LOST IN THE USA BLOG TOUR 2011

Mes Amis

I have two more posts about the US tour to get up. Sorry its been so long. But in the meantime, check out what I've been doing to promote THE LOST SISTER stateside... oh, yes, its a smorgasbord of guest blogs:

Central Crime Zone: http://tinyurl.com/62ylp7u

Big Beat From Badsville: http://tinyurl.com/6xakpgf

Terrible Minds: http://tinyurl.com/62bgc94

Herman's Greasy Spoon: http://tinyurl.com/64ray75

Crime Always Pays: http://tinyurl.com/5sed2ty

Secret Dead Blog: http://tinyurl.com/5rmdqhe

LA Noir: http://tinyurl.com/62rwgfq

Vince Keenan: http://tinyurl.com/5t68nsp

Steve Hockensmith: http://tinyurl.com/6kv4c6d

Murderati: http://tinyurl.com/679d8yg

Charlie Williams: http://tinyurl.com/4tsza6t

Detectives Beyond Borders: http://tinyurl.com/6bs8nuz

Elizabeth A White: http://tinyurl.com/5rjjxtp

Halfhead (Stuart MacBride): http://tinyurl.com/4h4eyrp

Its been a whirlwind tour, and I've had a ball. But soon we'll be back. With announcements. And silliness.

Until then...

Au revoir

Russel

Off on the road to... America

Mes amis

The passport is checked, the bag is packed and I'm raring to go. October 7 sees the tour start officially, but before then I'll be bumming annonymously(ish) around the country for a few days.

Anyway, for those going to Bouchercon, you'll be very pleased to know that that master of Irish Eye Fiction, Declan Hughes will be joining the merry band at the Robert B Parker panel. Declan's novels featuring Ed Loy are a particular favourite here at Casa McLean so we'll be honoured to have him on board.

In other news, when I come back I'll also be taking part in the Readers Day with Fife Libraries. I'll be discussing my ownTHE LOST SISTER and also Walter Mosely's DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS which I consider a very big influence in many ways on the way I write and read crime fiction.

And for those in the states wondering where I'll be on tour:


Thursday 7 October 2010 - appearing at Once Upon a Crime, Minneapolis, 7pm.

Friday 8 October, 2010 - Murder by The Book. Houston TX, 6:30pm

Saturday 9 October 2010 - The Mystery Bookstore, Los Angeles, 3pm

Monday 11 October 2010: Poisoned Pen Bookstore, Scottsdale AZ, 7pm

October 14 - 17, Bouchercon 2010, San Francisco

I should also be leaving behind some signed copies in NYC but more info on that as it arrives.

And, finally, here's some very kind words from the wondrous Zoe Sharp who just finished THE LOST SISTER:

'Russel D McLean's second novel about tortured Scottish PI J McNee is a dark, downbeat, and wholly driven piece of intense writing that keeps you gripped from the very first page and stays with you long after the last is done. Slick and cynical, it confirms an outstanding new talent in crime noir.'

Cynical? Moi? Oh, yes. But its an honour to have an author whose work you admire say such lovely things.

Anyway, mes amis, I hope to see many of you stateside soon. And until then,

au revoir

Russel

...bodies in the library....

Mes Amis

I have returned from Kirkcaldy, unscathed and unharmed and delighted by the sheer joys of both those readers who braved the descending darkness to come and watch me ramble and the librarians and booksellers who helped put together this rather fine evening.

The event - part of the "Fife Heroes" season of events - was a momentous occasion: my first full length solo event outside of a launch for either book. Could I ramble for a good hour? Could I remember how to do Burns's bastard-gravel voice? Was I about to be lynched for abandoning the homeland and writing about Dundee?

Luckily the fine Kirkcaldy Librarians (who are a bit like the Charlie's Angels of literacy) were on hand to ease me through my worries with some fine coffee beforehand and a lovely glass of red wine following. They also gave me a most wonderful introduction, although I still can't help but laugh when I hear myself referred to as a "Fife Hero".

The crowd was small but dedicated, and I was so thankful to all of them for turning up. But there was a surprise in there. A woman who approached me and asked if I remembered "Sammy The Snake", which threw me for a moment before I suddenly had a strange whiff of a memory in my brain and realised I was talking to a primary school teacher who is one of those people responsible for what I am today. Although Mrs Bruce said she never imagined I'd be a crime writer* it was a delight to see her after so long and to be reminded of one of the people who had truly encouraged me in my creative efforts when I were a nipper.

But it did lead me to a moral quandary... dare I swear in front of the woman who taught me how to tell the time and used to hang her head in frustration when I couldn't grasp the patterns of the Times Tables?

In the end, I admit to mildly editing some parts of the reading. The coward's way out? No, it all went down wonderfully. This was my first chance to read from the US edition of THE GOOD SON, and later I also read a piece from THE LOST SISTER I'd never read before. A longer piece, but I think it went down quite nicely. Also, your Fife Hero got the chance to stick in a hurrah for libraries and librarians and to talk a little about how McNee has evolved and changed as a character over two books.

Anyway, here are a few images from the event:

Yes, my collar was wonky, but it didn't matter since, if we believe this image, I suddenly turned into some kind of slightly camp, nutty professor. This is probably one of the most ludicrous pictures ever taken of me, but luckily I have no ego and thus present it for your viewing pleasure.






After the event, the assembled gathered to buy books and chat about the event. What a fantastic and wonderful bunch of people they were, too.






What's in the glass, you ask? Vodka or water? Only I can say for sure.

And here is your author with one his earliest fans, the aforementioned primary school teacher, Mrs Bruce. Back in primary school, she would refer to the children as her "little ones". Judging by the rotundness of my stomach in this picture, I ain't quite so little any more.



Your beardy hero would like to thank the staff of Kirkcaldy library, the booksellers at Kirkcaldy Waterstones and the lovely, lovely people who turned up on the night. I love doing events like this, and its always worth meeting readers and talking to them about books and about the joy of reading.

Au revoir

Russel


*she figured I was far too quiet, which just goes to show that it is always the quiet kids you should watch out for

Its a draw!

Mes Amis

Okay, so it wasn't so much a glamorous assistant as it was my dad, but I should point that from the tens of entries (far more than I expected - so glad to know there are so many of you out there!) the lucky winners plucked from the Top Hat O' Doom are:

In first place Tania Hutchison

and

In second place Stephen D Rogers.

Their packages will be heading out in the next few days. So congrats, guys, and to everyone else, thank you so much for playing. Maybe we'll do this again, soon. And a surprising number of you resisted the urge to say that my investigator was Sam Fox.

In other news, for those of you closer to home, I will be in Kirkcaldy Central Library at 7.30om on 15 March 2010 (tickets £2.50 or £2.00 premier and superfifestyle*) where I'll be talking about my writing and anything else that comes to mind as well as taking all your questions and revealing terrible truths about my life as Fife-born writerist. ** So those in the Fife/Kirkaldy area, please come along and ensure its not just me turning up. Oh, and those lovely folks from Waterstones, Kirkaldy will also be selling copies of the books, so if you ain't bought them you can fill that Russel-shaped hole in your life on the night.

Au revoir

Russel

*no, I don't know either - I guess if you live in Fife these days, you probably will, but since I'm emmigrated to Tayside, I have no idea at all what that means.

**disclaimer - terrible truths may not be as terrible as those you can imagine. Or they may be worse.

Its Competition (and ego massage) time!

Mes Amis

Yes, its been quiet round here but I've been working hard in the real world. A visit from the Christmas Distractions Goblin and the New Years Exhaustion Fairy has ensured that I am playing catch up into the new year on many things and hence have gone into stealth mode. But I have been quietly updating over at Do Some Damage and will hopefully be taking part in the new Podcast fun that the guys have been indulging in over there.

I have also been recuperating from last year which was exhausting on many levels, not least of which was this writing lark kicking up more than a couple of gears.

Of course, there has also been the US release of The Good Son. Which has been a dream come true for me; coming up on US crime as I did, getting to try and make a dent over there has been a joy and my first US editor was a joy to work with. I say was because he has (clap clap clap) recently moved onto bigger things at another publishers, but both he and the wonderful chaps and chappesses at St Martin's have made my first US publishing experience a joy.

Anyway, speaking of said publication, I thought I'd hold a wee competition for my three readers of this 'ere blog. Nothing too strenuous. The answer can be found (hint hint hint) somewhere on this very blog - - and (hint hint) you may not even have to dig into the history to find what you're looking for (ooo, look at all those categories in the right hand column, don't they mention many interesting things.)

I have two lovely prizes up for grabs. First prize is a signed copy of both THE GOOD SON (Hardback US edition) and a copy of THE LOST SISTER (paperback UK edition) signed by myself to you, you lovely, lovely person.

Second prize nets ya a copy of the hardback only, but it is signed by my good self, you lucky, lucky person. This comp is open to anyone. Anywhere and will close in one week's time.

All I ask is that you answer this question (and in the style of all those lovely Morning Magazine programmes here in the UK, I'll even make it multiple choice):

Before writing about PI J McNee, I wrote a series of short stories featuring another Scots private eye. Many of these stories appeared in Alfred Hitchcok's Mystery Magazine. What was the name of the private eye in these short stories?
a) Sam Spade
b) Sam Bryson
c) Sam Fox

Pop your answers by email to crimescenescotland_at_yahoo.co.uk clearly marked AYE MEAN STREETS COMPETITION in the subject field and we'll announce winners at some point after wednesday 27 January 2010.

Winners, by the way, will be drawn at random from all the correct answers.

Now if you're asking why you'd want to win these books, well, The Good Son has been gathering some really nice reviews including from the good people at Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, who say, in part:

"McLean has created an intensely complex, credible central character and surrounds him with a skillfully drawn supporting cast. Readers will look forward to a reprise of J. McNee"

The beautiful people at Nights and Weekends who were far, far too kind when they said:

""The Good Son delivers a two-fold punch with its intense plot and poignant depth." (check out the rest of the review here)

And Canada's finest, The Globe and Mail, who call the book:

Clever, tough, witty... a great character study with a wonderful plot and plenty of atmosphere"
(and there's some more great reviews as well as the rest of that one, here)

Those lovely folks at Crimespree magazine weight in again (the lovely Jen Jordan, fiction editor extraordinaire over that way previously said very nice things on the UK release of the novel) on the US release with this beautiful sentiment:

"the future of crime fiction is in a good hands."

And then there's Gumshoe, who say:

"A highly reccomended crime thriller... [I] hope that we haven't seen the last of haunted PI McNee."

What is especially interesting about the gumshoe review is the reviewer's wish list for how he'd like to see the character develop that comes at the end. I'll say this now, that I promise nothing and really I hope I can surprise a few readers in possible future novels...

And for those of you wondering why you'd also want a copy of The Lost Sister, check out recent reviews from the amazing and incredible folks at Crime Squad:

"this excellent second novel proves that [McLean] is no flash in the pan."

Crimesquad.com

And those beautiful and terribly smart people at Euro Crime:

"..gripping and intense... [McNee is a] refreshing change from the usual mainstream crime fiction hero."

Euro Crime

Now, if all of that isn't enough to swell me head to unnatural proportions, I don't know what is...

Until next time mes amis,

au-revoir

Russel

The fat crime writer squeezes into The Skinny

Mes Amis

I do like my dinner, so I was as surprised as anyone when I was told I had been mentioned in a magazine called Skinny.

Aha, but mes amis, I soon realised they meant The Skinny and understood that the title is a reference to a zine that gives you the lowdown, the scoop, the inside track. This grand music/culture zine that covers most of Scotland had an excellent Bookish Christmas Gift Guide in its latest issue, and guess which not-that-skinny crime writer got a lovely mention for his second novel?

place of high violence and low morals on the part of both criminals and police officers. Who knew Dundee could be so interesting?

Oh, we'll let that gentle dig at the city fly for now and not only because they go on to call the book a ...

snappily written heart thumper

before going on to say that

This is only McLean’s second novel, and he’s a young writer. The older crime writers should be looking over their shoulders at him and taking note.

You lovely folks at The Skinny, These Aye Mean Streets salute you!

(check out the whole Book Christmas Gift Guide here)

Au revoir

Russel

Now is the Winter... and well, he seems quite contented actually...*

Mes Amis

Quiet round here, I know, as I do various terrible things for various terrible people, but poking my head up to let you know that the wonderful Jim Winter at January Magazine has weighed in on the upcoming (Dec 8th!) release of THE GOOD SON in the US by St Martin's Press and he has the following to say:

Not as violent or coarse as fellow authors Ken Bruen and Ray Banks, McLean nonetheless skillfully mines the same ground for a bleak and desperate literary landscape.

Oh, yes. I like that. Bleak and desolate is good, although my mum might disagree about the coarseness...

But the jewel in the crown is coming:

Whatever comes next promises to be ever bit as hopeless and violent as The Good Son. And that’s a good thing. McLean has scored in his first novel.

Oh, yes. You want to check everything Jim has to say? Clickety-click my friends.

Whaddaya mean you want more?

Oh, okay, howsabout this interview that I apparently totally failed to link to before that concerns the UK release of THE LOST SISTER?

And then check out 7 quick questions from a man named Weeb** over at Writing Raw.

Has that sated your appetite? I certainly hope so. But have no fear, mes amis, I'll be back soon.

And yes, I don't know if that's a threat or a promise either.

Au revoir

Russel

*With big ol' apologies to Bill Shakespeare. Mind you this isn't half as good as the perhaps apocryphal Ad campaign run by an outdoors shop in Edinburgh many years ago that allegedly displayed a sign outside proclaiming "Now is the discount of our winter tents".

**Which incidentally was the name of the rought draft of Johnny Cash's eventual hit that became "A Boy Named Sue".

"Assured and uncompromising."

Mes Amis

Rock on those lovely folks at The Big Issue, especially Doug Johnstone, for the recent (and wonderful) review of THE LOST SISTER.

Its a short 'un, but good, and to set up the context, it follows on from a review of a poetry collection:

"...Not poetic, but certainly compelling is THE LOST SISTER by Russel D McLean. Set in Dundee, its a hard-boiled and heavily stylised crime-noir tale, the followup to the author's debut. THE GOOD SON. Once more we journey with private eye McNee as he trudges through the underbelly of the City of Discovery, in an assured and uncompromising tale to whet the appetite of hardcore crime fans."

Oh, yes. I'm liking that. Especially the "assured and uncompromising" bit.

And the word "compelling," too.

Anyway, I am returning to the bactcave for a while to work on some terrible secret projects. I am behind with correspondence, so anyone expecting to hear from me... I will be with you asap!

Au revoir

Russel

"I can barely remember what I wrote in this one"

Mes Amis

Not quite the same as being there, but with thanks to my Dad, a couple of clips of the launch of THE LOST SISTER now exist online. There was apparently a third clip but its been deleted by an act of God (or a wrong button pressed - only you can decide!).

Anyway, here I am about to try and read from the opening of the book when a couple of heckles and an unexpected intruder put pay to my plans:



And here I am finally getting back into order and reading the prologue of the novel.



Of course, there was far more than that going on, but as you can see I got at least one decent laugh out of the evening and that's all that counts.

Its also worth noting that THE LOST SISTER made it into the Scottish Interest Charts from Waterstones at #8 this week (as seen in this week's wondrous Glasgow Herald), one behind that master of mirth Christopher Broookmyre (SNOWBALL IN HELL is great fun!), several more behind that rapscallion Stuart MacBride (if you ain't read HALFHEAD, do it NOW! - after reading THE LOST SISTER, obviously) but frighteningly, one place ahead of Literary Genius Iain Banks (I haven't read TRANSITION yet, but its on me list!) ! Of course, with your help perhaps we can make it two weeks before I drop out of the charts altogether. So go ahead, purchase away my legions - - let us make this the Age of the Russel - free beards for all!

Right... now to go and catch up on stuff what I should have done ages ago...

Au revoir

Russel

Lost and Found

Mes Amis

Huge, incredibly grateful thanks to all of you who showed up for the launch of THE LOST SISTER on Thursday night (and if anyone can confirm rumours that the launch was mentioned on STV the next day, please tell me). With incredibly grateful thanks to the wondrous staff at Drouthy's bar on the Perth Road for opening their vaults to our madness. The event went very well indeed and with enormous thanks to my big, bad boss Gordon Dow for introducing the whole shebang and Scotsman journalist Dave Lewis for providing insightful questions (and, apparently, eye candy for the ladies - - as if I wasn't enough, eh? Eh?)

Sales were nice and everyone enjoyed the bar afterwards. And, no, that wasn't a pint of vodka I was drinking during the interview - it was actually water. I saved the beer till later.

Anyway, here's some photos for those of you who weren't there, and if you want an unbiased view of the event (and a competition to win the book if you can guess my food allergy - the pun is in the question) go visit the wonderful Donna Moore post haste.

Let's start with me and Dave up in the pulpit...









And then the crowds in one one half of the bar (the room was a funny shape so there are more folks out of shot, many of them standing near the stairs where apparently you could only hear the "short, funny looking one with the loud voice")









And here's some of me signing, too, afterwards.









And finally - a celebratory pint: I survived!










So there we have it. A whole evening encapsulated in a few photographs. As ever, thanks to those who showed up, my agent Al Guthrie for all his efforts in getting me here, my UK publishers, Five Leaves Publications for getting the book out to the world and Dave Lewis for agreeing to do the interview.

And of course all those booksellers who made book #2 a viable proposition! You guys have a harder job than most people realise...

And now, mes amis, I'm going to go and sleep...

Au revoir

Russel

Release the beast!

Mes Amis

How time flies, eh? It seems less than a year ago that THE GOOD SON was unleashed upon the world and now... well, THE LOST SISTER has arrived as well. Yes, although some shops have had it in stock today is the official release date for PI J McNee's second case, and this time, well, let's say that things are going to get pretty deadly for our man McNee.

If you want more info check out this interview conducted by thriller writer Derek Gunn for the ITW.

Or this discussion of the modern UK PI with Jay Stringer and Ray "Dirty, hard and fast" Banks over at Do Some Damage.

You might also be interested to know that Library Journal has weighed in on the US release of THE GOOD SON with a lovely wee starred review that runs:

J. McNee, a police detective–turned–private investigator, is just existing in Dundee, Scotland, as he avoids the truth about his wife’s fatal car crash for which her family blames him. When a local farmer asks him to determine why his estranged brother hanged himself, McNee goes up against his former mates in the force and must come to grips with his own life. In this impressive first novel, McNee is a down-and-out failure in the mold of Ken Bruen’s sleuths, but he overcomes the case’s complexities, the lack of respect for his profession, and his own personal hang-ups to triumph in the end. Verdict With a great blurb from John Connolly, this newest addition to the Scottish noir tradition will appeal to fans of Ian Rankin and Stuart McBride as well as readers of Jim Kelly.

And yes, I did notice two tiny errors - number one, Its McNee's fiancee who died in the crash and number two, the Abdernonian rapscallion mentioned at the end is a "Mac" not a "Mc". All that aside, of course, its a bloody nice review and fills me with confidence for the stateside release of this novel.

Speaking of Stateside I am not attending this year's Bouchercon in Indy due to cashflow reasons, but have plans to attend next year's soiree in San Francisco and maybe some more interesting ideas up my sleeve as well... stay tuned!

Au revoir

Russel

Pulling back the veil

Mes Amis

After several design changes, and some long discussions, Five Leaves Publications and your humble author present the cover for the UK edition of THE LOST SISTER.

Au revoir

Russel

Quiet... but not for long...

Mes Amis

If you've missed the last couple of weeks over on DO SOME DAMAGE, why not go over and check out my rant on swearing and what I think about Christopher Brookmyre subtly switching genres.

Be assured, of course, I'm not abandoning this place, either. But I have been holed away doing edits on THE LOST SISTER so that everything is hunky dory for release in October. Yes, October! A new cover will be available soon (oooo!) and then we'll be rocking.

In the meantime, go over to Suite 101 and see what I had to say about my mysterious writing habits. And maybe think about coming to Dundee on 24 September where I will be talking with top selling true crime writer Alexander McGregor as he prepares to unleash an updated version of the bestelling THE LAW KILLERS upon the world. Fact, fiction and everything in between will be being talked about at 7pm on 24 September at the Tower Building at the university of Dundee, and tickets can be bought from Waterstones, 35 commercial street, Dundee for the incredibly reasonable sum of £3. Call 01382 200322 (during business hours, naturally) and talk to those wonderful Waterstones booksellers for more details or to reserve tickets.

Anyway, I'm slinking back to the dungeon so I can continue my terrible experiments. Until next time, friends,

Au revoir

Russel

Covered

Mes Amis
Look to the right and you'll see the tiny thumbnail image of THE LOST SISTER due from Five Leaves this October. I do not have a larger copy at the moment and there may still be some changes due, but this image appeared at the Five Leaves website a wee while ago and thus is fit for public consumption. Last I knew the quote along the bottom will come from the estimable Mr Tony Black.

So the questions remain, what does a bloodied old axe have to do with J McNee? Will that wily old bastard David Burns make a comeback? What exactly is the deal with Susan Bright anyway? And is it true that this book features a bearded psychopath?

For the answers to all these questions - and ones you never even thought of asking - you'll have to wait until october, my friends.

And as soon as we have a larger image, I'll post that one, too!

Au revoir
Russel

"How people can read Mind if they could read Sweet & Smith beats me."

Mes Amis

It is now official: the sequel to THE GOOD SON, titled THE LOST SISTER will be published by Five Leaves Publications in the UK. I do not currently have definite dates, but will update you as things progress.

What's that I hear you cry? What's this one all about? Well, since you twisted my arm...

THE LOST SISTER finds Dundonian Private Investigator J McNee getting in over his head when a teenage girl - who happens to be local hard man David Burn's God Daughter - goes missing. Attached to the police investigation as an "observer", McNee soon finds himself following up his own leads when he is contacted by an ex-investigator who thinks he knows what happened to the girl. But can McNee trust his own instincts? And is he already too late to save Mary Furst?

On top of that, a while back I was interrogated by that dashing new master of Scots noir Tony Black for Shots Magazine, and now that interview has turned up online here. We talk Crime Scene Scotland (and its demise as a full zine), short stories, the fact that I don't remember winning a prize and of course, THE GOOD SON. On top of that we also squeeze in philosophy and the fact that Wittgenstein was a hardboiled fan at heart.

Au revoir

Russel