Odds and Ends

I hope you are enjoying the Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime for the Holidays series. I am definitely an advocate for books as gifts. My family and friends can definitely attest to that!

I just wanted to let you know about a few odds and ends. One is this book blogger secret santa project. I signed up for this and thought I'd mention it in case you hadn't heard about it and were interested. I'm participating mostly to meet someone new in the book blogging sphere.

I had intended to mention this earlier and neglected to do so, but at Bouchercon an announcement was made that a tribute anthology is being compiled for David Thompson. This is going to be one heck of an anthology folks. It'll be published by Busted Flush Press, which is now an imprint of Tyrus Books. There will be contributions from the likes of Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Don Winslow, Daniel Woodrell, Ken Bruen and many more. Brad Meltzer will write the introduction and Reed Farrel Coleman and Alison Janssen will edit the collection.

This book will first come out as a leather-bound limited edition signed by all the authors. That will be the early fall of 2011. Then at Bouchercon in St. Louis, a trade paperback edition will be available. I'll remind you as the release date draws closer but you can also sign up to receive email updates on the project here. The stories and work on this book will be donated. Aside from production costs, all proceeds will go to "satisfy David's remaining obligations, to fund a scholarship in David's name, and to establish an award in David's name for Best First Novel from an independent publisher."

The book will have stories you want to read, but this is a book that's simply worth investing in as a symbol of David's importance in this community.

And transitioning to Bouchercon. I wanted to remind you that the deadline for the discounted registration fee for St. Louis is December 31, 2010. So, if you're planning to attend, get your registration in now and save yourself enough money to buy an extra book or two while you're there!

This coming weekend I'll be in Milwaukee for the Murder and Mayhem in Muskego event. I'm very psyched. I've been keeping it a little close to the vest, but since it's been announced on the website, I'll tell you I'm scheduled to interview Ridley Pearson. I've been doing a lot of prep work for that - I'm over the moon excited; this is a huge honor for me. If you are anywhere near Milwaukee, this is a great event. You should take a look at coming. You do need to register, so if you're interested, check it out now. The line-up of authors is outstanding! And next year will be fabulous, too, so if you can't do it this year, consider next year.

And after Murder & Mayhem in Muskego, I'll be working on catching up here. I have more fun video stuff to share with you, pictures, reviews. I need to get to work on some interviews. We're never at a loss for fun stuff to share around here, are we?

Happy Reading!