Another Legend Gone

Evel Knievel dies at 69- MSNBC.com:

In his honor, I'm going to go get my bicycle out of the shed, stick a playing card in the spokes, make a ramp out of a couple of boxes and a slab of plywood, and jump off it for the rest of the afternoon just like we all did back in the day after seeing George Hamilton play Evel in the movies.

Spinetingler Awards Shortlist

The fine readers of Spinetingler Magazine have placed Safe and Sound on their Awards Shortlist in the Best Novel – New Voice category, along with Megan Abbott's Queenpin; Declan Burke's The Big O; Allan Guthrie's Hard Man; Steve Mosby's The 50/50 Killer; and Duane Swierczynski's The Blonde.

Obviously, up against that competition, I'm going to get stomped like a narc at a biker rally, but in the spirit of "it ain't over till it's over," here are the voting criteria:

ONE E-MAIL PER PERSON ONLY. You cannot send another vote in, even for a different category – multiple votes from the same sender will not be counted. Take the time to consider your votes carefully. E-mails must be received by December 30, 2007 - authors, if you're putting this in your newsletter make sure you are clear about the deadline for voting. Many recommendations were not considered in the first round because they were sent late.

You may vote for one winner in each category as long as all votes are submitted in one e-mail. Simply state the category and your chosen winner for each of the eight categories. Any votes that contain more than one selection per category may be removed from consideration completely. No ties.

Send your e-mail to sandra.ruttan@spinetinglermag.com with AWARD NOMINATIONS in the subject line. It is not necessary to explain the reason for your vote.

Thanks to everyone who put me on the list!

Crosspostin' Time

Today is FOBSP day over at First Offenders where FO Alison Gaylin graciously allows us to flog our own wares. To that end, this crosspost:

Alex Sokoloff and I continue our barnstorming tour of Borders (with Stacey Cochran in the moderator's seat) this Saturday at 3:00 at the Central Raleigh Borders:
404-101 East Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: 919.755.9424
Fax: 919.755.9484

And copyedits continue on my standalone, BREAKING COVER, which is scheduled for August 2008.

R.I.P. Kevin Dubrow

Quiet Riot lead singer found dead at age 52.

Somehow, a moment of silence just doesn't feel appropriate.