QUARRY’S EX is showing up on some Best Books of 2010 lists, like this one on Craig Clarke’s excellent Somebody Dies website.

Not bad for a book that wasn’t published (it will be out in October 2011 from Hard Case Crime via Titan).

The Round Robin we did for the Top Suspense blog continues on. You can start reading it here.

I will admit I hate these Round Robins, but I wanted to help promote what I think is going to be an important site in the e-book revolution.

My pal (and great writer) Ed Gorman knows how much I like actor Wayne Rogers of my favorite P.I. show, CITY OF ANGELS (huge influence on Nate Heller), and Ed was nice enough to provide a link to a very good New York Times autobiographical sketch by Rogers, who is a hugely successful businessman. It’s an “as told to” piece, which must be why my fave series is referred to as CITY OF THE ANGELS.

I am working on two projects this week – THE CONSUMMATA for Hard Case Crime, the sequel to Mickey Spillane’s THE DELTA FACTOR. I am working from about 110 double-spaced pages of Mickey’s, a very good and substantial manuscript. Then mid-week, if the weather allows, George Hagenauer – my longtime friend and research associate – will join me for a plotting/researching session on the next Heller, which I hope to call ASK NOT. We have been swimming (make that drowning) in research for over a year, and we think we have come up with a fresh angle on this old case. It’s my hope not to do just another re-hash on this never-ending mystery, and – thanks in no small part to George – I think we’re on to something.

Orders continue to come in on the various options to acquire the new live CRUSIN’ CD, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened.” So far most are taking the “Kisses of Death” option. Quantities are, as they say, limited, so don’t wait much longer.

CRUSIN’ had a bad weekend. We were contracted to play at Riverside Casino, loaded up, showed up…only to be told we’d been cancelled – in fact, the entire Sunday afternoon series of bands had been cancelled (during “football season”)…two months ago! All the bands were called, we were assured…only we hadn’t been. The Riverside folks made it clear we’d be back in 2011, but we do want to apologize to anyone who made the trip and saw nothing but an empty stage.

M.A.C.

Tags: Ask Not, Awards, Crusin', Merch, Mike Hammer, Nathan Heller, Quarry, Quarry's Ex, Spillane, The Consummata