Some photos have surfaced from the shooting of Clive's new movie, The International, with Naomi Watts. He plays an obsessive Interpol agent working on a case involving banking corruption and arms-dealing. Judging by this picture, I'd say the action-thriller gets pretty intense.
Sadly, I have no Clive video this week, but in case you missed the world premiere of The Devil's Footprints promo, just click.
My January Intrigue, Texas Ransom, is part of the Ultimate Heroes series, which is getting a lot of great PR. In case you missed the video I posted last week, here's a link where you can watch a spot on Canada's Entertainment Tonight that featured all the January Intrigues. Very cool promotion.
If you pick up a copy of Texas Ransom, please check out the teaser for my upcoming thriller, The Devil's Footprints in the back. If you like what you read, be sure and take advantage of the dollar-off coupon.
I now have 2675 friends on MySpace! My goal is 3000 by the new year. Think I can make it? Want to help me out? Send me a friend request! Plus, you'll soon be able to get sneak peeks of the first few chapters of The Devil's Footprints.
This week, I've been scoping out locations for The Devil's Footprints trailer shoot with the director and my PR guru. We're hoping to use a house in Bastrop, Texas, which is featured in the upcoming horror movie All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. I'll post a pic if we're granted permission. The director, Lucas Amann, worked on that film. We also spent some time perusing shops in Tomball, Texas, for antique bells to use in the trailer. Again, I'll post some photos as soon as we start shooting (hopefully in the next couple of weeks).
The working title for the online prequel is Marked by Evil. It's scheduled to run from the first week of March through the middle of April. A new chapter will be put up every Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks. Here's a little teaser:
Sixteen-year-old Rachel DeLaune has harbored a dark secret for as long as she can remember. And now she has another: someone has been leaving her messages. Bells tied in the tree outside her window. A dead bird on her pillow. Satanic symbols drawn in the dirt beside her car.
Someone is warning her that her time on this earth is running short, but who would want her dead? A jealous boyfriend? An obsessed schoolmate? A deranged stranger?
Or is the threat coming from inside her own family?
My January Intrigue, Texas Ransom, has an excerpt of The Devil's Footprints(March, 2008), along with a one-page ad in the back. I'm especially psyched about the dollar-off coupon with the ad.
I just got word that the online prequel for The Devil's Footprintsis a go. I have to turn in the ten-thousand word manuscript by January 21. The serial will run in February (I think). More details to come as I get them.
Filmmaker Lucas Amann has given me the final draft of the script for The Devil's Footprints trailer and it's sensational, unlike any book trailer I've seen so far. I can't wait to see it come to life on the screen. Thanks to Leanne Amann for the initial concept and first draft of the script. Look for the world premiere right here on Blasphemous Rumours.
Here is the Austrailian cover for a reprint of The Dollmaker. So different from the original cover, but I do like it. I especially appreciate how big my name is.
This week I met with my critique group to brainstorm a thriller/mystery series that's been rolling around in my head for a couple of years now. I've been working on it now and then when I have a few minutes, which probably explains why it's never been fully developed. It's one of those ideas, though, and one of those characters that just won't let go.
Work continues on The Whispering Room, which will be out March, 2009.
Texas Ransom, my next Intrigue, will be out in January.
I turned in the first draft of the script for The Devil's Footprintstrailer and we should be getting something going in another week or two.
I've signed up to attend ThrillerFest in New York next July. I may even find myself on a panel. I'll keep you posted.
Sid News: The little kitty is much, much better. So much better, in fact, that in a few days time, he's gone from being pitiful to a full-blown nuisance. He's out of his little quarantine room and now in my office, sitting on the back of my chair even as I type this. My big cat, Lola, came in with us for a few minutes this morning, but didn't hang around long. I think that's progress, though.
I’ve decided to make Fridays news/gossip day. This is where I’ll keep you informed about what’s happening in the writing world. Agreed, not as much fun as Clive Owen Wednesdays, but I do want to keep my readers up-to-date on works in progress and so forth.
On Monday, I submitted a three-page premise for a new thriller to my editor and she loved it. Whew! The story is pretty dark and creepy so I was a little concerned, but turns out that’s what she loved about it. And here is my agent’s take: “Just read the synopsis and am fighting the urge to jump from my chair and shake the heebie jeebies from my body. This is SCARY!!” Just the reaction I wanted. Yea!
In my spare time (hahahahahaha), I’ve been working on what I thought was a first-person mystery series set in Austin, Texas, but the first book has morphed into an urban thriller about voyeurism inspired by three legendary films—Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1962), and Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966). Here is my one-sentence summary: “An insomniac writer searching for inspiration exploits a young filmmaker’s new voyeuristic pastime.”
As I reported last time, The Devil’s Footprints is in production and will hit the bookshelves on March 1, 2008. I’ve been collaborating on a trailer with the powerhouse duo of Lucas Amann (filmmaker) and Leanne Amann (my advertising guru), and we’re really hoping to come up with something special. I’ll keep you posted during production, maybe even have some snippets I can put up.
Texas Ransom, my next Intrigue, will be out in January.
And just because all this business stuff is a little boring, check out Jonathan Ross's interview with Daniel Craig promoting Casino Royale. So cute.
Since this is another slow news week (I'm still hard at work on The Devil's Footprints), I thought I'd give you some details on the inspiration for the book. The legend goes something like this:
The mysterious footprints, which appeared overnight in heavy snowfall in Southern Devon in 1855, have never been adequately explained. According to contemporary reports, they stretched for over a hundred miles, and went through solid walls and haystacks, appearing on the other side as though there was no barrier. The extent of the footprints may have been exaggerated at the time, and they may have been the result of freak atmospheric conditions. But in truth the footprints - if that is what they were - still remain a complete mystery. (source)
It's starting to get really exciting around here. My editor has just asked for the dedication and acknowledgements for The Devil's Footprints, which means that everything will start happening really fast in terms of the new book. I'm still polishing the manuscript, but will have the final draft finished shortly. As I reported a few weeks ago, I've also had a sneak peek at the cover, although I haven't seen the final version yet. Very creepy, very striking and very different from The Dollmaker, but with some continuity elements (the same font for my name) that I'm very happy about.
I'll keep you posted as more details arise. Like I said, things are getting exciting again.
I like to write about the dusty back roads and murky bayous of the South. About unsolved murders and the kind of dark, simmering secrets that destroy souls.
My books have been described as creepy and disturbing. Stories to be read with the lights on.
But, honestly, I'm just an ordinary person. Quiet and unassuming. Someone who might live next door to you...
Some photos have surfaced from the shooting of Clive's new movie, The International, with Naomi Watts. He plays an obsessive Interpol agent working on a case involving banking corruption and arms-dealing. Judging by this picture, I'd say the action-thriller gets pretty intense.
My January Intrigue, 
