 |
| JosephFinder.com Newsletter |
Late February, 2006
|
| |
|
|
|
|
What Stands Between Jack Bauer and Me!
|
|
Dear Readers,
I've become a big fan of the TV show "24" --- maybe "obsessed" is the right word --- and I've been wondering something.
Jack Bauer, the hero (played by Kiefer Sutherland) is always calling into headquarters, the Counter Terrorist Unit, and asking someone to download some schematic or surveillance photo to his PDA. Well, I just got back from a long weekend of skiing in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, and my cell phone didn't work --- "No Service," everywhere I went. My BlackBerry worked (I guess Cingular has better coverage there than Verizon), but then it ran out of juice, and I'd left the charger back in Boston. When I finally got back to work, the Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for my G5 Mac stopped working --- it wouldn't sync up with my computer.
So here's my question. How comein the world of "24," all of these horrible things happen --- Presidents assassinated, terrorists threatening to release nerve gas, hostages taken at airports - but no one ever loses a cell phone signal? No one ever forgets to charge a battery? No one's hard drive ever crashes?
These are the crises that happen in my world. One more set of differences between Jack Bauer and me...
Joe (Joe@JosephFinder.com)
|
|
|
COMPANY MAN in Paperback March 7 - Get Yours Here!
|
The paperback edition of COMPANY MAN comes out in the United States and Canada on March 7. You can pre-order your copy at Amazon here or Barnes & Noble here -- or you can take your chances with us. I have a few advance copies to give away, as well as some sharp-looking COMPANY MAN ball caps.
In all the excitement about KILLER INSTINCT, I don't want to ignore my last work --- it's like playing favorites among children --- so I hope you'll take a look at this book, if you haven't already read it. It's the story of CEO Nick Conover, who's struggling to save his company, his family and his life --- and making some dangerous decisions along the way.
To win a book or a ball cap, be one of the first 25 readers to send your name and address to my assistant, Sarah, at Sarah@josephfinder.com. We have far more ball caps than books, so if you'd prefer a ball cap, say so; otherwise, we'll give books until our supply runs out, and then ball caps. If you have won an item since the beginning of the year, please wait this contest out; we want to give everyone a chance to win something. We have lots of loot to give away over the next few months, so there will be plenty to go around.
|
Click here to read more about COMPANY MAN.
|
|
|
On the Road - And Coming to Your Town Soon?
|
 |
I'd feel pretty silly if I threw a party and no one came ---because I'd forgotten to invite them. Would you like to be notified when I make an appearance in your area? If you would, please send your name and address to my assistant, Sarah, at Sarah@josephfinder.com. If you'd like to receive notice by postcard, put "Tour postcard" in the subject line. If you'd rather get an e-mail, make your subject "Tour e-mail." Thanks, and I hope to see you soon!
My next stop is an international one: Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I'll be giving interviews to several magazines and newspapers, including the Netherlands' largest daily, De Telegraaf; its largest TV guide, Veronica Magazine; and its biggest opinion weekly, Elsevier. I'm excited about the trip, and I trust that the interviewers' English will be better than my Dutch.
And if you'd like to support a good cause --- and bid on the chance to name a character in my next book --- join me at the Annual Auction and Dinner for the Center for Women & Enterprise, on Saturday, March 18 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. The CWE is an organization I support wholeheartedly, and I'm honored to be asked to help them celebrate their 11th year.
We also have a few early KILLER INSTINCT tour dates to announce. We're still confirming dates, places, and times, so this list is far from complete --- check the web site for updates, and don't forget to e-mail Sarah if you want a personal invitation.
Boston, MA
Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Brookline Booksmith
279 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617-739-6002
www.brooklinebooksmith.com
New York, NY
Thursday, May 18 at 7:00
Borders-Columbus Circle
10 Columbus Circle
New York City, NY 10019
212-823-9775
www.borders.com
Miami, FL
Tuesday, May 23 at 12:00 noon
Levengers
420 Congress Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33445
561-276-2436
Tuesday, May 23 at 8:00 p.m.
Books and Books
265 Aragon Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134
305-444-9044
Seattle, WA
Wednesday, May 31 at 12:30 p.m.
Seattle Mystery Books
117 Cherry St.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-587-5737
www.seattlemystery.com
Wednesday, May 31 at 7:00 p.m.
3rd Place Books
17171 Bothell Way, NW
Seattle, WA 98155
206-366-3320
www.thirdplacebooks.com
Washington, DC
Monday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders-Bailey's Crossroads
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Bailey's Crossroads, VA 22041
703-998-0404
www.borders.com
Boston, MA
Wednesday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Bacon Free Library
58 Eliot Street (Route 16)
South Natick, MA 01760
508-653-6730
Tour appearances are fun for me, and I hope they're fun for readers, too. Reader Jerry McGahagin was nice enough to e-mail me about my last visit to Atlanta, and share some photos from that appearance on his website. (By the way, he says he gets a lot of use out of his COMPANY MAN ball cap, which I think he picked up at that signing. See? Come to my events and not only do you get to meet me, but sometimes you win free stuff!)
|
|
|
Buzz Builds for KILLER INSTINCT!
|
 |
The Buzz Girl blog --- "A Publishing Insider Gets the Skinny on Tomorrow's Bestsellers" --- gave KILLER INSTINCT her blessing last week, so now it's official: "The 'CEO of suspense' is back on May 18 with a new corporate thriller set in Boston at an electronics giant. Finder is really good at this." Whew.
More readers have chimed in with praise for KILLER INSTINCT, which pleases me no end (and makes me wonder whether my assistant, Sarah, slipped twenty-dollar bills inside some of the advance copies). Writer/blogger Sidney Williams wrote, "It's a perfect companion to the previous page turner, COMPANY MAN....Finder blends the double crosses and sneaky corporate politics of the electronics industry into a compelling and deceptively intricate narrative." Paul Fiander, of the Halifax, Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald, listed KILLER INSTINCT as one of the novels he plans to track down in 2006: "This new talent has earned another look." (I'm surprised to be a "new" talent, but it makes me feel young...) And blogger Gregg Eldred, who'd never read one of my books before, wrote, "Joseph Finder does an excellent job of incorporating current technology into the story, lending a very authentic (and creepy) feel to the problems that Jason faces."
The wonderful reviewers at Books for a Buck gave KILLER INSTINCT four stars, their top rating: "For two nights while I was in the midst of this story, I had problems going to sleep worrying about how Jason could possibly escape." I apologize for that --- and to blogger Doug Ross, who wrote, "Don't expect to get any sleep after you get started with this one. It really is like reading a movie."
Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts - it means a great deal to me.
|
|
|
And Because I Promised...
|
|
I still can't tell you everything I want to tell you about the big KILLER INSTINCT contest... but I can give you this hint: for COMPANY MAN, we gave away a Steelcase chair, because Nick Conover ran a company that manufactured office furniture, and I did much of my COMPANY MAN research at Steelcase. In KILLER INSTINCT, Jason works for a company that makes plasma screens.... and I did a lot of research at NEC.
Getting the picture?
February was a short month, so you'll be hearing from me again before the end of March. In the meantime, take a look at the new KILLER INSTINCT cover. I think it's terrific, and I hope you do, too.
Don't miss out... sign up for the newsletter here, and make sure that "josephfinder@josephfinder.pmailus.com" is on your list of approved e-mail senders. And please --- spread the word by forwarding this to friends you think might be interested.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see many of you soon!
Joe
|
|
