Hey Jonathan,
Yes I was at BEA. A lot of fun. Sorry I missed you. I was signing Body Trace and a few advance copies of Blood Poison at MWA. It was great. Very busy.
I'll talk to you soon. Delete Comment
Just did my first signing for DEAD MAN'S SONG. It was at BEA today and the whole tableful of books went in less than half an hour. And it was the first time I got to see the book, which is the sequel to GHOST ROAD BLUES.
I will put July 3 Dead Man's Song on my calendar.
I loved stuff set in Pennsy and I'm not too far from where your books are set.
The book I'm revising now is set in Philly.
The rest are set in NJ.
Can't wait to read the next one!
Sorry to have taken so long to respond to your invite to join your circle. I was swamped with work, rehearsals for a play, and a children's drama workshop. Didn't have time to breathe, let alone catch up with lists. I really want to be a more social person, time just seems to be againt me. :-)
Gush Alert!
I finished Ghost Road Blues two days ago. I could not put it down.
Can't wait for the next installment. Do you have a specific release date? I'll mark it on my calendar.
So cool!
Didn't get to sleep on time several nights in a row because I was reading it.
Great Job.
cmr
Hey. I just got back from the Romantic Times BookLovers Convention in Houston. You would have really liked it. Heather Thomas threw the Wild West Vampire Ball complete with dance hall girls and cowboys with leather dusters all donning vampire teeth. Now the fairie party, that was a liitle strange seeing all these ethereal creatures getting on the elevator wearing gossamer wings!
I presented a program (I was the whole panel--sheesh) on the difference between TV crime drama and reality, one of my specialities.
I drove down with Charlaine Harris, whom, you can imagine is having great success with her Sookie Stackhouse character as she will be on HBO next winter I think.
Anyway, it's nice to see your page and of course I will be your friend.
It's ingteresting, too, that you thought (at first) that the martial arts usage was just a literary device. No one's suggested that before.
In interviews I've been asked about the use of martial arts, etc., and also about the subplot of abuse. The two are linked. I got involved in martial arts as a kid because I was in an intensely abusive situation. The character of Mike Sweeney draws heavily on my own childhood experiences, and Crow's backstory (except for his struggles with alcholism) are based quite a bit on my own experiences. Jujutsu, in real point of fact, saved my life.
Perhaps if I'd been in a normal family I would have chosen a sport martial art (if I'd even gone into martial arts at all). Luckily a friend's dad saw the writing on the wall and arranged for me to meet his own sensei. When I was fourteen I was big enough and tough enough to take a stand. And thereby hangs a tale.
Jujutsu teachings actually play a significant role in the second book as Crow begins teaching Mike how to defend himself.
So...you're certainly forgiven for the assumption and I certainly hope you enjoy Dead Man's Song when it debuts in July!
OK Mr. Maberry, please consider me properly chagrined.
While I thoroughly enjoyed GHOST ROAD BLUES & very much look forward to the second installment in your Pine Deep trilogy ( as does my wife, but more on THAT later ... ), I must now admit to finding the martial arts abilities of your protagonist Malcolm Crow the one part of the novel that just struck me as being , oh, I don't know, maybe just a bit "too convenient". A facet of the character that I assumed was perhaps an indulgence. A nod toward the ever increasing popularity of MMA & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Not that it took away from my enjoyment of GRB at all, mind you, I just thought of the element as a sort of homage to it's "pulpy" influences. I mean, I LOVE a hero that can seriously kick ass! LOL
And, the descriptions of Crow's fighting abilities were fun & spot on, something that I attributed to some damn good research on your part.
Well, I got that right anyhow. I just didn't stop to think that it might have been what has obviously been decades of intense, devoted, hands on research into Jiu Jitsu!
So, as a fellow lifelong martial arts enthusiast & practitioner, I apologize for my initial assumption of your simply using Crow's abilities as a convenient, fun way to make him more formidable when the "bad stuff" comes down. Not that having him be a JJBB wouldn't have been just as much fun were you NOT a legitimate JJBB yourself, but the plot element has ( I must admit ) been raised to a new level of esteem in my eyes.
Hopefully, that makes some sort of sense to you. Maybe it's somewhat predjudiced on my part for doing so, but I've just always found that I've enjoyed an author's scenes of physical confrontation & combat a lot more if I know that he's actually had some real experience at what he's writing about.
Like Joe Lansdale for example.
Myself, at 45, I'd just hit 13 when the whole Bruce Lee & Kung Fu craze of the '70s hit. And, like so many other skinny, oft-bullied kids of the time, I begged my parents for Karate lessons. Believing, of course, that they would transform me into an instant lethal fighting machine. LOL
Which, much to my disappointment, didn't happen ...
So, disillusioned with my first choice of Wado Ryu Karate, I spent the following couple of years "shopping around", trying out Isshin Ryu, Tae Kwon Do & even Judo. Advancing to various colored belts along the way. You know, a yellow here, a purple there, another yellow somewhere else. This time with a STRIPE! LOL
But, I never actually found my niche, until I discovered boxing at 17. That became my absolute passion & was actually the first thing that ever gave me any real confidence & self esteem. It was only after a long, off & on amateur career of 27 fights over the next few years that I began cross training, which led me back toward the traditional martial arts again.
In 1985, I began training at one of the first hybrid boxing/kickboxing gyms ( VERY common now, of course, but back then, the two rarely shared space ). Which led me to training daily with a gentleman very well versed in Hawaiian Kempo. Who eventually promoted me to BB.
Since that time I've gone onto "dabble" in straight forward combative systems like Krav Maga & Mike Karanak's Haganah. Which, I really believe is where the martial arts are headed. Toward two hybrid schools. One geared toward MMA competetion ( or at least it's diversified skills & conditioning elements ) & the other geared toward totally practical, "real world" combatives.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this whenever you get the chance.
Anyhow, back to GRB.
Loved it.
As a lifelong horror film & fiction fanatic, as well as an October baby ( 10/10/61 ) whose b-day is always exactly three weeks before Halloween, making that holiday my personal Christmas, Easter & Independence Day all rolled into one, I just TOTALLY geeked over your book.
As did my wife ( we're seperated, but I still let her borrow my books ... LOL ), only she wasn't prepared for the novel's abrupt endpoint with it's story unresolved. I'd neglected to inform her that it the first installment in a trilogy, so she was initially livid at having to wait until June to get her hands on the next part of the Pine Deep saga. She was even going to write you an angry letter expressing her dismay, but, she eventually calmed down & is now patiently awaiting the follow up.
OK, I've obviously gone on for FAR too long now.
Quick & concise have never been my strong points.
Glad you liked the Lawrence Block interview. It's part of a series called ThrillRide that has been running Wild River Review (www.wildriverreview.com). Along with my collaborator, Janice Bashman, we interviewed Steve Hamilton, David Housewright, Bill Kent, Barry Eisler and a few others.
I read your interview with Lawrence Block on wild river review this morning. I guess it's been up for a while, but I'm always running behind schedule. Anyway, I just stopped by to tell you I enjoyed the interview.
Jonathan Maberry's Comments
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Yes I was at BEA. A lot of fun. Sorry I missed you. I was signing Body Trace and a few advance copies of Blood Poison at MWA. It was great. Very busy.
I'll talk to you soon. Delete Comment
I loved stuff set in Pennsy and I'm not too far from where your books are set.
The book I'm revising now is set in Philly.
The rest are set in NJ.
Can't wait to read the next one!
Dead Man's Song hits stores July 3, Hope it creeps you out just as much!
I finished Ghost Road Blues two days ago. I could not put it down.
Can't wait for the next installment. Do you have a specific release date? I'll mark it on my calendar.
So cool!
Didn't get to sleep on time several nights in a row because I was reading it.
Great Job.
cmr
Hey. I just got back from the Romantic Times BookLovers Convention in Houston. You would have really liked it. Heather Thomas threw the Wild West Vampire Ball complete with dance hall girls and cowboys with leather dusters all donning vampire teeth. Now the fairie party, that was a liitle strange seeing all these ethereal creatures getting on the elevator wearing gossamer wings!
I presented a program (I was the whole panel--sheesh) on the difference between TV crime drama and reality, one of my specialities.
I drove down with Charlaine Harris, whom, you can imagine is having great success with her Sookie Stackhouse character as she will be on HBO next winter I think.
Anyway, it's nice to see your page and of course I will be your friend.
It's ingteresting, too, that you thought (at first) that the martial arts usage was just a literary device. No one's suggested that before.
In interviews I've been asked about the use of martial arts, etc., and also about the subplot of abuse. The two are linked. I got involved in martial arts as a kid because I was in an intensely abusive situation. The character of Mike Sweeney draws heavily on my own childhood experiences, and Crow's backstory (except for his struggles with alcholism) are based quite a bit on my own experiences. Jujutsu, in real point of fact, saved my life.
Perhaps if I'd been in a normal family I would have chosen a sport martial art (if I'd even gone into martial arts at all). Luckily a friend's dad saw the writing on the wall and arranged for me to meet his own sensei. When I was fourteen I was big enough and tough enough to take a stand. And thereby hangs a tale.
Jujutsu teachings actually play a significant role in the second book as Crow begins teaching Mike how to defend himself.
So...you're certainly forgiven for the assumption and I certainly hope you enjoy Dead Man's Song when it debuts in July!
While I thoroughly enjoyed GHOST ROAD BLUES & very much look forward to the second installment in your Pine Deep trilogy ( as does my wife, but more on THAT later ... ), I must now admit to finding the martial arts abilities of your protagonist Malcolm Crow the one part of the novel that just struck me as being , oh, I don't know, maybe just a bit "too convenient". A facet of the character that I assumed was perhaps an indulgence. A nod toward the ever increasing popularity of MMA & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Not that it took away from my enjoyment of GRB at all, mind you, I just thought of the element as a sort of homage to it's "pulpy" influences. I mean, I LOVE a hero that can seriously kick ass! LOL
And, the descriptions of Crow's fighting abilities were fun & spot on, something that I attributed to some damn good research on your part.
Well, I got that right anyhow. I just didn't stop to think that it might have been what has obviously been decades of intense, devoted, hands on research into Jiu Jitsu!
So, as a fellow lifelong martial arts enthusiast & practitioner, I apologize for my initial assumption of your simply using Crow's abilities as a convenient, fun way to make him more formidable when the "bad stuff" comes down. Not that having him be a JJBB wouldn't have been just as much fun were you NOT a legitimate JJBB yourself, but the plot element has ( I must admit ) been raised to a new level of esteem in my eyes.
Hopefully, that makes some sort of sense to you. Maybe it's somewhat predjudiced on my part for doing so, but I've just always found that I've enjoyed an author's scenes of physical confrontation & combat a lot more if I know that he's actually had some real experience at what he's writing about.
Like Joe Lansdale for example.
Myself, at 45, I'd just hit 13 when the whole Bruce Lee & Kung Fu craze of the '70s hit. And, like so many other skinny, oft-bullied kids of the time, I begged my parents for Karate lessons. Believing, of course, that they would transform me into an instant lethal fighting machine. LOL
Which, much to my disappointment, didn't happen ...
So, disillusioned with my first choice of Wado Ryu Karate, I spent the following couple of years "shopping around", trying out Isshin Ryu, Tae Kwon Do & even Judo. Advancing to various colored belts along the way. You know, a yellow here, a purple there, another yellow somewhere else. This time with a STRIPE! LOL
But, I never actually found my niche, until I discovered boxing at 17. That became my absolute passion & was actually the first thing that ever gave me any real confidence & self esteem. It was only after a long, off & on amateur career of 27 fights over the next few years that I began cross training, which led me back toward the traditional martial arts again.
In 1985, I began training at one of the first hybrid boxing/kickboxing gyms ( VERY common now, of course, but back then, the two rarely shared space ). Which led me to training daily with a gentleman very well versed in Hawaiian Kempo. Who eventually promoted me to BB.
Since that time I've gone onto "dabble" in straight forward combative systems like Krav Maga & Mike Karanak's Haganah. Which, I really believe is where the martial arts are headed. Toward two hybrid schools. One geared toward MMA competetion ( or at least it's diversified skills & conditioning elements ) & the other geared toward totally practical, "real world" combatives.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this whenever you get the chance.
Anyhow, back to GRB.
Loved it.
As a lifelong horror film & fiction fanatic, as well as an October baby ( 10/10/61 ) whose b-day is always exactly three weeks before Halloween, making that holiday my personal Christmas, Easter & Independence Day all rolled into one, I just TOTALLY geeked over your book.
As did my wife ( we're seperated, but I still let her borrow my books ... LOL ), only she wasn't prepared for the novel's abrupt endpoint with it's story unresolved. I'd neglected to inform her that it the first installment in a trilogy, so she was initially livid at having to wait until June to get her hands on the next part of the Pine Deep saga. She was even going to write you an angry letter expressing her dismay, but, she eventually calmed down & is now patiently awaiting the follow up.
OK, I've obviously gone on for FAR too long now.
Quick & concise have never been my strong points.
Take care & peace.
db
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