More reviews - updated

A handful of new reviews of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER have shown up in the last couple weeks, including one by veteran mystery reviewer Oline H. Cogdill in MYSTERY SCENE magazine. The links below are clickable:

+ MYSTERY SCENE

+ Gumshoe Review

+ IEatBooks.com

+ The Hungry Detective

The Lineup podcast

The crime fiction poetry journal The Lineup is now offering its second CrimeWAV podcast here. You can also listen to it on the Lineup blog with a Google player here.

In addition to works by James W. Hall, Reed Farrell Coleman, James Sallis, Patti Abbott and others, the new podcast includes my poem "Independence Day, 1976," read by Gerald So.

April updates

My poem "Independence Day 1976" appears in the new edition of the annual poetry collection THE LINEUP , now available. A podcast will follow April 18. The collection also features the work of many real poets, including James W. Hall, Reed Farrel Coleman, James Sallis and others. My piece was written shortly after the death of Jim Carroll, and is dedicated to him.

+ I've had to cancel/reschedule some upcoming events, so I will not be appearing at the April 13 Mystery Writers of America "Crime Scene" panel at the New York Public Library. However, my place will be ably taken by Dennis Tafoya, the Philly-based crime novelist and author of DOPE THIEF and the upcoming THE WOLVES OF FAIRMOUNT PARK.

My appearance at the Brielle Public Library has been rescheduled for Monday, May 10 at 7 p.m.

Manasquan bound

The GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER tour winds down - at least for now - this Saturday (3/20) at Book Towne in Manasquan, N.J., from noon-2 p.m. For those who don't know it, Manasquan is a lovely little Shore town right on the ocean, and Book Towne is located in the heart of the town's historic business district. It's the first day of spring, and temps are expected to be in the 70s.

Quick updates - updated!

+ The Red Bank Orbit has a fairly wide-ranging interview with me, originally pegged to the screening of THE KILLING. It's a Q&A about crime novels, film noir, chicken dinners and Timothy Carey.

+ Reviewing the Evidence delivers its verdict on GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER.

+ I was recently notified that my short story "Heart," which featured Morgan before his appearance in GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER, made the short list for the next "Best American Mystery Stories" anthology, and will be listed in the back of the book among the "Other Distinguished Stories of 2009" listing. The book, guest edited by Lee Child, will be published later this year.

Ocean Grove, 3/13/10

Shot from my back window at about 5:45 a.m.

The KILLING in Asbury

This Sunday (3/14) at 4 p.m., I'll host a special screening of Stanley Kubrick's classic 1956 film noir THE KILLING at the ShowRoom independent theater in Asbury Park, N.J., as part of their ongoing BookFLX series. The ShowRoom is Asbury's newest theater/screening room, located in the newly revitalized Cookman Avenue business district (it's just a couple doors down from what used to be the legendary Upstage Club.)

Based on the novel CLEAN BREAK by Lionel White, Kubrick's film revolves around an intricately plotted $2 million racetrack robbery organized by ex-con Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden, in one of his best roles). THE KILLING has both classic noir elements and a trailblazing narrative structure that Quentin Tarantino would revisit years later with RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION.

I'll introduce the film, and a discussion and Q&A will follow the screening. Refreshments, including beer and wine, will be served. Tickets are $15. Seating is limited. For more information and advance tickets, click here or call (732) 502-0472.

To make it an even more special night in Asbury, singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan will be performing later on at The Saint, just blocks away on Main Street. Ryan is one of America's great unheralded songwriters, and his new album, DEAR LOVER, is just out. A number of his songs made it onto the mix CD I compiled during the writing of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER. He can get pretty noir himself now and then.

For more on the screening, and a Q&A, check out Tom Chesek's piece in the Red Bank Orbit.

For more on Ryan, visit his Facebook page.

The Page 69 (and 70) Test

GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER gets the Page 69 Test today, over at Marshal Zeringue's blog.

Hello, Flemington!

This Saturday I'll be following in the footsteps of the late, great Dan "The Phantom" Federici, with events in his hometown of Flemington, N.J., and then across the state in Asbury Park. From 2 to 4 p.m., I'll be at the Moonstone Mystery Bookstore, 12 Bloomfield Ave., Flemington. Then from 6:30 on, I'll be at Words! Bookstore at 612 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park, as part of the town's monthly "First Saturday" festival (last month's was canceled because of snow). Shops and restaurants will be open late, and there's free parking. As at previous events, I'll be signing books and giving away CDs and baked goods.

And for possible post-event entertainment, the legendary Blasters (minus Dave Alvin) will be playing that night at The Saint, just a few blocks away on Main Street.

Next stop: Watchung (Books)

Now that the snow has - for the most part - stopped, tomorrow's event at Montclair's Watchung Booksellers (above) is still on for 1 p.m. Sat. (2/27). I'll be signing books, giving away CDs and possibly some baked goods. WB is at 54 Fairfield St. in Watchung Plaza, Montclair, N.J. (973) 744-7177.

Words and sounds

A nice review of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER, posted today over at Bookgasm.

Also, the unabridged audio edition, read by actress Karen White, is now available for sale and download.

And for those in N.J., signed copies of GTN are available, while they last, at Barnes & Noble stores at Monmouth Mall (Eatontown), Holmdel, Howell Township, Freehold and - soon - Paramus.

Poetic justice

The folks over at THE LINEUP - that annual roundup of crime-related poetry - are taking pre-orders on Issue #3, which will be out in April. That issue contains my poem "Independence Day, 1976," which l wrote shortly after the death of Jim Carroll. It also features work by James W. Hall, James Sallis, Reed Farrel Coleman, Patti Abbott and others. Details below.

The Lineup #3 (April 2010)

Edited by Gerald So with Sarah Cortez, R. Narvaez, and Anthony Rainone

ISSN 1945-7510
6" x 9", 48 pages, saddle-stitched
$7.00

Poems by Patricia Abbott, Joe Barnes, Henry Chang, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, Michael A. Flanagan, Anne Frasier, James W. Hall, David Hernandez, Amy MacLennan, Carrie McGath, James M. McGowan, Kristine Ong Muslim, David S. Pointer, James Sallis, Jackie Sheeler, Wallace Stroby, Larry D. Thomas, Francine Witte

Pre-orders accepted through March 15, 2010.

The GTN mix: Tracks 14-16

The GTN mix: Tracks 10, 11, 13

The GTN mix: Tracks 7-8

O.V. Wright's "Gone For Good" at Last.fm

The GTN mix: Tracks 4-6

The GTN mix: Tracks 1-3

The GTN mix

I've compulsively made mix tapes and CDs over the years, a practice that seemed to naturally extend itself to writing. With each novel, I've made a personal CD mix collecting songs that roughly fit the tone and content of the work-in-progress. There's a lot of music in GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER, more so than the other books, and the mix that eventually emerged was a mash of styles, but with a certain thematic unity. Some of the songs made it into the book, most didn't. But here's the tracklist of the CD I made while writing it - and went back to when I needed inspiration. This was homemade and strictly for personal use, of course. It exists only in my iTunes playlist:

1: Gone Till November – Wyclef Jean (needless to say, an inspiration for the title)

2: Everybody Always Leaves – Matthew Ryan (off his 2006 CD "From A Late Night High Rise ")

3: I Still Miss Someone – Johnny Cash (title says it all)

4: I Miss You – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (with the late Teddy Pendergrass on vocals)

5: Regina – Bunny Sigler (a Philly soul classic)

6: Jane, I Still Feel the Same – Matthew Ryan (a simple, yet heartbreakingly beautiful, song)

7: Gone For Good – O.V. Wright (deep soul from a Memphis master)

6: Great Expectations – The Gaslight Anthem (young N.J. band with a lot of heart)

7: Trailer – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (only a b-side, but one of their best songs)

6: Ramblin' Man – Hank Williams (chilling, simple, perfect).

7: Cure For Pain – Morphine (essential track from the too-short-lived Boston band)

8: Nothing Stays The Same Forever – Percy Mayfield (philosophical R&B from the other Mayfield)

9: Keep Movin' On – Sam Cooke (America's greatest pop singer. His voice has healing properties)

10: Streets Of Philadelphia – Bettye LaVette (greatest Springsteen cover ever)

11: People Get Ready – Blind Boys Of Alabama (the Curtis Mayfield classic, further elevated)

12: A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke (there's nothing else like it. Sounds like church. Sounds like death).

13: (I Won't Be) Leaving – Dave Alvin (a spare, late-night version of a song he wrote for the Blasters, from his "King Of California" album)

14: Everybody Always Leaves – Matthew Ryan (an EP-only alt. acoustic version. An almost painfully intimate song of love and loss).

If I dig up the CD track lists for the first two books, I'll post them at some point as well.

Support an indie

Signed copies of GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER are available for online order from the following excellent independent bookstores:

THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP

MURDER BY THE BOOK

THE POISONED PEN

M IS FOR MYSTERY

BOOKPEOPLE

WBGO 88.3 FM features

Here are specific links for the now-archived WBGO-FM interview and features:

The interview as aired: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article4.ram

The extended interview: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article5.ram

A web-only reading from GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER: http://www.wbgo.org/realfiles/jrnl2010/100129/article6.ram

A downloadable podcast of the entire WBGO Journal: http://feeds.feedburner.com/WbgoJournal

Note that the reading contains an "adult language" advisory.