Posts Tagged ‘Bye Bye Baby’

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Los Angeles/Orange

Friday, August 26th, 2011

We were booked into a hotel in Beverly Hills, which is very swanky and great and everything, but Orange is fifty miles away. We had just enough time to swing up to Book Soup (one of the great bookstores anywhere) on Sunset to see what eclectic wonders were on display. Among the latter were two Hard Case Crime racks, with a lot of my stuff face out. In addition, they had copies of BYE BYE, BABY and KISS HER GOODBYE on their shelves. I introduced myself, and wound up dealing with several nice (and seemingly impressed) staffers who had me sign everything. This is about as hip a bookstore as mankind has yet produced, so I was pleased.

We freshened up at the hotel and hit the road — it took an hour and forty-five minutes to get to Orange in traffic that seemed otherworldly to mere Iowans. I was skeptical about Book Carnival, because it had been one of the really superior mystery bookstores but reflected the vision of its original owner, who passed away a while back. Surely the new owner couldn’t maintain that special vibe…but current owner Ann Saller has really pulled it off. The store is stocked with new books and tons of fantastic used books; lots of signed books like the Maureen Jennings “Murdoch” title I snagged for under $20. A clean, brightly-lit store filled with treasures. She served up food and drink for the capacity crowd, who brought tons of books for me to sign and just as many questions. Barb again presented “Barbara Allan” in a funny, real manner that got any number of ANTIQUES books sold, and we sold stacks of BYE BYE, BABY. The people were so nice and warm and knowledgeable, I thought I might be hallucinating.

I also learned that Brandi and Jerrod, my two favorite stars on my new favorite show, “Storage Wars,” have their thrift shop just down the street from Book Carnival. I did not get to stop in and brag about my pal Phil Dingeldein being the guy who shoots “Pickers” back in the Midwest…but maybe we can do a dual promo thing when the next Barbara Allan comes out — ANTIQUES DISPOSAL, dealing with storage-unit auctions!

Three bookstores in three days…and three home runs. Tomorrow: M IS FOR MYSTERY in San Mateo. I have never signed at a bookstore in the San Francisco area, so I am hopeful.

M.A.C.

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Scottsdale

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

The first day of the book tour took us to the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona, one of the great and most influential mystery bookstores. A well-attended discussion moderated by owner Barbara Peters with both myself and Barb plus historical thriller writer William Dietrich (nice guy!) can be viewed directly below:

We had a nice turnout and sold lots of books. We also signed store stock and you can order signed copies of ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF here.

And BYE BYE, BABY here.

It’s beautiful in Scottsdale but incredibly hot — 116 degrees worth. This morning we toured Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home/school, and it’s incredibly beautiful. You can’t really appreciate his work fully just from photographs. My favorite moment – spotting Ayn Rand’s ATLAS SHRUGGED in his bedroom library…but not THE FOUNTAINHEAD!

We are staying at Valley Ho, a hotel circa 1956 that looks it, in a good way. You expect to bump into the Rat Pack around every corner.

Next stop: San Diego.

M.A.C.

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Hi, Hi Baby

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Bye Bye Baby

Today (Aug. 16) is the publication date of the first Heller in almost a decade (but you knew that): BYE BYE, BABY. All I ask is that everybody reading this buy 25 copies and ship them to friends (or strangers if necessary).

The audio book is also available, and is the first of a new series from Brilliance that will present every single Nate Heller novel – and the two short story collections – in new audio presentations. This is exciting news, at least for me, and these audio presentations will tie in with the new trade-paperback/e-book reprint series of the complete Nathan Heller Memoirs from Amazon/Encore.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I will be doing daily updates while Barb and I are on the road the next week’s whirlwind West Coast Tour for our bouncing BABY (see tour schedule above).

This will be a busy week around the Collins household. Barb and I are preparing for the tour, which also will be promoting “Barbara Allan” and other projects, like Hard Case Crime titles and ongoing Mike Hammer projects. And (speaking of Hammer) I will be continuing a crazy work schedule to complete LADY, GO DIE! before we leave next Monday.

Also this week, Barb and I have our 45th high school reunion and of course Crusin’ is playing for that, this coming Saturday night. The band will have a monster rehearsal this week picking up even more ‘60s material for that very special gig.

There are a few nice MAC mentions that have popped up in the last week or so on the Net. Here, for instance, is a cool discussion of Chicago crime that talks about the movie and book, ROAD TO PERDITION, liking both but liking the latter more.

The New York Post has included BYE BYE, BABY on a “required reading” list.

This blog entry – again from the Ed who isn’t Gorman – has smart things to say about Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer, and a particularly insightful look at the film KISS ME DEADLY. Ed Who Is Not Gorman also highly recommends my documentary on the Criterion release.

There’s a very nice overview of the hardboiled/noir genre in multi-parts that includes Nate Heller and me. But the whole series is good, with insightful comments about Mickey and Hammer.

You’ll have to scroll down to find it (or just read your way down, because it’s a good blog), but here’s a nice review of the upcoming QUARRY’S EX.

M.A.C.

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Bye Bye, Baby Book Tour

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

The big news this week is the BYE BYE, BABY book tour (above). This is the first California tour Barb and I have done in over a decade. A few dates may be added (like the Davenport Barnes & Noble) and there is a booksellers association event in October in Dearborn, Michigan, that may be added as well. Barb will be at every appearance to talk about the Barbara Allan books, and Matthew Clemens will join us at Mystery Cat Books to sign the new Harrow novel, NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU.

The first – and very nice – review of the long-awaited second Morgan the Raider novel, THE CONSUMMATA, by Mickey Spillane and myself appeared in Publisher’s Weekly.

A nice article (mentioning THE CONSUMMATA) appeared on the Library Journal blog, discussing the new Mike Hammer contract with Titan.

And I rated some attention (limited but appreciated) in a Salon.com piece about authors continuing the work of other authors (don’t tell Mickey I called him an “author”).

We’ll end with something that Bob Goldsborough – author of the post-Stout Nero Wolfe novels that I wish he were still writing – sent me an e-mail quoting from my Agatha Christie-as-detective novel, THE LONDON BLITZ MURDERS, wondering if I were psychic. See what you think:

He folded open the newspapers, and a particularly vile tabloid was on top: the front page asked, LONDON PLAGUED BY NEW RIPPER?

“I don’t read The News of the World,” Agatha said, with prim disgust.

“Someone on the Yard must be on the payroll. Several someones, judging by the various stories.”

M.A.C.

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