which Pvt. Pilgrim is transported from Dresden by time-traveling aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, was published at the height of the Vietnam War, and solidified his reputation as an iconoclast.

"He was sort of like nobody else," said Gore Vidal, who noted that he, Vonnegut and Norman Mailer were among the last writers around who served in World War II.

"He was imaginative; our generation of writers didn't go in for imagination very much. Literary realism was the general style. Those of us who came out of the war in the 1940s made it sort of the official American prose, and it was often a bit on the dull side. Kurt was never dull."

Vonnegut was born on Nov. 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, a "fourth-generation German-American religious skeptic Freethinker," and studied chemistry at Cornell University before joining the Army.

When he returned, he reported for Chicago's City News Bureau, then did public relations for General Electric, a job he loathed. He wrote his first novel, "Player Piano," in 1951, followed by "The Sirens of Titan," "Canary in a Cat House" and "Mother Night," making ends meet by selling Saabs on Cape Cod.

Critics ignored him at first, then denigrated his deliberately bizarre stories and disjointed plots as haphazardly written science fiction. But his novels became cult classics, especially "Cat's Cradle" in 1963, in which scientists create "ice-nine," a crystal that turns water solid and destroys the earth.

Many of his novels were best-sellers. Some also were banned and burned for suspected obscenity. Vonnegut took on censorship as an active member of the PEN writers' aid group and the American Civil Liberties Union. The American Humanist Association, which promotes individual freedom, rational thought and scientific skepticism, made him its honorary president.

His characters tended to be miserable anti-heros with little control over their fate. Vonnegut said the villains in his books were never individuals, but culture, society and history, which he said were making a mess of the planet.

"We probably could have saved ourselves, but we were too damned lazy to try very hard... and too damn cheap," he once suggested carving into a wall on the Grand Canyon, as a message for flying-saucer creatures.

He retired from novel writing in his later years, but continued to publish short articles. He had a best-seller in 2005 with "A Man Without a Country," a collection of his nonfiction work, including jabs at the Bush administration ("upper-crust C-students who know no history or geography") and the uncertain future of the planet.

He called the book's success "a nice glass of champagne at the end of a life."
In recent years, Vonnegut worked as a senior editor and columnist at In These Times. Bleifuss said he had been trying to get Vonnegut to write something more for the magazine, but was unsuccessful.

"He would just say he's too old and that he had nothing more to say. He realized, I think, he was at the end of his life," Bleifuss said.

Vonnegut, who had homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons in New York, adopted his sister's three young children after she died. He also had three children of his own with his first wife, Ann Cox, and later adopted a daughter, Lily, with his second wife, the noted photographer Jill Krementz.

Vonnegut once said that of all the ways to die, he'd prefer to go out in an airplane crash on the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. He often joked about the difficulties of old age.
"When Hemingway killed himself he put a period at the end of his life; old age is more like a semicolon," Vonnegut told The Associated Press in 2005.

"My father, like Hemingway, was a gun nut and was very unhappy late in life. But he was proud of not committing suicide. And I'll do the same, so as not to set a bad example for my children."
___
Associated Press writers Michael Warren, Hillel Italie and Chelsea Carter contributed to this report.

Last week there was a front page article in the Sun Sentinel about the Palm Beach County Library System: Palm Beach County libraries face skyrocketing costs to overhaul facilities.

The article was basically chastising the library for failing to build new libraries in a more timely manner and for the skyrocketing prices that have completely blown the budget. Buried in the middle of the article was a brief allusion to the hurricanes that have decimated the building industry.

There was also a couple of quotes from two of the county commissioners, one of whom felt the county needed to suck it up and somehow find the money to finish building the libraries. But the other commissioner intimated that libraries were for old people and that everyone else has Internet, so why do we need more and better libraries.

As a lifelong library lover, I took great exception to her remarks. I waited several days to respond as I needed time to avoid just responding in anger. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Sun Sentinel and they wrote back and asked me to condense. I did the best I could in the very limited space I was allotted, and they trimmed a bit more. Here is the end result:

County's libraries a priceless resource for the asking

Malcolm Forbes once said, "The richest person in the world -- in fact all the riches in the world -- couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library." What this article failed to mention was all the great loot that is available for Palm Beach County residents at their library. And it is appalling that a county commissioner could be so unaware of all that the library offers the community.

Libraries are not the refuge of the homeless and aged, but are vibrant, bustling community centers, offering services that many people simply aren't aware of: wireless access, computer classes, kids' storytimes, book discussion groups and one-on-one tutoring for adults who don't know how to read. All for free.

The Internet is a mess. Anyone can post anything they want, and they do so regularly. But there are hundreds of databases that have the most accurate, up-to-date information that you simply cannot access for free on the Internet -- databases like Ancestry.com, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times archives, Consumer Reports, and practice exams for standardized tests like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and the Scholastic Achievement Test, all of which can be accessed by library card holders. For free.

Yes, there have been budget issues and building issues, but there has also been a huge real estate boom with skyrocketing prices and a scarcity of building supplies. The boom has busted, but prices haven't come down, at least not yet. You cannot fault the county for [hurricanes] Jeanne, Frances and Wilma and the aftermath of those storms. But you can continue to support your local library, and I hope County Commissioner Mary McCarty rethinks her comments and tries to help the county deal with the money crunch in a more productive way.

Jailed Cuban Journalist to Receive PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award

New York, NY, April 10, 2007—PEN American Center today named Normando Hernández González, a Cuban writer and journalist who was arrested along with 74 other journalists and democracy and human rights activists in a March 2003 crackdown, as recipient of its 2007 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.

The award, which honors international literary figures who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the right to freedom of expression, will be presented at PEN’s Annual Gala on April 30, 2007 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Distinguished writer, historian, and PEN Trustee Barbara Goldsmith underwrites the award. Candidates are nominated by International PEN and any of its 141 constituent PEN Centers around the world and screened by PEN American Center and an Advisory Board comprising some of the most distinguished experts in the field.

The Advisory Board for the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards includes Carroll Bogert, Associate Director of Human Rights Watch; Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation; Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, International Secretary of International PEN; Aryeh Neier, President of the Open Society Institute; and Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Normando Hernández González is a writer and independent journalist. He is the director of Camagüey College of Independent Journalists, a group of journalists who seek to serve as an alternative to the State-owned press in and around Camagüey.

On March 18, 2003, Hernández was arrested along with 74 other journalists and activists considered to be dissidents by the Cuban government. The youngest of those arrested in this notorious crackdown, Hernández, now 38, was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment under Article 91 of the Cuban Criminal Code for reporting on the conditions of state-run services in Cuba and for criticizing the government’s management of issues such as tourism, agriculture, fishing, and cultural affairs.

For several months following his imprisonment, Hernández was kept in solitary confinement and allowed only four hours of sunlight a week, no access to television or radio, and extremely restricted communication with his family. In August, after engaging in a hunger strike with seven other inmates in protest of the deplorable prison conditions, Hernández was transferred to Kilo 5½ prison in Pinar del Río, over 400 miles from his home and family.

In Pinar del Río, Hernández was denied access to the outside world in any form, and forced to share a small, filthy cell with insects, rodents, and prisoners considered dangerous or mentally unstable. He was badly beaten by the Prison Chief of Security and contracted tuberculosis before being moved to Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey.

Hernández suffers from tuberculosis and a chronic gastro-intestinal disorder, which have caused him to lose at least 35 pounds. In December 2006, he was rushed in critical condition to the Amalia Simoni Provincial Hospital in Camagüey after suffering from fainting spells. During his hospital stay, he was kept in a room without a bed, table or chair for an entire week.
On December 27, State Security soldiers removed Hernández from the hospital and took him back to prison. Doctors claimed that the hospital was lacking in the resources needed to treat Hernández’s condition.

In announcing the award today in New York, Freedom to Write Program Director Larry Siems praised Hernández’s exceptional courage and integrity. “When the March 2003 crackdown began, Normando Hernández González eluded arrest for 24 hours so he could celebrate his daughter’s first birthday, and then he turned himself in.

"Since then, he has endured abusive treatment in prison conditions that clearly violate international norms, to the extreme detriment of his health—the youngest of the 75 detained in the crackdown, he is in danger of dying from the conditions of his detention.

"Yet he has refused to renounce his commitment to expand freedom of expression and essential rights in Cuba, publishing critical and personal essays and protesting the treatment of other prisoners. Hernández embodies PEN’s highest ideals, and we are proud to honor him as this year’s recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.”

Noting that 59 of the 75 journalists and activists arrested in March 2003 remain in prison, Siems appealed to organizations around the world to join in pressing the Cuban government to release Hernández immediately and move quickly to release all who have been jailed in Cuba in violation of their universally guaranteed rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

“Over the last four years, international pressure led to the release of Raúl Rivero, Marta Beatriz Roque, Manuel Vázquez Portal, and 13 more of the most prominent detainees. But 16 out of 75 is not a victory. Behind those released are dozens more who are serving unjust sentence in unconscionable conditions. They, too, must be freed.”

This is the 21st year that the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards have honored international literary figures who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the right to freedom of expression. The awards are an extension of PEN’s year-round advocacy on behalf of the more than 1,020 writers and journalists who are currently threatened or in prison.

Forty-two women and men have received the award since 1987; 30 of the 32 honorees who were in prison at the time they were honored were subsequently released.

Operation Scribe

Having wrested readers away from mysteries, thriller writers band together to hunt down some literary cachet.
By Kathleen Sharp
Special to The Times
April 8, 2007

As a glance at any bestseller list will attest, thrillers have become America's favorite reads, edging aside their venerable cousins, mystery books. The difference between the genres is not just elementary: One consists of brain-teasers in which readers try to figure out who killed the girl next door. The other is a heart-racer that we finish to learn whether the girl's leader will be blown up. The essence of the distinction sometimes boils down to dramatic props: arsenic or anthrax, detective or conspirator, bloody corpse or bloody ticking clock?

But if thrillers have won over audiences, the big riddle consuming their writers these days is why America's top critics routinely dismiss suspense books, calling them beach reads or brain candy or, worse, ignoring them completely.

And so, tired of the snubs and determined to get the respect they feel they deserve, thriller authors have formed their own breakaway group: the International Thriller Writers (ITW), a challenge to the older and better-known Mystery Writers of America (MWA), known for its prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Awards.

Infused with its mission, ITW arrived in Los Angeles on a recent Saturday to launch its "Brunch & Bullets" luncheon series, which drew about 100 Southern California thriller fans who paid $150 each to chat with bestselling ITW authors. (Disclosure: Last year I edited the group's newsletter.) It was an auspicious setting: the Renaissance Hotel at Hollywood & Highland, around the corner from the site of the Oscars ceremony at the Kodak Theatre and, as it turned out, in the middle of a large antiwar demonstration. Several authors had flown in from the East Coast, but all appeared to be in their element, sandwiched between the twin cultural exports of entertainment and armed conflict — the basic ingredients of a thriller, by the way.

A new generation of thrillers

On the hotel's second floor, attendees walked past balconies overlooking crowds of policemen in riot gear. The scene, replete with potted palms and bullhorns, could have been ripped from an espionage classic by Graham Greene or John le Carré, except this was a new world order and another generation of writers was chomping at the bit to break from the narrowly defined course of Cold War spy novels.

"In this room today are authors who've written 100 New York Times bestsellers and have sold 200 million books," said author Jon Land, who introduced ITW's headliners.

Romantic suspense maven Sandra Brown discussed her book "Ricochet," which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Suffice it to say Brown has never been profiled in the New Yorker, although she's written 65 novels that have sold 70 million copies worldwide. Paranormal thriller author Heather Graham described "The Dead Room," her latest in a string of 100 books, including several New York Times bestsellers. Military thriller author Gregg Hurwitz, legal thriller bestseller John Lescroart and financial thriller writer Christopher Reich bantered at the bar, a sign of just how expansive the genre has become in the last decade.

ITW used its L.A. event to announce those books nominated for its new Thriller Awards, whose winners will be revealed at its conference this summer, two months after the Edgars. "It's a healthy rivalry," said Reed Farrell Coleman, former executive vice president of MWA. "But they've motivated us to take some steps we needed to take."

When ITW first organized 2 1/2 years ago, many longtime MWA members began to openly question their membership. "We were the big boys on the block, and we'd grown complacent," said Coleman. The 62-year-old Edgars had become a premier literary award, but thrillers were often passed over. Yet, during the early 2000s, annual sales of thrillers were jumping as high as 34%, and in 2002, the British Crime Writers Assn. inaugurated its Steel Dagger Award for best espionage book. Still, major U.S. critics continued to write about the death of the spy genre so often its cadaver could have collected royalties.

It was at a Bouchercon Mystery Convention in October 2004 that Gayle Lynds and David Morrell discreetly asked some thriller writers to meet hours before that group's awards banquet. The covert meeting snowballed into history after all 35 authors voted to join the mild insurrection and form ITW.

It helped that the revolt was led by two name writers. Short and avuncular, Morrell wrote what's been called the "father of all modern action novels," "First Blood," which became the 1982 movie that introduced the John Rambo character. An English professor at the University of Iowa, he continued writing books, including "The Brotherhood of the Rose," which became an NBC miniseries in 1989. His 28 books have been translated into 26 languages, and his newest, "Scavenger," received a starred notice in Booklist.

Lynds has been called a master of the modern espionage novel, known for her female protagonists. The tall brunet once worked at a California think tank, where she had access to top-secret government files. After turning to fiction, she worked with Robert Ludlum to create the Covert-ONE spy series, writing three of those books, including "The Hades Factor," which became a CBS TV miniseries in 2006.

She's now the bestselling author of eight books, including "The Last Spymaster," which follows a spy-turned traitor who breaks out of prison and is hunted by a troubled female CIA agent. Publishers Weekly listed the work among the all-time top 10 thrillers, along with classics by Greene and Le Carré.

In no time, ITW attracted other authors, including Douglas Preston, Katherine Neville, Lincoln Child and M.J. Rose. A board was assembled with Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen and others. Today, ITW boasts 540 authors and 9,000 or so newsletter subscribers — while MWA has 1,800 authors and 1,200 newsletter subscribers.

Struggle for publicity

Underlying this friendly fire is that all authors must fight to get noticed into today's mercenary marketplace, Coleman explained. "Publishers are spending less money to promote their authors, and writers' organizations like ours are picking up the slack."

MWA has long promoted its member authors by publishing anthologies of short stories. ITW borrowed that idea by compiling the first anthology of thriller stories, edited by ITW member James Patterson. The book was acquired by Mira Publishing and received attention outside of New York, but Janet Maslin gave it a withering review in the New York Times. "Thriller" went on to sell 130,000 copies and has earned ITW about $400,000, making it one of the top-selling anthologies ever. Who knew?

To lure more fans inside its tent, ITW hosted its first ThrillerFest convention last summer, in Phoenix, where a Filipino knife master and a Delta Force trainer taught shut-in writer types how to create lifelike assassins. Best of all, ITW finally hosted its own awards banquet that weekend, honoring debut authors, midlist talent and hoary masters such as the renowned Clive Cussler.

Now, the group is homing in on young public-school readers. A quarter of the proceeds from the Saturday event went to the L.A. Unified School District chapter of the Reading Is Fundamental literacy program, along with boxes of thrillers. "Anything that gets kids excited about reading is great," said Marilyn Fils, an assistant principal at Bertrand Avenue Elementary. Thrillers allow students to explore not just U.S. society but other geopolitical realms as well, Morrell explained.

To further expand its house of spies, ITW also welcomes other legitimately published writers, including MWA members such as Coleman. But MWA has become more vigilant, hiring its first public relations firm, actively promoting next month's Edgar awards, and expanding its own youth literacy programs. All of this activity brings to mind a race in which two camps hurtle toward the same objective in heroic ways — yet another definition of a thriller.

But the mystery remains. Will the illustrious MWA lose its crown to ITW? Will the literary establishment ever give thrillers their due? At part of its not-so-secret "special" operations, ITW is infiltrating that elite force in July by bringing its trench-coated conventioneers to Manhattan. "We want to be in the heart of the publishing industry, where agents, editors and reviewers can join our new community," explained Lynds.

"And don't forget the fans," added Morrell. "We love them!"

PAPERBACKSWAP BOOK CLUB REACHES ONE MILLION BOOKS

PaperBackSwap.com, the nation's largest book club, has passed a major milestone for book lovers everywhere, making over one million books available for free trading.

Co-founders Richard Pickering and Robert Swarthout developed the online book club to allow readers from across the United States to trade books for free. In less than 24 months, the PaperBackSwap.com online phenomenon has peaked the interest of thousands of book fans across the United States. The excitement has continued to grow as the club surpassed one million books available.

"We see our members trade about 35,000 books a week," says Co-Founder and avid reader Richard Pickering. "With this explosion of interest in trading books, our members can select from any genre to satisfy their literary desires."

The club operates on a simple premise: a club member selects a book they want and the system sends an email to the member that has the book. That member then mails the book to the requestor and a credit is exchanged for a future book.

To mail the book, the sender easily prints two pieces of paper from his or her printer and then wraps them around the book, attaches postage (usually $1.59) and pops it in the mail. No post office visit is required.

When the sending member wants to order a book, another member returns the favor and mails them a book free of charge. This credit-for-book trade system also applies to their sister music site, http://www.swapacd.com/.

Matthew and Mary Stinnette of Chesapeake, VA have been active members of PaperBackSwap.com for one year and were just recently declared the official winners of the club's "1,000,000 Books Contest" by selecting the exact date and time that the one millionth book would be posted.

"My family lives and breathes on PaperBackSwap.com!" says Matthew Stinnette. "There isn't any other site as awesome as this one, and we, especially my wife and teenage daughter, visit it nearly every day. I have had a household of happy readers since we joined the club, thanks a million to PaperBackSwap."

"The best part about our club is our members," says Swarthout. "What started as a trading system has turned into a social community of readers that share so much more than books. Our members transcend miles and become best friends through club communications, discussion forums and coffee-time chat rooms."

For more information, visit http://www.paperbackswap.com

Pat Conroy to publish 1st book since '95
Sat Apr 7, 5:31 PM ET

"The Prince of Tides" author Pat Conroy says he's finishing his first novel in more than a decade, and it will mark a return to the same dysfunctional characters he's known for.
Conroy's last book was a cookbook published in 2004.

"I loved writing that book. ... Now, of course, everybody in this new book is dying and driving themselves off cliffs," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "So I'm back to normal."

The new novel is set in Charleston and is already nearly 700 pages, Conroy said. "It drives me nuts. But long-windedness ... there's nothing you can do about it. I wanted to write a 250-page novel, but I realize I can't even write a prologue that's 250 pages."

Conroy, 62, said his wife Cassandra King, author of "Queen of Broken Hearts," is a much happier writer.

"I'll hear her cackle with laughter at some funny line she's written," he said. "I've never cackled with laughter at a single line I've ever written. None of it has given me pleasure. She writes with pleasure and joy, and I sit there in gloom and darkness."

Conroy has not published a novel since 1995's "Beach Music." He spoke to the newspaper to promote a fund-raising appearance he's making for a library foundation.

Iowa Library’s Cat Has a Rich Second Life as a Biography
By MOTOKO RICH

Watch out, Marley.

In a hotly contested deal, the life story of Dewey, a rescued cat who lived for 19 years in a library in a small town in Iowa, has sold for about $1.25 million to Grand Central Publishing.
With an eye toward creating the feline answer to the best-selling “Marley & Me,” John Grogan’s memoir of his misbehaving yellow Labrador retriever, Grand Central bought the book, currently titled “Dewey, a Small Town, a Library and the World’s Most Beloved Cat,” on Monday by making an offer high enough to pre-emptively shut down an auction.

“You can’t underestimate the market out there for people who love animals,” said Karen Kosztolnyik, the senior editor at Grand Central who will edit the book; co-authors will be Vicki Myron, the head librarian in Spencer, Iowa; and Bret Witter, a former editorial director at Health Communications, the publisher of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books.

“You look at ‘Marley & Me,’ and that book has been a publishing phenomenon,” Ms. Kosztolnyik said. “I think there are equally as many cat lovers out there. We see this as having that kind of potential.”

The authors’ advance raised some eyebrows in the publishing industry, given that “Marley & Me” reportedly sold to William Morrow less than three years ago for an advance of about $200,000. To date it has sold 1.85 million copies in hardcover, according to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks book sales in most bookstores and online retailers, although not mass-market outlets like Wal-Mart.

“It’s stunning, the advances being paid,” said Robert S. Miller, president of Hyperion, a publisher that looked at the “Dewey” proposal but declined to bid. “If it might be the next ‘Da Vinci Code’ or the next ‘Marley & Me,’ the ante just increases,” Mr. Miller said. “The problem is that even as the biggest best sellers sell more copies, there are fewer of them, so the publishers paying these advances do so at increasing risk.”

According to publishing executives, “Dewey” will need to sell at least 250,000 copies in hardcover to cover the cost of the advance. Sales to foreign publishers or paperback sales could offset some of that cost.

“Dewey,” which was sold on the basis of a 45-page proposal with about 10 photos of the fluffy orange cat, will tell the story of how the kitten was found in the late-night book drop of the public library in Spencer, a town in the northwest part of the state, and adopted by Ms. Myron and the other librarians. Slowly, over the course of his 19-year life, Dewey became a town mascot who lifted the spirits of residents hit hard by the 1980s farming crisis. In the process he attracted the attention of tourists, cat-calendar makers and filmmakers. He appeared in “Puss in Books: Adventures of the Library Cat,” a 1997 documentary, and another film made by Japanese documentarians. When he died last November, his obituary ran in more than 250 publications, including USA Today and The Washington Post.

READ THIS ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY

Philip Roth wins 1st ever Bellow prize
By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer
Sun Apr 1, 5:02 PM ET

Literary awards are old news for Philip Roth, but his latest honor is truly special: The first ever PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, a $40,000 prize named for the late Nobel laureate and one of Roth's closest friends and literary heroes.

"To my mind, Saul Bellow and William Faulkner form the backbone of 20th-century American literature," Roth said in a statement given to The Associated Press.

"The initial selection of Philip Roth sets a very high standard and bodes well for the establishment of this prize as one of the pre-eminent awards of American literature," historian and recent PEN American president Ron Chernow said in a statement issued by the U.S. center for the international writers organization.

The Bellow prize, to be officially announced Monday, was conceived during Chernow's time as PEN president, a one-year term that ended in March. He declined to seek re-election, citing personal reasons, and has been succeeded by author Francine Prose.

The 74-year-old Roth, known for such novels as "Portnoy's Complaint" and "American Pastoral," has won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle prize. He recently became the first three-time winner of the PEN/Faulkner prize, chosen for "Everyman," a novel about illness and mortality inspired in part by the death of Bellow, in April 2005.

Read this article in its entirety: Philip Roth wins 1st ever Bellow prize - Yahoo! News