Book Swag

I'm in the midst of a "life project" I guess you could say. I'm working on de-cluttering my house. I've lived here for almost 14 years now and I've managed to accumulate too much stuff. So each weekend I've been putting in time working on sorting through my belongings and finding things that just don't need to be here anymore. I've made many donation bags, recycle bags and trash bags (less of the latter thankfully). Anyway, as I've been going through things a lot of promotional or incentive type items connected to books have been striking my notice. I think because it's harder for me to decide if I should keep them or not. They're nifty and some have sentimental meaning to me, so it's not as easy to part with as say an old t-shirt or a gazillion pens and pencils!

Anyway, you'll probably hear more about that project later because I've also been reading some books in connection with my efforts--this is serious stuff, y'all! But today I wanted to talk about the book swag because some of it is pretty creative. With the mountain of competition for people's reading time, some authors (or their publicists/marketing people/whoever) are coming up with innovative ways to draw attention to their books. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Lou Berney made playing cards for Gutshot Straight (a poker term). The pictures on the cards correlate to details in the book--if I had the whole set I'd invite you over to play Spades:

2. A cute little cinch sack has Rosemary Harris' Dirty Business Mystery, Dead Head, screened on it. I'm using it currently to hold my knitting project. Very handy!

3. Coffee and tea! I won the coffee at Ben Winters' Cleveland book event. It's Hank Palace Blend from White Mountain Gourmet Coffee. Cool that they supported Ben's books like that. And the tea is from a xuni client, Chrysler Szarlan. Tea Trekker created a special blend of tea to go along with her debut novel, The Hawley Book of the Dead.

4. Craig Johnson has a number of fun items in what he refers to as the "Walt Mart." The bumper sticker and license plate adorn the Longmire section of my personal library. And I haven't found the right place for the Boy Howdy sticker, yet, but Steamboat hangs from my car's rearview mirror.

5. Some folks go for music. Both Meg Gardiner and John Connolly have put together soundtracks to their books.

6. And of course, I can't not mention Robert Crais' Maggie tennis ball or Joe Pike temporary tattoos. I figure this next book has been delayed because they're trying to come up with a promo item to top those!

These are a few of my personal gems. How about you? Do you have book swag that you especially prize? What creative ways have you found authors promoting their books?

Five on Friday - Meg Gardiner

Happy Friday and Happy April all! I hope you've had a great week and are looking forward to some fun this weekend. Got good books on tap for your reading pleasure? I have to admit, I'm not ready for July to be over. This means we're now on the downswing of summer and I hate that thought! But anyway...positive thoughts, positive thoughts!

They tell me my post about Longmire Days at Criminal Element is faring quite well. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you can do so here (there's also some rather hot prizes involved in a sweepstakes if you comment there). Next week I'll have some more posts that are a little more detailed about specific events, like the "So You Want to Write a Mystery" session at the Johnson County Library and the Q&A session held at the movie theater. Yes, there will be more pictures, too!

Last night I met Ben H. Winters. Have y'all read him, yet?  He presented here in NE Ohio at the North Royalton Library and he is fabulous! He's energetic and enthusiastic and smart and funny and well, yes, it was a great event. I'll share more with you about that later, but suffice it to say, I'm recruiting him to come to the blog, and if you get the chance to meet him in person, don't pass up that opportunity!

O.k. I haven't mentioned contests in awhile. Of course the one at C.E. is at the link above. They also have  a sweepstakes to win a copy of The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocketwatch Conspiracy. You'll have to read about that one yourself, I'm not up on that book.

Friday Reads has a trio of Andrew Vachss novels.

And finally, remember to stop over at Lesa's and see what fun loot she's giving away this week. 

Now on to the fun stuff. Today I'm thrilled to pieces to have Edgar-award-winning author Meg Gardiner back on the blog. Her spirit and humor and generous nature make her a fun person to know. Her skill wielding crimes makes her a fun author to read. She's the creator of the Jo Beckett series and the Evan Delaney series, as well as three stand alone novels, the most recent of which is Phantom Instinct, which came out in July (officially last month now--*sob*).

Before I get tears on the keyboard, I'll turn things over to Meg!

1. The most bizarre question I was ever asked in an interview was: At a bookstore event, an audience member approached me. “I want to write a bestseller,” he said. “But I hear that to be an author, you need to be mentally unstable. Are you?” While I was gaping at that, my husband walked up. The man turned to him and asked, “Is your wife crazy?” I think I said something like, “Only on the full moon.” The man didn’t buy any books.

2. My five favorite movies of all time are: Casablanca. Dr. Strangelove. The Terminator. Aliens. The Princess Bride.

3. If I could swap lives with anyone in the world for 24 hours, I would choose: The Commander of the International Space Station. Because: space. And because I doubt that in 24 hours I would accidentally destroy the ISS, Armageddon-style.

4. The most beautiful place I’ve ever visited is: Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe. The falls cascade over the edge of a basalt gorge a mile wide, where the blue Zambezi River erupts into white lather and noise. In the Lozi language, the falls are called Mosi oa Tunya: the smoke that thunders. You can hear the roar and see the mist rising a mile away. The entire landscape seems to tilt toward the falls, the entire continent, a vast plain of red earth spread with Baobabs and Acacia trees under an arching blue sky. To stand on the edge of the gorge with my kids, getting soaked, while rainbows spun all around us, was breathtaking.

5. The #1 item on my bucket list right now is: zip lining through the Brazilian rainforest with a high school friend.

That's funny, I always heard if you want to write a bestseller you have to...write a good book. Maybe I'm not in the loop and don't know all the REAL secrets. Is mental stability a question on the publisher application?

And I guess after experiencing Victoria Falls, space has to be the next great adventure! So fun to have Meg here. Be sure to check her out on Twitter. She's one of my favorite tweeps out there in the Twitter-verse. You can also catch up with her on her website or Facebook. Thanks Meg!!

Have a super weekend, my friends! Happy reading.

Crime Fiction's Sexiest FEMALE Authors of 2012!

I know you've been anxiously awaiting this year's sexiest ladies of crime fiction. I think I have a good bunch to share with you.

Like with the men, I would like to pay homage to last year's ladies as they certainly have not lost their sexy either. I hope you enjoy the gals joining them in 2012.

SEXIEST AUTHOR FROM ACROSS THE POND

Look, Meg dressed for the sexiest award!

Meg Gardiner is an American of course, but she calls England home these days. So we can include her in this category. She's smart...a three-time Jeopardy champ even. She's witty, kind, generous and of course very talented. If you aren't following Meg on Twitter, you absolutely should be. You'll see all of these qualities reflected in her posts.

For me, I look forward to Bouchercon because I am able to see Meg in person then. No matter how you interact with her, it's impossible not to adore her and she that definitely qualifies her for sexy!

Meg is the author of the Jo Beckett series and the Evan Delaney series. And 2012 brought her first standalone novel, RANSOM RIVER.

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO HAS ALSO WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY

Proof positive that Lisa belongs on this list...doesn't get any sexier than wombats!

Lisa Lutz does indeed have a screenplay to her name, but has sworn that she will not write another. I guess only time will tell that for sure, but personally, I'm just enjoying her books. The author of five Spellman novels and a novel she co-wrote with David Hayward, HEADS YOU LOSE, rumor has it she's now working on a children's book.

Lisa gets credit for introducing me to my favorite curse word(s): "sentence enhancer" and that alone should get her on this list, right? But actually she's hysterically funny and a blast to know. Lisa received the lion's share of personality and it shows in everything she does. Absolutely sexy!

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO ISN'T AFRAID TO GET HER HANDS DIRTY

Rosemary and Max enjoying a book.

A master gardener, Rosemary Harris not only gets her hands dirty in her own garden, but she writes the Dirty Business Mystery Series, featuring Paula Holliday.

That isn't the only way Rosemary gets her hands dirty, though. An avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity, Ro has participated in 6 Habitat builds around the world AND she and her husband have worked very hard on their Chalula Library Project, building a community library in Tanzania. Generosity like that is way beyond sexy!

I also have to add to her list of sexy qualities that she's an animal person. And you all know how I feel about THAT!

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO WROTE UNDER A PEN NAME

Dead or alive, Julie is one sexy dame!

Julie Goodson-Lawes, a.k.a. Juliet Blackwell, a.k.a. Hailey Lind, is one of those people who my good friend Pop Culture Nerd would say needs to be pushed down the stairs. Not because she's mean or nasty but because we envy her. And don't worry, we wouldn't really push her down the stairs because while I am envious of her youthful beauty, her wide range of talents, her intelligence, her sharp wit, her friendly nature...I also adore her as a person. She's never stingy with a smile, a hug or a kind word. You can't help but consider that sexy!


As Juliet Blackwell, Julie writes the Haunted Home Renovation series and the Witchcraft Mystery series. As Hailey Lind, Julie wrote with her sister and together they created the Art Lovers Mystery series.

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHOSE HEART BELONGS IN TWO COUNTRIES

A sexy woman in the sexy city of Paris!

 Cara Black, like her protagonist Aimée Leduc, is an American who loves France. When I contacted her to ask her if I could include her in my selection this year, she informed me that she was in France writing her next book. And by golly, who is she running into over there...none other than Craig Johnson from our sexy male authors list!

The French love her, too. I have to say congratulations because this summer Cara received the Medaille de la ville de Paris.

Cara is one of the most appreciative people I think I've ever had the chance to meet. If you observe Cara when she's at a signing and people are waiting in line, she just gushes over each person and makes them each feel as though they are the reason for her success. And granted they do buy her books, which helps her success, but she makes sure they know she genuinely appreciates their support and interest. That is sexy; I mean, have you ever encountered that author who seems like they couldn't care less about the people waiting in line to have a book signed? And then you witness Cara and she just glows with happiness. It's a sight to behold.

Cara is truly a gem and I'm honored to include her on the list this year!


Aaaaaaaaanddddddd.....

THE SEXIEST FEMALE AUTHOR OF 2012

Kindess is sexy!

Marcia Clark! I would truly like to gush on and on about this woman. I'm fortunate in that I get to interact with her through my work with xuni.com. She's been very generous and has participated in some blog events. AND I finally got to meet her in person this year at Bouchercon. Through all these forms of contact Marcia has simply been a joy to know.

Marcia is incredibly funny. Her sense of humor is priceless. She's very smart, and she's also incredibly kind. I can only speak for myself on this front, but I'm envious of her sense of style. She has a gift...o.k. she has many gifts, but she has that one, too.

Let's add to the list of sexiness, Marcia is also an animal person. I wrote about her social media documentation of the hummingbird born in a nest outside her house, and she's a dog owner. I love that she adopted her dogs. And when you listen to her talk about them, you know what a special person she is.

Oh, my goodness, I almost forget to mention that I love her books, too!  Her female prosecutor, Rachel Knight, is a welcome addition to the crime fiction genre.

Hopefully Marcia isn't going to kill me for snagging this picture off Facebook, but hello, what says sexy better than big lips and the bookworm?

Big lips are this year's sexy!

My many, many thanks to the sexiest female authors this year. They are such great sports and super fantastic people...in addition to being great writers in this genre. I hope that you will check out their work if you haven't already.

And, as I've mentioned before, sexy is subjective, so feel free to let us know in the comments who would be on your list this year! Happy Reading!

THE NIGHTMARE THIEF - Meg Gardiner

My next in a line of reviews I covered for Shelf Awareness. This one did not appear in the newsletter and is appearing here with their permission.

First line: "The young trader stumbled from the trees like a scarecrow running on legs of straw."

Jo Beckett and Gabe Quintana are investigating a possible murder scene when they find themselves caught in the middle of an elaborate kidnapping scheme. The twenty-one-year-old daughter of a wealthy hedge fund manager and five of her friends are abducted in the midst of an “urban reality game.” A car accident allows the group to escape from their captors in the midst of the Sierras. But the kidnappers are still out there hunting them down. Jo and Gabe have to use their know-how to evade these psychopaths, travel the terrain and bear the elements, so hopefully they can bring their charges to safety.

Meg Gardiner brings her entire crew together in The Nightmare Thief. Evan Delaney and Jo Beckett team up to investigate the suspicious death of a lawyer. Amy Tang, Ferd and Mr. Peebles all join in the hunt when Jo and Gabe fail to return from the crime scene. Gardiner stays true to her regular crew, but the real stars come in the form of the twenty-something set. Their dialogue, behaviors, attitudes elicit strong emotion from the reader.

The action is constant from beginning to end. Sudden twists keep the novel from an entirely straight, forward momentum. Some twists are possibly predictable, while others will catch the reader off guard. All contribute to a strong, cohesive plot.

For those who love the exhilaration of high speed action and suspense, The Nightmare Thief is sure to get your heart pumping.

I also had a chance to listen to this book on audio, narrated by Susan Ericksen who really does a great job with this series. She's able to elicit the depth of relationship between the characters without over-dramatizing. And likewise, she illustrations the action elements of the novel without going over the top and making them unbelievable. But above all else, she makes me love Ferd. Her characterization of Ferd uses stereotype expertly to bring the eccentric character to life.

The Nightmare Thief is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-052595221) from Dutton and on audiobook (ISBN:  978-1441820099) from Brilliance Audio.

More of Bouchercon 2011

The convention officially kicked off on Thursday with the beginning of the programming, more people coming in and an opening night ceremony. But I forgot to mention about my big surprise that arrived on Wednesday evening. Well, I can't claim it as totally mine, but when Pop Culture Nerd knocked on my hotel room door, I was OVERJOYED. The Craisie brigade would be out in full form!

The first session I attended was the Guest of Honor Panel, which included Colin Cotterill, Charlaine Harris, Val McDermid and Robert Crais, moderated by Oline Cogdill. Before the panel started I got to hang out with Daniel Palmer (DELIRIOUS) and we chatted about a number of things, but he also shared some fun info about his new book, coming out in February - and I'm reading right now. It's a page-turner y'all, so you'll want to check it out next year. Anyway, back to business.

Don't ask what was going on with my hair this weekend; it's hopeless!

The "Passengers" panel was lively and thoroughly entertaining. Robert Crais was asked out for a drink by a woman in the audience, Colin Cotterill wanted to know if anyone in the audience was NOT there to see RC. Val McDermid referred to writers as vampires (a la Charlaine Harris) - Val explained that they suck the life out of those around them to put in their stories. The only panelist to answer Oline's question about "sharing something the audience wouldn't know about you" was Val McDermid who said she knits scarves.

Following that panel, I attended the "Timebomb" panel. This time Daniel Palmer was ON the panel instead of watching it. He was joined by the most wonderful Meg Gardiner, JT Ellison, Adrian Magson and debut novelist Simon Toyne. This panel revolved around a lot of the age old thriller questions: "difference between a mystery and a thriller" - that sort of thing. The panelists were wonderful fun; Daniel and Meg bemoaned the horrors of the end of the school day for writers. My friend and librarian, Wendy Bartlett, commented to me later how impressed with Daniel Palmer she was. This is always good news to me because Wendy's the one who brings authors to the Cuyahoga Library System!

The final panel I attended on Thursday was "I Got the Right to Sing the Blues." This was also a very animated panel, but I don't think you could expect less with Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes and Roger Ellory all on the podium together. Debut novelist Rochelle Staab also contributed quite a bit to the energy of this panel. The final panelist was Bryan Gilmer and the panel was moderated by Wallace Stroby. Mark Billingham expressed his undying devotion to Phil Collins - that's a joke for anyone who doesn't know how much Billingham dislikes Phil Collins' solo work. And Rochelle Staab talked about meeting John Lennon.

Mark Billingham and Jonathan Hayes

Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes, Rochelle Staab

The official convention day ended on Thursday after the Opening Night Festivities, emceed by Ridley Pearson. Ridley is such a perfect emcee. I can't imagine ever being tired of listening to his wonderful stories. Each of the guests of honor was recognized, the Macavity, Barry and Crimespree Awards were all announced and authors from Harper and William Morrow signed books.

Ridley Pearson takes the prize for Outstanding Emcee

Robert Crais recognized as American Guest of Honor

Here you can see the Craisie Club gathered. We made Erin Mitchell an honorary member! This picture makes me so happy. What a joy to be with all of these wonderful friends. From the right: Michael, Carolyn, Naomi, Elyse, Lauren and Erin. I wish I had months to spend with them instead of just days.

Some of crime fiction's most powerful women congregating. Better watch out!

 

Val McDermid, Laura Lippman and Karin Slaughter

Following the ceremonies, people found their ways to dinner, publishing parties and of course the hotel bar. A very successful first day! And since I can never do anything in condensed style, there will be more Bouchercon fun, photos and VIDEO to come!

You've the Right to Six Words - Week 14

After this week, we'll have two more weeks of memoirs for this season. Since this will probably be the end, at least for awhile, I thought we should blow it out in style. Sound good? I hope so because I've stacked the next three weeks with fabulous crime fiction writers.

Debut author, Carla Buckley was born in Washington DC but her childhood was spent in Nigeria and Thailand. She and her family returned to DC when she was 10 and for college, Carla made her way up to my neck of the woods; she attended Oberlin College, where incidentally, her daughter will be starting school very shortly.  Since Carla and her family are more in the central part of Ohio these days, it may make micro-managing her daughter's life a tad bit difficult.

Carla finished college and tried her hand at graphic arts, technical writing and marketing before staying home to raise her family, and start her writing career. In February of this year, Carla saw the fruits of all her labors in writers' groups and conferences and long hours of practice pay off. THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE was published by Delacorte Press. THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE had some roots in her family's decision to pick up and move to Columbus, Ohio, leaving friends, family and everything familiar behind. Carla's follow-up to THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE is due out in 2011 and is tentatively titled INVISIBLE. I'm fascinated by the fact that Carla tried writing many different kinds of books for years and when a dream - or rather a nightmare - about a pandemic left her shaken, she knew she wanted to write THAT book, it was something she truly felt passionate about. She

Kept trying keys until one fit.

And we can all be thankful for her determination to keep trying.

Kevin Guilfoile has spent time all over the Northeast corner of the U.S. He was born in New Jersey, raised in New York, attended college in Indiana, and worked for the Houston Astros all before helping to create the Coudal Partners design firm in Chicago. These days, however, Kevin is making his name as a writer. He's contributed to The Morning News, McSweeney's Quarterly Concer, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic and Salon.com. He's also a contributing blogger at The Outfit. In 2005 Kevin published his first novel, CAST OF SHADOWS, and he is preparing to release his sophomore novel, which Stephen White calls "part thought-provoking mystery, part flat-out thriller." Guilfoile fans have waited and on Tuesday, Kevin delivers THE THOUSAND. I also happen to know that Kevin is very serious about the pens he uses to sign his books. So if you meet Kevin at a signing, be sure to compliment him on his pen, which continues to write because

Every story has beginning, middle
and

:-)

Our next memoirist has no regrets. Together he and his wife raised four children; he enjoys playing tennis and wishes he was musical. When Peter Abrahams decided he would write a book about a detective and his dog, he knew the book would be in first person as told by the dog. But the dog couldn't be talking. He believes "anything that thinks and has memory must have a narrative going on inside." Thus DOG ON IT and the pen name Spencer Quinn were born. As Peter Abrahams, he published eighteen novels, earning a Best Novel Edgar nomination for his novel LIGHTS OUT, wrote the Echo Falls Mysteries series for young readers, and was referred to as "my favorite American suspense novelist" by Stephen King. Now as Spencer Quinn, living in Cape Cod with his family (which includes his dog Audrey), he's preparing to release the third Chet and Bernie novel, TO FETCH A THIEF. Working in his office located over the garage, Spencer brings to life the wonderful tales of Chet and his human partner Bernie. And as he heads off to his fifteen feet commute he says,

Into the dark with no regrets.

And rounding out this incredible week we have a woman who also won accolades from Stephen King who said, "her five novels are, simply put, the finest crime-suspense series I've come across in the last twenty years."

Meg Gardiner was born and raised in the United States. While in high school in California she was a mime, and while studying law at Stanford she competed in cross-country and track. Having grown up the daughter of an English professor, books and writing were a major part of Meg's life; she always wanted to write a novel, but she found her way there via law school, a legal career and a stint teaching law writing at the University of California. When she decided she didn't want to "argue for a living," she traded her arguing for lying. Meg writes a blog titled, "Lying for a Living."

Meg moved to the UK with her husband and children in the early 1990s and this was when she began writing. CHINA LAKE was her first published novel, finding bookstores in the UK in 2002. When it made its way to the US in 2008, Meg was rewarded with the 2009 Best Paperback Original Edgar win. Meg continued with Evan Delaney, her CHINA LAKE protagonist for another four books and in 2008 she published her first novel featuring forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett,  THE DIRTY SECRETS CLUB. This summer the third book in the Jo Beckett series, THE LIAR'S LULLABY was published.

So what does the three-time Jeopardy champ, escaped attorney, mother and author have to say about this array of accomplishments?

Love, kids, writing:
went for it.

And we are the great benefactors of her leap of faith. Many, many thanks once again to our wonderful authors for their time and enthusiasm. What absolute fun! I hope you all enjoyed this week's roundup. Man, is there ever a slew of great book titles in this post. Let us know which you've enjoyed or which you're going to check out now. And we'll see you back here next week for our penultimate week of memoirs.

Happy Reading!

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