The Return of "You've The Right to Six Words"

Back by popular demand, the six-word Wednesdays! I've been working on lining some great new authors up for another season of "You've the Right to Six Words." I'm aiming for 10 to 12 weeks and we'll see what happens. Throughout this season I'll be making every attempt to link the authors' book titles to independent book stores where you can purchase the books if you so choose. I'm in no way compensated for this, I just want to offer you an indie store that can provide you with the books. If you have an indie in your neighborhood, I encourage you to buy from them and support your local businesses. If you're like me and you don't have one close, the links can help you out. I'm also linking to the authors' websites and/or blogs. I've had so much fun perusing these sites and learning about the authors. If there's an author who catches your interest, I encourage you to check that author out further.

So let's start off Week One of Season Two with a bang, shall we?

I know many of you are going to like this first author because you were voting for his characters in the "World's Favorite Detective" tournament.

Our very first author for Season 2 of “You’ve the Right to Six Words” is a man who started a journalism career in the military. John Camp, whom we know better as John Sandford, earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in American Studies, but went on to pursue a career in journalism after a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. He worked for the Girardeau Southeast Missourian, The Miami Herald, and the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, where he would be a finalist for the Pulitzer in 1980 and win a Pulitzer in 1986. He left full-time journalism to pursue his novel writing in 1989, but his roots still pull him back on occasion to write book reviews, a series about being embedded in Iraq and even coverage of the Republican National Convention.

In 1989 John Camp prepared to release his first two novels, THE FOOL’S RUN (first of the Kidd series) and RULES OF PREY (first of the Prey series). Since they were to be published three months apart, his publisher asked him to publish RULES OF PREY under a pseudonym and thus, John Sandford was born. THE FOOL’S RUN would later be re-issued under the John Sandford name. Since 1989, he has published four novels in his Kidd series and three novels in his Virgil Flowers series (with number four, BAD BLOOD, due in September). But Sandford’s most popular series is the Lucas Davenport Prey novels, and yesterday, the 20th book in that series, STORM PREY, hit bookstores across the U.S. Sandford and Davenport are both taking the crime fiction community by storm.

A father, grandfather, journalist and novelist, John Sandford sums it all up with

Have gun (and laptop), will travel.

And the crime fiction genre, luckily, will never be the same.

From seasoned to debut. I'd like to introduce you to Douglas Corleone. Right out of the gate, Doug is earning awards. His debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE won the Minotaur/MWA First Crime Novel Award. Doug's debut novel deals with a hotshot defense attorney, Kevin Corvelli, who loses big. It isn't until his client dies in jail that the client's innocence is discovered and Corvelli is disgraced. The case haunts Corvelli when an eerily similar case arises. Before ONE MAN'S PARADISE, Doug worked as a criminal defense attorney in New York. Today he's soaking up sun in Hawaii and working on the next novel. Douglas Corleone decided he'd

Rather write about law than practice.

Welcome to the crime fiction community, Doug.

And we'll finish off the first week with a man who's experienced a tremendous amount. His first novel being published last year seems like the icing on an amazing career. I, in no way, want to make it sound like he's at the end of his career, we all hope that Richard Lange has a much, much longer career writing crime fiction.

Richard went to film school at the University of Southern California, taught English in Barcelona and then worked in publishing. His short story "Bank of America" appeared in BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2004. 2007 brought about the publication of his collection of short stories DEAD BOYS. And last year Little Brown published his novel THIS WICKED WORLD.

If that doesn't sound like a polished enough resume, let's add his 2008 Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Literature and his 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship. Last week THIS WICKED WORLD came out in paperback and Richard is hard at work on another collection of stories, a new novel, AND a screenplay for German director Matthias Glasner. See what I mean? There's no end to this career in site!

I absolutely love what Richard has to say about all this success:

My old life was good too.

Well, we're thrilled with whatever brought Richard Lange to the world of crime fiction.

As I've been working this past week to get everything in order to re-start this series, I'm once again astounded at the generosity of the authors participating. It is my honor to share these fun, creative and revealing tidbits they've contributed to this project.

Thanks everyone for coming back. I look forward to sharing more memoirs with you in the coming months, and I thank John, Doug and Richard for hangin' out here at Jen's Book Thoughts today.

Happy Reading!


Technorati Tags: You've the Right to Six Words, John Sandford, Douglas Corleone, Richard Lange

Caught! - Shane Gericke

Yes that is Shane Gericke peering over the top of John Sandford's INVISIBLE PREY. When you talk to Shane about his writing, you know that Sandford is not only one of his favorite writers in the crime fiction genre but also an influence on him as a writer. So, it comes as no surprise that we catch Shane with a Sandford novel:

Shane is releasing his third Detective Emily Thompson novel, TORN APART, on July 6th.

Technorati Tags: Shane Gericke, John Sandford, Crime Writers Caught Reading Crime

MIND PREY - John Sandford

Today I'm involved in John Sandford's DAYS OF PREY blog tour. His newest and 20th Lucas Davenport novel, STORM PREY, is due out May 18th, so in honor of this milestone, John Sandford is having a blog tour that's slightly different. All of the blogs involved in the tour are reading different books from the series, but we're all answering the same questions for each of the books. My book today is MIND PREY. After the questions, there are some additional fun things connected to the tour, so make sure you check it all out.

Mind Prey is the seventh book in the Lucas Davenport series, and it was first published in 1995.

• What is Lucas doing when he first appears in the book?

Lucas arrives at the crime scene, where two detectives are waiting for a crime scene analyst to remove a shoe from under a car. It's evening and raining; Lucas was called away from dinner and the female detective doesn't have a hat or an umbrella. After Lucas gives the female detective a hat, he fiddles with a ring he is carrying in his pocket as the detectives fill him in on the crime details.

• Give a sense of time and place.

As I mentioned above, the crime is being investigated during a rainy evening. The end of summer and the rain is cold. Lucas and the detectives are outside of a private school. The kidnap victims were accosted in the parking lot following parent-teacher conferences that evening.

• Lucas' occupation or professional role.

In MIND PREY, Lucas Davenport is the Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief as well as the owner/founder of a software company.

• Lucas' personal status.

Lucas is single in MIND PREY but the ring he is fiddling with when he enters the first scene is an engagement ring. He is contemplating asking his girlfriend, Weather Karkinnen, to marry him.

• Lucas Davenport is a known clothes-horse; did you notice any special fashion references?

I actually didn't notice specific references to his clothing. If they were there, they were overshadowed by other elements of the books. What did stand out was his expensive car, a Porshe, and the three-carat, tear-shaped diamond engagement ring.

• What was the crime/case being solved in MIND PREY?

A psychiatrist is kidnapped with her two daughters outside their school. The only clues Lucas has to find the three victims is the escape vehicle, a van, and a description of the t-shirt the kidnapper was wearing. It doesn't take long for the kidnapper to engage Lucas in a game of cat and mouse. No matter how close Lucas gets, the kidnapper manages to stay one step ahead.

• Does the title, MIND PREY relate to the crime?

Very much so. The kidnap victim is a psychiatrist. Her assailant is a former patient (no worries, that's not a spoiler). And the entire plot is one big mind game.

• Who was your favorite supporting character?

I was especially fond of Weather but I also really enjoyed Lucas' partner, Sloan. Both of them seem to lighten up the very serious, very somber Lucas Davenport.

• What was your favorite scene or quote?

As I contemplated my response to this one, I could identify many little zingers that Sloan throws out throughout the novel that made me laugh out loud, but taken out of context, they don't make as much sense. Not only are they funny, but I think the are vital considering how dark this novel gets at times. Beyond that, my favorite scene would involve a spoiler, so if anyone would like to know it, you can e-mail me and I'll share, but I don't want to wreck it for anyone who is still planning to read MIND PREY.

• How do you envision Lucas Davenport? If he were to be portrayed in a movie, what celebrity would play him?

Lucas' large stature is the most prominent characteristic for me. That's probably the one physical attribute I would make sure the actor possessed. And then the blue eyes. There seemed to be a lot of attention paid to his blue eyes. Russell Crowe would, therefore, probably be my first choice of celebrity for Lucas Davenport. He has the darker complexion as well. Russell Crowe is also very good at the strong, silent, contemplative role.

A very distant second might be John Travolta.

So, those are MY thoughts on MIND PREY. Since I'm a late-comer to the Lucas Davenport series, all you experts weigh in with your thoughts on my responses. How would you have responded for MIND PREY? Who would you want to play Lucas in a movie version of the series?

O.k., so there's more cool stuff to go along with this tour. Penguin set up this cool blog tour site that you should check out. You can read excerpts from the PREY books and find links to the other blogs on this tour.

Penguin is also providing me with a giveaway. If you complete the form below, you will be entered to win a paperback copy of MIND PREY plus an ARC of the new Lucas Davenport novel, STORM PREY. I will accept entries for this contest through next Friday, May 14th. This contest is open to residents in the U.S. and Canada (no P.O. Box addresses, please).

And last but not least, keep your eyes peeled here because you will see more of John Sandford before the month is over!



Technorati Tags: book review, crime fiction, police procedural, John Sandford