Several people have mentioned seeing KING OF THE WEEDS listed on Amazon as a book coming out this year — it’s even available for pre-order. How exactly a phantom like this gets into the system, I don’t know. But KING OF THE WEEDS — which is one of the six substantial Mike Hammer manuscripts Mickey Spillane left for me to finish — isn’t even written yet. In fact, of those six Hammer novels, it’s scheduled to be the sixth, as (like GOLIATH BONE) it’s about Hammer in the last days of his career. As I’ve mentioned here, the next Hammer will be the ’60s era THE BIG BANG, published next year. This year I’ll be doing KISS HER GOODBYE, a ’70s Hammer, for 2011 publication. That will be the end of the current contract, so KING OF THE WEEDS isn’t even under contract yet, anywhere.

A number of projects are on the horizon but aren’t quite official yet. Terry Beatty and I are in serious discussions to do a new Ms. Tree graphic novel, which would herald a complete reprinting of the series in uniform format. I am close to signing with DC/Vertigo to do RETURN TO PERDITION as a graphic novel — this would be the last, chronologically, of the saga and a direct sequel to the prose novel ROAD TO PARADISE. Efforts to get ROAD TO PURGATORY made, from my screenplay and with me directing, continue, and are looking favorable. All of these, however, are not “done deals.” Stay tuned.

Jeffrey Goodman and I had a nice response to THE LAST LULLABY in Des Moines this past weekend (the film played through/including June 11 at the Fleur). The Q and A after the weekend screenings was excellent (Jeffrey said he’d been asked questions that no other audiences had thought to ask — i.e., did he have a completion bond?). We had a nice review locally in City View, too. And last week the film was featured at a Brooklyn film fest, marking the picture’s first New York screening.

M.A.C.

Tags: Mike Hammer, Review, The Last Lullaby