I'm headed for Thrillerfest tomorrow. Looking forward to my first visit to New York (if you don't count the time I was six and my family passed through on the way to Europe.) If you're in the neighborhood of the Grand Hyatt, drop by. I'll most likely be in the bar.
I think they're gonna need a bigger bar.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
SAFE AND SOUND Launches...NOW! NOW! NOW!
Actual footage from the SAFE AND SOUND Launch Party.
And just remember: a reader once told me about my last book, GOOD DAY IN HELL, "I put down Harry Potter to read it."
So there.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Quiz: What Gorey Death Will You die?
Who among us does not love Edward Gorey's delightful Gashlycrumb Tinies ("A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears")?
Well now, thanks to the magic of the Interwebs, you can predict your own demise, Gorey style. I'm
You will swallow some tacks. You are a little weird, maybe not so much in a good way. Buy a yellow tie and wear it on your head.
(Hat tip to my friend Zannabee)
Well now, thanks to the magic of the Interwebs, you can predict your own demise, Gorey style. I'm
LEO
You will swallow some tacks. You are a little weird, maybe not so much in a good way. Buy a yellow tie and wear it on your head.
(Hat tip to my friend Zannabee)
Sunday, July 08, 2007
TWO DAYS!!!!!
Blur: Song 2
SAFE AND SOUND drops Tuesday.But you already knew that.
Check it out at these fine stores:
Mystery One, Milwaukee
Creatures and Crooks, Richmond
Seattle Mystery Books, Seattle
Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego
Mystery Ink, Laguna Beach, CA
Kate's Mystery Books, Cambridge, MA
Or at a Borders, Barnes & Noble, or Books-A-Million near you.
Any other suggestions for your favorite bookstore that I might have missed, post them in the comments section.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
You Got Punk'd, America
Latest Newspaper Column
Well, he's gone and done it, just like I expected. This past week, King George granted a boon to one of his loyal henchmen when he let I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby out of his jail sentence.
It shouldn't have come as a complete surprise. As my friend Phoebe pointed out, President Bush did say, when the Plamegate scandal broke, "If [a] person has violated law, that person will be taken care of." Scooter broke the law, and Dubbya sure is taking care of him.
To be completely accurate, Dubbya let the jury's finding of guilt stand, along with the $250,000 fine. What he overruled was the sentence which he characterized as "excessive," even though the sentence was within the federal sentencing guidelines.
Now if Dubbya wants to make a case that those guidelines are too harsh, he'll get no argument from me. But apparently they're too harsh only if you're a Bush crony.
See, it appears that Republicans, despite all their tough guy talk, are some kind of delicate flowers who just can't take it when things get rough. I base this in part on the sentiments expressed by people who took exception to my last column on Scooter because -- oh, the horror! -- I called poor Mr. Libby names! These people apparently have no trouble with people saying harsh things about Democrats, such as calling John Edwards a "faggot" or referring to Hillary Clinton as "Hitlery."
You never hear these Guardians of Decency speaking out against that sort of thing. Therefore, one can only assume that they believe Democrats are tougher and can take more abuse. Q.E.D.
I mean, think about it. Martha Stewart was convicted of pretty much the same thing Scooter was -- lying to investigators -- and she did her time. And Martha took it like a man, by golly, including all the cruel jokes from satirists and late-night television hosts. And the Bushistas never said a mumblin' word about that.
Didn't see all the Agony Aunts rushing to defend "poor Martha" then.
As for Marc Rich, whose pardon by Bill Clinton is being faithfully trotted out as a talking point by the usual gang of right wingnut talking heads, let's not forget that the Republican Congress appointed not one, but two prosecutors to investigate that action. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pluto) asserted, presumably with a straight face, that his legal research showed that Clinton could be impeached again for the Rich pardon even after he left office.
Think we'll see the Republicans calling for investigations of this? If so, would you like to buy a golf course? I'll sell you Pinehurst No. 2, cheap. (I'd offer the Brooklyn Bridge, but it's already under contract to a guy who thinks Fox News is actually "Fair and Balanced.")
Oh, and Rich's attorney at the time? Scooter Libby. The ironies just mount up.
Bush may be thinking, hey, what have I got to lose? The 28 percent or so of Americans polled who still support him -- aka the Bush Cult -- would continue to do so even if their dear leader killed and devoured a litter of kittens raw on live television from the Rose Garden.
As long as his Wacky Iraqi Adventure continues, he's never going to get the other 72 percent back. It used to be he could drum up support by threatening another impending terrorist attack, but that's starting to wear thin, and if there actually was another 9/11 level strike on our shores, someone would eventually point out that "hey, we haven't had a terrorist attack on our soil since we decided to ignore the Constitution" was about the last "accomplishment" the Bushistas had to point to.
So, with no real way to go any lower in the polls, Dubbya decided to take steps to ensure the silence of one guy who could roll over on him and Darth Cheney.
Think about it. If Bush pardoned Scooter, he'd lose the protection of the Fifth Amendment, and he could be compelled to talk about what went on in the Dark Tower -- sorry, the White House. If Scooter went to prison, there'd be the risk he could decide to talk willingly in hopes of getting clemency.
The fine will no doubt be paid by rich Republican supporters who've been filling the coffers of Libby's defense fund. And the appeals go on, so Libby can still take the Fifth.
Scooter's being paid to keep quiet. And who's going to do anything about it? The Democrats? Please. We'll hear a few indignant squeals, then they'll move on for fear of being thought partisan.
You got punk'd, America. How does it feel?
Well, he's gone and done it, just like I expected. This past week, King George granted a boon to one of his loyal henchmen when he let I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby out of his jail sentence.
It shouldn't have come as a complete surprise. As my friend Phoebe pointed out, President Bush did say, when the Plamegate scandal broke, "If [a] person has violated law, that person will be taken care of." Scooter broke the law, and Dubbya sure is taking care of him.
To be completely accurate, Dubbya let the jury's finding of guilt stand, along with the $250,000 fine. What he overruled was the sentence which he characterized as "excessive," even though the sentence was within the federal sentencing guidelines.
Now if Dubbya wants to make a case that those guidelines are too harsh, he'll get no argument from me. But apparently they're too harsh only if you're a Bush crony.
See, it appears that Republicans, despite all their tough guy talk, are some kind of delicate flowers who just can't take it when things get rough. I base this in part on the sentiments expressed by people who took exception to my last column on Scooter because -- oh, the horror! -- I called poor Mr. Libby names! These people apparently have no trouble with people saying harsh things about Democrats, such as calling John Edwards a "faggot" or referring to Hillary Clinton as "Hitlery."
You never hear these Guardians of Decency speaking out against that sort of thing. Therefore, one can only assume that they believe Democrats are tougher and can take more abuse. Q.E.D.
I mean, think about it. Martha Stewart was convicted of pretty much the same thing Scooter was -- lying to investigators -- and she did her time. And Martha took it like a man, by golly, including all the cruel jokes from satirists and late-night television hosts. And the Bushistas never said a mumblin' word about that.
Didn't see all the Agony Aunts rushing to defend "poor Martha" then.
As for Marc Rich, whose pardon by Bill Clinton is being faithfully trotted out as a talking point by the usual gang of right wingnut talking heads, let's not forget that the Republican Congress appointed not one, but two prosecutors to investigate that action. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pluto) asserted, presumably with a straight face, that his legal research showed that Clinton could be impeached again for the Rich pardon even after he left office.
Think we'll see the Republicans calling for investigations of this? If so, would you like to buy a golf course? I'll sell you Pinehurst No. 2, cheap. (I'd offer the Brooklyn Bridge, but it's already under contract to a guy who thinks Fox News is actually "Fair and Balanced.")
Oh, and Rich's attorney at the time? Scooter Libby. The ironies just mount up.
Bush may be thinking, hey, what have I got to lose? The 28 percent or so of Americans polled who still support him -- aka the Bush Cult -- would continue to do so even if their dear leader killed and devoured a litter of kittens raw on live television from the Rose Garden.
As long as his Wacky Iraqi Adventure continues, he's never going to get the other 72 percent back. It used to be he could drum up support by threatening another impending terrorist attack, but that's starting to wear thin, and if there actually was another 9/11 level strike on our shores, someone would eventually point out that "hey, we haven't had a terrorist attack on our soil since we decided to ignore the Constitution" was about the last "accomplishment" the Bushistas had to point to.
So, with no real way to go any lower in the polls, Dubbya decided to take steps to ensure the silence of one guy who could roll over on him and Darth Cheney.
Think about it. If Bush pardoned Scooter, he'd lose the protection of the Fifth Amendment, and he could be compelled to talk about what went on in the Dark Tower -- sorry, the White House. If Scooter went to prison, there'd be the risk he could decide to talk willingly in hopes of getting clemency.
The fine will no doubt be paid by rich Republican supporters who've been filling the coffers of Libby's defense fund. And the appeals go on, so Libby can still take the Fifth.
Scooter's being paid to keep quiet. And who's going to do anything about it? The Democrats? Please. We'll hear a few indignant squeals, then they'll move on for fear of being thought partisan.
You got punk'd, America. How does it feel?
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