Newsletter 7/17

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I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. A lot of my friends and family don’t bother to go to a fireworks display; they see the same thing in their heads every day.

Several of these same friends have suggested that I do some book signings in Cuba when The Cuban Affair comes out in September. I think, considering the subject matter of the book and the anti-Castro references, that I’d be arrested on sight if I ever set foot in Cuba again. My friends think this is unlikely, but even if I did get arrested, they say, it would be great publicity for my book. I’m not sure they have my best interests at heart.

Anyway, The Cuban Affair will be published on September 19 (a Tuesday) and now is a good time to pre-order the hardcover, or the large print edition, or the ebook, or the audio version from your favorite online retailer.

The audio, by the way, will be narrated by my good friend, Scott Brick, who has narrated many of my other novels. Scott has a golden voice and he brings all the characters to life. Also, if you play Chapter 6 backwards, you can hear the Beatles singing “Yellow Submarine.”

Several people have asked me about the status of my John Corey Sony-TV/ABC-TV series. Well, the pilot didn’t get made in May or June, so it doesn’t look likely that it will air this fall. I saw the script, which was terrific, but something got off track as it always does in TV Land and Movie Land. Hollywood can make a movie about the D-Day invasion, but if they had to plan the invasion, the Germans would still be in Paris.

My good friend Linda Fairstein, bestselling author of many excellent crime novels, has a fantastic new book coming out on July 25 (a Tuesday), titled Deadfall. I’ve read it and loved it and so will you.

As you may have read in my recent email blast, which I hope you got, Linda and I were on CBS Sunday Morning, interviewed by Lesley Stahl, along with our pals and bestselling authors Harlan Coben and Susan Isaacs. Hope you saw it, and hope you enjoyed it.

The segment was shot while we were having dinner at Aretsky’s Patroon restaurant, one of my favorite New York steak houses. If you watched this, you may have noticed that we all got sillier as the wine flowed freely. By dessert, we had our faces in the cheesecake – but they cut that.

Also, on Sunday, July 30, I will be appearing at the Madison Theatre at Molloy College in Rockville Centre on Long Island with Linda Fairstein. We’ll do a talk and Q&A together, and Linda will sign Deadfall. The event is sponsored by the Turn of the Corkscrew Books & Wine, a great independent bookstore in Rockville Centre. If you’re in the area, please make a reservation to attend. Support your local bookstore.

In an earlier Newsletter, I said that I’d post the first chapter of The Cuban Affair on my website in July. If you’ve been looking for it, you’ll notice it isn’t there. Why? Because there are still some editing and formatting issues to be worked out. But look for Chapter One in August, then Chapter Two in early September before publication date.

Early reviews of The Cuban Affair have been excellent in the trade publications, and Publishers Weekly gave the book a boxed and starred review, meaning they found it exceptional. They are smart people at Publishers Weekly, with refined tastes in literature.

Another book I’d like to recommend is Dead Man’s Bridge by my good friend Robert Mrazek. Dead Man’s Bridge will be published August 8 (a Tuesday) and you can check it out now on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Bob also has a book coming out on September 15, titled And the Sparrow Fell, a coming-of-age story set against the background of the Vietnam War. I’m reading it and loving it. Robert Mrazek is a former Congressman from Long Island and an excellent writer. Check out all his books with your online bookseller or your local bookstore.

And finally, don’t forget MatchUp, an anthology created by the International Thriller Writers and published by Simon & Schuster. It received a 5 out of 5 starred featured review by Bookreporter, click here to read it.

This July Newsletter is a bit late because I was in Scotland the last week of June, then came the Fourth of July weekend. What was I doing in Scotland? Research. Is my next book set in Scotland? No. I was researching Scotch whisky. Did I learn anything? Yes. Stop at six.

So, that’s it for July. Hope you’re enjoying the summer so far and that you’ve got some good beach reading. Or, if you live in the mountains, some good cave reading.

Drop me a line through my website. I enjoy hearing from my readers.

Newsletter 6/17

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First, thanks to the thousands of my readers who entered the contest to win a signed advance reading copy of The Cuban Affair. Three names were picked at random, and the winners are: Judi D. of Hailey, Idaho, Nanci T. of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Stephanie B. of Summerfield, North Carolina who is giving the book to her dad, Eddie, who is celebrating his 92nd birthday.

I wish I could have sent everyone a copy, but everyone who entered will get the copy they pre-ordered, on September 19. Thanks for ordering, and thanks for your emails that accompanied many of the entries.

BookExpo (the largest annual book trade fair in the U.S.) has just concluded at the Javits Center in New York City, and I’ve posted some photos on social media.

My publisher, Simon & Schuster, has made The Cuban Affair their lead title for the fall season, which almost guarantees that the first printing will be sold out, so the printing presses are running 24/7 to keep up with demand. Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, but as I said in my May Newsletter archived, I’d love to debut at #1 on the bestseller lists, and your online pre-orders can help.

If you’d like to read the first chapter of The Cuban Affair before you order, I’m posting Chapter 1 on my website in July, then Chapter 2 in August. On September 18, the day before publication date, I’ll post the last chapter and give away the ending. Just kidding.

On June 3, I did a joint appearance with my good friend, Doug Brunt, at the Book Revue bookstore in Huntington, Long Island, NY. Doug signed his new book, Trophy Son, which is a great read. It was a lively evening, and if you were there, thanks for coming. And thanks to Book Revue owners Robert and Richard Klein. As always, they were terrific hosts. Patronize your local independent bookstore.

People often ask me, “What do you do after you’ve finished a book?” Well, I usually have a drink and pat myself on the back – with my free hand, not the hand with the drink. Then I spend a week straightening out my writing room, boxing up all my research material and sending it off to Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center where my archives are kept. They’re happy to get my research notes, my handwritten manuscripts, and my typed drafts, and I’m happy to get rid of the clutter. The archivists separate stuff that got boxed by mistake, like fast food wrappers and chop sticks from the sushi place next door, and they send this stuff back to me. But seriously, if you’re ever in Boston and you’d like to see the Nelson DeMille archives, go to BU’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. If you come across any receipts that the IRS wants me to produce, let me know.

Tuesday, June 13, is publication day for MatchUp, which I mentioned in my last Newsletter. Some of the best writers in America have contributed a short story to this International Thriller Writers anthology and this is my #1 recommendation for a great summer read. Check out John Corey working with Lisa Scottoline’s Bennie Rosato. You will not be disappointed.

So what else do I do after I’ve finished a book? Glad you asked. One of the first things I do is to make sure that everyone – author, agent, and publisher – agrees on the title. Titles are important. If Jaws had been titled Teeth, it might not have done so well. Similarly, if the Bible had been titled Jews, sales would have been limited.

Next, I look at mock book covers from the publisher’s art department. Covers, like titles, are important and I think we have a winner with this one. It’s true you can’t tell a book by its cover, but you can tell who the author is, and you’ll notice my name is in big letters, which will be embossed and metallic on the book. I protested that this was too much, and I begged the publisher to tone down my name, but they insisted – so I approved the cover.

The next thing I do is read and edit the flap copy, catalogue copy, ad copy, press releases, promotional material and so forth. Then I spend hours with the publisher’s publicity department planning my book tour: radio, TV, and press interviews, bookstore signings and whatever else needs to be done to launch a book. You can see why authors say, “The easy part was writing the book.”

But enough complaining. This is my 20th book since my first, By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978. What started out as a hobby became a career, then a life. I am blessed.

The Fourth of July falls on Tuesday this year, and I wish everyone a safe, patriotic, and happy four-day weekend.

Newsletter 5/17

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If you were anxiously awaiting my April Newsletter, the reason you didn’t get it was because I was putting the finishing touches on my new novel, titled The Cuban Affair. Ta-da!

I am now unemployed – or as we say in the business, I’m between books. The Cuban Affair will be published on September 19 by my new publisher, Simon & Schuster. Hope you like the bold new cover design! You can pre-order The Cuban Affair by checking out Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or your other favorite online retailer. Order now, before the holiday rush.

In July or August I’ll be posting the first two chapters on my website, so you can read them for free and decide if you agree with the professionals at S&S who loved The Cuban Affair and have made it their lead book for the fall season. They’ve also paid me for it, which is a good sign.

September 19 is a Tuesday, and as I’ve mentioned before, all hardcover books are published on a Tuesday. Why? Two reasons: First, the Bible was published on a Tuesday, so this is a tradition going back thousands of years. Actually, that’s B.S. The real reason is that all weekly sales for bestseller lists are compiled starting on Tuesday. It’s like a horse race; every book leaves the gate at the same time – 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. At midnight on the following Monday, the weekly race is over and the sales are tallied to see who came in at #1, #2, #3, and so forth. This is exciting for publishers and agents and their authors who have a shot at making the bestsellers lists. No one else cares. But I know that you, my readers, care. So please pre-order The Cuban Affair– all pre-orders are counted in the first week’s sales. I’m shooting for #1, but the competition for the fall season is fierce this year. A lot of my competing authors bully or shame their friends and family into buying their new book. I don’t do that. I rely on you, my loyal readers, to make me #1. You might ask, “Wouldn’t you settle for #2?” No. Because as I learned from my track coach in high school, “Number two is just the first loser.” Let’s go for the gold.

And to show my appreciation, I am giving away a signed ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of The Cuban Affair to 3 random winners who email me proof of their pre-order by May 26 with the Subject Line – CONTEST. Whoever wins this not-for-sale Advance Reading Copy will have The Cuban Affair almost four months before publication.

Speaking of bestsellers, my good friend Doug Brunt, a New York Times bestselling author, who wrote Ghosts of Manhattan and The Means, has a new one coming out on May 30 – a Tuesday – titled Trophy Son. I’ve read it and loved it and so will you. Doug is a masterful storyteller, and Trophy Son received early praise from my pal Harlan Coben, who said, “Trophy Son brings Conroy’s The Great Santini and Malamud’s The Natural into the present day.” I agree. And I’ll be in conversation with Doug at the Book Revue in Huntington, Long Island, NY, on Saturday night, June 3. Check my website or Doug’s, or the Book Revue for details. Looking forward to seeing you there.

An update on the John Corey TV series. My long-time friend, Mace Neufeld, who produced the feature film version of The General’s Daughter and who is involved with the Corey series, tells me that ABC-TV loved the script for the pilot, and plans to shoot the pilot episode this summer. No one has been cast for the John Corey role or for Kate Mayfield’s role, but ABC is talking to several agents who represent some of the actors whose names I’ve submitted from the suggestions that you’ve been kind enough to send me. (See my December 2016 & January 2017 archived Newsletters for those names.) Hopefully, this pilot will be ready in time for the fall lineup. Stay tuned for more.

Moving right along, I’ll be attending BookExpo at the Javits Center in New York City on Friday, June 2 to sign Advance Reading Copies of The Cuban Affair. Maybe a talk or two to booksellers and a visit to the Simon & Schuster booth. So if you’re a bookseller attending BookExpo, please stop by and say hello. I look forward to seeing you.

Also, I’ll be doing a national publicity tour for The Cuban Affair in September and October, so please check back often to my website events page for the latest evolving schedule. This tour is a work-in-progress, subject to me not being pulled off my flights, so keep an eye out for updates.

And here’s another book I’d like to recommend for summer reading: Back to Brooklyn by Lawrence Kelter. Why do I recommend this book? Because it is the literary sequel to one of my favorite movies, “My Cousin Vinny.” Yes, Vincent Gambini is back. And so is his sidekick, Lisa. If you loved the movie and miss these characters, read Back to Brooklyn, and find out what Vinny and Lisa have been up to. A great and fun read.

If you’re still looking for summer reading, try Rampage, by my good pal Justin Scott. You may remember this book as a huge bestseller thirty years ago and this is a Special Anniversary Edition of this classic crime thriller. When you read it, you’ll see that the more things change, the more they remain the same. And you’ll also see why the publisher has brought it back.

And here’s my last two summer reading picks. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve co-authored a short story for an anthology titled, MatchUp. My co-author is my good friend Lisa Scottoline who has a new bestseller out, titled One Perfect Lie, which I’ve read and loved, and I highly recommend it to my readers. Lisa Scottoline never disappoints and this one, which breaks new ground, is no exception. Check it out on Amazon or B&N, or get to your favorite bookstore and buy it before they’re sold out.

But back to MatchUp. This is a collection of eleven stories by twenty-two bestselling authors – eleven male, eleven female – who “match up” their famous fictional characters in a short story. My character is John Corey and Lisa’s is Bennie Rosato, and the results are hilarious. MatchUp will be published by Simon & Schuster on June 13 – a Tuesday – and is edited by my good pal Lee Child, who also has a co-authored story – with Kathy Reichs – in the anthology. This book was put together with a lot of hard work by another friend, bestselling author Steve Berry, who contributed a short story with Diana Gabaldon. I’ve had a chance to read all the stories, and they’re exceptionally good and original. “Publishers Weekly” and “Kirkus Review” both gave MatchUp a starred review. Pre-order now on Amazon or B&N. In case you think these bestselling authors are making enough money already, you should know that all the proceeds from this anthology will go to the International Thriller Writers to support this fine organization, which promotes literacy and encourages struggling and up-and-coming writers. No animals were harmed in the writing of this book, but some trees were transformed into paper and will live forever as book pages.

Well, that’s it for May. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day, and please remember all the men and women in the armed forces who have given their lives for this great country, including the men of Delta Company with whom I served in Vietnam. And to their families, please know that I remember them with the traditional Memorial Day toast, “To those who are not with us today.”

See you in June.

Newsletter 1/17

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I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year celebration. We had a houseful of people for the holidays, many of whom looked familiar. A lot of people brought us the fruitcakes we gave them last year. They will see those fruitcakes again.

In my December Newsletter I printed the list of actors who you, my readers, suggested should play the role of John Corey in the upcoming ABC-TV series. One of the actors you suggested was Robert Taylor, who I said was not available because he was dead. Well, I got hundreds of emails informing me that there are two Robert Taylors – one dead, one alive. The living Robert Taylor, as most of you know, played in Longmire, and I checked him out online and he looks young and healthy and would make a great John Corey. The other Robert Taylor…well, I remember him as a very good actor, but no longer available.

I also said in my last Newsletter that my three top choices to play Corey were Alec Baldwin, Aaron Eckhart, and Bruce Willis, and I got dozens of emails from people saying they would never watch anything that Alec Baldwin was in. So I called Alec to tell him he was out of the running but I got his voice mail, which said, “I moved to Canada. Be back in four or eight years.” What was that all about?

Anyway, in my last Newsletter I asked my readers for suggestions about who should play the female lead opposite the John Corey character. Many readers said, correctly, that would depend on who played John Corey. Well, if I played John Corey I’d want Sandra Bullock to play Kate Mayfield. Or better yet, Sandra Dillingham – my wife. She is my leading lady of all time. But here are the names you came up with (alphabetically):

Amy Adams, Jaimie Alexander, Sasha Alexander, Kristian Alfonso, Gillian Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Gabrielle Anwar, Anne Archer, Hayley Atwell, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Beckinsale, Catherine Bell, Kristen Bell, Lake Bell, Maria Bello, Annette Bening, Julie Benz, Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Megan Boone, Paget Brewster, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Sandra Bullock, Hilarie Burton, Kate Capshaw, Gina Carano, Charisma Carpenter, Jessica Chastain, Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Connelly, A.J. Cook, Eliza Coupe, Courteney Cox, Jamie Lee Curtis, Geena Davis, Cote de Pablo, Catherine Deneuve, Cameron Diaz, Erica Durance, Eliza Dushku, Jennifer Esposito, Alice Eve, Vera Farmiga, Tina Fey, Isla Fisher, Jodi Foster, Jennifer Garner, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lauren German, Kelli Giddish, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Rebecca Hall, Linda Hamilton, Mariska Hargitay, Angie Harmon, Abigail Hawk, Lena Headey, Anne Heche, Katherine Heigl, Tricia Helfer, Jill Hennessy, Kate Hudson, Finola Hughes, Helen Hunt, Allison Janney, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Jones, Ashley Judd, Kareena Kapoor, Stana Katic, Catherine Keener, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Kidman, Jaime King, Kiera Knightley, Diane Kruger, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lawrence, Téa Leoni, Laura Linney, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Mara, Stephanie March, Kelly McGillis, Zoe McLellan, Debra Messing, Princess Kate Middleton, Ivana, Milicevic, Michelle Monaghan, Julianne Moore, Kathryn Morris, Jennifer Morrison, Bridget Moynahan, Connie Nielsen, Cynthia Nixon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Archie Panjabi, Lana Parrilla, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rosamund Pike, Emily Procter, Maggie Q, Noomi Rapace, Emily Bett Rickards, Diana Rigg, Margot Robbie, Julia Roberts, Daniela Ruah, Rene Russo, Meg Ryan, Katee Sackhoff, Kyra Sedgwick, Sarah Shahi, Cybill Shepherd, Elisabeth Shue, Morgan Smith, Cobie Smulders, Abigail Spencer, Michelle Stafford, Emma Stone, Charlize Theron, Callie Thorne, Maura Tierney, Marisa Tomei, Anna Torv, Nancy Travis, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Paige Turco, Emily VanCamp, Lindsey Vonn, Kate Walsh, Kerry Washington, Katherine Waterston, Emily Watson, Betty White, Olivia Wilde, Katheryn Winnick, Kate Winslet, Robin Wright, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Wow! Quite a cast. The most chosen names were Angie Harmon, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, and Stana Katic. Interesting. And thank you for your good suggestions. I’ll let them know.

And now for a commercial message. Here is a list of my 19 novels: By the Rivers of Babylon, Mayday, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General’s Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, and Radiant Angel.

They are all available in print, audio, and eBooks. If you buy one (or more) in January, you will have a prosperous year. And so will I.

If you’ve been following the news about the Russians being kicked out of their Long Island mansion, you’ll want to read The Talbot Odyssey which exposes what the Russians are up to at their estate.

In my next Newsletter I’ll announce the publication date of my next novel. And maybe the title if I and my publisher can think of one. I’m considering calling it Book Twenty.

Let me take this opportunity to wish my readers a happy, healthy, peaceful, productive, and prosperous (see above) New Year. And my thanks to all of you for your support and your good letters and emails throughout the year.

Newsletter 12/16

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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

I’m not a big fan of fowl, so my wife bought me a beef Wellington for Thanksgiving. We had about twenty people for dinner and four of them were from Denmark, though I’m not sure how they got there. They sort of understood the holiday, including my explanation of why the head of the household ate beef Wellington while everyone else ate turkey. I can’t remember what I said, but the Danes thought it was a wonderful tradition. Me too. Next year, rib eye.

In my last Newsletter I announced that the John Corey series had been optioned by Sony-TV, and that ABC-TV would air the pilot episode. I also asked my Newsletter readers to suggest an actor to play the role of John Corey. Holy mackerel! I got hundreds of suggestions and they were all over the board, including Robert Taylor and Brad Dexter, who are not available because they’re dead.

Anyway, here is the list, in alphabetical order, that all of you have come up with – most of these names were chosen multiple times: Ben Affleck, Michael Angarano, Alec Baldwin, Eric Bana, Jonathan Banks, Josh Brolin, Gerard Butler, Jim Caviezel, Don Cheadle, Morris Chestnut, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Costner, Bryan Cranston, Clayne Crawford, John Cusack, Tim Daly, Matt Damon, Eric Dane, Brian Dennehy, Johnny Depp, Brad Dexter (deceased), Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeffrey Donovan, Robert Downey Jr., David Duchovny, Josh Duhamel, Scott Eastwood, Aaron Eckhart, Nathan Fillion, Harrison Ford, Matthew Fox, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Denis Leary, Rob Lowe, Josh Lucas, Gabriel Macht, Matthew McConaughey, Bruce McGill, Jake McLaughlin, Christopher Meloni, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, David Morse, Edward Norton, Chris Noth, Alex O’Loughlin, Chris Pratt, Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Reynolds, Liev Schreiber, Tom Selleck, Gary Sinise, Wesley Snipes, James Spader, Sullivan Stapleton, Jason Stratham, Robert Taylor (deceased), Billy Bob Thornton, John Travolta, Donnie Wahlberg, Patrick Warburton, Michael Weatherly, Titus Welliver, Bruce Willis, and Dean Winters.

The most chosen names were: Alec Baldwin, Jim Caviezel, Aaron Eckhart, John Travolta, Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Weatherly, and Bruce Willis.

Alec Baldwin and Bruce Willis have both told me that they like the Corey character, and Aaron Eckhart once expressed an interest. This is not my decision to make, but if it was, I’d go with a guy who created the character – someone who knows what makes John Corey tick. Right?

But seriously. Baldwin, Eckhart and Willis are my three top choices, and I thank you all for your good suggestions which I’ve passed on to those involved with the production. Hopefully, by January or February, the right John Corey will be found, and I’ll announce the name here.

Meanwhile, I’d like to ask you all for your suggestions about who should play the female lead. I’m not sure how the Corey series will develop in regard to John Corey’s female partner, so I can’t say that she will be Kate Mayfield, his FBI agent wife who appears in most of the Corey novels. But in general, who do you think would be a tough, but sexy and smart lady to stand up to John Corey and keep him focused and out of trouble? This is a more difficult task than picking Corey, and I’d be interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

In my last Newsletter, I said I’d list a few of my favorite books of 2016. Well, I realized if I did that, I’d probably forget some books written by friends and colleagues, and they’d hold a grudge against me for the rest of their lives. Not that authors are petty, narcissistic, egotistical, thin-skinned, and insecure, but if they were, they’d flip out if I didn’t mention their wonderful books. So to avoid any unpleasantness from my author friends, I’ll just say that I love everything any of them wrote in 2016. Great stuff. Can’t wait for your next.

As for my own books, it’s totally your choice if you want to buy them as holiday gifts. They’re great books, but I would understand if you’d rather give someone, say, a fruitcake instead of a DeMille novel. Fruitcakes are good, and healthy – if you don’t eat them. And who does? It’s the thought that counts anyway. If you give a fruitcake to someone, they know what you think of them. A DeMille novel might send a message to the recipient that you think they’re intelligent. And you don’t always want to do that. Right? Your choice.

Anyway, if you do give one of my novels as a gift, I hereby give permission for you to autograph my name. You can copy my signature below. Who’s gonna know? Say something nice.

And finally, my best wishes to you for a merry and magical Christmas, a happy and healthy Hanukkah, and a New Year filled with joy, love, prosperity, and peace on Earth.

See you next year.

Newsletter 11/16

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Is the election over yet?

And now some good news: the John Corey series has been optioned by SONY-TV, and ABC-TV will air the pilot which may be based on Plum Island, the first John Corey book. I’m not sure yet about the timing, but I’ll let you know when I know. Also, we don’t have an actor in mind for the role of John Corey, but if you do, let me know. My good friend, Mace Neufeld, who produced The General’s Daughter, will also produce the Corey series and we’re both excited to be bringing John Corey to the small screen. Click here for the article in Deadline Hollywood for more info.

As I said in my October Newsletter, my most recent John Corey novel, Radiant Angel, came out in mass market paperback in September. Radiant Angel remains available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio, and as always eBook, as are all my books. Why do I mention this again? To remind you to buy my books. You don’t have to read them; just buy them. Thank you.

As I also mentioned in my October Newsletter, I contributed a recipe to The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett. The book sold out of its first printing, and the publisher has gone back for another printing. This book makes an excellent gift for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Hanukkah, or for yourself. Get a copy while they’re still available. The recipes are very good, and the stories that go with the recipes are an added bonus. I get no royalties from this book, but you’ll be helping Natalie who is a very nice lady.

I’m a member of the International Thriller Writers and I’ve contributed a co-authored short story to the ITW Annual Anthology, titled MatchUp, edited by bestselling author Lee Child. My co-author on the short story is my good pal, Lisa Scottoline, and our story, titled Getaway, features my main character of John Corey and Lisa’s main character Bennie Rosato in a very funny “MatchUp.” Publication date is set for June 13, 2017. Click here to Pre-order. Makes an excellent Father’s Day gift, and great beach reading. All proceeds go to support the work of ITW.

I read a great book this summer that you didn’t read because it wasn’t yet published. But now it is available as of November 1 and it’s titled A Red Dotted Line written by my friend Simon Gervais, who also wrote The Thin Black Line. Here’s what I said about Simon’s latest: “A Red Dotted Line reminds us of what thrillers are supposed to be: thrilling. Gervais, a former anti-terrorist agent, knows the world that he writes about and illuminates the dark threats we all face on the global stage. A Red Dotted Line will entertain, educate, and engage even the most jaded reader of international thrillers.” Order it today, while you’re ordering Radiant Angel. Thank you.

On another topic, my very old pal Otto Penzler – owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, and founder of Mysterious Press – has mentioned me in a New York Times article. Check it out here.

Tired of clicking onto links? Me too. So that’s the last link until the December Newsletter when I’ll list a few of my favorite books of 2016.

And now, I’d like to wish all my readers and all those who’ve bought my books but never read them, a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. As I’m sure you’re aware, new evidence suggests that the Native Americans actually brought aged sirloin steaks to the first Thanksgiving dinner – not turkeys, which are inedible – and that the Pilgrims supplied mashed potatoes and scotch whisky. If you serve this, there will be no leftovers. Have a great Thanksgiving and be very thankful for your friends, your family, and your freedoms.

It was fifty years ago this month that I arrived in Vietnam in time for Thanksgiving under fire. So from one old soldier to all our men and women who are serving far from home, I wish you a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving Day.

See you in December.

Newsletter 10/16

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First, thanks to the thousands of people who’ve emailed me to compliment my new website. I can’t take credit for designing it, but I did pay for it.

Thanks, too, for your suggestions for improving the website, which were helpful. We’re still tweaking it, adding videos and other sections which we hope are informative and entertaining. Please check out my website for updates and additions.

And now for a commercial message: On Tuesday, September 27, the mass market paperback edition of my most recent novel, Radiant Angel, was released. Radiant Angel is also available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio and, of course, eBook. Please buy this book – my publisher needs the money.

So here it is October and there’s a chill in the air here in the Northeast, and soon there’ll be frost on the pumpkins and ice in my scotch as I switch from beer to Dewar’s and soda. No pumpkin lattes for me. My stomach turns just thinking about that.

On another note, let me take this opportunity to wish my Jewish friends and readers and the Jewish side of my family a blessed Yom Kippur.

Also, for my paisanos, Happy Columbus Day. We know that Columbus Day is no longer politically correct, but not much of history is.

And finally, Happy Halloween – my ten-year-old’s favorite holiday after Christmas. The most frightening thing about Halloween is the price of the costumes. When I was ten, we used to make our own – now they’re made by Gucci. Have a safe and fun day.

Another commercial message: I was asked to contribute a recipe for a book titled The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes. The editor of this book, Natalie Eve Garrett, is a friend of my daughter’s, a very nice lady, and very talented, so I said yes – even though I don’t have a recipe for anything except scotch and soda. But I did remember an old Army recipe for Spam & Beans and you’ll find it in this excellent cookbook – along with much better recipes – which will be published, October 11. You’ll love this book and it makes an excellent hostess gift.

I’ve decided to give away one signed copy of Natalie’s book for my latest Newsletter contest beginning October 11 through October 31. One winner will be randomly selected from anyone who signs up for my Newsletter. If you are already signed up, then you are entered to win. Good luck. And congratulations to Tom from Hamilton, Ohio for winning our September contest of the complete DeMille collection.

On a completely different topic, my good friend Deana Martin (daughter of Dean) has just released a new album called Swing Street, which I’ve listened to and loved. This beautiful lady has a beautiful voice and she’s chosen some of the best classics to include in her new album. I’m still humming her rendition of “That’s Life” as I write this. For more information, please visit her website.

I’m still hard at work on my Cuba book. I’ll post the first chapter or two on my website soon, and I hope you’ll agree with me that it’s worth the wait.

That’s it for October. See you in November. Don’t forget to vote on November 8, and remember in a democracy we get the government we deserve.

Newsletter 09/16

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I was very touched by the hundreds of emails I’ve received from my Newsletter readers in the last six or seven months asking if I was still alive. Yes, I am, but I haven’t sent out a Newsletter since January. Why? Because I’ve been working hard on my new novel, and I don’t multitask very well. But I’m taking a brief break from my writing so I can get this Newsletter out to everyone to announce that I have a newly-redesigned website which is launching…Ta-da! Today!

We’ve worked hard on this new website and I think it’s terrific – easy on the eyes, and easy on the brain. The website was designed by a few 25-year-olds, so I know it’s hip, smart, trendy and sexy. Please check it out now. Or after you’ve read the rest of this Newsletter, and let me know what you think.

And to launch the redesign of my site, we’re having a contest! No skills necessary. One random winner will be picked from anyone who is signed up for my Newsletter . What is the prize? A complete DeMille collection in trade paperback – 19 books! (worth about $350). Plus 2 bonus items! All autographed, making them invaluable. So please share this Newsletter with as many family and friends as you can. Good luck!

And now a commercial message: On Tuesday, September 27, the mass market paperback edition of my most recent novel, Radiant Angel , will be released, and you can pre-order it now. Radiant Angel is still available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio and eBook. So if you’re a good multitasker, you can listen to the audio while you read one of the print editions, then switch to the eBook when you go to bed. I do this all the time. The important thing for you is to buy Radiant Angel in some format so I can pay my website designers. Thank you.

I’ve explained in past Newsletters that Radiant Angel is titled A Quiet End for the British edition. A number of readers have inadvertently bought both editions through online retailers, or picked up a copy of A Quiet End in the U.K. or in a Commonwealth country, thinking it was a new DeMille book, only to discover it was Radiant Angel . Well, sorry if that happened to you, and hopefully you can get a refund. There was no trickery intended here; foreign publishers sometimes re-title an American book for cultural or marketing reasons, which is out of my control. I, myself, preferred A Quiet End , which was my original title, but my American publisher… Well, it’s a long story.

I want to take this opportunity to suggest an excellent non-fiction book for you to read. The title is American Crime Fiction (published by Palgrave Macmillan) and the subtitle is A Cultural History of Nobrow Literature as Art . The author is Peter Swirski, a very respected professor of literature at the University of Alberta, Canada. Here’s what the flap copy says: “Peter Swirski looks at American crime fiction as an artform that expresses and reflects the social and aesthetic values of its authors and readers. As such he documents the manifold ways in which such authorship and readership are a matter of informed literary choice and not of cultural brainwashing or declining literary standards. Asking, in effect, a series of questions about the nature of genre fiction as art, successive chapters look at American crime writers whose careers throw light on the hazards and rewards of nobrow traffic between popular forms and highbrow aesthetics: Dashiell Hammett, John Grisham, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Chandler, Ed McBain, Nelson DeMille, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.”

Well, I’m very happy to be in the company of such literary giants. Note, too, that except for me and Grisham, every other author mentioned is dead. Maybe this is how the greatly exaggerated rumor of my death got started.

Now on to movie news: In past Newsletters I’ve reported that SONY-TV was interested in Plum Island and the whole John Corey series. And now they have made me an offer I can’t refuse. When I get more details, I’ll share those with you.

On another film project, my son Alex, who is a screenwriter, has finished his feature film script based on my novel, Spencerville . I think it’s a great adaptation of the book, and my agent has sent the screenplay out to Hollywood producers for their consideration. Hopefully we will have a deal before the end of the year. Ben Affleck was originally interested in Spencerville years ago and we’re going to get the new screenplay to him if we can find him. If you know where Ben is, tell him we’re looking for him. His people can talk to my people.

And in conclusion, my new novel, which is set in Key West, Florida and Cuba, is tentatively scheduled to be published in Spring 2017. I’m introducing a new character named Daniel “Mac” MacCormick who is sort of a younger and slightly less crazy John Corey. Mac is an army vet who served in Afghanistan, was wounded, and is now a charter fishing boat owner in Key West. He’s approached by three Cuban Americans from Miami who want to charter his boat – but it’s not deep sea fishing that they’re interested in. I’ll put the first chapter of this book on my website, probably in January. Meanwhile, I need a title for this book – maybe A Quiet End . No. That could get confusing.

So that’s my catch-up Newsletter, and proof that I’m still alive. Thanks again for all your emails and snail mails which I do read and enjoy. Keep ‘em coming so I know you’re alive and well.

Hope you had a great summer. Now, please check out my newly-redesigned website .

Newsletter 01/16

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I was just reading a capsule review of 2015. I didn’t realize 2015 was that bad, but when you read about it, the year really sucked. I mean, if 2015 was a movie, it would get, like, half a star. If it was a book, nobody would buy it.

Anyway, Happy New Year. I hope your Holidays were wonderful, including the eight days of Hanukkah. Yes, I said nine days in my last Newsletter, but that was because my nine-year-old said they told him in school that it had changed to nine days. I see a career in politics for him.

Some of my readers were upset about what happened between John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield in Radiant Angel. Well, things happen. But I can now report that John and Kate are in marriage counseling, and they are working out their problems. John has admitted to being a male chauvinistic pig and a wise ass. Kate has admitted to being a humorless FBI tight-ass. They’re getting in touch with their feelings and making progress, so most likely they will appear together in the next John Corey novel.

My next novel, however, will not feature John Corey. I’m introducing a new male lead character whom I have not yet named. Any suggestions?

The book, too, is unnamed, but it’s set in Key West and Cuba, as I’ve said, and I’m excited about the subject and the setting. When I was in Cuba in November, I made a good contact, code name Lola, who is providing me with inside information about the underground opposition and also advice on investing my money in Cuba. “Lola” says I can buy a cigar factory for ten thousand American dollars which he asked me to send to him via his cousin “Pablo” in Miami. Pablo emailed me a picture of the cigar factory which looks more like a sugar refinery. I have to think about this.

On another subject, my last novel, Radiant Angel, will be issued in trade paperback on January 19. If you haven’t read the hardcover or the eBook, or haven’t listened to the audiobook, maybe it’s time to buy the paperback. No pressure here, but you’d be doing yourself a favor. Trust me.

Thanks for all your suggestions about who should play John Corey and Kate Mayfield in the Corey TV series. They were all good picks, especially from those who said I should play John Corey. I’m available.

January, as we know, is named after the two-faced Roman god Janus who looks forward and backward, which is easy to do if you have two faces. And this brings me to my book The Quest, in which there is a reference to Janus, which leads one of my characters, Vivian, to quote King George VI’s New Year message to the English people in the darkest year of the war.

“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied, Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

My best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.

Newsletter 09/08

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Well, the summer is over and the presidential campaign season has begun. Book sales (especially fiction) traditionally take a dip every four years during the presidential race, which is why I decided to publish my new novel, The Gate House, on Tuesday, October 28, a week before Election Day. There is a method to this madness, and if I remember what I was thinking, I’ll share it with you. Meanwhile, let’s all buck this silly slump in book sales for this election and pre-order The Gate House (click here) or run out and buy it on October 28. The book is 688 pages long, and I guarantee that if you throw it at your TV set during the election returns, you’ll knock out the picture. The book will survive.

The Gate House, as you may know is the sequel to The Gold Coast, and as I mentioned in the last Newsletter, Grand Central Publishing has reissued The Gold Coast in the large trade paperback size, and will reissue the standard paperback on October 1. Both editions have a new cover, a new Author’s Introduction, and a new Twenty-first Century price. You don’t need to read The Gold Coast before you read The Gate House — you can read them concurrently or in reverse order — it’s only important that you buy both books. I’ve got a two-year old who’ll be in college in 16 years.

Costco has done a wonderful promotion of the reissued Gold Coast and if you get their newsletter you’ve seen this and seen the great review, by J. Rentilly, and also seen some very nice things written about me by Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco’s book buyer.

I spent the summer outlining and researching my next novel, which will be the sequel to The Lion’s Game, featuring John Corey, NYPD (ret.), currently with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force. I’ve already begun the book and in the first chapter of the sequel Corey kills his nemesis from The Lion’s Game, Asad Khalil. I think that was supposed to come at the end of the book, so now I’m not sure what to do. Maybe I need to rewrite Chapter One.

Anyway, I’m very excited about this book (as yet untitled – any suggestions?), and I’m happy once more to be spending my days with John Corey and Kate Mayfield — especially Kate.

My Newsletter generates hundreds and hundreds of responses from you, and as I’ve said, I read each and every one of them, and I wish I could reply, and it’s frustrating that I don’t have the time to do so, but I appreciate all the emails and I thank you for taking the time to write. I get a much needed ego boost from the letters, but I also get taken to task by some readers for my use of profanity. As one lady wrote, “I read Wild Fire three times and counted the F-word thirty-six times.”

I need to say here that my original manuscripts contain no profanity whatsoever. But Grand Central Publishing has an editor known as the “F-Guy,” who peppers my manuscripts with four-letter words. I would end this practice immediately, but it’s been brought to my attention that the publisher has this right, as per the small print in my contract.

Having said that, I will speak to the “F-Guy” about this and try to clean up the next John Corey book. In fact, at the beginning of Chapter One in The Lion’s Game sequel, John Corey says to his boss, “I am going to find that dastardly blighter, Asad Khalil, and kick him in the shins.”

A side note here: I did a booksigning this summer with other authors to raise money for the East Hampton Public Library. I love libraries — you know, those places where they give away my books for free. I mean, East Hampton is one of the wealthiest communities on the planet, so I think the residents who live in twenty-million dollar summer homes can buy their books. But I digress. At the signing, I met Alec Baldwin, of all people, and we chatted about his past involvement in the movie version of The Gold Coast. That’s a long story, but I need to say here that despite what people may think of his politics or his personal life, he is a charming man, and as down-to-earth as any actor I’ve ever met. And I don’t say that just because he loves my books — he liked Night Fall the best — but I say this because he’s an astute reader and he’s bigger than me — see the photo in my Photo Gallery.

Okay, so that’s about it for this time. I’ll get out another Newsletter before the October 28 publication date of The Gate House.

Meanwhile, click here for my publicity schedule. I’m not doing much of a cross-country booksigning tour this time — I need to work on the sequel to The Lion’s Game — but if I’m in your area, drop by and bring a copy of this Newsletter. You’ll go to the front of the signing line and I’ll tell you a funny story about Alec Baldwin.

Thanks for all your cards and letters and for your support over the years. And remember, no matter who wins the presidency on November 4, the other guy will lose.

Best regards,
Nelson DeMille