Little Death up for Big Audie

March 1st, 2011 by Max Allan Collins

The big piece of news this week is that my radio-style novel for audio, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MIKE HAMMER VOL. 2: THE LITTLE DEATH, has been nominated for an Audie, the Academy Award of the audio book world. We are in the Best Original category, which makes it as much the writer’s award as anybody’s…but I am the first to salute the great cast headed by everybody’s favorite Mike Hammer, Stacy Keach, and my pal Mike Cornelison, and to applaud producer/director Carl Amari, the maestro behind the Twilight Zone radio series.

This would seem as good a time as any to remind you that THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MIKE HAMMER VOL. 3: ENCORE FOR MURDER comes out…today.

As mentioned last time, to celebrate my birthday on March 3, we have arranged with Kensington for free e-books of ANTIQUES ROADKILL and YOU CAN’T STOP ME at any on-line retailers, starting today, March 1, through March 3. Actually, it’s more to celebrate the release of new books in the respective series represented by those two titles, ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF and NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU.

What do I want for my birthday? I want you to take advantage of this free offer and then, out of guilt or shame or generosity or whatever might move you, order the new titles and, this time, cough up the dough. [Nathan: and if you like the books, rate them!]

I have just returned from St. Louis, where Barb, Nate and I (and Nate’s girl friend Abby) celebrated my birthday (not yet a national holiday…we’re working on it). That town is evil where food is concerned – everything from barbecue to cupcakes – but between meals, we managed to see two excellent films, the Iowa-based (but not shot) CEDAR RAPIDS, a sweet dramedy (what an awful word) that was consistently amusing and fitfully insightful; and the utter delight that is THE ILLUSIONIST. The latter is a French animated feature from the great Jacques Tati’s final unfilmed-in-his-lifetime screenplay. Since Tati was a genius who only made a handful of films, suddenly having another one seems like a gift to the world. When THE ILLUSIONIST began, in black-and-white, and Tati’s magician character appeared, I was so stunned by the animator’s ability to restore Tati to life via his every facial expression and characteristic body movement that I damn near cried into my popcorn. Fortunately I am too much of a tough guy to do that, and anyway it was already over-salted.

Another terrific review for KISS HER GOODBYE has turned up. This guy gets it.

And the Library Journal has given ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF a favorable verdict.

Politics Daily talks about Mike Hammer’s favorite gun, and mentions both Mike and me.

Be sure to check out Matt Clemens’s new book piece on Ed Gorman’s blog about the painful birth of NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU.

Finally, a conservative website lists Mike Hammer in the number two slot on an array of right-leaning fictional heroes…and they think I am terrific! Do they know I voted for Obama?

M.A.C.

[Nathan: Also, head over to the Download Page for a wallpaper-ized QUARRY’S EX cover!]

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8 Responses to “Little Death up for Big Audie”

  1. Did you know, the Kindle store doesn’t have them listed as free? The other e-book readers do though.

  2. dan luft says:

    I had the same problem on Amazon.

    I read the whole article from the conservative link. I think it’s hilarious when people have to “claim” their heroes and then own them. I read the same books that the author mentioned and loved them but I think I took away something far different from them. Also, they’re not mine — I just read them.

  3. Edmond D. Smith says:

    I read the post at Frontpage too, dan and didn’t really see where anybody “claimed” Spillane or Hammer and even if they had I don’t think it is a big secret that Spillane WAS pretty right wing so it wouldn’t exactly be “hilarious” if they had claimed him. But if it annoyed you for some reason, okey doke.

    I am having the same problem as the other folks here, Max; Neither book is free yet on Kindle.

    And on another subject entirely, I’m almost through the Neon Mirage and loving it as much as I have all the prior Heller books. Damn, you know how to create a sense of place like nobody else. Great, great, enjoyable stuff.

  4. Brian_Drake says:

    Max,
    They know you voted for Obama, but they forgive you, too. :)

  5. Edmond D. Smith says:

    Hey, Max, I don’t care who you voted for. As long as your next project isn’t “Nancy Pelosi, Girl Detective” I remain a fan!

  6. Joe Menta says:

    Amazon lagged a bit, but the titles are now listed as free.

  7. dan luft says:

    Just got them both. Thanks Max, Barbara and Matthew. this was very generous of all three of you

  8. Brad Schwartz says:

    First of all, contests on the Audie nomination. The conservative blogger clearly isn’t much of a literary critic. Pegging Hammer’s political leanings isn’t much of a stretch, but his analysis of Chandler and Marlowe is really weak, and he’s clearly unable of assessing Hammett objectively. But I can agree when he calls you “terrific,” not least because in these polarized times it’s quite a feat to make both sides of the political spectrum happy.