NEWSLETTER #7

THE DEAD PLACE GOES 'LIVE'!

I'm writing this newsletter a little earlier than planned. My timing is all confused, due to UK publication of the 6th Cooper & Fry novel THE DEAD PLACE being brought forward by two weeks to 23rd May.

Yes, that means the book is available NOW, folks!

Copies of THE DEAD PLACE are on sale in all the usual places (published by HarperCollins at the bargain hardback price of £12.99). Some of the UK dealers will have signed copies, and of course, there are lots of UK events during the summer, and I'd love to see you at one of my signings if you can make it!

I flew up to Glasgow last week to visit the HarperCollins warehouse, where I signed a large pile of books. The limited number of flights from our local airport, East Midlands, meant getting up at four o'clock in the morning, which is definitely not my natural time of day!

Despite the best efforts of the HC team to keep me supplied with coffee and bacon butties, there's a strong possibility that I might have written complete rubbish in some of the books. If you find one, it'll be a collector's item.

Some of you might be thinking that signing a thousand copies of your new book is a great privilege granted to successful authors. As far as I'm concerned, it's remarkably like what we were made to do at school as a punishment!

I was slightly cheered by the story of a well-known British TV star who turned up recently to sign her "autobiography". She managed 150 copies before she had to give up. No stamina like us professionals, you see!

Here's the synopsis for THE DEAD PLACE:

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"Soon there will be a killing. Close your eyes and breathe the aroma. I can smell it right now, can't you? So powerful, so sweet. So irresistible. It's the scent of death…"

The anonymous caller who taunts the Derbyshire Police with talk of an imminent killing seems to be just another hoaxer. But Detective Sergeant Diane Fry begins to take him seriously when a woman is snatched from a multi-storey car park.

This was no opportunist attack but a carefully planned abduction - and it's possible the chilling voice is telling the truth when it hints at earlier murders and bodies waiting to be found in 'the Dead Place'.

Detective Constable Ben Cooper, meanwhile, has succeeded in finding a body - or rather, a collection of bones. This comes as a shock to the deceased's family, for Audrey Steele should have left no bones. Eighteen months ago, after dying from natural causes, Audrey was cremated and her ashes scattered in Edendale's memorial gardens.

Their investigations lead DS Fry and DC Cooper into the world of those whose lives revolve around death. And finally, in a boarded-up ancestral home that has long been the stuff of legend in the White Park, a crypt full of skulls yields it dark secrets.

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Tempted yet? If you want more, you can read the whole of the first chapter on the website at:

http://www.stephen-booth.com/deadchapter.htm

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Previous issues have been posted on the website so you can catch up. Here's a link to the most recent back issue:

http://www.stephen-booth.com/NewsletterApril05.htm

A warm welcome to you all our new subscribers. As always, feel free to forward this newsletter to friends.

And if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see in future issues, don't hesitate to let me know. Send your ideas to:

newsletter@stephen-booth.com

All the best - and good reading,

Stephen Booth

NEWS

BLIND TO THE BONES AND OTHER OLD PECULIERS

If you haven't cast your vote yet for the shortlist in the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, don't worry - there's still time to vote, but you'll have to hurry!

Voting in this round closes on Tuesday 31st May. You can make your choice at any Ottakar's bookstore in the UK, or via the Ottakar's website:

http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp

You just need a name and email address to vote, and there's even a chance to win a weekend for two at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival from 21st-24th July. The prize includes three nights accommodation at the four-star Cedar Court Hotel and tickets to all the festival events.

(I've just heard that all the available weekend passes for the festival have sold out, so this is your only chance to spend that weekend at the Cedar Court!).

The six shortlisted novels will be announced on 13th June, and then a new round of voting will take place for the winner. The award will be presented on the opening night of the festival.

Further details here:

http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime

ONE LAST BREATH

The UK paperback of ONE LAST BREATH has been in the shops for a few weeks now. If you haven't caught up with it, now's the time! The paperback is also on sale in Canada, Australia and other parts of the world.

ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

Here's a reminder for readers in the USA, who regularly email me for this information!

My new US publishers, Bantam Dell, currently have the paperback of BLIND TO THE BONES scheduled for publication in February 2006, followed by the hardcover of ONE LAST BREATH in April (but plans could still change!).

Bantam have already signed up for THE DEAD PLACE, and for the seventh Cooper & Fry novel (as yet untitled).

For a taster of ONE LAST BREATH, you can read the first chapter on the website:

http://www.stephen-booth.com/breathchapter.htm

COMPETITION TIME

Thank you to everyone who entered the ONE LAST BREATH competition in the last newsletter.

Of course, the answer to the name of the convicted murderer released from prison at the beginning of ONE LAST BREATH was: Mansell Quinn. This time every single entry had the right answer!

Some readers have commented that the competition was on the easy side. Last time, there were complaints that it was too difficult. Sometimes, you just can't win!

Oh, actually, you can… Because eight of you have done exactly that. Winners of signed books and other goodies in the ONE LAST BREATH competition were:

Margaret Speirs, Gungahlin, Australia.
Kathleen Robinson, Kendal, UK.
Jonathan Waxman, Washington DC, USA.
Julia Schlindwein, Freiburg, Germany.
Tony McNally, Chesterfield, UK.
Taya Brendle, Melbourne, Australia.
Elaine Naiman, Ottawa, Canada.
Bengt Heurlin, Handen, Sweden.

Congratulations, everyone. If you've already provided a mailing address, your prizes should be on their way.

AND YET MORE PRIZES!

Yes, there are signed copies of the brand new Cooper & Fry novel THE DEAD PLACE to give away. Do you realise how lucky you are, or what?

Just answer the question below, and email your answer (with your full name, please) and the subject line 'The Dead Place' (or something similar, if you really must use your imagination!). There's no need to give your address just yet - you'll be contacted for it, if you win.

Out of consideration for subscribers who not only can't get hold of THE DEAD PLACE yet, but haven't caught up with ONE LAST BREATH either, I've chosen a question that anyone can find the answer to with minimum effort.

The competition closes on 1st June. Good luck!

QUESTION:

Visit the voting page for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award - and tell me the typographical error in the description of BLIND TO THE BONES:

http://www.ottakars.co.uk/Internet/home/harrogateForm.jsp

(Actually, there are two errors, but one is more obvious than the other!)

Cryptic clue: Ben's rank is on record!

Email your answers to:

competition@stephen-booth.com

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SNIPPETS

HEADING DOWN UNDER

I'm thrilled to be visiting Australia for the first time this August. I've been invited to take part in the Melbourne Writers' Festival from 24th- 28th August, followed by a trip to the Sydney area. Watch out for details of dates and times on the website.

As an extra incentive to attend (as if you needed one!), I understand Alexander McCall Smith and John Harvey are also appearing in Melbourne. The festival website is at:

http://www.mwf.com.au

THE DEAD PLACE should be available in Australia shortly. And just to prove that Australian readers know a good book when they see one, it will feature in the July Giveaway promotion for 'Australian Good Taste' magazine.

(You know, we don't seem to have magazines about good taste in the UK, just 'Zoo', 'Nuts' and 'Stuff').

Anyway, you'll be able to win a book pack that includes THE DEAD PLACE, along with FOREST OF SOULS by Carla Banks and Stuart MacBride's 'COLD GRANITE, by telling the folk at AGT what sends a chill up your spine - in 25 words or less.

So who needs 25 words? 'Tony' and 'Blair' do it for me every time.


QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS

There's a new profile and interview on the website of the online book group Palimpsest. The rest of their site is well worth checking out, too:

http://palimpsest.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1218

Oh, and I promise you this is one of the few interviews where I don't mention the goats even once!

Also, anyone in the Manchester area or the North West of England should watch out for a forthcoming interview in City Life magazine.


PAY ATTENTION AT THE BACK THERE!

For the interest of aspiring writers in the UK, I'll be one of the guest speakers and tutors at the annual West Sussex Writers' Conference in Worthing in July. The conference is chaired by Simon Brett, and includes speakers representing other genres, as well as an editor and an agent.

Apparently, I'm conducting two tutorials - "Where the bodies are buried - character and setting in crime fiction" in the morning, and "Motive and means - the how and why of fictional murder" in the afternoon, with a lunchtime panel discussion called "Is light-hearted literature always minor literature".

Delegates are expected to have gained a lot of insights into the business by the end of the day. So perhaps I'd better learn something about my subjects before 2nd July!

Before I became a journalist, I had a very brief career as a secondary school teacher. It only lasted up to the point where I discovered there were children involved. In fact, these particular children were more interested in rioting than learning English.

However, I'm hoping that writers won't actually wreck their desks, shout swear words or throw things at the teacher (that's only what you do with editors).

Check out the conference website at:

http://www.westsussexwriters.org.uk


MOVE OVER, DAN BROWN!

Yes, ONE LAST BREATH has finally knocked Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE off the number 1 spot in the paperback bestseller list... but only in the Peak District.

The biggest booksellers in the area, Country Bookshop, show OLB selling so well in their store and on their website that it's not only passed Dan Brown's monster seller, but is now the no 3 overall bestseller among all the items in their store - close behind their William Morris gift wrap:

http://www.countrybookshop.co.uk/books/bestsellers

TRANSLATION NEWS

Azbooka Publishers have bought the Russian translation rights to DANCING WITH THE VIRGINS.

In Sweden, Minotaur will release the hardback of 'ETT SISTA ANDETAG' (ONE LAST BREATH) in June.

BLIND TO THE BONES is currently undergoing the translation process for Goldman in Germany, and for Blue Moon Books in Finland (do they know about morris dancing in Finland?).

EVENTS

Due to the forthcoming Australian tour, I'm going to have to miss the 2005 Bouchercon in Chicago. The convention is very early this year - the first weekend in September - and I don't fly out of Sydney until 1st September.

I'm sorry not to be attending Bouchercon, as I always have a great time there. It's also a terrific chance to meet influential people and engage in serious networking in the hotel bar (or so it says on the expenses claim pages of my Inland Revenue return).

However, I don't have a new book out in the States in 2005, and Chicago has already seen me once this year, so this is the best convention for me to miss, I suppose. No doubt I'll catch up with folks in the USA next year!

As you'll see, I kick off events for THE DEAD PLACE in Derbyshire with an appearance at the Holymoorside and Walton Arts Festival. This sounds like good fun, so I hope to see lots of readers there.

I also have a few joint events with some of my favourite crime writers - Stuart Pawson, Danuta Reah (aka Carla Banks) and Mark Billingham.

Forthcoming dates:

Saturday 11th June, 10.15 - 11.45am
Holymoorside and Walton Arts Festival, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
(For details and ticket enquiries, phone 01246 567118).

Saturday 11th June, 12.30 - 2.30pm
Signing - Peak Books, Low Pavement, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
(For details, phone 01246 297383)

Sunday 12th June, 10am
Appearance on Rony Robinson Show, BBC Radio Sheffield.

Thursday 16th June, 7.30pm
Ellesmere Port Library, Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire - with Carla Banks (aka Danuta Reah).
(For details, phone 0151 357 4684)

Saturday 18th June, 10am - 12noon
Signing - Bookworm, Spa Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire.
(For details, phone 01777 869224)

Thursday 23rd June, 7.30pm
Halifax Central Library, Northgate, Halifax, West Yorkshire - with Stuart Pawson.
(For details, phone 01422 392630)

Saturday 25th June, 11am - 12.30pm
Signing - Queen's Square Books, Queen's Square, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.
(For details, phone 01995 602910)

Saturday 25th June, 1.30pm - 3.30pm
Signing - Corner Bookshop, Thomas's Court, Garstang, Lancashire.
(For details, phone 01995 602910)

Monday 27th June (time to be confirmed)
Talk and signing - Warwick Books, 24 Market Place, Warwick - with Mark Billingham.
(For details, phone 01926 499939)

Saturday 2nd July, 9.30am - 5pm
West Sussex Writers' Conference, Field Place, The Boulevard, Worthing.
For details, visit: http://www.westsussexwriters.org.uk

Tuesday 5th July, 7.30pm
Eastwood Arts Festival, Eastwood Library, Wellington Place, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.

Tuesday 12th July, 7.30pm
Authors' Cafe, Lowdham Book Festival, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire.
Visit: http://www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk

Monday 18th July, 7.30pm
Talk to Ashby Writers' Group, Brown Court, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

Tuesday 19th July, 6.30pm
'Bodies in the Bookshop', Heffer's bookshop, Trinity Street, Cambridge.
(For details, phone 01223 568568)

Wednesday 27th July, 6.30pm
Ottakar's bookshop, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich, London - with Carla Banks (aka Danuta Reah).

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Don't forget to send your comments or suggestions for the newsletter to:
newsletter@stephen-booth.com

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