I know, I know. It’s been longer since my last newsletter than since Mick Ballou’s last confession. I could say I’ve been busy with this and that, and have had other things on my mind, but why should you care? I do have some things to report, include some big changes at LB’s Bookstore, and accordingly will Get Right Down To It.

BETWEEN DRINKS

First, it’s my pleasant task to advise you that I’ve written a new book. The title is BETWEEN DRINKS, and it takes place in 1982-3, and for the moment that’s all I’m able to tell you. As soon as I can, I’ll fill you in on publication details and further specifics, but that’ll have to wait.

E-BOOKS

Next, let me give a shout-out to the brave new world of e-books. I’ve been hugely impressed with the medium for fifteen years now, but could never tell whether it would ever amount to much. Well, it’s amounting to more every day, and it’s starting to look like the future of publishing. (If publishing has a future . . .)

All my HarperCollins titles are available in all e-book formats, and seem to be finding an ever-increasing audience. In addition, I’ve been able to make over a dozen of , my other titles available for Kindle,; these include the five early books published in paperback by Hard Case Crime, along with several books long out of print in all editions. Cinderella Sims, The Specialists, No Score, Ronald Rabbit is a Dirty Old Man, the novellas Speaking of Lust and Speaking of Sin, and a new Keller novelette, Keller in Dallas, are all available for Kindle, along with a book-length miscellany of introductions and afterwords, INTRODUCING MYSELF AND OTHERS, which I cobbled together exclusively for Kindle. And there’s a lot more coming as soon as I get the books scanned, including the rest of the Chip Harrison titles, all the Jill Emerson and Paul Kavanagh titles, and, oh, lots of stuff.

To see what’s available, just go to amazon.com, and search for Lawrence Block Kindle Books. There were 62 titles there at last count.

CAMPUS TRAMP

My first Andrew Shaw title for Nightstand Books was CAMPUS TRAMP, and it was to achieve mythic status at Antioch College, with battered copies selling at Senior Sales for three-figure prices. (Well, five figures, if you count the zeroes after the decimal point.) For years I comforted myself with the thought that the book had not been printed on acid-free paper, and would eventually disappear from the face of the earth.

But that is not to be, as I’ve arranged for Creeping Hemlock Press. to reissue the book as a handsome trade paperback, with an intro from me recalling the writing of it and the reception it got. I’ll have further details when the book’s available, and in the meantime you can Google your way to their website.

HELLCATS & HONEY GIRLS

Not long after I’d written Campus Tramp, I teamed up with Donald E. Westlake to produce three erotic novels, two published by Midwood, one by Nightstand. We wrote alternate chapters, proceeded not only without an outline but without ever discussing the book’s plot or characters---and I don’t think I ever had more fun writing. Now, after all these years, Subterranean Press will bring out a triple volume of the three books, A Girl Called Honey, So Willing, and Sin Hellcat. The collection’s to be called HELLCATS & HONEY GIRLS, and I’ve written a properly nostalgic afterword for it. Are the books as much fun to read as they were to write? Well, you’ll have to judge that one for yourselves.

GENERALLY SPEAKING and THE MURDERS IN MEMORY LANE

Generally Speaking is the title of my monthly column for Linn’s Stamp News. If you’re a stamp collector you probably already know about it, and if you’re not, well, I can’t think why you’d be interested. But it’s news, and this is a newsletter, so there you go.

The Murders in Memory Lane is the title of my column in Mystery Scene, consisting of anecdotal reminiscence of writers I’ve known. The first column was about Stanley Ellin, the second’s about Ross Thomas, and the third, just completed, recalls Henry Kane.

There’s probably more, but that’s enough for now. I’m going to turn it over to the irreplaceable David Trevor, who has news from LB’s Bookstore:

LB'S BOOKSTORE

David Trevor here, and there’s quite a bit to report. First, the bookstore will be closed entirely from the middle of March until sometime in May. The Bookstore renovation will be part of an overall makeover for the entire lawrenceblock.com website, and neither LB nor I have a clue what it’ll look like. When the Bookstore does reopen, we’ll have dropped some items and may be offering others; you’ll get a detailed announcement when the time comes. We’ll probably be offering some original Lawrence Block manuscripts, either in LB’s Bookstore or on eBay. Again, we’ll let you know.

David Trevor for Lawrence Block

APS Souvenir Sheet now available!

(Click on the picture to see a larger image.)

Back in August of '08, LB was the keynote speaker at Tiffany Dinner of the American Philatelic Society.  (He talked, as you might imagine, about Keller's stamp collection.)  The APS commemorated the event by issuing a souvenir sheet showing four stamps mentioned in the Keller novels.  These were presented to those attending the dinner, and LB was able to obtain a limited supply.  We're now able to offer them for sale at $75 plus shipping.  One to a customer on these, as we don't have all that many.  

Click here to order, and use the Comments section on the order blank to indicate whether or not you want LB to sign your copy.

Hard Case Crime has LB's early 60s novel KILLING CASTRO on tap for January. This is a very curious book, essentially impossible to find in its original 1961 edition (FIDEL CASTRO ASSASSINATED, by Lee Duncan). Check it out!

THE BURGLAR WHO SMELLED SMOKE.

This Bernie Rhodenbarr short story, by Lynne Wood Block and Lawrence Block, was written for the anthology Till Death Do Us Part, and first published in Mary Higgins Clark's Mystery Magazine, where it appeared as a special pamphlet bound into the magazine. The editors were kind enough to send us the overrun of the pamphlets, and we are now making them available to collectors, signed by both of the co-authors. "Unique" is an overused and often misused word, but it might actually apply here! Check it out at LB's BOOKSTORE.

LB's extensive seminar on the how-to's of great writing was a big hit, and his book version of the same was long out-of-print (and very sought-after) until PerfectBound brought WRITE FOR YOUR LIFE back in e-book format. Go to HarperCollins' PerfectBound website to purchase, or for more info.

LB's short story, CLEVELAND IN MY DREAMS, has been brought to life by Mark & Olive Sullivan in a 29-minute film which was named Best Comedy Film at the
2005 Route 66 Film Festival. Get your hands on a DVD at: LB's BOOKSTORE.