DARK VOYAGE

In case you haven’t guessed already, Le mal que tu m’as fait is The Damage Done in French. (A literal translation would be, ‘The evil you have done to me.’) This is a special advance edition of the novel — with a handwritten dedication by me — exclusively available for the France Loisirs book club right now. (France Loisirs is the largest book club in Europe). Later on, the book will go into wide release in France, published by Editions Télémaque.

I love the cover — it’s like seeing another Fringe alt-universe version. Back when I was suggesting possible cover images for The Damage Done to the design team at Tor/Forge, I included a body in a bathtub. I’m pretty sure I was inspired by a Sophie Hannah book, The Wrong Mother. I didn’t have any input into this cover, so I’m thrilled that someone French team had the same idea.

If you’d like to read an excerpt of Le mal que tu m’as fait, it’s available on the France Loisirs website. “C’est en voyant le ruban jaune de scène de crime sur la porte que je compris que ma sÅ“ur était morte…”

I always love the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Week, because it brings so many wonderful writers to New York. Here’s why this year’s festivities were even more fun than usual…

So thrilled that Hank Phillippi Ryan won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for THE OTHER WOMAN! That’s her Tor/Forge editor, Kristin Sevick Brown on the left and her agent, Lisa Gallagher, on the right. 

Hanging out with Reed Farrel Coleman at the Agents & Editors party.

With the beautiful and talented Kim Fay, author of THE MAP OF LOST MEMORIES, which was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine’s editor in chief, Janet Hutchings, at the Dell Magazines party.

Lovely Susan Elia MacNeal (a finalist for the Edgar for Best First Novel for MR. CHURCHILL’S SECRETARY) and her husband, Noel, at the Edgar Awards.

With Maryelizabeth Hart, co-owner of the Mysterious Galaxy bookstores and the winner of a Raven Award! We joked that we coordinated our colors…

Oh, Edgar, why must you be so delicious?

With my Sister in Crime Laura K. Curtis (one of the forces of nature behind Criminal Element).

With Kevin Egan (author of MIDNIGHT, coming this summer from Tor/Forge), Terrie Moran and Laura K. Curtis.

Lovely ladies Dana Cameron, Terrie Moran with… (blanking one this sweet woman’s name… help!). UPDATE: It’s Toni L.P. Kelner. Thanks, Marlyn Beebe!

Kim Fay with her husband, Jim, and Susan MacNeal with her husband, Neal, in the Hyatt’s bar after the awards.

You already know how passionate I am about independent bookstores, so you can guess how thrilled I was when CNN asked me to write about my top 10. The article, “Brick and Mortar: Best Indie Bookstores” is up today. I wrote it while I was mid-tour for EVIL IN ALL ITS DISGUISES, so it doesn’t include a few places I visited late, such as Minneapolis’s marvelous Once Upon a Crime. Still, the stores on the list are incredible, and I hope the story will help spread the word about them.