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In this Month’s Issue:
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- So When Does Nick Heller Beat Up Jack Reacher?
- Open Your Golden Gate...
- Books for Baseball Fans
- Where I've Been, Where I'll Be
- Congratulations, and Another Chance to Win
- And Lastly...
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So When Does Nick Heller Beat Up Jack Reacher?
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When I first introduced Nick Heller, private spy, in VANISHED, I got a wonderful comment from Lee Child, creator of Jack Reacher. Lee said, "If Jack Reacher met Nick Heller in a dark alley, my money's on Reacher. But it would be ugly. Or would it? Actually, I think they'd go for a beer together and set the world to rights - because Joseph Finder has given me a terrific new hero to root for."
Well, Nick Heller seems to be catching on, even beyond what I'd dared to hope. Mary Lou C. wrote, "I have read literally thousands of books at age 75 and Nick Heller is one of the best heroes yet." George K. said, "Heller likens to a modern-day Travis McGee." But by far the most unusual tribute came from Sabrina Ogden, who wrote in her blog, My Friends Call Me Kate, that Nick was showing up in her dreams. "I was ordering a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino from Starbucks and Nick was asking about cookies. Cookies? Out of all the things to dream about with regards to this book I chose to focus on the cookies?" She's probably thinking of the scene in Vanished when Nick goes to Dean & DeLuca's in Georgetown to buy a box of chocolate cookies to scam his way into Traverse Development (fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies would work for me).
So Nick's not going to beat up Reacher. They're buddies.
Lee Child, Janet Evanovich, and Robert B. Parker all urged me to try a series character, and now I have to admit I'm really glad I did. Having Nick Heller around made writing BURIED SECRETS, the second Nick Heller novel, particularly enjoyable.
In BURIED SECRETS, you'll meet Nick's mother, Frankie, who's (appropriately) a pistol. You'll meet Diana Madigan, the lovely, brainy FBI agent who left Nick years earlier to pursue her career - and is now helping him rescue 17-year-old Alexa Madigan, the troubled daughter of a hedge fund titan. This is probably the most nail-biting thriller I've ever written. I even scared myself in a couple of places. As soon as I get the final publication date I'll let you know, along with previews and an exclusive look at the inside story behind the story.
In the meantime, I wanted to thank you for all your enthusiasm - you made VANISHED a New York Times bestseller in paperback this summer!
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Open Your Golden Gate...
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It's October, and that means one thing: baseball playoffs. No, since the Red Sox are out of it this year, October means Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention.
Bouchercon is the Mack Daddy of crime fiction gatherings, the oldest and the largest, and I try to get there every year. It's a truly egalitarian event, run entirely by volunteers; you'll find the biggest names in the business hanging out in the bar with friends, fans, aspiring writers and industry professionals.
This year I'm especially pleased to be part of two terrific panels, both on Saturday, October 16. (Day passes are available for Bouchercon; if you're interested in registering just for the day, check out the details.
The first, "The Honorable Profession," is a discussion of Robert B. Parker and his legacy and influence, at 11:30 a.m. Scottish novelist Russel D. McLean moderates a panel that includes Mark Coggins, Lee Goldberg, Declan Hughes, Dick Lochte, and me. Joan Parker, Bob's widow, can't join us at Bouchercon, but has given me a message to read at the session. It still seems unreal to me that Bob's no longer with us, and I miss him terribly. It seems appropriate that PAINTED LADIES, a Spenser novel, will be released on October 5, a week before Bouchercon begins.
The second panel, "A Collection of Eagles," has the tagline "The heavyweights" (flattering!), and starts at 4:30 p.m. Veteran journalist and novelist Wallace Stroby will moderate a discussion among Martin Cruz Smith, Andrew Klavan, and me. Martin Cruz Smith's GORKY PARK blew me away when it came out in 1981, and was a major inspiration to my own writing career.
If you're planning to come to Bouchercon, please let me know via email (joe@josephfinder.com) or Twitter (@joefinder). I'd love to say hi in person!
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Books for Baseball Fans
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Did someone say baseball? Less said the better, maybe, this year in Red Sox Nation. (We need these rebuilding years once in a while to keep us humble, and to winnow out those fair-weather fans. Next year, with a healthy team, it'll be a different story.)
My friend Delia Cabe, who writes the Creative Type blog for Boston.com, asked local writers to recommend their favorite books about baseball for the upcoming hot-stove league. You can read recommendations from ABC News correspondent John Berman, author Rachel Cantor, author Joseph Wallace and me here. These are my favorites:
- GAME TIME: A Baseball Companion by Roger Angell - or anything by Roger Angell, really. GAME TIME is a collection of essays that spans the years from 1962 to 2002, grouped by the seasons of baseball.
- THE CATCHER WAS A SPY: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by Nicholas Dawidoff. Truth is stranger than fiction: journeyman catcher Moe Berg was also an OSS spy who uncovered critical information about Germany's atomic program, among other things.
- WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Doris Kearns Goodwin learned to keep score when she was six years old, and this book is an account of her childhood of books and baseball.
- MEN AT WORK: The Craft of Baseball by George Will. George Will gets the inside story of how baseball greats Tony Gwynn, Orel Hersheiser, Tony LaRussa and Cal Ripken do their jobs.
- BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY by Mark Harris. You've seen the movie (at least, you should have seen the movie); read the book, which is one of the greatest examples of the "baseball as life" metaphor.
- THE NATURAL by Bernard Malamud. Again, the movie's great, but the book will surprise you. Roy Hobbs vows to be "the best there ever was," but at what price?
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Where I've Been, Where I'll Be
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With the school year starting I've been staying close to home, but you can read a recent interview with me online at Pencils.com, or watch my conversation about the film adaptation of HIGH CRIMES with Dayna Linton of NovelsAlive.TV.
Looking ahead, I'm making plans to attend Love is Murder, February 4-6, 2011 at the Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare.
I'm just starting to think about the BURIED SECRETS tour (a challenge, until I know my publication date), so if you've got a favorite bookstore you'd like me to visit, please send your suggestions to joe@josephfinder.com.
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Congratulations, and Another Chance to Win
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Congratulations to Todd Bailey, of Franklin, TN, Nicole Sarauw, of Thornton, CO, and Kevin Schilling, of Plainfield, IL, who all knew that the online service that sends emails to loved ones after you die in VANISHED is called InCaseofDeath.net.
This month starts a new contest, with another chance to win between now and the end of November. For a chance to win a signed copy of POWER PLAY, be one of three people to answer this question via my website's Contact Form: What was the name of the corporation Jason Steadman worked for in KILLER INSTINCT? Good luck!
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And Lastly...
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If you're in the Boston area on Saturday, October 16, don't miss the Boston Book Festival, now in its second year. I'm sorry I can't be in two places at once, because this year's line-up is fantastic, and includes several good friends. In preparation for the festival, organizers have launched the "One City One Story" campaign, encouraging everyone to read my friend Tom Perrotta's story "The Smile on Happy Chang's Face," which is - yes - about baseball, among other things. In Boston, you just can't get away from it . . . fortunately, there's always next year.
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Wherever you are, I'm only a mouse click away. Check in with me on Facebook, Twitter (@joefinder) and MySpace, or through the website - and have a great autumn!
All the best,
Joe Finder
P.S. And please, spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to friends you think might be interested.
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