Posts Tagged ‘Merch’

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Best Postponed Book Of The Year!

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

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.

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Rock ‘N’ Roll Happened

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

This coming weekend – Dec. 3 and 4 – Crusin’ will be at Jumer’s casino from 8 to midnight off I-280 near Rock Island. Getting to play casinos is a big deal for us, because it’s “real” show biz. We have an excellent version of our long-running band right now, so we hope those of you in this part of the world will stop by for some genuine garage-band rock.

Rock 'N' Roll Happened

Speaking of which, our new live CD, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened,” is now available. It feature half a dozen originals (including “Psychedelic Siren,” two Bruce Peters originals and one by Rob Gal, as well as our signature arrangement of “Summertime” and a rousing “Pussy Whipped”) plus classic covers, all recorded live at two outdoor festivals in August. The liner notes include a detailed history of the band and rare vintage photos. If you’ve ever heard (and enjoyed) us or the years, or just have a lingering morbid curiosity about the rock ‘n’ roll side of my creative life, you will not want to miss this.

Since “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” is a promo item, designed for bookers at venues who might consider hiring us, we can’t sell it…but I am setting aside thirty copies for this website. To get a CD, you order one of the following M.A.C. rarities and get a free copy. Here are your options:

Edit: All options sold out! We’re going to recheck stock and post again with what’s left!

Kisses of Death

A., “Kisses of Death,” a 90-minute cassette of me reading a Nate Heller novella with Barbara Collins as Marilyn Monroe. These rare cassettes were distributed as a promo item at the ABA in 1996. Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $15 postpaid USA/Canada ($20 foreign).

Mike Myst

B. “Mike Mist Minute Mist-eries,” 1981 Eclipse black-and-white comic book collecting “Mist” strips from the Collins/Beatty self-syndicated “Comics Page.” Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $15 postpaid USA/Canada ($20 foreign).

Ms. Tree Summer Music Special

C. “Ms. Tree Rock ‘n’ Roll Summer Special,” 1986, includes “Music to Murder By” Ms. Tree/Mike Mist crossover, plus my “Bobby Darin” comic bio/memoir, and in-depth article “The Daybreakers” with many rare photos. Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $15 postpaid USA/Canada ($20 foreign).

Golden Age

D. Rare “The Golden Age” by Seduction of the Innocent (cassette); rare 1990 album featuring “The Truth Hurts.” Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $15 postpaid USA/Canada ($20 foreign).

Crusin'

E. “Bullets” by Crusin’ (cassette); rare 1991 album featuring “Theme from Ms. Tree.” Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $15 postpaid USA/Canada ($20 foreign).

SOTI Live'

F. “Seduction of the Innocent” Live CD signed by Collins, Christensen, Mumy and Leialoha. Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $20 postpaid USA/Canada ($25 foreign).

G. The Complete Collection (THREE SETS AVAILABLE): “The Golden Age” by Seduction of the Innocent, CD; “Bullets” by Crusin’, CD; “Daybreakers aka Crusin’,” including “Psychedelic Siren,” rare demos and songs from Mommy and Mommy’s Day, signed by original Daybreakers, CD; signed “Seduction of the Innocent” Live CD. Includes FREE Crusin’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, $60 postpaid USA/Canada ($75 foreign).

As indicated, these are available in very limited quantities. An unsigned copy of the Seduction of the Innocent CD may be substituted for the free “Rock ‘n’ Roll Happened” CD, if you buy a second of the above options.

Edit: All options sold out! We’re going to recheck stock and post again with what’s left!

* * *

Here’s an interesting write-up from the University of Chicago Magazine website about my Batman/Eliot Ness graphic novel, SCAR OF THE BAT. Always fun when something from past years pops up for some praise.

This is a nice write-up about BLACK HATS. The posting has been edited after I commented about the original version, which off-handedly said I had a “boatload” of pennames. Which of course I don’t.

The terrific crime writer Tom Piccirilli is kind enough to mention the new Quarry reprints on his blog.

There’s an interview with me at the website of the Top Suspense Group. Lee Goldberg has joined our merry little band of e-book writers, which is very good news. Lee is co-founder (with me) of the International Association of Tie-in Writers. Interviews with him and Ed Gorman and our other talented members can be found at the same site.

And there’s a nice write-up about collaborations at Book Notes, which includes Barbara Allan.

Nate is back from Japan, and I have welcomed him home with this long and complicated update!

M.A.C.

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Casino Capers

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

If you are in my part of the world, some Crusin’ gigs are coming up. We are landing some really great venues – Dec. 3 and 4th we’ll be at Jumer’s Casino, 777 Jumer Drive, Rock Island IL, from 8 to midnight both nights. On Sunday Dec. 12, we’ll be at Riverside Casino, just outside Riverside, Iowa (birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk), from 2 pm till 5.

This coming week, though, we will have a CD release party at the Button Factory in Muscatine, at their Upper Deck bar, from 8 till midnight. Night before Thanksgiving is a huge night for live entertainment in these parts, so I’m hopeful we’ll have a nice crowd.

The live CD, ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HAPPENED – we’ll show you the cover next week – was designed for me to send (or drop off) to potential venues. The liner notes contain a detailed history of the band with historic pics. The 20 songs are a mix of originals (some previously only in demo form) and all sorts of things from the ‘60s, from Bobby Rydell to the Vanilla Fudge. Nate will be home soon and he and I will discuss how we are going to offer this to you. Because it’s not a for-retail CD, we can’t sell it; but we can give it away, and we’ll be coming up with some offers of out-of-print M.A.C. material that you can buy and receive the new CD as a bonus.

If you are involved with a mystery or comics con and are interested in considering booking us for your event (midwest only, unless you can provide air fare for four), you may request a copy of the promo CD. Just contact me at macphilms@hotmail.com. Same goes if you are a bar or nightclub anywhere in Iowa or Illinois.

The big news this week is the Top Suspense Group that I’m part of designed to give a handpicked group of writers a place to show off their e-book wares. You may have seen the press release, but here it is again:

Top Suspense Group

With more than 700,000 e books already on line, The Top Suspense Group plans to slash through the clutter and offer readers one site filled with exciting books in several genres at reasonable prices.

As creator and acclaimed author Dave Zeltserman explains, “Every member of our group has made his or her mark on genre fiction, whether it’s noir, crime, mystery, thriller, horror or Westerns, and in some cases, several of these genres.

“Authors include Max Allan Collins, Bill Crider, Ed Gorman, Vicki Hendricks, Harry Shannon and myself,” Zeltserman notes. Zeltserman has spoken before about the difficulty readers have in searching for sites that offer seasoned professionals making some of their finest material available at affordable prices. Not only will readers get the books, but many of the books will contain extra
material, such as the writer’s commentary on the book that has been purchased or the addition of a free short story.

“Readers will appreciate a reliable inexpensive site that continuously delivers some of the best in contemporary genre fiction,” said Top Suspense Group member and multi-award winning author, Max Allan Collins.

Check us out at:

www.topsuspense.com
www.topsuspensegroup.com

M.A.C.

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Summer’s End

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

A word from my son, Nate —


As some of you may already know, in addition to administrating this website, I work as a freelance Japanese to English translator. In the spirit of crass nepotism, I’d like to hijack this week’s post to announce the release of my first book-length translation, SUMMER, FIREWORKS, AND MY CORPSE: a collected novel, novella, and short story by suspense/horror writer Otsuichi.

The titular SUMMER, FIREWORKS, AND MY CORPSE, Otsuichi’s breakout suspense novella (written when he was only sixteen), follows a nine-year-old girl who dies during summer vacation. While her two friends-turned-killers attempt to hide her body from their families and the police, we watch from the point of view of the girl’s dead body. It’s a simple story with an interesting narrative twist.

The collection follows with “Yuko,” a short story set in post-war Japan. A young woman is starting her first job as the lone servant in a mansion home to a reclusive author and his wife. But as weeks pass with no actual sign of the wife’s existence, the servant begins to fear for her master’s sanity.

The third and final selection, BLACK FAIRY TALE, is a novel of classic Japanese horror. In it, a girl loses her eye in an accident and receives a transplant. Her new eye contains visions of the experiences and memories of its previous — deceased — owner. The girl, her own memories gone, finds herself estranged from her old family and friends and becomes drawn to the past life of her eye’s donor. But as she seeks to discover the donor’s fate, she soon finds herself in mortal danger.

As you can see, there’s a lot packed into this book, and there’s a lot to like. Otsuichi deftly mixes the creepy and the supernatural with a grounding in slice-of-life Japan, and the twists and turns are surprising, but never cheap or dishonest. I am very lucky to have worked with such captivating and well-written source material, making my first book-length published translation something I can be proud of. I hope you’ll check it out!

We’ll now return to your regularly scheduled update:

Very proud of Nate – I read this book in galley proofs, and it’s excellent. Can’t wait to lay hands on an actual copy.
Here’s a small but nice BIG BANG review (those seem to finally be winding down).

And here’s a link to an appearance I made last May at the legendary Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City. (And here’s a link of the same with audio only.) It’s about an hour – I discuss THE BIG BANG and read a brief selection, then answer a few questions. They have signed copies and you can write them here for info about mail-ordering one: info@prairielights.com

For those of you in the eastern Iowa area, Crusin’ will play at the Elms Restaurant, 2108 Grandview Avenue, from 8 to 11 on Friday, Oct. 1. Muscatine’s River Drive is blocked by road construction and you should use the bypass.

Work continues on the live Crusin’ CD culled from soundboard recordings last August. Twenty songs including around seven originals. It’s designed for promo purposes but I’ll sell a limited number here.

Here are some things Barb and I enjoyed over the weekend: the solid crime film THE TOWN; the new Weezer CD, “Hurley”; and the eighth season of the electrifying British show Spooks (aka MI-5), thanks to our all-regions DVD player (and Amazon UK).

M.A.C.

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