Oceanview Press has decided on the cover!

I’m very pleased. There is a lot going on in this book—the breakdown of a marriage, a troubled son, money laundering, the cultural differences with Mexico… It was impossible to put all of that in a cover. But I think the cover’s depiction of Tijuana as a foreign place where this family has to go to save themselves works well.

Next are Advanced Reader Copies. These are preliminary copies that go out to bookstores and reviewers. They should be shipped in December. Hopefully I’ll have some nice blurbs by then.

I and about 1300 other writers and fans of mystery descended on Minneapolis for the largest mystery conference in the country. Did you know that the Mary Tyler Moore show was filmed in Minneapolis? Here's a statue of an iconic image from the show: Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat.

I got to see many of my writer friends. Interestingly, I was on a panel called Beyond Hannibal: Psychopaths and Serial Killers. Here’s a picture of the other panelists and me.

The other authors are Leanne Sparks, Vera Kurian, Joanna Schaffhausen, Cathi Stoler and Marie Sutro. Who says dark novels are only written by men? 

One of the honored guests at the conference was Shawn Crosby, who was interviewed by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and many other books). I’ve seen Shawn at conferences over the years and talked with him about his modest successes. Then Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears exploded. Jerry Bruckheimer has bought the rights!

Shawn grew up poor in the south. Money was always an issue until these books came out. At the conference he told a story of going to buy a car after receiving some of his newfound wealth. He and his wife talked about actually buying a new car this time. They picked it out at the dealer and got offered all kinds of financing options. His wife looked at him and he realized he could buy it for cash. When he went home, he asked her to go inside and he just sat in the car. When she came out he was crying. She asked why. He said, “I never thought my words would buy this car.”

There were a lot of tears when he told that story.

I also got to meet Dennis Lehane, one of my writing heroes. As well as William Kent Kruger (Ordinary Grace), another wonderful writer.

The Sisters in Crime chapter in Northern California hosted our last Sizzling Summer Speaker Series event in September. Bestselling author Cara Black Zoomed in from France and talked about researching a novel in another country. She is the bestselling author of 20 books in which the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc solves crimes in Paris. With more than 400,000 books in print, the series has been translated into a multitude of languages.

Cara always starts her books with place. She will travel there and talk to police and other people, take photographs, read brochures and maps, consult phone books, and go to libraries. What are the socio-economic conditions, the attitudes, and the ways that people talk? What she wants is to write about a crime that could only happen at that place at that time. Only this local character can commit it. She gave us a whole checklist of questions to explore for setting and character.

I am pleased to participate in the Men of Mystery conference in Long Beach on November 5. This conference celebrates men who write mysteries. This all-day conference will bring together some well-known authors such as Matt Coyle, Kwei Quartey, Chris Hauty, Neal Griffin, and Eric Beetner, as well as lesser known names (like me) to talk about the mystery of men writing mysteries. If you are in the California area, I hope that you can join us. Sign up at:

Hard to believe but another year has passed. Our chapter has helped a number of nonprofits this past year. Somali Bantu Association of America (SBAOA) is a refugee-serving organization providing case management, job training, and food distribution to newly arrived families in over 14 different languages. The SVP team is working with them to strengthen their structure, financial systems, and HR management.

I’m off next weekend for a high school reunion. I won’t say how many years it’s been, but it’s been a lot. Go Rocky River Pirates!

Here’s a celebratory chair for when someone has a big win. It’s at an exhibit of wonderful chairs at the Carlsbad Library. This one is made out of champagne corks.

All the best,

Carl