Nick Heller

Plan B: Getting to Know Nick Heller

5/10/2011

Did you know Nick Heller used to smoke?

Neither did I, until I wrote “Plan B,” the short story available for free download today for Kindle and Kobo readers.

I don’t write many short stories. “Neighbors,” included in Otto Penzler’s collection AGENTS OF TREACHERY, was my first published short story, though I’ve also written chapters for the audiobooks THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT and THE COPPER BRACELET.

But constructing a series character like Nick Heller offers a world of new writing possibilities. In almost any situation I see or read about, I can ask, “What would Nick do?” I’ve also spent a great deal of time thinking about Nick’s previous life, his likes and dislikes, and all the things we know about the people closest to us but never really think about. It’s important for me to know these things about Nick, but only a fraction of it will ever show up in the novels.

That’s why I’m so glad to be able to share “Plan B,” which drops Nick into a dangerous situation far from home. Hearing that Nick had recently saved a kidnapped girl in Boston, a wealthy Ukrainian hires him to rescue his 15-year-old daughter, who’s being held in a Spanish billionaire’s compound in Barcelona. It would be easier to break her out of a high-security prison — but all is not as it seems, which is why Nick always has a Plan B.

“Plan B” is a free download at both Amazon.com and Kobobooks.com. It comes with a bonus excerpt from BURIED SECRETS, which goes on sale June 21. I hope you enjoy the extra time with Nick as much as I did.

Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Heller's Angel?

4/26/2011

We are recruiting an elite group of Joseph Finder "superfans" to help spread the word about my books and Nick Heller. Because nothing in the book business is more important than word of mouth.

And to express my appreciation, the Heller's Angels will get all sorts of advance access and cool swag, including: - exclusive access to sneak preview material from the new book - a Heller's Angels t-shirt (Show your Heller's Angels cred with these 100% cotton t-shirts available in multiple sizes and two styles: American Apparel slim fit and classic Hanes Beefy Tees.) - some Heller Associates Field Notes journals (Never miss a trick with these 3.5"x5" "Scout Books"-style notebooks featuring chipboard cover, blank lined pages, and just a bit of inside information on Heller Associates. Always handy for shopping lists, notes on movies to rent or books to read, and field surveillance reports.) - 5 copies of VANISHED to give to your friends & family - early access to special content like videos and author interviews - inside information and updates from me - a video conference in June with me and fellow Angels

As Heller's Angels, you’ll be offered missions to complete between now and the June 21 publication of BURIED SECRETS, so that you can be an essential part of the advance buzz for the new book.

Interested? E-mail hellersangels@tandemliterary.com with the subject "Heller's Angel."

This offer is currently limited to U.S. residents only.  

To Blurb or Not to Blurb

3/1/2011

It gives me great pleasure to see the paperback edition of HIGH CRIMES back on shelves today, 13 years after its original publication. Like most paperback versions of books originally published in hardcover, it carries a few excerpts from good reviews — “Fast and furious,” according to The New York Times, right there on the front cover.

Pick up the hardcover of VANISHED, though, and you’ll see not a review, but a very nice quotation from Lee Child. I won’t reproduce it all here, but he says, among other things, that he thinks Nick Heller and Jack Reacher would “go for a beer together and set the world to rights.” This is what we in the business call a “blurb.” The word was originally coined to mock excessive praise on book jackets, but I don’t think of it as a derogatory term; it just means “A short description of a book, film, musical work, or other product written and used for promotional purposes.” Publishers like to use blurbs to promote hardcovers, particularly for new authors, as they give readers some advance confidence about the quality of a book before the reviews come in.

Lee’s blurb for VANISHED was unusual in the business (though not unusual for Lee), because it gave potential readers specific information about the book and its main character, Nick Heller. It’s clear from the quotation that Lee actually read VANISHED, as I know he reads all the books he recommends.

I too read every book I blurb, which is why I don’t give many recommendations. Some authors I know (naming no names) don’t feel the need, as long as the book comes to them from a trusted source. The columnist Calvin Trillin once wrote that anyone giving a blurb should have to disclose his or her relationship to the author under the quotation —“Brother-in-law,” “Share the same agent,” “Met him in a bar.” Several years ago, I ran into an author who told me he’d just read THE DA VINCI CODE, and it was great. It would have been rude to point out that this author had blurbed the book when it had come out the year before.

Do I blame the authors who blurb without reading? No. On a book-a-year schedule, it’s hard enough to reread your own drafts, much less the books people send you for endorsements. It gets to be a vicious circle, too: the more successful the author, the more requests for blurbs, the less time to read the books. It’s hard to say no, especially if it’s a friend asking. It’s tempting to say yes, because really, what harm does it do?

I learned this lesson the hard way. Once upon a time – I won’t say when – I gave a book a quotation without having read it. As it turned out, the book wasn’t very good, and what surprised me was how many people let me know. They felt betrayed. They had trusted my recommendation, and I let them down. I was embarrassed and sorry. If I’d read the book first, I’d have saved everyone some time.

As it happens, this week also marks the publication of a book I did blurb: BRINGING ADAM HOME, by the crime writer Les Standiford with Detective Sergeant Joe Matthews. It’s the harrowing true story of the hunt for Adam Walsh’s murderer, and my recommendation is right on the back cover. Like Lee’s quotation for VANISHED, it’s a little too long to reprint in full here, but among other things, I called the book “heartbreaking and hypnotically suspenseful.”

And now you know I really meant it.

Big News

4/12/2010

Read this announcement about BURIED SECRETS, the second novel in the Nick Heller series.

New Interview with "The Dave Elliott Show"

1/7/2010

For those of you wondering about PARANOIA the movie (plus writing thrillers and VANISHED), listen to the clip of my recent interview with guest host and author Karan Bodman on "The Dave Elliott Show". Who would you cast in the movie?

My playlist…or is it Nick Heller’s?

8/14/2009

Music's important to me -- and to Nick Heller, the central character of VANISHED. These are songs that both Nick and I like, some of which are mentioned in the book. Hope you like them too.

1. Johnny Cash, “Hurt” 2. Coldplay, “Spies” 3. Velvet Underground, “Sweet Jane” 4. The Clash, “I Fought the Law [Live],” from the Live at Shea Stadium album 5. Joey Ramone, “What a Wonderful World” 6. The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love” (a little random, but my playlist Genius suggested it, and the words are very appropriate) 7. Korn, “Fight the Power” (yeah, it’s a cover, but it is !@$%$#5 awesome. Check it out.) 8. Pat Benatar, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” 9. Soft Cell, “Tainted Love” 10. Marshall Tucker Band, "Can't You See" 11. Eagles, "Already Gone" 12. Golden Earring, “Radar Love” 13. ZZ Top, “Tush” 14. Mary Chapin Carpenter, “I Feel Lucky” 15. Johnny Cash, “All I Do is Drive”  

How Nick Heller was Born

8/13/2009

Read this new exclusive essay for Amazon about how I created Nick Heller. There's some revealing stuff I think you'll find to be quite interesting.