Where I'll be at B'Con

Tomorrow kicks off BoucherCon 2011 in St. Louis, and I'll be appearing on two panels and haunting a few others.
On Thursday at 4 p.m, at 4 pm, I'll be moderating "I Got the Right to Sing the Blues," a panel on pop music in crime fiction, with panelists (and sometime musicians) R.J. Ellory, Mark Billingham, Rochelle Staab, Bryan Gilmer and Jonathan Hayes.
On Friday at 1 p.m., I'll take part in "Shadows Rising: Movies for the Crime Fiction Fan," moderated by Crimespree Magazine's Jeremy Lynch and featuring an all-star panel of Megan Abbott, David Corbett, Russel McLean and Todd Ritter.

Talking trash with George Pelecanos, Pt. 2

Part Two of my conversation with George Pelecanos at the Mulholland Books site, including his picks for the five best crime films of the 1970s.

Talking trash with George Pelecanos

Today over at the Mulholland Books site, my conversation with George Pelecanos about his new book, THE CUT, masculinity in crime fiction, the films of Sam Peckinpah and lots of other topics.

KINGS OF MIDNIGHT cover

Early cover art for the new book, KINGS OF MIDNIGHT, to be published by St. Martin's/Minotaur in April 2011, but available for pre-order now. It's a sequel to COLD SHOT TO THE HEART. More details soon.

From Asbury Park to St. Louis

As part of this year's BoucherCon World Mystery Convention in St. Louis next month, I've put together a "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.!" basket for the convention's Charity Auction, this year benefiting the St. Louis County Library System. Any attendees can bid. Contents are:

- Signed first edition hardcovers of my first two novels THE BARBED-WIRE KISS (St. Martin’s Press, 2003) and THE HEARTBREAK LOUNGE (St. Martin’s Press, 2005), both set at the Jersey Shore.

- A signed copy of “MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER: Stories Inspired By the Haunting Bruce Springsteen Song,” (Bloomsbury 2005), containing my Shore-set short story “Lovers in the Cold” (also featuring stories by David Corbett, Eddie Muller and others).

- An authentic t-shirt from the one and only Stone Pony. Brand-new, black, XL (comes with authentic Stony Pony merchandise bag).

- An autographed copy of the new updated edition of ROCK & ROLL TOUR OF THE JERSEY SHORE, an exhaustive guide and map to the places Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi and others made famous (and not so famous) at the Jersey Shore. Signed by authors Stan Goldstein and Jean Mikle (and me). The definitive book on Shore rock ‘n’ roll history.

- “MORE GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK: The B’Con 2011 Mix.” A one-of-a-kind personal mix CD gathering 16 classic tracks and lost gems from the Jersey Shore music scene, past and present. Compiled, mixed and mastered exclusively for Bouchercon 2011. All songs copyright their respective artists.

7.) “LOST TRACKS: Springsteen Rarities 1975-2005.” A one-of-a-kind personal mix CD featuring 17 rare Springsteen recordings. Compiled, mixed and mastered exclusively for Bouchercon 2011. All songs copyright Bruce Springsteen.

8.) Two vintage Asbury Park postcards.

9.) Handmade Palace Amusements bookmark featuring the iconic ”Tillie” face.

10.) Authentic Salt Water Taffy from Asbury Park’s Criterion Candies.

Kirkus' Best of 2011

More excellent company to be in: COLD SHOT TO THE HEART makes Kirkus Reviews' list of the best crime novels of 2011 (so far).

The Golden Age of Movie Tie-Ins. Pt. 4

The Man With No Name Edition (Part 1):

(Click on the "Movie Tie-Ins" tag at the bottom of this post for Parts 1-3)

Good company

MysteryPeople, the crime fiction division of the great Austin, Texas, bookstore BookPeople, picks its 10 best novels of the year (so far).

The Golden Age of Movie Tie-Ins. Pt. 3

Paul Schrader Edition (click on images to enlarge)




(click on "Movie Tie-In" tag for more tie-in covers)

Lois Lane's secret life

Because some things are better out of context: A panel from DC Comics' LOIS LANE, Issue 14, Jan. 1960.

The Golden Age of Movie Tie-Ins. Pt. 2

Men with Guns Edition:

Bigger than before

The new - and much more literal - cover for the Thorndike Press Large Print edition of COLD SHOT TO THE HEART.

Clarence Clemons: 1942-2011

Talking about Clarence Clemons today, over at Salon.com.

The Golden Age of Movie Tie-Ins

Recently I've been going through some boxes of books, and have uncovered my collection of 1970s' movie tie-ins and novelizations, many of which I'd forgotten about, and all of which are out-of-print. Thought I'd post some covers. More to come.

Under the influences

Talking about Donald E. Westlake, Lawrence Block, Dan J. Marlowe and other influences, over at Ed Gorman's blog.

N.J. noir

A New Jersey-centric profile/intvw. conducted by veteran Philadelphia journalist and author Mary Walton.

Show me the mummy!

Airing my Guilty Pleasures over at the Crimespree Magazine site.

Greetings from Asbury Park (and Paramus)

Two New Jersey appearances coming up: Saturday June 4 at Words! bookstore on Cookman Avenue in beautiful downtown Asbury Park, from 7 to 9 p.m. as part of the city's First Saturday festival. All the stores in the business district will be open late and free parking is available.
On Sunday June 12, I'll be part of the BOOKSNJ festival at the Paramus Public Library in Paramus from 1 to 5 p.m., along with Mary Higgins Clark, Chris Grabenstein, Brad Parks and many others. At 1 p.m., fellow St. Martin's author Todd Ritter and I will be hosting a panel on "A Female Heroine from a Male Perspective."

True confessions

A new Q&A up at Todd Ritter's blog, in which I cop to many personal details previously uncopped to.

Pittsburgh noir

Forbes Ave. & Bouquet St., 1 a.m., 5/3/11. Late-night dining after the Festival of Mystery.