Reader Buzz

‘Wow! Loved it. Fast, thrilling, gripping, scary.
— Gavin Hilzbrich

Boy, if you like Simon Kernick you will like this guy
— Linda L.

This is absolutely brilliant!
— Jeanette Slinger

I can't stand crime novels that have a long preamble before getting to the action and this one certainly doesn't disappoint in that way. From page one it's straight in there, bish bash bosh and continues on in that vein, so you are frantically turning the pages to find out what happens next.
— Sandra Hawe

The material I read was mad, frantic, super quick and entertaining.
— Martin Higgins

Gripping… Explosive… Page Turning!!
— Darren Elliot

This book is so cinematic . . . due to the punchy dialogue and the succession of crisp, sharp images which drive the narrative forward.
— Sam Eades

This was great ... Very much made me think of Simon Kernick and Relentless actually . Decidedly scary and asks some very dark questions: just how far would you go to save your family?
— Sue Cook

July 1, 2009

Switch goes travelling to Houston, Texas

I just received an email from David Thompson at Houston’s Murder By The Book, one of the nation’s oldest & largest bookstores to inform me that the store is "importing SWITCH from the U.K., so if you have any North American friends/fans looking to buy from an independent, please send them our way. I can’t wait to read it … it looks totally like my kind of book!"

June 29, 2009

Interview on Suite 101

Robin Jarossi of Suite101 called me up last week for a quick chat about Switch's UK debut and the long journey to publication. The results can be found HERE, although he must have misheard part of what I said because I don't recall ever mentioning a story about a mole.

June 25, 2009

Four-star review & Pick of the Month

Switch has just received a four-star review from New Books magazine in the UK. New Books is an influential magazine for book clubs. Switch was also selected as the Recommended Read by Portunus Club Magazine - PO Cruises' members mag (which has a readership of 320,000).

June 24, 2009

Free sneak peek at Switch: Book Widget

I just discovered that Random House has placed a free sneak peek at the first several chapters of SWITCH online. It appears to be Flash based and can be found HERE

June 23, 2009

Facebook disabled: Too many friends

My Facebook account was disabled today for making too many friends, too quickly. So if you're reading this, please understand that I'm not ignoring you and I certainly didn't defriend you. I'm hoping my account will be restored, but it may not as my whole Facebook site seems to have vanished. Sigh! This one hurts as I put a lot of time and effort into making that site work.

June 11, 2009

ebook version appears online

I just happened to notice today that SWITCH is available as an electronic book. It is in the ePub format, which makes it compatible with most ereaders, including the Kindle, iPhone and Sony Reader. It is currently listed at W.H.Smith and Waterstone's and Books on Board

June 1, 2009

Suite101: A frantic adrenaline blast

Robin Jarossi of Suite101.com gives Switch a glowing review this week. He writes: "Switch is a frantic, adrenaline blast of a thriller. Without doubt, a pulsating debut that will grab many thriller-lovers by the lapels and refuse to let them go." You can read the full review here (Warning: There are a couple of plot spoilers.)

April 12, 2009

EuroCrime give a shout-out to Switch

EuroCrime takes a look at some "running man" crime covers with a special shout-out to the new blue cover of the UK paperback edition of Switch. You can find the story here.

April 8, 2009

Switch reviewed in South Africa

I just noticed that South African newspaper, Volksblad, published a review of SWITCH. The review is written in Afrikaans, but Roger Smith, author of the South African thriller Mixed Blood, managed to translate a portion . It reads: "A thriller that got me asking questions. Switch is a promising debut, a well-conceived thriller with no loose ends. Reminiscent of Dean Koontz. I’ll be watching out for his next book." Lientjie Mentz – Volksblad, South Africa. Here's the url: http://www.news24.com/Die_Volksblad/Boeke/0,,5-1969_2466676,00.html

March 6, 2009

The curious blue cover of Switch

This curious blue and gold version of SWITCH popped up on Amazon.co.uk recently. Since it contains the old tagline, I assume it must be a discarded mockup design that somehow snuck through the cracks. It is nice to see my name given such prominence, even though no one yet knows who the heck I am ;-) I'll post more info when, and if, I receive it.

UPDATE: Turns out, Transworld decided to redesign the cover for Switch's UK debut. In their words, the new blue cover is "cleaner and more punchy, and we think rather more dramatic."
* Click on the small cover for a larger view.

Feb. 12, 2009

Penguin Canada to bring Switch home

Senior editor Laura Shin of Penguin Canada has bought Canadian rights to SWITCH, to be published in July 2010. Naturally, I'm thrilled to have been picked up by such a prestigious publisher and editor, and since I live in Canada, this is doubly exciting.

Jan. 31, 2009

Switch hailed as "wonderfully devious"

The Jan. 9 issue of UK trade magazine The Bookseller marks SWITCH as One to Watch for July and a "wonderfully devious début thriller" in Jonathan Ruppin's Cream of the Crop pick of the paperbacks set to prevail over the rest of the field in 2009.

Jan. 1, 2009

International Thriller Writers interview

Contributing editor Janice Gable Bashman chats with me about SWITCH for the International Thriller Writers monthly newsletter. You can read the interview here.

December 23, 2008

German ARC arrives

A great Christmas present arrived today, courtesy of my wonderful foreign rights agent— an Advance Reading Copy of Die Stimme des Dämons that Heyne has produced for the German market.
It's difficult to describe what a thrill it is to actually hold the first copy of my translated book, and Heyne has done such a fabulous job on it.
To go along with the ARC, they have also produced a postcard (shown at left) as an additional promotional item for booksellers. It translates as: "Are you ready to kill for your family?"

December 4, 2008

Switch arrives in Australia

A friend Down Under picked up a copy of SWITCH today at his local bookstore and sent a couple of pics to prove that I'm a published author. Since I haven't seen the trade paperback yet, it was a thrill to know it really did exist ;-)
To celebrate the launch, Australian author JJ Cooper posted a Q&A with me on his crime blog wherein I divulge my secret plan to appear on Coronation Street ;-) You can read it Here.

November 13, 2008

Heyne previews German cover for Switch

Heyne just sent over their cover for the German edition of Switch, which is set to debut in August, 2009. The title has been changed to Die Stimme des Dämons, which translates roughly into Voice of the Demon or The Demon's Voice.
Heyne has high expectations for the book and will be releasing advance reading copies, plus dedicating two pages in their summer catalogue for book buyers. The book is translated by Norbert Jakober who has worked on all of Vince Flynn's novels. Naturally, I couldn't be more thrilled.

October 19, 2008

Switch gets shout-out on Shots

Mike Ripley gives SWITCH a nod in his Getting Away With Murder column on Shots Ezine. Shots bills itself as the UK's leading online website for Crime, Thriller and Mystery Books, Films and DVDs.You can find SWITCH at the bottom of the left-hand column here.

September 30, 2008

UK debut switched to 2009 - Australia first?

Just received news that the UK debut of SWITCH has been moved to July 2, 2009 where it has been selected as a lead title.
With the UK switching its publication date, it appears Australia may be the first country to debut SWITCH. I've just been informed the thriller is expected to arrive Down Under in trade paperback format on Dec. 4, 2008.

Aug. 14, 2008

The Bookseller likes SWITCH

The July 25 issue of UK trade magazine The Bookseller marks SWITCH as One to Watch and "an excellent read" in Sarah Broadhurst's November Preview column of upcoming paperbacks. I'm also thrilled to note that #1 NY Times best-selling author Lee Child agrees. He calls Switch: "A terrific little-guy-in-big-trouble thriller . . . think Saw meets Payback moving at Warp Speed — with the emphasis on Warp."

Aug. 1, 2008

Switch cover proofs arrive

My lovely editor at Transworld sent over a couple of the official printed covers for the UK paperback edition of Switch. They added a new teaser line above the title that flows through to a teaser on the back, and they embossed the title for that little extra oomph. I haven't heard if they plan to add a blurb at the top, but the ever-lovely Irish crime writer Ken Bruen provided me with a beauty. He wrote: "Think Harlan Coben on speed with a heart breaking compassion that will literally have you biting your nails and you have some idea of this nerve jangling wondrous debut."

June 27, 2008

Switch ARC arrives

A lone copy of the uncorrected book proof for Switch arrived in the mail today. It was a real thrill for me to finally see the manuscript in bound book form. The book was selected by Bantam for their "Proof of the Month" promo, so everybody in the company was invited to pick up a copy. Now the proof will be sent to a few established authors in the hope they'll give me a few nice quotes, plus it will be distributed to book-store buyers and the media. Here's hoping everyone loves it.

June 23, 2008

Q&A in Spinetingler omnibus

The Summer 2008 issue of Spinetingler mag has posted a nice little Q&A with yours truly in their newest issue. The Q&A appears in the downloadable pdf version of the mag, while my short story, Out of Order, appears both online and in the pdf. You can find it here if interested.

May 16, 2008

Switch sells to Germany

Following a mini-auction, Heyne (a division of Random House) won the bid to translate Switch into German. Heyne publishes such authors as Robert Harris. Robert Ludlum, Nicholas Sparks and Michael Connelly. The book will be produced in mass paperback (same as the UK) in 2009. Exact date is still to be determined.

March 5, 2008

Old Sleuth - An unusual Ebay find

I just found this Old Sleuth pulp magazine from 1897 on Ebay. How could I possibly resist? The headline reads Grant McKenzie: A Boy's Battles and Struggles.

Old Sleuth was a dime novel series of novellettes of about 80 pages that were published in New York from 1895 to 1898 by J.S. Ogilvie. They were primarily detective stories set in New York, though several are romances as well. Content is usually boys adventure, or detective/mystery, with some attention to gender and race. Advertisements at the front and back often include ads for "guides to courtship" and "guides to kissing".

I'm looking forward to seeing it when it arrives.

Feb.12, 2008

Snitch - Giving up the Boss of Bosses

Rising star John McFetridge puts me on the hotseat at Central Booking for a wee feature he calls Snitch — where the only way out is to give up the name of a mystery writer who has been an influence on you. You can find my answer here.

Jan. 9, 2008

Cover Image arrives

My first look at the proposed cover arrived in my inbox today. I love it, or as my agent says: "They really nailed it!" The switched reflection of the title is a very nice touch. It definitely says big, commercial thriller — and hopefully blockbuster debut ;-) Sales and Marketing have approved it, but say the shoutline needs to be changed to better reflect the title. Plus it needs a glowing quote from someone the average reader will recognize and think, "Hmmm, I better buy this book."

Dec. 24, 2007

Editor's Notes

A FedEx package arrived on the doorstep this morning containing my editor's notes on the first draft. I'm told the editor went easy on me ;-) Deadline for the second draft to be completed is Jan. 18.

Nov. 29, 2007

The Big News

My agent, Amy Moore-Benson, has sold World English rights for my novel Switch to Bantam Transworld UK (a division of Random House) for mass-market paperback on their thriller list (alongside authors such as Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen and Dennis Lehane). The book will be launched in the UK on November 6, 2008. The editor is Selina Walker. North American and foreign publication dates are still to come.

Short Stories

An author Q&A,
plus my short Out of Order
appeared in Spinetingler's Summer 08 issue.

My short White Volcano appeared in
Out Of The Gutter 2

My short Ragamuffin Girl appeared in Spinetingler's Summer 07 issue.

My short She Remembers The Future appeared in The Late Late Show's Summer 03 issue.