Newsletter 12/13

/in /by

My latest novel, The Quest, has a nice Christmas scene, set in Rome, making it a great holiday gift. And what could be better than an autographed book for Christmas or the New Year? The best and fastest way to get The Quest (or any of my books) autographed is to just sign my name. Who’s gonna know? I mean, you sign Santa’s name on gift tags for your kids. Right? Same thing.

My seven-year-old is into Elf on the Shelf, and if you know about this, you know that you’re supposed to move this stupid stuffed elf to a different location every night after the kid goes to bed. Why? Because the elf flies back to the North Pole every night and tells Santa if the kid has been naughty or nice that day, then flies back to your house and sits on a different shelf or someplace and watches the kid. I think this is creepy. No one likes a rat fink, but the kids seem to love it. It’s like Big Brother watching you all day. Like the Thought Police. Some nights I feel like putting the elf in the toaster oven. The people who invented this are making a fortune. Wish I’d thought of it.

Anyway, it’s that time of year again, when I switch from Scotch to Bourbon Manhattans with a maraschino cherry. Try it. Gives you a nice holiday glow.

On a more serious note, this is the time to remember Christmases past, and remember those who are no longer with us. The holiday season can be very stressful, but we remember the good things, the coming together of friends and family, and the promise of Christmas: peace on earth, good will toward men.

And this is a time to remember the men and women in our armed forces who are serving all over the world, away from home and loved ones.

May you all have a children’s Christmas of joy and wonder, and may you look forward to a New Year of peace, health, and happiness.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes, from King George VI in his Christmas message to the British people during the darkest days of World War II:

‘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.’”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Newsletter 03/14

/in /by

Thanks to everyone who bought my latest, The Quest, which was released in September last year and is still available from your Internet retailer and as an eBook. Also, your bookstore can order the hardcover if they’ve sold out. The Quest is also available as an audio CD or download. And don’t forget, you can get Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 free on my website.

I have just about finalized my deal with Lionsgate Productions for a cable TV series of Plum Island, featuring John Corey, NYPD. The script for the pilot is underway, and Aaron Eckhart is still in line to play John Corey. Everyone associated with the project is very excited about this series and if all goes well (which it always does in Hollywood) the first episode will air this fall. Stay tuned for more updates in my next Newsletter.

You and my agent and my publisher will be happy to know that I’m hard at work on my next John Corey novel. Originally I said the book would be set in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan really sucks and no one wants to read about that place. Therefore, I’ve switched the venue to New York City and the Hamptons on Long Island. John Corey has taken a new job with the Feds, and he is on a special surveillance team that keeps an eye on foreign U.N. delegates in New York. Corey’s assignment is to follow the Russians, who he finds more interesting and challenging than Islamic terrorists. The title of the book is A Quiet End, and you’ll see why I’ve picked this title when you read the book.

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up, and one of my books, Cathedral, is set on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City, in and around St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The book captures the joy, enthusiasm, and energy of the parade and the festivities as the whole city has a couple of drinks and makes merry. Then along comes the Irish Republican Army with plans of their own.

I was recently invited to breakfast by His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York. I was reluctant to accept the Cardinal’s kind invitation because I imagined that His Eminence did not find my novel, Cathedral, particularly pleasing, though in his letter to me he said he did. A trap? But recalling my Catholic upbringing, and not knowing how to say “I’m busy” to a Prince of the Church, I presented myself at the door of the Archbishop’s residence at the appointed early hour.

Well, to make a long story short, Cardinal Dolan actually did enjoy Cathedral, which was a relief. Cardinal Dolan is an extremely affable and well-read man and we discussed books over lox and eggs. Then we discussed his restoration program for St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It seems that the beautiful and stately Gothic cathedral on Fifth Avenue is in dire need of repairs. About $170 million worth, to be exact. Cardinal Dolan is very enthused about this restoration program, and I assured him I was as well. Unfortunately, as I explained, I’d left my checkbook in my other tattered tweed jacket.

Cardinal Dolan, as everyone knows who has met him, has a great sense of humor along with a persuasive manner and he laughed. To cut to the chase, I pledged my future royalties from my novel, Cathedral, to the St. Patrick’s Restoration Program.

Cardinal Dolan was pleased, and I left his dining room with a light heart and a lighter wallet. But I also felt that since I’d profited by expropriating the cathedral for my book that me giving future profits to the cathedral from Cathedral had a sort of symmetry, and perhaps symbolism. I also felt that I now had a better shot at salvation and forgiveness, and perhaps a place among the heavenly host.

As Cardinal Dolan says, this worthwhile project is ecumenical, and the fund has received thousands of donations from people of all faiths, including avowed atheists who love the landmark building for its art and history.

If you’d like to join me in helping restore this national landmark, please click here.

Assuming I won’t be joining the heavenly host soon, my next Newsletter will be post-St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ll report on my St. Patrick’s Day activities in New York City.

Think Spring.

Newsletter 04/14

/in /by

Spring has finally arrived and I can already feel the return of global warming. It seems to happen every April. Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed and the water in the toilet bowl swirls counterclockwise. It’s worth a trip to Australia to see this.

The Panther paperback has hit the shelves this month, and The Quest trade paperback is coming out June 24th, and can be pre-ordered now. As always, all of my books are available as e-books, audio CDs, or audio downloads.

Also, all of my novels would make great Easter basket stuffers. They’re sugar-free and gluten-free, and are made from only high-fiber paper. Best of all, no trees were cut down to produce the e-books.

On another subject, I was invited by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, to attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on St. Patrick’s Day. So, with my wife and seven-year-old son, we arrived at St. Pat’s at 7:30am and joined the green-accessorized crowd streaming into the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is undergoing a complete restoration and it is scaffolded inside and out, which assured me that the ceiling would not fall on my head as it has on past occasions when I entered a church.

Anyway, it was a beautiful and moving Mass, and the speakers paid tribute to the Irish immigrants who have contributed so much to this country.

After Mass, we went to the Cardinal’s residence for a light breakfast, then out to the steps of the Cathedral to view the parade on Fifth Avenue.

It was a very cold day, and I was reminded of St. Patrick’s Days long ago when I would make sure I was properly fortified with one of those fine products that the Irish have given to America. And I don’t mean Aran sweaters. But on this occasion, with my wife and young son in attendance, and with the Cardinal close by, I left the flask home and kept warm in the glow of the Saint’s Feast Day.

Afterwards, we returned to the Cardinal’s residence for lunch where Irish beer was being served. Halleluiah!

At lunch, I ran into my good friend, Mary Higgins Clark, and her delightful husband, John Conheeney. Mary has been a past Grand Marshall of the parade, and we discussed the fact that I could never be Grand Marshall because I have no Irish blood, notwithstanding the Guinness in my bloodstream.

If you’d like to make a donation to the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Restoration Fund, please click here.

Also, I should mention that if you buy a copy of my novel, Cathedral, all the royalties I would normally receive go to the Restoration Fund.

The Plum Island TV project continues on track, and I’ve just learned that CBS-TV is interested in airing the series. This is good news in regard to the size of the viewing audience which is much larger on broadcast network TV than it is on cable.

The downside, of course, is that my character of John Corey will have to watch his salty language on broadcast television. There are other limitations on broadcast TV as we know, but on balance this would be a good medium for John because more people will tune in — including, hopefully, his ex-wife and the girlfriends who have dumped him. Living well is the best revenge.

My work-in-progress, titled A Quiet End, is coming along nicely. The book features John Corey, and this time the bad guys are the Russians. Note, I began this book long before Russia annexed Crimea. John, being a very smart man, predicts in this book that the Russians are potentially more of a threat to U.S. security than Islamic terrorists.

Publication of A Quiet End is scheduled for Spring 2015, but I will post a few opening chapters on this website in the next month or two. Hope you enjoy them.

That’s all the news for the month.

To my Christian friends and family, I wish you a happy and blessed Easter. And to my Jewish friends and family, who celebrate Passover, I wish you the same. And for those of mixed heritage, I’ve made up a new phrase — Happy East-Over!

See you next month.

Newsletter 05/14

/in /by

“April showers,” said my seven-year-old son, “bring May flowers.” He smiled and asked, “And what do May flowers bring?”

“Pilgrims.”

“No,” he replied, “allergies,” and he sneezed in my face.

Anyway, April also brought the publication of my book, The Panther, in paperback and I’m happy to report that it hit the bestseller lists.

On June 24, my book The Quest will be published in trade paperback, which is the large format edition. The Quest is a religious thriller, described as The Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones. Described by who? By me. You can read some of it by clicking here. Hope you enjoy it.

People often ask me what I read, and I usually reply that I only have time to read cereal boxes in the morning. The rest of the day I read emails. But I did read a very good book recently, titled Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta. Michael sent me an advance reading copy of the book and asked if I’d supply a blurb which I was happy to do, and which I quote here:

“Absolutely breathtaking, nail-biting, and edge-of-your-seat. Michael Koryta is a master at maintaining suspense and a hell of a good writer. Those Who Wish Me Dead is one of the best chase-and-escape novels you’ll read this year — or any other year. The pace never lets up.“

Those Who Wish Me Dead will be published in June by Little, Brown and you can pre-order from your favorite eBook or online retailer, or from your bookstore — while you’re ordering your copy of The Panther or The Quest. All great summer reads and not to be missed.

Plum Island continues its slow but sure progress as a cable TV miniseries. It took me 16 months to write the book and it’s taken 17 years to get it this close to being made into a TV series. And they say that book publishing moves slowly. More on this when the carrier pigeon arrives from LA with an update. It must be the three-hour time difference between New York and California.

We are about to celebrate Memorial Day, which to a lot of people is just a three-day weekend. But for those of us who’ve served, we know it as a solemn day to honor the men and women who’ve given their lives for their country. So please take a moment on May 26 to remember them.

See you in June.

Newsletter 06/14

/in /by

First, I want to thank James Patterson for his incredible generosity to small independent bookstores. Jim has created a multi-million dollar fund, out of his own money, to award grants to Indies in need of financial assistance. So far he’s given away over a million dollars, with more to follow. These grants are lifesavers to struggling bookstores across the country, and maybe there’s a bookstore in your community that has benefited from James Patterson’s generosity. So thanks, Jim. You done good.

And let me take this opportunity to urge everyone to be an angel and support their independent neighborhood bookstore.

On to another subject, my novel, The Quest will be published in trade paperback on June 24. The Quest is a religious thriller, described (by me) as The Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones. You can read some of The Quest by clicking here. Hope you enjoy the sample chapters and buy the whole book. The Quest is great beach or pool reading.

As you know, my book Plum Island, featuring John Corey, is in development as a ten-part cable TV series. The series producer, Mace Neufeld, was in New York this month and we had a chance to discuss the series over dinner. Mace, as you may also know, produced The General’s Daughter movie based on my book of the same name. So, what’s the latest? Well, Aaron Eckhart is playing Hamlet by still trying to decide: to be or not to be John Corey. We expect an answer by the end of the month. Everything else is on track, including the script. I told Mace Neufeld if Eckhart bows out, I’m available.

My work-in-progress, titled A Quiet End, featuring John Corey, is coming along nicely. Publication is set for spring 2015 — about the same time that Plum Island will be aired, if all goes well.

My book before The Quest, The Panther, was published in paperback in April, and it continues to sell well, thanks to everyone who forgot they read it in hardcover. If you haven’t read it — or aren’t sure — this is a good time to buy the paperback, or download it as an eBook or an audiobook. The Panther will give you some insights into all the news coming out of the Mideast. Plus, it has a better ending than the news.

Have a happy and safe Fourth. And thank a serviceman or woman for our freedom.

Newsletter 11/14

/in /by

It’s been awhile since my last Newsletter because I’ve been writing long hours to complete my next book, A Quiet End, featuring John Corey.

Last time we saw John in The Panther he was in Yemen, chasing down the bad guys who blew up the USS Cole. If you haven’t read The Panther, please do. You may find that it offers some good insights and background regarding what’s happening now in the Middle East.

In A Quiet End, we see John back in New York, and this time the bad guys are not Islamic terrorists — they are the Russians who have also been in the news a lot. John Corey is happy to be back on his home turf and happier to be out of the Mideast section of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force. As John says in the book, the Cold War seems to be back. Indeed it is.

A Quiet End will be published in May 2015, but you can read the first chapter after the New Year on my website. I’ll remind you in my December Newsletter.
My last book was titled The Quest and it’s available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio CD, audio download, and as an e-book. The mass market edition will be published in December, in time for the holidays. The Quest is a religious thriller — more thriller than religious — with a love triangle to keep the three main characters busy between lethal encounters during the Ethiopian Civil War.

The cable-TV series of my novel Plum Island is moving forward as it has been for almost two years. I may have more news in my December Newsletter regarding who will play John Corey and when production will begin. Meanwhile, Plum Island is being reissued this month in trade paperback and mass market, with new covers.

People always ask me what I read, and I’m usually reading my own manuscript. But I did have the opportunity to read a fantastic political thriller — The Means, by Doug Brunt who also wrote the bestseller Ghosts of Manhattan. The Means takes the reader inside the worlds of cable news journalism and a presidential campaign. Eye opening.

Veterans Day is November 11, and I mark the day every year by getting together with eight or ten Vietnam Vets for cocktails and dinner. The cocktail hour seems to get longer every year, and the war stories get shorter — as it should be.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. And, as always, I send my thoughts and prayers to our men and women in uniform, especially those serving overseas during the holidays.

Newsletter 12/14

/in /by

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned in my November Newsletter, I’ve basically completed my next novel, A Quiet End, featuring John Corey. I’ll put the finishing touches on it this month, then back to work in January on my next novel, which is in the thinking stage as of now. Also in January you can read the first chapter of A Quiet End on my website. Hope you enjoy it.

A Quiet End is scheduled for publication in May 2015, in time for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, graduation, beach reading, or whatever occasion prompts you to buy a book for yourself or others.

As I also mentioned in my November Newsletter, the paperback edition of my most recent book, The Quest, will come out December 16. The Quest is a religious thriller and some of it is set during Christmas, so it will make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. As always, you have permission to personally inscribe any of my books to yourself or to others and sign my name. Say something nice.

I have an eight-year-old son who may or may not still believe in Santa. He’s not saying, but he’s written his letter to the North Pole and given us one more time to see Christmas through his innocent eyes.

Have a merry and blessed Christmas, and a happy and healthy Hanukkah. And please keep our men and women in uniform in your thoughts and prayers over this holiday season.

Newsletter 02/15

/in /by

I have just finished my novel and I am happily unemployed. There is a saying among writers: “I hate writing, but I love having written” and that’s how I feel now.

My new book was originally titled A Quiet End, which I announced here and which has appeared in print in other places, including Amazon.com and B&N.com. The new title is Radiant Angel—except in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth where they’re staying with A Quiet End.

What does Radiant Angel mean? Well, it’s a code name, used by various homeland security organizations to identify a nuclear security operation. In other words, a hunt for a nuclear device that might have been planted by terrorists, usually in an American city.

The book stars my continuing character of John Corey, but the female lead, John’s wife Kate Mayfield, is conspicuously absent from the book. Kate is in Washington on business, and John is in New York on monkey business. No, actually he’s in New York on government business. But what is Kate really doing in Washington?

You can read about all this in Chapter 2 of Radiant Angel.

Radiant Angel will be published on May 26 and is now available for pre-order through online retailers.

Four of my earlier John Corey novels will be reissued in trade paperback and oversize mass market: The Lion’s Game and The Lion on February 24, Night Fall on March 31, and Wild Fire on April 28. If you haven’t read these—or if you can’t remember if you’ve read them—please give them a try.

This summer, two of my much earlier novels, will be reissued in trade paperback and mass market paperback. Spencerville (July 28) and The Talbot Odyssey (August 25).

Spencerville was optioned by Paramount Pictures, and Ben Affleck was interested in playing the lead. That didn’t happen, but my son Alex, who is a screenwriter, is writing a new screenplay for Spencerville and we hope to get Hollywood interested again.

The Talbot Odyssey is a classic Cold War thriller and if you’re nostalgic for the Cold War and the 1980s, you’ll love this one.

If you’re following the news, you’ll have noticed that Yemen is in chaos and we’ve abandoned our embassy there. If you want to read a fictionalized account of what is happening in Yemen, read my novel The Panther, in which John Corey predicts half of what you’re seeing on the nightly news.

All my books are available through your online retailer and your favorite bookstore, and also available in eBook format, and most are available as Audio CD and downloads.

I will recommend a new book to you, The Global War on Morris, written by my friend Congressman Steve Israel. This is a very funny book that lampoons the global war on terror, which while not usually a funny subject becomes so in the hands of a Washington insider who has seen and heard it all. No one escapes Congressman Israel’s barbed pen and both Republicans and Democrats will take offense.

And finally, I highly recommend, The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For, edited by New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White.

This illustrated cookbook features more than 100 recipes from legendary mystery authors, including me. You won’t want to miss my recipe for pigs in the blanket. Publication date is March 24, and it can be pre-ordered now from your online bookseller. Other contributing authors include my pals Mary Higgins Clark, Lee Child, and Harlan Coben. All proceeds go to supporting The Mystery Writers of America. When I was president of MWA I proposed an annual bank heist to raise money, but the idea was turned down, so now we’re doing cookbooks. I know you’ll enjoy these great recipes.

Hope you enjoy the sample chapters of Radiant Angel, and if you do please click here to pre-order. This is one of the best John Corey novels and it makes a great Father’s Day gift, or a good gift to yourself. And as always, you have my permission to write a personal note in it and sign my name. See below for a copy of my signature.

I’ll be back in March with some updates on film and my next book, which is in the thinking stage.

Newsletter 03/15

/in /by

As I said in my February Newsletter, I have finished my book, titled Radiant Angel, and it will be released on May 26. You can read Chapters 1 and 2 for free by clicking here. If you like what you read, you can the book now, as I’ve already done.

Winter is still hanging on here in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you’re like me, this is a good time to go to garage sales and buy books written by other authors and throw them in the fireplace. The pages burn well, and the binding glue really puts out a lot of heat. Burning other authors’ books warms not only my feet, but also my heart.

Just kidding, of course. And here’s a book you should buy and read and keep on your bookshelf: Wine in Words: Notes for Better Drinking by my pal, Lettie Teague. Lettie is the wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and if you’ve ever read any of her columns you know that she knows her vino, and her writing is both informative and entertaining. As I wrote in my review, “Lettie Teague has written the first and only wine book I could read from beginning to end without getting a hangover.”

Wine in Words is available in bookstores on April 21 and can be pre-ordered now.

In my last Newsletter I recommended, The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For, to be published on March 24. I have contributed my secret recipe for pigs in the blanket, John Corey’s favorite food. For more information, click here. Proceeds from this book supports the Mystery Writers of America.

Also in my last Newsletter, I said that I’d have some updates on film, and what I’m doing for my next book. Well, no news from Hollywood, though the manuscript for Radiant Angel is being sent out to major studios and producers. As for my next book, I’m still developing a few ideas for a new series and a new character.

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated in a big way in New York City and other cities around the country. Last year my family and I were invited by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, to join him for Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and breakfast at the Cardinal’s residence. After a good Irish breakfast we watched the parade on Fifth Avenue from the steps of St. Pat’s, then had lunch at the Cardinal’s residence. It was a great day and I’ve been invited again, meaning His Eminence didn’t notice the missing silverware.

But if you want to know what can go really wrong on St. Patrick’s Day in New York during the parade, read my novel, Cathedral. All my royalties from Cathedral go to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Restoration Fund, so buy this book, go to heaven. Simple.

I want to thank all of you who have emailed me through my website and assure you that I read every letter. I wish I could reply personally, but if I did, my next book would be two years late. So please accept this Newsletter as my acknowledgement of your nice letters.

And finally, Passover and Easter are early this year, so I’ll use this March Newsletter to wish everyone of both faiths a happy and blessed holiday. Don’t eat too much.

Newsletter 04/15

/in /by

I’ve just returned from a much-needed and well-deserved vacation in Florida, tan, fit, and ready to begin my next novel. I stayed at The Breakers in Palm Beach and when the desk clerk handed me my bill I knew why they called it The Breakers. They should have a cardiologist at the checkout.

Anyway, while in Palm Beach my wife and I had dinner with our good friend, Ethel Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy is a remarkable woman and I always look forward to seeing her when we’re in Florida. Also at dinner were Ethel’s daughter Rory and Rory’s husband, Mark Bailey, who wrote a terrific book titled, Of All the Gin Joints: Stumbling through Hollywood History, illustrated by Edward Hemingway. The book can best be described as one part Hollywood history, two parts cocktail recipes, and three jiggers of fun. You will truly love this book, as I did.

In my last Newsletter I recommended Wine in Words: Notes for Better Drinking by my good pal, Lettie Teague, who is the wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal. I gave the publication date as Tuesday, April 21, but it’s been changed to Tuesday, April 14. FYI, all hardcover books are published on a Tuesday. Why? Because the first edition of the Bible was published on a Tuesday? No, because all bestseller lists begin counting book sales on Tuesday. This is good cocktail party trivia.

Also published on Tuesday, March 24 was The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For. As I recommended in my previous Newsletter, I have contributed John Corey’s secret recipe for Male Chauvinist Pigs in the Blanket. Proceeds from this book support the Mystery Writers of America.

Speaking of John Corey, my seventh Corey novel, Radiant Angel, will be published on Tuesday, May 26, in time for Father’s Day and other major holidays such as St. Jean Baptiste Day which is celebrated in Quebec. You can read Chapters 1 and 2 for free by clicking here. You can read the rest of the book by clicking here to pre-order.

After Radiant Angel is published, I will be doing a publicity tour around the country, destinations to be determined. My scheduled appearances will be posted as they develop. If I’m in your neck of the woods, please stop in to a book signing.

Several people have sent me fan emails about my last novel, The Panther, which is set mostly in Yemen. If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that the situation in Yemen has deteriorated since John Corey left there. If you read The Panther you’ll see that Corey predicted a lot of what’s happened in that unhappy country.

The fourth book in my John Corey series, Wild Fire, is being reissued on Tuesday, April 28 with a new cover that I helped design. If you like the cover, please buy the book.

And finally, I am getting more involved with social media, meaning Facebook and Twitter (whatever that is) and I am now on Instagram which I’m told is really cool. Back in the day, when an author published a new book (on a Tuesday) the publisher would send a congratulatory telegram. If you don’t know what a telegram is…well, it’s sort of like a cross between Twitter and Instagram, except there are no pictures and some weird dude would ring your doorbell and hand you the telegram. If it was a singing telegram, the guy would sing the words, like, “Congratulations to you, congratulations to you, your book has been published and your check is now due.” Or something like that. Then you had to tip the guy about fifty cents. Sometimes Western Union would call you and read the telegram to you instead of sending the guy with the weird hat and coat, then they’d ask if you wanted the telegram mailed to you so you could have a paper copy of it. The telegram usually arrived in the mail long before the publisher’s check.

Some things never change.

See you in May.