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 Subscribe to John's mailing list to receive emailed news and information concerning new books, ghost stories, book signings, websites of interest and any other updates. This mailing list is private—your e-mail address will not be shared. 
Hello Gentle Reader, Okay, so I know it's been a while, but I was thinking of you. No, I wasn't carousing with other readers, honest. There's only ever been you. Just you. You know that. You can see it in my eyes. It's you, you, you. Well, you and that bloke over there. And her. Oh, and maybe her. And see him? Yep, him as well. But really, it's only ever been you. You're special. You know you are. Come on, give me a hug... On to more important matters. There are books coming out, tours being finalized, and some good news for you nice Australians—unless, of course, you're an Australian who doesn't like my books, in which case it's not very good news after all. Look, you're a long way from anywhere. You should just be happy anyone comes to visit. BOOKS TO COME One reason I've been so quiet recently is that I was trying to finish a whole slew of projects, some of which have been gestating since 2011. The result is that 2013 is going to see a veritable landslide of material from me. It's a Connollython, a Johngasbord. Seriously, at the very least I expect to have my own postage stamp by the end of the year. Here, in order of publication, is what's likely to appear before the end of the year.
THE WANDERER IN UNKNOWN REALMS The Wanderer... tells of a troubled WWI veteran named Soter who is hired to find a collector of occult manuscripts, and is drawn into the hunt for an atlas of alternate universes. It's a creepy tale, and a kind of dark reflection of The Book of Lost Things. The Wanderer in Unknown Realms will be published initially as an e-book by Hodder and Atria, but for those of you who fancy a printed version, we're putting together a special signed limited edition of the book. Printed by Nicholson & Bass in Northern Ireland, who did the beautiful limited edition of The Book of Lost Things, it will be signed by both Emily and me, with head and tail bands and a ribbon bookmark. We'll have details of how to order it very soon, but we're working to keep the price at an affordable level. A note on this: e-books and printed books perform different functions, and I think that people should have some choice in how they read. That's what annoys me most about the e-book purists: the pleasure they seem to take in the perceived demise of the printed book. It's a sign of ignorance, and suggests a hatred of books in general that sits ill on the shoulders of a writer. Whether you choose to read The Wanderer... as an e-book or a printed book is entirely your choice. I hope that you enjoy it in whatever format you may decide to use, but the crucial word here is "choice."
THE CAXTON PRIVATE LENDING LIBRARY & "For many bibliophiles, especially aficionados of mystery fiction, some of the most beloved books and stories feature a background of bookstores, libraries, rare books, manuscripts, priceless volumes and eccentric book collectors. The Mysterious Bookshop publishes a new bibliomystery every month. Each story features books and/or those who write them, buy them, read them, collect them, sell them or are in some way involved with them. All are written exclusively for the store and are not available anywhere else until sometime after our publication." My contribution to the series will be published at the end of May, and is entitled The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository. I'm very fond of this tale, which, given that it's 20,000 words long, probably qualifies as a short novella. Like The Wanderer in Unknown Realms, it comes from the same universe as The Book of Lost Things, but is lighter and more playful in tone. I don't want to give away too much about it, but it concerns a would-be writer in the England of the 1960s who sees a woman throw herself under a train and then, some months later, rather unexpectedly sees the same woman try to throw herself under another train... The story will be available as a very limited edition hardcover volume in an illustrated dust jacket. The hardcover editions are limited to only 100 copies, numbered and signed by the author, at $50; there also will be 26 lettered copies, also signed by the author, at $100. The stories will also be available in paperback for $6.95 each, and folks will get a free paperback with any hardcover. Click here for more information on ordering in any format. So you've had the appetizers, and now come the main courses...
THE CREEPS
Samuel Johnson is not in a happy place.
The Creeps will be published in the UK and elsewhere by Hodder & Stoughton on October 10th. US and Canadian publication by Atria will be at roughly the same time, but we'll confirm dates in the next newsletter. And last, but by no means least...
CONQUEST
The Earth has been invaded by the Illyri, a beautiful, civilized, yet ruthless alien race. Humanity has been conquered, but still it fights the invaders. The Resistance grows stronger, for it is the young people of Earth who are best equipped to battle the Illyri.
Conquest, the first in a projected quartet of novels, will be published in October in the UK, Australia and elsewhere by Headline. Again, we're just waiting on a publication date from Atria for the US and Canada. And as if that wasn't enough...
INHERIT THE DEAD And finally...
A CARNIVALE OF HORROR 
THE WRATH OF ANGELS Now, on to other matters...
GONGS, GONGS, GONGS... 
As you may be aware, Books To Die For, the anthology of essays by mystery writers on mystery fiction edited by Declan Burke and me, with staunch assistance from Ellen Clair Lamb, has been nominated for an Edgar® Award in the Best Critical/Biographical section. We're very honoured, so thanks to the Mystery Writers of America for giving us a nod. The gongs will be handed out on May 2nd, closely followed by the Agatha Awards, for which Books To Die For has been nominated in the Best Non-Fiction category. The Agathas will be awarded at Malice Domestic, which this year takes place in Bethesda, Maryland from May 3rd-5th. Again, thanks to all involved with Malice Domestic for considering Books To Die For.
BENTORNATO, ITALIA! I have a new Italian publisher, TimeCrime, an imprint of Fanucci, and The Whisperers has just been released under its Italian title, I Tre Demoni, or The Three Demons. Thankfully, I've retained my brilliant Italian translator Stefano Bortolussi, who has looked after my Italian translations from the beginning. More details here.
UN ABRAZO, ESPANA! Meanwhile Tusquets, my very fine Spanish publishers who have been supporters since the first book, have gone back to Bad Men, which is now available at last in Spanish under the title Malvados. Find out more here.
THE REFLECTING EYE We have a handful of copies of the signed limited edition of The Reflecting Eye left. Priced at $40, they can be purchased from ABE here. Be warned, though: we're down to low double-digits on them, so they're nearly gone...
NICOLA'S SPECIALTY EMPORIUM As those of you who've read The Wrath Of Angels may recall, Nicola's Specialty Emporium at 55th and 1st in Manhattan plays a starring role. Nicola and Freddy have put up a poster of WRATH... to mark its appearance in the book. Should you fancy having your picture taken where Parker, Louis and Angel have walked, drop in, buy a coffee, and say hi.
TOURING—EUROPE The schedule for the year is still being worked out, but here's what I have confirmed:
Wednesday, April 24 at 6:30 pm
Wednesday, April 24 at 8:00 pm
May 18-20
June 22-23
Tuesday, June 25 at 8:00 pm
Wednesday, June 26
GENRECON AND AUSTRALIA I've agreed to attend GenreCon in Brisbane from October 11-13th this year, and it's very kind of the organizers to have invited me, but I've also decided that it's a nice opportunity to do some events in cities that I haven't visited before. With that in mind, Hello, Perth! and Hello, Hobart!, with the possibility of a couple of other places being added along the way. We'll keep you posted about events as they're confirmed. If you live in Sydney, Melboure or, indeed, New Zealand, and are now feeling aggrieved, fear not: it's 99 percent certain that I'll be returning for the next Parker book in the first half of 2014, and we shall renew old acquaintances then.
ABC to XTC ABC to XTC, my radio show devoted to the musical joys of the late seventies and the bulk of the eighties continues its weekly broadcasts on 2XM on Tuesdays at 22.00 GMT and Saturdays at 21.00 GMT. Recent shows are archived on the RTE RadioPlayer. Just search for ABC to XTC, and feel free to drop us a line if you have any requests or suggestions for songs or artists from the era. And that's all—or, if not all, at least enough to be getting on with for now. With luck we'll have more details next month on US release dates, in particular. In the meantime, watch for new developments on Facebook and Twitter, and do keep in touch. I care, even when I don't call . . .
Best wishes,
Happy New Year—and happy release day to THE WRATH OF ANGELS, now available in fine stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. If you would like a signed copy of the book with sets of postcards designed by readers, please inquire at one of these fine merchants. Booksellers: If your name is not on this list and you would like to offer your customers sets of these postcards, please email a request. 
ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
Book Carnival
Mysterious Galaxy
DELAWARE
GEORGIA
ILLINOIS
LOUISIANA
MAINE
MASSACHUSETTS
NEW YORK
OREGON
VJ Books
PENNSYLVANIA
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
TEXAS
VERMONT
WASHINGTON
WISCONSIN
ONTARIO, CANADA
Celebrate the New Year with ABC to XTC! And don't forget: my radio show, ABC to XTC, kicks off the new year with two shows based on listeners' recommendations of the best overlooked punk, post-punk and New Wave songs from the late 1970s through the end of the '80s. Shows air on January 1 and January 8 on the digital/Internet station RTE 2XM at 10:00 p.m. Dublin time, with rebroadcasts on January 5 and 13 at 9:00 p.m.—or you can catch the shows after the fact via the RTE Player. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and that 2013 is off to a good start. We're all still here, which is promising . . .
Very best wishes,
Dear Folks, Ho, ho, ho! Tis the season of good cheer, and good will to all. Except that bloke over there. I hate him. The old year is nearly done or, if you're one of those peculiar folk who believe that the Mayans had it right, the whole world is nearly done, forever, although why you'd believe a bunch of people who claimed to know when the world was going to end but didn't spot that they'd be wiped out long before it happened, I don't know. It would be like me claiming to know next week's lottery numbers but not being able to find my shoes. 
But if the majority of us do survive until after December 21st, THE WRATH OF ANGELS will finally be in bookstores everywhere on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. I expect most of you will have that day off, so no excuses for not spending the day reading. Given the unpredictability of North American weather at this time of year, I won't be touring the U.S. for this book. Sorry! I did, however, make a quick trip to New York earlier this month to sign a few hundred copies for independent booksellers around the country. The booksellers who will have signed copies, along with the limited-edition postcards featuring artwork by readers, are listed here. If you are a bookseller and would like to offer your customers sets of postcards, please drop us a line. We've only printed 600 sets of postcards, so they'll truly be collector's items—order early to avoid disappointment! THE WRATH OF ANGELS, for those of you who have not been paying attention until it became relevant to your interests, is the 11th Charlie Parker novel, and finds Parker on the trail of a document found on the site of a mysteriously overlooked airplane wreck. It's a list of people who have made a fatal, even damning bargain; someone's killing those people, and Parker fears the list may include his own name.
ABC to XTC: Special All-Requests Editions! ABC to XTC, my weekly radio show celebrating the best (at least, my favorite) punk, post-punk, new wave synth, and whatever else I happen to feel like playing from the late 1970s and '80s, begins 2013 with not one but two shows programmed by listeners who sent in their recommendations for the best overlooked songs of the era. It was an eclectic list, and took a good bit of hunting down in some cases—but the shows include some bands that were new to me, as well as tracks you may not have heard from some well-loved bands. The show airs on the digital/Internet station RTE 2XM on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm Dublin time and again on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m, and, as always, it can be accessed after that date through the RTE Player. There will also be a special Christmas edition on December 25th, broadcast at 10.00pm, and repeated again on Saturday 29th, although by then it will, like the remains of the turkey, probably be a bit stale. Meanwhile, if you missed the special December 11 (and 15) edition, which featured author Mark Billingham as my guest, you can listen back to the show for another couple of weeks here.
A Special Holiday BOOKS TO DIE FOR Giveaway 
After all the BOOKS TO DIE FOR events, we found we had three copies of the U.K. edition of the book, ever so slightly travel-worn, signed by about half a dozen contributors. And because my co-editor Declan Burke and I are kind, generous, thoughtful people, in the spirit of the season we'd like to give these books away to some lucky readers. Unfortunately, we cannot promise the books will arrive in time for Christmas, but this is, after all, a book for all seasons. Declan will be giving away one copy of the book through his own blog, and we'll give one away through the BOOKS TO DIE FOR Facebook page. But if you'd like a chance at the one I'm giving away, just send me an email with the subject line "Books to Die For," and tell us your own book to die for—the title of the one mystery novel you'd recommend to any fan of the genre, with a line or two about why. Please include your full name and your mailing address. We'll draw a name at random from all entries received by December 31, 2012. Good luck!
A Website For The Completists Among You Ian Bolton, a fine gentleman and a collector of my books, has put together a website entitled The Collector, which lists all of my published work, however obscure some of it may be. It's a useful site for those of you who may be concerned that you've failed to read every syllable of my deathless prose, and are anxious to make up for your sins. You can find it at www.thecollector.me.uk.
Happy New Year! The past year's been an unusually busy one, and before it ends I want to thank everyone who offered help and encouragement along the way. Writing may be solitary work, but being a published author is not. I've had a chance to thank some of those people in person in the last week or two, but I am deeply grateful to all the booksellers, reviewers, bloggers and readers who have supported BOOKS TO DIE FOR and THE WRATH OF ANGELS this year. Thanks to everyone who organized and participated in the Atria Bus Tour, the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, Bouchercon 2012, QuebeCrime, and all the Ireland, UK and US stops on The Neverending Tour 2012. And thanks again to the 120-odd contributors to BOOKS TO DIE FOR, which continues to draw much-welcome attention on many "Gifts for Readers" lists—not to mention my co-editor, Declan Burke, whose output this year made my own look modest in comparison. "Yes," you're saying now, "that's all very well, but what have you done for us lately?" It's both flattering and a little anxious-making to log onto Facebook or open my email and see people clamoring for the next Charlie Parker book before the current one's even officially out everywhere. I can only say that your patience will be rewarded, but probably not until about a year from now. In the meantime, I can tell you this much about what I hope and plan to publish in 2013:
And I dimly remember having said similar things in the past, but I really do plan to stay home more in 2013. I have books to write and dogs to walk, and while it's always lovely to see you, I think it might be time to see other people for a while. No, it's nothing you did or said. Really, it's not you, it's me . . . we'll still be friends, right? You can find me on Facebook, or on Twitter, and I promise to keep in touch. The happiest of holidays to all of you, and I hope the New Year brings you joy, health and prosperity.
Very best wishes,
Dear Folks, Here I sit at my very messy desk in Dublin, surrounded by bits of paper and various CDs from the eighties. (Hello Monochrome Set, hello B.Movie, hello CD of very angry punk songs on the Pax label.) Mind you, my desk is always messy as I approach the final stages of a new draft on a book, so it's good messy, not hoarder show-messy. 
Many thanks to everyone who came out to say hello and support BOOKS TO DIE FOR in the United States. Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, was a great event, and my thanks and congratulations to Marjory Mogg and Kim Hammond for putting it all together. Thanks, too, to the 30 authors who participated in the massive signing of BOOKS TO DIE FOR at Bouchercon; I think we signed more than 300 books over the course of two hours. This book would not have been possible without the generosity of these authors and all the other contributors, and Declan Burke and I are profoundly grateful. I'm grateful, too, to the authors who participated in the other BOOKS TO DIE FOR events around the country: Megan Abbott, Linda Barnes, Lee Child, Reed Farrel Coleman, Michael Connelly, Joseph Finder, Chuck Hogan, Lisa Lutz, Margaret Maron, Chris Mooney, M.J. Rose, S.J. Rozan, F. Paul Wilson, and especially Julia Spencer-Fleming, who wins the prize for doing three separate BTDF events. A chocolate medal (not more than 15 per cent cocoa, may contain nuts and rat hairs) is winging its way to her as we speak. If I didn't make it to your part of the country, a conversation I had with the lovely Kathleen Shannon on WCSH's "207" program is online here, and a longer discussion of BOOKS TO DIE FOR with Frank Stasio of WUNC radio is archived here. You may also be amused—or not—by a conversation my good friend Joe Long and I had with Miriam O'Callaghan on the "Miriam Meets" program, here. Signed copies of BOOKS TO DIE FOR, some with multiple signatures, are still available from the booksellers who hosted these events; check the BOOKS TO DIE FOR website for contact information.
THE NEVERENDING TOUR (c. Bob Dylan), NOVEMBER 2012 EDITION But wait, there's more! Before the year ends, I'm doing one last event a little closer to home:
Friday, November 16 at 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, the Newcastle Winter Book Festival, which I'd been scheduled to appear at, has been cancelled due to events beyond anyone's control. After Friday's panel, I'm done for the year. Done for a while, in fact, as there are currently no plans to do any touring for the U.S. release of THE WRATH OF ANGELS. It's time to stay home and get a little writing done. Sorry, but we'll try to make it up to you somehow...
THE WRATH OF ANGELS: American readers' long wait for THE WRATH OF ANGELS will be rewarded on January 1, when the book becomes available in the U.S. Given the way these things sometimes work, it's possible that you might receive it a little earlier than that if you pre-order the book (and it's always nice to support independent bookstores through Indiebound). Regular readers of these messages will remember that we are also printing up sets of postcards to go with THE WRATH OF ANGELS, with artwork designed by talented readers. The gallery of images for the U.S. postcards is here. I'll be signing copies for a few dozen independent bookstores, and most of those stores will have postcards to give away. We'll post the complete list of stores that will have signed copies in early December.
AND BEFORE I FORGET... Actually, I've already forgotten what else I was going to say. Time for a short break, although I'll be back in touch before the holidays with greetings of the season. (Have I mentioned that BOOKS TO DIE FOR is an ideal gift? I think I did, but it's in one ear and out the other with some of you. Really, I just don't know...) Oh, I remember now!
ABC to XTC—New Year Edition Anyone who shares my love of (late) 1970s and 1980s punk, post-punk and New Wave music can tune in weekly to ABC to XTC, my hour-long program on the internet radio station RTE 2XM, airing on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm GMT and again on Saturdays at 9:00 pm GMT. Shows are archived on the RTE player for four weeks after broadcast, and a complete set of playlists is on the website here. We usually try to do a special edition for the first and/ or second show of the year, so with that in mind I thought I'd ask you to nominate a "lost treasure" from the ABC to XTC era. Just pick a song or album that you feel has been neglected, or that somehow missed the Ship of Good Fortune when it sailed. It doesn't have to be terribly obscure: I mean, I'd argue that A SECRET WISH by Propaganda never had the success that it deserved, and I harbor a secret fondness for the single "The Last Film" by Kissing the Pink. So that's your mission, should you choose to accept it. Drop a line to contact@johnconnollybooks.com or via Twitter and Facebook by November 30th, just to give me time to start tracking down the more obscure nominations, and we'll play as many of them as we can on ABC to XTC early in 2013. With that in mind, now that I'm home I'll try to be more conscientious about the Facebook page, and you can find me on Twitter at @jconnollybooks. Warmest wishes to all of you facing the beginning of winter, and equally cordial (if temperately cooler) wishes to you in the southern hemisphere. Thanks, as always, for your support.
Your friend (really, I mean it, but don't ask me for money),
Dear Folks, Greetings of the season to all of you, be it autumn or spring on your side of the globe. Just checking in quickly between bouts of travel, and if I owe you an email or a Facebook reply or a Twitter response, apologies and thanks for your patience. Something will arrive eventually. Probably. Look upon it as delayed gratification, or possibly no gratification at all. I do try, honest, but there does seem to be rather a lot of it. It's quite lovely, actually. I just wish I could find the time to answer it all, but time is a scarce commodity at the moment. Anyway, my deepest thanks to all of you who came out to the tour events in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, and to the booksellers, librarians and other folks who made me feel so welcome. I also managed to gorge myself on cupcakes, cinnamon buns, and cookies, donated by caring souls who clearly felt that I looked very thin in my photos, and then saw me and thought, hey, maybe not so thin after all... Thanks, too, to my fellow authors who shared the various stages: Books to Die For co-editor Declan Burke, as well as contributors John Banville, Colin Bateman, Mark Billingham, Eoin Colfer, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Arlene Hunt, Brian McGilloway, Natasha Cooper, Barbara Nadel, Stuart Neville, Martyn Waites, Julia Wallis-Martin, and Laura Wilson. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the incomparable Kerry Hood and the rest of the publicity staff at Hodder & Stoughton. Thank you for taking care of me. If you missed the UK tour events, highlights of a Google Play hangout filmed earlier this month, during which I answered questions from readers around the world, are now up on YouTube. Signed copies of THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR (in some cases, signed by multiple authors—ask!) are available from:
The Gutter Bookshop
THE NEVERENDING TOUR (c. Bob Dylan), As I said, I'm home for only a few days before resuming the tour, this time to the U.S. for Bouchercon (the World Mystery Convention) and a handful of dates for BOOKS TO DIE FOR. At all of these events, I'll be handing out trading cards with vintage book jackets and facts about some of the books featured in BOOKS TO DIE FOR. There are ten cards in all, but each packet will contain some duplicates, so you'll have to find someone to swap with either at the events themselves, or via folk on Twitter and Facebook. Look upon it as a way to meet people to whom one would not otherwise have spoken, and then never speak to them again.
BOOKS TO DIE will launch at Bouchercon, with some 30 contributors participating in a mass signing event; if you can't be there, but would like a signed book, contact one of the official Bouchercon booksellers to inquire about ordering.
Thursday, October 4-Sunday, October 7
Friday, October 5 at 2:45 p.m.
Friday, October 5 at 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 6 at 10:15 a.m.
Tuesday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 at 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 26 at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 27 at 10:30 a.m. And two more events in Ireland and the UK, before the end of the year:
Friday, November 16 at 8:00 p.m.
November 22-25
THE WRATH OF ANGELS (US) Just a reminder that Atria will publish THE WRATH OF ANGELS in the US on January 1st. While a full scale tour is unlikely, signed copies will be available from your local independent mystery store, and will include the second set of art cards based on illustrations sent by the winners of our art competition. Stocks of these cards will be limited, so don't say that you haven't been warned.
AND IN CONCLUSION . . . ABC to XTC, my radio show celebrating the best music (well, my favorite music) of the 1980s, continues weekly whether I'm at home or not, through the wonders of technology. It airs on Internet radio station RTE 2XM on Tuesdays at 10 pm Dublin time, and repeats on Saturday nights at 9:00 Dublin time. You can listen back to the last four weeks' shows at any time through the RTE Player, and a complete log of playlists is on my own website. On music matters, don't forget that Mark Kozelek—a man much beloved of this parish, and who named his latest album AMONG THE LEAVES after a quote from THE WHISPERERS—is touring in the US, Canada, and Europe over the coming months, and arrives in Dublin on November 7th for a concert at the Button Factory. I'll be there, and you should be too. Further details are available here. Meanwhile, SPIRIT OF TALK TALK, a book celebrating the art and music of the wonderful Talk Talk, to which I have contributed a short piece, has just been published. 
If you haven't already "liked" my Facebook author page, may I ask you to do so? We'll be adding new features in the next few days, including a separate page for discussions that may include spoilers, and a gallery that will let people trade their BOOKS TO DIE FOR trading cards. Finally, I'll be keeping a low profile once the November events are over and done with. I really want to get some writing done, and I'll keep you posted on developments in that area over the months to come. The next Parker novel will appear early in 2014: for US and Canadian readers, that's only a gap of 14 months, but a little longer for those in the rest of the world. Sorry, but there are a couple of other things I want to finish and, as I've been explaining at signings, I'm anxious to write the best Parker books that I can. Sometimes, to do that, a little break is beneficial. Thanks, as always, for your interest and support, and I hope to see many of you in the month ahead. Well, most of you. Okay, some of you. Oh dear . . .
Very best wishes,
Dear Folks, Just a word while I'm home for a couple of days between book tours. Thanks very much to everyone who came out to say hello during South Africa's Bloody Book Week, where I had the honour of doing a series of events with that fine gentleman Jeffery Deaver as well as some of the nation's best crime writers—in particular Deon Meyer, Mike Nicol, and Margie Orford, who are all contributors to BOOKS TO DIE FOR, and Andrew Brown, whose novel SOLACE I read while on vacation, and very much enjoyed. The second annual Bloody Book Week seems to have been a great success; congratulations to all involved in putting it together, especially the marvelous Jenny Crwys-Williams. THE POSTCARD ART CONTEST We were overwhelmed by the response to the postcard art contest for THE WRATH OF ANGELS. Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry, or entries. We received more than 30 images of Charlie Parker's world—so many, in fact, that I couldn't limit the choices to five. Instead, with the help of gallery owner June Fitzpatrick, author and artist Jonathan Santlofer, and minion Clair, we chose a total of eleven images to be reproduced on postcards, in two separate sets to accompany the UK and US editions of the book. The five images for postcards to be distributed at Ireland/UK events for THE WRATH OF ANGELS were created by:
Steve Bentley and the six images for postcards to be distributed by independent bookstores with US copies of THE WRATH OF ANGELS were created by:
Emily Hall Congratulations and well done to all of you! And well done, too, to the other entrants. It's tremendously moving—not to say humbling—to see other people's interpretations of Charlie Parker's world, and I am grateful for the time, thought and effort put into all these entries. You can see them for yourselves in a gallery we've posted to the website, and the images are posted to the Facebook fan page as well.
THE NEVERENDING TOUR (c. Bob Dylan) As I say, I'm not home long before leaving again to promote THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR throughout Ireland and the UK. In addition to the WRATH OF ANGELS postcards, I'll also be handing out trading cards with vintage book jackets and fun facts about some of the books featured in BOOKS TO DIE FOR. There are ten cards in all, but each packet will contain some duplicates, so you'll have to find someone to swap with either at the events themselves, or via folk on Twitter and Facebook. Think of it as like being nine once again, and having three Darth Vaders and no Jabba the Hutts... We're hoping to have the trading cards available for the first set of UK tour dates this month. If we don't, we'll just take the names and addresses of those who buy copies of BOOKS TO DIE FOR at events, and we'll forward you a set by mail as soon as we can. These are likely to become very nice little collectibles in the future. If you can't make it to any of these events in person, the booksellers involved will be happy to take your order for a signed book, and in most cases I'll be able to personalize them. I'm also happy to sign older titles, but check with the bookstores in each case about their rules—most require the purchase of a new book in order to get old books signed. We all have livings to make . . . My UK publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, are running a special promotion to encourage pre-orders of THE WRATH OF ANGELS. If you pre-order the book (or—checking the fine print—even if you don't), and you live in the UK, you can enter this contest for a chance to attend a private event with me. (Ah, how fervently I wish I could travel back in time to show certain young women that an evening with me really is a prize.)
Oh, and just a reminder that the launch of BOOKS TO DIE FOR in Dublin will be a lavish affair attended by a number of the contributors, including Declan and me, John Banville, Colin Bateman, Barbara Nadel, Arlene Hunt, Brian McGilloway, and more yet to be announced. It's a good chance to get some nice signed Christmas presents. Similarly, a number of the NI contributors will be present at the Belfast launch, including Paul Charles, Brian McGilloway, and others, and you never know who may crop up at some of the British events...
Thursday, August 23 at 6:45 p.m.
Saturday, August 25 at 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 26 at 12:30 p.m.
Monday, August 27 at 12:30 p.m.
Monday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 28 at 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 29 at 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 30 at 8:30 a.m.
Thursday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 8 at 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 8 at 7:45 p.m.
Monday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 11 at 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 12 at 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 13 at 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, September 14 at 1:00 p.m.
Friday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 15 at 12:00 noon
Saturday, September 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 16 at 12:00 noon
Sunday, September 16 at 3:00 p.m.
Monday, September 17 at 1:00 p.m.
Monday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 18 at 12:00 noon
Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19 at 12:30 p.m.
October 4-7 US tour dates for BOOKS TO DIE FOR are still being finalized, but both Declan Burke and I will be making separate appearances to promote the book, with local contributors participating wherever possible. We'll post those dates to my website, the BOOKS TO DIE FOR website, and both official Facebook pages as soon as they're all confirmed, and we'll send out a complete schedule in early September.
THE CONTINUING CONVERSATION I'll be doing the usual round of interviews for THE WRATH OF ANGELS and particularly BOOKS TO DIE FOR, where duties will be shared by my able co-editor, Declan Burke. Links to these interviews will be posted to the Facebook pages (my own and the BOOKS TO DIE FOR page) and to my Twitter feed as they become available. In the meantime, though, I spoke with the lovely journalist James Kidd (mistakenly—and mysteriously—credited by his own paper as James Fox) for The Independent on Sunday while I was at Harrogate, and the interview ran a week or so ago. You can read it online here, if you're so inclined—among other things, I explain why it'll be another year or two before you see another Charlie Parker novel.
MUSIC BUSINESS My radio show, ABC to XTC, continues weekly whether I'm at home or not, through the wonders of technology. It airs on Internet radio station RTE 2XM on Tuesdays at 10 pm Dublin time, and repeats on Saturday nights at 9:00 Dublin time. You can listen back to the last four weeks' shows at any time through the RTE Player, and a complete log of playlists is on my own website. Meanwhile, the wonderful Mark Kozelek, whose latest album, AMONG THE LEAVES, takes its title from a passage in THE WHISPERERS, is touring later this year. I'll be doing my damnedest to make his Dublin date at the Button Factory on November 7th, but full details of all his tour dates can be found here. Do try to see him, as he's wonderful in concert, and a generally good bloke. Finally, Rocket 88 are taking orders for the signed edition of SPIRIT OF TALK TALK, a celebration of the band TALK TALK and the artwork of James Marsh. I've contributed a short piece to it, and a double tribute album, also titled, SPIRIT OF TALK TALK, will be released next month. Checking in from the road is always a challenge, but I do try to keep up with my Twitter feed (@jconnollybooks), and I respond to messages on the Facebook author page when I can. I hope to see many of you in person in the weeks ahead—excepting, of course, those of you under restraining orders, and I think you know who you are . . .
Very best wishes,
Dear Folks, I know, I know, you don't hear from me for months and now I won't go away. I promise I won't take up too much of your time, but I have news, real news, and you said you wanted to hear from me, and anyway I'm lonely and I need someone to talk to. Will you be my friend? Will you, will you...?
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel Award 
First and most time-sensitive, the kind and discerning panel of judges for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel Award have included THE BURNING SOUL in this year's shortlist. It's very flattering to be included in such illustrious company: NOW YOU SEE ME by S.J. Bolton, WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED by Chris Brookmyre, THE END OF THE WASP SEASON by Denise Mina, BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby, and BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson. Read more about the award and this year's candidates here. At this point, the judges have thrown it open for readers to cast their votes, between now and July 17. If you're so inclined, you can cast your vote here. The winner will be announced on Thursday, July 19, at the opening ceremonies of the 10th Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. As they say in all the best political circles, vote early and vote often...
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival The aforementioned festival, more familiarly known as Harrogate, is quickly becoming an event one cannot afford to miss. At least, I can't, as I've promised to be part of a couple of sessions there:
Friday, July 20 at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m. Tickets seem to be scarce, but if any remain, they're available here.
New Events: South Africa As I mentioned last month, I'll be in South Africa in early August, doing a series of events with the fine author and gentleman Jeffery Deaver, and the very first event for BOOKS TO DIE FOR. Several of these events are part of Johannesburg's second annual Bloody Book Week, which features events with authors Andrew Brown, Mark Gimenez and Dr. Rudolf Zinn as well.
Thursday, August 2, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Thursday, August 2, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Friday, August 3, 12:00 noon-1:00 p.m.
Friday, August 3, 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Friday, August 3, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 4, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Saturday, August 4, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 5, 10:00 a.m.
Monday, August 6, 6:00 p.m.
New Events: Ireland We have scheduled events in Belfast and Dublin for THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR. BOOKS TO DIE FOR events will include my co-editor, Declan Burke, and as many local contributors as we can wrangle . . .
Thursday, August 30
Friday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m.
BOOKS TO DIE FOR We're continuing to add new content to the BOOKS TO DIE FOR website, and have set up a Facebook page for reader comments, updates and bonus material. Drop by and tell us the book you think all crime fiction fans should read!
More to Come . . . And Don't Forget the Art Contest! Events for THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR elsewhere in Ireland and the U.K. are still being finalized, but they'll continue well into September. I leave October 3 for the United States, where events for BOOKS TO DIE FOR begin at Bouchercon in Cleveland, October 4-7. We'll announce those on the website and the Facebook page as they become available, but you'll probably get another email from me in early August, too. Finally, don't forget that we're still looking for images inspired by the Charlie Parker novels to include on a set of postcards that will be distributed at events for THE WRATH OF ANGELS. Details are here. Send your entries to contact@johnconnollybooks.com by July 31. In the meantime, be well, and good luck to any of you who might be competing in this year's Olympic Games. Seriously. You never know...
Best wishes,
Dear Folks, Solstice greetings to you, whether you are celebrating the summer or the winter, and a few bits of news for your edification and entertainment. If it's summer where you are, then the time is, apparently, right for dancing in the streets. Unless, like me, you dance like an ironing board, in which case you should probably just stay indoors. Nobody needs to see that. Seriously.
THE BURNING SOUL: Now in Paperback!
First, for those of you better at delayed gratification than I am, the paperback edition of THE BURNING SOUL goes on sale in the UK, Ireland, Australia and other places on Thursday, June 21 and in the United States on Tuesday, June 26. THE BURNING SOUL, if you're keeping score, is the tenth Charlie Parker novel, and finds Parker drawn against his will into the investigation of a young girl's disappearance. His client, Randall Haight, believes that he's a target of suspicion in the case; what his neighbors don't know is that, years ago, as a teenager, he and a friend killed another young girl. Now somebody has found out the truth about Randall...
THE WRATH OF ANGELS: Read the First Chapter!
For those of you who have already read THE BURNING SOUL and are impatient for the next entry, a reward. The first chapter of THE WRATH OF ANGELS, the eleventh Charlie Parker novel, is now online. THE WRATH OF ANGELS is something of a sequel to THE BLACK ANGEL, and follows the larger story of Charlie Parker as it has developed over the series, but particularly since the events of that book. Readers often ask whether they need to read the Charlie Parker novels in order. I generally say no, but THE WRATH OF ANGELS marks the return of some characters we have seen in earlier books, including The Collector (introduced in the novella "The Reflecting Eye") and one other of particularly nasty note. THE WRATH OF ANGELS will be published in Ireland, the U.K., Australia and South Africa on August 31, and in the U.S. on January 1, 2013. The gap between U.K. and U.S. publication dates is frustrating for some of you, I know, and I apologize—but it is part of a broader rebranding effort by my U.S. publishers, and will give you those extra months to reread the earlier books so that you'll be fully prepared. See how I look after you? Seriously, we will come up with some way to reward U.S. readers for their patience, probably in the form of additional content. Meanwhile, keep reading for more information about how you can be part of a special giveaway in conjunction with the U.K. publication of THE WRATH OF ANGELS.
THE WRATH OF ANGELS: The Contest Over the last year or so, I've been surprised, humbled and impressed by some extraordinary artwork inspired by the Charlie Parker novels, which readers have been kind enough to share via email and Facebook. Longtime readers and friends know that we often like to give away a little something extra with the books, as a reward to people who come to events and bookstores to buy the book in person. What I'd like to do for THE WRATH OF ANGELS is make up a small packet of postcards, using illustrations from artwork created by you, the readers. So between now and July 31, I invite the artists among you to submit original artwork inspired by the world of Charlie Parker to contact@johnconnollybooks.com, for use as an image on one of five postcards to be given away at signing events for THE WRATH OF ANGELS. We will choose five images (one per artist) to reproduce. Winners will be credited on their postcards, and each will receive $250 and a signed first edition of THE WRATH OF ANGELS (as well as a signed set of the postcards). We'll set up a gallery on the website and post the winners with the best of the runners-up, so everyone can see them. Please send your images as jpegs or PDF files. Images should be scalable to postcard size, which is approximately 4" x 6". Images can be in either color or black and white. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing your submissions! Once the Contest to which you are submitting your Artwork reaches its deadline, the Artwork becomes the property of Bad Dog Books, Ltd. Bad Dog Books, Ltd reserves the right to display, produce and exploit the Artwork as it deems fit. The Artwork will appear on promotional postcards and in the gallery on John Connolly's website only. For all Artwork used, the Artist's name will appear on the reverse side of all postcards and on the image that appears on the website.
BOOKS TO DIE FOR
On August 31 in the U.K. and October 2 in the U.S., my respective publishers will also be launching BOOKS TO DIE FOR, an anthology co-edited by Declan Burke and me that should provide any crime fiction fan's reading list for years to come. We asked 120 of the world's top crime writers to choose the one book—or one author—they believed all mystery fans should read before they died. The choices ranged far and wide, from old favorites (Poe, Doyle, Hammett, Christie) to books of which even we had never heard. Contributors include Mark Billingham, Michael Connelly, Val McDermid, Sara Paretsky, Kathy Reichs, and dozens of others whose work you should be reading, as well. BOOKS TO DIE FOR now has its own webpage, where we're updating content on a weekly basis, and invite you to recommend the books on your own must-read list. We'll also be putting up a Facebook page to let people connect there, so watch for that. The book—all 700+ pages of it—will be published as a hardback in both the UK and the US, and we're already lining up all kinds of appearances so you can get signed copies, including a big launch of the US edition at the Bouchercon mystery convention in Cleveland in October.
THE FACEBOOK PAGE(s) And speaking of Facebook . . . like many authors, I find myself in the awkward position of having two pages, when I can barely keep up with one. Because my working life is spent in front of a computer screen, I'm afraid I don't go online much for fun. My goofing-off time is spent in pubs and movie theaters, as far from the computer as I can get. So I've been treating my "personal" Facebook page as an author page—when I haven't been neglecting it disgracefully—and it's nagging at my conscience, especially since I have an author page that I try to look in on a couple of times a month, and is otherwise maintained by Minion Clair. The solution, it seems to me, is to combine the two pages into one single Facebook presence—and since the author page has no limit on the number of people who can "like" it, it makes sense to merge the smaller page into the larger one. So please don't be alarmed if you see that I've disappeared from your list of Facebook friends; it doesn't mean I don't like you, I swear. (Well, okay—maybe you.) You'll still be able to send me messages through the author page, though I can't promise I'll be any better about responding to them. Sorry! You can berate me via Twitter (@JConnollyBooks), which I do look at most days . . .
THE BURNING SOUL makes the Theakstons Longlist 
For eight years now, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award has been given (in partnership with Asda and in association with the Daily Mirror) to a British or Irish crime novel chosen by readers from a short list, which is in turn chosen by judges from a long list of worthy books. It is flattering and almost a little embarrassing to report that THE BURNING SOUL was among the novels on this year's longlist. The judges will announce the shortlist of six novels on July 5. If and when THE BURNING SOUL is part of that shortlist, I may come back to you to ask that you vote for THE BURNING SOUL online, as these votes will be used to determine the winner. The winner will be announced at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, July 19-22, where I will be a featured author (see Upcoming Events for details).
ON MATTERS MUSICAL: Talk Talk, Mark Kozelek, ABC to XTC, Etc. I've taken on several side projects this year, but a particular favorite is SPIRIT OF TALK TALK, a collection of essays that celebrate the legendary band. Illustrator and cover artist James Marsh has assembled the book, with artwork from the albums, original sketches, handwritten lyrics, photos and other ephemera. Contributors include rock music writer Chris Roberts, Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Duncan Sheik, Joan Wasser (of Joan as Police Woman) and dozens of others, as well as yours truly. A 2-CD tribute album will be released on September 3, more or less in conjunction with this book's publication; artists include Duncan Sheik, Joan as Police Woman, Sean Carey of Bon Iver, King Creosote and many more. While you are shopping for music, I commend to you AMONG THE LEAVES, the latest album by Mark Kozelek in his Sun Kil Moon incarnation. The title comes from a line in one of my books, which is tremendously flattering, especially since the album is magical, and the title track is particularly beautiful. My radio show, ABC to XTC, celebrates the punk, post-punk and electronic music of the 1980s weekly on RTE 2XM: 10:00 pm Dublin time on Tuesdays, with a rebroadcast at 9:00 pm on Saturday. If those times don't suit, you can catch up on the last four weeks' worth of shows via the RTE Player, and playlists are posted on my website, here.
UPCOMING EVENTS We're in the process of finalizing events in South Africa, Ireland and the U.K. for BOOKS TO DIE FOR and THE WRATH OF ANGELS in August and September; those will be posted to the website and the Facebook author page as soon as they're set, so check back in early to mid-July for details. I'll also be at the Edinburgh Festival in late August, in an event with Stuart Neville, at which advance copies of both THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR (to which Stuart also contributed) will be available:
Thursday, August 23 at 6:45 p.m. Before that, however, I will be at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, July 19-22:
Friday, July 20 at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m.
South Africa As I said, details of appearances in South Africa are still being finalized, but I will be involved in Johannesburg's Bloody Book Week, a series of crime writing talks and panels that will include a couple of events with the very wonderful Jeffery Deaver between Thursday August 2nd and Sunday August 5th. Keep an eye on the soon-to-be-updated Bloody Books website for more details. Thanks to all of you, as always, for your support, and especially to everyone who sent birthday greetings last month. Your kindness overwhelms the pain of aging, especially if you'll tell me how young I'm looking.
Best wishes for a happy summer or winter,
Dear Folks, Well, the great Atria Mystery Bus Tour has come to an end and nobody died, or killed anyone else. With that in mind, we can now offer the remaining copies of THE REFLECTING EYE special edition for sale to anyone who wants one, but be warned: we have only a limited number left, so put your order in fast! The books are small hardcovers printed without dust jackets, 5" x 7", bound in scarlet with mahogany spines and stamped in gold. They are numbered and signed by both me and the artist, David Wolfe. The text has been revised from the original story that appeared in Nocturnes, so this is the first-ever publication of the novella in its current form. Much more about this book, including its introduction, is here. As before, all profits from the book will go to the stores involved as a way of supporting independent bookshops, and orders are limited to TWO copies per customer. The stores involved will be happy to ship books anywhere in the world. In Ireland/the UK Because we have to ship the books from the US, the price for each copy will be 25 Euro, or 21 Pounds Sterling, plus mailing costs. The three Irish independent bookstores that will be taking care of customer orders are:
Gutter Bookshop
Alan Hanna's Bookshop
No Alibis In the US/Canada The book is priced at $30/copy.
Anne's Book Carnival
Booked for Murder
Book'Em Mysteries
Murder by the Book
The Mysterious Bookshop
Mysterious Galaxy
Mystery One
Mystery on Main Street
Once Upon a Crime
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Sleuth of Baker Street Please get in touch with your selected store as soon as possible so that we can figure out the logistics of shipping, and thanks in advance to those who are lucky enough to secure a copy: it'll make a lovely addition to your shelves but, more importantly, you'll not only be supporting independent bookstores, but expressing your faith in, and affection for, the printed book. Oh, and I nearly forgot: congratulations to Victoria L. Petty Nawrath, winner of the signed lettered edition of THE REFLECTING EYE, who wrote to say that what he/she would really like was a signed copy of . . . "THE LOVERS by John Connolly." Well, that's very flattering (and I honestly didn't mean for people to name a book of mine, and was a bit mortified that so many people did)—but I hope THE REFLECTING EYE will do! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.
Coming this Autumn: THE WRATH OF ANGELS and BOOKS TO DIE FOR If you're having a little trouble keeping up with the deluge of titles heading your way, I can only beg your pardon and ask you to imagine two manuscripts, four sets of page proofs (since the books are being published by both Hodder and Atria, in the UK and US respectively), and two publication schedules on opposite sides of the Atlantic. I shall have to start tattooing things on myself, like Guy Pearce in Memento . . .
THE WRATH OF ANGELS, the 11th Charlie Parker novel, will be published in the UK on August 30 and in the US on October 2, with copies likely to be available a little before August 30 in Ireland. A synopsis of this book, which is more or less a sequel to THE LOVERS, is now online, and we'll post an excerpt very shortly. BOOKS TO DIE FOR, the anthology co-edited by Declan Burke and myself, will also be published in the UK and Ireland on August 30 and in the US on October 2. We asked more than 120 of the world's best mystery authors to recommend their favorite crime novels, and have assembled those essays into a collection that every fan of the genre must have. Michael Connelly on The Little Sister, Sara Paretsky on Bleak House, Kathy Reichs on Silence of the Lambs, Ian Rankin on I Was Dora Suarez—it's the book for the reader who thinks he or she has already read everything. We are organizing a special event at Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention (Oct. 4-7), where we hope that many of the contributors will be available to sign the book, so stay tuned for more information about that.
Upcoming Events Later this month, I'll be checking in with the YA Book Club on Goodreads.com, which is reading THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS this month. I'll be answering questions there on May 15, so feel free to drop in and say hi! As mentioned previously, I'll be in Germany in June for the following events:
Monday, June 4 at 10:00 a.m.
Monday, June 4 at 11:50 a.m.
Tuesday, June 5 at 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 5 at 11:00 a.m.
And at the Edinburgh Festival in late August, although those details are still being finalized. You will also find me here:
Friday, July 20 at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, July 20 at 5:00 p.m.
October 4-7
And So On And now back to something resembling normal for a few weeks, I hope. Thanks to all who came out to say hello during the Bus Tour, which was really quite an extraordinary undertaking on the part of everyone involved. If you missed my daily reports from the road, they're all on the blog. Do stay in touch by Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to tune in to ABC to XTC, my weekly radio show on RTE 2XM. It airs on Tuesday nights at 10:00 pm Dublin time and again on Saturdays at 9:00 pm, but you can listen back to recent shows at any time through the RTE Player. Upcoming shows even include a few listener requests. See, I do listen to you . . . Thanks for your support, as always. Enjoy the summer (or the winter) as it begins, and remember: non-glare screens or not, in direct sunlight, paper books are easier to read.
Best wishes,
Dear Folks, Just a quick note to share some last-minute details before I leave the comforts of home and hearth for the better part of a month. During that month I hope to see many of you—at the events listed below—well, a lot of you, as some of you I'm not sure about. I've been reading Stephen King's Misery for the first time (don't know how it got away from me) and, frankly, I'm sure I've seen a disturbing gleam in the eyes of certain readers, and I don't want to be hobbled with a hammer, or have my feet amputated. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I really don't... Still, rest assured that you are never far from my thoughts, and the form for the restraining order stands ready in the kitchen drawer. Onward . . . The Atria Mystery Bus Tour 
The first order of business is, of course, the Atria Mystery Bus Tour, during which three fellow authors and I will tool around a fair amount of the United States in celebration of my U.S. publisher's 10th anniversary. I'm happy to be dropping in on some old friends, and even happier to be seeing some parts of the United States I've somehow missed during earlier trips. My companions on this trip will be William Kent Krueger, Edgar-award winning author of the Cork O'Connor series; bestselling Swedish author/publisher Liza Marklund, whose Annika Bengtzon series is being introduced to the U.S. with Red Wolf; and author/marketing maven M.J. Rose, whose latest, The Book of Lost Fragrances, is an IndieNext pick. We don't really know each other, so it will be quite the adventure, and possibly fodder for someone's future Ph.D. thesis in anthropology, as well as potentially the source of some form of police attention. ("And you say Mr Krueger hit you with a hammer because you took some of his Milk Duds, even though they weren't actually marked as his Milk Duds? But Mr Krueger claims that he is the only one on the bus who eats Milk Duds, and therefore they could ONLY have been his...") Details of stops are on the tour page, but we kick off in New York on April 12 and wind up in Chesterfield, Missouri on April 19. In between, we'll be stopping in Madison, CT; Framingham, MA; Brattleboro, VT; Albany, NY; Dayton, OH; Forest Park (Chicago), IL; Milwaukee, WI; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, MO; and Chesterfield (St. Louis), MO. If anything changes along the way, the Facebook author page and the Twitter feed (@JConnollyBooks) will be the best source of new information. If you come out for any of the tour events and take pictures that aren't gruesomely embarrassing, please share them on the Facebook page!
THE REFLECTING EYE—A Special Edition As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, I've organized a special limited edition of THE REFLECTING EYE, a Charlie Parker novella, specifically for this tour. I felt bad that I didn't have a new book to promote—THE INFERNALS comes out in trade paperback on April 10, and the hardcover of THE BURNING SOUL is still in bookstores, but you've already bought those books already, haven't you? (Er—haven't you? It's my accountant who's asking, you understand...) THE REFLECTING EYE was first published in 2004 as part of the NOCTURNES collection (which is still available, should you want to see it in its original form). It finds Charlie Parker between the events of THE WHITE ROAD and THE BLACK ANGEL, living with his partner, Rachel, in relative tranquility as they await the birth of their child. THE REFLECTING EYE introduces the character of the Collector, a shadowy figure who has appeared in several subsequent books, and plays a central role in THE WRATH OF ANGELS, the next Charlie Parker novel. It has never been published independently in English. Strange as it seems, almost eight years have passed since THE REFLECTING EYE was published. In that time, I hope I've learned a great deal more about Charlie Parker, the Collector, and writing itself. This being the case, I could not resist the opportunity to revisit this story—and so the version of THE REFLECTING EYE published in this limited edition differs from the version in NOCTURNES in several elements. (I hasten to add, there's nothing in this revised version that you'll need to know in order to appreciate THE WRATH OF ANGELS. But longtime readers may enjoy spotting the differences between the original and this version.) The point of the Atria Bus Tour, and of this limited edition, is to get people into their local independent bookstores—because if we ignore them, they will go away, and that would be an immeasurable loss for all of us. Therefore, this edition will be available for sale only to people who present themselves in person at these events, and purchases will be limited to two per customer. I do not want to see copies of this book, published at my own expense, on eBay or ABEBooks.com or (God forbid) Amazon Marketplace. We're not making money on this book: our price to the store just covers costs. It's socialism in action! "But wait!" you cry. "I don't live in Dayton, Ohio! I have to work during the day when you're in Chicago! How am I supposed to get to Vermont when I live in Australia?" Those of you who live outside the route of the Atria Bus Tour will have a chance to buy any remaining copies of THE REFLECTING EYE in May, after the tour is over. We'll publish detailed ordering information in the May newsletter. 
The limited edition is 7"x5" and clothbound in scarlet without a dust jacket, with a mahogany spine embossed in gold. It includes a woodcut illustration by noted Maine artist and bookbinder David Wolfe, and all copies are signed by the artist and me. This edition is limited to 700 copies, and priced at $30/copy. Separately, David Wolfe has run a set of 100 numbered prints of the illustration from THE REFLECTING EYE, signed by both David and me, which are available directly from him at $85/print. You can order prints through David's website, which is worth a visit in any case. And, because I'm generous like that, I'm giving away one of a handful of lettered, leatherette-bound editions of THE REFLECTING EYE as a prize. To enter, you don't have to answer a question as such, but just provide a little nugget of information: out of curiosity, just let me know one book that you'd love to own in an edition signed by its author. Simple as that. Answers, please, to contact@johnconnollybooks.com by April 30th. The competition is open to all.
In Other News In other news, THE BURNING SOUL will be available in paperback on June 21 in the UK and on June 26 in the US. The manuscript for the eleventh Charlie Parker novel, THE WRATH OF ANGELS, has been submitted to my British and American publishers, for release in late August/early September. Look for an excerpt and cover art to be posted to the website at the beginning of June. Essays are pouring in for BOOKS TO DIE FOR, the anthology I'm editing with Declan Burke about mystery novels the world's best crime fiction writers think you should read before you die. There have been some interesting choices, a number of great personal anecdotes, and the book will provide plenty of fodder for arguments (drunken or otherwise) with fellow readers. We'll share much more about this book in early summer, when it will have its very own website. For now, mark your calendars for late September/early October, when the book will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK and by Atria in the US. I'm still planning to be in Germany for some events in early June, but am waiting on details. I'll be at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate in July, and at the Edinburgh Festival in August, but details of those events are also pending. They'll be posted to the tour page once they're available, but the Facebook author page will always be the first source of breaking news. The weekly radio show, ABC to XTC, has changed its schedule. The Tuesday show now airs at 10:00 pm Dublin time on Tuesday night and at 9:00 pm Dublin time on Saturday night, on the Internet station RTE 2XM. Shows are available through the RTE player for 28 days after they air, and each week's playlist is posted on my website by the following week. Requests are always welcome, and upcoming shows may well include one or two. Send your suggestions to contact@johnconnollybooks.com, with a word or two about what the song or band means to you. I will use this information only for good, I promise. No judgments... Thanks, as always, for your interest and support. Please come say hello, if you live anywhere along the Bus Tour route, or stay in touch via Facebook and Twitter. I worry about you, you know. You don't eat enough...
Best wishes,
Dear Folks, What's rare is wonderful, they say, so a quick word to say I hope your year has started off well, and that spring (or autumn, as the case may be) is off to a gentle start in your part of the world. Many things going on, and much to report—including details of a very lovely signed edition of THE REFLECTING EYE—so off we go. Mind your heads, hands inside the car as the train leaves the station. No drinking, no smoking, and no inappropriate contact with members of either sex unless someone asks you nicely...
P-CON IX, QUAIS DU POLAR, AND THE ATRIA MYSTERY BUS TOUR Every year I say I won't be touring as heavily this year, or doing as much publicity, but this year I really mean it. I do. Honest. So, except for France, Germany, the UK, the US, a bunch of stuff in Ireland, and wherever else happens to insist upon my presence in 2012, I'm going to be as close to a hermit as makes no difference. You'll have forgotten that I ever existed. Hell, I'll have forgotten that I ever existed. Right (deep breath)...
So if you're in Dublin at the beginning of March, you can find me at the Ninth Annual Phoenix Convention, an Irish literary science fiction event happening at the Irish Writers' Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin 1. The program runs Saturday and Sunday, March 3 & 4, and I'll be on two panels on Saturday:
At the end of March, I'll be in Lyon, France at the international Quais du Polar festival, March 30—April 1. This link takes you to the program in French, but you'll find a link to a downloadable English-language version at the bottom of that page. I'll be doing two panels on Sunday, March 31: one at 11:00 a.m. on crime fiction as heir to the Western, with Belinda Bauer, C.J. Box, and Craig Johnson, and one at 3:00 p.m. about European writers who set their books in the U.S. and vice versa, with Lee Child, Chattam Maxime, Jonathan Rabb and Maud Tabachnik. In April, I'll be in the United States for 10 days for Atria's Great Mystery Bus Tour, USA, celebrating my U.S. publisher's tenth anniversary with my fellow authors William Kent Krueger, Liza Marklund, and M.J. Rose. We'll be making more than a dozen stops, and we'll have some special things for the nice people who come out to see us. It will be an adventure, to say the least.
Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 13 at 12:00 noon
Friday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 at 12:00 noon
Saturday, April 14 at 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Monday, April 16 at 12:00 noon
Monday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 17 at 12:00 noon
Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Details on the German tour, which will take in Cologne and Frankfurt during the first week of June, will follow in the next newsletter, as will further details about my appearances at Harrogate, the Edinburgh Festival, and various Irish dates. And then I really am home for a while. I swear. I've got books to write, you know... and a book to edit, of which more below...
THE REFLECTING EYE—A SPECIAL EDITION One of the main purposes of the Atria's Great Mystery Bus Tour is to encourage people to visit their local bookstore because, folks, if you don't give custom to local businesses then local businesses will cease to exist. Enough bookstores have closed already, and it's too late to do much to help them once they're gone. With that in mind, I've created a special signed edition of THE REFLECTING EYE, the Charlie Parker novella that featured in the NOCTURNES collection, and which has never appeared in hardback. It will be part-bound in leather, with a new introduction, and will feature a woodcut illustration by Maine's own David Wolfe, commissioned specially for the book. To begin with, THE REFLECTING EYE will ONLY be available at the bookstores that the tour bus is visiting, and can ONLY be purchased by people who attend in person, and we're limiting it to two copies per person. (As we're unlikely to be able to make a selling arrangement with the B&N stores that we're visiting, we'll take the email addresses of people who want to buy copies, and pass them on to one of the independent stores who will fulfill the order.) Here's the thing: I wanted this to be an affordable edition, something that people could add to their collection without breaking the bank, but I also wanted the booksellers to make a little money on it. Therefore, we're just charging the bookstores the cost of production for each book, and should be able to hold the price of the finished copy to no more than $30. For those of you who are already saying "But I don't live anywhere near those stores, and I don't know anyone who can go along and buy a copy for me!", any remaining copies will be sold afterwards, and we'll send out a short email with details of how to get your mitts on one after the bus tour has concluded. Now about the other books that will have my name on them this year...
BOOKS TO DIE FOR The first of these is BOOKS TO DIE FOR, which I am co-editing with my fellow author, critic and man-about-town Declan Burke. BOOKS TO DIE FOR is being described as "the most ambitious anthology of its kind yet attempted," and we think it's a book that every mystery lover will want on his or her bookshelf. We've asked more than 120 of the world's top crime writers to recommend the one book that all fans of crime fiction should read, and we've been overwhelmed, to put it mildly, at the response. The collection includes Michael Connelly on THE LONG GOODBYE, Sara Paretsky on BLEAK HOUSE, Ian Rankin on I WAS DORA SUAREZ, Kathy Reichs on THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and much, much more . . . BOOKS TO DIE FOR will be published more or less simultaneously this autumn by Hodder & Stoughton in the U.K. and Atria in the U.S., and will be launched at Bouchercon (the World Mystery Convention) in Cleveland in early October. It'll make a perfect Christmas gift for anyone who's ever asked, "What should I read next?" We'll provide further details over the coming months, including news of how you can get signed hardback copies.
THE WRATH OF ANGELS Meanwhile, I'm just finishing yet another draft of the 11th Charlie Parker novel, THE WRATH OF ANGELS. It'll be out in late August/early September, and I'll post an excerpt sometime in March. Check the Facebook author page for the link once it's live.
AND EVERYTHING ELSE That Facebook author page and my Twitter feed are the best ways to connect with me online, now that the website forum is honorably retired. My deepest thanks and best wishes to the lovely Jayne Doherty, who looked after it for so many years. Jayne is moving on to make wedding plans, and I wish her every happiness for the future. My personal Facebook page has hit its limit of 5,000 "friends," and the truth is I'm not very good at keeping up with it (as you may have noticed—sorry!). Over the next couple of months, I'll be phasing that page out and focusing on the author page, which sets no limits on the company I keep. The weekly radio show, ABC to XTC, continues on RTE 2XM every Tuesday morning and Saturday night. Shows are available through the RTE player for 28 days after they air, and each week's playlist is posted on my website by the following week. If you'd like to make a request—for a song, I mean, not something strange involving gimp masks or whips—then you can do so via Twitter or Facebook or, best of all, via contact@johnconnollybooks.com. If you can, let me know why the particular song or band means something to you. People like to hear these things, you know. They bring us closer together.
OH, AND SOME WORDS ON MARK KOZELEK, SUN KIL MOON, AND GENERAL FANBOY CHUFFEDNESS Last (but by no means least), I suggest that you all mark your calendars for May 29, which is the release date of Among the Leaves, the fifth full-length album by Sun Kil Moon, one of the musical incarnations of the gifted songwriter Mark Kozelek. The title of Among the Leaves comes, according to Mark himself, from a line in The Whisperers: "the shape of the next, almost invisible now among the leaves..." This would be flattering at any time, but is even more so considering my own longtime admiration of Mark's work; Red House Painters, another of Mark's projects, featured on Voices from the Dark, the companion CD to The Black Angel. If you haven't yet explored Mark's work, do yourself a favor and start as soon as possible. Retrospective by Red House Painters is a fine overview of that band's career, and Admiral Fell Promises, 2010's Sun Kil Moon album, is quite exquisite. Further details about the release of Among the Leaves, and Mark's other work, are available at www.sunkilmoon.com And I think that's enough to be going on with, for now. Thanks, as always, for your interest and support, and I look forward to seeing many of you—or at least some of you—in the months ahead.
Best wishes,
Dear Folks, Just a quick word at the end of the year to wish you all a very happy holiday season, and say thanks once again for all your support. It's been an unusually busy year, what with the two releases of HELL'S BELLS/THE INFERNALS six months apart, and the publication of THE BURNING SOUL around the English-speaking world in September. It feels as if I've spent most of the year on the road, and I'm very grateful for the warm welcome I got from readers, booksellers, and librarians along the way. Fair warning, then, that I plan to spend most of next year a little closer to home. In fact, I'll be keeping a very low profile indeed for the next three months, as I make headway on the next Charlie Parker novel, to be called THE WRATH OF ANGELS. I know it's really Charlie you want to see, anyway...
In addition to THE WRATH OF ANGELS, I'll also be co-editing a non-fiction anthology, of which more in the New Year. For now, it's just fun to tease you with the promise of things you can't have yet. Still, you're all adults, and you should be comfortable with delayed gratification by now. If you're not, you're probably reading this in jail...
Coming Up in 2012: Did I say I'd be staying closer to home next year? Well, I won't be entirely missing. If you have a new calendar, you can mark a few dates:
March 30 - April 1
April 12-19
July 19-22
October 4-7
ABC to XTC: The Year-End Special Thanks to everyone who wrote in to suggest songs for my special year-end edition of my radio show, ABC to XTC. Congratulations to Cathy Howe, the randomly selected winner of a Burning Soul t-shirt for her recommendation of Bonnie Raitt's "Love Me Like a Man." The shows featuring your choices of the best songs of the 1980s, will air on January 3/7 and January 10/14 on RTE 2XM, although as the list is quite long the specials may extend into a third week. In the meantime, a really nice festive edition of the show goes out for the first time on December 20, featuring Durutti Column, Kate Bush, Tom Waits, Galaxie 500 and all kinds of other seasonal goodies. Regular editions of ABC to XTC air online on RTE 2XM at 10:00 am GST on Tuesdays, and again at 9:00 pm on Saturday nights. If you're not near your computer at either of those times, you can now listen back at any time with the RTE Player, which can also be downloaded to your mobile device. Just choose "2XM," search for "ABC to XTC," and the past month of shows will be available for your listening pleasure!
And an Apology . . . Like almost every other author these days, I have a presence on Facebook—in fact, as I discovered not too long ago, rather too much of a presence. Somehow or other I wound up with two personal pages in addition to the Official Fan Page, which I encourage you all to "like." (Like me! Please like me!) One of those personal pages had been sadly neglected, and in fact overtaken by the other personal page, so we've deleted it. It doesn't mean we're not friends anymore! But the truth is that I have very little time to spend on Facebook, or even on keeping up with email. (My nearest and dearest will tell you it's hard enough to get a response out of me in person when I'm writing.) If you've sent me a personal message via Facebook, chances are good that I have not responded to it in a timely manner, or at all. I'm very sorry about that, but I can't promise that I'll do any better in the future. It's much easier for me to respond to quick comments on the fan page wall, or via Twitter, where you can find me at @jconnollybooks. Thanks for your forbearance and goodwill! That's all I have for now, except to say that I hope the God of your choice continues to bless you all on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever holidays you may be celebrating in your part of the world. A very happy 2012 to all of you, and special best wishes to the lovely Jayne, whom many of you know as my longtime forum administrator (and now administrator of the Facebook fan page), who is recovering from some surgery at the moment. I feel very fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I love, and it's all because of you. And you. And you. And especially you . . . okay, well, maybe not you. So thank you very much, and I'll see you next year.
Best wishes,
Dear Folks, Me again . . . yes, yes, I know, but after this newsletter I promise I'll leave you alone for a while. No, really. No restraining order necessary. But hey, what can I say: I missed you. Really. Feel the love. Not literally, obviously. That would just be odd . . .
Thanks to all the booksellers and readers in the U.S. who offered a warm welcome to THE BURNING SOUL and its author last month. Signed copies are still available at many of the stores I visited. If I didn't make it to your town, keep reading, because I'll be back for a longer tour for THE INFERNALS at the end of this month. This Library Police podcast touches on several of the topics I talked about on this tour—or if you'd prefer video, check out this interview with Sarah Swistak of central Pennsylvania's WTAJ or this live appearance from Portland's own Great Lost Bear, with Kathleen Shannon of WCSH.
But First! Two Nights with M.R. James Before I head back across the Atlantic, I'll be doing two special events in Belfast and Dublin in honor of that master of the ghost story, M.R. James. My good friend, the wise and witty Dr. Darryl Jones of Trinity College Dublin, has edited the definitive collection of M.R. James' ghost stories, and to mark the occasion we'll spend two evenings discussing M.R. James' lasting influence on many modern authors and filmmakers, including myself. Both events will feature a screening of some kind; details are pending for Dublin, but in Belfast the evening will include a screening of the classic 1968 BBC adaptation of "O Whistle and I'll Come to You," directed by Jonathan Miller and starring the late Michael Hordern. Lovely hardback first editions of the anthology will be available to be signed on each evening, suitable for Christmas gift-giving or your own collection (because no home should be without one).
Thursday, October 20 at 8:00 pm
Friday, October 21 at 7:00 pm
THE INFERNALS: Coming to the US soon!
Americans have many fine and admirable national traits, but even the most ardent patriot will admit that patience is not one of them. Thus I am glad, not to say relieved, to announce that their long wait for the sequel to THE GATES ends on October 18, when THE INFERNALS arrives in stores everywhere. This is the same book, barring some minor additions, that was released earlier this year in Ireland, the UK, and Australia as HELL'S BELLS. There's a nice new cover, too, and you can play "spot the changed cultural allusion" if you're bored. (Americans, for example, are unfamiliar with "wine gums.") For those of you who skipped over the description in an earlier newsletter, THE INFERNALS continues the adventures of young Samuel Johnson and his faithful dachshund, Boswell, as they flee the wrath of the demonic Mrs. Abernathy, still nursing her wounds after the events of THE GATES. In fact, this time around, Samuel and Boswell wind up within the vast wastelands of Hell itself, along with two confused policemen, an ice cream truck, and some very obnoxious dwarves.
Early reviews for the book have been more than generous; in fact, I'm two-for-two from Kirkus Reviews this year, which makes me a bit nervous. They called THE INFERNALS "brilliantly funny, often touching, with enough action to keep adventure fans on the edges of their chairs, this novel combines top-notch writing with cutting wit." And the discerning critics at Publishers Weekly said THE INFERNALS was "a joy to read . . . Despite the terrors of Hell, this highly enjoyable, often funny adventure is buoyed by optimism and the possibility of grace." Much obliged, with perhaps a little blushing, and some abashed shuffling of feet. Readers who come to events for THE INFERNALS will receive special souvenir packets of buttons with designs from the book. A limited number of these will be available at each store on the tour, so if you pre-order a book, ask whether they can send you a packet of buttons as well. We'll also be raffling one limited edition THE BURNING SOUL t-shirt at each of the formal events, because we just can't stop giving.
Wednesday, October 26 at 12:00 noon—Seattle, WA
Thursday, October 27 at 12:30 pm—Portland, OR
Thursday, October 27 at 7:00 pm—Portland, OR
Friday, October 28 - Sunday, October 30—San Diego, CA
Monday, October 31 at 7:00 pm—San Diego, CA
Wednesday, November 2 at 1:00 pm—Thousand Oaks, CA
Thursday, November 3 at 7:00 pm—San Mateo, CA
Friday, November 4 at 7:00 pm—Scottsdale, AZ
Saturday, November 5 at 4:30 pm—Houston, TX
Sunday, November 6 at 4:00 pm—Austin, TX
Monday, November 7 at 5:30 pm—New Orleans, LA
Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00 pm—Alpharetta, GA
Thursday, November 10 at 7:00 pm—Asheville, NC
Friday, November 11 - Saturday, November 12—Muskego, WI
Sunday, November 13 at 1:00 pm—New York, NY
Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00 pm—Portland, ME
Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 pm—Milford, NH
Friday, November 18 - Saturday, November 19—Miami, FL
Oh, and One More Thing . . . The episode of "Celebrity Masterchef" featuring five Irish authors as part of the celebration of Dublin's status of a UNESCO City of Literature will air on BBC1 on October 19 at 2:15 pm. Episodes are available online after the airdate in some regions, so you can see John Boyne, Eoin Colfer, Cathy Kelly, Sinead Moriarty and myself eat and drink and act like gourmets with the City of Dublin's Jane Alger at your leisure. ABC to XTC, my weekly celebration of all things New Wave, punk and synth, continues on RTE 2XM on Tuesday mornings and Saturday nights. In fact, in preparation for my year-end show, a question: what's your one favorite song from 1977-89, and why? Send your choice to contact@johnconnollybooks.com before October 31, and we'll draw one name at random at the end of the month for a special, limited edition THE BURNING SOUL t-shirt. Thank you! Thanks, as always, for your support, and your messages and comments on the Facebook fan page and Twitter. Hope to see many of you in the weeks ahead. Be well—and happy Halloween!
Best wishes,
Dear Folks,
Just a quick note between the UK and US legs of THE BURNING SOUL tour, to say thanks to everyone who came out to the events in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, and special thanks to the booksellers who welcomed me along the way. Thanks to their support (and yours), THE BURNING SOUL hit the Sunday Times bestseller list last week at No. 3, and went straight to No. 1 in Ireland. The reviews, too, have been very kind: the notoriously fastidious Kirkus Reviews called it "an intelligent, plausible thriller, both harrowing and memorable." Let the celebrations begin! In fact, I have no doubt that celebrations will occur in St. Louis late this week, as Bouchercon (the World Mystery Convention) starts on Thursday and runs through the weekend. If you're there, please keep an eye out, and say hello if you see me.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Kavanagh of Arklow, County Wicklow, and Joe O'Leary of Maynard, Massachusetts, who were the lucky winners of signed copies of THE BURNING SOUL because they knew that Charlie Parker's dog was named Walter. Almost 90 people knew the answer to that question and took the time to write in—so thanks very much to all who entered the contest, and we'll obviously have to come up with a more difficult question next time... I managed to lose my phone on tour in the UK, but thanks to all who Tweeted and left kind messages on the Facebook fan page, and apologies for not being able to respond in a timely manner. When I do have my phone, Twitter and Facebook are really the only way to communicate with me, so I'm replacing the little machine, and will do better in future if I can. To save us all some time, however, I'm posting the most common question I've gotten in the last two weeks—apart from "Does it make your hand hurt?", which, frankly, can be taken any number of ways—with the answer:
Q: Are you coming to [my hometown]? We'll post reminders to Twitter and the Facebook fan page page as I go, but this is the whole tour. I'll be back in the US from late October through mid-November for THE INFERNALS, and we'll send that schedule out at the beginning of October; but in the meantime, I'm not keeping anything secret, so if you don't see your town on this list, I'm sorry! Until I master the art of bilocation, I can only be in one place at a time...but if you'd like a sample, you can listen to my radio interview with John McCarthy on BBC Radio 4's Excess Baggage program here, or watch my chat with the lovely Siobhan and Mark on Ireland:AM here. There's even a free sample of the US audio recording of THE BURNING SOUL, read by George Guidall, here.
Thursday - Sunday, September 15-18
Monday, September 19 at 7:00 pm—Denver, CO
Tuesday, September 20 at 7:00 pm—Longmont, CO
Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 pm—Chicago, IL
Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 pm—Minneapolis, MN
Friday, September 23 at 7:00 pm—New York, NY
Saturday, September 24, 10:00 am - 5:30 pm—New York, NY
Monday, September 26 at 7:00 pm—West Chester, PA
Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00 pm—State College, PA
Wednesday, September 28 at 7:15 pm—Portland, ME The last U.S. event for THE BURNING SOUL will be a celebration at www.greatlostbear.com, the bar that employs Charlie Parker when he needs the extra income. Books signed there will have a special GLB stamp, and everyone who buys a book at the event will receive a free BURNING SOUL/Great Lost Bear t-shirt. While supplies last, these shirts will also be available with books ordered in advance from Portland's Longfellow Books, 207-772-4045, which will serve as bookseller for this event. Quantities will be limited, so place your order early! The full US tour schedule for THE INFERNALS will be posted to the website later this month, and will go out in a newsletter at the beginning of October. Stay tuned! Finally, don't forget the October events in Dublin and Belfast to celebrate the publication of the Oxford University Press's definitive edition of the collected ghost stories of M.R. James, edited by the erudite, and all round good egg, Dr. Darryl Jones of Trinity College Dublin. Each event will include a screening of the classic 1968 BBC adaptation of "O Whistle and I'll Come to You," directed by Jonathan Miller and starring the late Michael Hordern, followed by a chat about ghosts and ghost stories between Dr. Jones and my good self. If you've never seen "O Whistle...", you must, and if you have seen it, then you'll want to see it again. In Belfast, I believe there will also be the option of attending a further screening of "Night of the Demon," Jacques Tourneur's 1957 film of the James story "The Casting of the Runes." Lovely hardback first editions of the anthology will be available to be signed on each evening, and they'll make fantastic Christmas presents. Every reader should have an anthology of M.R. James in his or her house. You have been warned! Thanks, as always, for your support, and I hope to see many of you in the US in the weeks ahead. Well, most of you. Okay, some of you. You know who you are . . . Best wishes,John
 August 2011
Dear Folks, 
While those of you in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy summer—unless, like me, you live in Ireland, in which case you simply coat yourself in waterproof sealant and hope for the best—here in my writing garret it's just work, work, work, and it's all for you. Just when I think I can't give any more, I somehow find another reserve of givingnessitude upon which to draw (hey, if Shakespeare and Sarah Palin can make up words...). I just have too much love for you all. It's a blessing and a curse.
So, as I beaver away on the as-yet-untitled 11th Parker novel, and another project about which I cannot yet speak for fear of jinxing it, preparations are underway for the release of the tenth Parker book, THE BURNING SOUL, in stores in Ireland, the UK and Australia on September 1, and in the U.S. and Canada on September 6. That starts what promises to be a very busy autumn indeed, with short tours of the UK and the US, several special events, a conference or two, and maybe even some giveaways along the way. Much to convey and much to discuss, so keep reading... 
THE BURNING SOUL 
Twelve years ago, Charlie Parker left the New York Police Department after the murder of his wife and daughter, and began a journey that has uncovered things he couldn't have imagined about the world and himself. Those revelations continue in THE BURNING SOUL, which the kind and discerning souls at Kirkus Reviews have called "an intelligent, plausible thriller, both harrowing and memorable."
As a teenager, Randall Haight and a friend murdered a 12-year-old girl. Tried and sentenced as an adult, Haight got a new name and a new life upon his release. He wound up in the small coastal town of Pastor Bay, Maine. Now, almost 30 years later, another young girl has disappeared... and someone knows Randall Haight's secret. Parker reluctantly agrees to look for the blackmailer, but can't help being drawn into the larger search for 14-year-old Anna Kore. He doesn't want to keep Randall Haight's secrets—but he doesn't know all of those secrets himself. I'm hoping THE BURNING SOUL will reward longtime readers, while being accessible to readers who are new to the series. It's similar in tone, perhaps, to THE UNQUIET, but I very consciously set out to write a book that used violence very sparingly, and relied more on a sense of threat and unease. It's a book about identity, I suppose, and you can read an excerpt from it here.
BUT FIRST! You read more than two books a year, don't you? Of course you do. And because you do, you will be interested to know that I'll be at the Gutter Bookshop on Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 pm to help launch ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL, the new book by Declan Burke, man-about-town and host of the essential Crime Always Pays blog. Mr. Burke, who edited the fine anthology DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS (about which more anon), describes ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL as "a whimsical black comedy about blowing up hospitals," and the brilliant Scott Phillips called it "A harrowing and yet hilarious examination of the gradual disintegration of a writer's personality." Come along and say hi. There'll be wine! If you can't make it to the launch, you can order a signed book directly from the Gutter Bookshop. They ship all over the world. John will also be in Norway for the release of the Norwegian translation of DARK HOLLOW. Tuesday, August 16 at 7:00 pm John Connolly in conversation with Jo Nesbø Litteraturhuset, in Amalie Skram Wergelandsveien 29 Oslo, Norway 22 95 55 30 www.litteraturhuset.no
THE NEVERENDING TOUR, IRELAND/UK The Irish launch of THE BURNING SOUL will happen at Easons, O'Connell Street, Dublin at 7:30pm on Monday August 29th. This will be the ONLY Irish event for the book due to its near-simultaneous publication worldwide, and may take the form of a public interview. Easons have been great supporters of my work ever since EVERY DEAD THING, and this is the first opportunity I've had to do an event like this for them. As always, if you're not able to get to any of the tour events, your best source for signed copies of THE BURNING SOUL will be my two "home" stores: The Gutter Bookshop in Dublin and No Alibis in Belfast. Both have already begun to accept orders, both will have hardback first editions and, as always, we'll include a little extra something with their books as a thank you for supporting independent booksellers. Oh, and do check out details of the special event in Maine on Wednesday, September 28th, should you happen to be in that part of the world, or fancy bagging a t-shirt!
Monday, August 29 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, September 1 at 6:00 pm
Friday, September 2 at 12:30 pm
Friday, September 2 at 6:00 pm
Saturday, September 3 at 12:00 noon
Saturday, September 3 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 4 at 12:00 noon
Sunday, September 4 at 4:00 pm
Monday, September 5 at 12:30 pm
Monday, September 5 at 7:00 pm
Tuesday, September 6 at 11:00 am
Tuesday, September 6 at 1:00 pm
Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 7 at 12:30 pm
Wednesday, September 7 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, September 8 at 12:30 pm
Thursday, September 8 at 5:00 pm
Thursday, September 8 at 7:00 pm
Friday, September 9 at 12:30 pm
Friday, September 9 at 6:00 pm
Sunday, October 2 at 11:00 am
THE NEVERENDING TOUR, USA The US tour for THE BURNING SOUL is quite short, but will be followed by a longer stay in October—November, after the publication of THE INFERNALS (the sequel to THE GATES, published elsewhere as HELL'S BELLS.) Details of that tour will be posted to the website in September, and will be included in a later newsletter. 
Note that I'll be part of "Down These Green Streets," a day-long showcase of Irish crime writing at New York University's Glucksman Ireland House on Saturday, September 24. This is a program dear to my heart, co-sponsored by Glucksman Ireland House and Imagine Ireland, an initiative of Culture Ireland. Several of the contributors to DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS will discuss various aspects of Irish crime writing; confirmed participants will include Declan Burke, Declan Hughes, Arlene Hunt, Stuart Neville, and Professor Ian Ross of Trinity College, as well as myself. We're confirming a couple of other Irish authors, and more details will be coming in September's newsletter.
Thursday—Sunday, September 15-18
Monday, September 19 at 7:00 pm
Tuesday, September 20 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 pm
TWO SPECIAL EVENTS: HALLOWEEN WITH M.R. JAMES When people ask me—as they sometimes do—about my influences, a name that always comes up is M.R. James. Then people say, "Elmore James?" and I have to explain that no, it's M.R. James, the Oxford scholar who is now best remembered as the author of some of the creepiest ghost stories ever written. M.R. James' short stories were a direct influence on several of the pieces in my own NOCTURNES, and the stories are just as frightening now as they were when he first read them aloud on a Christmas Eve at the turn of the last century. My friend Dr. Darryl Jones, a gentleman and scholar in his own right, has edited the definitive COLLECTED GHOST STORIES by M.R. James, to be published in October by Oxford University Press, 528 pages of sheer shudder-inducing wonderfulness. To celebrate, I am delighted to join him for two special Halloween events to celebrate this book, each of which will include a screening of the classic 1968 BBC adaptation of "O Whistle and I'll Come to You," directed by Jonathan Miller and starring the late Michael Hordern. If you've never seen it, you must, and if you have seen it, then you'll want to see it again. In Belfast, I believe there will also be the option of attending a further screening of "Night of the Demon," Jacques Tourneur's 1957 film of the James story "The Casting of the Runes." Lovely hardback first editions of the anthology will be available to be signed at each event, and they'll make fantastic Christmas presents. Every reader should have an anthology of M.R. James in his or her house. You have been warned!
Thursday, October 20 at 8:00 pm
Friday, October 21 at 7:00 pm
THE ONLINE CONVERSATION Several years ago, back in what seems like the early days of the Internet, I set up a discussion forum on my website so readers could talk to each other—and to me—about my books, other books, and anything else they liked. We were on the cutting edge, right up there with 8-track tape and Betamax, or so it now seems. Over the years the forum has been a lively place, moderated with grace and humor by the wonderful Jayne, and I'm not the only one who's made lasting friends there. Since the forum's creation, however, the rest of the world has discovered how much fun it is to chat online, and now we have a rather bewildering array of choices about how we do that. Although several stalwart members have stayed loyal to my forum, the vast majority of readers are now hanging out in places like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google Circles, LinkedIn and other places I don't even know the names of. All of this presents a serious dilemma for an author such as myself, whose computer time is devoted, as much as possible, to writing. I'm not revealing any secrets when I say I love to talk to readers. After all, I spend about a third of the year on tour, meeting readers in bookstores and at conferences and other events. But that makes it even more important that I get my writing done when I'm at my desk. There's a certain irony in the fact that the electronic message I get most often, by Facebook, Twitter, email, etc., is "When is the next book coming out?" My only possible response is, "I'm writing as fast as I can." Since I am, I have to be pretty strict with myself about the time I spend online. Twitter works well for me, since the 140-character limit allows for speedy hit-and-runs; Tweet at me and you're likely to get a response, short and sweet though it may be. The Facebook fan page, too, has been an easy place for me to check in, respond to quick questions and see what everyone else is talking about. The fan page includes a tab for discussions—so I've made the decision to shut down my own website forum, in hopes that the lively debate that once flourished there will be revived on the Facebook fan page. Jayne will serve as moderator there as well. As the Facebook fan page becomes more active, I'm going to spend less and less time on my personal Facebook page, with the goal of phasing it out altogether over time. That page is getting very close to the "friends" limit Facebook imposes, and if you've sent me a message through that page, you know how long it can take to get a response. I'm simply not able to keep up with it, and rather than delegate that task to a minion—as some authors do—I'd rather be honest about my own limitations, and communicate with you directly when I can. For now, the ways I feel best able to do that are on tour, through the fan page, and on Twitter. You'll occasionally see items on both the Facebook fan page and the Twitter feed that aren't posted by me. These will always be identified by the initials of the poster—either Jayne [JD], or my US publicist, Clair Lamb [CL], or, on rare occasions, my webmaven, Maddee James [MJ]. These are most likely to be administrative in nature: announcements of events, reminders about the radio show, and so forth. Otherwise, you can be confident that the wild-eyed rants and indiscreet mutterings are all my own. Thank you all for your patience and goodwill as I navigate this process. Your reward, I hope, will be a steady, uninterrupted stream of new books to read—and isn't that what you really want, anyway? Thanks to Jayne for having taken such good care of the forum, and to all the members who have visited over the years. I hope you'll all come over and continue the conversation on the Facebook page.
AND IN OTHER NEWS: NEW EDITIONS 
I always say that THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS is a children's book for adults, rather than really a book for children, but young people find their own truths in it. That pleases me very much, and I'm delighted that my U.S. publishers are issuing a new paperback edition, especially for children, at the end of this month. It's the first time the book has been available in the U.S. in a mass-market paperback edition, so if you've been waiting for a more affordable copy, here's your chance. The cover art is quite wonderful, too.
Simon & Schuster's Children's Books will also be releasing a new mass-market paperback edition of THE GATES, just to give American readers one last chance to read the first Samuel Johnson adventure before the sequel, THE INFERNALS, comes out in October. There will be a quiz...
DON'T SAY I NEVER GIVE YOU ANYTHING And now, just to make sure you still like me, a giveaway. I'll give away signed first editions of THE BURNING SOUL to two lucky readers, chosen at random, who can tell me the name of Charlie Parker's dog. Send your responses to contact@johnconnollybooks.com before August 31, and please don't enter if you've won something from me in the past 12 months, because you're just too darned lucky and you should really be spending your time filling out lottery tickets instead. And that's all I've got for now. Well, it's not all I've got, but this newsletter's already nine pages, and did I mention I was writing a book? Hope to see many of you next month, and if you can't get there in person, you can find me online (as above) on Twitter and Facebook. The radio show continues as well—ABC to XTC, Tuesdays and Saturdays on RTE 2XM. RTE will shortly be introducing a playback option that lets you listen to shows you've missed, but in the meantime you can check out the archived shows here. Thanks, as always, for your support, and I hope the rest of the season—summer or winter, as the case may be—treats you well. The sun's always shining somewhere or, if you live in Ireland, the sun is always shining somewhere else... Best wishes, John
June 2011
Dear Folks, 
The official tour for HELL'S BELLS ended on Friday, with a last appearance under the Big Top, appropriately enough, at Listowel Writers' Week. Thanks to everyone who came out to say hello, and to the valiant booksellers and reps who smoothed my path along the way—and most of all to Kerry Hood, who has publicized my books for Hodder since the very beginning, and without whom, as I have said more than once, I would be very lost indeed.
If you missed the tour, signed copies of HELL'S BELLS (with button badges!) are still available from these fine booksellers: Goldsboro Books 23-25, Cecil Court London WC2N 4EZ| Tel: +44 (0) 207 497 9230 www.goldsborobooks.com Gutter Bookshop Cow's Lane, Temple Bar Dublin Tel: +353 (0) 1 6799206 www.gutterbookshop.com No Alibis Books 83 Botanic Avenue Belfast BT7 1JL Tel: +44 (0) 28 9031 9601 www.noalibis.com BUT WAIT—THERE'S MORE!
While I think people have seen just about enough of me for a while, I will be making one last appearance tomorrow at The Gutter Bookshop at 6:00 p.m. for a very special event: the launch of DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS: Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century, a collection of essays edited by Declan Burke and including contributions from just about every important name in the Irish mystery world. Tomorrow night's event will feature Eoin Colfer, who's officially launching the book (and has just written his own mystery novel for adults, PLUGGED), as well as Mr. Burke and contributors Tana French, Ken Bruen, Arlene Hunt, Declan Hughes, Gene Kerrigan, Alan Glynn, Alex Barclay, Eoin McNamee, Brian McGilloway, Niamh O'Connor, Jane Casey and Gerard Brennan. Oh, and me. We'll all be signing softcovers and a very limited number of hardcover copies of the book. Softcovers are €19.99, hardcovers are €25 while supplies last.
Signed books, including a limited number of hardcovers, will also be available from the fine No Alibis bookstore in Belfast, which is hosting its own launch on June 18 at 6:00 p.m.. If you want to attend that event, book your spot in advance, as they expect it to fill up. I won't be there, sad to say, but many of the book's contributors will be, including a few who won't be able to get to Dublin. DON'T MISS ME... And that's it for me for a couple of months, while I get a real start on the next book. But chin up! You can catch me every week on RTE's digital radio station RTE 2XM, where ABC to XTC, my celebration of the music of the 1980s, airs on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. BST and again on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. BST. Keep an eye out, too, for the episode of "Celebrity Masterchef" featuring several prominent Irish writers and myself, celebrating Dublin's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature. Not sure yet when that will air, but I will announce it on the Facebook fan page, Twitter, and the website forum. Those three places are, in fact, the best way to keep up with any new appearances, interviews, etc. Finally, apologies to anyone who turned up at the Hay-on-Wye Festival expecting to see me. There was some confusion over dates, and the organizers should have removed me from the programme, but didn't. Any inconvenience or disappointment caused is very much regretted. Have a wonderful summer, folks—or winter, as the case may be—and don't forget to do your summer/winter reading. I'll quiz you when I get back... Best wishes, John
April 2011
Dear Folks, It's summer, when most people's thoughts turn to holidays, and warm days spent with glasses of cheap plonk on the patio. On the other hand, my thoughts turn to children's events in Leicester, and how much wine Londoners can drink over ninety minutes. A lot, I suspect. Anyway, only a few days until HELL'S BELLS hits the shelves in Ireland, soon to be followed by appearances in stores in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and anywhere except Canada and the US, where all you nice people will have to wait until October for the slightly different THE INFERNALS. To make it up to you, we'll have a special little gift just for you. Because we love you. Really. You're lovely . . . Until then . . .
Where to Buy HELL'S BELLS
Keep reading for a list of places I'll be making appearances and signing books—but you can always order signed or inscribed copies from the very fine Gutter Bookshop in Dublin and No Alibis in Belfast. In the U.K, Goldsboro Books will also have signed copies and the special bonus giveaway items, while supplies last. Independent bookstores are great, so keep them in mind.
For UK and Irish readers wishing to buy HELL'S BELLS, it will be available in some but not all Waterstone's, in their children's sections. It's very much down to the discretion of the individual shops and their children's books specialists, so please do ask them if you can't find it. Otherwise, you can buy it through Amazon or another online retailer; or you can support the independent booksellers who have taken the book to heart. They're listed on the tour schedule, and all will be happy to secure a signed or dedicated copy of the book for you, complete with the limited edition set of badges, and mail it to wherever you are. I'm very fond of HELL'S BELLS, by the way. It's a little darker than THE GATES—well, it is set in Hell, after all—and a bit more epic in scale, insofar as a book that features a band of dwarfs masquerading as elves while traveling through the infernal wastelands in an ice-cream van that permanently plays "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?" can be considered epic. So, not very epic then, but still . . .
Special Bonus Giveaway Items! What's that? Caught that mention of "special bonus giveaway items," did you? Free stuff? I could be advertising free contagious diseases and some of you would still sign up, as long as you were sure they were free. Nevertheless, while supplies last, I will be giving away sets of four custom-designed button badges, featuring images inspired by the book.    
No, I'm not going to explain the ice cream cone with devil's horns. You'll just have to read the book. Quantities of these badges are very limited, and once they're gone, they're gone . . .
Where I'll Be (with the Bonus Giveaway Items) Events for HELL'S BELLS begin in Dublin, continue in the UK, and conclude with an appearance at the Listowel Writing Festival at the end of the month. IRELAND, NORTH AND SOUTH Thursday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. A Series of Unfortunate Events, No. 1 Featuring John Connolly and Derek Landy Eason & Co. 40 Lower O'Connell Street Dublin 2 01 858 3800 info@eason.ie Friday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. Event with Brian McGilloway No Alibis 83 Botanic Avenue Belfast 028 9031 9607 david@noalibis.com Saturday, April 30, 2:00—3:00 p.m. Informal signing—bring the kids! Gutter Bookshop Cow's Lane, Temple Bar Dublin +353 (0) 1 6799206 info@gutterbookshop.com Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. Peregrine Readings Series with Kevin Barry and Alex Barclay Irish Writers' Centre Parnell Square Dublin 1 +353 1 8721302 info@writerscentre.ie Wednesday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. Waterstone's Bookstore 69 Patrick St. Cork +353 21 4276522 manager@cork.waterstones.com Wednesday May 4 at 7:00 p.m. Peregrine Readings Series with Kevin Barry and Alex Barclay The City Library John's Quay Kilkenny +353 (0) 56 7794160 Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Peregrine Readings Series with Kevin Barry and Alex Barclay Shannon Oaks Hotel St. Joseph's Road Portumna, Co. Galway +353 (0)90 974 1777 There will also be quick drop-in signings on the 5th and 6th at O'Mahony's Bookshop, Limerick; Eason, Limerick; The Ennis Bookshop, Ennis, Co Clare; Hughes & Hughes, Ennis, Co. Clare; Dubray Bookshop, Galway; and Eason, Galway. If you'd like to reserve a signed or dedicated copy, just let the bookstore in question know and the staff will do the rest. You'll also get your button badges! Thursday, June 2 at 6:30 p.m. Listowel Writers' Week The Arms Hotel Ballroom Listowel Arms Hotel Listowel, Co. Kerry +353 68 21500 Admission: € 15/€ 12; registration information Friday, June 3 at 10:00 a.m. Listowel Writers' Week—Children's Programme John Connolly presents HELL'S BELLS "Big Top," Fossett's Circus, Market Place Listowel, Co. Kerry Free of charge—no booking required! ENGLAND & SCOTLAND Friday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m. Goldsboro Books 23-25 Cecil Court London +44 (0) 207 497 9230 Saturday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. Waterstone's 153-157 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow 0843 290 8345 Sunday, May 15 at 2:00 p.m. Blackwell's 52-63 South Bridge Edinburgh 0131 622 8222 Monday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. Seven Stories Ouseburn Valley Newcastle upon Tyne 0845 2710777 Tuesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. Carlisle Library 11 Globe Lane Carlisle, Cumbria 01228 227310 Wednesday, May 18 at 5:00 p.m. Waterstone's 91-93 Deansgate Manchester 0843 290 8485 Thursday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. "The Killer Inside You: Horror in Crime Fiction" A Twisted Tales event with John Connolly, Steve Mosby and Charlie Williams Tickets #2, redeemable against the purchase of a horror or crime novel that night Waterstone's Liverpool One 12 College Lane Liverpool 0151 709 9820 manager@liverpoolone.waterstones.com Friday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. Waterstone's Unit 32-33 Castle Quay Centre Banbury 0843 290 8127 Monday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Swindon Central Library Regent's Circus Swindon 01793 463238 Tuesday, May 24 Waterstone's 1/5 Bridlesmith Gate Nottingham 0843 290 8525 Thursday, May 26 Jarrolds 5 London Street Norwich 01603 660661
A Look at THE BURNING SOUL While HELL'S BELLS is foremost in my mind, I know that some of you are already tapping your fingers, just waiting for the next Charlie Parker novel. You'll have to wait until September, but in the meantime, my UK publishers have come up with a rather stunning cover...
Randall Haight has a secret: when he was a teenager, he and his friend killed a 14-year-old girl.
Randall did his time and built a new life in the small Maine town of Pastor's Bay, but somebody has discovered the truth about Randall. He is being tormented by anonymous messages, haunting reminders of his past crime, and he wants private detective Charlie Parker to make it stop. But another 14-year-old girl has gone missing, this time from Pastor's Bay, and the missing girl's family has its own secrets to protect. Now Parker must unravel a web of deceit involving the police, the FBI, a doomed mobster named Tommy Morris, and Randall Haight himself. Because Randall Haight is telling lies... THE BURNING SOUL will be available in Ireland, the UK and Australia on September 1, and in the US on September 6.
The Radio Show My tribute to the music of the 1980s, ABC to XTC, continues on RTE 2XM on Tuesdays and Saturdays—and through the miracle of technology, the show plays even when I myself am not in Dublin. Tune in on May 10/14, when author, playwright and legendary man-about-town Declan Hughes may drop in to make the case for why Rush should not be denied an entry visa into Ireland. That's if we can work it into his busy schedule. Our people are talking to his people at this very moment, so it'll go to the wire, I'm afraid. If he can't make it, though, I'll try to find something suitably fantastic with which to replace him, but it won't be the same. It's Hughes or nothing, really. The show airs online at 10:00 a.m. GMT on Tuesdays and 9:00 p.m. GMT on Saturdays. If you miss it, playlists are available shortly after the rebroadcast on the Radio Show page.
The Discussion Forum—New! Improved! Coming Soon! Forum members may already have noticed a few changes to the format—the addition of my Twitter feed, for example, and some tweaks to the template that go along with much-needed security updates. More changes are coming within the next week or two, as we consolidate the number of discussion topics and archive old threads to make the forum easier to navigate and possibly less intimidating to newcomers. The archives will still be available, and no private messages should be lost. New features to come will include giveaways, a possible revival of the book club, and maybe even some visits from other authors. Thanks again to everyone who made suggestions, and to everyone who participates in the forum.
These People Have Just Eaten Well . . . As part of the celebration of Dublin's status as a UNESCO City of Literature, the BBC's "Celebrity Masterchef" came to Dublin and challenged three celebrity chefs to feed five demanding authors and the lovely Jane Alger, director of Dublin's UNESCO activities. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything more prior to transmission of the show this summer or I'll be killed, but contemplating a bit of a lie down, and maybe a small brandy to settle their digestion, are (from left) Jane Alger, John Boyne, Sinead Moriarty, yours truly, Eoin Colfer, and Cathy Kelly.
But Wait! There's More! DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS, a book of essays, interviews and one or two pieces of short fiction, edited by Declan Burke with an introduction by Michael Connelly, and published by Liberties Press, will be formally launched in June with two events. The first will be at The Gutter Bookshop, Dublin on the evening of June 7. The second, with a stronger emphasis on contributors from Northern Ireland, is scheduled for No Alibis in Belfast on June 18. We're hoping that most of the authors involved will be in attendance at one or both of the events. As the book is being released in hardback, it really represents a lovely collectible, and a rare chance to pick up a book signed by most of the major figures in Irish crime fiction. Both stores will be taking advance orders for those unable to attend in person, but if you're free on either night, come along and say hi. More details here. If you can't make it to either of those events—or even if you can—we'll be giving away a copy of the book to one lucky person who sends their name and mailing address to greenstreets11@yahoo.com between now and May 31. Good luck, one and all.
And to Top it All Off . . . No, that's it. I've got nothing. Really, wasn't that enough? Well—if you must have more, check out a couple of recent interviews on the Australian TLC Books blog and the My Bookish Ways blog, where there's even a giveaway. Another giveaway? Even the St. Vincent de Paul Society doesn't give away as much stuff as we do. You're killing us, I'm telling you. We'll be reduced to penury at this rate. Hope to see many of you in the weeks ahead. Until then, be good, and if you can't be good, cover your tracks well— Best wishes, John
March 2011
Dear Folks, How you doing? I'm doing quite well, thanks for asking, especially since I'm just about to hand in the manuscript of The Burning Soul, with the usual misgivings about whether I've managed to fool most of the people most of the time once again. Other, lesser authors might take a little time off after such an event, but you know I am not such an author. No, March is a busy month, and as always, it's all for you.
On the Radio
"On the Anatomisation of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier," my short story for Amnesty International, will air as a radio show on BBC Radio 7 on Tuesday, March 15. The producer, Lawrence Jackson, is a friend who was responsible for the excellent BBC radio readings of stories from Nocturnes a few years ago. The story will air three times over the course of the day, but you should be able to listen online, both on the 15th and for some period of time afterward. My own radio show, ABC to XTC, continues on Tuesdays and Saturdays on RTE 2XM. I'm excited about the March 15/19 show, which introduces the new feature of guests, starting with the fine mystery novelist and rock-and-roll veteran Paul Charles. Besides writing the Christy Kennedy books, Paul has been tour agent for a galaxy of musical icons, including The Blue Nile, Christy Moore, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, Crosby Stills Nash, The Waterboys, The Stranglers, Human League and many more. He's a great storyteller and a lovely man, so don't miss it—the show airs online at 10:00 a.m. GMT on Tuesdays and 9:00 p.m. GMT on Saturdays.
Live and In Person My March schedule looks like a science experiment designed to disprove the impossibility of being in two places at once. Those of you with your own jet-packs can follow me from one place to another, but those without may be able to catch me at an event near you. On Tuesday, March 8, I'll be interviewing the Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbø at Eason's on O'Connell Street in Dublin, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are required; call 018583815 to see if any might be left. On Thursday, March 17, if you're in New York City, keep an eye out for volunteers handing out free books (free! books!) in honor of the first Irish Arts Center Book Day. I won't be there myself, but free copies of THE GATES will be distributed, along with dozens of other titles by other Irish authors, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Details are on the Irish Arts Center's website here. Thanks very much to my U.S. publishers, Atria, for participating so enthusiastically. The festival circuit starts on Friday, March 19 in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the Virginia Festival of the Book. My panels are free, but other events require tickets; see details at www.vabook.org. Friday, March 18 at 8:00 PM "Death Knows No Boundaries" A panel discussion moderated by Andy Straka Panelists: Louis Bayard, John Connolly, Lee Goldberg & Jenny White Albemarle County Office Building 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, VA Saturday, March 19 at 10:00 AM "Death: Another Time, Another Place" A panel discussion moderated by Clifford Garstang Panelists: John Connolly, Alan Orloff, Deanna Raybourn & Paul Robertson Omni Hotel, Ashlawn-Highlands Room 235 W Main Street Charlottesville, VA Saturday, March 19 at 12:00 NOON "YA Books: Great for All Ages" A panel discussion with John Connolly, Jacqueline Kelly, Tammar Stein, Valerie Patterson & Steve Watkins Village School 215 E High Street Charlottesville, VA From there I go to New York, to do an event under the auspices of Imagine Ireland, an initiative of Culture Ireland, at the New York Public Library. Tuesday, March 22 at 5:30 PM Author @NYPL Presents John Connolly 67th Street Library 328 E. 67th Street New York, NY 10065 212-734-1717 Then it's on to New Orleans, for the Tennessee Williams Festival, where I'm also participating as part of the Imagine Ireland program. Tickets are required, either in advance or onsite at the event; details are online at www.tennesseewilliams.net. Friday, March 25 at 1:00 PM Writers Read: John Connolly, Declan Hughes & Gerard O'Donovan read from their works Regal Suite, Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans, LA Festival panel pass required Sunday, March 27 at 1:00 PM The Lure of the Irish: Crime and More Crime A panel discussion with John Connolly, Declan Hughes & Gerard O'Donovan, moderated by Diana Pinckley Muriel's Jackson Square Restaurant New Orleans, LA Festival panel pass required Sunday, March 27 at 2:30 PM 10 Mystery Novels You Must Read Before You Die John Connolly & Declan Hughes present their "must read" list Muriel's Jackson Square Restaurant New Orleans, LA 
Finally, I'll head to Ferndale, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, for the end of Ferndale Reads, a monthlong, citywide program focusing on a single book—this year, flatteringly, THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS. The Ferndale Public Library is giving away copies of the book, and has scheduled an entire month of events related to the book and its themes. They've also put together a series of their own takes on some of the fairy tales referenced in the book, which you can watch on YouTube. Their videos may be funnier than my own stories, which I've spoken to them severely about.
Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 PM John Connolly discusses and signs THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS Ferndale Reads 222 E. Nine Mile Road Ferndale, MI Tickets are required, but free; contact the library for details 248-546-2504
And on the Subject of Schedules . . . It's getting a little complicated around here, what with two new books coming out in various parts of the world between now and the end of the year, and new editions of a few older titles. As much for my own benefit as yours, here's the current list of publication dates: Late April—Mid-May (date to be announced) DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS, edited by Declan Burke; a collection of essays, interviews and short fiction on the subject of Irish crime fiction. Contributors include John Banville, Alex Barclay, Tana French, Declan Hughes, and myself, among others.
May 12: HELL'S BELLS in hardcover and paperback (U.K. & Australia)
June 28: THE WHISPERERS in paperback (U.S.) August 30: THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS and THE GATES in new trade paperback editions (U.S.) September 1: THE BURNING SOUL in hardcover and paperback (U.K. & Australia) September 6: THE BURNING SOUL in hardcover, e-book and e-audio (U.S.) October 18: THE INFERNALS (U.S. title of HELL'S BELLS!) in hardcover (U.S.) Got all that? I'll be testing you. No, not saying when. Just be ready . . .
The Discussion Forum Thanks to everyone who submitted suggestions for changes to the website forum. We've taken them all to heart, and will be unveiling a new, improved forum sometime around the beginning of April. Congratulations to Shane Mawe, who won the signed copy of CINEMA FUTURA—and if you submitted a suggestion and have not yet received your Charlie Parker/Great Lost Bear bumper sticker, please send your name and mailing address to contact@johnconnollybooks.com posthaste, so that Minion Clair can apologize appropriately and take care of that. Whether it's spring or fall where you are, I hope the winds blow gently and the sun shines warm. Thanks for all your support, and be well. Hope to see several of you soon— Best wishes, John
February 2011
Dear Folks, It's a little late to wish everyone a happy new year, and a little early for Valentine's Day, although that does not mean that each and every reader is not beloved. Well, most of you are beloved. Some of you I've met and, well, I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I don't love you as much as the other readers. Don't get me wrong: you're lovely people, but I just don't feel that way about you. Can't we just be friends? It's not you, it's me. Actually, no, it is you . . . A few items to report . . .
WHISPERERS in Paperback! 
THE WHISPERERS is now out in paperback in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, and you may have seen an advertisement for it on television. Unless, of course, you are the kind of person who records television programs in order to skip the advertisements, in which case, you can watch the advertisement right here.
I'm sorry, but American readers will need to wait until June 28 for THE WHISPERERS in paperback—although you can still buy the hardcover in the meantime, should impatience overcome you. There is probably a downloadable thingy too, but that's not really a book. Sorry, it just isn't.
New US Paperbacks of THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS and THE GATES
American readers will finally be able to buy THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS and THE GATES in mass-market paperback editions on August 30. Both books have been available in trade paperback, but these new editions will be smaller, and the new edition of THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS won't include the supplemental material that's now part of the trade paperback version.
It'll be good to have these books available in a less expensive format, especially for younger readers. And I very much like the new cover art for THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS.
THE INFERNALS!!!! HELL'S BELLS!!!! You can choose your favorite!!!! Buy both!!!! And get four exclamation marks free!!!!
The sequel to THE GATES will be published under two different titles in the UK and the US. In the UK, it will be known as HELL'S BELLS, and will be published in May. In the US, meanwhile, it will be called THE INFERNALS, and will appear in November. I quite like both titles, and THE INFERNALS was one of the working titles for the book. We'll let you see cover artwork for the US edition after we've seen it ourselves. Meanwhile, the first chapter of HELL'S BELLS/THE INFERNALS will go up on the website in the first week of February.
THE BURNING SOUL: Charlie Parker returns The next Charlie Parker novel, THE BURNING SOUL, will be published in the UK and in the US in the first week of September. I'm still in the process of rewriting it at the moment, but here's a little teaser . . . Randall Haight has a secret: when he was a teenager, he and his friend killed a 14-year-old girl. Randall did his time and built a new life in the small Maine town of Pastor's Bay, but somebody has discovered the truth about Randall. He is being tormented by anonymous messages, haunting reminders of his past crime, and he wants private detective Charlie Parker to make it stop. But another 14-year-old girl has gone missing, this time from Pastor's Bay, and the missing girl's family has its own secrets to protect. Now Parker must unravel a web of deceit involving the police, the FBI, a doomed mobster named Tommy Morris, and Randall Haight himself. Because Randall Haight is telling lies . . .
DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS: A very nice signed edition DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS, an anthology of essays and stories by Irish crime writers about Irish crime writing edited by the wonderful Declan Burke now has a publisher, Liberties Press, and will hit the shelves in April, initially in a rather nice hardback edition. To coincide with publication, we'll be organizing signing events in Dublin and Belfast, to be attended by as many of the contributors as we can possibly round up with the promise of cheap booze. Those contributors include: Declan Hughes, Arlene Hunt, Niamh O'Connor, Tana French, Gene Kerrigan, Eoin McNamee, Adrian McKinty, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Alex Barclay, Ken Bruen, Cormac Millar, Professor Ian Ross, Cora Harrison, Paul Charles, John Banville, Ingrid Black, Colin Bateman, Kevin McCarthy, Jane Casey, my good self, and more. We'll give you further details as soon as the signing dates are confirmed. Incidentally, the introduction has been written by Michael Connelly, who is a gentleman of the highest order, if you didn't already know that.
ABC to XTC: Taking Fandom to the Next Level ABC to XTC, my digital radio tribute to the music of the 1980s, continues on RTE 2XM on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. GMT, with a rebroadcast on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. GMT. My goal for 2011 is to bring live guests on to the show, and I'm hoping that among them will be one of my favorites, Wang Chung. If you'd like to add your own invitations, they're on Facebook, Twitter, and have their own website at WangChung.com. Be polite, please; no harassing, as I want them to like me, and come on my show to reward my many years of fandom. Thanks for helping make a young man's dreams come true. Additionally, if you've got other suggestions for guests or would like to request a song, send your hopes and dreams along to contact@johnconnollybooks.com, or leave your requests on the "Radio Show" forum thread. I make no promises, but am a benevolent despot. Meanwhile our first guest will be the lovely Paul Charles who, as well as being a rather good mystery author, has been responsible for touring everyone from The Buzzcocks to Elvis Costello, and Jackson Browne to Tom Waits. He'll be discussing his adventures on the show on March 8th, with luck, but we'll send out a gentle reminder once it's all confirmed.
The Forum My website has an online discussion forum for people of like minds to chat about books, music, and whatever else may capture their attention. It's become a little slow over recent months, as people chat on Facebook and Twitter, but I'd like to restore it to past glories. It's overdue for some security updates and general rehabilitation, so while we're planning these changes, I'm asking for feedback. Are you now, or have you been, active on the forum? If so (or even if not), what changes would you like to see? What categories should we keep, and which should we avoid at all costs? Send your ideas to contact@johnconnollybooks.com with the subject heading "Forum suggestions." As an incentive and thanks for your help, everyone who includes their name and mailing address with a suggestion before February 15 will get their very own "TELL THEM CHARLIE PARKER SENT YOU/Great Lost Bear" bumper sticker, and one lucky person, chosen at random, will receive a signed copy of CINEMA FUTURA: Essays on Favourite Science Fiction Movies, which includes my essay on the 1958 film The Voyage of Sinbad. Thanks!
The Festivals of March Virginia Festival of the Book Events
March 16-19
Friday, March 18 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 19 at 10:00 AM
Saturday, March 19 at 12:00 NOON
March 23-27
Friday, March 25 at 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 27 at 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 27 at 2:30 PM
March 2011
Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 PM Besides all these, I may be doing an event or two at branches of the New York Public Library, sometime the week of March 21. More information as events develop.
And that's all for now. Back to work, as there is no rest for the wicked or their minions although, admittedly, minions do have to work harder. There really is no point in having minions otherwise. Be well, and if you need any ideas for Valentine's Day, I refer you to an old article I wrote on the subject, here.
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illustrations by Emily Hall, one of the winners of last year's competition to design Parker-inspired artwork. I felt that Emily's work best suited the mood of this particular tale.
