Was I under a rock or what?  I knew graphic novels existed, of course, but never paid much attention to them.  My loss.  I’ve recently read a few (100 Bullets, Ronin, and A Sickness in the Family) and I am blown away.  These are not the illustrated classics I remember from my youth.  This form is a whole different animal, and I’m very envious.  I’ve sweated over many a paragraph, trying to describe the mixture of emotions a character is feeling, and it never seems to come out right.  But illustrations with the right words pinpoints exactly what the creators’ want to convey with economy and speed.  Straight prose seems clumsy  by comparison.  The good graphic novels move like movies but go deep emotionally.  I want to write one!  I want to write a bunch!  I keep thinking of all the stories I have saved up that would work so much better as graphic novels.  I’m exploring the possibilities, wondering how a long-time novelist can break in.  Any suggestions?

I’ve noticed that a lot of people on FaceBook identify themselves as writers, but a lot of them don’t list any favorite books in their profiles.  They have favorite movies, TV shows, and songs but no books.  This seems odd to me.  Is it possible that there are writers who don’t read?

Though I call myself a crime writer, I think I need to clear up exactly what I write. It can be a bit confusing.  I’ve written two serious non-fiction true-crime books, THE ICEMAN and THE SEEKERS.  I’ve also written about 50 true-crime articles for Court TV’s Crime Library, which is now part of TruTV.

My crime fiction, on the other hand, is known for its dark humor.  Think Elmore Leonard, Donald Westlake, Joseph Wambaugh, Carl Hiaasen.  I’m not exactly like those guys, but I do play in their ballpark.  My “Bad” series (BAD GUYS, BAD BLOOD, BAD LUCK, BAD BUSINESS, BAD MOON, and BAD APPLE) features FBI Special Agents Cuthbert Gibbons and Mike Tozzi and is a bit darker than the Loretta Kovacs series (DEVIL’S FOOD, DOUBLE ESPRESSO, and HOT FUDGE).

My latest novel, BLEEDERS, bridges the gap between my serious crime reporting and my fiction.  It’s a serial-killer thriller based on solid research and forgoes my usual wiseguy humor.

I just thought I’d clear that up for you.

Greetings!  This is the first post in my new blog, and I promise not to bore you with stories about my cats, the agony of writer’s block, what I had for breakfast or any of the typical mundane crap people tend to put in blogs.  I will do my best to live by the immortal words of Sergeant Joe Friday: “Just the facts.”

So here’s what’s up with me.  The film version of my book, THE ICEMAN, is moving forward.  Locations have been scouted, and casting is under way.

My latest novel, BLEEDERS, has been submitted to about a dozen publishers, and I’m waiting with fingers crossed for some offers.  It features FBI profiler “Trisha McCleery” and my plan is to make BLEEDERS the first in a new series.  I’ve already outlined the sequel.

As always, I’m fishing around for new book ideas, and I’m toying with one for a series of semi-comic crime thrillers in the same vein as my BAD series.  I’ll let it ferment for a week, and if it still sounds good, I’ll start putting words on paper.  Stay tuned–I’ll keep you posted.