#1 New York Times Bestselling Author & TV Producer
The NBC series THE LISTENER, the latest Canadian-produced import on a major American network, isn't getting a warm critical reception so far. Variety savaged it, saying… There's nothing wrong with U.S. networks picking up the occasional Canadian import, but to have a chance at working, such a show can't be as bland and colorless as … Read more
Greetings from Munich. I arrived here on Tuesday night from London, where it was rainy and gray, to weather that felt more like Southern California than Germany. I guzzled Diet Coke on the flight so that I wouldn't fall asleep when I met my friends Daniela & David Tully for drinks at 9 p.m. Daniela … Read more
Every time a major magazine or new outlet does a story touting self-publishing, in this case a piece on the CNN tech website, I get inundated by readers asking me what I think. So does Victoria Strauss at Writers Beware…only she probably gets it ten times worse than I do. She's written a post on … Read more
The attitudes of the major U.S. networks towards Canadian programming has changed dramatically since the success of the CBS import FLASHPOINT and the global economic crisis. Canadian TV distribution exec Noreen Halperin told The Globe & Mail: "It's an extraordinary change in the lay of the land from even a year ago[…] The shift with … Read more
You may have noticed that I haven't talked much here lately about my TV and screen work. That's because I don't feel comfortable talking about projects that are in development and not yet a certainty. But since CrimeSpree broke the news about me scripting the movie version of GUN MONKEYS, I've been getting a lot … Read more
The Mystery Writers of America is awarding $500 scholarships for aspiring writers to attend conferences and short-term writing programs. The details are below and you need not be an MWA member to apply for the grants: 2009 Helen McCloy/MWA Scholarship for Mystery WritingINFORMATION: http://www.mysterywriters.org/?q=AwardsPrograms-McCloyAPPLICATION FORM: http://www.mysterywriters.org/files/2009_McCloy_application.pdfWhat Is It?The Helen McCloy/MWA Scholarship for Mystery Writing seeks to nurture … Read more
Author Raymond Benson started this meme on Facebook and it's quickly catching on. My list, of novelists and screenwriters, in no particular order is: 1. Gregory MacDonald 2. Ian Fleming 3. Robert B. Parker 4. John Irving 5. Larry McMurtry 6. Frederick Manfred 7. Stephen J. Cannell 8. Roy Huggins 9. Ross MacDonald 10. Richard … Read more
Today I did a booksigning at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood with Bill Rabkin, author of the PSYCH novels. Our other scheduled guest, Steve Cannell, had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency. The fine folks at Hansen's Cakes provided an amazing MR. MONK IS MISERABLE cake that tasted every bit as … Read more
Every time I do a signing with Steve Cannell, it's reliving a dream. I grew up admiring him and his writing on shows like THE ROCKFORD FILES and THE A-TEAM…and I dreamed of working for him someday. He had the career that I wanted…and the talent, too. I didn't think that working with him was … Read more
In many ways, today was pretty much a typical working day when I'm not on a show. I began by returning a call from Germany from Peter Bondy, the writer who translates my MONK books for my German publisher. He had some questions about MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, which is he just about finished translating. … Read more