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BLAKE CROUCH NEWSLETTER - SUMMER 2005
Hello All! LOCKED DOORS, the sequel to DESERT PLACES, is now out and about in the world. Excerpts and a synopsis are available on my website.
If you would like signed and personalized books, please call my local bookstore, Maria’s Bookshop, at (970)-247-1438, and tell them exactly what you want me to write. I live close by and usually visit the store several times a week, so they are happy to accommodate you.
I’m toying with the idea of a book tour, but since my wife just had our first child, it’s up in the air as to whether or not I’ll venture out this time around. Check back to the website for updates as this develops.
I just finished an article for the next issue of Crimespree Magazine, called “Sick Little Goobers.” It features the very early (and very violent) writings of Gregg Hurwitz, Scott Phillips, Victor Gischler, and myself. It’s also got several very cute baby pictures. If you don’t have a subscription to Crimespree, and you’re interested, visit their website at www.crimespreemag.com.
And finally, what good’s a newsletter without a contest? I’ve been wracking my brain about what to give away this time, and I think I found something perfect.
First, here’s what you do to win. Get out your digital camera and email me a picture of you reading LOCKED DOORS. And be creative. The most interesting picture wins, and if it’s really inventive (and not terribly explicit), I’ll put the winning photo on the website.
So here’s what you’ll win. I’ve been cleaning out my filing cabinet, and I’ve got a typewritten manuscript of LOCKED DOORS which I’m willing to part with. It’s basically what I sent in to my publisher before the copyeditor got a hold of it, before the type was set. It even has a different title which I won’t divulge here. I’ll sign it, date it, whatever you want. There are not many of these around.
Since this is vacation season, this contest will be open until September 6, 2005. Good luck!
So get out there, buy a few copies of LOCKED DOORS, a case of cold beer, and head for the beach (or in my case, the mountains).
Happy summer and happy reading!
Blake
BLAKE CROUCH NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2005
GREETINGS. There is a body buried on your…woops, wrong letter.
I hope everyone is out of winter’s cold grip, but if not, I have something to warm your bones. Slide on over to www.blakecrouch.com, where the first chapter of LOCKED DOORS has just been posted. If you’ve already read it in the paperback edition, don’t despair. I plan on posting at least one more excerpt before the book hits stores in late June.
Since the publication date is fast approaching, I thought we’d have another contest, and trust me…you want to win this one.
Writers are often curious to learn how readers found out about their books…whether from recommendations, reviews, libraries, or randomly picking the book off a shelf at Barnes and Noble.
So here’s what you do. Email me through the website (blakecrouch1@yahoo.com) and tell me how you discovered DESERT PLACES. Be sure to include your name and address, because I’m going to pick a winner, and on or about June 1st, he or she will receive signed first edition hardcovers of both DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS (before you can get the sequel in most stores, by the way). The contest will close on the last day of April and I’ll announce the winner on the website on Cinqo de Mayo.
And finally, from my publisher, here’s a sneak peek of the jacket flap copy for LOCKED DOORS:
“Seven years ago, suspense novelist Andrew Thomas was framed for a series of murders when bodies were unearthed on his lakefront property. Wanted by the FBI, he had no choice but to flee and create a new identity.
Andrew has done just that in a cabin tucked away in the remote wilderness of Haines Junction, Yukon. His only link to society is by e-mail, through which he learns that everyone he loved in his former life is being stalked and murdered.
Culminating on the spooky and secluded Outer Banks of North Carolina, the paths of Andrew Thomas, a psychotic named Luther Kite, and a young female detective collide. LOCKED DOORS is a novel of blistering suspense that will scare you to death.”
Have a beautiful spring!
Blake
BLAKE CROUCH NEWSLETTER WINTER 2005
Happy new year and welcome to the first newsletter from www.blakecrouch.com!
First off, a big thank-you to everyone who subscribed and took the time to send comments and feedback on the book. I really appreciate it.
So tomorrow is a special day. Why? DESERT PLACES will be released in paperback. I know what you’re thinking: I already read that book in hardcover and bought copies for all my friends and family - why do I need the paperback, too? Well, the cover is supercool, it’s small enough to fit in your back pocket, and best of all, there’s a little surprise at the end...Chapter 1 of the sequel, LOCKED DOORS.
Speaking of LOCKED DOORS, things are rolling right along and the hardcover publication date has been slated for July 1, 2005. If you want a chance to read it sometime in early February, check out the contest on my website, but don’t delay...it ends in 5 days on January 1st.
Here’s the LOCKED DOORS catalog copy from my publisher:
“Blake Crouch’s first novel, DESERT PLACES, was terrifying and the story continues with LOCKED DOORS. This electrifying sequel opens with suspense writer Andrew Thomas having been in hiding for seven years, framed for the horrific murders committed by his deranged brother. His old girlfriend, Karen Prescott, has found someone new. When a delivery man arrives at Karen’s apartment with a stunning bouquet of roses, she assumes that Scott, her new boyfriend, is the sender. The card with the flowers says: ‘Look in the coat closet.’ Karen thinks that another surprise awaits her and she’s dead right. Blake Crouch has delivered a stunning sequel, packed with sizzling suspense.”
The German edition of LOCKED DOORS will be released in September 2005. The German title is BLUTZEICHEN (Blood Character).
In other news, from February 24-27, 2005, I’m going to be at Left Coast Crime in El Paso, Texas. It’s a mystery conference, attended by hordes of crime writers and fans of crime fiction. I hope some of you can make it.
Finally, my new year’s resolution is more frequent website updating. I realize it’s been awhile, and I promise to do better this coming year with pre-publication LOCKED DOORS excerpts, more contests, and original short fiction. I’m just getting ready to begin a new book, and to go along with that I may also do an online journal that chronicles the brainstorming, writing, rewriting, re-rewriting, and editing process. So, lots of good stuff to come.
Happy 2005 to everyone, and until next time, take care.
Blake
