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  December 2005
Dear Folks, And so another year draws to a close. I can only hope that it's been a good one for most of you, and that next year is better for those who had a hard time in 2005. Thank you so much to those of you who've contributed to the Discussion Forum; to Jayne for keeping a benevolent eye upon it; and to Heidi for making sure that it all looks nice and goes without a hitch. NEW MATERIAL ON THE SITE We've added some new material to the website this month. First of all, there are two new author interviews, with Ian Rankin and Terry Pratchett respectively. Second, I've posted a short story entitled "The Cycle". This was written, as I think I've mentioned before, for an Irish charity anthology entitled Moments, and published under the pseudonym Laura Froom, a reference to the titular vampire in Nocturnes. All of the contributions were meant to come from women writers but the editor asked me to sneak one in, perhaps to see if anyone would spot the impostor. No one did, so I am now, at least where Moments is concerned, an honorary woman. I've added a vaguely festive touch to it, given the season that's in it, but otherwise it is pretty much as it originally appeared, flaws and all. Finally, as I write we're working on creating a page dealing solely with translations of the books, in order to keep readers in other countries up-to-date on the titles that are available and forthcoming. It will also give everyone else a chance to see what they do with the books in places like Spain and Russia, and it allows me to point out that I am, in fact, big in Bulgaria... THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS Okay, so I haven't exactly been forthcoming about next year's book. I wasn't being coy (honest!) but I didn't want to say very much about it until the publishers in both the US and UK had accepted it. It is entitled The Book of Lost Things and it is not a Parker book. In fact, it's not even a crime novel, although those who've read, say, "The Erlking" in Nocturnes will probably have a sense of the kind of book that it is. Basically, it is about an adolescent boy whose mother dies and who discovers that his father has a lover. The woman gives birth to a child, the boy's half brother, and in his anger and grief he retreats into a world made up of elements from the stories and books that he has read, and classic fairy tales in particular, but with that world coloured by the events in his personal life. It's a book about books, I suppose, a story about stories and the power of the imagination to transform our existence but also, I think, a book about reading, and the way in which the books we read colour our responses to the world around us. It's a book I've wanted to write for a number of years, and I'm actually really glad that I did. It will be published in both the UK and US in autumn/ fall of next year, and will be followed shortly afterwards (meaning early in 2007) by the next Parker book which, as yet, doesn't really have a title. When the cover artwork for The Book of Lost Things is ready we'll post it on the website, but that probably won't be until early next year. THE UNDERBURY WITCHES As part of the Irish Open Door series of books, designed primarily for adults learning to read and foreign students learning English, a simplified version of "The Underbury Witches", which originally appeared in Nocturnes, will be published next year. Further details will be available on the website or from www.newisland.ie. TOURING I'll be touring in the UK for the paperback release of The Black Angel, which is due to be published on February 27th, 2006. That tour may include a short reading from The Book of Lost Things. Then again... The US paperback edition of The Black Angel will appear on January 31st, 2006, but I won't be touring in the US again until The Book of Lost Things appears. Instead, I hope to be able to visit some of the countries in which the books now appear in translation, including the Czech Republic. We'll post more details as dates and countries are confirmed. MUSIC 
Thanks to all those who have written to the site or commented in person on the Voices From The Dark CD. I think it was a success, and I hope that those who heard it found at least some new music that they followed up on. I hope to do something similar for the next Parker book, but in the interim I thought you might like to know that Pinetop Seven, which is the group probably linked most closely with my books, has just released a fabulous album entitled The Night's Bloom. It really is worth hearing.
Other groups and artists featured on the CD also brought out new albums this year. Thee More Shallows, also included on the CD, this year released their second album, More Deep Cuts, while Kate Bush, of course, broke over a decade of silence to release the very wonderful Aeriel last month. The Go-Betweens, meanwhile, produced Oceans Apart, probably their best album since they reformed and easily comparable to their work in the eighties. The Walkabouts produced the angry, vibrant Acetylene, and Radar Brothers brought out The Fallen Leaf Pages, which has grown on me since I heard it earlier this year. Finally, Mark Kozelek, formerly of Red House Painters and now recording under the name Sun Kil Moon, has just released a quite extraordinarily beautiful album entitled Tiny Cities, consisting entirely of cover versions of songs originally composed and performed by the group Modest Mouse. They really are quite startling reinterpretations, and very, very lovely indeed. So, with that, all that remains is to wish everyone the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Thank you all for your kindness, your support, and your generosity of spirit during the past twelve months. I'm very grateful to you all. Peace and happiness to you and your families, John
October 2005
Dear Folks,
Sorry for bothering you all again so soon, but this is just a quick note to let you know that THE BLACK ANGEL is this month's book choice for the online Barnes & Noble reading group. Basically, it's a chance to discuss the book, and books in general, with other readers, and I'll be answering questions, making comments etc., each day. If you'd like to participate than you can join up by clicking here. To participate, you need to "enroll" between October 3rd and 10th. Oh, and it's free, obviously. . . DISCUSSION FORUM While we're on the subject, thanks to all of you who have been participating in the discussion forum on my own website, and special thanks to Jayne for doing such a wonderful job on moderating it. It's pretty astonishing to see the range of subjects covered - sports, music, the Bronte sisters - although it's a little worrying to discover that so many of those who participate are significantly smarter than I am. . . IAN RANKIN Finally, for those of you who are also Ian Rankin fans, we'll be posting an interview with Ian on the website over the next week or two. That's it. Short and sweet, John
September 2005
Dear Folks,
TOURING IN PRAGUE I will be in Prague next week to do a couple of bookstore events for The Black Angel. There will be talks at each event, and an interpreter present. The schedule includes: * Thursday 22nd September 4.00pm Megabooks event Dom knihy Kanzelsberger bookshop, Vaclavske Namesti 4 6.00pm Megabooks event Palac knih Neoluxor bookship, Vaclavske Namesti 41 * Sunday 25th September 3.00pm Big Ben bookshop, Mala Stupartska 5 Copies of the Voices From The Dark CD will be available at the signings. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL I will also be participating in the Miami Book Festival, which takes place on the weekend of November 12-13th. No schedule has yet been finalised, but we'll let you know in plenty of time. THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS Work continues on the next book, entitled The Book of Lost Things. It's due for delivery next month and, all being well, will be in stores later next year. A longer newsletter will appear in November, when we will also be adding a couple of new author interviews to the site, and a new short story. Until then, be well. . . Best wishes, John
 July 2005
Dear Folks,
AUSTRALIA/ NEW ZEALAND/ SINGAPORE The Neverending Tour (© Bob Dylan) moves on to New Zealand on July 7th, then heads for Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, before concluding in Singapore in August. Details of all formal events can be found on the Tour page , and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Oh, and further to questions posed on the website, feel free to bring as many books as you like to be signed, as it's been a while since I made it to the Antipodes. MOMENTS A few months back, Ciara Considine, an editor with Hodder Ireland, told me about an anthology of fiction by women, entitled Moments, that she was publishing to aid tsunami relief in Southeast Asia. She wondered if I might fancy trying to sneak in a story under a pseudonym, and I did. (Admittedly, there was some alcohol taken when she asked me, and she could have suggested that I float naked down the Amazon and I'd probably have agreed.) The story, entitled "The Cycle", was published under the name Laura Froom, after the titular vampire in the Nocturnes story. Further details about Moments can be found at moments.ie. The book is only available in Ireland, and costs ten Euro. FANTASY CALENDAR The British Fantasy Society has produced a calendar for 2006 featuring extracts from the work of writers such as Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Fowler and others, each of which is accompanied by a specially commissioned illustration. The clowns from the story "Some Children Wander by Mistake", featured in Nocturnes, are among the original artworks included. For more information on the calendar, which costs £8.99, go to britishfantasysociety.org.uk. AND FINALLY Thanks to Ali Karim for letting us know that Nocturnes has received two nominations from the International Horror Guild. "The Reflecting Eye" was nominated in the long fiction category, and Nocturnes itself was nominated in the collection category. The winners will be announced at the organization's annual convention in Wisconsin in November. Nocturnes has also been nominated for a British Fantasy Award, and the winners of those awards will be announced at FantasyCon in the UK in September. It's nice to be nominated for stuff... Best wishes, and thanks for the support, John
June 2005
Dear Folks, This will probably be the last newsletter until autumn/ fall, so it's a chance to wish you all a happy, sunny summer (or, to all you nice people in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, etc. a happy, possibly not quite so sunny, winter) and to thank all those who have made The Black Angel such a success so far in Ireland, the UK, and elsewhere. It's sold better and faster than any of the other books, and I'm grateful to all those who went out and bought it. I hope you enjoyed it or, if you didn't, I hope that the flaws you found in it at least stimulated some debate. THE BLACK ANGEL REACHES THE US AND CANADA
The Black Angel is officially published this week in the United States and Canada. The first print run has been signed by me, and every first edition also contains the Voices From The Dark CD, of which there are more details elsewhere on the website. If you enjoy the book, please let others know, as there is no better publicity for a writer than word of mouth. If you don't like it, well, I hope that the CD at least brings you some pleasure. An extensive US tour begins with an appearance at Book Expo in New York on Saturday June 4th at 10.30am, followed by a series of bookstore events across America. If I'm in your neck of the woods, and you feel the inclination, please come along and say "hello." NOCTURNES The US edition of NOCTURNES has also recently been published in trade paperback. There will be copies of the Coda volume, containing three extra stories, available at all signings on the US tour, and we'll give one to anyone who picks up a copy of Nocturnes. The UK paperback edition will be published on June 6th, and contains the Coda stories. AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AND SINGAPORE TOUR At the time of writing, we are still finalising formal bookstore events for the tour of New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. The tour will commence in NZ on Thursday July 7th and will take in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington. The Australian leg begins on Monday July 25th, and will include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Finally, it concludes in Singapore on August 3rd and 4th. As soon as all signings have been confirmed, they will be posted on the website, so please keep an eye out for them. SEDLEC SHORT FILM A short film about the ossuary at Sedlec, which features prominently in The Black Angel, will shortly be available to view on the website. Basically, I took a film crew to the Czech Republic to shoot it, although I hasten to add that I've lost a bit of weight since it was made. Similarly, an essay on Sedlec written for a British newspaper, along with some wonderful photographs of the ossuary, will also be posted on the site over the next week or two. VOICES FROM THE DARK Thanks to all those who have been so flattering about the free CD, and the artists featured on it. If you've enjoyed some of them enough to buy their work, then, if you have a moment, please do drop them a line through their respective websites, as it will make it a little easier for us to do something similar in a year or two. All details are available on the Voices From The Dark section of the site. Best wishes, and thanks for the support, John
April 2005
Dear Folks, Sorry, I know it's been a while but, hey, you're looking good! While we've been away, we've revamped the website, put together a free CD, arranged tours, and generally set about ruling the world. Oh, and The Black Angel is about to come out too. Read on, read on. You don't have all day, you know... VOICES FROM THE DARK: A SOUNDTRACK TO THE NOVELS OF JOHN CONNOLLY Voices From The Dark is a 14 track CD, consisting of music by artists mentioned in the books, or songs that have a particular relevance to the plots in some way. This was a very long, sometimes frustrating, definitely jaw-droppingly expensive, and incredibly time-consuming thing to put together, but I think it was worth it. It includes artists such as Kate Bush, Lambchop, The Walkabouts, The Blue Nile, The Triffids, Pinetop Seven, and more, and I hope it will act as nice companion piece for those who have enjoyed the novels. There's a section on the website explaining more about the CD, and why the particular tracks and artists were chosen. We're very grateful to all those who agreed to let us use their music. So, how do you get a copy? *In the United States and Canada, the CD will be included with all of the first editions of The Black Angel, which are also hand-signed by me. There will be a sticker on the front of the book to confirm that the CD is inside. * In the UK, the CD will be given out at all formal signings and events on the tour to those who buy The Black Angel, and will be stuck into copies of the book at most of the informal signings too. We've included the names of all the stores being visited, so if one of them is near you, and you fancy asking them to hold on to a copy for you, you can just give them a call and ask them to put a copy aside. Again, books with CDs will be stickered accordingly. * Similarly, in Ireland the CD will be available, first of all, at the formal events in Galway and Belfast, and at the launch of The Black Angel in Dublin, which is open to anyone who'd like to come along (of which more below.) The CD should also be available with early copies bought in Eason bookstores, and most other stores in Dublin, Belfast, Galway, and Limerick. * In Australia, New Zealand, and all points on the Australasian tour in July, the CD will be given out at signings, and should be available through a lot of the bookstores where informal signings will be held. We'll post details of the tour a little closer to the date. *In South Africa, where The Black Angel will be published in May, we hope to make the CD available with early copies bought through one of the leading South African chains. Please keep an eye on the Voices From The Dark section of the website for more information. Finally, at the end of the summer we'll see if there's some way of offering CDs to those who, for reasons of geography, haven't managed to get one yet. See, don't say we don't try to give you stuff for free! THE BLACK ANGEL
In May we hope to add a photo essay on the ossuary at Sedlec in the Czech Republic, which plays a large part in the new book, and also, technology permitting, a short film that we made there earlier in the year. We'll try to send out another newsletter when that stuff goes up. TOUR The tour dates for Ireland, the UK, and the US have been posted on the website, and dates for the tour of Australia and New Zealand in July will be added in May/ June. If you can, please come along to say hi. The official launch of The Black Angel is in Dublin on Wednesday April 20th in the Dublin Bookshop on Grafton Street from 6.30pm-8.00pm, and all are welcome. We'll even throw in a glass of wine. NEW LOOK WEBSITE As you'll see if you pay a visit there, we've revamped the website. Well, I say "we" when what I really mean is that Heidi did all the hard work and I just lay about wondering how I could reap the praise for her efforts. We do hope that you like it, but do let us know what you think. It just felt like time to give it a bit of a makeover. I think it looks classy, and by extension may make people think that I'm a classy guy. Which, I hasten to add, I'm not. NOCTURNES AND BAD MEN Nocturnes has just been published in trade paperback in the US, and will be published in paperback in the UK on June 20th. To coincide with the US publication, we're again offering people the chance to get a free signed Coda volume, which contains three stories not featured in the original edition. If you'd like a copy, just send a self-addressed envelope, with a dollar to cover postage, to Nocturnes Offer, Box 53, Postnet, 182 Lr Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, Ireland, and we'll do the rest. Bad Men, meanwhile, comes out in paperback in the US and Canada on May 1st, and most of the earlier titles have been rejacketed to match. You can view them, and the new UK covers, here. AND FINALLY. . . The "Contact John" section of the website will be temporarily closed until I return from touring in August/ September. Sorry, but there's just no way I can keep up with the e-mails while on tour. I hope you all understand. Best wishes to you, and I hope to see some of you over the next few months. Be well, John
January 2005
Dear Folks, A happy new year to you all and, as the great Kinky Friedman always says, may the best of the past be the worst of the future. THE BLACK ANGEL There is now a section on the website dealing with THE BLACK ANGEL, the next Parker novel. It includes the UK and US covers, as well as the short prologue. THE BLACK ANGEL will be published in the UK, Australia etc. on April 25th, 2005, and in the United States and Canada on June 1st 2005. We'll add a little more material as the publication date approaches, so this is just a taster. We are also hoping to offer website members something extra, as we did with NOCTURNES, although at the moment we are waiting for certain rights to be cleared before this can be confirmed. If it can all be sorted out in time, then you'll all be the first to know. NOCTURNES Nocturnes will be published in the US and Canada as a trade paperback on March 22nd, 2005, and the UK paperback will follow in June. Thanks to all those who have been kind enough to let me know that they've enjoyed the book. It means a lot. The US paperback of BAD MEN will be published in May 2005. DANGEROUS WOMEN Otto Penzler's anthology, DANGEROUS WOMEN, to which I've contributed a story entitled 'Mr. Gray's Folly', has just been published in the US, and will also be available in the UK. The pre-publication reviews have been great, which is hardly surprising given that Michael Connelly, Jeff Deaver, Ian Rankin, Walter Mosley, Ed McBain, Elmore Leonard, Laura Lippman and a bunch of other fine writers have all written new pieces for it. Frankly, I feel a bit out of my depth in that company, but it was nice to be asked... TOURING There will be an extensive tour to support THE BLACK ANGEL, commencing in the UK in April and taking in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with more countries to be added as the year progresses. We'll post tour dates as soon as they are finalized. I've fallen a bit behind - again! - on my email from the website, so apologies to anyone who is still waiting for a reply. I hope to get it all done over the coming week. WEBSITE The website is likely to get a redesign over the coming months. We hope that you'll like the new look, but be sure to let us know. Finally, I get asked for recommendations occasionally, so, with that in mind, can I suggest Arnaldur Indridason's excellent JAR CITY (Harvill in the UK, and forthcoming from St Martin's in the US); Susanna Clarke's JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL, for those of you with some time on your hands as it's rather long; and BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, the last part of Lian Hearn's Chronicles of the Otori, although it's pretty much essential to read the preceding two volumes, ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR and GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW first. Oh, and in music, GOODBYE by The Czars is very lovely and sad, as is the wonderful EVENINGLAND by Hem. Also on constant rotation is MORE DEEP CUTS, the new album by Thee More Shallows; everything by Sufjan Stevens; THE TRIP, created by Saint Etienne, a great compilation of obscure songs from the Sixties and Seventies; and an oldie of sorts, for those of you stressed and in need of some relaxation: Bang On A Can's haunting interpretation of Brian Eno's MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS. It would be great if, over the coming months, we could do a music recommendations section similar to the existing one for books, as a couple of people have now suggested it. We'll look into it. There. Don't say that I haven't tried... Best wishes to you all, John
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