- Clair Lamb
May 2021
Dear Folks,
Well, in this part of the world at least, the sun seems to be shining a little brighter, just in time to glint invitingly upon a vaccination needle. From next week, browsing in bookstores without impediment will be possible, and for that small pleasure I am very grateful. And speaking of browsing in bookstores . . .
THE DIRTY SOUTH’s campaign of world domination
For much of the world today is just another Tuesday, but in the United States and Canada joy shall be abounding, for THE DIRTY SOUTH is now available in trade paperback from your favorite bookseller.
Unlike my UK publishers, my US publishers chose to keep the hardcover jacket art for the paperback, with the addition of a couple of taglines. Thanks to all of you who helped make it a bestseller in hardcover, and here’s hoping those of you who waited for the paperback will be happy with your purchase.
Some authors might call that a good week’s work, but not I, for THE DIRTY SOUTH is also available this week in Greek translation from the lovely people at Bell. This will be the second translation of THE DIRTY SOUTH to be published, joining the Bulgarian edition published by Prozoretz last month.
We hope to see a French edition of THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS and an Italian edition of A BOOK OF BONES this summer, but I don’t know exactly when. I am deeply grateful to the publishers and translators who make my work available in languages I don’t speak, and I sympathize with readers who get impatient with the wait for those translations.
For audiobook fans in the UK, THE DIRTY SOUTH is part of a 2-for-1 sale that runs through May 15, which you can avail yourself of here.
One month closer to THE NAMELESS ONES
Readers in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have only two months to wait until the publication of THE NAMELESS ONES, the next book set in the world of Charlie Parker. This time, however, Parker is a secondary character, as THE NAMELESS ONES follows Angel and Louis across Europe in pursuit of ruthless killers and their mysterious companion. We’ve posted the book’s first chapter to the website, if you’d like a preview (click “Read an Excerpt” at the bottom of this page).
The book will be available in Ireland the first week of July, and in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand on July 8. The Hodder & Stoughton hardback first edition will come with the title page signed, but if you buy a first edition from one of the independent stores supporting the book, you can get not only a signed copy but another specially designed tote bag, this one in navy blue.
The stores that will have these tote bags, while supplies last, are:
· The Gutter Bookshop and Alan Hanna’s Bookshop in Dublin
· No Alibis in Belfast
· Goldsboro Books in London
· O'Mahony's in Limerick
· The Ennis Bookshop
The US edition will be available on October 12, and tote bags will be available with books from certain independent bookstores. We’re finalizing those details, and should have more to tell you in July.
And in my spare time . . .
I’ve said before that every new book I write is a sort of reaction to the one I just finished, and I’ve spent the last few months on a project unlike anything else I’ve done. I can’t say much about it yet, although it’s set to be published sometime toward the end of the year. But don’t worry: it has not impacted on the series, and 2022 will see a new Parker book in addition to whatever else I might be doing. In fact, I will be returning to it tomorrow to engage in a new set of revisions, God willing.
My weekly radio show, ABC to XTC, continues every Saturday on RTÉ Gold from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Dublin time. You can also find me on Twitter @jconnollybooks, and check in on Facebook for news as it comes up.
I know some of you are still struggling with the Unpleasantness, and our thoughts are with you. For now, thanks for hanging in here with me.
John