Island of the Mad
Chatting about Island
My buddy Rick Kleffel and I got together to talk about Island of the Mad. I love doing interviews with Rick, one of those interviewers who not only reads the book, but thinks long and hard about it. He says: …perfect summer fun, and chock-a-block with enough thought-provoking needles and actual history to pleasantly fill…
Read MoreCole Porter & Sherlock Holmes, Misbehaving
Whenever I set out to write one of my 1920s novels, I first choose the location, then rummage around to see who was there at the time. I’ve come across some fascinating characters that way–characters in both senses of the word: Sabine Baring-Gould in Dartmoor; Dashiell Hammett in San Francisco; Marshal Lyautey in Morocco—real life,…
Read MoreHistoricals: escape, or…?
[A piece I wrote for Crime Reads, an excellent daily blog, about writing Island of the Mad and historical mysteries in general…] The historical mystery is a curious thing. Why worry about a crime that took place decades—centuries—ago? Surely it’s been long solved, with both victim and villain moldering in their graves. The past, after…
Read MoreIsland of the Mad launches!
Today is MAD! Island of the Mad launches today, so shove your way through the doors of your local Indie, or get on the horn to The Great Brazilian River or your favorite online retailer, and snag a copy (I’ve put the links below.) We had a fabulous pre-launch launch in Scottsdale, with Charleston lessons… and…
Read MoreThe arts of Venice
(One week—seven days—to Island of the Mad…) When I decided to set a Russell & Holmes book in Venice, my time-table was fairly set: the chronology of the series has reached June, 1925, and unless I decided to skip some time, that’s when it would take place. Of course, summers in Venice are a mixed blessing.…
Read MoreContests & Giveaways All Over the Place!
We have contest winners! The giveaway of ALL the Russell & Holmes books– is now closed. [Sorry!] But the lucky winners are: …of a signed copy of the US edition of Island of the Mad: David K. Elisabeth Simer Esther Bolick John Gourhan …and of the Grand Prize Fab Collection of Riches: Jean Utley! Plus…
Read MoreGiveaway
(Two weeks to the Island pub date!) These are your last days to put your name down for the giveaway of ALL the Russell & Holmes books. All of them… The drawing is on Friday, June 1. Go here to put your name down. And good luck!
Read MoreThe fun side of the job
Not a lot of people can count play as part of the job. I’m very lucky this way, since doing fun things goes under the header of “building community” and that’s what authors do, right? So when I buy some sparkly flapper dresses and drag the family into climbing into them for photos, that’s the…
Read MoreThe Serene One
(Three weeks from today: Island of the Mad.) “La Serenissima”, they call her: Venice, city of the waters. Venice began as a refuge, a place people might creep away from the various war-troubled stretches of mainland all around. The swampy lagoon, into which the Adriatic waters washed in and out, twice a day, had an…
Read MoreCover(s) reveal
[Cue the bump-and-grind strip-tease music…] So, what should arrive but a nice lumpy packet from my publishers… And what do I see inside? Ooh, could it be… The spines are purple! Aahhh, such pretty things! **** Where do I get my copy of Island of the Mad? US edition—signed, from Poisoned Pen Books; signed, from…
Read More