Happy New Year! My first graphic novel THE CHILL is on-sale
everywhere, and is featured on Entertainment Weekly's Must
List 1/8/2010:
Entertainment Weekly says: "In the heat of summer, a serial
killer sends cold shivers down the spines of New Yorkers in this
slashingly drawn graphic novel, with art by Mick Bertilorenzi. It's
brutal but funny, hard boiled but sexily romantic."
USA
WEEKEND says, “[Jason Starr] mixes hard-boiled detectives and
the mean streets with a little bit of Celtic magic from the land of
Guinness and leprechauns. . . . [An] engaging and excellent first
foray into the comics world.”
I'm thrilled with how the book came out, and I guarantee Mick's
art will blow you away. The cover (above) is by Lee Bermejo (who
drew the bestselling The Joker).
You can buy The Chill right now at bookstores and (comics shops)
everywhere (and buying a book during the first week of publication
helps the "opening week box office numbers." :) ) Hope you
enjoy and be sure to drop me a note and let me know what you
think.
Here is some more praise for THE CHILL:
"The Chill is the darkest, sexiest, most twisted noir comic I
think I've ever read."--(Ed Brubaker, Eisner Award Winning Author of
Criminal and Incognito)
"A great addition to the best new line in comics, THE CHILL is
shadowy and sexy-and pulp in all the best ways. Comics readers are
in for a dark delight if they've not yet met Jason Starr, a
razor-sharp master of the crime novel. Bertilorenzi's art and
layouts manage to be beautifully conventional and innovative at the
same time. All in all, a terrific goddamn read."--(Gregg Hurwitz,
bestselling author of TRUST NO ONE)
"THE CHILL is full of more grisly surprises than a
backwoods fun house, fusing a noir cop sensibility to a balls-out
supernatural thriller. Crime fiction legend Jason Starr makes twin
debuts here -- comics and horror -- and shows he's a master of both,
right out of the gate. And Mick Bertilorenzi is his perfect partner
in crime, with art that refuses to flinch."--(Duane Swierczynski,
author of The Blonde and the X-Men Series, Cable)
"It's dark, it's sexy, it's violent...THE CHILL is a
blast!"--(Barry Eisler, New York Times best-selling author of Fault
Line)
Under the Radar calls The Chill, "A smart, sometimes darkly
funny supernatural thriller."
Rod Lott, The OKGazette says: "The Chill" is a winner all
around, good for more than a few shivers."
Green Man Review says: "Jason Starr's The Chill kept me reading
for an exciting evening....Mick Bertilorenzi has a knack for the
female form, it's obvious, but he's also great at using black and
white to create a feeling of unease and
terror."
NOVEMBER 2009
Just back from a
great author tour in Germany and Austria. Thank you for everyone who
came to the events! If you'd like to see some photos from the tour
please friend me at facebook.com/jasonstarrbooks.
I am at
work on a new novel--more on this soon. Also, mark your calendars:
in January, 2010 Vertigo Crime will publish my first graphic novel:
The Chill (with art by Mick Bertilorenzi). Check out some of the
great advance
praise from four incredibly talented writers: Ed Brubaker, Barry
Eisler, Gregg Hurwitz and Duane Swiercznski. Also, Mick and I are
going to do another graphic novel together--stay tuned for
details.
Here below is an announcement in Variety on
October 30 about a TV series based on my novel THE
FOLLOWER:
HBO and Lionsgate TV
have set Bret Easton Ellis to pen a series adaptation of "The
Follower," the stalker tale by crime novelist Jason Starr.
The drama is described as a dark social satire chronicling the
dating lives of a group of twentysomething New Yorkers as seen
through the eyes of a stalker. It was published by St. Martin's
Press late last year.
"The Follower" will be exec produced by "Paranormal Activity"
producer Jason Blum, Vertigo Films partners Doug Davison and Roy Lee
and Media Talent Group's Geyer Kosinski. Vertigo's Gabriel Mason is
co-exec producer, and Steven Schneider is associate producer.
Ellis, the author of "Less Than Zero" and "American Psycho," just
made a deal to team with Gus Van Sant on a script that tells the
story of New York artists and lovers Theresa Duncan and Jeremy
Blake, who made a suicide pact and ended their lives within days of
each other in 2007. The book was sold by Rabineau Wachter Sanford
& Harris
SEPTEMBER
2009
Upcoming author tour
October 17-27: Indianapolis (Bouchercon Mystery Convention) Then
for THE FOLLOWER (German title stalking) I will be doing readings in
Vienna, Marburg, Salzburg, Wiesbaden, Gießen, Braunschweig.
Check out my tour page for
details.
Follow me on TWITTER:
@jasonstarrbooks
JULY 2009
PANIC ATTACK is
on-sale August 4, 2009 at bookstores everywhere. Please join me at
the following events:
Tuesday July 21, 7:00 p.m. The Mystery Bookstore, Los
Angeles (Westwood)
Jason Starr will read/sign from his paperback original FAKE
I.D.,, and perhaps sign copies of his new hard cover
thriller PANIC ATTACK if they arrive in time for this
event. PANIC ATTACK is in stores officially on August 4th.
Thursday July 23, 6:00 p.m. Comic-Con, San Diego The
Vertigo Crime panel.
Jason Starr will discuss his work on his graphic novel, THE
CHILL, coming in Jan, 2010 from Vertigo Crime.
August 6 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. The Mystery Bookshop, 58
Warren Street New York, NY
Join Jason Starr at the launch party for PANIC ATTACK. Beer,
wine etc. will be served, and Jason will read from Panic Attack.
Afterwards, the party will spill over to the bar across the street.
Bring friends!
PANIC ATTACK recently
received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly: "This is Starr
delightfully at the top of his game."
Here is some more advance praise for PANIC
ATTACK
"Panic Attack is
the ultimate page turner -- a thriller that brilliantly blends
psychological and physical suspense. It's rare that you get either
one in a book, but Jason Starr delivers them both in spades." Michael
Connelly, New York Times
bestselling author of The Brass Verdict
"Fast-moving,
psychologically astute, and 100 percent chilling."
Andrew
Gross, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark
Tide
"Panic Attack is that rare thing -- a
novel that manages to be both flat-out terrifying and completely
brilliant. Jason Starr's prose is as taut, vicious, relentless and
elegant as a jewelled hand tightening around your throat. Even as it
has you gasping, you can't help but appreciate the grip. If there is
such a thing as the perfect thriller, Starr has just written it. The
ending alone will have you breathing in paper bags for a
week."
Jerry
Stahl, bestselling author of Permanent Midnight and Pain
Killers
Cheers!
MARCH 2009
Hope it's
been a great winter (so far) for everyone. I just received a bunch
of advance copies of the U.S. edition of Fake I.D. and I'd love to
get some of them into your hands. Submit your email above before
midnight March 15, and you will be entered for the contest. There
will be five winners. More in FAKE ID at www.hardcasecrime.com and right here
on the FAKE ID page.
My next hardcover, PANIC ATTACK,
is due from St. Martin's Press in August (and you can pre-order
copies at online bookstores right now). We are going to do a special
promotion for free electronic copies of PANIC ATTACK, so please
enter above for a chance to read the book before anyone else.
If you are a bookstore owner and would like me to
visit your city/store for the PANIC ATTACK 2009 tour, please write
to St. Martin's Minotaur and let them know.
THE BULLY (based
on my short story available exclusively at Amazon.com) premiered in
February at the Adelaide Film Festival and the response has been
tremendous. I'm going to see a screening of it in Australia in
early March. Hopefully it will come to film festivals in the U.S.
later this year.
Going to Left Coast Crime in Hawaii? I will be
there (March 9-March 12), on a few panels with Barry Eisler, Dana
Stabenow, etc. I'll also be attending the Quais du Polar crime
festival in Lyon, France in late March.
More very soon
Cheers!
JANUARY 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR
It's a new
year, and that means there is a new winner of my latest contest. The
winner of the 50 dollar Amazon gift certificate is......drum
roll.......Sophie/swlittle. Congratulations!
We will announce more
winners this month. Five newsletter subscribers (you can
enter above right now) will receive advance copies of the U.S.
edition of my novel FAKE ID, coming in June from Hard Case
Crime....St. Martin's Press will also be doing an electronic advance
edition of PANIC ATTACK, so we'll also be doing a
special promotion for readers out there with Kindles and other
electronic devices.
Speaking of e-books, my novels THE FOLLOWER,
LIGHTS OUT, HARD FEELINGS, TOUGH LUCK, and TWISTED CITY are all
available in Kindle and other e-books formats. I recently wrote
about my thoughts regarding e-books--check out:
Who's Afraid of
E-Books by Jason Starr at Trish's Diary.
To promote the new mass market edition of THE
FOLLOWER I went on a mini blog tour and blogged on various topics,
so also check out:
They Love Us But They
Don't Read Our Books by Jason Starr at First Offenders.
Admit it, You Watch
Television by Jason Starr at The Kill Zone.
How Cheesey is Too
Cheesey? by Jason Starr at Romance Bandits.
The new mass market
editon of THE FOLLOWER has been selling extremely well, thank
you all for all your support. Check out the book trailer for
THE FOLLOWER below.
THE BULLY, my short story, has been filmed in
Australia. You can check out screenshots from the set if you friend
me on Facebook.
I've already announced that my first graphic
novel THE CHILL will be published this fall by DC Comics new Vertigo
Crime imprint (details below). I'm also doing a new project for
Marvel Comics. Check back soon to read all about it!
Cheers!
THANKSGIVING UPDATE
THE FOLLOWER
mass market paperback goes on-sale December 2 at bookstores
everywhere (you can pre-order your copy right now!).
Sign up for my
newsletter (above) right now for a chance to win a 50 dollar
Amazon.com gift certificate! (winner announced January 1, 2009).
Also, we are giving away 10 advance copies of my new thriller PANIC
ATTACK to newsletter subscribers. PANIC ATTACK will be published in
August, 2009, but advance copies will be available much earlier.
Here is the official
book trailer of THE FOLLOWER!
The mass market edition of THE
FOLLOWER will be on sale December 2, 2008, just in time for
Christmas! This is my first mass market paperback (my previous
novels have all been in larger trade editions).
(French readers---THE
FOLLOWER (French title HARCELEE) is on-sale November 14 in
France! German readers---THE FOLLOWER (German title STALKING) will
be on-sale March, 2009 (tour dates coming soon).
My first graphic novel
THE CHILL will be published in the fall, 2009 by DC Comics new
Vertigo Crime imprint. THE CHILL, a standalone thriller,
centers around the investigation of a series of murders in
Manhattan with a mysterious Druid connection. Art work is by the
fantastic Mick Bertilorenzi. Vertigo Crime will also publish graphic
novels by Ian Rankin, Brian Azzarello, and Gary Phillips.
PANIC ATTACK,
my next thriller from St. Martin's Press will be
published in August, 2009. Much more on PANIC ATTACK soon!
And lots more news to
announce soon--please check back!
Cheers!
September 2008
THE COVER OF THE FIRST
U.S. EDITION OF FAKE I.D. (ON-SALE JUNE, 2009)
Isn't this a
great cover? I love it, and I'm very excited that Fake I.D.
will finally be available from Hard Case Crime.
Fake I.D. is one five
new books/editions that will be hitting the shelves in the
U.S. over the next five months. Here is the schedule/preliminary
schedule.
September, 2008: THE MAX (co-written with
Ken Bruen) is on-sale now!
December, 2008: THE FOLLOWER (mass market
edition from St. Martin's Press is on-sale
June, 2009: FAKE
ID (Hard Case Crime publishes first ever U.S. edition)
August,
2009: PANIC ATTACK (preliminary pub date for my new thriller
from St. Martin's Press)
Semptember(ish) 2009:
ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR VERTIGO CRIME (more on this next
month--details will be officially announced at Bouchercon World
Mystery Convention in October.
So there it is--five books in 12
months!
The book
party for THE MAX at the Mysterious Bookshop was a big success,
thanks to everyone who came! If you missed the party, you can see a
video right here.
I did several
on-line interviews for THE MAX.
J.A.Konrath interviewed me for his wonderful blog. Read
all of Joe's books, he's great!
Check out an interview I did for the
wonderful Rod Lott's Bookgasm with Matt Adder.
Lastly, I am the
September interview at the Barnes and Noble Crime Club. Stop by
at www.bn.com/crime and ask me a question!
If you live in
Germany, in the Berlin or Hamburg areas, I am going to be reading at
Starbucks in Berlin on September 30, and Hamburg on October 1. All
the details are right here.
Some more exciting news coming soon, please
check back!
Cheers!
July/August
2008
LEE CHILD
TAKES IT TO........THE MAX
THE MAX (the new novel I co-wrote with Ken
Bruen) is due out on September 2 and Lee Child was a good
enough sport to hold up an advance copy of the book. Lee bears a
shocking resemblance to one of the main characters in The Max.
Ken and I were
delighted when The Max recently received a starred review in
Booklist.The launch party for The Max is Thursday Sept 4 at 6:30 PM at the
Mysterious Bookshop on Warren Street in Manhattan. Alison
Gaylin will launch her terrific new thriller Heartless at the same
event. Mark your calendars now. There will be drinks, food, door
prizes and lots of other suprises at the event.
Later in September, I
will be in Germany, reading at Starbucks in Berlin (Sept. 30) and
Hamburg (Oct. 1). Check out my events page for all the details, and for
information about my other appearances.
The mass market edition of THE FOLLOWER is on
sale December 2, just in time for the holidays :)
I recently finished my
new thriller, news on the title soon. It will likely be published in
May, 2009.
More
soon!
Cheers!
June 2008
LOOKING FOR A
GREAT BEACH READ THIS SUMMER?
I finished my new
novel--well, at least a solid draft of it. I'm really happy with the
way this one came out and, if all goes smoothly, it will hit
bookstores around May, 2009. I also have a few other projects in the
works for this year, and next year, that I'm excited about.
On September 1 (of
this year, just in a few months), THE MAX, the latest novel that I
co-wrote with Ken Bruen will be published by Hard Case Crime. THE
MAX recently received a starred review in Booklist. This is the
third book, we've written together (after BUST and SLIDE) and SLIDE
has just been nominated for an Anthony Award for best paperback of
2008 (voters will be the attendees of the Bouchercon World Mystery
convention in Baltimore in October)....Ken and I have a
new page on My Space, so stop by, join our friends, and let us
know what you think of the books. There is also an exclusive
interview with Ken and me on our My Space page.
In December, 2008, St.
Martin's Press is publishing the mass market edition of THE FOLLOWER
with this terrific cover:
This is my first mass market edition in the
U.S. (my past paperbacks have been in the larger, trade size). It
will make a great stocking stuffer this Christmas!
Also, in
the fall, in Australia my short story THE BULLY will be
filmed in Australia! Smoking Gun Productions (who are also
developing my first novel COLD CALLER) recently received full
production funding from the South Australian Film
Corportation. THE BULLY is available exclusively on
Amazon.com as a digital download for just 49 cents. You
can check it out right here! For the full press
release about the film, go to my film page.
In 2009, in addition to my new novel, my
graphic novel from DC Comics will be published (hopefully we'll be
able to announce all the details shortly), and later in the year
Hard Case Crime will publish the first ever American edition of FAKE
ID. I've gotten a lot of notes asking when Fake I.D. will be available in the U.S.,
and it's great that it'll finally be available for a normal price
(I've seen it go for 80 dollars and higher on-line because the
original UK edition was a very small print run, I think around 3,000
copies). Hard Case is the absolute best publisher for this book,
because it's a really noirish, hard-hitting crime novel, (and I
can't wait to see the cover :) ).
The two winners for the free UK editions of
Lights Out are: Keith R and Beth F. Next we are giving away a signed
copy of The Max advance readers edition. Just insert your email
address above in the newsletter box and you will be entered for all
of the contests and giveaways!
I'm in the
home stretch of finishing my new novel. It's a long book for me,
it'll probably be about 400 pages, and I'm very happy with
it. I'll probably have to do a couple of months of editing,
then it will be on its way to publication. It looks like
it will be published in the U.S. in 2009. 2009 will be a
busy year for me with the new novel (I'll announce the title
shortly), a full length graphic novel from DC Comics,
and probably a new book with Hard Case Crime.
Speaking of Hard Case,
this coming September (in less than 5 months) THE MAX (my
third collaboration with Ken Bruen) will be published by Hard Case.
Here is the cover:
BUST and SLIDE (the first two
books I co-wrote with Ken) are now available everywhere. There are
also editions of BUST available in German, French, and Italian. A
movie of BUST is in development.
On May 1, the U.K. mass market edition of
The Follower goes on sale. So if you live in the U.K. look for it at
your favorite bookstore.
The Follower is set for publication in Germany
in November, 2008 (stay tuned for tour dates) It will be published
in France around the same time.
I haven't been doing as much reading as I
normally do lately because I've been so focussed on finishing my new
book, but I recently had the pleasure of discovering the Criminal
series of comics by Ed Brubaker and highly recommend the entire
series (volumes 1 and 2 are available at
bookstores everywhere.) This is gritty, classic harboiled crime
fiction with some of the best dialogue I've encountered in a long
time. Great art work by Sean Phillips too.
The 2 winners of first
US editions of my first novel COLD CALLER have been notified.
Next we
are giving away 2 copies of the UK Mass Market Edition of
Lights Out. Simply insert your email address above and we'll contact
you inf you win. Sign up once and your eligible for every contest
and your email will not be shared with anyone.
Cheers!
March 2008
Hey! I've
gotten a lot of emails about the pub date of my forthcoming
books. It looks like my next novel in the U.S. will be
published in January, 2009 by St. Martin's Press (I'm currently
finishing this novel, which is taking up most of my time). St.
Martin's is also publishing a mass market paperback edition of
THE FOLLOWER in December, 2008 (it will be the perfect stocking
stuffer :) ) If you live in the UK, THE FOLLOWER is coming out in
mass market in May, 08. You can buy THE FOLLOWER right now in the US
and UK and Australia in trade and hardcover editions....Also, I
recently signed a film option deal on the THE FOLLOWER with
Blumhouse Productions.
THE MAX my next collaboration with Ken
Bruen will be published in September, 2008, and you can check out
the first chapter (and cover art) at www.hardcasecrime.com !!
I've also gotten some
notes about my graphic novel from DC Comics. I don't have an exact
pub date yet, but it will likely be late this year or early next
year.
In foreign
news....
In
Germany, a new "classics" edition of Hard Feelings has been
published by Diogenes. Rottbuch is publishing BUST this month
(it's called FLOP in Germany) and the audio book of FLOP will be
published by Argon Verlag.
In France, the French edition of BUST has been
published, and it's been getting great reviews.
Ken and I
recently signed a film option deal for BUST and the screenplay
has been written.
In Poland, COLD CALLER and TWISTED CITY have
recently been published.
I've been reading a lot of Ken Bruen lately!
I'm going to be interviewing Ken on stage at Noir Con in
Philadelphia in Aprila and I need to know my shit :) Congrats
to Ken whose novel Priest is an Edgar nominee for Best Novel!!
I attended LOVE IS
MURDER convention in Chicago last month, and will attend LEFT COAST
CRIME in Denver on March 6 and New York Comic Con in April, and then
my appearance schedule will be light as I finish up my new book.
More soon (and will
post winners of the last contest shortly...I'm giving away two more
first editions of COLD CALLER so just insert your email address
above and you'll be entered...and we won't send you email other
than my few-times-a-year newsletter.
Cheers!
January
2008
Happy New Year!!
I've been at work on a
new thriller for St. Martin's Press. Check back for exact pub dates
in 2008/2009.
SLIDE
my new novel with Ken Bruen for Hard Case Crime has been getting
some nice reviews, incuding one by Otto Penzler/New York Sun
who wrote "some of the funniest dialogue this side of Elmore
Leonard." Check them out here . And Ken and I have completed our
third novel together called THE MAX, which will be published in
August by Hard Case Crime.
THE FOLLOWER, my latest thriller, is on-sale
everywhere. It was a reviewers pick for one of the best
books of 2007 at Bookreporter.com Check out the latest reviews. etc
In film news, we are
completing an option deal for BUST, and I'm also doing an option
deal on THE FOLLOWER (check back for details).
Screenplays have been written for COLD CALLER and TWISTED CITY.
I've completed my
graphic novel for DC/Vertigo. It will be published in late 2008 or
early 2009 and will announce more details as soon as I'm able
to. Oh man, wait till you see the art work. I've seen about
half of it so far and it's awesome!
In Foreign News: Recent publications
include and Italian version of Bust
and a Polish edition of Cold Caller.
Coming soon: the French edition of Bust (from Le Seuil) and the German
edition of Bust (and an audio version
in German). Next month I'm delighted Diogenes in Germany is
publishing a new edition of Hard Feelings in their "classics"
collection.
Some recent
favorite books include:
Saturday's Child
by Ray Banks (future of UK P.I. fiction) Six Sick Hipsters by Rayo Casablanca (one
of the best satires of recent years) Boneyard by Michelle Gagnon (future of
serial killer thriller) The Big O by Declan Burke (future of
Irish crime) The
Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (top notch crime fiction)
Some recent favorite
movies include:
Atonement: (wonderful performances,
terrific screenplay, the book couldn't have been adapted more
effectively, just not sure this is McEwan's most adaptable book.
This film was very enjoyable but my favorite McEwan adaptation
remains The Comfort of Strangers.
I Am Legend: This is the type of movie you
love in the theater and then leave thinking about all the plot
holes, most of which were caused by setting the story in New York.
That said, the New York City scenes look stunning and Will Smith is
amazing.
A recent
favorite graphic novel/series:
DMZ (especially
for fans of I Am Legend)
More soon!
Cheers!
Update September
25
SLIDE
is now on-sale everywhere. Check out the current edition of
Entertainment Weekly for a great new review! SLIDE received an A-,
the best of any book reviewed. SLIDE is my second collaboration with
Ken Bruen, after last year's BUST.
The winner of the random drawing for a
free signed copy of the U.S. Cold Caller is harveyj....
Congrats!
We're
having a new contest for another free signed copy of the U.S. Cold
Caller AND we're giving away 2 copies of the U.K. mass market
edition of Lights Out. To be eligible simply join my mailing list
above (your email will not be shared with anyone)
More soon, J
September 2007
Hey, sorry the August update slipped
away! I've been involved in the promotion of THE FOLLOWER which
included recent stops in Houston (Murder by the Book) and Scottsdale
(Poisoned Pen). Thanks so much to everyone who came!
I'm doing several
events in Sept/Oct for THE FOLLOWER and SLIDE (pub date Oct.
2). Check out my appearances page for the latest info!
Speaking of SLIDE, we
got a great early review in Publishers Weekly: "(A) dark, twisted,
no-holds-barred tale that hits all the noir buttons and then some.
Events violent, bloody, crude and hilarious unfold at a rapid,
almost stream-of-consciousness pace." And Booklist says: "Bruen and
Starr have concocted a wild....and very funny ode to mindless
violence, drugs, down-and-dirty sex, and self-delusuion....There's
good reason to believe Bruen and Starr had as much fun reading Slide
as crime fans will have reading it." Ken and I are very
excited about SLIDE as we think it has some of our best writing
period!
I've been
working on my new thriller, a graphic novel (very excited about it,
should be available in 2008), and a new novel with Ken Bruen
(writing with Ken is always a blast).
Check out the great new feature on me by James Ireland
Baker in Time Out New York! James and I met, appropriately, on the
Upper East Side at Geronimo to discuss THE FOLLOWER and my writing
in general.
Also,
Time Out asked me to pick my ten favorite NYC novels. It was hard to
pick just ten, but this was my list.
If you've read THE
FOLLOWER and enjoyed it please help spread the word! If
you pick it for your book group I'll do what I can to help the
discussion, and online reviews at Amazon, BN.com etc are always
great and very much appreciated!
Have you downloaded my 30-page story THE BULLY yet on Amazon? It's only 49
cents! That's, what, 1/4 of a cup of coffee at Starbucks? If
you've read my stuff before, I think you'll like this one. If you
haven't read one of my books try THE BULLY and see what you
think!
I've read a
number of great books lately including:
Eat the Dark by Joe
Schreiber The Ruins by Scott Smith Runoff by Mark Coggins
All highly
recommended!!
Movies. The best thing I saw recently was
Zodiac.
More soon
including winner of a new contest for a free signed first edition of
COLD CALLER! Just insert your email into mailing list
form above (by Sept 15) to be eligible. And your email is never
shared.
Cheers!
July 2007
The wait is over! THE FOLLOWER is now
on sale in U.K. and goes on sale in the U.S. on August
7. It's available at bookstores everywhere, but if for
some reason your local store doesn't have it please ask them do
order it. I'll be doing a lot of publicity in August so check
out my tour dates for more info and I hope to see
you soon!
Reviews
of THE FOLLOWER have been great so far, including a new one from The
Guardian in the U.K. You can check them all out here.
In other news, Ken Bruen and I
are thrilled that BUST has been nominated for Barry Award
for Best Paperback of 2006! Congratulations to all the other
nominees. Readers of Deadly Pleasures and Mystery News vote on the
Barry winners (ballots due in mid August) and winners will be
announced in September at Bouchercon in Alaska.
Do you want to
read my brand new short story THE BULLY? You can, right now,
exclusively at Amazon.com for just 49 cents! It's a great deal,
especially because the story is nearly 30 pages long, and it's
already a top ten bestseller among Amazon Shorts. Also,
the people at Amazon were kind enough to post a short video of me
discussing THE BULLY and short stories in general. It's right
here on the main Amazon Shorts page (at least it's there right
now), and it's the first ever video Amazon has used to promote an
Amazon Short. And don't forget to download The BULLY right here.
I'll be giving updates more frequently
throughout August and September so check back soon!
Cheers!
June 2007
THE FOLLOWER pub date is almost here! The books
will hit stores in mid July in the UK, and in early August in the
U.S. Do you live in the NYC area? If so, mark your
calendar! I'll be reading from THE FOLLOWER on Thursday,
August 16, 7:00 at Barnes and Noble, 240 East 86th Street in New
York City. I'll also be doing a big reading and signing of THE
FOLLOWER on Wednesday, August 22, 7:00 at the KGB
BAR in New York City. Find Out About these and other
events here. Hope to see you soon!
In other news, the St.
Martin's new trade paperback edition of LIGHTS OUT has just hit
stores.
I've been
blogging about once a week about the craft of writing genre fiction
at Writer Unboxed (www.writerunboxed.com). You can click on
"Jason" on the top toolbar to see my posts, and check out the posts
of the other great bloggers.
Movie pick: Knocked-Up. Very funny; funnier
than The Forty Year-Old Virgin
If you haven't signed up for my newsletter,
insert your email above. We're giving away more free books and other
stops and you get a twice-a-year newsletter. Your email won't be
shared, and is not used for any other purpose.
More soon
Cheers!
May 2007
THE FOLLOWER pub dates in the UK
(July) and US (August) are rapidly approaching. The book has
been getting some great advance notice , and it has
already sold in France and Germany with more foreign deals
pending. To ensure that you get a copy as soon as it's
published, you can reserve a copy right now at your local
bookstore (or at your favorite on-line store).
I'l be at Book Expo
America on Saturday June 2, signing advance copies of SLIDE (the
sequel to Bust). Richard Aleas will be there with me, signing Songs
of Innocence, his fine sequel to Little Girl Lost. There will also
be more giveaways, and Hard Case Crime cover models will there. If
you're at BEA, don't miss it. More details here.
TTHE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS recently included
THE FOLLOWER in a feature on upcoming summer books. There was also a
great write-up on THE FOLLOWER in PAGE SIX of the NEW YORK
POST. Read more.
My short story THE BASHER is in WALL STREET
NOIR, the new Akashic Books Anthology edited by Peter Speigelman
(publication date is early June). I'm biased of course, but I
think this may be the best Akashic noir book yet (well, it's a
toss-up with Dublin Noir :) ). Other contributors include Megan
Abbott, Henry Blodget, Jim Fusilli, Twist Phelan, Peter Blauner,
John Burdett, Charles Ardai (this year's Short Story Edgar winner!
Way to go, Charles!), etc. I will be reading with a few other
contributors Monday June 11 @ 1 PM at Borders on 100 Broadway in
NYC....not far from Wall Street.
In other short story news, I will have a
stories in PARIS NOIR, an anthology that Serpent's Tail in
publishing this fall, and EXPLETIVE DELETED (Bleak House Books).
Lately, I haven't been
writing many short stories because I'm too involved involved in a
new novel and in writing my graphic novel for DC/VERTIGO. I hope to
have pub dates for my next novel and the graphic novel (a
supernatural thriller set mainly in NYC and Ireland) shortly, so
check back.
I'm
going to be posting event dates for THE FOLLOWER soon. I'll be
doing an event at the KGB bar, probably some time in late
August. My last event there, for Hard Case Crime night last
month, was a total blast. Thanks for everyone who came!
At the Edgar Awards
last month, Lee Child and I presented the best screenplay Edgar
Award (THE DEPARTED won).
Starting soon, I'm going to be blogging about
the craft of writing on the fine Writer's Unboxed blog. You can
go here for all the details.
The winner of the
signed first edition was Stan L. There are going to be more book
giveaways so just submit your email address into the above box and
sign up for my newsletter to be eligible.
Well, my Scat Daddy
selection didn't work out so well in the Kentucky Derby (I think
he's still running), but I did redeem myself and came back with a
vengeance in the Preakness and won with Curlin. I think Curlin looks
like he might be a super horse and may romp in the Belmont in June.
I think Chelokee has a shot in the Belmont too.
I loved Alison
Gaylin's new bitterly funny tabloid-journalism
send-up mystery TRASHED, which is coming out in September.
More soon.
Cheers!
April 2007
Hard to believe it's almost May, and THE
FOLLOWER will be out in only a few months. I think it's my strongest
book to date and I'm delighted that it's been getting a great
response in advance of the summer pub date. Page Six of
the New York Post recently ran an item on THE FOLLOWER calling
it "This generation's Looking for Mr. Goodbar and a crackling-hot
beach read." In the U.K., Orion Books recently included THE FOLLOWER
in promotion called "All-Star Authors" alongside new books by Robert
Crais, Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, and Laura Lippman." Not bad
company, right? THE FOLLOWER is set for publication on July 19 by
Orion Books in the U.K., and on August 7 by St. Martin's Press in
the U.S.
There were
four more winners in the random drawing for advance copies of THE
FOLLOWER:
Kathleen
W.
J.T. L.
Debbie J.
Sandra S.
We're going to be doing the drawing for a
free signed copy of the rare first edition of MY 2000 novel, FAKE
ID. All newsletter subscribers are eligible so please submit your
email above.
UPCOMING EVENT! If you live in the NYC area,
you can see me read from SLIDE (the sequel to BUST) at KGB Bar on
Sunday April 22 at 7:00. More details are here.
I've read some great books lately, including
the gritty, Edward Bunkeresue Street Raised by Pearce Hansen and
the forthcoming killer noir novel Queenpin by rising star Megan Abbott.
I've been working on
two books at once--a new thriller, as well as an original graphic
novel for DC Comics. I think both books will be available in
2008.
In the
Kentucky Derby, I'll be rooting for Scat Daddy. I bet him a couple
of months ago and got really good odds, so c'mon Daddy!
On American Idol, I
predict Jordin Sparks or Sanjaya will win, but I feel more
confident with my Scat Daddy selection.
The winners of
the THE FOLLOWER advance signed copies are:
Gerald S. Patrick Shawn B. Tiffany L. Nikki D.
We're going to give
away 4 MORE signed copies of THE FOLLOWER on April 1, so
if you haven't already signed up for my newsletter, join up above to
be eligible. Also, in mid April, we're going to give away
a signed first edition of my hard-to-find novel FAKE ID (2000)!
First editions of FAKE ID have sold for 75 dollars or more, so this
is a great chance to get a copy. All mailing list subscribers will
be eligible for the random drawing, so all you have to do is sign up
above.
More
soon!
JS
March 2007
Pub dates for THE FOLLOWER are rapidly
approaching. It'll be published in July in the U.K. and on Aug
7 in the U.S. Check out my new The
Follower page to read an excerpt and to see what Joseph
Finder had to say! Also, as stated earlier, we're giving away
advance, personally signed copies of the book. Winners will be
anounced right here on March 20, so if you haven't submitted your
e-mail yet, just insert it above in the newsletter box and you'll
automatically be entered. I think THE FOLLOWER is the best book I've
written, and this is a great chance to read it before anyone
else.
I've added
some new dates to my tour schedule. I'll be at the Los Angeles
Festival of Books (at the Mystery Bookstore stall), and I'll also be
doing an (advance) reading of Slide at a Hard Case Crime night
at the famous KGB Bar in NYC. So check out my schedule for the details and hope to see
you there!
Yes,
it's true, I'm writing an original graphic novel for DC Comics, and
they've already teamed me up with an outstanding artist. Much, much
more on this soon, so check back!
Some good news: BLOODLINES, the horse racing
anthology I co-edited last year with Maggie Estep, is a
semi-finalist for the Thoroughbred Times Book Award. Check out the
incredible company we're in!
Will have more,
including free book winners, in my March 20 update.
Cheers!
January 2007
January
Magazine has posted their list of the BEST CRIME NOVELS
OF 2006 and I'm delighted that both LIGHTS OUT and BUST are on
the list. See the entire list here.
A couple of new interviews are up, including on
at Murder and Mystery Books 101 Blog. Ken Bruen and I are thrilled that BUST has made
two best of 2006 Lists at Bookreporter.com. Check them out right here.
I'm gearing up toward
publication of THE FOLLOWER in the summer, 2007 (in the U.S. and the
U.K.). It seems like some very good things are happening with
the book in pre-publication and I'll post some more news soon, as
well as the covers, sample chapters, and more. Ken Bruen
has read the book and commented that it, "Does for dating what Jaws
did for swimming."
Hard Case Crime has posted the cover
of SLIDE (the sequel to BUST, my collabaration with Ken Bruen) on
their website. The book will be published in October, 2007. Want to
read chapter one of SLIDE? It's also posted on Hard Case Crime's
website.
Cheers!
December 2006
Hey, here I am with what might be my
last post of 2006. I've done a number of new on-line
interviews, et cetera lately. A couple to check out are The P.69
Test at the Campaign for the American Reader
blog where I analyze P. 69 of Lights Out. Also, Ken Bruen and I
recently interviewed each other at the First
Offenders blog.
I'm
delighted that Lights Out is on The
Best of 2006 List at BN.com. You can check it out right here. It's also on two best of 2006 lists
at the Mystery Bookstore in L.A. and at Poisoned
Pen in Arizona.
The other day, I day tripped to Boston (well,
Cambridge) for the annual holiday party at Kate's Mystery Books. I
could only stay a short time, but it was great to catch up
with people like Joe Finder, Bill Eidson, Dave Zeltzerman, and
Chris Mooney. I did sign some stock at the story so if you're in the
Boston area and want a signed copies of my books, check out
Kate's.
In January,
I will be attending the David Goodis convention in Philadelphia
(I'll be on a panel on the Saturday of
the conference).
Three favorite recent films seen: The Departed, Stranger than Fiction, Casino Royale.
Three favorite recent books read: Cross by Ken Bruen, Red Baker by Robert Ward, and The Devil's Mambo by Jerry Rodriguez (the
latter is a first novel, set for publication in 2007 and it's going
to be a winner).
Till next update!
Cheers!
November 2006
I recently returned from U.S. Tour for
LIGHTS OUT--thanks so much to everyone who came out to see me! It
was a lot of travelling in a short period of time, but also was a
lot of fun. If you missed me and would like a signed copy of the
book, please check out my tour page for a listing of the stores I
visited, as I signed stock at the stores and they may still have
copies available.
The tour culminated a big year of touring for
me as I was in the U.K and Ireland, Spain, Australia, and throughout
the United States. I think I need a break! The pub date
for my next novel, THE FOLLOWER, is 07/07 (and will be published
simultaneously in the U.K. and U.S.). THE FOLLOWER is a very
different kind of book for me. I have a female protagonist for the
first time, and there is a much larger thriller element than my
previous books. I also think I have a character in the book who is
one of my strongest anti-heroes, but you be the judge!....In other
news, Ken Bruen and I have just (last week) completed a draft
of our next collaberation SLIDE (the sequel to BUST) which will be
published in October, 2007 by Hard Case Crime. If Bust was--as some
called it --a post modern crime novel, this one is post-post modern.
Maybe even post-post-post modern. I think it's
definitely some of the most twisted stuff Ken or I have
written. I saw a sketch of the cover and it's terrific--as soon as
we have the finally one, I'll post it here....Ken and I are
definitely writing a graphic novel ( a supernatural thriller) for DC
Comics/Vertigo. We aim to start writing within a month or so, and
then they'll hook us up woth an artist. More on this soon....
There is a new
interview of me at the great Writer Unboxed site, where I discuss
Lights Out, the publishing business, and a lot of other stuff. Check
it out right here!!
Some book recommendations: Hide Your
Eyes by Alison Gaylin (Edgar nominee first novel
06) and Officer Down by
Theresa Schwegal (Edgar winner first novel 06). Very different
styles: Alison's is bitterly funny and sarcastic, Theresa's is dark
and soulful. I loved Megan Abbott's book Die a Little (also a nominee in that
category) and don't know how the judges separated the three.
Till next update,
Cheers!
September 2006
Here is my latest (belated) update.
First off, LIGHTS
OUT is now on sale everywhere. My tour dates are posted here, and if
you can make it to one of my events I'd love to see you (and promise
to put on a good show!) I've already done an event here in NYC with
Steve Hamilton at Coliseum Books, and next up is Black Orchid
Bookshop in NYC, and then it's off to Madison, Minneapolis, Houston,
Scotsdale, San Mateo, Thousand Oaks, and Los Angeles. If there are
any changes to the schedule, they will be posted here
immediately.
I did
a lot of travelling over the summer. In July I was in Spain
(see below) and in August I was in Australia. I was dreading the
long flight (22 hour travel time from NYC) but actually it wasn't so
bad. The plane had movies on demand and I saw about 12 movies
in total. I saw about 5 action movies--the best by far was The Sentinel. The best movie I saw
was Thank You for Smoking (a great
role Aaron Eckhart--too bad he was so miscast in The Black Dahlia. During the trip, I also
read my first Phillip Margolin novel, Lost
Lake, which I enjoyed very much.
OK, Australia....First
I went to Adelaide where I met with Kristian Moliere (producer) and
Shane McNeil (director) of my adaptation of my novel COLD CALLER,
which is currently in development. We worked on a the script for a
few days and I met with the wonderful people at the SAFC who are
funding the development of the project. Next, it was off to
Melbourne and the Melbourne Writer's Festival to promote LIGHTS OUT.
I did two events at the festival (and if you were there, thank you
for coming!) The first was with Barry Maitland and Shane Maloney and
concerned forensics, although we really ended up discussing the
current crime fiction scene in general. The following day, I did my
own event. It was a fun, excellently run festival and I would return
again, any time. Melbourne is a great city---pretty, easy to get
around, great food and...I have to comment on this....my hotel was
awesome. I stayed at the Sofitel on the 45th floor and
had spectacular views and state-of-the-art everything. I didn't
want to leave my room!
Writing news: I recently turned in my next
novel to St. Martin's and Orion Books. The pub date is July, 2007
and the book is called THE FOLLOWER. I won't say much about it yet,
except I think it's my best book to date and my publishers seem very
enthusiastic as well....Also, the rumors are true, Ken Bruen and I
are working on the sequel to BUST for Hard Case Crime....it's called
SLIDE...We saw a preview of the cover and I think it's one of the
best Hard Case has done. We have a great tag line as well: Beauty is
Only Sin Deep.....Gotta love it, right?.....We are about 3/4 done
with it and as always it's a blast to work with Ken. Ken and
I are in negotiations to co-write a graphic
novel--check back here for details when we make this official.
Will update again
while on tour. Till then
Cheers!
August 14 (update)
LIGHTS OUT has been chosen
as a Book Sense Notable Selection for October, 2006! August 2006
In July, I spent a few weeks in
Spain, mainly in Madrid as well as attending the annual Semana
Negra crime festival in Gijon, Spain. I will write extensively about
Semana Negra (and the Melbourne Writer's Festival) for the next
issue of Crime Spree Magazine. But, in short, it was
a terrific, fun, eccentric festival. I've learned that it's a
waste of time to try to anticipate what a festival will be like,
because they're all very different. Semana Negra was no
exception. The festival charters a two-car train to take
all author attendees from Madrid to Gijon. It was about 6 hours on
the train and there was a press conference, complete with TV media,
etc. We stopped for lunch in a small village near Gijon.....Well,
really we were part of a marching band, and we ate (and drank the
famous cidre) in a large gymasium. Then it was back on the train to
Gijon. The President of Asturias boarded our car (and shook my hand)
and then a full orchestra met us in Gijon. Thriller author Barry
Eisler quipped that he wants full orchestras to greet him at all his
tour stops from now on....The festival itself was much larger than I
expected. One million or so people attend each year. While the focus
is books, it's really like a huge carnival/street fair with lots of
rides, food, and stuff for sale. It goes on for about a mile and
wraps around a stadium. To get the rest of my impressions, check out
the next Crime Spree. Semana Negra's attending authors were
mainly from Spain and Latin America. Some terrific familiar authors
who attended include the forementioned Mr. Eisler, Richard K.
Morgan, Jonathon Rabb and DC Comics artist of Fables etc,
Mark Buckingham.
Oh, and my Spanish was a disaster. I knew I was
in trouble the first day when I ordered a cerveza and a plate of
sausage arrived. Then I asked for a menu....and calimari
arrived. I kid you not.
As I mentioned above, I will be at the
Melbourne Writers Festival in Australia in late August to promote
LIGHTS OUT (check out my appearances page for details on my events
at the festival!!) I also have a fairly complete tour schedule for
the U.S. posted. I'll be going to at least 7 cities. I hope to add
additional events in Baltimore and Boston so please check back for
the latest.
I'm
delighted that LIGHTS OUT has gotten some excellent early reviews
including a STARRED REVIEW in Library Journal. The review says:
"Starr's latest crime
novel sizzles with streetwise dialog and furious emotional energy.
His latest contribution to the world of crime fiction is a home run.
Highly recommended. "
Also check out the great early reviews from PW,
BOOKLIST, and KIRKUS. The publication date for LIGHTS OUT is
September 19!!
NBC's Sleuth Channel is counting down the
top 25 Sleuths of all time, including everyone from Sam Spade and
Sherlock Holmes to Frank Drebin, Clarice Starling and Fletch. I was
filmed as one of the "talking heads" on the show, and this should
air at the end of September. So if you want to find out which
Charlie's Angel is my fav, tune in!!
Did you happen to catch Ken Bruen on CBS Sunday
Morning? They did a big feature on him and he was wonderful in
it. The spot boosted the sales of his books (including Bust)
tremendously. I highly recommend all of Ken's novels, especially the
Jack Taylor novels such as The Guards, The Dramatist, and
Priest.
In
Spain, I read Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer, which I enjoyed
tremendously. Great twists, great characters, and am very impressed
with Connelly's knowledge of the legal world. I also enjoyed and
recommend the wonderfully zany Boost by Steve Brewer and the
charming, fun Red White and Blue Murder by Bill Crider. Oh, and I
read The MAN BEHIND THE SHADES (US Title ONE OF A KIND), the bio of
poker leged Stuey Ungar. I loved it!!
Till next update!!
Cheers!
July 2006
Here's my
early summer update...
Over the next several months, I'll be making
making many appearances. In July I will be at the Semana Negra crime
festival in Gijon, Spain......I've been trying to bone up on my
Spanish. A slight problem is I only seem to speak well when I
immitate the voice of "Senior Lopez" on my Berlitz CD....In August I
will be attending the Melbourne Writers Festival in Australia
to promote the Australian publication of Lights Out . I
have also posted tour dates for LIGHTS OUT in the U.S. All dates are
not posted yet as the tour is still in the planning stages. The
official pub date for LIGHTS OUT in the U.S. is Sept
19!!
In other news,
check out the current annual Must List issue of Entertaintment Weekly (summer double
issue), for a great write-up on Hard
Case Crime, which was crowned the Must Retro Publisher of the year.
Congrats to Charles Ardai and Max Phillips for doing such
a great job with the imprint... And we're very excited that at
the recent Must-List party in NYC, copies of BUST were included in
the gift bags for all the attendees.
I've read some excellent books lately:
Maggie Estep and I
have co-edited a book of horse racing fiction and non-fiction called
Bloodlines, due in September from Vintage Books. Maggie's new novel
due in September from Crown is Flamethrower and it's her best work to
date--an extremely entertaining mystery. Maggie and I will be doing
a few events together in October.
Also check out, It's a Bitter Little World by Charles
Pappas. It's a book of "the toughest and nastiest" quotes from film
noir. Lots of fun reading, and the book also gives a great
history of film noir in a very accesible style and format.
Extremely in depth as well...this book will give you many
ideas for future Netflix rentals!
I'm currently reading American Skin by Ken Bruen and A Death in Belmont by Sebastien Junger and
they both rock. More to come on these....
Saw a screening last
week of a very entertaining Bollywood movie: Marigold. Ali Larter turns in a great
performance.
The Hills Have Eyes is a nice compliment
to Wolf Creek for a horror double
header.
I hope to
give an update from Espana.
Till then, adios from Senior Lopez....
Cheers!
June 2006
Last month
I did a number of events to promote BUST. Ken Bruen was in town and
we did readings around NY and one in Houston. We also did a fun
radio interview on KUHF in Houston with Alison
Young which you can listen to via the link below (it
runs less than ten minutes).
I did a signing
of BUST at Book Expo in Washington DC--thanks to everyone who
stopped by!!
We're
thrilled that BUST is an IMBA (International Mystery
Booksellers Association) Bestseller!....Bust is a bestseller at
many mystery bookstores around the country, including the Black
Orchid Mystery Bookshop in New York, Murder By the Book in Houston,
the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, and it was the #1 mass market bestseller for May at
Poisoned Pen in Arizona.
Now I've been gearing up for the St.
Martin's Press, American publication date for Lights
Out . I already have tour
dates scheduled for September and early October in NYC,
Madison, Houston, Arizona, San Mateo, and Los Angeles. I will be
adding dates in DC and perhaps one or two other cities, so
please check my tour page for the lasted info.
Also check out my Lights
Out page for the latest reviews from
the U.K. and more info about the book. I'm thrilled to have new
quotes for Lights Out from Elmore Leonard and Jeffery
Deaver.
Meanwhile,
I have completed my new novel (which will follow Lights Out, and is set to be published in
the U.S. and U.K. sometime in 2007). I'm not revealing the name of
the book yet (yeah, I'm superstitious that way) but I will
shortly.
I 've
also been working on the screenplay for Cold Caller. I turned
in the first draft last week and the producers seem very pleased
with it. It was a blast going back to my first novel, reworking it
for film. I made a number of changes in the story, including
adding another murder, and the story will be set in Sydney rather
than New York. I think it all works really well.
Oh, and the rumor is
true--Ken and I ARE doing another book for Hard Case Crime. A sequel
to BUST which will probably be published in 2007. We're
bringing back TWO characters from BUST. One won't be a surprise; the
other will.
I've
seen a couple of cool DVDs recently. I finally saw Brokeback Mountain and enjoyed it very
much. Quietly powerful, and great to see the breakout--really stand
out--performance--from Michele Williams. Who would've thought in the
Dawson Creek days that SHE would
emerge as the big star? Also a great performance from Linda
Cardellini of Freaks and Geeks fame.
F&G was kind of like My So-Called
Life--a hugely underrated show that got cancelled way too
soon.
Also, on
suggested of Ken Bruen, saw Wolf
Creek. Man, that movie scared the crap out of me. It's
gleefully violent and extremely well-filmed. It's hard not to
compare the film to Chainsaw Massacre, though in some ways WC is
even more impressive than Massacre, because it's so contained. In
effect, there are only 4 characters in the film (at least about 90
percent of the screen time is focussed on these characters) yet the
director, Greg McLean, manages to maintain high tension throughout,
and there are surprising twists in the third act. There is also A
SCENE in the film, toward the end, which will likely be
discussed by horror fanatics for years to come. But this film
is very, very disturbing.
Cheers!
5/21 Update
BUST by Ken Bruen and
Jason Starr is No. 3 on Entertainment Weekly's "The Must
List" in May 19 issue!
1.'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III' 2. 'WE SHALL OVERCOME...,' BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 3. 'BUST," by KEN BRUEN and JASON STARR
Last week was "Edgar Week" here in New York,
which means mystery writers, agents, and editors converge on
Manhattan for many events, parties etc. Prior the the Edgar
Awards, the MWA conducts many events for fans, critics, and writers
and Ken Bruen and I participated in a panel on writing teams in
support of our new co-authored novel, BUST. Other panelists
included the Todds and the "Parishes." I had a great time on the
panel and, going by what we heard afterward, other people seemed to
enjoy it as well.
After the panel, Ken and I signed BUST at the
Border's on Park Avenue. Ken and I are absolutely thrilled with the
response BUST has been getting so far. We've gotten starred reviews
in Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal, and a great review in
Entertainment Weekly. I'm going to be posting all reviews shortly on
the BUST page.
The Black Orchid bookshop held its annual
pre-Edgars party and, depsite drizzly weather, the crowed spilled
out onto the sidewalk in front of the store. It was great to see
many firends there. Jim Born (you may know him as James O. Born)
came up from Florida to surprise Reed Edgar Nominee Coleman (he has
decided to do away with the middle name "Farrell"). Later, hung out
with Jim Fusilli, Wallace Stroby, Allan Guthrie, Dave White, Jen
Jordan, Megan Abbott., Theresa Schwegel (and now Edgar
Award winner, Theresa Schwegel--major congrats, T!!) and many
others.
Throughout
May, I am going to be doing some more events for Bust, in New York,
as well as a big "Noir Night 2" event in Houston (check out my tour page for all the
details).
In the
U.K., Lights Out, has had some excellent reviews in The Daily
Telegraph, The Independent On Sunday, Bookends,
etc, and St. Martin's is starting to gear up for the September
publication in the U.S. I already know I'll be going to
Arizona and California (dates TBA) and also plan to visit a number
of other cities, so please check back for details. All the latest
info on Lights Out is herehere.
Writing wise I've been
finishing up a new novel (which will follow Lights Out) and I've
been working on the screenplay of my first novel Cold Caller, for
Smoking Gun Films in Australia. In May, I will be attending
the Semana Negra crime festival in Spain in July. People (ie Denise
Hamilton) have told me wonderful things about the festivall--I
can 't wait.
More
soon! Cheers!
April 2006 I'mback from my U.K./Ireland tour for Lights Out. I
started off in Bristol, at Left Coast Crime. It was great catching
up with a lot of old friends, like Mike Stotter, Barry Eisler, Ali
Karim, David Thompson, Steve Brewer, McKenna Jordan and many others,
and had a chance to people I'd only met through email. One surprise:
Charlie Williams is, like, really tall. I also caught wind of the
tremendous buzz in the U.K. for newcomers such as Nick Stone, Stav
Sherez, and Alex Barclay. Have their books here, can't wait to check
them out.
I was on
a few panels at Left Coast. M.J. Rose, Barry Eisler, and I did our
marketing gig, and it was standing room only. I was on a "walking
the mean streets" panel with Charlie Williams, Ray Banks, and
Allan Guthrie. They're all great panelists, and the audience was
laughing a lot. On the last day, I was on a panel on movie
adaptations, which I also moderated.
After Bristol, Denise Hamilton and I did a tour
for Orion, including a couple of Mystery Women events. That's right
folks, I'm a mystery women -- one of only four male members
apparently. We did an event at Goldsboro books in London where I
signed a lot of hardcovers of Lights Out, and then an event in
Cambridge. Next stop was the "Crime in the City" festival in
Glasgow, where I read from Lights Out. Then it was off to Belfast,
where David Torrans from No Alibis was a terrific host (note to
authors touring in UK/Ireland -- don't miss Belfast!). Dave showed
us around, great town, and hit the pubs. I made a bet on an Irish
jump race at a bookies and won -- now poor Dave thinks I actually
win at the track. Then, at night, Denise and I did a great event at
No Alibis -- thanks so much to everyone who came. In the morning, I
signed a mountain of books and then it was off to Dublin, where we
signed at Michael Gallagher's snazzy, well-stocked store.
All in all, a great
trip. I'll post reviews for Lights Out as they come in. I'm thrilled
that book already has gotten these kind words from Paul
Blezard of Oneword Radio:
'With "Lights Out" Jason Starr has raised the
level of his game by yet another, seemingly impossible notch and
created a chrome-shiny-cynical, cautionary tale of hard-head city
dwellers, whacked out crack-heads and sports jocks. He is the
closest thing you'll ever get to Tarantino in text. Good doesn't begin to describe just
how damn good he is.'
My interview with Paul will be available by
podcast. I'll post a link as soon as I have it. I think it's one of
the best radio interviews I've done.
In the U.S.,
Lights
Out will be published in September, 06 by St. Martin's
Press. I already know I'll be making an appearance at Poisoned Pen
in Arizona, with more appearances to follow. I have a cover for the
U.S. edition (it's up now on the front page of this website).
In the meantime, U.S.
readers can check out Bust, the novel I co-wrote with Ken Bruen.
We're thrilled with the response it's been getting so far. It
recently got a starred review in Publisher's Weekly and we've
already sold rights to Italy and France. I'll be appearing with Ken
Bruen on Edgar symposium panel for Bust on April, 26, then we'll
sign at Border's around the corner. In July, Ken and I will be
attending the Semana Negra festival in Spain.
Latest Great Read: Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard. Wanted to read
an entertaining book on a flight, and what better choice? It's as
good as any Leonard novels, and as usual there's great characters,
great dialogue, and a great plot. In other words, it's the whole
package.
Till the
next update!
Cheers!
March 2006
Thanks for checking out my brand new
website! I'll be doing updates frequently in this space,
including posting the latest info about my books, my latest film and
book picks, and my thoughts on what's going on in the world of crime
fiction in general. I also plan to make updates as frequently as
possible when I'm touring.....My next major
tour is to the U.K. and Ireland from March 16-March 24 to launch
the Orion edition of my new novel, Lights
Out (it's my first English-language hardcover,
though it will be published simultaneously in trade paperback). To
launch Lights Out, I'll be at Left
Coast Crime in Bristol, and then do events in Cambridge, London,
Glasgow and Belfast (among other stops), and will do a number events
with the terrific Denise Hamilton and others. I'll also be on at
least four panels during the trip....So please check out my tour page for all the
details (and watch this space for updates), and if you're in the
U.K., I'd love to see you at one of my events!
You can now read the
first chapter of Lights Outright here. If you live in the
U.S., Lights Out will be coming out
from my new American publisher, St. Martin's Press, in September.
I'm always excited about launching a new book, but I'm particularly
excited about Lights Out. I think it's the
biggest, most complex book I've done so far and has some of my
favorite characters in it. And I'm really excited about being with
Orion and St. Martin's -- they couldn't be more enthusiastic.
I have a lot happening
in 2006. In addition to Lights Out, in May Hard Case
Crime is publishing Bust, a novel I co-wrote
with Ken Bruen. Practically from the day we met, Ken and I talked
about doing a book together. For a while, it seemed like a running
joke -- we'll write a book together; yeah, let's do it; sure,
whatever you say, Ken -- but then, lo and behold, we went ahead and
actually did it. We think we created a whole new voice for the two
of us and we're eager to find out what others think. We had a great
time writing it and hopefully that comes through in the novel. But,
hey, you be the judge!....And we recently made a major French deal
for Bust -- details to be posted here
soon!
I've also
co-edited (with Maggie Estep) a collection of short stories and
essays called BLOODLINES: A Horse Racing
Anthology, which Vintage Books will publish in the
fall. I've been a huge racing fan for years, and it's great that now
I'll have something to show for all the time I've spent at the
track, aside from a depleted bank account. But, really, the whole
project was a labor of love. I'm especially floored by the other
writers who are contributing to the book....you know, total unknowns
like Lee Child, Laura Hillenbrand, Jane Smiley, Jonathon Ames, Joe
R. Lansdale, Daniel Woodrell, Bill Barich, and Scott Phillips, etc.
As you can tell by this list, the writers are a diverse group --
some literary, some mystery and crime, some turf writers. Most
importantly, all of the contributors have an enthusiastic interest
in horse racing -- that was our number one requirement. So, it's not
a crime anthology, though some writers chose to write about crime.
Maggie and I are thrilled with the quality of the work we received.
Check out my stories page for more info about
BLOODLINES, and look for the book
in stores this fall.
Over the coming months, I'll also have stories
in several anthologies, including Dublin Noir, Hardboiled Brooklyn,
and Damn Near
Dead.
Currently, I'm at work on a new novel, a
thriller set in Manhattan, and I'm also writing a screenplay for
Cold Caller. Some
of you may recall that Cold Caller was originally under
option by one of the producers of Fight
Club. I recently got the rights back to the material, and an
Australian company, Smoking Gun Productions, hired me to write the
screenplay. These guys have been incredible to work with. It's been
a trip for me to, in a sense, be working on my first novel all over
again. I'm making a number of significant changes to the book, but I
think it's going to be a very faithful adaptation. The story will
now take place in Sidney, but I never thought the New York location
was particularly important to the story. It could take place in any
big city in the world....
OK, my latest book picks:
Hard Case Crime recently published a new
edition of a Charles Williams novel called A Tough of Death. I've been a Williams
fan for a long time, but I've only read a handful of his books,
including The Big Bite and The Hot Spot. A
Touch of Death is the best Williams book I've read. It's fast
paced, has great lines, and I couldn't put it down. All of
Williams should be in print, the way all of Thompson is in print.
Williams is that good, and that underrated.
Megan Abbott (I should say Edgar-nominee
Magan Abbott...way to go Megan!) recently lent me a copy of The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick
Manchette, and boy do I see what the fuss is about. It was
easily one of the best crime novels I've read in the last few
years. I wish I'd read Manchette years ago, but I'm glad I have
now... It's as dark as crime fiction can get, and it's often
hilarious -- well, if you have a dark sense of humor. It's a
groundbreaking novel in many ways as well. Can't recommend it more
highly.
Well, that's
it for now, but I'll be doing another update soon, so check back!
And please bookmark www.jasonstarr.com, or update the address
in your bookmarks in case you have my old AOL address. And many
thanks to Beth at CincinnatiMedia for the
design work on this site!
BUST and SLIDE (the first two
books I co-wrote with Ken) are now available everywhere. There are
also editions of BUST available in German, French, and Italian. A
movie of BUST is in development.
Ken and I
recently signed a film option deal for BUST and the screenplay
has been written.
