Odds and Sods

Been tidying up the desk here at Secret Dead Blog HQ and found a few items of note that I wanted to pass along...

* In case you haven't seen it yet, the story I wrote for L.A. Noire is now available for as a free download. (Scroll up and down on the same page for links to the other stories.) If you've been playing the game, you'll see that my tale ties right into the "Marriage Made in Heaven" story line.

* Annnnnd on June 6th, you'll be able to buy the complete e-collection for just 99 cents. Cheaper than a beer in the diviest of dives! You can pre-order a copy now at Amazon, Apple's iBooks, or Barnes & Noble.

* Keir Graff at Booklist asked me to recommend a book for their "Mystery Month" series, and I was more than happy to sing the praises of Jim Nisbet's brilliant Dark Companion.

* Fun & Games will be out in less than a month, and I'm happy to report that good reviews keep on rollin' in. The Library Journal says the novel is for "readers who like their action fast, brutal and smart" (and even provides a handy pronunciation key for my absurd surname). Meanwhile, The Mystery Site says that F&G is "fast-paced, well and not overly written."

* If you've pre-ordered Fun & Games, or are considering such a thing, watch this space in a few days. I've got something special in mind for you...

* And last, but nowhere near least, I'm proud to report that my previous novel, Expiration Date, has been nominated for an Anthony Award in the category of Best Paperback Original. (Mr. Goddard, we meet again!) The Anthony winner will be determined by votes from this year's Bouchercon attendees. In completely unrelated news, if you see me at Bouchercon, remind me that I owe you a drink. Several in fact. Here, I'll even hold your ballot so you can pick up that mega-sized cocktail with two hands... there you go... bottoms up...

Expiration at the 2011 Edgars

I'm extremely happy (and pleasantly stunned, to tell the truth) to report that my fifth novel, Expiration Date, was nominated for a 2011 Edgar Allan Poe Award in the category of Best Paperback Original.

You can check out all of the nominees at the Mystery Writers of America's official Edgars website (theEdgars.com).

I was checking my Twitter feed when I saw that MWA's Margery Flax had posted a pdf of this year's nominees. I clicked on it, wondering if I knew anybody who'd made the shortlist. And then I literally did one of those goofy Hollywood spit-takes (with Diet Coke) when I saw Expiration listed there.

The winner will be announced at the 65th annual Edgars banquet on April 28th. It's a cliche to say that it's an honor just to be nominated, but in this case it's absolutely true.

I'm also proud that Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner, has been nominated for a Best Critical/Biographical Edgar. My contribution, an essay on Donald Westlake/Richard Stark's The Hunter, was reprinted at the Mulholland Books site just the other day. (Interestingly, the essay details the one time I met Donald Westlake, at ... wait for it ... at an Edgars banquet.)

Congrats to all of the nominees, big thanks to the judges and the MWA. And if by some miracle Expiration pulls off a win, I'm hosting a kegger at my house. All of you are invited.

(Ulra cool Poe and Raven photo by Kevin Dooley, from his Flickr set.)

Gone (Soon) To Texas

Tomorrow I'm headed to one of my favorite places on Earth: Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas. Pretty sure I was there solo during my last visit, but this time I'll be joined by Victor (The Deputy, Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth, X-Men) Gischler and Lisa (Rock Paper Tiger) Brackmann. (Strength in numbers, I always say.) Stop on by, if you're anywhere near the greater Houston area. We'll start at 5 p.m.; probably be drinking many Shiner Bocks after that. (2342 Bissonnet Street)

And then the next day Victor and I head off to Book People in Austin, where we'll be joined by Jonathan (Bad Juju) Woods. This will be the first time I've actually set foot in downtown Austin, despite visiting the city twice before. (Don't ask.) Stop by, don't be shy. We may be "outlaws of pulp mystery," but we're perfectly decent gentlemen. Of course, I shouldn't speak for Mr. Woods. He might be a complete lunatic. (603 N. Lamar; 7 p.m.)

Two Q&As and a Review from a Geek

Wait! He calls himself that, really! But Pete Dragasakis gives a super-kind review of Expiration Date at his blog, "My Geek Collection."

John Kenyon grilled me on Expiration over at the newly-redesigned Things I'd Rather Be Doing. (Also, scroll down to check out a rare photo of Ed Gorman, captured in the wild!)

And finally Tom Piccirilli gave me the interrogation treatment over at The Big Adios. Pic's such a brutal interviewer, he even got me talking about my next few books. (Sort of.)

Sand, Guns, and Reviews

First off: my apologies that the PDF release of Sand In My Gun is running late. I've been crazy as hell with deadlines. But worry not: just need to polish the intro a little, and then it'll be winging its way to your e-mail boxes by the end of the weekend. Thanks to everyone for being so patient.

UPDATE: These birds are flying. If you don't receive your Sand pdf by midnight tonight, drop me a line.

Meanwhile, I'm grateful for some very kind Expiration Date reviews that have popped up in the last week:

Michael Berry in the San Francisco Chronicle writes: "Swierczynski has to do some creative hand-waving about astral projection to keep the fantasy-mystery plot of Expiration Date moving like a well-maintained amusement park ride. Plausibility may not be the book's virtue, but Mickey's tour through his family's long-buried secrets is ultimately affecting, suspenseful and satisfying." (Guilty on on both charges. My SF is admittedly of the "makey-uppy" variety.)

Dave Richards (of Comic Book Resources fame) says that Expiration "is an immensely satisfying mystery and science fiction novel about one of the most mundane and important things in the world, family. I highly recommend it."

Andrew Byers over at Tales from the Bookworm's Lair says: "This is an outstanding example of modern noir, though, oddly, it’s also a time travel novel."

And finally, Vince Keenan (whose blog is a must read for noir and crime fiction junkies) writes: "There’s inventiveness on every page, but what makes the book work – I hate using this word, but it’s appropriate – is its heart."

Huge thanks for helping spread the word, guys.

My L.A. Times Book Fest Schedule

Last time I attended the L.A. Times Festival of Books I helped Sean Doolittle and Victor Gischler break into a pool, got a wicked sunburn, and almost scored an underaged California trophy wife. God knows what'll happen this time around. If you're around this weekend, here's where you'll be able to find me:

Friday Night (4/23): The Mystery Bookstore's Pre-Fest Party (1036-C Broxton Avenue). I'll be there probably around 6:30 or 7, depending on my flight/traffic from LAX. I think I booked the exact same flight three years ago, and I showed up at the party slight dazed. Which later led to the pool break-in. So, fair warning.

Sunday (4/25): I'll be signing at the Mystery Bookstore's booth (#411) at noon, along with Eric Beetner, Reed Farrel Coleman, Gar Anthony Haywood (who recently started blogging, by the way), Attica Locke and Gary Phillips. You'll probably also see me hanging around the booth area for much of the morning. And wearing sunscreen this time.

I'm also hoping to take Esotouric's cool-sounding Charles Bukowski bus tour ("Haunts of a Dirty Old Man") on Saturday afternoon. I've heard nothing but great things about these tours, and I say you haven't really seen a city until you've nuzzled its soft underbelly.

Pulp Serenades and Blood

I like Charlie Huston's policy of linking to book reviews on his blog -- he shares 'em all, good and bad. If you own the good ones, you have to own the bad (and downright ugly) ones, too. Fortunately, I have two extremely kind, thoughtful reviews to share.

The first is from Cullen Gallagher at Pulp Serenade, who says: "Expiration Date can be described any number of ways: time-travel, urban history noir; sci-fi, drugged-out family trauma; action-fantasy genealogy. Any way you look at it, the marvel of Expiration Date is less the novelty of its myriad influences than Swierczynski’s ability to seamlessly integrate all of them into a cohesive whole."

And Blood of the Muse gives Expiration a 9 out 10, and says: "This is a time travel novel done intelligently."

Tonight: Hickey and Boggs!

Tonight's Noir Night at the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, PA, and I'm proud to be presenting Hickey & Boggs, the downbeat Robert Culp/Bill Cosby thriller from 1972. Sadly, the print the Hiway tracked down was in seriously poor shape, so they'll be showing a digital copy instead. (If it's anything like the copy I found on iTunes, it'll be just fine.) I'll be talking about the movie a little, and signing copies of Expiration Date before and after the showing. And after all of that, there's talk of drinking at the nearby VFW post, which only seems appropriate.

So stop by if you're anywhere near Jenkintown this evening, especially if you've never had the pleasure of watching Hickey & Boggs. The fun starts at 8 p.m.; admission is $10, but only $5 for Hiway members.

Stella, Crider and Utter Scoundrel on Expiration

Charlie Stella made me blush with his review of Expiration Date at his highly recommended blog, Temporary Knucksline: "It’s a fast ride; maybe too fast since it was over before I was ready, but it’s a fun read and a fine break from the real-to-life news that bombards us day to day."

Bill Crider weighs in, too, over at his Pop Culture Magazine: "As usual with Swierczynski, the book moves like a bullet."

And the Utter Scoundrel over at Lies! Damned Lies! says: "It's all very twisty-turny and messed up and ingenious, and ends with a chapter that would have Rod Serling smiling."

I follow these guys regularly for their pop culture picks, so a thumbs-up from them makes me extremely happy. Thanks, fellas.

Beer and Loathing

Yesterday's signing at the Port Richmond Bookstore was a lot of fun, despite the fact that my nerves got the better of me and, right in the middle of my little talk, I accidentally dumped a bottle of Yuengling, spraying beer across my crotch in a manner that suggested I'd lost control of my bladder. Actually, this was the best place the beer could have ended up up; the bottle had been sitting on the writing desk of pulp legend Mike Avallone, which thankfully remained safe and dry.

Thanks to everyone who ventured out, including national internet sensation Joe Walker, Ed "Poe Boy" Pettit, Dennis Tafoya, Curt Broad (former owner of the much-missed Marlo Books), and whole gaggle of cool people who didn't mind hanging out with a guy with wet jeans. Special thanks to my hosts, Deen Kogan and Greg Gillespie, absentee host Lou Boxer (who arranged the whole darn thing), and my own Bride, who ran sales and, at one point, when someone asked for another beer, suggested I wring out my pants. Love you too, honey.

By way of revenge, I managed to do a little damage at the bookstore. Here's what I picked up. Usually I go for the paperbacks, but I was in a hardcover mood yesterday:

A Morning For Flamingos, by James Lee Burke. Picked this up last night, intending to read a page or two, and ended up blazing through the first 50. I love Burke.

The Way We Die Now, by Charles Willeford. I have the paperback, but I couldn't resist the hardcover for my collection.

Blood Simple, by Joel and Ethan Coen. Apparently, St. Martin's had an "original screenplay series" back in the 1980s?

The Player, by Michael Tolkin. I've wanted to read this for a while now.

True Confessions, by John Gregory Dunne. One of my favorite writers. Own the paperback, but again, this hardcover called out to me. Which is just an excuse to read it again.

Dreamland, by Newton Thornburg. Thoughts of Cutter & Bone made me pick this one up.

The Breaks, by Richard Price. Signed, too! Haven't read it yet. I'm pretty sure Greg Gillespie gave me a ridiculous discount on this one.

Chandlertown, by Edward Thorpe. Say the words "Chandler" and "Los Angeles" and I'm already pulling out my wallet.

Also purchased, but not shown: a paperback copy of Elmore Leonard's Ryan's Rules, which is actually Swag. Which I own. But I couldn't resist... alternate cover... alternate title... someone... help me...

Expiration Date: Port Richmond

Today at 2 p.m. I'll be signing books and talking Expiration Date at the Port Richmond Bookstore (3037 Richmond Street, Phila. PA 19134, just a few blocks from I-95). There will be cold beer and soft pretzels on hand, as well as copies of Expiration, Severance Package and the increasingly hard-to-find Secret Dead Men. But you'll also want to poke around the store, which is more or less vintage hardcover/paperback heaven. Hope to see some of you there.

Slowing the Sands of Time, Just a Little...

Due to overwhelming popular demand (okay, a few people have asked), I'm extending the deadline for the Sand giveaway by a few days. If you pick up a copy by midnight this Friday (EST) and send me proof, you'll receive a PDF of Sand In My Gun, a 7,000 word sample of the earliest version of what became Expiration Date, along with about 12,000 words of my Sand journal from that time. (Watch a clueless young author battle his way through his own mind!) Thanks to everyone who's picked up a copy so far and has joined the Sand brigade.

And huge thanks for spreading the word. I'm thrilled to hear how many of you are enjoying the book. I always worry that these things are amusing only to a limited audience: namely, me. It's good to know there are a bunch of us out there.

Time's Up

Today's pub day for my fifth novel, Expiration Date. By "pub day," I don't mean that I'll be taking my book out for a beer at the nearest Irish-themed sports-type bar. (Though that might be fun.) No, "pub" stands for "publication." Huge thanks to everyone who's pre-ordered the book, entered the St. Martin's Minotaur contest, and spread the good word. Books live or die by word of mouth, and thanks to you guys, this baby has quite a few lungfuls of air.

Remember: if you have pre-ordered, or plan on buying a copy through next Monday, send me proof of purchase via e-mail and I'll send you Sand In My Gun, a 20,000 word PDF full of DVD-style "bonus" content. It's a rare peek inside my mind, circa 1999. God help you all.

So what does an author do on pub day? Well, this morning I wrote. Answered some e-mail. Kick around some story ideas. But all of that stops in about an hour. Today's also my son Parker's eighth birthday, so we'll be taking him to see Diary of A Wimpy Kid, which apparently is some kind of grindhouse-style, bloodsoaked R-rated revenge flick. (Wait... it's what?) As proud as I am of my books, I'm infinitely prouder of my boy. And birthday trumps pub day any day of the week.

Only Three Days Left...

... until my fifth novel, Expiration Date, is available in finer bookstores everywhere. (Though I've heard reports of the book sneaking out into the wild a little early.)

There's still plenty of time to enter the St. Martin's Minotaur sweepstakes to win signed copies as well as original pieces of Laurence Campbell's art, straight from the book. Simply go here, click through to the promotion page, and type in your vitals. You can also download the first batch of pages from the novel, which St. Martin's will be posting in serial form over the next few weeks.

And don't forget: if you send me proof that you either pre-ordered Expiration or purchased it during its first week on sale, I'll send you a .pdf of Sand In My Gun. (More details on that here.) I'm happy to say that a ton of you have taken me up on the offer, but there's plenty of room for everybody else. Join ussssss, join usssss doooooo...

As for appearances, I've added a little box to the left, listing the various Expiration signing events I have planned. The first official signing will be at Port Richmond Books (3037 Richmond Street) in Philly, Sunday April 11 at 2 p.m. I'll have a bunch copies of the book on hand, as well as a lot of beer, so stop on by and enjoy a cold one with us.

More details on the rest of the events soon, but here's a quick rundown:

April 14: Noir Night at the Hiway Theater, Jenkintown, PA. I'll be introducing/talking about Hickey & Boggs, and signing copies of Expiration.

April 24-26: L.A. Times Festival of Books. I'll be at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood for a party Friday night, then at their booth over the weekend.

May 1: Free Comic Book Day at Brave New Worlds in Willow Grove, PA.

June 5: Murder by the Book in Houston, TX. I'll be appearing with Victor Gischler, the madman from Baton Rouge, who will be out supporting his new hardboiled crime novel The Deputy.

June 6: BookPeople in Austin, TX. Also with Gischler. Unless he get sick of me, and ditches me somewhere out on a dusty Texas road.

Hope to see a bunch of you at one of these crazy events over the next few months.

Hickey. Boggs. On the Big Screen.

Last summer I went all crazy for Hickey & Boggs, the Robert Culp/Bill Cosby neo-noir from 1972. And you know? I'm still crazy for it. I've watched it a few more times over the past year, and it remains one of my favorite crime films, part of an unofficial quadrilogy of downbeat L.A. P.I. movies (the others being Night Moves, The Long Goodbye and Chinatown).

So when Ed Pettit, a.k.a. the Philly Poe Guy, asked me to kick off a new series of Philly authors introducing their favorite films, only one movie that came to mind:

The Great Muppet Caper.

No, no, I'm being silly. I'll be introducing/talking about Hickey & Boggs! Fred Kaplan-Mayer at the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, PA even tracked down an honest-to-God print, so we'll be seeing it as nature (and Robert Culp) intended.

The event also doubles as an Expiration Date book appearance -- I'll be signing copies before and after the movie. There are other ties, too: Expiration is partially set in 1972, just like the movie. It's kind of a private eye story, just like Hickey & Boggs. And of course, it stars Philly legend Bill Cosby, which is about as Philly as you can get despite this being an L.A. neo-noir flick.

If you're at all curious about this movie, I hope you'll be able to join us. And please, spread the word. The fun starts Wednesday, April 14, at 8 p.m. at the Highway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA (215-886-9802). For more info, click here or drop me an email.

(Image from Obscure One-Sheet.)

Yes, This Offer Has An Expiration Date

Expiration Date is out two weeks from today, and St. Martin's Minotaur is continuing their cool online sweepstakes to win free signed copies and original art from Laurence Campbell. (What? You haven't heard of this? Go here now.)

But I wanted to offer something extra to readers who have pre-ordered their copies already, or plan to pre-order soon.

That something extra: about 20,000 words of bonus fiction and "behind-the-scenes" material.

See, I've been playing around with the central idea of Expiration Date (a time-traveling detective) on and off since 1999. I'd originally planned on Expiration being the follow-up to Secret Dead Men, which would kick-start a series of offbeat genre-blenders. What can I say? Man plans, God laughs.

The earliest surviving version, written in April 1999, is a 7,000 word sample called Sand In My Gun. It is totally and completely different from what eventually became Expiration Date. And I mean it when I say "totally" and "completely." Different characters. Different plot. Different setting. Different everything. Not a single word from Sand made it to Expiration. In fact, I didn't even look at the Sand excerpt until a few weeks ago.

And when I did, it kind of made me laugh. It's rough, and goofy, but it is kind of fun.

I also looked at the 13,000 words or so of journal entries I'd made about the novel-in-progress, and those were a revelation, too. I must have had my mind wiped in the past 10 years, because I'd remembered very little of this crazy plot I had cooked up in my tiny Brooklyn apartment.

Want a free peek at this crazy slab of premillennial almost-pulp? It's easy.

What To Do: Just e-mail me proof that you've pre-ordered Expiration Date, or purchased it during its first week of release. You pre-order from anywhere. Your favorite indie shop. Your favorite chain. Your favorite online retailer. (Yes, even that online retailer... we've kissed and made up.) Anywhere. You pick the seller. Have you already pre-ordered? No problem. (And God bless you.) You could have pre-ordered this thing back in 1972, as along as you have written proof, I'll honor it.

You can pre-order it now, or buy it the first week it's on sale, up through 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 5. UPDATE FROM FURTHER DOWN THE TIMESTREAM: The deadline has been extended to 11:59, Friday, April 9! It's not too late!

Send that proof to me at duane DOT swier AT verizon DOT net with the subject line: "I Want Sand in My Gun."

What You'll Get: On April 10th (or soon after) you'll receive an exclusive PDF copy of the Sand In My Gun excerpt, along with lengthy excerpts from my Sand journal.

Is this a piece of work that will change your life? Kind of doubt it. Is it amusing? I think so. Then again, I'm sucker for these "behind-the-scenes" type things. I love the notes in the back of Stephen King anthologies. I love that year-by-year thing F. Paul Wilson does in his collections. (I mean, for God's sake, I sat up last night and re-read David J. Schow's "Endsticks" essay at the back of his excellent Silver Scream anthology, just because it's a riot.)

This offer is good anywhere in the world, as long as you have a working e-mail account. (The ability to read English is optional.)

Offer starts... now. The clock is ticking.

The Expiration Date Sweepstakes!

My fifth novel, Expiration Date, will be out later this month, and my publisher, St. Martin's, is holding a sweet little contest (if I do say so myself). Six lucky winners will nab a signed copy of the novel along with an original Laurence Campbell illustration from the book. Not a copy, not a printout... I'm talking about an original piece of art. There are 13 total. I have one; so does my editor, Marc Resnick. Six more are up for grabs.

To win, all you need is to have a.) Internet access and b.) air pushing in and out of your lungs. That's it. Really. Go to www.MinotaurBooks.com/ExpirationDate and fill out the form. See? Easy as falling down a rocky hillside.

Huge thanks to the generous and twisted Mr. Campbell, without whom this contest would be nowhere near as cool.

A Date with Laurence Campbell

Last week I mentioned that my next novel, Expiration Date, would include a dozen pieces of original black and white art. Today I'm proud to share the name of the artist: Laurence Campbell, of Punisher MAX, Moon Knight and Wolverine fame (as well as 2000AD's Judge Dredd, Synnamon and Breathing Space). Until this project, Laurence and I have never worked together; I've just admired (okay, drooled over) his work from afar. My editor Axel Alonso showed me some of Laurence's work early on and I became an instant fan. When Laurence said he'd be willing to work with me on Expiration, I was like a kid at Christmas. When finished art started rolling in, I felt like I'd hit the lottery.

Above is just a sketch of an illustration from Expiration; for the full dose of Laurence Campbell, however, you need to pick up the Punisher MAX arc he did with Gregg Hurwitz (Girls in White Dresses) or check out his online gallery at getcampbell.com.

And keep checking back, because Laurence has graciously offered one of his original pages from Expiration Date to a lucky reader. Details to follow soon...

Date Night

The cover of my next novel, Expiration Date, just popped up on Amazon.com, so I'm guessing it's safe to pass along here. (Click on the image for a larger view.) I haven't said much about Expiration, mostly because it's probably too soon to start yattering on about a book that won't see the light of day until next April. But there is some cool news to share in the coming weeks, including the name of the artist who has contributed a dozen stunning black and white illustrations to the book, as well as Expiration's slightly unusual origin story.

But like I said, that stuff will be revealed in the weeks to come. In the meantime, I'd love your thoughts on the cover. What do you guys think? Would you give it a second look at the local chain or your favorite indie book shop?

Update: Jay Tomio's thoughts over at BSCreview.