My apologies for not updating the site sooner and more often. Nate’s been doing much better than his old man, putting covers up regularly. But I have been swamped….
Right now I am writing ROAD TO PURGATORY, the first of two prose sequels I’m doing for Harper Collins. Already out (the cover elsewhere on the site) is ON THE ROAD TO PERDITION: OASIS, the first of three graphic novellas that DC is bringing out. OASIS is available now, and the next one is well under way, the script completed and brilliant artist Steve Leiber (WHITEOUT) is doing a job worthy of Richard Piers Rayner himself.
A new pin-up book, CALENDAR GIRLS, is out under my byline, although frankly I mostly just did the intro. George Hagenauer and I have completed similar introductory material for a new book from Taschen about the men’s “sweat” (i.e., adventure) mags. Not sure when that’ll be out.
I have completed THE LONDON BLITZ MURDERS, but it won’t be out until September 2004 from Berkley Prime Crime. In it, Agatha Christie meets a real-life Jack the Ripper — the Blackout Ripper. The current LUSITANIA MURDERS has been nominated for a Shamus by the Private Eye Writers of America.
Lots of CSI stuff — I’ve been a second comic book mini-series for IDW; the first of two CSI: MIAMI novels is on the stands (FLORIDA GETAWAY) and the next CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIATION novel, BODY OF EVIDENCE, will be out in November ’03.  Matt Clemens continues to co-plot and do the forensics. Also, I’ve written the dialogue for the UBI Soft CSI video game (available now) and am co-plotting and writing the dialogue for a second one, now.
BOMBSHELL, the Marilyn Monroe/Nikita Khruschev thriller by Barb and me, has been accepted by FiveStar, who are bringing out a Quarry collection, QUARRY’S GREATEST HITS, in September ’03. Not sure when BOMBSHELL will be out, but there’s some nice enthusiasm about it from the publisher.
Indie movie projects include an anthology of short films called SHADES OF NOIR, including my short ELIOT NESS: AN UNTOUCHABLE LIFE (a prototype for a longer film), director Jeffrey Goodman’s Quarry short A MATTER OF PRINICIPAL (my script and I exec-produced); and THREE WOMEN which I wrote and directed from bride Barbara Collins’s short story, “World’s Greatest Mother.” A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL has already won several festivals. Both NESS and THREE WOMEN star Michael Cornelison, star of both MOMMYs and REAL TIME. Assembled with my longtime collaborator Phil Dingeldein, SHADES OF NOIR will go to strictly midwestern festivals, and I hope to expand it by adding my documentary MIKE HAMMER’S MICKEY SPILLANE, which would bring it to DVD-friendly feature length.
We’re in post-production on my second documentary, CAVEMAN: V.T. HAMLIN AND ALLEY OOP, about the famous Iowa cartoonist whose innovative caveman strip inspired the Flintstones, among other things. MOMMY/MOMMY’S DAY/REAL TIME collaborator, Steve Henke, is editing right now at the University of Iowa. We’ll have it done by the end of the year.
Another indie project, PRODIGAL ROAD, a modernday retelling of the Prodigal Son tale (the screenplay is written) which I would direct keeps threatening to happen….Could go into production early next year.
Thanks for your interest and support!
M.A.C.