Win a copy of Joseph Finder's VANISHED

While I regroup from my trip to Tucson, here's word of a book giveaway from Joseph Finder's web master.

I gave Vanished my highest personal rating of 3 stars when I read it in January. Finder introduces a great new protag named Nick Heller. An excellent read.

Here's how to win:

We are giving away a signed copy of the UK paperback edition of VANISHED on Joe's Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Finder/56570460733.

I thought this offer would be of interest to you and your readers. For those who aren't fans yet, all they need to do is click "Become a fan." The winner will be selected at random on April 15. More details of the offer can be found on this note: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Finder/56570460733#!/notes/joseph-finder/win-a-signed-uk-paperback-of-vanished/378178839844

CR: The Sex Club by L.J. Sellers.

It's all better with friends.

Are You Making a List? Checking it Twice?

It takes a village to create a good book. Well, at least 87 people other than the writer (assuming I counted correctly).

That's how many people Joseph Finder specifically names in his acknowledgements section of his new book, Vanished. (Which, by the way, is a terrific read. I recommend it and look forward to more great stories featuring Nick Heller.) (And which, by the way, you may or may not be able to/want to purchase from Amazon. Yep. Joseph Finder's books were part of the collateral damage with the recent ugly battle over pricing. But I digress. Back to acknowleding people.)

He didn't just say, "The good people at _____." He named them. He took the time and trouble to show his appreciation in a much more personal way.

He also does a heck of a lot of research—which explains the compelling nature of his books. And he's a gentleman—he thanks everyone.

(And yes, I read acknowledgements. I read prologues too. I even—well, sometimes—read the whatchamacallit page that has the ISBN on it. Because I'm a writer. It's all interesting.)

Are you keeping a list? Not something in your head. I mean a real-real list.

Because I wasn't. Until now.

CR: I, Alex Cross by James Patterson. (I keep thinking I should put "Inc." after his name.)

It's all better with friends.

The Delight is in the Details

An author who has recently caught my eye is Joseph Finder. I've only read two of his so far, but I sit back and think . . . this guy knows a lot about a lot.

I'm currently reading the new Dean Koontz. If you've read my blog very much, you know I find much to like about Koontz. Even to the point that I want to be him when I grow up. That's not to say he doesn't disappoint, but so far, Breathless is amazing.

He's using a sentence structure from time to time that makes me stumble a bit, but I like to give an artist the opportunity to try a different brush stroke before I decide I don't like the painting. I might blog about that later.

But what I've noticed, yet again, is the detail he imbues his stories with. Joe Finder does the same thing. I'm reading the words, learning (because I often learn through fiction) and thinking that this guy is the ultimate Renaissance Man.

How does he choose where to release the detail and how much can he release before it becomes an Information Dump?

I've learned in previous Koontz novels (and this one as well) that rats make nests in certain palm trees. Is that creepy, or what?

In Breathless I learned that thoroughbreds do better with their own companion animals; about choosing a base color in weaving, and a whole lot more about veterinary medicine than the average guy knows. Even a little about carving furniture and inlaying the wood with metal.

It's the tiny detail that underlines a moment. A scene. A thought. It's the tiniest bit of information that stamps it with the "reality" stamp.

As a reader, how does it effect you? As a writer, do you think you've found the balance?

CR: Breathless by Dean Koontz. Almost to the end, I've thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Hoping I don't get disappointed by the ending.

It's all better with friends.