News
Today at MaineCrimeWriters I have a post about David Rotstein, the art director for my publisher, Minotaur Books; his new Tumblr site discussing the cover design process; and my own personal education in the creation of effective book covers.
I also reveal for the first time the covers my British publisher, Constable & Robinson, wil be using when they launch the Mike Bowditch series in the UK in 2013.
I am preparing to head to the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in St. Louis, and I have a new post up at MaineCrimeWriters.com about how my understanding of the conference, and myself as a mystery fan, has changed over the past three years. Give it a read. And if you are also planning to attend, please introduce yourself!
One of my first and favorite stops on the Trespasser book tour was at Red Fox Books in Glens Falls, New York. I did a joint event with Julia Spencer-Fleming. We joined a friendly and interested crowd for lunch, trading stories and anecdotes about Maine and mysteries. I knew that the day would make for a nice memory, but I had no idea it would be a bittersweet one.
I just heard the news that Red Fox is going to close, driven out of business by a sluggish economy and a surge in ebook sales that is leaving lots of independent booksellers in dire straights. Glens Falls seems like a great little town, and I suspect lots of people will miss their favorite shop downtown.
I wish Susan and Naftali the best, and I am grateful for the warm welcome they and their customers gave an unknown Maine author.
For the next five days I will be the featured blogger at Powells.com, the Web site of the awesome independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon. I visited the store on my pre-tour for The Poacher's Son, and it was like visiting a holy literary shrine, a cathedral devoted to the written word. The store is massive: It sprawls from room to room over an entire city block.
I'll hope you follow my blog at Powell's this week, and please post a few comments there if the spirit moves you.
I'm on the road promoting my new novel. I'll be making stops throughout upstate New York and northern New England. Check out my Calendar page to see where I'll be reading and signing next. If it's somewhere near you, I hope'll you pay me a visit. You can also follow my book tour "dining travelogue" on The Trespasser Facebook fan page.