Other Random Posts - Lee Goldberg

This Is Where FALLEN STAR Begins

October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 by Lee Goldberg

My new novel FALLEN STAR, the 6th “Eve Ronin” adventure, has an action-packed start…and to help you visualize it, I’ve shot this short video where the scene takes place…

My Exchange With a JK Rowling Imposter

March 15, 2025 by Lee Goldberg

I got a ridiculous email from a scammer pretending to JK Rowling. It’s such an inept, lazy, obvious scam, that it’s hard for me to believe any reasonably intelligent person would fall for it. But I was curious how this would lead to me sending one of the richest authors in the world some of my money. So I replied…

======

From: J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 14, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Subject: Book
To: <lee@leegoldberg.com>

Hi,

An introduction would be nice.

I’m Joanne Rowling, the author of (Harry Potter). I’ve read books by you that I find interesting and I’d like to work with you personally. As long as you’re honest and committed, I’m happy to work with you. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this so I can give you more information and advice.

Best wishes,

Author
Joanne Rowling

On 3/13/25, 04:30 Lee Goldberg wrote:

Sorry for the delay. I was traveling overseas and didn’t have Internet. I am thrilled to get your note! I love your books. Tell me more! But I have to warn you, Stephen King also emailed me while I was away about working with him, and I’m a huge fan of his, too. I’m torn!

Lee

On 3/13/25, 04:30 J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

I’m glad you were able to respond and have a safe trip. I don’t mind, you can collaborate with Stephen King. I have a book event coming up and I’d love for you to attend. Have you heard of my charity? I’d appreciate it if you could make some donations to the charity.

Best regards

Joanne Rowling

On 3/13/25, 15:30 Lee Goldberg wrote:

What a funny coincidence— Stephen King also asked me to donate to his charity! What’s yours?

On 3/13/25, 12:15 J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

Lumos, which focuses on ending the institutionalization of children and ensuring that they have safe, loving homes and family care.

How much are you trying to donate so that I can send the account details of the relevant secretary?

On 3/13/25, 23:50 Lee Goldberg wrote:

I didn’t say that I want to donate… but I will think about it. Tell me more about the writing project you have in mind for us. Which novel of mine did you read and what did you like about it? How does it relate to the book you have in mind?

It seems odd to me that you haven’t discussed that with me yet, only your charity. Surely as a billionaire, you can fund the charity entirely yourself. You could donate your half of the royalties from our book to them.

On 3/14/25, 8:15 J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

Hidden in smoke, this was the book of yours that I read and liked. The project is coming out very soon, I just wanted to inform you about it. Harry Potter. It would be better to explain it in person than to talk about it via messages. I have done more for my charity than you think, but I think I need support from my colleague.

On 3/14/25, 8:24 J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

Have you figured out what you want to donate to the charity? I am worried about it because the children need help in any way, and I am asking you for a favor because I want you to work with me.

On 3/14/25, 18:58 Lee Goldberg wrote:

Hidden in Smoke hasn’t come out yet…how did you read it?

And what is the project you are referring to? (Harry Potter) isn’t something new for you. This focus on me sending your charity money sounds like a scam.

I have friend in Scotland who knows you well. I am going to have Ian forward these emails to you for confirmation. Let me know when you hear from him.

On 3/14/25, 11:55 am J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

I know it may sound surprising to you, but I have an inside’s view of every area where books are published. Donating to my charity is something you should be happy about, as it brings many benefits, such as attending several of my book readings and meetings. My new project is not about Harry Potter, but about a storyline related to it. I will explain it to you in more detail, when you visit London.

On 3/14/25, 11:59 am J. K. Rowling <JoanneRowling@publicist.com> wrote:

No one knows me better than myself. And if you misunderstood our conversation for something fraudulent is an accusation you don’t want to mention. I am very well known for my reputation.

On 3/14/25, 12:09 pm Lee Goldberg wrote:

My friend didn’t wait to forward the emails …he called her.

She wasn’t very happy to hear about this scam. I think you’d better start running.

========

That bit about my friend calling JR Rowling is a lie, of course. But I don’t feel bad about misleading a scammer. Obviously, I didn’t hear back from “JK Rowling” again.

Scaring Myself: The Challenges of Writing a Dual Time-Line Thriller

September 5, 2024 by Lee Goldberg

My thriller Calico, out this week in a new paperback and deeply discounted ebook editions, is both a contemporary police procedural…and a traditional western set in 1883. What the two storylines share is a body, buried in a shallow grave in California’s desolate Mojave desert.

I’d been thinking about the story for years… but put off writing it because I had too many contractual commitments and not enough time in-between them to do it. Those are lies, of course, excuses I told myself to justify not writing the book.

The truth is, the story terrified me. Thrillers are hard enough to write without trying to balance two time-lines and, on top of that, two wildly different genres (actually, three genres, but talking about that would be a spoiler).

The challenge of telling two connected stories, one in the past and one in the present, is making sure the reader isn’t ahead of the characters in either time-line. Because if you fail, it will kill the suspense and the mystery. There will be no surprises. Yet, you also don’t want to withhold information from the reader, because that would be cheating. The trick is knowing when to cut away from on time-line to the other, so the reader is never quite sure how much they really know. Maintaining that delicate balancing act throughout the story is the sweet spot because, if you can pull it off, it creates a palpable tension that generates excitement… the thrill in thriller.

You also have to create two protagonists, one in each time-line, that the reader will find equally compelling and that will anchor the reader so they can endure the shifting POVs. In Calico, those characters are Beth McDade, a disgraced ex-LAPD cop, seeking redemption as a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detective in the Mojave Desert in present day…and, in 1882, it’s unskilled wanderer Ben, desperately trying to survive in a silver mining camp located in a scorching, dry, desolate hell-scape. Ben’s choices in the past will have a profound impact on Beth’s life over 135 years later, when a homicide investigation will either redeem her… or destroy her.

I created a spreadsheet to track the two time lines…as well as the key plot moves/reveals which, if given away too soon or too late, could ruin the entire book. I also used the spread sheet to get a sense of the pacing, of when it would be the right time, emotionally or thematically, to shift time periods, to keep the narrative momentum moving at warp-speed.

Beyond telling a two-track story, I wanted to take the two genres (actually three) and, while delivering on the familiar tropes, also subvert all the baked-in cliches and expectations. So, I gave myself another delicate balancing act to perform: delivering a true police procedural and a western (and that other genre I’m not revealing), while also de-constructing them to create something new.

And if you’re crossing genres, and time-lines, it’s essential that you maintain the same tone and pacing across them both, so it doesn’t feel like two different books, but one relentlessly engaging thriller.

Calico was the hardest book I’ve ever written (out of nearly 40) but, in some ways, it’s been the most creatively rewarding. I’m glad I took the risk. Because I believe if I don’t occasionally scare or challenge myself, I’m going to fail anyway – because my writing will become formulaic and complacent.

I hope you’ll read Calico… and that you’ll let me know if my high-wire act worked…or if I hit the ground with a sickening splat.

RIP Fred Willard

May 16, 2020 by Lee Goldberg

I’m sad to learn that Fred Willard has died. I was a big fan of his and was lucky to work with him twice.

The first time was when he guest-starred in a DIAGNOSIS MURDER episode that I co-wrote, “Must Kill TV,” that was a spoof of network television. We spent a lot of time between takes on set talking about his career, FERNWOOD TONIGHT, and even his work on EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND. I had a blast.

The second time was some years later. I was invited to be a guest on TV KITSCHEN, a half-hour pilot he starred in with Martin Mull. It was essentially an attempt to reboot FERNWOOD TONIGHT. I was asked on to be interviewed about memorable unsold pilots…specifically TARZAN IN NEW YORK…because of my book on the topic. I gladly agreed and they said they’d secure clips from the show. But I was shocked when, the day before the taping, a script arrived at my front door. I thought TV KITSCHEN was going to be an actual talk show, not a scripted sitcom… there was a character named “Lee Goldberg” and I had lines to learn. I’m not an actor, so I was very nervous.

I showed up at the studio in a collared shirt and khakis and met the director, who was Ted Lange, the bartender from THE LOVE BOAT. He looked at me and said “Lee Goldberg wouldn’t wear that.”

“I am Lee Goldberg,” I said. “I can assure you that this is how I dress.”

He dismissed my comment and sent me to wardrobe, where they put me in a turtleneck and a blazer. I looked like a syndicate hitman on a 1970s episode of MANNIX… or a cliche of a college professor.

This only made me more nervous. I was sent to make-up and found myself sitting next to Fred. He introduced himself, and asked if we’d worked together before because I looked familiar. I reminded him about the DIAGNOSIS MURDER episode. I admitted to him how nervous I was. He told me to relax, that there were teleprompters all over the set with the dialogue…and that he and Martin had been ad-libbing a lot. He told me to concentrate less on remembering the scripted dialogue and more on being myself. He assured me that he and Martin would make me feel at home and to just roll with it, to forget the cameras were even there.

So that’s what I did. The first take I was very stiff, reciting my scripted dialogue. Fred leaned over and whispered, forget the dialogue. You know the gist of it, be you. So I did that…and from that moment on, it was a blast.

The pilot didn’t sell and, as far as I know, never aired. But I have a copy of it somewhere. I need to dig it up and watch it…

Where Have All The Cool Heroes Gone?

April 25, 2014 by Lee Goldberg

You want to know why I love writing the Fox & O’Hare books with Janet Evanovich? This blog post, which I first ran here ten years ago, explains why. While some of the TV references in the post are dated, nothing has really changed in the television or even literary landscape in the years since I wrote this. Which may be why readers have embraced The Heist and The Chase so enthusiastically, making them both top New York Times bestsellers.
KoD11 There’s nobody cool on television any more.

Not so long ago, the airwaves were cluttered with suave spies, slick private eyes, and debonair detectives. Television was an escapist medium, where you could forget your troubles and lose yourself in the exotic, sexy, exciting world inhabited by great looking, smooth-talking, extraordinarily self-confident crimesolvers.

You didn’t just watch them. You wanted to be them.

When I was a kid, I pretended I had a blow-torch in my shoe like James T. West. That I could pick a safe like Alexander Mundy, seduce a woman like Napoleon Solo, and run 60 miles an hour like Steve Austin. I wanted to have the style of Peter Gunn, the brawn of Joe Mannix, the charm of Simon Templar, and the wealth of Amos Burke, who arrived at crime scenes in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce.

But around the time coaxial cable and satelite dishes made TV antennaes obsolete, television began to change. Suddenly, it wasn’t cool to be cool. It was cool to be troubled. Deeply troubled.

TV cops, crimesolvers, and secret agents were suddenly riddled with anxiety, self-doubt, and dark secrets. Or, as TV execs like to say, they became “fully developed” characters with “lots of levels.”

You can trace the change to the late 80s and early 90s, to the rise of “NYPD Blue,” “Twin Peaks,” “Miami Vice,” “Wiseguy,” and “The X Files” and the fall of “Magnum PI,” “Moonlighting,” “Simon & Simon,” “MacGyver,” and “Remington Steele.”

None of the cops or detectives on television take any pleasure in their work any more. They are all recovering alcoholics or ex-addicts or social outcasts struggling with divorces, estranged children, or tragic losses too numerous to catalog and too awful to endure.

FBI Agent Fox Mulder’s sister was abducted by aliens, his partner has some kind of brain cancer, and he’s being crushed by a conspiracy he can never defeat.

CSI Gil Grissum is a social outcast who works knee-deep in gore and bugs while struggling with a degenerative hearing disorder that could leave him deaf.

Det. Lennie Briscoe of “Law and Order” is an alcoholic whose daughter was murdered by drug dealers.
Det. Olivia Benson of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” is a product of a rape who now investigates the worst forms of sexual depravity and violence.

“Alias” spy Sydney Bristow’s loving boyfriend and caring roommate were brutally murdered because of her espionage work, she’s estranged from her parents, one of whom just might be a murderous traitor.
I’ve lost track of how many of Andy Sipowitz’s wives, children and partners have died on horrible deaths on “NYPD Blue,” but there have been lots.

screenshot_2_12516 Master sleuth Adrian Monk solves murders while grappling with his obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering grief over his wife’s unsolved murder. And Monk is a light-hearted comedy. When the funny detectives are this psychologically-troubled and emotionally-scarred, you can imagine how dark and haunted the serious detectives have to be not get laughs.

Today’s cops, detectives and crimesolvers work in a grim world full of sudden violence, betrayal, conspiracies and corruption. A world without banter, romance, style or fun…for either the characters or the viewer. Robert Goren, Bobby Donnell, Vic Mackey, Chief Jack Mannion… can you imagine any kids playing make-believe as one of those detective heroes? Who in their right mind would want to be those characters or live in their world?

And that, it seems, is what escapism on television is all about now: watching a TV show and realizing, with a sigh of relief, your life isn’t so bad after all.

I think I preferred losing myself in a Monte Carlo casino with Alexander Mundy or traveling in James T. West’s gadget-laden railroad car… it’s a lot more entertaining than feeling thankful I don’t have to be Det. Joel Stevens in “Boomtown” or live in the Baltimore depicted in “The Wire.”

At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon at my tender young age, I long for a return to escapist cop shows, to detectives you envied, who live in a world of great clothes, sleek cars, amazing apartments, beautiful women and clever quips. Detectives with lives that are blessedly free of angst and anxiety. Detectives who aren’t afraid to wear a tuxedo, sip fine champagne, confront danger with panache, and wear a watch that’s actually a missile-launcher. Detectives who are self-assured and enjoy solving crimes, who aren’t burdened with heartache and moral ambiquity.

Yeah, I know it’s not real. Yeah, I know it’s a fantasy. But isn’t that what television is supposed to be once in a while?

I Am So Looking Forward to This

May 25, 2012 by Lee Goldberg

King City is Here

May 1, 2013May 15, 2012 by Lee Goldberg

My new crime novel King City is out today from Thomas & Mercer in digital and paperback…and in audio from Brilliance Audio. I am so excited and more than a little bit anxious about it…because this is my first, standalone crime novel in many years, and a real departure from the books that I have written before. Here's what it's about…

Major Crimes Unit detective Tom Wade secretly worked with the Feds to nail seven of his fellow cops for corruption…turning him into a pariah in the police department. So he’s exiled to patrol a beat in King City’s deadliest neighborhood… with no back-up, no resources, and no hope of survival.

Now Wade fights to tame the lawless, poverty-stricken wasteland…while investigating a string of brutal murders of young women. It’s a case that takes him from the squalor of the inner-city to the manicured enclaves of the privileged, revealing the sordid and deadly ways the two worlds are intertwined…making his enemies even more determined to crush him.

But for Tom Wade, backing down is never an option…even if it will cost him his life.

Advance Praise for King City:

"Lee Goldberg's King City brings the sensibility of a western to the contemporary crime novel and the result is exhilarating, compelling, and a thrill to read. Tom Wade is an iconic hero with a strong, personal code trying bring order to a lawless frontier…which just happens to be smack in the middle of a dying, industrial American city. He's an unforgettable and deeply compelling character in the most original crime novel to come along in years," –Janet Evanovich, international bestselling author

“King City is a book that only Lee Goldberg could have written. He’s got the high-velocity prose of a best-seller, coupled with the highly visual elements that make his television writing so compelling. Factor in the terrific characters and some very cogent takes on human nature, and you’ve got a rollicking thriller. King City is a pleasure from start to finish." T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Jaguar and The Border Lords

"King City is Walking Tall, Die Hard, and Dirty Harry all rolled into one. Hard-driving action and all the satisfaction of a well-told story about a righteous man of courage facing seemingly insurmountable odds. You'll love it."-Jan Burke, bestselling author of Disturbance and Liar

"I could tell you that Lee Goldberg's King City is one of the best reads of the year or that Lee is one of my favorite writers for so many reasons–plotting, character, or his incredible sense of humor–but that might ruin the surprise of reading King City for yourself. Suffice to say that Goldberg is one infinitely readable master of crime fiction, and King City is Lee at his best." –Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of The Cold Dish and Hell is Empty

"King City like a 1969 Detroit muscle car. It's powerful, nasty, loud, and a heck of a lot of fun. Lee Goldberg is at his atmospheric best here, creating a world so authentic the sights, sounds and smells seem to explode from the pages. Detective Tom Wade is a fast, funny three-dimensional protagonist and following him through the cesspool of King City and its outrageous inhabitants is endlessly entertaining." Paul Guyot, writer/supervising producer of the TV series "Leverage"

"King City effortlessly blends the archetypal gunslinger of the Old West, riding into the lawless town to clean up the bad guys, with a modern tale of police corruption, urban decay and neglect….It’s a fast-paced exploration of the decline of the blue-collar industrial heartland of America, and the cop who will not stand by and let that happen on his watch. Fans of the late Robert B Parker will delight in King City, which has the same great dialogue and nicely judged wry humour….A sit-down, straight-through read. Superb." -Zoe Sharp, author of Hard Knocks

"With Lee Goldberg's King City you get suspense, romance, humor and shoot-em-up outlaw justice. Picture a mordern day High Noon with an incorruptible cop, Tom Wade, putting it all on the line in a town without pity." Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Blue Knight, The New Centurions, The Onion Field and Harbor Nocturne.

Chained to my computer

May 10, 2012 by Lee Goldberg

Sorry for the blog silence… I've been chained to my computer lately and writing furiously. I'm hell-bent on finishing my fifteenth and final MONK novel, MR. MONK GETS EVEN, to meet my June 1st deadline, when I will be starting work on an exciting new project that I can't talk about yet.

But I can tell you that Amazon is sending me to New York in June to attend BEA…and tout the release of my new crime novel KING CITY…which comes out next week…and that I will be jetting from the Big Apple to Owensboro, KY, to shoot a DEAD MAN music video of our theme song with the talented folks at Firelight Entertainment Group and attend the International Mystery Writers Festival, which will be screening my shorts REMAINDERED and BUMSICLE on June 16th.

Whew. I'm tired just writing about it all. Okay, back to MONK, enough procrastinating on this blog…

Home from Kentucky

May 1, 2013March 11, 2012 by Lee Goldberg

I've been back from Kentucky, where I shot the short film Bumsicle, for a few days now and I am still catching up on the work, emails, phone calls, and bills that accumulated while I was gone. I've got plenty of things to think about…and yet, even though directing the film is behind me, I find myself editing the footage in my mind while eagerly waiting to see the first editor's assembly. I'm sure I'll finally stop thinking about the movie once the final cut is locked and we're on to the fine-tuning of post-production sound, color correction, music etc.

The film is a sequel to Remaindered, a very well-received short film I did a year or so ago, and brings back actor Todd Reynolds as Det. Bud Flanek, a character writer/producer William Link kindly dubbed "the Kentucky Columbo." Like the earlier film, this one is also based on a short story of mine.

I had a fantastic time making the movie, in no small part thanks to the terrific cast (Todd Reynolds, Rick Montgomery Jr., Sadia Brimm, Marcus Porter, Patrick Litteken, and Jared Collins) and the professionalism, efficiency and enthusiasm of the hard-working crew, led by producers J. Laine Nunn and Roxi Witt, assistant director Rachael Nunn and Director of Photograph Marc Gurevitch. You can see a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos and production stills here.

As much as I enjoyed making Remaindered, and as proud as I am of it, this was a smoother experience all around (despite a tornado hitting town in middle of our shoot!) and the footage looks far more polished and professional. The big reason for that is that we took a enormous step up in equipment and resources. We had two RED cameras, a professional D.P., and a full lighting/grip package this time, all thanks to Firelight Entertainment Group.

But I believe the key to the success of the shoot was the thorough pre-production planning, from the smallest props to my shot list (I provided sketches weeks in advance of how I'd shoot/cover each scene and I stuck to'em)…and the tight organization that continued until the final shot.

We also pre-rigged some of the key locations the day before shooting, which significantly cut down on time spent lighting the sets and allowed us to move faster that we would have otherwise. And I spent a few hours before production rehearsing with the actors, so they knew the staging, and had their performances down, before they got in front of the cameras.

Because of all that, we were able to handle the inevitable, unexpected problems…like a tornado forcing us to seek shelter early on our first day and, in one scene, an error in the settings of our "B" camera that cost us some shots… and still stay on track without losing much time.

In fact, we managed to get all of our work done without going significantly over schedule until the final day, but that overtime had more to do with having to strike our sets, clean up, and pack up everything before moving to our next location, some distance away, for our last shot.

The shoot was tiring, but I think I can safely say it was incredibly fun for everybody involved. I loved directing and I am eager to do it again. So I hope Bumsicle is a success on the Festival circuit and that it gives us the opportunity to bring back Det. Bud Flanek for more adventures. My hope is that these shorts might do well enough to inspire a web series featuring Flanek that I could write & direct…but that's a longshot.

Then again, I thought The Dead Man was a long shot, too.

75 Free Ebooks Feb 1 & 2

May 1, 2013February 1, 2012 by Lee Goldberg

409401_2853283045894_1074062624_32838450_72074826_n

Here's the treasure trove of FREE Kindle books that Joe Konrath, Scott Nicholson, Blake Crouch, J. Carson Black and I are giving away Feb. 1-2 as part of our Free Kindle Boogie contest:

Ultimate Thriller Box Set - Konrath, Crouch, Black, Goldberg, Nicholson

LEE GOLDBERG

WATCH ME DIE http://www.amazon.com/Watch-Me-Die-ebook/dp/B003BLPGZO/

MY GUN HAS BULLETS http://www.amazon.com/Gun-Bullets-Charlie-Willis-ebook/dp/B002HK35IU

ADJOURNED http://www.amazon.com/Adjourned-The-Jury-Series-ebook/dp/B002KMJPFM

GUILTY http://www.amazon.com/Guilty-The-Jury-Series-ebook/dp/B002OHD2XO/

PAYBACK http://www.amazon.com/Payback-The-Jury-Series-ebook/dp/B002RWJOSS/

THE JURY SERIES http://www.amazon.com/Jury-Four-Complete-Novels-ebook/dp/B002OL1XCW

DOUBLE HEADER http://www.amazon.com/Double-Header-Complete-Novels-ebook/dp/B004NIFT24

J CARSON BLACK

The Desert Waits http://www.amazon.com/The-Desert-Waits-ebook/dp/B005JEDRE8/

Darkscope http://www.amazon.com/Darkscope-ebook/dp/B004E9U6U2/