Posts Tagged ‘Crusin’’

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A Week in the Life

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

I don’t have any news to report that I can think of, but I hear all the time from people wondering how I write so much, when do I sleep, etc.

And I have frequently talked about how by nature I am lazy (a fact, not an opinion). But when I’m working, really working, I work my ass off and I work steadily. This week is a case in point. I wrote six of the seven days, taking off Friday (Barb and I went to the nearby Quad Cities and saw the very funny EXTRACT and had a nice meal and shopped). But every other day I wrote in the morning, the afternoon and later that night, spending the evening watching stuff with Barb (last week, we ran through both seasons of the wonderful MAD MEN as well as a new MIDSOMER MURDERS from England on a PAL disc).

That’s a typical week when I am in the “bunker,” really, really working. I turned out four Heller chapters (not hacked out or churned out — worked many, many hours on them, with much revision and polishing). I also did my drafts of the synopsis and first chapter for the second serial-killer book for Kensington (the first, YOU CAN’T STOP ME, will be out in March), working from Matt Clemens’ excellent rough drafts (Matt and I spent several hours discussing plot problems and tactics on that project as well).

Other things I did last week include take my 84 year-old mother out to dinner, talk Heller and historical research concerns (and original art collecting) with George Hagenauer, decide to buy the Beatles mono box and not the stereo, talk my wife into letting me buy a second new keyboard for the latest version of Crusin’ (I have now replaced two mid-’80s keyboards with current ones, a Nord and a Roland Juno) . I had no Crusin’ rehearsal last week, though I did rehearse myself several times, and bass player Chuck Bunn and I prepared (with Matt’s help) a lengthy history of the band with photos for use as promo and possibly to help get us into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. (Daybreakers are in, but Crusin’ would like to get in separately — next year is the Crusin’s 35th anniversary.)

Speaking of which, if you’ve ever enjoyed Crusin’ over the years, live or on record/CD, go to the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association web site and nominate Crusin’ for next year’s Hall of Fame.

That’s a fairly typical week in the life, for when a major project is under way. Before you say, “Wow!”, please note that this is my job. I do not teach or go to a law office or greet at Walmart (yet).

Please observe that Nate is going to have an ongoing list of forthcoming books, right at the top, from now on — the first of many new and exciting changes here at FOMAC.

M.A.C.

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First Review for Quarry in the Middle

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Quarry in the Middle

The first review for QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE (out next month) is in — Ron Fortier has provided a rave review, and here it is:

Link

You’ll see that Ron connects the book to the classic Kurosawa film Yojimbo, and to Fistful of Dollars and Dashiell Hammett, although Ron mentions THE GLASS KEY as the original source. Kurosawa may have mentioned THE GLASS KEY himself, but the real source is Hammett’s first novel, RED HARVEST, the first major hardboiled PI novel and still one of the best, if not in THE MALTESE FALCON’s league. RED HARVEST was Mickey Spillane’s favorite Hammett novel, by the way.

I tip this off myself in the epigrams for the novel, which quote Hammett, Kurosawa and Serigo Leone. By the way, I pride myself on selling this book to Charles Ardai with, essentially, a title and a one-word pitch. In line at the buffet table at last year’s PWA banquet, I said to Charles that I would like to do another Quarry.

He said, “But you’ve done THE FIRST QUARRY and THE LAST QUARRY. What’s left?”

“QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE,” I said.

He laughed and said, “Okay, but what is it?”

And I said, “Yojimbo.”

He stuck out his hand and we shook. We’d made a deal.

Two items on a personal note: Barb and I spent a lovely three days in St. Louis with our son Nate, who lives there now, showing us around and taking us to various great restaurants. Beautiful weather to go out walking with our “granddog,” Toaster (an insane Australian Blue Heeler and my favorite animal on the planet, but for a handful of humans). We also dropped by the Big Sleep mystery bookstore, a wonderful browser’s paradise. I think it’s a safe bet that we’ll be doing a signing there next year, probably for the new Barbara Allan and the new Mike Hammer.

And Crusin’ played at a local pub in Muscatine, the Brew, and while the crowd could have been bigger, the response was terrific and it was a pleasure playing a venue with an in-house sound man/sound system. I’m enjoying playing a little more often, and it’s gratifying to see the broad demographic our mix of originals and classic ’60s rock seems to work for. Just a year ago today, the band (under its original name, the Daybreakers) was inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame at Arnold’s Park. Our friends from Wilton, the XL’s, got in this year. If you haven’t ordered the Daybreakers “Hall of Fame” CD, scroll down and do so — not many copies left, and less than 10 of the signed ones. The SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT signed CD’s are similarly in low quantity.

Tomorrow (Monday as I write this) I begin the new Nate Heller novel.

M.A.C.

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The Little Death

Monday, June 8th, 2009

I have just written a Mike Hammer novel for audio that will be produced this summer in Chicago by producer Carl Amari and stars Stacy Keach himself as Hammer (with a full cast). This is the second of the “NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE’S MIKE HAMMER”from Blackstone Audio. It’s called “The Little Death” and will be out in the fall of this year.

This marks several firsts, probably the least of which is me writing a script in radio format. More important is that this will be the first time Keach — who has appeared as Hammer on film more often than any other actor — will be featured in a Hammer story actually based on Spillane material. The sources are the short story “The Night I Died” by Mickey and an unproduced screenplay that I developed under Mickey’s supervision. (Interestingly, “The Night I Died” was an unproduced 1950s radio script I found in Mickey’s files years ago, which he allowed me to short-story-ize for our NAL anthology, PRIVATE EYES.)

In the Audie-nominated first installment of THE NEW ADVENTURES (not written by me), there were two episodes. When I was invited to write the second installment, I asked if we could do one story — a novel for audio. Keach and Amari loved the idea. This will be the new Hammer novel for 2009 (although THE GOLIATH BONE is due in trade paper soon from Harcourt). The next prose novel, THE BIG BANG, will be out in the spring of 2010, and is a “lost” novel from 1964 — truly vintage Spillane.

I’m thrilled about “The Little Death,” as it was my opportunity to bring the Keach TV Hammer more in line with the novels. I promise you will never have seen (or anyway, heard) Keach’s Hammer this tough.

In other news, Crusin’ is performing this Sunday, June 14, in Muscatine, IA. The concert, from 6 pm to 7:30 at the Pearl City Plaza patio (adjacent Elle’s Tea and Coffee), will cover the history of the band. In the event of rain, we will perform inside the Port City Underground restaurant. Food will be available.

M.A.C.

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