Eddie Loves Animals

A couple months into quarantine I decided to write a few short stories, which is something I haven’t done in about twelve years. I wrote this particular story with ‘Noir @ the Bar’ in mind. If you don’t know what that is, N@tB is a “literary” event where a random group of crime writers get together at a bar in some pre-determined city and read their stories to each other (and anyone else who happens to be there) while drinking heavily. It’s always a good time, and I’ve done enough of them over the years to have a pretty good idea what type of story works best in this setting. 

Hint: The more absurd, ridiculous, or funny the better. 

Since another N@tB won’t be happening any time soon, I decided to send this one out into the real world and see what sober people thought of it. The story is called ‘Eddie Loves Animals’, and while I’m not sure it can be called funny, it is definitely absurd and probably a little ridiculous. And if Noir is characterized by fatalistic and cynical people living morally ambiguous lives, then this might be the most noir story I’ve ever written. 

You can find it at TOUGH:

Eddie Loves Animals

The Couple in Room 13

 

I've been sitting on this exciting news for a while, and I can finally share it because today is pub day. 

Simon and Schuster UK, who published my first three novels, is reissuing my first book, Cold Kiss, with a new title and a gorgeous new cover. The book is being reissued in print, and it's available today in ASDA and independent book stores all over the UK. I'm thrilled about this news, and incredibly grateful to the team at S&S for breathing new life into this dark and snowy little tale. 

This one is probably my favorite of all my books, so if you haven't read it yet, now is a great time.

The Couple in Room 13

JR

Broken

For a long time I've wanted to write a story set in the town where I grew up. Beaumont Cove isn't quite Manitou Springs (ocean instead of mountains), but it's close, and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the vibe of that strange little town. Broken is a slightly different book than the ones I've done before. It's not really a mystery, or a thriller, or a crime noir, but it does have elements of all three. Personally, I just think of it as a story, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Broken

Until next time,

JR

The Ridge

It’s pub day…

I'm excited about this one.

I get excited about them all, but this one in particular because it's a little different for me. It's still a suspense novel, and still built on a hard-boiled/noir foundation, but The Ridge lurks closer to The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and Tales from the Darkside realm than any of my previous books. It’s also one of my personal favorites, and I’m thrilled it’s finally out in the world.

I hope you dig it.

The Ridge

Stay tuned, there's more to come...

June 1st

Out of the Black

Publication day is here...

Written in a spare, laconic style reminiscent of Elmore Leonard or Robert B. Parker, this fast-moving, bleak thriller driven by the economic realities of modern America will appeal to fans of suspense fiction from the grittier side of the mean streets.— Library Journal

Out of the Black

There's a lot of stuff coming in the next couple weeks, but here are a few early reviews and links.


Reviews:

Booklist

New York Journal of Books

Out of the Gutter

Spinetingler

Out of the Black

My Life in Stories

Kemper's Book Blog

A Bookworm's World


Interviews:

Lit Reactor

Shelf Awareness

The Reading Frenzy


I also did a live interview on KMTV's "The Morning Blend" earlier today.

KMTV: The Morning Blend


There are a couple radio interviews coming up. The first is this Saturday afternoon, August 31st, with Suspense Magazine at 1:20 CST.  The next one is on Tuesday, September 3rd, at 9:25 am CST, and it's with Back Porch Writer.

Suspense Magazine

Back Porch Writer


There is a lot more coming up in the next several weeks, so please check back. I'm going to do my best to keep this page updated this time around. If you decide pick up a copy of Out of the Black, thank you very much. I hope you enjoy it.

And as always, thank you for reading.

Bestseller

So much for my promise to keep this blog updated.

In my defense, I’ve been working non-stop on the new book, and if all goes well it'll be released sometime in September 2012. I'm also hoping to have a new novella available sometime this summer.

The biggest news so far this year is that Already Gone officially became a national bestseller after hitting #8 on the Wall Street Journal’s Bestseller list in the US.

Wall Street Journal.



The book also reached #1 on Amazon earlier this month, and it hit #5 on the Heatseeker chart in the UK. So, it looks like 2012 is off to a great start.

There’s also a very nice review in The Los Angeles Review of Books this week.

L.A. Review of Books

And here's a radio interview I did last week for the Mulberry Lane Show.

Not much else to report. I’m still ironing out signings and convention appearances for the year, and I’ll be posting updates as things develop.

Until then, thanks for reading.

JR