DARK VOYAGE

Remember how excited I was about the impending release of the Beat to a Pulp anthology a few weeks back? The book is out now, and it’s a beaut. BEAT TO A PULP: ROUND ONE was edited by David Cranmer and Elaine Ash, with a foreword by Bill Crider, and stories by some fiercely talented writers: Ed Gorman, Patti Abbott, Chris F. Holm, Charles Ardai, Sophie Littlefield, Glenn Gray, Jedidiah Ayres… actually, every story in this collection is a winner. (My “Insatiable,” which won the 2010 Spinetingler Award for best short story, is also in there.) In case you need any more convincing, Cullen Gallagher‘s essay “A History of Pulp” closes the anthology.

Speaking of Chris F. Holm, he’s just released his own short-story collection, 8 POUNDS, which is available via Kindle. My first reaction when I saw this was “Damn! I don’t have a Kindle!” It turned out that wasn’t a problem; thanks to the Kindle app, which is available for various computers and handheld devices, I was able to download 8 POUNDS without a hitch. I’d already read all but two of the stories in the collection, but at a mere 99 cents, it would still be a steal if I’d read them all. Chris’s stories are a joy to read (also: very scary), and if you haven’t encountered his work before — he’s been in Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, Thuglit, and Needle, to name a few — now’s the time to get acquainted.

One more anthology I’m excited about: DISCOUNT NOIR, edited by Patti Abbott and Steve Weddle. Inspired by a flash fiction challenge a few months ago, this collection from Untreed Reads features stories by Dave Zeltersman, Keith Rawson, Sandra Seamans, Eric Beeter, Kyle Minor, Kathleen Ryan, Kieran Shea, Cormac Brown, Jay Stringer… okay, I could go on and on. You know you want it.

Finally, while I’m on the subject of short stories, I’m taking part in Christopher Grant‘s 600-to-700 challenge over at A Twist of Noir. I’m not sure what I was thinking, given that I’ve never written flash fiction before, but my 678-word story, “Sorry Bastard” will be up in a couple of weeks. This is the first time I’ve been inclined to write a second story with the same main character. If you’ve read “Cheap Bastard,” published by Spinetingler in March, you’ve already encountered Don. I have a feeling he may be back again after this.

I’m still on the road (last stop on my West Coast tour: 10/21, noon, Mystery Ink in Huntington Beach… funny story about that soon). I know that I owe you a post about Bouchercon 2010, but since that may take some time (um, I may still owe you a ThrillerFest 2010 post… from July), I present to you some of my favorite posts about this year’s convention, written by other attendees. (PS The photo above of me with three of my favorite people on the planet — Sophie Littlefield, Lauren O’Brien, and Jen Forbus — is from Day One at Bouchercon.)

• “Bouchercon Day 1” by Jen Forbus
• “Bouchercon 2010 Report: Part 1” by Pop Culture Nerd
• “The Day After” by Eric Beetner
• “Miscellaneous: Bouchercon, Recapped” by Vince Keenan
• “A Pictorial History of Bouchercon 2010” by Sara J. Henry
• “The Hills of San Francisky” by Chuck Wendig
• “All Things Bouchercon 2010” by Jeri Westerson

Bouchercon 2010 in San Francisco just wrapped up. I am already pining for Bouchercon 2011 in St. Louis. Do yourself a favor and register now. Why? Because you’ll get to spend four days with a crowd of people who love books as much as you do. Because you’ll get to meet friends you only know online (in my case, that included Chuck Wendig and Dan O’Shea, pictured with me and the lovely Michelle Wendig). Because you’ll attend panels and parties and dinners. Because you’ll meet writers who make your heart beat like a tom-tom (in my case, Denise Mina). And because you’ll end up hanging out with a group of wonderful friends late into the night and beyond.

A mini-recap of the past two weeks: THE DAMAGE DONE launched on September 28th with a party at Partners & Crime in New York. Since then, I’ve traveled to the Pittsburgh and Boston areas for events, and had three more New York events (the photo is of me with Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol, author of CUT THROAT DOG; we read together at McNally Jackson last night). I’ve got one more New York event — a panel at NYU — before heading to San Francisco for Bouchercon. After that comes a West Coast tour: M Is for Murder in San Mateo, The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles (where THE DAMAGE DONE is the Discovery Club Selection for October!), and Mystery Ink in Huntington Beach.

More — much more — to come soon. Promise!

After giving THE DAMAGE DONE a stellar review last week, Jen Forbus of Jen’s Book Thoughts was kind enough to ask me to guest blog for her. In “A Noir Education,” now up on her site, I write about my maternal grandmother, who turned me on to mystery novels and noir films. She was a tremendous influence on me in so many ways, and I’m thrilled to share a little bit about her and her influence on THE DAMAGE DONE. She died almost 12 years ago, but she’s in my thoughts every day. (The photo at right is of my mother and grandmother on my parents’ wedding day.)

It’s only six o’clock on a Monday morning, yet my day has already been made. I woke up to discover that the extraordinary Jen Forbus of Jen’s Book Thoughts had posted her review of THE DAMAGE DONE on her blog. Here’s an excerpt:

Davidson’s judicious plotting covers every angle of the story, weaving multitudinous outcome possibilities into the fibers of the plot. Questions build upon questions and everyone’s a suspect. This keeps the reader turning pages; just how do all the pieces and characters fit into this puzzle? Davidson expertly sneaks the story and its cast into the reader’s thoughts, not leaving room for much else.

Sense of place is strong in THE DAMAGE DONE, and while Davidson’s career as a travel writer may have contributed to this strength in the novel, her understanding of the population contributes equally to the overall effect.

I know that I’m supposed to be blasé about reviews, but I’m not. I anxiously awaited the verdict on my book from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus (note to Library Journal: hey, remember me?). Now I’m quoting PW to anyone who doesn’t run away quickly enough (they called my book a “razor sharp mystery debut”!), and I remain stunned that both Booklist and Kirkus expressed a desire to see sequels to the novel. (Really? Okay. Consider it done. Fall 2011, here we come.)

Jen Forbus is an amazing reviewer, and I’m very grateful for her enthusiastic words. I hope you’ll drop by her site to check out the full review. While you’re there, be sure to enter the giveaway to receive a copy of THE DAMAGE DONE — the contest is open till midnight on Friday, September 17th.

P.S. Just 15 days to go till the book is released. Wish I could add a countdown clock to my site!

In March 2009, I had the good fortune to have a short story, “Family Man,” published in Crimespree Magazine. Most of my stories have been published online, but “Family Man” was only seen in print by Crimespree readers… until now. Christopher Grant, editor of A Twist of Noir, agreed to republish my twisted tale about a doting father and devoted boyfriend. Here’s how it begins.

“Open your eyes now,” Gary said, staring at his girlfriend’s face beside his in the hallway mirror. Mila’s plump pink mouth twitched before she opened her eyes. Gary watched as her gaze trailed down to her breastbone, where a pendant of white gold hung from a delicate chain.

“Look, it twinkles in the light,” he said. His broad hands were on her shoulders and he moved her forward and back, gently, grinning at her all the while. “Diamonds.”

“Diamonds,” Mila repeated, staring at the necklace.

“Don’t you think it’s beautiful? Not beautiful like you are, but hell. Nothing’s that beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed the fine blonde hair at her temple. “C’mon, Mila, say you like it, okay?”

“I like it okay.” She avoided his eyes.

“Look at this, you can make the chain longer.” He unhooked the lobster clasp with his squared-off fingertips and moved it along a few links. Mila was wearing a plain black T-shirt, but Gary pictured the pendant swinging into her cleavage. “You look so hot, baby,” he said, putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

“Not… not in the mood. Not tonight, Gary,” she said, pulling away. Her English wasn’t so good, but that was one phrase she’d learned. It seemed to Gary that she was going to repeat it every time she saw him now.

Before Publishers Weekly reviewed THE DAMAGE DONE, I was on tenterhooks. Would they find my fiction debut interesting, or would they hate it? Those seemed like the only two possibilities. I wasn’t prepared for a rave, but that’s what I got. It took me a few tries to read PW’s review successfully. Here it is in full:

08/02/2010 Fiction

The Damage Done

Hilary Davidson, Forge, $24.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2697-3

In Davidson’s razor sharp mystery debut, travel journalist Lily Moore, who’s been living in Spain, rushes home to Manhattan’s Lower East Side on learning that her younger sister, Claudia, a recovering heroin addict, has apparently drowned in her bathtub on the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. The corpse in the morgue, however, is that of a stranger who’d been posing as Claudia for months. So where’s Claudia? An increasingly frantic Lily launches her private investigation while NYPD detectives Norah Renfrew and hunky “Brux” Bruxton oversee the official one. As Lily dodges the amorous attentions of Martin Sklar, her wealthy ex-boyfriend, who she suspects might’ve had a secret affair with Claudia, she discovers Claudia’s connection to a recently deceased “pseudopsychologist” who had a habit of getting too involved with his female patients. Davidson, herself a travel journalist (Frommer’s Toronto 2010), offers a great portrait of sisterly love, despite a dysfunctional past, as well as a highly satisfying mystery. (Oct.)

I get a shiver every time I read it (though I’ve stopped worrying that PW will issue a correction… most of the time). After a dozen years as a freelance writer, I’m prepared for rejection. Enthusiasm is another story.

I’m so behind on posting that it’s embarrassing, but I have to share two things quickly. One is the absolutely stunning cover of the Beat to a Pulp: Round One anthology. James O’Barr is responsible for the artwork and John Bergin for the cover design; all I can say is that they obviously make an amazing team, because this is a knockout. Check out the names on the cover, too. I was thrilled when David Cranmer asked me to be in the anthology; seeing some of the phenomenal company I’m in is even more exciting. Stay tuned for the release date… or visit David’s blog, since he’s a more reliable correspondent.

Also, late this past Sunday night, I created a Facebook fan page for Beat to a Pulp. I know that I shouldn’t be encouraging anyone to join Facebook (seriously, the ever-evolving privacy policy alone is enough to make me want to cut and run). But if you’ve already signed your soul over to Mark Zuckerberg, come on over to hang out.

One of my favorite events of the year is about to begin: ThrillerFest, a conference that has been described as “summer camp for thriller readers, fans, writers and industry professionals.” It brings some of my favorite writers to the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan for four days, starting this Wednesday, July 7th. (The first two days are for CraftFest and AgentFest, targeted at writers who are working on thrillers; Friday and Saturday are for readers and writers alike). Featured authors include Linda Fairstein, Harlan Coben, Tess Gerritsen, Gayle Lynds, Joseph Finder, Sophie Littlefield, Rebecca Cantrell… well, you get the idea. It’s quite a line-up. This year, I’ll be on a panel, too: “How Do You Pack for a Thriller?” — about using international settings in your fiction — will take place on Friday, July 9th at 11am. (If you weren’t aware of ThrillerFest but want to attend, you can still register for Friday and Saturday.)

One writer who is attending ThrillerFest asked me — via Twitter — about where to dine gluten-free in New York. This seemed like a perfect time to mention some of my favorite Manhattan spots. If you’re visiting New York this summer, you won’t want to miss these:

Bistango: Almost every item on the menu of this Italian restaurant in Murray Hill can be prepared in a gluten-free version. There’s plenty of gluten-free pizza and pasta dishes, as well as meatier offerings like  rack of lamb. What really makes a meal at Bistango stand out is the graciousness of its staff. The owner, Anthony, goes back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen, talking to everyone and making sure that diners are comfortable. This is a gem. [web] www.bistangonyc.com

Rosa Mexicano: My favorite Mexican restaurant in Manhattan now has a separate gluten-free menu. (The gluten-free menus are available at all three of Rosa Mexicano’s Manhattan locations, though the one at the original First Avenue spot is a little different from the others.) There’s a long list of options, but my favorite main dish is the Budín de Pollo, a decadent tortilla pie filled with layers of chicken, peppers, and cheese. There are also amazing — and rather strong — pomegranate margaritas. [web] www.rosamexicano.com

Risotteria: The bad news is that Risotteria doesn’t do reservations. When the wait gets extremely long, sometimes the waitstaff comes outside with gluten-free breadsticks, guaranteeing that you’ll hang around. The food is stellar, and the many celiac-safe options run the gamut from Caesar salad to mushroom risotto, and from pizza to panini. All of the desserts are gluten-free, and they are divine. [web] www.risotteria.com

There are also two bakeries that I want to mention. Both of them deliver to addresses in the continental U.S., though not all of their products are available this way. If you can, check them out in person:

BabyCakes NYC: This Lower East Side bakery is famous for its organic, vegan, and gluten-free options, but keep in mind that the treats made with spelt are not safe for celiacs or the gluten-intolerant (though they’re a great option for wheat-allergic people). I’m wild about the cupcake tops, but other options include cookie sandwiches, crumb cakes, and banana bread. [web] www.babycakesnyc.com

Tu-Lu’s Gluten-Free Bakery: Formerly known as Tully’s, this East Village bakery is entirely gluten-free. I’m hopelessly addicted to their brownies, which are the best I’ve had in a long time. There are also cupcakes and a variety of cookies, including oatmeal, cranberry, and classic chocolate chip. [web] www.tu-lusbakery.com

[Cross-posted from the Gluten-Free Guidebook]