MORE CRIME FICTION/MYSTERY AWARDS

Thanks to J. Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet, I heard about the winners of the following two awards that were given out last week. Thanks also to the original sources for reporting them.

Broken Harbour by Tana French, won the 2012 Irish Book Award in the Crime Novel category. Runners Up: Slaughter’s Hound Declan Burke; Vengeance by Benjamin Black; The Istanbul Puzzle by Laurence O’Bryan; Too Close for Comfort by Niamh O’Connor; and Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips.


Åsa Larsson’s Till offer åt Molok won the Swedish Crime Academy’s 2012 award for Best Swedish Crime Novel.  Peter Robinson’s Before the Poison won the Academy’s Best Foreign Crime Novel prize.

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And from Craig Johnson comes news that Hell is Empty has been nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Here's the longlist of books nominated for the 2013 Award. 154 books were nominated by libraries in 120 cities, in 44 countries, in 19 languages. 5 judges are reading the books and deciding, but it's a great list, so feel free to read along with them! Other mysteries on the list include Jussi Adler-Olsen's The Keeper of Lost Causes, When the Killing's Done by T. C. Boyle, The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri, The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco, Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James, The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler,  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva, Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson, and many others. Smashing Longlist!

Craig Johnson guest post

Janet Rudolph & Craig Johnson

Craig Johnson sent this post to his fans and readers, so I asked if I could repost it for all and sundry to read. I'm looking forward to Longmire which starts on A&E in June, and I've just finished Craig's lastest novel, As the Crow Flies. It's terrific!

Craig Johnson:

We were filming the pilot episode for A&E’s Longmire last March, when the director, Chris Chulack, turned to me and said, “Do you want to be in this scene?”
          
I glanced through the twin monitors and onto the street outside the Absaroka County Sheriff’s Office set in Las Vegas, New Mexico, doing its best to appear as northern Wyoming. Across the street Katee Sackoff, the actress who plays Victoria ‘Vic’ Moretti, was rehearsing a scene with another actor, Rio Alexander, by yanking the much larger man from her unit, throwing him onto the hood of a parked car, cuffing him and dragging him across the street toward us.
         
 “I don’t think so.”
          
Chris smiled. “I meant you could stand on the sidewalk and do a cameo; all the authors do it.”
          
I remember seeing John Irving as the conductor in Cider House Rules, and even heard that Lee Child did a stint as an NYPD cop who hands his character Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) his toothbrush in an upcoming film One Shot, and when I asked him about it, Lee told me he delivered his one line flawlessly. But the story that always hangs in my mind is the one when Tony Hillerman had a speaking line in the 1991 film The Dark Wind, where he played a state penitentiary warden. The scene is documented in one of my favorite books, Tony’s autobiography, Seldom Disappointed, with a photograph of Tony in a suit and tie alongside the young actor playing Jim Chee in the film—Mr. Lou Diamond Phillips. What goes around comes around in that Lou is now playing Henry Standing Bear in the televised version of my books. The looks on the two men’s faces in the photograph are priceless—Tony has a look of disappointed perplexity and Lou’s expression is one of devastatingly wry humor.

Lou tells it best, “Hillerman was a warm and kind gentleman, who made me extremely proud and grateful to bring such an iconic character to life. Every once in a while, we get blessed with the kind of writing that brings out the best in us and challenges us to bring our hearts, minds and souls to a role completely. Funny thing is, he could write the words so very eloquently but had a little more trouble making them come out of his own mouth.”

What Lou is graciously saying is that Tony blew his lines on every take, so much so that they decided that maybe it would be best if Tony simply ‘looked’ the line. I guess that didn’t work either because, in Tony’s own words, “I ended up on the cutting-room floor.”
          
I stood there looking at Chris Chulack, the captain of the ship, the man I was entrusting to coax the best performances from the best and brightest performers, the man who wanted me to go out on the sidewalk and represent some semblance of humanity. “I don’t think so.”
          
He studied me, a little surprised. “Really? You’re sure?”
          
“Um, yeah.”
         
 “You don’t have to say anything.”
          
I thought about it, figuring I’d trip over the curb. “That’s okay.”
         
A few days later, I guess not completely satisfied with my response, Chulack gave me another shot at a scene in Henry Standing Bear’s Red Pony Bar. There were dozens of extras in the place, loud and raucous so much noise that you wouldn’t have been able to hear me stumble through a line if I remembered it.
          
My wife, Judy hung on my arm in hopes that I would say yes, the two of us immortalized in television posterity.
         
 “Nope, I don’t think so.”
          
So Longmire is on Sunday, June 3rd at 10pm EDT/9c on A&E. I hope you enjoy the show but don’t look to see me peeking around trees or dancing at the Red Pony; I think I’ll stick with writing books.

As the Crow Flies, the newest in the Walt Longmire series was named the Barnes & Noble, Mystery and Crime Hardback Pick of the Month along with Hell is Empty as the Mystery and Crime Trade Paperback Pick of the Month—the first time a single author has received such an honor they tell me. Look for them both on the shelves (As The Crow Flies, Tuesday, May 15th) or get out there and pre-order, or better yet, come see him on tour.

Photo: Carol Fairweather

A&E picks up Longmire

WOOT! (now a word in the OED)

According to TV/LINE A&E has given a 10-episode, first season order to Longmire, an hour-long Western-themed drama starring Matrix actor Robert Taylor as the show’s titular charismatic, dry-witted Wyoming sheriff. Katee Sackhoff will play Vic, one of his deputies.

The series, based on the Walt Longmire Mystery series by Craig Johnson, also stars Cassidy Freeman (Smallville) as Longmire’s daughter, Lou Diamond Phillips (Numb3rs) as his best friend, and Bailey Chase (Saving Grace) as another deputy.

Can't wait for the series? Get reading. There are 7 books in the series. Craig Johnson was recently in Berkeley for a Literary Salon with Mystery Readers NorCal.  

Photo: Craig Johnson & Me--I'm the one wearing Craig's Stetson :-)

Hat Tip: Omnimystery News

Craig Johnson: Guest Post

Craig Johnson will be our guest at a Literary Salon this Sunday, June 19, at 7 p.m. in Berkeley. I'm thrilled that his latest Walt Longmire mystery, Hell is Empty, just hit the NYT Best Seller List. Craig sent out a note this morning about it to all his fans, and I was among them. I asked Craig if I could post this here on Mystery Fanfare. Of course, he said!

Please join us on June 19 in Berkeley, CA. RSVP for directions.

CRAIG JOHNSON:

Go figure.

When I was writing Hell is Empty, the latest Walt Longmire mystery, an allegorical thriller fraught with Dante and Indian mysticism, it dawned on me that this might not be the most sales-successful book of the series… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t write these novels with the idea of them becoming bestsellers (well, a little, of course, because I love writing them and wouldn’t be able to if they didn’t sell at all). My trusting publisher adds to my enjoyment by granting me freedoms that I don’t think many other authors have; my contract boils down to one sentence--It must be a mystery novel and have Walt Longmire in it. Well, that pretty much leaves things up for grabs, doesn’t it?

The other freedom comes from you—the reader. I’ve always said that I’d rather anger you folks by doing something different with each novel rather than insult your intelligence by writing the same book over and over again, a syndrome not unknown in genre fiction. Again, I’m not completely altruistic in the sense that I’m pretty sure I’d get bored writing formulaic books, too.

There have only been a couple of soreheads who wrote me back and gave me questionable, on-line reviews over the years, the curious thing being that they keep reading and reviewing me—what’s up with that? Most of you, especially if you’re on this newsletter mailing list, have ridden along with the sheriff and put up with my shenanigans with enthusiasm. Every once in a while we’d look back and see that there appeared to be more of us in the saddle, which was fine because we enjoy company and the more the merrier. Well, it would appear that there’s a passel to the posse these days.

Go figure.

When I started a string of novels that took place in the least populated county in the least populated state in the U.S., I kind of figured the following for such a series might be relatively limited. But I always remember a piece of advice Tony Hillerman gave me when I first met him, “Follow your heart and write what you enjoy.”

So I continued to write about a sadder but wiser sheriff, a detective for the disenfranchised, a little over-aged, a little over-weight, but with a considerable amount of miles left in him. It would appear that there are a lot of us out there like that, folks who look at themselves in the mirror every morning and aren’t completely satisfied with what they see—but we try, and in that there’s a certain, worn-to-perfection dignity.

People ask me sometimes if I suspected, with the awards, foreign sales and TV stuff, if I ever thought the books would be as popular as they’ve become—and the honest answer is no, I didn’t. But there’s a group of people that seemed to have held an absolute certainty that they would be a success. You.
This Post-It is a little different from all the others, a thank you note to the thousands of people who thought that a beat-up ol’ sheriff with a sense of humor, his Cheyenne buddy, and a smart-mouthed deputy up on the high plains might be worth giving a read.

Hell is Empty hit #24 this week on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Go figure.

See you on the trail (see below)

PS: Hell may be empty, but the shelves are full; if you haven’t gotten out there and grabbed your copy, jump on it!
June 14, Booked for Murder, Madison, WI, 6 PM
June 15, Once Upon a Crime, Minneapolis, MN, 7 PM
June 16, Book People, Austin, TX, 7 PM
June 17, Poisoned Pen, Phoenix, AZ, 7 PM
June 18, M is for Mystery, San Mateo, CA, 2 PM
June 19, Literary Salon, Berkeley, CA 7 p.m. Private Location. RSVP: for more information and directions
June 20, Viking Rep Dinner (private event)
June 21, Boulder Bookstore, 12:30 PM, lunch stock signing
June 21, Tattered Cover (Colfax), Denver, CO, 7:30 PM
June 22, Murder by the Book, Denver, CO, Noon
June 22, High Crimes, Longmont, CO, 7 PM
June 23-26, Jackson Writer’s Conference, Jackson, WY
June 28, Red Lodge Books, Red Lodge, MT, 4:00 PM
June 29, Fact and Fiction, Missoula, MT, 7:00 PM
July 1, Seattle Mystery Book Shop, Seattle, WA, Noon
July 1, Whodunit Books, Olympia, WA, 7 PM
July 2, Murder by the Book, Portland, OR, Noon
July 2, Powell’s Books (Cedar Hills Crossing), Beaverton, OR, 4 PM
July 3, Sun River Books, Sun River, OR, 5 PM
July 4, Sun River Books, Sun River, OR, private party
July 5, Paulina Springs Books, Sisters, OR, 4 PM
July 5, Paulina Springs Books, Redmond, OR, 7 PM
July 6, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID, 7 PM
July 7, The King’s English Books, Salt Lake City, UT, 7 PM
July 8, Main Street Books, Lander, WY, 6 PM
July 9, Powell Library, Powell, WY, Noon
July 9, Cody Newstand, Cody, WY, 2 PM
July 9, Cowboy Bar, Meeteetse, WY, 7 PM
July 10, Cody Library, Cody, WY, 1:30 PM

What, you want more..? Gettaoutahere.

Craig Johnson: June 19 in Berkeley

From Shelf Awareness comes this terrific and timely post about Craig Johnson, one of my favorite authors. Mystery Readers NorCal will be hosting Craig Johnson (who will appear with Stetson) on June 19 at 7 p.m. in Berkeley, CA.  Comment below to RSVP and for directions.
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Mystery author and Wyoming resident Craig Johnson knows not to appear at signings without his signature accessory: a cowboy hat. Although space is at a premium when he travels by motorcycle, "I have to designate one entire saddlebag just for holding my hat," he said. One year he sported a baseball cap on tour instead. "Everybody was totally disappointed. Every time I showed up at an event people asked, 'Where's your hat?' "

With hat in hand, Johnson is trekking across the country this summer promoting Hell Is Empty (Viking), the seventh novel is his series starring Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire, and the newly released paperback edition of Junkyard Dogs (Penguin). After a national, publisher-sponsored tour takes him to 15 cities from Pennsylvania to California, Johnson will hit the road again to visit independent bookstores in the West and Northwest.

Johnson's mode of transportation during the regional excursion is an iron steed dubbed Rocinante, a nod to Don Quixote's horse and John Steinbeck's camper-truck. Putting the seldom-used motorcycle (which gets excellent gas mileage) to good use was part of the motivation for the tour. "I thought I was going to have to donate it to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles," joked Johnson. In the five years he has been doing the road trip, the number of stores he visits has increased from a few to nearly 20 in six states--Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Washington.

Johnson sets aside about two months each year for book-related travel, an undertaking he looks forward to after the solitude of writing. "When it comes time for me to go on tour, I've got to be honest. I really enjoy it," he said. "I like meeting people who have read my books and discussing what's happening with the characters, where they're going, the relationships, and the underpinnings of the sociological and cultural aspects of the stories."

Johnson moved to Ucross, Wyo., two decades ago after a rather nomadic lifestyle--residing in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City. "I had some education in writing, but I wasn't so sure that I had something to write about," he said. For me it was important to go out and experience life, which sounds very Hemingway- or Steinbeck-esque. But that's the way I felt about it. If you're going to write about people then you had better go out there and see who people are. Not just the ones in your neighborhood but all over the country."

Turns out, Johnson found his stories in the dramatic landscape and intriguing inhabitants of the American West. "If you ever come to Wyoming, you'll meet all the people that are in my novels," he confessed. Home for the writer is a 260-acre ranch. He built the house himself--living in a tent during construction--along with a garage, barn and corrals. "Building the ranch was probably the only way I could settle in and stay in one place," Johnson said.

The abode is situated in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains, where much of Hell Is Empty takes place. In his latest adventure, Longmire aids an FBI taskforce transporting a group of prisoners though the mountains. When the convicts escape and reinforcements are trapped by impassable roads during a severe snowstorm, it's up to the sheriff to stop the bad guys.

Woven throughout the nail-biting storyline are elements of western lore, Indian mysticism and references to Dante's Inferno. Mystery readers "want what literary fiction has to offer--fully developed characters, arc of storyline, place, history, humor," Johnson noted. "They want all of those things, and at the end they want to know who the hell did it." Making sure fans get their money's worth is his top priority. "I treat it like a contract between myself and the reader. When they shell out hard-earned bucks for my books, I need to come through with all of those things--the literary aspects and the crime fiction aspects. If I fail, I don't expect them to pick up the next contract."

Sheriff Longmire and his comrades have garnered fans around the globe, from China to the Czech Republic. The characters and their creator are especially popular in France, where Johnson has visited eight times in the last two years to promote the page-turners and accept awards. (A group of schoolchildren once befriended "le cowboy" outside the Louvre in Paris.)

Johnson recently returned from New Mexico, where the pilot for the A&E television series Longmire was filmed. What is it like for him to see his characters come to life? "I acquaint it with having a houseplant for 10 years and then getting up one morning and all of a sudden it starts talking to you. It's a little unsettling. But it's also wonderfully fantastic because they've done such an amazing job." He was invited to be a creative consultant on the set, where actors toted copies of his books and avid reader Lou Diamond Phillips (cast as Longmire's friend Henry Standing Bear) quoted passages to him from the text.

As Johnson indulges his wanderlust and logs the miles this summer, his focus is on renewing contracts with readers and on lassoing new ones. Whether it's a gathering of two or two hundred, "it really doesn't matter to me," he said. "If someone has made the effort in this chaotic, hectic world to track you down on tour and come into a bookstore and talk with you about your books, that's a wonderful thing."

Craig Johnson: Cowboy, Raconteur, One Helluva Writer

We were lucky to have Craig Johnson and his wife Judy here yesterday for an At Home (literary salon) while they were in town for the Book Passage Writers' Conference. What an afternoon! Wyoming writer Craig Johnson, the author of The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpublished, Another Man's Moccasins and The Dark Horse, regaled us with stories about himself and his writing. He's an absolutely fabulous raconteur--so very entertaining and informative--on so many topics. He discussed writing, publishing and his own life and many other things.

The Cold Dish was a Dilys Award Nominee and was translated into French in 2009 as Little Bird (yes, English, it's a name) and was just named one of the top ten mysteries of the year by Lire Magazine. Death Without Company was selected by Booklist as one of the top-ten mysteries of 2006, won the Wyoming Historical Society's fiction book of the year. Another Man's Moccasins was the recipient of Western Writer's of America's Spur Award as Novel of the Year and the Mountains and Plains Book of the Year. The Dark Horse, the fifth in the series has received starred reviews by all four prepublication review services, the only novel so far this year to receive that honor.

O.K. so there's the press, and it just emphasizes what I know--that he's a great writer and deserving of the awards and press. Johnson gave many insights into his writing. His main character Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County, doesn't age much from book to book and since the books come out every year, we know in 'real' time what's going on with Walt and the supporting characters. I really like this since I so often wonder what happened in the 'unwritten' years to so many characters in other series novels. Johnson's books also are written through the seasons, each book a different season. Johnson intends to keep this continuum. Johnson's supporting characters return in the books with varying importance, and its the development of these characters and Walt that connect so many people with his books.

Johnson also talked about his experiences with the local Sheriff of his county in Wyoming and how he vets his books for discrepancies. I've learned a lot about Wyoming from the books, and even more from yesterday's talk.

Don't want to say too much else about the books or his writing at this time, because Craig Johnson is soon to be featured on our At Home Online. Stay tuned. Johnson will be interviewing William Kent Krueger At Home Online on the Mystery Readers website. Craig Johnson, in turn, will be interviewed by another terrific writer.