A Writer's Life

Signings A-Go Go

My Brother Tod and I had a great time signing MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY and BURN NOTICE: THE FIX at Mysteries to Die For and Mystery Bookstore today. It was a real boost to Tod's ego to see the big crowds (our Mom actually arrived 25 minutes early to our MTDF signing to make sure she got a seat...even though she brought her own)  .Guys like me and Joel Osteen are used to it, but it was a new experience for my younger brother.  Some of the familiar faces in attendance at the signings included authors Leslie Lehr, Mary Yakuri Waters, John Saul, Eric Garcia, and Mark Sarvas, as well as our sisters Karen Dinino and Linda Woods, our niece Emily and our cousin Danny. There were even a couple of Light Sword survivors who showed up to introduce themselves and a lady who came just to tell Tod she hated the new season of BURN NOTICE (and wanted to him to pass along her comments to the producers). Linda took that picture to the left and is promising me some more. I'll post them when they come in..

The Two Goldbergs You Meet in Heaven

 I was going to leave a post about the MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY booksignings I am doing tomorrow with my brother Tod, author of BURN NOTICE: THE FIX. But his post about the  signings is so good, I am just going to steal it:

As I think everyone knows, I'm a huge, huge Mitch Albom fan, so imagine how happy I was to learn that his next book, after The Four Chinese Gymnasts You Meet In Pre-School, would be called The Two Goldberg Brothers You Meet In Heaven! And keep an eye out for the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie based on the book, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as me and Levar Burton as Lee, with special guest appearances by Rosie O'Donnell as our sister Linda and Illeana Douglas as our sister Karen...

In celebration of this exciting honor, my brother Lee and I have decided to go out on the road to meet the people who will be so inspired by us next year at this time. This weekend we'll be making two appearances and, just for kicks, thought it might be fun to sign some of our own books, too. I'll be signing The Fix and Lee will be signing his 145,032nd Monk novel.

Here are the details:

First, this Saturday at 1pm, we'll be at Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks. If you happen to be one of the many people who've threatened to kill us over the years, this would be a good one to attend as our sisters will be there, too, and you can take out the whole family.

Then, three hours later, at 4pm, we'll be at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. My understanding is that for this event they are anticipating over 150,000 people, but my numbers could be slightly off.

My brother got a few facts wrong. Clive Owen will be playing me in the movie and Buddy Hackett will be playing Tod. I eat a lot at The Habit in Woodland Hills, so if you can't make the signings, you can always hang out there with your MONK books and I am bound to show up eventually.

UPDATE 8-17-2008: You're not going to believe this, but my brother Tod actually got emails from some furious Mitch Albom fans who thought he was serious about the new book ("The Four Chinese Gymnasts You Meet In Pre-School") and the movie...and warned him that Albom and Rosie O'Donnell weren't going to be amused by his hoax. It's astonishing that people that dumb actually survive into adulthood. 

As I think everyone knows, I'm a huge, huge Mitch Albom fan, so imagine how happy I was to learn that his next book, after The Four Chinese Gymnasts You Meet In Pre-School, would be called The Two Goldberg Brothers You Meet In Heaven! And keep an eye out for the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie based on the book, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as me and Levar Burton as Lee, with special guest appearances by Rosie O'Donnell as our sister Linda and Illeana Douglas as our sister Karen...

In celebration of this exciting honor, my brother Lee and I have decided to go out on the road to meet the people who will be so inspired by us next year at this time. This weekend we'll be making two appearances and, just for kicks, thought it might be fun to sign some of our own books, too. I'll be signing The Fix and Lee will be signing his 145,032nd Monk novel.

Here are the details:

First, this Saturday at 1pm, we'll be at Mysteries to Die For in Thousand Oaks. If you happen to be one of the many people who've threatened to kill us over the years, this would be a good one to attend as our sisters will be there, too, and you can take out the whole family.

Then, three hours later, at 4pm, we'll be at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. My understanding is that for this event they are anticipating over 150,000 people, but my numbers could be slightly off.

My brother got a few facts wrong. Clive Owen will be playing me in the movie and Buddy Hackett will be playing Tod. I eat a lot at The Habit in Woodland Hills, so if you can't make the signings, you can always hang out there with your MONK books and I am bound to show up eventually.

UPDATE 8-17-2008: You're not going to believe this, but my brother Tod actually got emails from some furious Mitch Albom fans who thought he was serious about the new book ("The Four Chinese Gymnasts You Meet In Pre-School") and the movie...and warned him that Albom and Rosie O'Donnell weren't going to be amused by his hoax. It's astonishing that people that dumb actually survive into adulthood. 

Free Books

I'm going to be at the The Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore  in San Diego on Friday, August 8th at 7 pm to sign my new book MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY alongside my brother Tod, who will be signing his new book, BURN NOTICE: THE FIX.

Anyone who buys a copy of  MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY at the signing will get a free signed, hardcover, first edition of BEYOND THE BEYOND  or MY GUN HAS BULLETS while supplies last.

I'll also be giving away the books at my signings on Saturday, August 16 at Mysteries To Die For (1 pm) in Thousand Oaks, CA and Mystery Bookstore (4 pm) in Westwood, CA.

I hope to see you there!

Monk's 100th Party

I just got back from the MONK 100th Episode party at an Italian restaurant in Hollywood. I had a great time catching up with all the writers and meeting some of the guest stars (as well as new semi-regular Hector Elizondo). I brought along my nephew Killian, who doesn't speak a word of English. He's in town with us from France for a few weeks and is a big MONK fan. Luckily for him, USA Network president Jeff Wachtel, actress Glenne Headly (who played Stottlemeyer's wife), and Jason Gray Stanford's girlfriend all spoke French, so he had folks to talk to. He also got to meet the whole cast and have his picture taken with them. On the way out, we all got a bottle of French wine in a "Monk 100th episode" comemorative leather bottle-bag. I let my nephew drink it on the way home (just  kidding, of course). Now I am back at home, working on my 8th Monk novel, which is due in less than 90 days. Ahhhhhh!

Mr. Monk and the Librarians

The librarians at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana have given MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY, and the MONK books, a strong recommendation:

As a librarian, I have a love/hate relationship with television. Okay, I'm lying. I love television. I'm probably not supposed to say that, but I don't think reading and watching tv are mutually exclusive activities. Case in point– novels based on tv series can help ease the pain when a favorite show is canceled, or tide you over through rerun season. Sometimes the show is better than the books, sometimes the books are better than the show. In the case of the novels based on the television detective series Monk, which airs on the USA Network, the novels are as deliciously good as the show. […] If you're looking for fast reads with hefty doses of humor, you won't be disappointed.

Mr. Monk Gets a Nice Review

Bill Peschel gives MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY a very nice review. He says, in part:

Those who follow Lee Goldberg's life on his blog know that he spent time in Germany filming a TV show, so it's natural he'd set his next Monk book there. And he uses his experiences well, weaving in the details you'd pick up if you were a tourist. It's those little touches that give the story flavor, such as the description of an inn that was built in the 1400s, or describing the free magazines, including Playboy, that can be picked up at German airports.

As for the mystery, it is competently set up and sprung, but, really, the fun lies more in watching Monk at work, baffling his police partners and reacting to the chaos around him, whether its attempting to navigate the trails in the German forest or visiting an unusual resort for outcasts.

Thanks, Bill!

Mr. Monk and the 100th Episode

My daughter Maddie and I went down to the MONK set at Paramount Studios to have lunch with my friend David Breckman, one of the writer/producers on the show (and the brother of series creator Andy Breckman). While we were there, they cut the 100th episode cake and had a little press conference for the entertainment media. I ran into Jeff Wachtel, the president of the USA Network, and congratulated him on the great ratings for the second season premiere of BURN NOTICE. He smiled and said "Thank you, we see it as a two-hour commercial for your brother's book." I'm sure Tod will be glad to know that.

I took a picture of Maddie at Stottlemeyer's desk, gave her a tour of the back-lot, and I headed home to get back to work on the 8th MONK book...

Mr. Monk Gets His Chops

Blogger Winthrop J. Quiggy thinks MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY demonstrates that I'm finally getting the hang of this writing thing. He writes, in part:

I do believe our boy, Lee Goldberg, is finally getting his chops at writing novels, at least the ones based on the MONK TV series. [...] Not only is Mr. Goldberg getting better at writing, he has picked a real winner here for a story. [...]I'm giving this particular novel 9 stars.

Thanks, Winthrop! I've decided not to go into the furniture business after all.

Mr. Monk and the Ride of a Lifetime

 Tracy Farnsworth at Roundtable Review gave MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY a rave review. She writes, in part:

Quite simply, the best praise I can give a book is by saying that my teen son picked it up, read it in one sitting and then announced it was just as good, perhaps better, than an actual television episode. As the television season for Tony Shalhoub's fascinating character Monk tends to be sporadic, it is thrilling to be able to fill the gaps with Monk novels.
[...] MR.MONK GOES TO GERMANY is one of the best Monk novels to go to print. I laughed hysterically at times and felt truly sorry for all Monk went through at others. The novel gets hold of your emotions and takes you on the ride of a lifetime.
Once again, Lee Goldberg does such an incredible job with everyone from the show and creates a novel that makes you feel as though you're watching it on television. I can't wait to see what's in store for Monk in the next novel.

Thank you, Tracy!

Mr. Monk and the New Contract

I've had a lot of emails from people asking me if there are going to be more MONK novels beyond the one I am writing now -- MR. MONK AND THE DIRTY COP, the eighth in the series, slated for publication next summer.

Well, now I can answer that question. I've just agreed to write three more original MONK novels for Penguin/Putnam, which means there will be new books in the series through the end of 2010, regardless of whether or not this ends up being the last season of the TV show.

I realized after I agreed to the deal that this means that I will have written at least 20 novels between 2003, when I started the DIAGNOSIS MURDER books, and 2010 when my current contract runs out (which is about as many novels as James Reasoner or Robert Randisi write in one year).

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Mr. Monk and the Decent Job

Publishers Weekly gave MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY a nice review today. They say, in part:

The sixth novel (after 2007’s Mr. Monk in Outer Space) based on the popular MONK  TV series created by Andy Breckman effectively meets the challenges of translating the screen concept to the page. [...] Despite the lack of the TV series’ visual humor and the performance of actor Tony Shalhoub, Goldberg does a decent job of conveying both the sleuth’s quirks and his genius.

You can read an excerpt of the book here and decide for yourself if PW is right or not.

The Mail I Get - July 4th Weekend Edition

A self-published author sent me this email today. I have removed his name to save him embarrassment.

I, XYZ, author of the book [Really Pretentious Title] am looking for an agent who will work on percentage. I am planning on publishing two more books in the near future. If you are interested please feel free to call me at ###-###-####.

I replied that first of all, I am not an agent, so why would I be interested? And even if I was an agent, his pitch  has no salesmanship whatsoever. Why would any legitimate agent bother to respond? It's amazing to me how clueless some people are. It's no wonder the vanity presses do such good business.

I also got a note from a Monk fan, who is troubled by something on the covers:

In the books, you mention that everything in Monk's life must be an even number or it upsets him to much. However, in the show and on the cover of the books, he is wearing a jacket with three buttons on it. Is there a reason why? I just happened to notice and would like to know why.

I replied:

Why? Because Monk isn't real. the person on the cover is an actor. I mean no offense by that answer, but there are lots of continuity mistakes in the show....which is bound to happen, since it's all make-believe anyway. It's not always possible, economical, or reasonable to remain consistent with everything that's said and done in 100 hours of tv (and seven books) . The priority for everyone involved is to make an entertaining, great-looking show...whether Monk, or rather the actor portraying him, is wearing three buttons on his jacket or not ultimately doesn't matter. You could also argue, for instance, that all of his shirts and his jackets have a pattern on them that isn't consistent or symmetrical...so how can he ever wear them, regardless of how many buttons they have? Bottom line...it looks good and its cheaper for the wardrobe department. So my advice is to relax, it's just a TV show!

My favorite email of the weekend (so far) comes from someone who wants my help usurping me as the only author of MONK novels. He wrote, in part:

A friend and I co-wrote a script for MONK [...] I notice that you write books based on the MONK series, and was hoping you could tell me what my friend and I can do to turn our script into a book. [...] I figure you are the expert here. Please, what do we need to do? What permissions do we ask for, and would we have to contact the network? I hope you can help us. We love the show, we've grown very close to the characters, and we believe we have a good storyline here.

I congratulated him on completing their spec script and told him that, unfortunately, my publisher isn't in the market for other writers for the MONK books since they have me under contract for a few more and I seem to be doing a pretty good job at it. What chutzpah. Did he really think I'd help him take my job? He got right back to me:

My co-writer and I wondered if you would be interested in our script, in terms of you turning it into a book. (And we both think we've seen at least one other MONK book written by someone else. Is that possible?) It's awfully hard to let go of this plot. We would love to see someone turn this into a MONK story, one way or the other.

I informed him that he was mistaken about another author writing MONK novels and I politely passed on his generous offer to use their screenplay as the basis for a book.

The Mail I Get

I got an email this evening from a woman who was offended by an off-hand opinion expressed by Natalie in MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE:

There was a part where Natalie describes listening to NPR, getting a dose of "left-leaning news" and "liberal commentary." NPR is a nonpartisan organization that offers only the facts when delivering news updates. I mean, nothing personal, but I dont like reading Natalie's thoughts about anything, but that was pretty outrageous. I get so frustrated because I really like Monk but the fact that that was said, I don't know if I can continue reading them. Why can't the book be in the third person?

Of all the things someone could be offended by in the book, I never would have picked the comment about NPR. I thought of a lot of smart-ass replies, but instead I wrote:

I'm a big fan of NPR, too, and I contribute money each year to my local NPR station, but surely you know as well as I do that the network is widely perceived as having a liberal slant. Whether it is true or not, it's a perception that Natalie happens to share. It's a shame that you don't like hearing Natalie's thoughts because I intend to continue writing the books in her voice.

 

Mr. Monk Goes To Germany

  Today my latest MONK novel, MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY, hits the bookstore shelves nationwide in hardcover. Here's what it's about:

Adrian Monk is actually doing well lately. He's solving murders as fast as they come, and he's been noticeably less compulsive—he doesn't count his morning Wheat Chex until they're in the bowl. Progress is progress, and Monk knows he owes it all to his therapist, Dr. Kroger.

So when Dr. Kroger attends a conference in Germany, Monk ends up in trouble. He can't tie his shoes, forgets how to swallow, and loses track of his blinking. Desperate to regain his footing, Monk follows his shrink to Germany. And that's where Monk sees the man across a crowded town square. The man he's never stopped searching for.

The man with six fingers. The man responsible for his wife's death.

Or did Monk imagine crossing paths with him?

Now, in a foreign land full of... foreigners, Monk must deal with his multitude of phobias and contend with an especially unfriendly polizei department in order to find the six-fingered man. He must also confront someone who thinks Monk may have just gone officially insane—his own psychiatrist.

Over the weekend, the book got big play in the newspaper in Lohr, Germany, where much of the story is set (if you can read German, you can see part one of the article here and part two here in PDF format). And the German edition of the book doesn't even come out until this fall. I wish I could get coverage like that here!

Mr. Monk Gets Another Star

Blogger and reviewer Gerald So has given MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE a positive review. He writes, in part:

What may be the purest fun Monk novel may also be the most harrowing, thanks to the looming presence of a hitman. It's to Goldberg's credit the two extremes work together for another great read.

Thanks, Gerald!

Mr. Monk and the Blog Reviews

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!

Mr. Monk and the Second Bite at the Apple

Now that MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE is out in paperback, new reviews are showing up in the blogosphere, including these two.

Greg Morrow at Frothing At the Mouth thinks the book is a pleasant diversion.

The Monk series is perfect popcorn mystery, fun and easy to read. Goldberg's use of Natalie as narrator means that we spend the most time in the presence and thoughts of simply the most pleasant character on the show, making the read even easier.

Winthrop Quiggy at And Then I Read thinks "it's by far the best one I've read in this series," even if he believes I'm not as good an author as I am a screenwriter. I'll take the back-handed compliment! Thanks for the positive reviews, guys.

Monk Galley Giveaway Winners

The winners of the MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY galley giveaway are Kathleen Hurst of Lawton, Oklahoma, Bobby Vasquez of Tucson, Arizona and Peter D'Antonio of Washingtonville, NY. Congratulations...and thanks for the great reviews! (I know I said I was only giving away two...but it turns out I had three extras).

Blast off with Monk Today

The paperback edition of  MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE comes out today in bookstores, airports, Walmarts, and finer massage parlors nationwide.

Sock It To Me

You can read an excerpt from my new book MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY here.

Monk Galley Giveaway

I have two extra, bound galleys for MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY which I will be giving away at random.

Here's the deal...post a review of your favorite MONK novel on Amazon and send me a copy of it by June 1st at:  lee AT Leegoldberg DOT com.

I will put the names into a hat and select two winners at random to receive a signed galley. Please be sure to include your snail mail address in the email. Winners will be announced here.

Sad News

Stanley Kamel, who portrayed Dr. Kroger on MONK, died yesterday of a heart attack. Besides being a very talented and versatile actor, he was also a very nice man. I worked with him long before MONK on an episode of the early 90s FOX series LIKELY SUSPECTS. He played a restaurant owner with an indecipherable accent. Much to my delight, when I met him again over a decade later at a MONK rap party, he not only remembered the LIKELY SUSPECTS role...he even remembered his lines! He will be missed.

(That's Stanley with my daughter Maddie at last year's wrap party).

I Should Go Out of Town More Often...

I've been on a Spring Break road trip with my family through California, and wireless access hasn't always been available or reasonably priced...so it has taken me a few days to discover all the nice things that Bill Crider had to say about MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE. He said, in part:

I've never seen so much as a single scene from the television series. So why do I enjoy Lee Goldberg's books about the character so much? Well, let's see. They're funny, they're well-written, they're carefully plotted, and they're poignant. They probably have other good qualities, too, but those should do for starters.

Thanks so much, Bill!

Mr. Monk and the Out-of-This-World Review

Okay, that's an exaggeration, but James Reasoner gave MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE a very kind review on his blog today. He said, in part:

[...] his Monk novels are some of the most consistently entertaining mysteries to be found these days. They’re tightly plotted, laugh-out-loud funny, and the voices of the various characters are as pitch perfect as they can be.

[...]Regular readers of Lee’s blog will recognize where some of this material comes from, but he’s not content just to poke affectionate fun at the worlds of fandom and cult TV series. The plot turns out to be considerably more intricate than that, and Monk has to have the help of his brother Ambrose to sort it all out.

Thanks, James. Speaking of Mr. Reasoner, you may remember that he recently lost his home -- and his everything he owned -- in a wildfire. In addition to reconstructing his library, he's trying to recover copies of the books that he's written. Here's a list of what he's looking for.  You can also find it on Amazon. If you can help him, I know he'd appreciate it.

Mr. Monk and the Two Nice Reviews

There are two more nice reviews for MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS out this week in the blogosphere. Barry Ergang of Futures Magazine said, in part:

This is the fourth of Lee Goldberg’s Monk novels that I’ve read. I’ve enjoyed all of them, but this one is the best to date, in no small measure because of its fairly-clued solution. The clue, I might point out, is kept in front of the reader throughout the book, but is nevertheless elusive—a sign of excellent authorial misdirection. Recommended without reservations.

Debra Hamel at SpikeBooks and at BookBlog says, in part:

I love this series. Sure, Monk is an unrealistic character, and some of his feats prove a little harder to swallow than others. But they’re good light mysteries, and more intricate than you’d expect. (This one, in fact, was so intricate that it became a little confusing at the end.) What makes the books shine, however, is Monk’s dialogue, which is spot on and often hilarious.

Thanks Barry and Debra!

Mr. Monk Goes to Germany Cover

Here's the final front cover of MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY, which comes out in July. It's virtually the same picture of Monk that's on the cover of MR. MONK IS MISERABLE but with a different backdrop. (You can click on the photo for a larger image).

Mr. Monk is Miserable cover

Here's the first version of the dust jacket for MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, which comes out next fall. (You can click on the image for a larger view).

1,282,442 Words (That's Almost as Much as James Reasoner Writes in a Month)

The Press-Enterprise reports that 11-year-old Nicholas Barry of Riverside, California has read 1,282,442 words so far since August, quite an achievement...and a nice, even number that Adrian Monk would appreciate. So I guess it's no surprise that Nicholas counts the Monk books among his favorites:

Nicholas, a Riverside resident, said he reads so much because he enjoys it.

"I love the challenge. I don't do it for the prizes," he said.

Some of Nicholas's favorite books are the "Star Wars" series by Timothy Zahn and the "Monk" series by Lee Goldberg. The Accelerated Reader program lets students take quizzes on the books they enjoy and allows them to read an assortment of books which benefits the students, Nicholas said.

"It inspires kids to read. They get to read what they want," he said.

Congratulations, Nicholas!

Mr. Monk and the Gumshoe

The Gumshoe Review has given MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE a nice review.  They say, in part:

Mr. Monk in Outer Space is another typically well-crafted effort from Lee Goldberg. The scenes flow seamlessly and quickly, the dialogue is always fun, and while some of the situations frankly stretch the limits of believability, there is some indefinable quality to Goldberg's writing that makes us believe it anyway. There may be some readers who will say that writing novels based on a television series is easier than conventional fiction, because the readers will already have a sense of the characters from having watched the program. But this reviewer is not a watcher of television, and has never seen a Monk program. Yet the characters still leap off the page as clearly defined people, some of them from real life, but more often than not clever caricatures.

Thank you, Gumshoe!

Mr. Monk and the Parallel Universe

I thought the two-part MONK season finale was great, but it points out one of the pitfalls of writing a tie-in series while the TV show that it is based on is still in production. It means that there are going to be some continuity miss-matches between the TV series and the books...and there's nothing that can be done about it.

I finished my book MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY back in October 2007 and it will be published in July 2008. In between that time, the MONK writers wrote, produced and broadcast the season finale. I am now well into writing MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, which comes out next winter...by the time I deliver that manuscript, the MONK writers will have just begun writing the season seven scripts. You can see the problem.

Andy Breckman, the creator and executive producer of MONK, knows in advance what I will be writing and approves the storylines. But I certainly don't expect him or his staff to feel creatively bound to any of the events or details that I create in my books. The show comes first. That said, there are bound to be diehard fans who expect strict continuity between the books and the TV series ...and they are going to stumble over a few miss-matches.

Both my book and the finale, "Mr. Monk is on the Run," involve Monk encountering a man with six fingers on one hand. That's actually okay. A fan could assume that my book takes place before the events in the season finale. In fact, it only reinforces Monk's attitude towards the "second" man with 11 fingers that he meets.  The book and the episode would fit together pretty well chronologically, "factually," and even emotionally, if not for the last scene of the two-parter.

Oh well.

I have a disclaimer in my books that warns readers that, while I try hard to stay close to the continuity of the show, the long lead time of the books makes that next to impossible (an entire season is produced between when I turn in the book and when it comes out).

I read all the scripts and I talk to Andy about what he has in mind for the season ahead, but even so, continuity problems are bound to happen. Hypothetically, for example, Sharona may come back on the show some day and the story they come up with may have nothing to do with MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS (and, unless they adapt the book, won't acknowledge those events at all).

I don't obsess about the miss-matches and neither does Andy. He once said to me that, in his mind, the Monk TV series and the Monk books are separate entities...the same characters in parallel universes...and while they are consistent with one another most of the time, there are bound to be some differences now and then.

There's the TV shows and there are the books. They are not one in the same.  He is okay with that and so am I. I hope that most of the fans will be, too.