on the web

Bethany Warner interviews me over at Word Nerd and last Thursday I was guest blogger over at the most excellent site, Murderati, where I detailed my 15 year journey over 3 books and 4+ publishers.

Pariah, Killer and Bad Thoughts

Lots of news. Serpent's Tail is going to be publishing my South Boston Irish mob book, Pariah, on 1/09, and my Boston Mafia hitman book, Killer, sometime afterwards. I'm thrilled to have Serpent's Tail publishing Small Crimes, Pariah and Killer, but what's really exciting to me is that although all three books are standalones, Serpent's Tail is going to be selling them as a "badass just out of prison" trilogy. More about all three of these books later.

Bad Thoughts was reviewed this past Sunday in the Virginian-Pilot by Timothy Lockhart, who had a lot of nice things to say about the book, including a comparison to Silence of the Lambs:

"Fans of Thomas Harris' "The Silence of the Lambs" and other novels featuring killer/cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter will enjoy "Bad Thoughts." Although he is not as brilliant or cultured as Lecter, Zeltserman's killer is as frightening and cruel and has certain powers that Lecter lacks. Moreover, because Zeltserman is careful to show the reader why his character became and remains a killer, the murderer in "Bad Thoughts" is in some ways more believable than Lecter.."

Jim Winter also examines Bad Thoughts in January Magazine, and finds it a compelling horror novel, particularly enjoying the smell of it. Romance Review Today also examines Bad Thoughts, and comes to the following conclusion:

"A fast paced psychological thriller, BAD THOUGHTS has many graphic descriptions, but even so, turning the pages is effortless all the way to the climactic end. Every page pulls pull the reader deeper into Bill's nightmares, leaving you wondering who the bad guy really is. Trust no one...If you like hard-edged drama and tense mystery, BAD THOUGHTS is the just the ticket!"

Joe DeMarco at Mysterical-E and Kevin Tipple at Mouth Full of Bullets also weigh in positively on Bad Thoughts, as does Midwest Book Review, calling Bad Thoughts "a must read for thriller fans." Finally, Patrick Milliken at Poisoned Pen Bookstores makes Bad Thoughts one of his July hardboiled picks.

Back Pages Books

I received my shipment of Bad Thoughts late last week and am now going to local bookstores to try to arrange signings, readings, etc., and yesterday visited Back Pages Books in Waltham MA. This is a terrific bookstore, and the owner, Alex Green, is absolutely passionate about books, especially in trying to build a more eclectic collection for his customers than what you typically find. I left him a copy of Bad Thoughts, but regardless of whether or not he wants to do something with it, this is a store I'm going to be highly recommending in the future. It's the type of store that anyone who loves books wants to see prosper, and if you're in the Boston area, check it out at 368 Moody St., Waltham. You can make a day of it--go to the Back Page Books, see an indie film at the Landmark theatre a block away, and eat dinner at any number of very good restaurants on Moody Street, including one of my favorites, the Tuscan Grill.