ANT-MAN WAS AWESOME-MAN!

ANT-ASTIC!

Really loved the movie, Ant-Man! I had my fingers crossed he'd be the next Avenger from Marvel films, although I have to admit, I'm partial. I loved Paul Rudd playing the part, he's great in everything he does. It was funny and exciting with the right amount of creepy. I would have liked to see more ants, but hey, its a superhero movie and the story was very good.

If you want to get more insect action, well you should order THE COLONY. No superheroes, but a lot more gore - and ants!

 

THRILLERFEST 2014

Great Time was Had by All

This was my 5th ThrillerFest and I had a ball!  It really is such a special conference, I can't imagine why any would-be writer wouldn't kill to attend.  Five days at the New York City Grand Hyatt, with nothing but panels on craft and publishing, parties and celebrations of new and accomplished thriller writers.

The goodie bag was packed this year

There were so many panels this year on everything from Unlocking Creativity to The Voices in your Head. This year I moderated a panel on science thrillers, and luckily most of the panelists were friends so I didn't have to be nervous. But I was, so I started with the only half-way decent science joke I could find on the internet.  "A dung beetle walks into a bar and says to the bartender, "Is this stool taken?" Okay, not great. But really, Google science jokes and you won't find much. Had dinner that night with the same bunch of science thriller friends at Artisanal. It's becoming a delicious tradition thanks to Amy Rogers.

There were numerous cocktail parties with some of my favorite authors in the world. Took some selfies with the likes of Michael Connelly, JohnSandford, Jeffrey Deaver,  and Raymond Khoury. I was so excited to finally meet Chris Grall. No, he's not a bestselling author, but he's a weapons expert that's given my advice on both my novels. Great guy.

Had lunch and an interview with Linwood Barclay who is one of the nicest, funniest authors around. His terrifying new book No Safe House is out and Don't Trust Your Eyes (one of my top ten thrillers) has been optioned by Warner Bros. We each had a cup of soup and sandwich and chatted about his books, career and ThrillerFest. He loves the conference but  wanted to know why it's always on the hottest week of the year - goodness sakes, he said, this isn't the beach! He is so right - I didn't go outside much.

All the writers of this year's ITW anthology showed up for the cocktail party.  FACEOFF features a dozen stories, each one teams up two of the worlds greatest thriller characters. For instance, Lee Child's Jack Reacher is teamed up with Joseph Finder's Nick Heller to settle the score with an Albanian Gang on the warpath. I was thrilled to get almost everyone's signature. What a great time - can't wait until next year!

SEEDERS BOOK SIGNING

IT'S FINALLY OUT!


Oh Joy!  After two years of writing, editing and working with the publisher on my latest novel, it's finally out.  It's been getting good reviews so far and I'm hoping it does even better than The Colony.

So I had my book signing at B&N. What a great bunch they are, put out a nice spread, had a room big enough to accommodate the 60+ people who showed up.  I had a nice time talking about the book to my friends and community. 

Big surprise of the night - my sister Erika and her family showed up in the middle of my presentation - from California! Wow, wasn't expecting that. It was a definite highlight of the evening. Thanks, Erika! After the signing, we had a nice party at my house with all the friends and family.

I couldn't help thinking how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends. We laugh, we talk, we hang out with a glass of wine, and we are always there for each other. I love that so many friends came out in the rain to support me. And my family! Al, Rachel and Julia couldn't have been more supportive. I'm so proud and appreciative of them.  I just came back from ThrillerFest (see tomorrow's blog) and it was great being surrounded by all my favorite authors and some that I feel are now good friends. But I'm so much more comfortable, so much more at home right here in my community. It's nice to visit the author world, but it's even better to come back. 

So the book is a wrap, and so far a smashing success.  I have to say, it was a great two years. But now I'm ready to move on. I can't wait to go full swing into my next project.  For today though, I'm just going to reflect on a wonderful event that marks the near-end of my SEEDERS journey.

Cool Creature of the Day

The Axolotl

...you know him, you love him.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

CAN YOU NAME THIS 50'S SCI-FI MOVIE?

COOL CREATURE OF THE DAY

 Corpse Flower

This lovely monster got it's name because it gives off the smell of rotting flesh.

INTERVIEW WITH KARIN SLAUGHTER

On The Seventies, Sexism, and Selling 30 Million Books

Every now and then, I've had the privilege to interview someone truly unique. Karin Slaughter is one of those people. Maybe because she doesn't give in to convention. She really tells it like it is, shining a light on the ugly part of the world, without any pretense.

In our interview she talked about her upcoming book, COP TOWN, and what the 1970's was like for women police officers, when sexism, racism and homophobia was rampant.

Even though I was a fairly young kid in the 70's I do remember my mother talking about feminism, equal rights, marches on Washington. She left a lot of political buttons scattered around our liberal household, and had quite a few friends who were gay and mixed-race. They were mostly artsy-hippy types who would come over for pot-luck dinners and a side of Nixon-bashing.

In my small, suburban, politically-correct town, I never came in contact with prejudice outside of Archie Bunker, who we all thought was hysterical, because of course no one could ever be like him. But they were, and right under my nose. People say things to adults what they don't say to children, and when I grew up I heard a lot. That's what I was thinking about when I read COP TOWN. Why did people put up with it back then? And, why do they now? 

Slaughter had a lot to say about all that, as well as her thoughts on writing. Check out the interview, this month's cover story in The Big Thrill.

Click here for The Big Thrill Interview with Karin Slaughter

Cool Creature of the Day:

The Satanic Leaf Tailed Gekko

This little guy masterfully mimics a dead leaf. Its twisted body, veined skin, and tail look like it's been nibbled at by insects or rotted by decay. Reminds me of the fungus in SEEDERS.

 

 

 

 

THIS WEEK'S SURVEY

WHICH IS THE SCARIEST DOLL HEAD?

One of these heads was an inspiration in my new novel SEEDERS. Doll Number Two was the winner in my Facebook survey. I've added a few more to see if it's still the reigning winner of creepy doll heads.  Choose one, or if you can find a scarier head, leave a link.

COOL CREATURE OF THE DAY

Naked Mole Rat

This is the cutest picture I could find of the naked mole rat. Not a beauty pageant winner, but all of  their weird physical characteristics allow them to survive a harsh life underground. They feels no sensation of pain on their skin and those protruding teeth are great for digging. Ick. Just, ick.

NEWS FROM COMIC CON 2013

New Book on Schedule!

It’s been a while since I blogged back in July. Basically, I’ve spent all this time finishing my latest novel, SEEDERS.  I handed it in a couple weeks ago to my editor and her changes should be coming in a couple of days.  So glad things are moving quickly!  I’m excited about this book and can’t wait to get it into the hands of my readers.

Turns out, this is a great time to get back to blogging.  Just got back from New York Comic Con  2013, where the cosplay was fabulous.  If you like to people-watch, this was the place to be.  In a ten-block radius of the Javits Center, there were wacky characters everywhere.  The streets looked truly bizarre, even for New York City.  

Of course, once we got inside the convention center, it was wall to wall nerd heaven…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I got to see a fake Spock and real Kirk, so the day started out great.  And of course I was starry eyed just being in the same room with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The only bad part of the day was not seeing The Walking Dead Panel.  I LOVE THE WALKING DEAD!

 

 

Apparently, people lined up at the door all night, raided the Main Stage first thing in the morning and camped out in the room until 6:30 that night to see Rick, Daryl, Glen and the rest.  Apparently the room is never cleared between panels so few have a chance of seeing the main attraction.  We got on line at about 4:30 when it was 2,000 people long and the ushers pretty much laughed at all of us thinking we’d actually get in. Okay, most were sympathetic, but my kids were crushed.

Thankfully, The Walking Dead producers saved the day by setting up a traveling museum a few blocks away.  I doubt many people knew about it, but we stumbled across it on the way to lunch.  There were a lot of props from the series, including Rick’s hat, Daryl’s crossbow, Merle’s hand, a casting of T-Dog and even the bloated guy in the well.

It wasn’t as good as seeing Norman Reedus in person, but it was the next best thing.

 

 

THRILLERFEST WRAP-UP

I FOUND MY PEEPS

I was trying to think of the best way to sum up my experience at ThrillerFest and it's pretty much this: I found my people.  This was my fourth year attending but it was the first time I got to know so many authors on a such a personal level, and we all agreed on one thing; no one knows writers like writers.  We love our friends and family, but authors are an odd bunch and the experiences we share are truly unique and not easily understood by those around us.  It's a theme I kept hearing over and over and now I know why most of the established writers at ThrillerFest have stayed close friends for so many years. 

The conference has also been a perfect vehicle for making sure that at least once a year, we can see each other, exchange ideas, talk about the ups and downs that are specific to the publishing world. I feel like many of the friendships I made will continue for years.  I was not able to attend the finale, the big banquet on Saturday, since I had a book signing in NJ, but these are some highlights of the last couple of days:

R.L. Stine, Goosebumps author at the evening cocktail party. Super-nice guy.

Friday night dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant, Bukhara Grill, with all the debut authors.

Douglas Preston and the Debuts all took a subway ride to the NYC's famous Mysterious Bookshop.

So many books.  Wish I had a library like this in my house.

 With author and friend, Kay Kendall.

 With author and friend Melissa Macgregor.

The illustrious Otto Penzler, publisher of the stars and owner of the bookstore, gave an inspirational talk.

 Ta-Da! Finally, the morning of the Debut Breakfast.  View from the dais as crowds start to gather.

This was our big moment.  Ready to give our one-minute speeches in front of hundreds of authors and fans as Steve Berry introduces us.

 

 

We got a standing ovation.  I'm all teary-eyed.

Back in the ThrillerFest bookstore, there are only 2 copies of my book left. I think I scared folks with my speech about killer ants invading the Grand Hyatt ballroom.

I had to rush off early for a book signing in Hackensack Saturday night, but I left ThrillerFest with a big grin on my face.  I cannot think of any other profession where a large and accomplished group of people will welcome you into their world, eager to help you get ahead. It was through ITW and ThrillerFest that I found my agent, and eventually was published. Since then, they have supported my career in every way possible.  I only hope I can pay it forward.