Experiment in the Amazon

A note from the lovely Miz Vicki Hendricks:

"If anyone would like to buy CRUEL POETRY on Amazon, please do so on Friday, May 25. I'm told that if even 20 people buy the book on one day it will put my numbers up so that I get more publicity, get mentioned on special offers, etc. I don't really know if this will work, but I'm excited to watch my numbers on Fri and see what happens! I also have the beautiful reprint of MIAMI PURITY, with Ken Bruen's foreword and Megan Abbott's afterword that people have kindly mentioned. The two books together on Amazon are barely over $21. They make great gifts for noir-reader friends! Of course, if you have a favorite independent bookstore, that is always the best place to buy."

Go fish

It's that time again, when the fish are dancing in the water and calling your name. Mark D. Williams showcases a classic hobby (and one of his passions!) in the newly published SO MANY FISH, SO LITTLE TIME.

The Trout Underground writes “William’s writing is entertaining and he’s clearly fished far more waters than most of us would consider “fair”… I’d look very, very hard at any future books by Mark Williams. I like his words.”

“If you’re the type who loves to drool over the endless fishing choices out there, the type who enjoys dreaming about secret honey holes both near and far, or maybe the type who has fished so many domestic and exotic locales that you’re on the look out for something new and exciting or maybe just overlooked," as The Tennessee Valley Angler is, "then this is the book for you… Williams’ stories are fun and often serve to get you in the mood of the place he’s talking about…One thing I have found the book useful for is introducing me to places I would have never thought about as fly fishing destinations.”

Musings of a Mad Fisherman says “I'll be adding this book to my list of tools.”

The Trout Zone is hooked. “So far it has been nearly impossible to put down…I already can tell that even when I've read it all, I will still sit down and spend time day dreaming and planning future fishing trips by looking through its pages."

New Brit lit

Speaking of love in the UK, Little Black Dress has just published the first foreign edition of THE MEN'S GUIDE TO THE WOMEN'S BATHROOM. One of the leading British blogs, Trashionista.com says, "Not only is Jo Barrett a smart, witty and talented author, but her heroine is too. The novel is full of great banter and memorable characters, and I'm sure it will translate brilliantly to the big screen."

Love is in the air

Quercus Publishing is still smitten with Theresa Schwegel. They have the UK rights for Theresa's first two books and just signed on for the next two: PERSON OF INTEREST and UNTITLED.

It's a perfect match, too. Theresa is an Edgar Award winner and Quercus just won the 2007 Lightning Source Small Publisher of the Year Award (The British Book Industry Awards). Pints all around!

Triumph of the Resurrection Men

Bravo to J. G. Sandom for this terrific review of RESURRECTION MEN in the April issue of Publishers Weekly.

"Welsh's (The Unresolved) latest historical novel takes readers on a haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s. Victor is a 12-year-old Italian boy whose cheerful life in Modena is dramatically altered when his parents, suspected revolutionaries, are murdered before his eyes by Austrian soldiers. Victor is sold to a merchant who uses him as a cabin boy; he adjusts to the brutal life on board the ship, but his ill luck is unrelenting: while escaping a crew member who attempts to molest him, Victor breaks his leg and is tossed overboard. He washes ashore in England, and is taken in by an elderly man who helps him learn English and recover from his injury. But the man eventually sells Victor to a pair of grave robbers, the eponymous "Resurrection men" who steal corpses for doctors' use in research and dissection. The men bring Victor to London, where he joins a guild of beggars and befriends some fellow outcasts. His luck finally begins to change when a wealthy physician makes him his apprentice, but Victor discovers evil practices within that profession as well. Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching: in the city's meat market, 'Many sheep were skinned while alive. And horses were frequently stabled in the putrefying remains of their fellows, maimed and starving, awaiting their own executions. Somehow they knew. Victor could see it in their pitiful eyes.' Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices."

For it's a beautiful cover

On bookshelves this week is the new paperback edition of THE SECRET SISTERS by Joni Rodgers.

A round of applause for Linda Armstrong Kelly, whom The National Mother's Day Committee is honoring at the 29th Annual Outstanding Mother Awards! Linda joins other exemplary moms such as Glenn Close (actress), and Pam Shriver (Olympic Gold Medal Tennis Player). Proceeds benefit Women in Need, a nonprofit organization that serves homeless and disadvantaged women and their children.

Tomorrow, Linda pops over to the Montel Williams Show to co-host their Mother's Day tribute.


Congratulations, also, to Dr. Kenneth Cooper! The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian, a nonpartisan institution that explores national and global issues, is awarding Dr. Cooper the 2007 Woodrow Wilson Public Service Award.

Readers beware: you may develop a sudden fascination with shiny, patent leather. Victor Gischler has signed a very nice deal for two books with Zach Schisgal at Touchstone Fireside. In GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE, an ex-insurance salesman leads a small band of survivors through a post-apocalyptic American landscape in search of his ex-wife and a single cup of hot coffee and toward an epic battle to save a new world.


"Sentence for polished sentence, no one in the genre writes better" (Kirkus) than Michael Koryta, who scored *Starred* Reviews for his newest book, "top-notch thriller" (Booklist) A WELCOME GRAVE.

Library Journal calls it "the best entry yet in Kortya's 'Lincoln Perry' private eye series (after Sorrow's Anthem )…This is a compelling novel with well-developed characters, fast pacing, and intricate plotting. The young Koryta, who won the SMP/PWA Prize for Best First PI Novel (for Tonight I Said Goodbye) at age 21, has proven that was no fluke; A Welcome Grave showcases his accomplished writing skills. Highly recommended for all mystery and crime fiction collections."

Publishers Weekly agrees. "Edgar-finalist Koryta stakes a claim as one of today’s pre-eminent crafters of contemporary hardboiled mysteries...his haunting writing and logical, sophisticated plotting rival that of established stalwarts like Loren Estleman."


THE MEN’S GUIDE TO THE WOMEN'S BATHROOM by Jo Barrett hits #2 on the Austin American-Statesman’s bestseller list.

Just in time for the summer, this fabulous book is “genuinely hilarious… Women will find themselves nodding 'been there done that' as the book unfolds…The author skillfully keeps the book on track throughout, without resorting to tacky, and providing a unique, witty, cute, fast-paced, and yes, classy tale that is fun to read. I knew it was that good, when I was sorry that I'd reached the last page.” - AdviceSisters.net

Romance Junkies join the conga line of excited fans too. "THE MEN’S GUIDE TO THE WOMEN’S BATHROOM is smart, funny, and oddly enough – dead on accurate. There are many laughs in the story centered on Claire’s antics and missteps, but I found myself cracking up even more at the ‘book excerpts’. They were funny because they’re true – we’ve all seen/heard/done the same things time and again on a visit to the ladies room. Claire is the perfect character to carry off this story – a little lost and immature despite her respectable lawyer status. She makes the struggling writer concept work, and she and Jake add some spice to the humor. All in all, this is an awesome debut by Jo Barrett, and I’m eager to read her next novel, KILLING CARLTON. "


In other media goodness, Elizabeth Somer tips us off on 5 supposedly healthy foods on The Today Show.