To Get Books Signed

Signed and inscribed books may be ordered from my local independent bookstore, the magnificent Maria's Bookshop (970.247.1438). When you order, be sure to let them know exactly what you'd like the inscription to say.

News & Appearances

8.1.06

LOCKED DOORS is now available in paperback!

3.24.06

Pete Garceau is the man responsible for the beautiful cover of my second novel, LOCKED DOORS. I recently had a chance to catch up with Pete and toss a few questions his way about his experience designing the cover for LOCKED DOORS. Read more...

2.5.06

I'm often asked where the idea for DESERT PLACES came from, and one of the things I mention is a short story I wrote in the spring of 1999, as a student in the creative writing program at UNC-Chapel Hill. The amazing writer Marianne Gingher was the professor of this intro to fiction writing class, and I turned in a story called "Ginsu Tony" for my final project. Please don't email me to say how awful it is...I know. But for those of you who've read DESERT PLACES, I think you'll enjoy reading its earliest incarnation.

11.11.05

Two new items for your Thanksgiving enjoyment.

First, here's an article I wrote that recently appeared in Crimespree Magazine. It's called "Sick Little Goobers" and is about the early childhood (and surprisingly violent) writings of Scott Phillips, Gregg Hurwitz, Victor Gischler, and myself.

And here's an interview I did with Jeff Shelby for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter.

9.29.05

Congratulations to the Reverend Mack Dennis and the choir of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Gilead, North Carolina, for sending in what was hands down the funniest, most inventive picture for the LOCKED DOORS digital photo contest.

See the winning photo here.

And congrats to the 1st runner-up, Walter Palmer, for sending in this somewhat disturbing photo.

9.24.05

The Locked Doors Tour Photos have been posted.

While on tour, I read an amazing book I want to share with everyone. It's called CREEPERS, and the author is David Morrell, of Rambo fame. This is the review I've written for CREEPERS for the forthcoming issue of CrimeSpree Magazine:

On a cold October night, five "urban explorers" enter the vast and crumbling remains of the Paragon Hotel. The party consists of an aging history professor, a few former students, and a journalist who wants to chronicle the dangerous and illegal hobby of urban exploration-breaking into condemned buildings. Ostensibly, they've come to explore this once luxurious hotel on the Jersey seashore, but two of the explorers have ulterior motives. Infested with rats, a three-legged albino cat, and architecture that threatens to collapse with the explorers' every step, the Paragon holds terrifying secrets and everyone is in for a long night of hell.

Written in real-time and unfolding over eight hours, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., CREEPERS is endlessly entertaining, unpredictable, and one of the most brilliant works of fiction I've ever read. A perfect hybrid of suspense and horror, it's the kind of book the reader will down in one long sip. I defy anyone to pick CREEPERS up, read the first ten pages, and put it down. It simply can't be done. This is a masterwork by a writer working at full throttle, in total command of his craft. Don't wait until this book joins the canon of classic thrillers. Read it now.

David is a fantastic guy, an amazing writer, and he's on tour for his new book through the middle part of November. Visit his website at www.davidmorrell.net.

8.12.05

The North Carolina leg of my LOCKED DOORS Tour is finished. Thanks to everyone who came out to buy books and say hello.

I've done a handful of interviews over the last several weeks, and here are the links:

Statesville Record and Landmark.
Ottawa Sun.
Durango Telegraph.
Charlotte Talks (audio - air date 8/2/05).
The State of Things (audio - air date 8/8/05).
News and Observer.

Tour photos coming soon!

7.23.05

The LOCKED DOORS  tour schedule is now online.

6.25.05

LOCKED DOORS is now available!

The German edition of LOCKED DOORS is slated for publication in September 2005. It's called BLUTZEICHEN, and here's the very creepy cover:

And, being a huge Cormac McCarthy fan, I have to mention that he has a new book coming out in July, his first in seven years. It's called NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, and I had the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Edition back in April.

Here's the catalog description:

---

"Set along a bloody frontier in our own time, this is Cormac McCarthy's first novel since Cities of the Plain completed his acclaimed, bestselling Border Trilogy.

Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, instead finds men shot dead, a load of heroin, and over two million in cash. Packing the money out, he knows, will change everything. But only after two more men are murdered does a victim's burning car lead Sheriff Bell to the carnage out in the desert, and he soon realizes that Moss and his young wife are in desperate need of protection. One party in the failed transaction hires an ex-Special Forces officer to defend his interests against a mesmerizing freelancer, while on either side are men accustomed to spectacular violence and mayhem. The pursuit stretches along and across the border, each participant seemingly determined to answer what one asks another: How does a man decide in what order to abandon his life?

A harrowing story of a war society wages on itself, an enduring meditation on the ties of love and blood and duty that inform lives and shape destinies, and a novel of extraordinary resonance and power."

---

This book is outstanding. One of the best I've read in a very long time. If you've never read Cormac McCarthy, please do yourself a favor and get NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

And finally, want to win a signed typewritten manuscript of LOCKED DOORS?

CONTEST

Get out your digital camera and email me a picture of you reading LOCKED DOORS. 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.

The typewritten manuscript of LOCKED DOORS is 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!

5.7.05

The winner of the signed first editions of DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS is...Candice from Norristown, PA. Congratulations Candice, and thanks to everyone who entered. As a consolation for those who didn't win, I've posted another LOCKED DOORS excerpt (PDF).

4.15.05

On April 20, 2005, at 5:15 p.m., I will be speaking to a local writers' group called the Inkslingers. The presentation will be at the Durango Arts Center and is open to everyone.

4.1.05

Chapter One of LOCKED DOORS has been posted.

Want to win signed first editions of DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS? Check out the details of the new contest:

CONTEST

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. Send me an email telling 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.

3.14.05

First off, I want to highlight another great website that is definitely worth checking out: www.sarahweinman.com. Sarah Weinman writes a blog called "Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind" devoted to the world of mystery and crime fiction. It's THE place to catch up on all the buzz of the mystery world and hear crime writers weigh in on a whole host of topics.

A perfect example: Last week on Sarah's blog, there was a thread called "Rummaging through the old files," where quite a few writers discussed some of the early stories they wrote as children.

It got me thinking. Writers often get asked, "When did you know you wanted to write?" In interviews, on panels, I often cite a story I wrote in my 8th grade English class called "In Shock." When I turned it in to Ms. Bumgarner, she did two things. First, she called my mother to make sure that everything was okay at home, but then she made me stand up and read it out loud to the class -- a horrifying, exhilarating experience.

A few weeks ago, while cleaning out a drawer, I came across the old, wrinkled pages of "In Shock." It was kind of surreal to look at that story and know that it was a watershed event in my formation as a writer, giving me the first inkling that maybe I wanted to write crime fiction.

So here it is. Be warned: it's violent and not very good, probably what you'd expect from a deranged 8th grader.

1.5.05

Happy New Year Everyone!

The winner of the LOCKED DOORS  ARC contest is...(drum roll)...Cindy Pierre-Morton. Congratulations, Cindy, and thanks to all the contestants. To those who didn't win, don't despair. There will be more chances to win ARCS and signed first editions in the coming months.

From time to time this year, I'll be highlighting websites I love, so here's a great link to check out:

This is a phenomenal online book club that emails 5 minute excerpts of books from all genres, including books that haven't even been published yet. It's a great way to "test drive" new books and determine if you want to read the whole thing. Suzanne Beecher and her staff pick fantastic books for their program and I highly recommend signing up. It's addictive, and best of all...free.

Finally, big changes are coming to blakecrouch.com very soon, so be sure to check back often.

2004 News Archives
2003 News Archives