Saturday, February 1, 2020

Larceny is Live (Again)!


So… What have you all been up to these past thirty months?

Whatever you’ve been doing, I'll bet it hasn’t been waiting breathlessly for a new blog post from me.  Even before this long hiatus I wasn’t exactly a dependable content provider. 

Why the sudden revival? By chance, I’ve gotten into a habit of writing regular posts, just not for this blog.   For the past two years I’ve been president of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and among the many (many) tasks that accompany that job, I would write the introductory column for the chapter’s monthly newsletter.  All of my random thoughts on writing and career quirks went into the Rap Sheet, as it was called.

Now that I’m out of office—my administration’s dictatorial stance on oxford commas proved to be a powder keg—I want to keep the momentum going.  I’ll aim to post here at least once a quarter, ideally every couple of months or whenever there’s big news or a fun event on the horizon.

Speaking of: The fifth Van Shaw thriller is headed to the printers!  A DANGEROUS BREED finds Van following a thread of information about his mother Moira, who died when Van was only six years old.  That thread leads to the discovery of the teenaged Moira’s boyfriend, who may very well be the father that Van never knew.  But the man in question has a past and family connections that make Van’s own criminal history pale in comparison.  Is he a blood relation? Or just a man with blood on his hands?

A DANGEROUS BREED hits shelves in the U.S. on July 14.  (See the awesome cover from William Morrow below!) Before then, I’ll be at Left Coast Crime in San Diego in March and working hard on the next book.  And collaborating with the good people at Xuni to revamp my website, allowing for quicker updates on news and appearances in the future. 

I also want to have more interaction with fans through email and especially on Goodreads.  If you have a question about Van, the writing biz, or any other related topic, send those my way!  Here's my page on Goodreads.