MAY 2004

Michael is on a research trip and won't be back until after the first of May, so he asked me to do the monthly update. For those of you in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he will be the featured speaker at the Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library  annual meeting on Tuesday, May 18th. The event will be held at the central library, starting at 5:30 pm. Michael will speak at 7 pm, followed by a book signing. 

If you are interested in attending, call 817-560-3657. Seats can be reserved for $5 each and payment can be made to: Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library, 3701 Stoney Creek Road, Fort Worth, TX 76116

APRIL 2004

The manuscript for Slow Kill is finished and in my editor's hands, so now I can take a small break until it comes back to me for copy editing and all those little changes and improvements that always need to be made to make it better. After that's accomplished, I can start calling it a book. The release date is set for late August. I will be going on tour, but it will be an abbreviated one compared to last year. As soon as a schedule is firmed up, my webmaster, Di Bingham will post it.

This month, I'll  take a research trip to southern New Mexico to scout locations and get ideas for the next Kerney book. I'm planning to cowboy-up Kerney and take him back to his roots. I've got a few plots and themes bouncing around in my head, but haven't settled on one yet.

I'm excited to announce that I've been asked to participate in the first Tony Hillerman Writers Conference to be held in Albuquerque in November. I'll pass along more information later on, but it looks like David Morrell, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, and other notable writers will be on hand. The event will honor Tony for his body of work and contribution to mystery fiction, so of course he'll be there. Should be great fun.

I'm not doing a Santa Fe weather report this month because I'm tired of talking about the drought. Happy Spring!

MARCH 2004

We've had some rain and snow recently, not enough to end worries about the drought, but at least the ground isn't hard packed and dry underfoot right now. (I know you all just love my Santa Fe weather reports.)

I should have the book done by the end of the month, barring any drought in my imagination. With that happy prospect in sight, I've begun to lift my head out of the sand and have  scheduled a few public events. On March 8, I'll drive up the road to Las Vegas, New Mexico (Remember Hermit's Peak?) and speak to students enrolled in a Mystery Fiction class at New Mexico Highlands University. Of course, they'll probably want to know how I write, so I'll tell them it's just a process of making stuff up.

Down the road a bit, on May 18, I'll be the guest speaker at the Fort Worth (Texas) Friends of the Library Annual Meeting. This will be the first time I've been to the Dallas-Fort Worth area on a speaking event since my emergence as writer, and I'm looking forward to it.

Back in the old days, (My old days, that is.) I had relatives who lived there -- aunts and uncles on my mother's side who migrated from Montana after the family cattle ranch went belly up during the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, in the "I've-been-nominated-again" category, seems like I'm up for the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts one more time. I pleased by it, for it must mean that at least some of my New Mexico friends and neighbors think I do a passing good job of portraying the people, culture, and beauty of the state I love.

I'm getting increased e-mails from the website, and what's fun about it is that many of the folks who write tell me they've just recently discovered the Kerney series and are enjoying the books. I guess word of mouth just keeps growing.

Check out this month's featured site and you can listen to a taped broadcast of an event I did with writers Simon Ortiz and Denise Chavez in August 2002 for the Jemez Springs Public Library.

JANUARY 2004

Happy New Year to all!  As far as the book game goes, 2003 ended in early December with a fun event in Albuquerque sponsored by the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association. Several hundred ranch families showed up to participate in "An Evening with the Arts -- Cowboy Style!" held in conjunction with the annual Joint Stockmen's Meeting, and I was delighted to meet a number of great folks. Food, drink, music, and a visit from Santa turned the event into a gala. Those country folks and ranchers sure know how to party!

I doubt I'll be doing any more events for a while, which is a relief. If you throw in the book tour for Everyone Dies, between June and December I did almost 40 book signings, talks, or public appearances. It's time to hunker down. So, over the next three months, my updates will probably be short and sweet as I pound away at finishing up the next book, Slow Kill. In spite of the holiday distractions -- somehow this has been a much more social season for me than usual -- I've managed to make good progress. The book will be done on time.  Look for a late summer release.

May your new year be grand! Moreover, may we find our way to peace, bring our troops home, stay safe and secure, and create a better world.

DECEMBER 2003

The hectic book tour is behind me, ending with a rousing finale at the Mystery Authors Luncheon in Scottsdale on November 8 to benefit the Arizona Chapter of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill. It was a true gala, with over 500 people in attendance, that raised a goodly amount of money for the organization to carry out their important work. 

Next up is an event I'm looking forward to just as eagerly. It's called  "An Evening With The Arts -- Cowboy Style!"  A fund raiser hosted by The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, it will be held in conjunction with the annual joint stockmen's meeting in Albuquerque, at the Hilton Hotel on 5 December 2003. The fun starts at 6 PM and the public is invited. So come on by if your in the neighborhood and meet the people who raise the food, grow the crops, and keep the ranching and farming tradition alive in New Mexico.

 The new book, Slow Kill, is moving right along. I'm back in the groove and making progress. If you'd like to see the cover art for it and read a synopsis click here. As always, I'd love to hear your reactions, so drop me a note if the spirit moves you.

 May your holidays be joyful and merry, and for the New Year I wish all of us peace, which seems so hard to come by in the world right now.

NOVEMBER 2003

The book tour is over and I'm home. Since the launch signing in Santa Fe of August 16, I've been to 25 cities coast-to-coast, and every area of the country except New England. From north to south and east to west, I met new and old fans alike and was treated graciously by dozens of booksellers, including those I met at two regional bookseller conventions in Michigan and Georgia.

The tour finished with a quick stop at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Las Vegas, where I appeared on two panels, and then on to three events in Florida, including a speaking appearance at the annual dinner for the Friends of the St. Lucie County Public Library. 

However, I'm not home for long. On Saturday, November 8, I'll be joining J. A. Jance, T. Jefferson Parker, and Bette Webb as featured speakers at a Mystery Authors Luncheon sponsored by the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill -- Arizona. This is a major fund-raising event for the organization which will be held at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. Click here for more information. 

 For those of you in the greater Phoenix area, please consider attending to give support to this important organization. As a bonus, it should be fun and entertaining.

 We're coming up fast on the holiday season, so I'll start it off by wishing those of you here in the USA a very happy Thanksgiving.

OCTOBER 2003

September ended on a high note with a series of three book signing events in southern New Mexico, where I was greeted by long lines of folks who almost bought out the stock in the stores I visited.

It was a long month on the road. In one day I greeted the morning on the Pacific Ocean and watched the waves break on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean that same night. From coast to coast there were sizable crowds at most of the events. It was fun to thank both readers and store owners for all the support I received, and to visit some places in the country I'd never seen before, especially the Deep South. 

The tour continues into October, first with an appearance at the Great Lakes Booksellers Association Convention on October 4 and 5 In Dearborn, MI. On that Sunday, I will be one of a number of writers signing at Aunt Agatha's Mystery Books, 213 South 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI at 2 PM.

From Friday to Sunday, October 17 to 19, I will be in Las Vegas, NV for Bouchercon, appearing on two panels, (check the Bouchercon link below for panel times.) and then the tour winds up in Florida with two signings on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. CLICK HERE to get the specifics for the rest of my schedule.

Thank you all for making the Everyone Dies tour so successful. The book has been very well received and has even managed to hang around on several national bestseller lists through the month of September. A writer couldn't ask for much more, and I'm still a bit stunned by it all.

Perhaps I'll never get used to this magic carpet ride I embarked on in 1996 when Tularosa was published. But it sure has been on heck of a fun ride, so I think I'll just stay in the saddle

SEPTEMBER 2003

Di (Webmaster) here - Michael  has been flat out like a lizard drinking with the tour so thought I'd just jump in here with a quick update on the tour and how it's going -- but first, to tell you about a webchat that Michael is doing with ivillage.com on September 22nd at 9pm ET, and the moderator of the chat wanted to know if we could post a link to the chat on Michael's site.  Click on the followings link to join Michael on the 22nd.   Chat live with Michael http://www.michaelmcgarrity.com/ at iVillage.com 

The book tour is about half way through and Michael reports that things are going well - he'll tell you all about it when he finally touches base with a computer long enough to think!  His September signings start in New York on Thursday, 4th September at 7 :00 PM in the Partners & Crime store.  Click HERE to find out where else and when he'll be signing. 

The buzz with the new book has been great.  Michael reports Everyone Dies broke into the New York Times Bestseller list at 23 the first week, and the Book Sense (American Booksellers Association) bestseller list at number 22. The lists cover all categories of fiction not just the mystery genre, so everything is lookin' good!

Thank you for the emails I've received from the update group re a couple of missed  links and images on the new site, I appreciate you taking the time to let me know and will fix as soon as possible - also glad that the majority consensus is they like the new look :o)  And remember, if you haven't caught up with Michael  yet, don't forget to check out the itinerary of the tour at the link above.

AUGUST 2003

July ended with a splendid event to raise money for the Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, at which I was the featured speaker, although I think part of the draw was the venue; it was held in the Scottish Rite Temple, a towering, mysterious pink-stucco building a few blocks from the Plaza, often mistaken for a church and rarely visited by outsiders. I mentioned it briefly in Under the Color of Law.

Over two hundred people attended, and there was live music, a silent auction, a catered dinner, followed by my talk and a book signing. A very nice sum of money was raised to support the organization. The governor made an appearance, accompanied by his wife, who said she'd insisted that they come so she could meet her favorite author. It was a delightful moment within a completely satisfying and enjoyable evening.

The book tour schedule is up, and I'll be traveling coast to coast as well as to the Northwest and the South. It all starts with a launch signing at Garcia Street Books in Santa Fe on Saturday, August 16 at 4 pm. Click HERE to find out where else and when I'll be signing. 

 If I'm not coming to your city or town, my publisher has a special offer for those of you who would like a signed bookplate for Everyone Dies. Click HERE to find out the details. Only five hundred signed bookplates are available, so be the first on your block to get one!

With a crowded schedule before me, I may not be able to post another monthly update before October rolls around. But I do want to mention that my extraordinary web guru, Di Bingham, is hard at work transferring our site to a new host provider and tweaking everything as she goes.  As of now, we are at michaelmcgarrity.net and michaelmcgarrity.com,  thus spreading even further out into cyberspace. Thanks, Di, you're the best.

I hope to see many of you on my travels. Have a great rest of the summer. I know I will.

JULY 2003

In June, I traveled to Toronto where I spoke at an authors' lunch and had three book signings. I'd hoped to met Erica Jong, who was to appear with me, but she was a no-show. All the events were well attended, and my publisher gave out advanced readers copies of Everyone Dies at the two signing held in conjunction with the library convention. The third signing was a group affair in the evening at Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore, (Not Book Sleuth as reported last month.) and the place was jammed with writers and mystery fans. It's a great store and I got to meet some wonderful people. Canadians are friendly folks and they clearly appreciated those writers who'd traveled from the States undeterred by the SARS scare.

Upcoming in July is a local event in Santa Fe that I'm really looking forward to. I'll be the featured guest and dinner speaker at the annual fundraising event for the Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, to be held in the historic Scottish Rite Temple on Saturday, July 26 at 5:30 pm.  If you're a Santa Fean or in town and would like to go, call 505-428-1330 for more information.

I've settled on a new title I like a lot for the 2004 book that's in progress. It's going to be titled Slow Kill, which actually relates directly to the plot.

The book tour for Everyone Dies is still being put together, but once finalized my super web guru, Di Bingham, will post it right away and give all of you on the mailing list a heads up.  We'll launch the book in Santa Fe at Garcia Street Books on Saturday, August 16, and then I'll be off and running. To give you a sneak preview, go HERE to read the first chapter - and go HERE for another very positive trade review just received.

 That's it from Santa Fe.

JUNE 2003

May was another good month. An enjoyable four days doing research for a book in Santa Barbara, California  was the highlight. Of course, we had to beach walk, tour around, and check out State Street with all its wonderful shops as part of the "location scouting" I needed to do.

 The trip came just at the right time for what needs to be done with the book, which is underway and proceeding without any glitches so far.

 We got back from Santa Barbara just in time for me to be auctioned off for "a dinner with an author" as part of the annual fund-raising gala sponsored by the foundation for our local hospital, St. Vincent. Would you believe a bidder paid $1,100 to have dinner with me and my sweetie, along with seven of his friends? I promised not to misbehave too badly since the money does go to a good cause, especially in Santa Fe where health care is a major problem for many people without insurance.

 In June, I'll be in Toronto appearing at an author and award lunch to be held in conjunction with The American and Canadian Library Associations combined annual conference. Appearing with me will be writers Erica Jong, Clyde Edgerton, Elinor Lipman, and Karin Slaughter.  For more information go HERE

 The event is on Saturday, June 21 at noon in the ballroom of the Westin Harbour Castle. There will be a book signing at the end of the lunch, and from 2:30 to 3:00 I'll also be signing at the ALA LIVE booth at 225 Front Street West. That same evening from 6:30 to 7:30, I'll put in an appearance at Book Sleuth, 1600 Bayville Avenue, for another signing.

 For the past several years I've participated in the ALA LIVE @YOURLIBRARY program, which is a wonderful way to bring writers to the patrons of public libraries across the country. Having the opportunity to thank the fine people who run that program as well as all the librarians who promote reading and literacy is something I can't wait to do.

 By the way, I'm not the least bit worried about SARS. New research just released has proven that the Irish are immune to all diseases except that of old age and chronic, terminal storytelling syndrome.

MAY 2003

April was a fun and exciting month. At the invitation of staff, I spent four days at the FBI and DEA Academies in Quantico, Virginia, and had a grand time touring the facilities, and learning about various training programs for local, state, and international police administrators, officers, and agents. While there I was asked to teach a class on creative writing to top cops and allowed to sit in on a leadership seminar.

 One of the highlights of the visit was a tour of the Behavioral Science Unit and meeting with the unit chief, Dr. Band. Another was getting shown around the DEA Academy by a sharp, savvy instructor with 11 years on the job as a special agent who could easily compete with any Hollywood leading lady for star billing in a cop movie.

 My tour guide, the highest ranking female officer ever in the New Mexico State Police, made the whole experience delightful. During my time there, we found our way to the sub-basement where the Behavioral Science Unit is housed, had lunch in nearby Fredicksburg, inspected Hogan's Alley, a town where crime scene training scenarios are conducted, and got to watch FBI students undergoing firearms and self-defense training. And that's just scratching the surface of my adventure at Quantico. But I came away with a headful of ideas and reams of research material, an invitation to return, plus a high regard for all the personnel I got to meet.

 The campus, on 380 acres, sits in the middle of a Marine base surrounded by forest with a lake nearby. It's a beautiful setting and quite modern in design, and could easily pass for a major university and research facility, which in some ways it is.

 On a different matter, earlier in the year, I was advised of two award nominations; the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Novel.( This was my second Spur nomination.)  While neither resulted in my selection as an award recipient, I am honored and pleased to have been nominated for both.

 April was a very good month.

APRIL 2003

It's the last Saturday in March and I'm struggling to find something positive to say for the April update before Di, my web guru, asks for the copy to post on the website. However, my heart isn't in it, and my mind skitters away from saying anything mundane. I could mention the mild spring snowstorm that dusted the mountains yesterday. Or talk about the very enjoyable time I had speaking at the Chandler Public Library event in Arizona. Or tell you of progress I'm making on the research for next year's book.

 But with war raging, it doesn't seem to matter.

 Were I to say more about my feelings of the war, it would only open the floodgate of suspicions I have about the agenda of the leaders of the party currently in power. So, I'll take a different, more philosophical tack and wonder aloud if the human race has some genetic, innate flaw that predisposes it to conflict and violence.

 History, natural science, and my personal experience as an ex-soldier, former police officer, and one-time psychotherapist sure points to that very real possibility. Which of course, raises the unanswered question, will we ever overcome our propensity to do great harm to ourselves and our world?

 I think I'll go out today and practice kindness to others as best I can.

MARCH 2003

February brought good news by way of an offer from my publisher, which has been agreed to, for a two-book contract to continue the Kevin Kerney series. So I am happily plotting out the next story, based in part on a research trip we to took to the central coast of California early last month. However, before I can start I must do the proofing and polishing of EVERYONE DIES, which is scheduled for an August release along with the paperback publication of THE BIG GAMBLE (see the cover above). As soon as we have the first chapter of the book available, it will be posted on the site, as well as information of the book tour.  Meanwhile, the cover art and story synopsis is available to hopefully tantalize you.

This month, on Saturday March 15 at 1:30 PM I'll be speaking at the Hamilton Branch of the Chandler (Arizona) Public Library (3700 S. Arizona Avenue, telephone 480-782-2828).  My topic is "Southwestern Urban Landscape in Mystery Fiction." A book signing will conclude the event. For those of you unfamiliar with southwestern geography, Chandler is just outside Phoenix.

The book club will be discussing UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW (for a refresher on the plot if you need it, go here) at their meeting on March 13. For more information, go to here  I hope to see those of you who live in the greater Phoenix area there. I'll try to behave myself and stay on topic. But we should have enough time to roam around the series and discuss matters of interest to the participants.

That's it from Santa Fe. Wage peace.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003

Apologies for the late first update for 2003 - my webmaster's computer was incommunicado because of an electrical storm breaking the modem and she was off the air for almost the whole month.

The new year has begun without good news. Although we are not yet at war, storm clouds of potential violence stretch from the Pacific Rim to the Middle East and beyond.  Many of you probably don't know that I'm a proud, decorated, honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army. I've never made a big deal about it, or thought much about joining the various national veterans organizations, because I think of myself as just another citizen soldier, one of  millions worldwide who have served in defense of freedom.

But now I have joined a veterans group, Veterans For Peace, because I believe it is in the truest and best interest of all people to work for the goal of a world with no more war.

With that thought in mind, may this new year bring you good fortune, personal happiness, abundant health, and most of all, peace.

On a happier note on a personal level, I started the brand new year off well by finishing the first draft of the new book and getting it off to my publisher five weeks early so we can take a research trip/vacation in February with a clear conscience.  Go HERE to read a synopsis .   As soon as the cover art is available, I'll post it here but that should be next month (but now click here). EVERYONE DIES will be out in late August, so keep checking the site for the latest news on Kerney's newest adventure.

DECEMBER 2002

In November, I did two speaking engagements in the greater Phoenix area that were sponsored by the county library under a grant from the American Library Association. Both events were well received and I enjoyed meeting a number of people who were familiar with my work, willing to talk time from their busy schedules to listen to me talk about the negative effects of the urbanization of the West, and seemed well disposed to be open-minded to my clearly biased opinions about the loss of community in our large, sprawling, automobile-dependent, shopping mall-infested cities. On top of that, the very nice librarians (One was an Irish lass with smiling blue eyes.)who'd arranged for my appearances treated me far better than I probably deserved.

It was a very enjoyable experience that signaled the end of any "official" outside activities until after the new book is done.For those of you interested in the next Kerney novel, With three more chapters to go, I'm closing in on having it wrapped up, and still holding to the working title of "Everyone Dies." It's a story about revenge, but no questions, please. I still have to finish it before I can talk about it.

May you all have the very best of peaceful holidays.  Stay safe and be well.

NOVEMBER 2002

While I get on with whipping the next Kerney into shape, I wanted to share with you  an article that appeared on line in "Publishers Weekly" appearing under the main headline of "The 10 Most Wanted"  - An excerpt appears below:

Michael McGarrity: Knowing the Beat

When Michael McGarrity began his Kevin Kerney mystery series in 1996, he was able to draw on a somewhat unusual, double-barreled background—in psychotherapy and law enforcement. The crime writer has also taught courses in psychology and counseling at several colleges and universities and, as a trained psychotherapist, specialized in treating high-risk children and adults. As McGarrity puts it, "Because of my own experience in law enforcement as an investigator, deputy sheriff and trainer at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy, I wasn't happy with the idea of a protagonist who worked outside the color of law. I wanted my protagonist to be an official, real cop, not the private eye, not the gumshoe."

McGarrity also felt it was important to "swim against the tide" by creating a hero without a lot of emotional baggage.   "I wanted to portray somebody who was a well-put-together individual with a sense of right and wrong, who practised his profession proudly and ethically—most of the time. I think I hit a chord among readers of crime fiction who may feel the same way I do about the walking wounded protagonist. That was something that I did intuitively based on my own needs to create a character who was fully human and not the guy who is always the loose cannon or struggling with some traumatic backstory."

Having a lot of law enforcement officers as fans means a great deal to the author. "Police officers come to signings and say, 'You get it right. You write about what really happens and what cops really do.' That's high praise. I love hearing that, and I hear it from prosecutors and retired judges that I know, along with U.S. attorneys and FBI agents."

To broaden his audience, McGarrity attends a lot of free library events because he thinks it's a great way to reach two major book-buying audiences: the general public and librarians. "If you look at the fact that there are thousands of libraries in the country—wouldn't it be great if every one of them bought a copy of Michael McGarrity's latest hardback, or two or three or four? That would automatically put you way ahead of the game."

At Dutton, which has published the last three Kevin Kerney titles—the most recent, The Big Gamble, was out in July—senior editor Brian Tart believes his author is on the verge of becoming a major bestseller. "The criteria that we look at are: is he writing a better book each time? In Michael's case, yes. Does he get uniformly great reviews? Yes again. I've read the first half of his next book and it's extraordinary, so this is really the one to take the leap on."

Great Expectations: One of Dutton's strategies is to give McGarrity's next book (as yet untitled) a September 2003 pub date so that galleys will be ready for the fall sales conference. Says Tart, "We really want people to have a chance to read this to get word of mouth going. People are also interested in seeing him and hearing him talk, and he's very good at it. That's part of the plan, too, to break him out a bit more with more publicity and get him out there. We want Michael to be a national best seller within two books. He's already hit several regional lists, but I want to see him on PW's and The New York Times."

OCTOBER 2002

Progress on the new book continues, although I've just come through one of those difficult times when none of my words seem right, none of the scenes work quite the way I wish, and I have to re-visit the entire chapter over and over again to pull it together and make it work.  Interestingly, it always seems to occur after I've had a run of smooth sailing.  

October will be an interesting month.  First, I'll be doing an event with two other authors at the Jemez Springs High School which will be moderated by N. Scott Momaday, a writer I've long admired and look forward to meeting.

In the middle of the month, I'll be at Bouchercon in Austin, Texas, doing two panels and a talk. You can click on the Bouchercon website on this page to learn more specifics about the convention and when I'm scheduled to participate.

News from my publisher continues to prompt restrained enthusiasm about my writing career.  A bidding war has started among audio publishers interested in securing the rights to the next book, and Publishers Weekly will be interviewing me for a spotlight article in their mystery issue. 

We've had rain in Santa Fe!  Not enough to end the drought, but enough to raise hopes for a wet winter. That would be very nice, but a world at peace would be even better.

SEPTEMBER 2002

The last four New Mexico book signings were resounding successes.  In Las Cruces, Alamogordo and Ruidoso there were standing room only crowds and long lines of people waiting to have books signed.  In Las Vegas, (New Mexico, not Nevada) a steady stream of folks came to the store during my time there.  In several cases, the new book sold out as did the paperback release of "Under the Color of Law." Backlist titles also did well.  It was  wonderful to finish the tour in my home state with such a flourish of interest and support.

For those for you who regularly visit the website you may recall I lost my dog, who was featured  in "Hermit's Peak" 15 months ago. (Remember Shoe, the abandoned dog who lead Kerney to the remains of a murder victim on the ranch land he'd inherited?)  Over the past few months I've been searching for a new pet companion and can now announce that Gracie, a yellow lab-mix about a year and a half old, has joined the family after enduring 5 days of isolation at the animal shelter.  Gracie is bright, very pretty, has a mellow disposition, and has now taken up her position on my office rug where she gives me support and encouragement during my writing day. 

 I am very happy to announce her arrival, and I'll ask Sean, my son and official photographer, to take a picture of Gracie that we can post on next month's update.

AUGUST 2002

With the exception of some remaining New Mexico signings during the next two weeks, the tour for THE BIG GAMBLE is over. It was a coast-to-coast tour that finished up in New York City with the news that the book had made the New York Times extended best seller list at 29.   

In New York, I lunched with executives from Barnes & Noble, attended a reception in my honor at my publisher's offices, did a live broadcast on WNYC-FM, a National Public Radio afflilate, a second radio interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, and did a signing at the Black Orchid Mystery Bookstore in Manhattan.

 The tour included over twenty cities, with two new stops in Omaha and Boston. The vast majority of the events were standing room only, with book sellers reporting the strongest sales yet for both THE BIG GAMBLE and the paperback release of UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW.  Some people traveled hundreds of miles to attend the signings, which always blows me away when that happens.

 It was a month filled with media events --television appearances in Denver and Tucson, radio shows in  NYC, Houston, Tucson, San Antonio, Colorado Springs, New Jersey, and a number of New Mexico cities,  telephone interviews with reporters doing feature articles, plus great print reviews in the Washinton Post and other major newspapers.

 It was great to get a chance once again to say thank you to all the people who read my books and to the folks who sell them.  An added bonus when I got home, was finding my e-mail inbox filled with letters from folks who'd taken the time to write me on the website to report how much they'd liked THE BIG GAMBLE.

 Thank you all, and yes there is another book in the works for next summer, so stand by.

 On a different note, I'm proud to annouce that the cover art for UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW has been nominated for an Anthony award.

 It has indeed, been a very sweet summer.

JUNE/JULY 2002

I am back from what was a relaxing family holiday in Ireland which we enjoyed immensely and if you go here you'll see my wife, Mimi and my son, Sean (who is usualy the photographer) and, of course, yours truly in some of the beauty spots of that small but fascinating country.

And now it's back to business.  Things are really starting to move into gear for the publication of The Big Gamble.

My up to the minute tour schedule is posted here
Whet your appetite by reading the first chapter of The Big Gamble here
The first trade reviews are very pleasing and are posted here
A map of the locales in The Big Gamble is posted here (be sure to click on the interactive links which will take you to some of the areas Kerney visits in his latest adventure
We've put together a page on the locales for the areas that are featured in The Big Gamble here.

For other latest news and information, go to Hot Off the Press GO and be sure to follow the link to the article published in the Santa Fean Magazine in the July issue in which I went on a wander through the Canadian River Canyon area, The Big Empty - I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed researching.

I have started on the next Kerney but am not letting anything out of the bag yet until I've licked it a bit more into shape, so why don't you join our Update List here and my webmaster guru, Di, will keep you informed of updates and changes. (Apologies from Di to those who have tried and got their mail returned - the mail address is now working and please try again)

My next update will be in August - July will be the book tour and I am greatly looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can.