Friday, January 18, 2008

Coverage (& Major Congratulations!)

Yesterday, I found a snow-covered box on my front step. That’s UPS for you, but I at least have my cover flats for WHAT BURNS WITHIN. And I have to say, they’re gorgeous.

The front has raised lettering, which makes it look great. I wish I had a jpeg to show you what the back looks like, but I can give you the text:

“A toally mesmerizing narrative and a plot that burns off the page.”

- KEN BRUEN, AUTHOR OF AMMUNITION


“Never a dull moment. It’s a hard book to put down.”

- TONY HILLERMAN ON SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES


One year ago, a brutal case almost destroyed three cops. Since then they’ve lost touch with one another, avoiding painful memories, content to go their own ways. Now Nolan is after a serial rapist. Hart is working on a string of arsons. And Tain has been assigned a series of child abductions, a case all too similar to that one. But when the body of one of the abduction victims is found at the site of one of the arsons, it starts to look like maybe these cases are connected after all…

“What Burns Within is a stunning book.”

- BRIAN LINDENMUTH, MYSTERY BOOKSPOT


“Ruttan is talented in the way that a natural musician is talented, making all the notes seem effortless.”

- CRIMESPREE MAGAZINE



I should note a few things on the blurb front. They used SC blurbs, and the first two blurbs I put in for WBW, because of the timeframe in getting the cover ready. Fortunately for me, Ken had already read WBW and blurbed it, and this reviewer who'd liked SC had been pestering me for new material to read, so I'd let Brian Lindenmuth have a copy before there was a deal on WBW and he blurbed it as soon as I told him about the deal.

I'm sure by now most of you recognize his name around here. I say it not just because he's become a good friend since - you should read his reviews over at Mystery Bookspot (aka Fantasy Bookspot). His latest is of Craig McDonald's HEAD GAMES - my own review of HEAD GAMES will be up later this month in my usual places.

Getting back to the cover flats, there are a few things on the marketing plan that had my eyes popping out of my head, but I’ll be quiet about that for now. It’s probably too late for them to be changed, and they probably won’t have much of an impact on American booksellers.

Canadian booksellers might be left to wonder a bit, though… As long as none are choked. I do know the difference between the VPD and the RCMP, and I do know the difference between Vancouver and the GVA…

And now, it’s officially time to turn my attention to cover ideas for THE FRAILTY OF FLESH, so that thudding sound you hear is not someone knocking at the door or a cat locked in your closet – it’s just me as I’m pulling my hair out.

So I bring you a bit of press coverage. Super-huge thanks to Jack Ruttan for pointing me to this – once there, follow the link and watch.

This is why you should never stick your kids with a common name.

Major Congratulations!

The 2008 Edgar Nominees have been announced - major congratulations to:

Ken Bruen, nominated for PRIEST
Craig McDonald, nominated for HEAD GAMES
Derek Nikitas, nominated for PYRES

And I'm totally stoked to see WHO IS CONRAD HIRST? by Kevin Wignall nominated!

(Consider me confused - somehow, I thought Tana French was Irish. Apparently, she's American. Either that, or somebody messed up.)

But congratulations to all.

And since it’s Friday, how about some politically incorrect funnies? Thanks Brian. (You have to scroll down just a smidge for his bio.)

MENTAL HOSPITAL PHONE MENU

Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital.

Please select from the following options menu:

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy any way.

If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.

If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have low self-esteem, please hang up our operators are too busy to talk with you.

If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.

If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up.

9 comments:

Sophie Littlefield said...

Congrats on getting your cover flats...there is a lovely scene at the start of Kite Runner when he gets such a box. Enjoy!

Sandra Ruttan said...

Thanks Sophie - it's pretty surreal, I must say.

Randy Johnson said...

I'm looking forward to the new book. I've already ordered my copy.

Sandra Ruttan said...

Thanks Randy. Now that the galley edits are done, I'm looking forward to never reading it again!

Well, okay, I might read it again, but it's already on to the next one, and the one after that. And I still find, after all the re-reads, I'm paranoid about missing something so it's best not to think about it for a while!

Richard Cooper said...

Boy are you having fun! Lucky lady!

Brian Lindenmuth said...

"Consider me confused - somehow, I thought Tana French was Irish. Apparently, she's American. Either that, or somebody messed up"

Only someone from Vancouver would notice something like that.

Sandra Ruttan said...

I don't know about fun, RAC. Still pulling at my hair as my head bangs against the desk.

Brian, that joke's so far inside everyone else is off scratching their heads. Thanks for yet another laugh...

Brian Lindenmuth said...

And just for the record I'm really glad to see The Blood of Paradise by David Corbett get the nod. It was one of my favorite novels of the year. I think he's been floating only on the edges of most readers radar screens for the last 5 years and hope this brings a wider readership.

Pepper Smith said...

Congratulations! Seeing the cover is a pretty big thrill. Makes it all seem real, since the writing and editing process goes on so long, it feels like they'll never end.

If you're like me, you're so sick of the dratted story that you never want to read it again. At least, not for a couple of years, anyway.