Lee Child & Stephen King talk Jack Reacher

Great talk at the Harvard Bookstore. Lee Child and Stephen King talk Jack Reacher! Thanks to Lee Goldberg for the link. Almost like being there!

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Trailer

Here's the trailer for Jack Reacher 2 -- Jack Reacher: Never Go Back starring Tom Cruise. Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old Army unit, only to find he's accused of a 16 year old murder.

Based on Lee Child’s 18th book in the Jack Reacher series, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back also stars Cobie Smulder, Danika Yarosh, Austin Hebert, Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Robert Knepper and Holt McCallany.

Edward Zwick is directing from a script he co-wrote with Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz. Cruise is producing with Don Granger, Skydance Media’s David Ellison and Dana Goldberg, and Christopher McQuarrie. Paula Wagner and Herb Gains exec produce.

LEE CHILD WINS CWA DIAMOND DAGGER

From CWA:

The Crime Writers’ Association is delighted to announce that the 2013 Diamond Dagger will be awarded to Lee Child. He will receive the diamond-studded Dagger at a gala dinner in the summer.

The CWA Diamond Dagger is voted for by members of the CWA and celebrates an author with an outstanding body of work in crime fiction. Past winners include Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, and Elmore Leonard. In 2012 the award went to Frederick Forsyth.

Chair of the CWA Peter James said: “I am delighted that the CWA has chosen Lee Child as this year’s recipient. Lee is one of the few British crime thriller authors to have become a global brand name; he is also an extremely charming and open person and a tireless promoter of our genre.”

UK Specsavers National Book Awards

UK’s Specsavers National Book Award Winners

Crime & Thriller of the Year: For a novel in this genre from a UK author which has made an outstanding impact in bookselling outlets in terms of acclaim and sales

Winner: 
A Wanted Man by Lee Child (Bantam Press)

Shortlisted:
Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah (Hodder & Stoughton)
A Question of Identity by Susan Hill (Chatto & Windus)
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (Orion)
Perfect People by Peter James (Macmillan)
Gods and Beasts by Denise Mina (Orion)

Scottish novelist Ian Rankin won this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

Hat Tip: Eurocrime

Lee Child Desk Police Officer Cameo

Last week I posted this still from the new Jack Reacher movie starring Tom Cruise. I love that Lee Child, creator and writer par excellence, of the Jack Reacher mysteries, has a cameo in the film as a desk cop. Very cool, Lee, especially since you're 'seated'.. no competition with Tom. You're the real height of Reacher, but I won't go there.

Anyway, it turned out that it was not the 'official' release date for the photo still, even though it was posted in various places on the internet. So I took it down. Today is the official date, so for those who missed it, here it is again. And, for those who already saw it, enjoy the Official Movie Trailer for Reacher below.

 

Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Award Winner: Lee Child

Lee Child, British creator of the Jack Reacher series,  won the 2011 Theakstons Old Peculier crime novel of the year award for the 14th installment in his bestselling series, 61 Hours.
Speaking after Thursday's award ceremony, which opened the Harrogate crime writing festival,  Lee Child said it was "a thrill" to receive the £3,000 award. "I remember when I was writing 61 Hours that I felt it had come out nicely," he said, "but to have the recognition is great."

Read the rest of the article from the Guardian HERE.

Val McDermid introduced P.D. James who received a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction. There was a standing ovation.

The shortlist for the 2011 Theakstons Old Peculier Award:
From The Dead by Mark Billingham (Sphere)
Blood Harvest by SJ Bolton (Corgi Books)
61 Hours by Lee Child (Bantam Books)
Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride (Harper Fiction)
The Holy Thief by William Ryan (Pan Books)
The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor (Michael Joseph)

Mystery Bytes: TV news

1. This is so wrong! Tom Cruise is in negotiation to play the lead role in the upcoming action movie ‘One Shot’, adapted from the best-selling crime novel by Lee Child. Cruise is in negotiations with Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. The movie will be directed by Christopher McQuaire, who also provides the script for the movie.

The story of the movie is about a former military policeman, Jack Reacher, who investigates a case, where a sniper is accused of killing five people. The character of Reacher in the book is of 6’5” and weighs 250 pounds. That should tell you why this just isn't right!


2. HBO and BBC2 plan to create a new miniseries based on I, Claudius by Robert Graves. The acquisition deal "ends a long series of twists and turns for the rights to a book that was previously turned into an Emmy-winning 13-part miniseries in 1976 by BBC." Although BBC controls the rights to the original TV miniseries, the new HBO/BBC2 production will focus primarily on Graves's books I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius Born 10 B.C. Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 and Claudius The God: And His Wife Messalina.

Lee Child on CBS: Man of Mystery

If you missed this morning's show with Lee Child on CBS, here's a link to the program. Well done!

Left Coast Crime 2010: New Panels & Events

Have you put off registering for Left Coast Crime 20, March 11-14, 2010. Wait no more. Lots of new events and authors have registered, and you won't want to miss this! Day passes also available, so if you're local, you can come for the day.

Left Coast Crime 20 takes over the Omni Los Angeles Hotel March 11-14 to honor best-selling authors Lee Child and Jan Burke. Bill Fitzhugh serves as toastmaster and I am the Fan Guest of Honor. O.k, that's another reason I think you'll want to attend.

Dubbed “Booked in L.A.,” the annual convention kicks off with a special tour of California Forensic Science Institute to study DNA, blood analysis, fingerprinting and evidence handling. The weekend features author panels, the presentation of mystery awards, an auction, book signings, and unique outings to experience L.A.’s “noir” literary history. Proceeds from the auction benefit the Los Angeles Public Library Foundation’s Adult Literacy Program.

Programming highlights include a reception hosted by author Michael Connelly at Angels Flight, a panel featuring the entire family of mystery-writing Kellermans, book launches for Stephen Cannell, Naomi Hirahara, Denise Hamilton, editor of Los Angeles Noir 2: The Classics, and Gary Phillips and T. Jefferson Parker, editors of Orange County Noir. Among the mystery all-stars scheduled to appear are Robert Crais, Laurie King, April Smith and William Link, producer of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote.

Over 200 authors will be in attendance as well as representatives from publishing companies. The event is open to the public, and day passes are available. For registration and additional information, go to at www.leftcoastcrime.org/2010