Sorry I haven' t been around here much. We have family staying with us from France and I had a book signing down in San Diego this week (on the way there, I stopped at eight Barnes & Noble stores and signed stock). I also have been preparing for some network pitch meetings and working hard on the next MONK book, which is due in a few short weeks. So, blogging has taken a back seat, though I've set aside a few things that showed up in my email this week to blog about later...
This was the final day of the International Mystery Writer's Festival. CSI Creator Anthony Zuiker and I did a panel together that became a wide-ranging discussion about TV, the state of the industry, and the balance between story & high concept in a series (that's Bob Levinson, striking his usual pose, with Zuiker and me). It was a lot of fun and I think I found it as informative as the enthusiastic audience did. I caught the last stage performance of MAPES FOR HIRE (which the local newspaper reported today may be heading to Monterey as early as August) and was a presenter at the Second Annual Angie Awards, where special honors/statuettes were given to Zuiker and Mary Higgins Clark for their contributions to the mystery genre. At the riverfront "after party," I chatted for quite
some time with Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson who, in addition to being extremely affable and engaging, is the widest man I've ever met. Not fat, W I D E. I mean he's just huge...and strong. He casually slapped me on the back with a hearty laugh, dislocating my shoulder and paralyzing me from the neck down for ten minutes. You don't want to arm-wrestle with this man.
All in all, I had a fantastic time...as both a participant and a play-goer, and look forward to attending the Festival again some day. A woman who came to one of my booksigning even invited me and my family to stay at her home, that's how friendly and hospitable people in Kentucky are. I lost count of how many women, young and old, called me "honey," "sweetie," "sugar," and "sweetheart" this week. I'm afraid if my wife comes with me next time, she's going to think I slept with every woman in town.
J. Allen Eskridge III, Kentucky's assistant Secretary of State, made my day at a packed ceremony at RiverPark Performing Arts Center. On behalf of the Governor and the Secretary of State, Eskridge presented Gene Hackman with a scroll commissioning him as a Kentucky Colonel, the state's highest honor, and told the Academy Award winning actor that he would be joining a distinguished list "that includes Winston Churchill, Muhammad Ali, and Lee Goldberg." I'm sure Gene was very flattered to be in my company.
My friend Bob Levinson also became a Colonel today, and an honorary judge, and got the key to the city. Stuart Kaminsky got all that stuff, too. The Jews are invading Owensboro. Expect a Kosher deli to open on Main Street any day now.
I'm guessing about 500 people lined up to have Gene Hackman sign their books. It must have been a shock to Mary Higgins Clark. For perhaps the first time in decades, her signing line was shorter than another attending author's. If her ego was bruised, she didn't show it. She was elegant, charming and gracious, as usual. I won't tell you how long my line was. Let's just say I was a distant third. Or maybe fourth.
I'm sneaking out for some more BBQ now before CSI creator Anthony Zuiker screens some clips from his show and answers questions on the big, out-door stage. I'll try not the stain my shirt.
(A big thank you to Bryan Leazenby of Onsite Images for taking the photo)
MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY is author/publisher/editor/reviewer/man-of-the-world Ed Gorman's favorite Monk book so far. He says, in part:
For me the only thing more fun than watching Monk is reading the adventures Lee Goldberg creates for him.
[...]As usual Mr. Goldberg not only keeps the story rolling, he also gives us a plenty of smiles and out-loud laughs along the way. This time he gives a sense of a foreign milieu as well, some very sly travel commentary from time to time. The Monk books take a series that is one of the best on TV and makes it even better. No small accomplishment. I can't wait for the next one
But if that wasn't flattering enough, Ed goes on to talk about my novel THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE.
Whenever I review one of Lee's books I feel guilty if I don't mention his masterpiece, The Man With The Iron-On Badge. This is a novel that pays tribute to the classic private eyes by introducing a funny, cranky, sly and very bright guy named Harvey Mapes who between honoring his twin obsessions junk food and crime fiction on page and tv screen manages to become more than just a security guard--he becomes a private eye, kind of.
[...]The mystery here is cleverly drawn and not without grit and real suspense. The other aspect is the tour of LA that Lee/Harvey takes us on. Too much of LA fiction plays the usual songs. But the cunning detail in Iron-On Badge makes everything from gated communities to eating at Denny's seem brand new. This is because we're seeing it through the eyes of a burned-out working class guy who takes us inside his dotty but endearing fantasy life.
This is one of those novels that will be around for a long, long time. It's that good.
I hope he's right, though the book is hard-to-find. I still haven't managed to get a deal for a mass market paperback edition...but I'm working on it.
Thanks so much, Ed!
I did a little research into what it means to be named a Kentucky Colonel (as I was a few nights ago here in Owensboro). It's the highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is given by the Governor and Secretary of State to "those who make exceptional efforts to enrich
the lives of Kentuckians and the world at large."
I'm joining a distinguished (and eclectic) list that includes Pope John Paul II, Bob Barker, Bill Clinton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Bing Crosby, Barry Manilow, Ronald Reagan, Peter Graves, Norman Schwarzkopf, Winston Churchill, Wynonna Judd, Tiger Woods, and, of course, Harlan Sanders. To say I am flattered...and stunned...is an understatement.
Yesterday, Colonel Goldberg went to Nashville and did all the tourist stuff. And ate at Jack's BBQ...twice. It was the best BBQ of the trip so far. Today Gene Hackman and CSI creator/showrunner Anthony Zuiker join the Festival here in Owensboro. The Colonel is looking forward to meeting them both.
I typed a big, long post and then hit save...and my browser crashed. I HATE it when that happens. So I will try to reconstruct the post as best I can.
I began the day by doing a phone interview with a local morning radio show from the comfort of my bed, still half-asleep. I told the DJ that all the women in the offices at the RiverPark Performing Arts Center listen to him while they shower...and that I was doing his show so I could say women listen to me while lathering up, too. I think he liked that...but I don't think the women at the front office did.
I had a pleasant surprise at breakfast. I sat down at my power table at Denny's, opened up the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, and saw that tonight's free, out-door screening of FAST TRACK and an interview with me was front page news. Either I am very hot stuff or there isn't much going on in town. I'll let you decide.
I stopped by the International Bluegrass Museum. I don't know much about that kind of music, so it was very interesting for me. After that, I spent the rest of the day being a geeky mystery fan, attending one mystery play after another. It was great. I talked to so many nice people...but I must share with you the story of one lady who meant well, but...
I was sitting with Bob Levinson and his wife at one play and, during the intermission, a woman came up to me and asked:
"Do you have something to do with this Festival?"
"Yes, I wrote one of the plays," I said. "And I am doing a few seminars about TV writing."
"Oh, you're that man who writes for Monk."
'Yes, that's me."
"I don't like the Monk show very much, and I haven't read your books and probably never will, but I think Tony Shalhoub is a good actor and you must be very talented. I wanted to tell you that."
I thanked her, shook her hand, and off she went. I know she didn't mean any offense.
Here's another example of how nice people in Owensboro are. During the performance of an Agatha Christie play, an old lady in the fifth row kept talking very loudly to the characters on stage...things like "You aren't fooling me, honey," "he's the killer," and "I don't like him." Nobody told her to hush, they just smiled and let it go. In California, she would have been dragged out onto the street and beaten to death. Kentuckians must be very polite people.
Tonight, I saw fireflies for the first time in my life. I was very startled. At first I thought they were big embers and the building was on fire. Once I realized they weren't embers, I chased them around and stared at them in amazement. People seemed to find this behavior very amusing. Some even took pictures ("Look, Eunice, I got me a picture of a lunatic from California." No one actually said that, but I'm sure that's what they were thinking).
The screening of FAST TRACK went well, despite some technical glitches and me running back and forth in front of the screen, chasing fireflies around.
I am looking forward to spending the day tomorrow in Nashville before returning to the Festival on Saturday.
After all those honors last night, my enormous ego got a bitch-slapping at the bookstore across the street from my hotel here in Owensboro, Kentucky. I dropped in after my power breakfast at Denny's to sign stock. I brought the ten or twelve copies of my books up to the front register, introduced myself as the author, and offered to sign them.
"You ain't doing nothing to those books until you buy'em," the woman said.
"You don't understand," I said. "I'm the author. I 'd like to sign them for you."
"Nobody is gonna buy a book that you've scribbled all over. They like'em new"
"I'm not going to scribble on it," I said. "I want to autograph it. People like that."
"Not here they don't," she said. "Your name is already on the cover of the book, you don't need to write it on there, too."
I was still trying to convince her that what I wanted to do added value to the books when a couple walked up and recognized me. They were at the festivities last night and their son has a part in Stuart Kaminsky's play. They asked the woman if she knew who I was.
"Yeah, some guy who wants to write in the books without buying them," she said, shaking her head like I was some crazy person who reeked of his own urine.
The couple bought all the books I was holding and had me autograph them for various members of their family, so it all worked out. I got to sign the books...but only after the couple agreed to buy them first.
I told author Bob Levinson the story (he's here, too) and he said he was going to stop in the store and ask the lady
if they had any signed books by Lee Goldberg "because they are worth a fortune." (That's a picture of Bob, me and Stuart Kaminsky. I have never seen a picture of Bob where he isn't standing to one side with his right hand in his pocket).
After that, I had a book-signing at the RiverPark Center. I only signed half a dozen books but I really enjoyed talking to the folks who stopped by. They were so nice, and a real pleasure to meet, that it was time well spent. I then grabbed a quick lunch at a nearby cafe that served BBQ Pork on Corn Pancakes. It was every bit as disgusting as it sounds.
I returned to the center to do an interview with the local newspaper and to teach a class on TV writing to two dozen people of all ages. I snuck out again for an early dinner at the Old Hickory BBQ, which was pretty darn tasty, but no comparison to the Moonlite BBQ, where I ravaged the buffet last night. Before heading back, I stopped by a used book store that sold books for half the cover price -- I found two westerns, one was originally priced at $2 the other at 35 cents. The guy charged me $4.00. I said that seemed a little steep.
"We charge half the cover price," he said.
"So that should be $1.17," I said, pointing out the cover prices.
He glared at me, rung up the books again, and I gave him $1.25. I told him he could keep the change. I can be a pretty generous guy when I want to be.
I got back to the RiverPark Center just in time to see an early evening performance of my play, MAPES FOR HIRE by the legendary Firesign Theatre. It was quite a thrill for me. It's the first thing I've ever written that's been performed on a stage in front of an audience. I enjoyed it quite a bit (that's a picture of me with the cast and director David Ossman, who is in the front row on the left). It was a full house, so that was great, too. The play was performed as a "live radio" production with sound effects, music, etc. I wanted to close my eyes and "listen" to it, but I was afraid the cast would see me and think I was sleeping through my own show. I'm going to see it again on Sunday and close my eyes for a bit this time.
There are plans afoot to distribute the play to radio stations nationwide. If that happens, I'll let you know where and when you can hear it.
Tomorrow I have a live morning radio interview to do at 7 am -- 5 am L.A. time -- and then it's back to the
RiverPark Center to do another signing, attend some of the other plays, and then host a free, outdoor screening of my movie FAST TRACK: NO LIMITS on the riverfront patio under the stars, followed by a Q&A reception in the theatre. I am really looking forward to seeing how an audience reacts to the movie. (That's the out door screening space in daylight. The photo doesn't do the setting justice...at night it's wonderful, especially when it's full of people, sitting and standing).
I am having such a good time here. I just wish my family -- currently jetting to France for a three week visit with the in-laws-- was here to enjoy it with me.
The limo picked me up at 4:30 am this morning and whisked me off to LAX for a 6 am flight to Memphis. I was only in the Memphis terminal for 30 seconds before I saw my first obese Elvis impersonator. I saw two more before I found a stool at Interstate BBQ for a quick lunch. The ribs weren't bad. They certainly beat your usual airport slop. I then flew into Evansville and drove down to Owensboro, Kentucky, where I dropped off my stuff at the hotel and hurried over to the RiverPark Center to check things out at the International Mystery Writers Festival. It's a good thing that I did, because nobody had told me that I was supposed to be the guest of honor twenty minutes later at a special ceremony on stage preceding the world premiere of Stuart Kaminsky's new Sherlock Holmes play. It's a good thing I was already wearing a wrinkled, untucked shirt and faded jeans or I might have felt uncomfortable at such a formal event.
City Commissioner Cathy Armour, on behalf of herself and Thomas Watson, the Mayor of Owensboro, presented me with the Key to the City and an engraved gavel making me an Honorary Daviess County Judge Executive. Then Assistant Secretary of State J. Allen Eskridge III, on behalf of Governor Steven Beshear's office and the Secretary of State, presented me with a scroll officially commissioning me as a Kentucky Colonel. I'm not sure what that means, but I think I'm entitled to a discount at KFCs worldwide (the pictures at the ceremony didn't turn out, so I posed with the officials out in the lobby for another one). I was very flattered anyway.
I immediately rushed off to see if the key to the city would get me a free meal at the Moonlite BBQ Inn. It didn't, but I still gorged myself on their amazing $12.95 BBQ buffet, which
included Sliced Mutton, Chopped Mutton, Sliced Pork, Chopped Pork, Pork Spare Ribs, Chopped BBQ Beef, Sliced Ham, breaded shrimp, macaroni & cheese, and a ton of other stuff. The dessert buffet line-up included Buttermilk Pie, Apple Pie, Rhubarb Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Cheese Cake, Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Brownies, Strawberries and Cream, and more. All of it was fantastic. It's a good thing I don't live here...or I'd surely become a fat Elvis impersonator. I even managed to escape without a single stain on my white shirt.
After my feast, I hurried back to the RiverPark Center for an out-door "Writer's Reel" screening of clips from my work, which were projected on a big screen against the backdrop of the river and a huge bridge, and included a Q&A. It was great. I spent another hour-and-a-half afterwards signing books, having my picture taken with attendees, and talking to 40 high school and college students from across the state who are participating in the Young Adult Theatre Academy here.
I also met the producers and cast of MAPES FOR HIRE, the play based on my book THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE, and learned there is already talk of the play being performed later this summer on the west coast.
All in all, I had a blast...though I am absolutely exhausted now. Tomorrow I am teaching a TV writing seminar, doing some radio interviews, and seeing a performance of MAPES.
The towncar driver who picked me up at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan yesterday asked me if I'd like a Chinese sandwich before heading out to the airport.
"No thanks," I said. "I just had lunch."
"It's not food," he said. "It's the greatest experience of your life."
"What is it?"
"It's two naked Chinese women covered with soap bubbles who hug each other...with you in between. You can go as far as you want with them."
"No thanks," I said.
"Are you sure?" he said. "It's something you'll remember when you're old, sitting in your rocking chair, and it will bring a smile to your face."
"It's not my kind of thing," I said.
"Are you gay?"
"Married."
"So what?" he said. "She'll never know."
"I will," I said.
He grinned. "That's the point."
"I'm really not interested."
Actually, I was very interested. Not in experiencing the Sandwich for myself, but I wanted to know if he'd done it, how many of the men he drove around took him up on the offer, and how many of them got a sexually transmitted disease. But I couldn't bring myself to ask.
"You mean to tell me you've never played around?" The driver asked.
"Nope," I said.
"How long have you been married?"
"About twenty years," I said.
He stared at me in shock. "How do you do it?"
I shrugged. "It doesn't take any effort at all."
"Because you don't like sex?"
"Because I love my wife," I said.
He shook his head. "That's really sad. You only live once, you know."
Today I went out to Summit, NJ to visit MONK creator/showrunner Andy Breckman and his staff. They aren't exactly keeping a low-profile in town, as proven by the picture on the left of their building (click on the picture for a larger image). On the train ride out there, I came up with the plot for MONK #8 which, much to my relief, Andy liked. We talked for an hour or two about the murders for the book and then I sat in to hear the beats for the 100th episode -- it's g0ing to be a great one.
I returned to Manhattan in time to attend the MWA's Agents & Editors party, where I ran into Mel Berger, who was my first agent ever, and chatted for a bit with a woman who loves me, which is always a thrill.
At the party, author Twist Phelan told me that she'd met a woman today who introduced herself as a "pre-pre-published author" and said she was attending the Crime Writing conference to meet an agent.
"What does 'pre-pre-published' mean?" Twist asked.
"I have an idea for a book but I haven't started writing it yet," she said.
"And that's how you plan to introduce yourself to agents?"
"Yes," the woman said.
Twist said don't, and went on to tell her just how stupid calling herself "pre-pre-published" was. That was definitely a new one on me.
I flew to New York on Monday on Virgin America which, once again, was like flying in a synagogue. The plane was full of orthodox Jews, though at least this time they didn't give me a Bar Mitzvah (or whatever the ceremony was they performed for me on my last NY flight...and no, it wasn't a circumcision. Been there, done that). I had a wonderful dinner at Elaine's last night with writer, producer and bon vivant David Black and today the two of us did a panel together for the MWA's "Crime Writing University." Tonight I went to the booksigning for BLUE RELIGION, the MWA anthology, and
schmoozed with Megan Abbott, Harry Hunsicker, Jason Pinter, Paul Guyot (who is in the picture with me), Michael Connelly, Lee Child, SJ Rozan, and many other authors. Tomorrow I'm getting together with the folks at MONK to talk about my next book...and then will attend the MWA's Editors & Agent's dinner.
I just got back from day 1 of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I look forward to this event all year and, despite my vows to cut back on my book buying at the Fest, I always end up making several trips back to the car to unload my goodies...which included signed books by Richard Russo, Peter Carey, Richard Price, and Tana French and lots of architectures books. I ran into many old friends at the Festival today, and last night at the Mystery Bookstore party... authors like Lee Lankford, Paul Levine, Michael Connelly, Dick Lochte, Cara Black, Mark Haskell Smith, Naomi Hirahara, Bill Fitzhugh (who was on the way to an opening of a musical based on his novel PEST CONTROL) Bob Levinson (who I will be hanging out with in Owensboro Kentucky later this month), Loraine Despres, Thomas Perry, Denise Hamilton, and Susan Straight. I also chatted for a while with Lisa Lutz, Susan Kandel, and Rita Lakin.
Tomorrow, my brother Tod and I will be signing at 11am at the Mystery Bookstore which, as fate would have it, is the same time our sisters Karen and Linda will be signing at Borders...and then Monday I head off to New York for Edgar Week.
But I won't have my MONK book hanging over my head during the trip. I sent MR. MONK IS MISERABLE to my editors yesterday. On Wednesday, I'm having breakfast with MONK creator Andy Breckman to discuss my next MONK novel...I'm hoping to come up with a vague idea for it on the flight to New York.
Jon Breen at ELLERY QUEEN MYSTERY MAGAZINE has given the short story collection HOLLYWOOD & CRIME a rave review, singling out my story "Jack Webb's Star:"
Show business has long been a favorite criminous setting, and in recent years more mysteries than ever have explored the worlds of film, stage, television, music, magic, stand-up comedy, and other categories of performance. Prolific anthologist Robert J. Randisi’s Hollywood and Crime (Pegasus, $25) gathers original stories by such formidable writers as Michael Connelly, Bill Pronzini, Terence Faherty, Stuart M. Kaminsky, and Dick Lochte. Among those with the strongest entertainment industry backgrounds are “Murderlized” by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens, a fact-based 1930s tale in which Moe Howard of the Three Stooges investigates the mysterious death of former stage partner Ted Healy; Robert S. Levinson’s “And the Winner Is,” about the 1960 Academy Awards, gangster Mickey Cohen, and the bitter rivalry of columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella O. Parsons; and best of all, "Jack Webb’s Star," Lee Goldberg’s hilarious contemporary tale of a struggling TV writer, his commercial actress wife, a traffic school led by an unfunny stand-up comic, and Joe Friday's star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
Thank you, Jon!
I've got a busy signing and speaking schedule coming up...
You can find me at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood, CA on Friday, April 25th, for their pre-Los Angeles Times Festival of Books party. And then I'll be signing on Sunday, April 27th, at 11 a.m., at the Mystery Bookstore's booth at the Festival.
On Monday, April 28, I am interviewing producer Donald Belisario on camera for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Archive of American Television, and then I am hopping on a plane to New York, to participate in the Mystery Writers of America's Crime Fiction Seminars and to take part in the Edgar Awards.
In late May/early June, I'll be signing at Book Expo in Los Angeles, alongside Max Allan Collins, but I'll have more details about that as we get closer to the event.
And finally, I'm going to be traveling to the International Mystery Writers Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 17-22 to see my screenplay "Mapes For Hire" (based on my book THE MAN WITH THE IRON ON BADGE) performed on stage "live radio"-style with a full cast, sound effects and music. Here are the performance dates at the Berry Theatre in Owensboro:
For ticket information, click here.
I'm in the final stretch of writing MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, which is due on April 30th...which is why I haven't been contributing much here lately. No sooner do I turn in that book than I have to start thinking about MONK #8. All I know about that one, after two books mostly set in Europe, is that it will take place in and around San Francisco. Beyond that, I've got nothing. I'm sure something will occur to me, probably while I am on my way to New York next week for the Edgar Awards, where I will be seeing my publisher, editor and agent.
But before I go, I've got a couple of meet-and-greets this week with two A-list production companies, thanks to a spec script I wrote that these execs really liked but, for whatever reason, wouldn't buy. They liked the writing and the sensibility enough to want to meet me, which is good, but the meetings are always a little awkward. There's no way to really prepare for them. They aren't structured, like a pitch, though I'll gladly share a few ideas if I'm asked what I'm working on. It's more casual and free-form, with no clear agenda. But make no mistake about it, you are pitching. You're pitching yourself as a person.
A meet-and-greet is an opportunity for the executives to put a face to your name, get a sense of how you think, and decide whether or not they'd like to work with you some day. Nothing may ever come of the meet-and-greet...or weeks, months or years from now it might occur to the exec to bring me in on particular project or rewrite that matches my "sensibility." I've had a few jobs come to me this way over the years...like writing the Dame Edna movie (which, sadly, was not produced), so I am always open to meet-and-greets.
If anything comes from one of them, I'll let you know. Okay, enough procrasatinating, back to MONK!
I just returned home from speaking at the 8th Annual Forensic Science and Law conference at Duquesne University and I had a fantastic time. It was billed as a "national symposium on the intersection of forensic science and culture" and it was unlike any conference I've attended before.
That's because most of ones I've been to have had to do with some aspect of mystery writing or the TV business and were attended by TV writers, novelists, entertainment industry executives, aspiring writers, and mystery fans. In other words, people like me.
But this conference was primarily attended by forensic scientists, prosecutors, medical examiners, criminalists, FBI agents, and students in various fields of forensics, investigation, and criminal law. I was honored and intimidated to be in such distinguished company. I was worried that what I had to say was not only irrelevant, but that they must have invited me by mistake.
I learned so much at this conference, and it started at the airport. I shared a limo into Pittsburgh with prosecutor-turned-author Robert Tannenbaum and for an hour we had a lively discussion about national politics and some high-profile criminal cases.
I dropped off my suitcase and the hotel and rushed to a reception at the University for the conference faculty, where I stood out in the crowd...because I was the only goof in an untucked shirt and jeans. I was embarrassed about being so sloppily dressed but being from "Hollywood," I got away with my it.
I was glad to spot a familiar face in the bunch -- my friend author Jan Burke was sitting in the back of the room, chatting with Dr. Katherine Ramsland, assistant professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University and Judge Donald E. Shelton, who teaches criminal justice at Eastern Michigan University. I joined their discussion and, once I got some food and Diet Coke in me, I relaxed a bit and decided to start introducing myself to strangers.
I'm glad I did. I had some fascinating conversations with James Starrs, professor of law and forensic sciences at George Washington University; forensic artist Karen Taylor, and FBI agent James Clemente, who profiles serial killers and who does some consulting for Andrew Wilder, a writer/producer on CRIMINAL MINDS (who, to my amusement and relief, showed up later wearing jeans and an untucked shirt, too).
Before the reception was over, I spoke with Mark Safarik, a former colleague of Clemente's in the Behaviorial Analysis unit who is now a consultant to law enforcement, and I had a chance to meet the host of the conference, Dr. Cyril Wecht.
I left the reception even more concerned about what I was doing there. These people actually knew things...I just make stuff up. I worried about whether I'd be laughed off the podium...especially when I saw how large the conference hall was and the hundreds of people in attendance, including a delegation of forensic scientists from China.
I attended Robert Tannebaum's keynote address, then went back to the hotel, where I had drinks with Dr. Doug Lyle and before going to bed early (I'd had to get up at 4 a.m L.A. time that morning to make my flight to Pittsburgh).
The next morning, I went down to hotel restaurant for breakfast and shared a table with Mark Safarik, who enthralled me with stories from his law enforcement career. But he also made me feel a lot better about my presentation that morning. Seeing how interested and amused he was in what I had to say about writing, and incorporating forensics into story, made me feel much more confident and less awkward about being there.
As it turned out, my presentation went very well. I shouldn't have worried and, with that task behind me, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the rest of the conference. I was fortunate to be able to spend a lot more time with the folks that I've already mentioned (particularly Clemente, Safarik, Ramsland and Taylor), but I also to have lengthy conversations with forensic toxicologist Dr. Micheal Reiders, criminal law professor and former Deputy D.A. Tamara F. Lawson, as well as many other experts and dozens of forensic science students. Safarik, the former FBI behaviorial analyst, told me it was one of the best conferences he'd ever attended.
At the closing night dinner for the faculty, Doug Lyle and I got a chance to talk for a few minutes with Dr. Baosheng Zhang, Dean of Beijing's China University Institute of Evidence Law and Forensic Science. For Dr. Zhang, the conference seemed to be an eye-opening experience, particularly when it came to the discussion of the impact of popular culture (the "CSI" effect) on the criminal justice system and the media's interaction with investigators and prosecutors. Unfortunately, just as we began to talk about how things are different in China, he got called away into another discussion by a member of his delegation. Doug and I wondered if it was happenstance that we were interrupted, or if it was a polite way of avoiding discussing a touchy subject.
All in all, I was kept very busy and didn't get any writing (or blogging) done at all. But I'm not complaining. I made a lot of friends, heard some fascinating presentations & discussions, and was asked by one of the attendees to speak at another forensic conference later this year. So I am sure that in the long run this experience will be good for my writing...if not for the book I am currently rushing to finish.
I am off to Pittsburgh tomorrow to speak on Friday at Duquesne University's Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law's eighth annual "Where Fact Meets Fiction" conference. I'll be joined by my friend Doug Lyle, author of FORENSICS AND FICTION, as well as Robert Tanenbaum, Jan Burke, Linda Fairstein, CSI producer David Berman, CRIMINAL MINDS producer Andrew Wilder, 48 HOURS producer Gail Zimmerman, FORENSIC FILES producer Kelly Ann Martin, and a long list of judges, criminalists, cops, FBI agents, scientists and scholars. This should be interesting, because I know nothing about forensics and only slightly more about writing.
I just got back from our whirlwind road trip through central, northern, and coastal California. Along the way, we stopped in Capitola, where I spent most of my weekends as a child. The cabin we used to stay in (the yellow one), and the beach haven't changed much. The village is much more "upscale" compared to the shabby, hippie-dippy feel it had in the late 1960s and early 1970s when I was there but I was relieved to see that it hadn't lost any of its charm. It's basically the same as it always was.
I sat on the beach and watched the kids playing. They were about eight or nine years old. I could have been looking forty-some years back in time at myself and my friends. I know it's a cliche to say this, but it seems like it was a much more innocent time when I was growing up...or maybe we were more naive. I'd have breakfast with my parents and then they wouldn't see me again until dinner, unless I was playing on the beach or in the river. Otherwise, I'd roam freely all over town, visiting the used bookstore, shopping at Disco (a Wal-Mart
type store in its day), playing with my friends, having an ice cream at the Dairy Queen, walking to the Crockers in Soquel for a cheeseburger, or looking at the magazines at Nussbaum's grocery store. Some times I'd run into my Mom, who would be shopping for antiques, chatting with the artists at the galleries, or browsing the clothes at the Plum Tree. My Dad always stayed outside the cabin, reading books or chatting with the neighbors. Even at night, we were allow to go off on our own to play Skeeball until 9 pm.
If I had a cabin there today, I would never let my daughter roam around town unsupervised...and she's twelve. When I was a kid, I knew all the shopkeepers and they all knew me. So, in a sense, the town was watching out for me. Maybe that would also be true today for my daughter...but I doubt it.
When I think of the freedom I had when I was my daughter's age and younger...and, by contrast, how much we supervise her....I wonder if times have changed or if I am being over-protective.
(You can click on the photos for larger images)
Sorry I haven't been posting much lately -- I've been working hard on my seventh MONK book (due April 30th) and a couple of other projects, which hasn't left me much time for the blog (or The Bog as Paul Guyot used to call it). What's nice is that now I can call Bill Rabkin and my brother Tod and whine to them about meeting my deadlines. I was doing that before, but now that they are also juggling tie-in writing assignments with their other work, they know first-hand what I am going through. I am looking forward to this summer, when Tod and I will both have new books out and can do signings together, and next January, when Tod, Bill and I will all have books out at the same time. It should be fun... certainly more so than hitting the signing trail alone.
I've got some good news to share...my original screenplay "Mapes For Hire," based on my novel THE
MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE, has been nominated for an Angie Award at the second annual International Mystery Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky ...even better, the script will be performed on stage like an old-time radio show during the festival at the Riverpark Center. Other nominees in this category include scripts by Ray Bradbury, Rupert Holmes, and my friend Robert S. Levinson, so I am in very good company.The winner gets a statuette, a couple of grand in cash, and maybe even a bucket of Colonel Sanders fried chicken. All of that would be nice, but I can't wait to "hear" my script performed, which is prize enough for me.
Today I was on a panel with Steve Cannell, Harley Jane Kozak, Dr. D.P. Lyle and my brother Tod at the spectacular Cerritos Library for their annual "Mystery on the Menu" program. It was my first time there and I was stunned by the library --- it looks like Rick Caruso (developer of The Grove) and the Disney Imagineers teamed up to design the place. I have never seen anything like it, so rather than describe it, you can look at it for yourself here in 360 degree views. The visit to the library alone was well worth the trip. I had a great time, and caught up with Kirk Russell, Richard Greer, Patricia Smiley, Jerrilyn Farmer and Earlene Fowler, among other authors.
The "Murder on the Menu" program is a lot like the "Men of Mystery" event...each author is at a table with ten guests and does a "table talk" at lunch, giving the attendees a chance to get up-close-and-personal with the authors. I had some really interesting discussions with a lot of bright and creative people. But I also had more than my share of strange encounters.
"I love your books," one woman said.
"Thank you," I replied.
"They are so relaxing," she said. "And they really help my digestion."
I think I am going to put that on the cover of my next book. It's the best comment I've had since the San Francisco Chronicle called my book UNSOLD TV PILOTS "The best bathroom reading ever."
Another woman picked up one of my books and asked:
"Is this one good?"
"No," I said. "It's awful. I wrote it while I was trying to kick my heroin addiction."
"Really?"
"No."
"Then why did you say that?"
"What did you expect me to say?" I replied. "Of course I think it's good. I wrote it."
"Well," she said. "I was hoping for your honest opinion."
Not one minute later, another woman (the audience was 99 % women) picked up one of my books and asked me:
"How much did it cost you to publish this?"
"Nothing," I said.
"Really?" she asked. "What about the other authors? What did they pay?"
"Nothing," I said. "We all got paid to write our books."
"Is that something new?"
"No," I said.
"I thought everybody had to pay," she said.
"No," I said. "That's not the way it works."
"That's not what I've heard," she said.
I quickly educated her in how the business works. And after my long speech, she nodded and asked.
"How much did it cost you to get an agent?"
A woman at my able bought Doug Lyle's excellent FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES book and asked me:
"You're friends with Dr. Lyle, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am," I said. "He's also my doctor."
"How did he get away with calling his book FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES without getting sued by the DUMMIES people?"
"They were the ones who hired him to write the book," I said.
"Really?" she said. "So that's how you do it."
But I think the best question I got asked came from a woman at my table who said she'd been writing novels for years but hadn't had any luck getting them published and wanted my advice.
"I write them by hand in spiral-bound notebooks," she said. "I have written a dozen novels."
"And then what do you do with them?"
"I put them in a box in my attic," she said.
I looked at her. "You haven't sent them to any publishers?"
She shook her head.
"You haven't written any query letters to agents or publishers?"
She shook her head again.
"So how do you expect them to get published?"
She shrugged.
"Did you think someone was just going to knock on your door one day and ask if you have any novels written on spiral notebooks that he can read?"
She shrugged again. "That's the part I was hoping you could clear up for me."
I haven't compared notes yet with Tod to see what strange conversations he had, but I'm sure he'll blog about it if he had any...
I've run into a lot of old friends on the picket line and it has been great catching up with them. It's made me wonder why it took a strike for me to finally see them again. So one of my new year's resolutions is to stay in better touch with my friends.
The day before going to NY last week, I had breakfast with actors Erin Cahill and Maurice Roeves from my movie FAST TRACK (not that I had lost touch with them) and then lunch with Javier Grill0-Marxuach, best known for his work on LOST. I enjoyed hearing about his terrific experience shooting his pilot THE MIDDLEMAN and recalling our time together on SEAQUEST. It's nice to see that he's every bit as boyishly enthusiastic about the biz as he was when we first met.
Today I got a 24-hour reprieve from jury duty, so I was able to grab lunch with Terry Winter, best known for his work on THE SOPRANOS, who had me laughing so hard with anecdotes and stories that I nearly choked on my club sandwich more than once. And tonight I had dinner with Carl Strueck, our stunt coordinator from FAST TRACK, who is visiting L.A. with his lovely wife.
Seeing more of my friends has nothing to do with "networking" and everything to do with simply staying connected to people whose company I enjoy...especially those who, with the exception of a few email exchanges and occasional phone calls, I haven't actually seen in a while.
I've also been doing a lot of writing (nothing for studios or networks, of course!). Mostly I have been working on my books. But I optioned an Edgar-nominated crime novel a year ago and the strike has given me the opportunity (and the time) to finally write the script. I know many other writers who have used the "down time" to write that personal "passion project" that they haven't had time to get around to....until now. I'm sure that once the strike is over, Hollywood will probably be flooded with fresh material. I hope mine won't get lost in the script tsunami.
Things have been hectic at home. My daughter got a 3-month old puppy from the pound and it's like having a baby in the house again. Our nights are, to put it mildly, a challenge lately. But the puppy is adorable and sweet and learning fast.
Tomorrow I am free from jury duty again...but tomorrow I have to call in again and see if I am needed to bring justice to the lawless west.
My Dell laptop crashed on my first night in NY...this is the second time this has happened, and I had to spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone with Dell before they, too, were convinced that my computer had, indeed, crashed again (this brings my total time spent on the phone to customer support to seven hours since I bought this computer). So they are sending a guy out to my house next week to replace the motherboard and the hard disc, which means I can't do any writing this weekend (I am posting this on the hotel computer).
I spent Friday walking all over Manhattan, first to The Strand to browse the used books, and then to lunch with my editor, publisher and agent. I am pleased to report that the MONK books are doing very, very well and that there will likely be more to come after my current contract ends this Spring. They are also very excited about the BURN NOTICE books from my brother Tod and the PSYCH novels from my writing partner Bill Rabkin. This time next year, Tod, Bill and I will be doing lots of signings together to promote our new books.
After the meeting, I went to a few more bookstores...and stumbled into a sale at Taschen, where I bought lots of big, heavy books that I had to lug around to Partners & Crime, which hosted a signing party for all the MWA Board members in town. I caught up with Joseph Finder, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Harry Hunsicker, Les Klinger, Louise Ure, Charles Todd and many more folks. Everyone was very excited about the list of Edgar nominees that was announced yesterday and there was lots of discussion about the WGA strike. I got the latest on Lee, Joseph and Harlan's pre-strike Hollywood adventures.
The party soon moved to a Chinese restaurant, where we gorged ourselves for a few more hours before Les and I decided to walk the 40 blocks back to our hotel. All in all, a long, fun, and exhausting day.
Today I won't be getting nearly as much exercise. I'll be locked in a board meeting all day and then tonight it's another big dinner with the Board....and then tomorrow I return to L.A.
My flight to New York was filled with orthodox Jews with the beards, the yamulkes, the hats, the whole deal. If we'd had a horse-drawn cart, some milk and some cheese we could have staged the opening musical number from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.
Midw
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