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I like it when something good unexpected happens. My editor just sent me a note that editor and author, Ed Gorman, had been in touch to say he'd read my books (bought with his own money) and wanted to let me know he really liked my work. For those who don't know, Ed is a genre fiction legend. He's written crime, horror, westerns and everything in between, so it means a lot when someone of that ilk goes out of their way to say something good. I'm really touched.
Obviously, my editor being an editor squeezed a quote out of him. :-)
"Simon Wood packs his books with suspense, surprises and superb storytelling."
--Ed Gorman
All I can say is wow.
The Scrubs, my horror novella under my pen name, Simon Janus, is now available on pre-order. The book will be out in May. The blurbs are coming in for the book and I have to admit that I'm blown away. They've exceeded my expectations, but I'm quite chuffed too, because I think this book is a really good one (in a dark and twisted way). You can read a review and interview over at Macabre Ink. You can read up about the book here (and where to order it) and read an excerpt. Take a peek and let me know what you think.
I've been sitting on this news for some time, but I can finally let everyone know that I'm going to be one of the Guests of Honor at this year's Murder and Mayhem in Muskego, Wisconsin. The big names include Dennis Lehane of Mystic River fame and Brian Azzarello, the creator of the comic book, 100 Bullets. I'm more than looking forward to attending this.
I've been a little remiss of late keeping up with my news. So here's what has been going on:
In a couple of weeks, I’m being made an author laureate of San Francisco Public Library. I’m not sure what this award means, but I’m hoping I’m getting free parking within city limits for life. :-)
CrimeSpree magazine will be publishing my adventures as a “rabbit” in a counter-surveillance exercise at this year’s Left Coast Crime convention in Denver.
“Dinner for Toby” will appear in the Sloppy Seconds anthology out from Bleak House Books in October. Be warned, this is a very dark crime story. It’s a very disturbing piece.
My essay, “San Francisco, A Great Place to Kill People,” will appear in Mystery Readers Journal later this year. I’m not advocating murder for the tourist trade, but my travelogue through the city when I scour fictional settings for crime scenes.
My experiences in McGrath, Alaska will be catalogued in anthology called A Stranger Comes to Town out later this year.
I’m going to be a guest speaker at WRITE NOW! Writers conference held outside Phoenix, Arizona in July (I’m sure it won’t be hot). The event is put on by Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime. If you're interested attending, contact me and I can put you in touch with the appropriate people.
It's the end of the year and it signals my last post for Murderati, so please check out And a Nation Weeps…
This week's Murderati piece with a problem I have. No one believes me when I'm telling the truth, but not when I tell a fib. Maybe I should try Lying to be honest. Also CrimeSpree Magazine interviewed me in their latest issue and you can read it here.
A little run-in with the coppers is the topic for this week's Murderati. Sometimes, things come Out Of The Blue
Here Come The Judge… That's me if you're wondering.
This week on Murderati I ask, Is It Safe? Well, is it?
Learn some Fun Facts! about me on this week's Murderati.
Much to my surprise, I won the Anthony Award for Best Short Story. The awards were held here in Alaska. For those that don't know what an Anthony is--think of it like an Oscar, but for mystery writers.
Publishers Weekly reviewed Paying the Piper last week and this is what they said: Paying the Piper Simon Wood. Leisure, $7.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-8439-5980-2
After an eight-year hiatus, the elusive serial kidnapper dubbed the Piper is once again commanding headlines in San Francisco after abducting Sammy, one of newspaper reporter Scott Fleetwood's young sons. However, where the Piper's previous crimes had been motivated by money—kids returned unharmed in exchange for millions in ransom—this one appears to be personal: the Piper holds Fleetwood responsible for botching his last kidnapping, costing the Piper a cool two million and forcing him to resort to murder. The victim in that case was the only child of wealthy real estate mogul Charles Rooker, who has now stepped forward to fund the Piper's ransom demand for Sammy, while helping Fleetwood and the FBI nail his son's killer. Before Sammy can come home, however, the Piper has more grueling maneuvers than a demented drill sergeant to put these characters through. Wood, in his sophomore effort (following Accidents Waiting to Happen), keeps the pages flying even as his plot gets more and more complex, accelerating nicely toward an elegant climax.
Plummet is my latest misadventure in this week's Murderati column.
One of my short stories received an Anthony Award nomination (which is a mystery and crime writers equivalent to an Oscar). The winner will be announced at Bouchercon in Alaska in a couple of weeks.
I tend to court calamity, so September on Murderati is "how I burned many of my nine lives." Let's begin with GROUND RUSH (Part 1) and conclude my flying daring-do.
This week on Murderati I ask Where'd My Safety Net Go? Things are a changing for me...
My ideas have caused Contamination this week on Murderati.
This week I ask Who Reads This Stuff Anyway? on Murderati...
Things are whipping along when it comes to Paying the Piper. I have an excerpt on my website for your reading pleasure.
As you can see, there's a new banner on the main page. If you'd like to post it on your website, let me know and I'll email over the code.
Also I have cover flats. If you'd like one, message me and I'll send one your way.
I'm happy to announce that Bad Moon Books will be publishing my horror novella, THE SCRUBS. It will be available in limited edition paperback and a collector's edition hardback.
THE SCRUBS takes place in a fictionalized version of the real life prison of Wormwood Scrubs in London. It's the story of Michael Keeler, a convicted killer, who volunteers to be part of the North Wing project in order to gain a pardon--except no one has ever returned from the project.
I'm very excited by this book. I'm hoping to develop this into a trilogy of tales. I also think this is one of the strongest horror stories I've written.
THE SCRUBS will be out summer 2008.
This sale marks the introduction of my new writing identity. In the future, all my horror publications will be under the name Simon Janus, while my thrillers and mysteries will continue to come out under Simon Wood. The reason for the split is straddling two different genres has created a lot confusion among readers, which I'm hoping to clear up from now on. I'll be discussing more about the new identity on Murderati this week.
This week on Murderati I have An Idea To Die For, also I have an explanation.
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