Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum Movie!

This looks fantastic!

Arron of the Black Forest On Sale Now!!

Arron is the last of his kind. The sole survivor of the Twelve Tribes of the Black Forest. And he's on the run.

Pursued through a raging hurricane by a ruthless bounty hunter known as the Hound, Arron is driven into the dark embrace of a crumbling old house on the edge of the world.

The mansion once known as Dragon's Cliff hasn't seen a living soul in decades. And what waits within has grown impatient. Ruled by greed and hate, the spirits that call Dragon's Cliff home want Arron as much as the bounty hunter does.

But all the Hound wants is Arron's head. The ghosts have more gruesome plans.

The New York Times best-selling fantasy author Philip Athans and veteran storyteller Mel Odom join forces to create a new sword and sorcery adventure series in the tradition of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H.P. Lovecraft.

But Arron isn't your grandfather's barbarian. This is a whole new world of adventure.

This is the world of Arron of the Black Forest!

Today: The Sky IS Falling!!!!

Story here about falling satellite!

Duck and cover!

All The Earth, Thrown To The Sky

My buddy Joe has a new book out, and this one is for younger readers!  Review here.

Jack Catcher's parents are dead—his mom died of sickness and his dad of a broken heart—and he has to get out of Oklahoma, where dust storms have killed everything green, hopeful, or alive. When former classmate Jane and her little brother Tony show up in his yard with plans to steal a dead neighbor's car and make a break for Texas, Jack doesn't need much convincing. But a run-in with one of the era's most notorious gangsters puts a crimp in Jane's plan, and soon the three kids are hitching the rails among hoboes, gangsters, and con men, racing to warn a carnival wrestler turned bank robber of the danger he faces and, in the process, find a new home for themselves. This road trip adventure from the legendary Joe R. Lansdale is a thrilling and colorful ride through Depression-era America.

Dead Man Picked Up By Amazon.com

Big News From Lee Goldberg

Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint has picked up THE DEAD MAN series in a unique and exclusive 12-book digital and print deal ... with an option for more. But that's not all. Brilliance Audio will be also be rolling out their own editions of the books.

The five books that we've already published -- FACE OF EVIL, RING OF KNIVES, HELL IN HEAVEN, THE DEAD WOMAN, and THE BLOOD MESA -- will be re-released in the days leading up to Halloween ... so keep your eyes peeled for great offers.

The sixth book in the series will be released in November and will be followed each month by another new adventure in the continuing saga of Matt Cahill, a man resurrected from the dead to battle evil among us that only he can see.

Amazon will also be releasing three-book compilations of THE DEAD MAN series in trade paperback (as well as in specially priced digital editions). The release dates of the first compilation, and the Brilliance Audio editions, have not been determined yet ... but we’re hoping they'll be ready for Christmas.

Bill Rabkin and I will continue to run the series, which we're writing with a terrific group of action, horror, mystery, SF and western authors, like James Daniels, David McAfee, James Reasoner, Harry Shannon, Joel Goldman, Mel Odom, Jude Hardin, Lisa Klink, Mark Ellis, Matthew Mayo, Joe Nassise, Bill Crider, Marcus Pelegrimas, Matt Witten, Burl Barer, and Phoef Sutton.

And we couldn't have hoped for a better partner than Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer. I just returned from meeting with the Thomas & Mercer team (including editors Terry Goodman and Andy Bartlett) in Seattle and was blown away by their creativity, enthusiasm, and eagerness to see THE DEAD MAN reach its full potential. They get exactly what Bill and I are trying to do with this series.

And what is that, you ask?

We want to capture the spirit of the “men’s action adventure” paperbacks of the 70s and 80s – short, tightly-written books full of hard-boiled heroes, outrageously sexy women, wild adventure, and gleefully over-the-top plots – and reboot the genre for a new generation that maximizes the potential of the Kindle.

And with Thomas & Mercer behind us, I don't see how we can fail.

Arron of the Black Forest Coming Soon

Book 1 should be out next week, but here's a preview of Book 2.

Cover is by Keith Birdsong.

Walking Dead Season 2

Chandler and I can't wait to seen the new season.

POISON BLONDE by Loren Estleman

Review at Bookhound.

Alphas

Although I didn't care too much for the first show, my son decided to stick out watching the series.  He was fascinated by Gary, the young guy that can tap into the digital world at will.  I went along for the ride because it gave us something else to talk about.

I'm glad he talked me into it.  Alphas has become one of my favorite television shows.  I started watching to see the powers, but I'm staying because of the characters.  This is one of the best scripted shows out there that has engaging characters that are truly growing and becoming intriguing people.  I love the developing relationships and how everyone is meshing.

If you haven't seen this show, give it a watch.  There are three new episodes left, and they get repeated a lot.  It's better if you watch the series from the beginning.  Also, they've been renewed for a second season next year and I'm excited about that as well.

THE CLOUD SEARCHERS by Kazu Kibuishi

Review on Bookhound.

Caught My Eye

First entry in a new series with three big all newlinked novellas from multiple best-sellers Harry Turtledove, John Ringo & Jody Lynn Nye, and S.M. Stirling! After the extinction asteroid DOESN'T strike Earth, the dinosaurs keep evolving - but so do the mammals. We mammals have achieved human-like shapes, but now it's cold-blooded, magic-using reptiles against the hot-blooded, hot-tempered descendants of cats.

In a heroic, bronze-age world similar to300, the Mrem Clan of the Claw and its sister warbands are expanding their rough-and-tumble territory, but now they face the Lishkash, masters of a cold-blooded empire of slave armies and magic. It's mammalian courage and adaptation against reptile cunning in a clash of steel and will that will determine which line shall inherit the Earth.

THE RANGER by Ace Atkins

Review at Bookhound

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CAMOUFLAGE by Bill Pronzini

Review on Bookhound.

Interesting Book

The cover on this one caught my eye, as did the blurb.

London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . .

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . . Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

But I think the thing that really sold me is the fact that it was sold by Kristin Nelson, a literary agent whose blog I follow on a regular basis.  Kristin also represents some of my favorite authors, including Ally Carter.

Caught My Eye

I Love These Rogue Angel Covers!

THE DEVIL COLONY by James Rollins

Review here.

Colombiana

I went to see this one Saturday and came away somewhat disappointed.  The movie was a solid Luc Besson story, with vengeance and action, but it just didn't play big enough for me.  I expected a little more over-the-top stuff and some crisp martial arts action given that the main character (Zoe Saldana) is become more and more well known.

The initial action at the beginning with the young Cataleya (Amandla Stenberg) jumping across the rooftops and sliding through the markets is really good, but I was surprised at how long it went on.  The yellow wash over the film at this point really made the neighborhood stand out, though, and everything was beautiful.

Emilio (Cliff Curtis) was excellent as the uncle.  Very hard bitten, very believable.

Saldana turns in some really good work with this film overall.  As a gymnast, she's superb as she flips around the rooftops.  But I missed the martial arts work and the gunplay.  Of course, I'd gone into the film expecting those and was a little miffed that they were MIA.

Callum Blue as the CIA agent was really underutilized, but had one of the best scenes in the movie in the end.  Likewise, I don't really get why Michael Vartan agreed to do the role in this one because anyone could have done it.  Maybe he didn't read the script and just signed on.

I don't know if Besson intends this one as a series, but I'd definitely watch a second one if Saldana continues in the role.  I'd like a little more meat in a second film, as well as increased fight scenes and gun action more in the tradition of the Transporter movies.

SECOND SON by Lee Child

Review here.

3-Day Novel Writing

Just found out about this on my buddy James Reasoner's blog.  The 3-Day Novel Contest has gotta be insane, but it's been going on for years.  Still...sounds like fun.  Missed it this year.  Maybe next year.

Mile 81 by Stephen King

Review here.

Mile 81 (Kindle Single)

Arron of the Black Forest

Phil Athans and I have been friends for years, and we share a love of the same kind of pulpy literature.  Both of us lamented the fact that we've never written a Conan the Barbarian story.  So, this summer while we were discussing other things and the whole potential of the ebook market, we came up with Arron of the Black Forest.

Phil has almost got the first book written, then I'll do the second leg as Arron heads toward the New World and all the dangers we have awaiting him there.

The cover is by the incomparable Keith Birdsong, a painted beauty that we're going to be offering as a poster (with and without the trade dress) in the near future.

Stay tuned, barbarian lovers!

Caught My Eye

My 13 year old read the first one and says it was a blast.  It's on my TBR pile.  Looks like I gotta hurry to catch up.

Man of Steel Movie

Just saw these and I really don't care for the costume.