For Appearances' Sake

I know, I know, it's been deadly quiet around here. This is no way to run a blog. All I say can is, I've been writing my ass off, and I'll try harder to post more.

(Ironically, I have a ton of blog post ideas... but whenever I'm tempted to sit down and crank one of them out, a deadline nags at me. You know, one of those deadlines that will eventually result in a paycheck. So they're tough to ignore.)

Anyway, if you've missed me, and happen to give in the greater Philadelphia area, you have two chances to see me IN PERSON! (oh yes, the thrills never stop) over the next two weeks.

First up: a Philadelphia Noir panel smack dab in the middle of the Free Library of Philadelphia's Philadelphia Book Festival. (In case you were wondering, yes, the event takes place in Philadelphia.) We'll be getting part of the old band back together: yours truly, Carlin Romano, Asali Solomon and Jim Zervanos. April 13, 6 p.m. in the Skyline Room. If you stop by, please do say hello.

Second up: a joint Tales From the Cobra Wars signing on April 23rd at the Doylestown Bookshop in (wait for it) Doylestown, PA. I'll be joined by Jon McGoran (who some of you may know as "D.H. Dublin"), Jonathan Maberry and Dennis Tafoya, talking about our stories in IDW's big bad and brand new G.I. Joe antho edited by Max Brooks. (My own contribution, "Speed Trap," is actually a 15,000 word novella, and received some very kind reviews when it published in the back of G.I. Joe Cobra Special #2 last September.) Here's your chance to have this sucker signed by nearly half of its contributors!

New Novella: "Speed Trap"

Every so often I'll write a novella -- something longer than a short story, yet far shorter than a novel -- and they usually end up in weird places. My sequel to The Blonde, a novella called "Redhead," was found in the back of the paperback edition, as well as available by request as a free PDF. (Offer still good, by the way. Just e-mail me and let me know that you've read The Blonde, and I'll send you back a "Redhead.")

My two interactive mysteries for Quirk (The Crimes of Dr. Watson, Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor) are also technically novellas, neither of them topping 20,000 words.

Over the summer I wrote a novella for IDW's G.I. Joe series called "Speed Trap," which will be included in a G.I. Joe: Cobra Wars anthology (edited by Max Brooks) next spring. But you can read the whole thing -- all 16,000 words of it -- right now, because the "Speed Trap" was included as a bonus feature in G.I. Cobra Special #2, available in finer comic book shops everywhere.

I'm proud of "Speed Trap" because I wrote it while traveling cross-country, and I tried to make use of what I saw on the road. I also tried to fit a novel's worth of plot into 16,000 words, gleefully tossing out anything that didn't keep the story moving, moving, moving. And I'm really happy to see that it's earned some kind words over at CBR.com today.

I'm still in the process of revising "Speed Trap" for the anthology, so Swierczy collectors (all three of you) might want to scoop up this issue, if you'd like to compare an early draft with the finished version.

And you don't have to be a die-hard G.I. Joe-head to appreciate the story; you learn all you need to know along the way. Hope you have a chance to check it out.