The Story Behind "The Midnight Special"

Emmy-award winning writer Phoef Sutton's THE DEAD MAN #12: THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, his wickedly funny and scary addition to the series, is out today... and it's the perfect way to end our "first season" of short novels. It's also Phoef's first published novel since his acclaimed ALWAYS SIX O'CLOCK back in 1999...and a real departure from his previous work.

So we asked him about the book...and his writing career.


You're a two-time, Emmy award winner for your work writing & producing CHEERS, and you've written for such shows as BOSTON LEGAL, NEWHART and TERRIERS. You're one of the few TV writers who has been able to move between comedy and drama. Why is that so uncommon and how have you been able to pull it off with such apparent ease?

It’s just that I approach them all in the same way.  As stories about characters involved in compelling situations.  When you think of it like that, the specific genre or style doesn’t become paramount.  The character’s journey is what matters.


How did your first novel come about? What did you think about the experience?

Writing is my work and my hobby,  I wrote my first novel in my spare time, just to see if I could do it.


Not only are you a TV writer and novelist, but you've also written several feature films, like THE FAN and MRS. WINTERBOURNE. What kind of writing are you most comfortable doing? Or is it just enough to be writing?

 I like all of it.  Doing different things helps keep me interested; that’s one of the reasons I keep branching out.  But of the three, screenwriting is the least friendly to the writer.  In TV, the writer can be the boss, at least if he’s the showrunner, up to a point.  In the novels, of course, the writer is the boss of everybody.  Because he makes everybody up!


 What attracted you to THE DEAD MAN series?

 I’ve always wanted to write horror.  I’m huge fan of that genre.  Richard Matheson was one of my boyhood idols.  For whatever reason, I’ve never gone in that direction professionally, so when Lee Goldberg mentioned this series to me, I jumped at the chance.  Of course, Lee was himself another attraction – we’ve been trying to work together for years and this is first time we’ve had the chance.


 What did you get out of writing THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL that you don't get from writing sitcoms, dramas, and movies? 


 There is one obvious thing you get out of writing novels that sets them apart from other forms of writing – no network or studio notes.  You’re writing this mostly the way you want to write it.  The other thing I love about fiction is the way it’s so easy to get inside your characters heads.  You want to let the reader know what he’s thinking?  You just write it.  No need to resort to voice-over or character foils or narrative tricks.  I revel in that!

 What sets your book apart from the others in the series?

 Some say it’s the humor.  I can’t help but find comedy – in even the most dire circumstances.  Not that the book’s laugh riot, but there is humor between the lines.  Let’s say the narrator of the book has a wry sense of macabre humor.  I also liked the narrative trick they used in the first book of flashing forward in time and I tried to use that as well.  I think the narrative voice of this book is closest in the series to the original.

 What were some of the challenges you faced writing the book?

 Action scenes.  I’ve never really done them before.  And writing them is a real bear. Try writing “he threw a punch” in seventeen different ways.   But I’m learning!

 What's next for you?

 I’m finishing a new novel – a bit of hard-boiled action called CRUSH.  And I’m producing a comedy for TVLand, THE SOUL MAN.  That should keep me busy through the summer.

You Can Write A DEAD MAN Novel!

Now's your chance to win a $500 advance, a $500 Amazon gift card, and a publishing contract to write your own tale in the DEAD MAN saga, which will be published in early 2013 by Amazon's 47North imprint.

HOW TO ENTER

All you have to do is write a sample chapter and a brief outline of your story, complete the entry form and sign the release...and email the whole package to us at thedeadmanbookcontest@gmail.com by August 1, 2012...or before we reach 500 entries...whichever comes first. Each entry will be judged by a group of current writers of THE DEAD MAN, led by series co-creators Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

The contest rules are below. Please read them carefully to make sure that your entry meets all of the eligibility requirements before you submit.

Good luck!

WRITE A “DEAD MAN” NOVEL CONTEST

OFFICIAL RULES

Please read these Official Rules before entering the Write a “Dead Man” Novel Contest (“Contest”). By submitting an entry, entrants (“you” or “your”) acknowledge that you are eligible to enter the Contest and have read and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and our and the judges decisions related to the Contest. We will select one winner who will receive a full, work-for-hire publishing contract to write a 25,000 word novel in “The Dead Man” series of books, commissioned by  Adventures in Television Inc. (the “Sponsors”) and published by Amazon Publishing.

1.                  ELIGIBILITY. You are eligible to enter the Contest if you are at least 18 years old at time of entry and a legal resident of one of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada (excluding the Province of Québec), China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States (the 50 states and D.C.), or the United Kingdom. You are not eligible to enter the Contest if you are (a) an Amazon employee or independent contractor or an employee or independent contractor of any of Amazon’s  affiliates; (b) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of an Amazon employee or independent contractor; (c) a family member (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of an employee or independent contractor of any of Amazon’s affiliates; (d) an individual living in the same household as Amazon’s  employee or independent contractor; (e) an individual living in the same household as an employee or independent contractor of any of Amazon’s  affiliates; or (f) a judge involved in the Contest.

2.                  HOW TO ENTER. We must receive your Contest entry between June 1, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. (U.S. Pacific Standard Time) and August 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. (U.S. Pacific Standard Time). We will stop accepting Entries after we have received 500 submissions.   You must download the entry form  and the Release and Non-Disclosure Form from  http://thedeadmanbooks.blogspot.com. You must then follow the instructions on the entry form and email to us, at thedeadmanbookcontest@gmail.com, the following attachments: (1) a sample chapter of your proposed book in the “The Dead Man” series (“Chapter”) of up to 4,000 words, (2) an outline of your proposed book of up to 1000 words (“Outline”); (3) a signed release and non-disclosure form and (4) the personal information required on the entry form. (1-4 collectively, an “Entry”). We will not accept or review any Entry that does not comply with these Official Rules.

3.                  ENTRY REQUIREMENTS. You must be the only author of your Chapter and Outline. Any Chapter and Outline submitted as an Entry written by two or more authors will not be eligible. Your Chapter and Outline must: (a) be your original creation; (b) be fictional; (c) be in the English language; (d) be of interior black and white text without images; (e) not currently or previously have been the subject of a publishing agreement with any publisher. Additionally, you must submit your Chapter and Outline digitally in Microsoft Word .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .txt format. Any entry that we determine, in our sole discretion, to meet these requirements will be considered a “Valid Entry.” You may be represented by an agent on the condition that you - not your agent - agree to comply with these Official Rules. Our servers and clock will be the official clock for all phases of the Contest. You will not receive any notice that your entry has been received. You will only be contacted if you are the Winner. You may only submit one entry.

4.                  CONDITIONS OF ENTRY. By submitting an Entry, you represent and warrant that your Entry: (a) is your original creation; (b) has not been copied in whole or in part from any other work; (c) has not previously been published as described in Section 3(e) above; (d) does not violate or infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy or publicity right, or other proprietary or intellectual property right of any person or entity; (e) is not defamatory, libelous, obscene, or otherwise illegal; and (f) is your sole and exclusive property. You further represent and warrant that you have complete, worldwide distribution rights in and to your Chapter and Outline.

5.                  GRANT OF RIGHTS. By submitting an Entry and if you are selected as the winner, you grant Adventures in Television the exclusive first publication rights to your Entry. By submitting an Entry, you grant us and our respective affiliates and agents permission to use, without charge, portions of your Chapter and Outline, along with your name and stated reason for writing the submitted Entry (if provided) for any purpose in connection with this Contest. You also grant us the right to edit the formatting and display of your Entry, and to create literary or any other types of effects in respect to your Entry without compensation or approval. In addition, to the extent that any moral rights (for example, the right to attribution and the right to integrity) apply, you waive (and to the extent that these rights may not be waived, agree irrevocably not to assert) your moral rights in your Entry for purposes of this Contest, including, without limitation, our use of excerpts from your Entry in connection with this Contest. You represent that you have received the consent of any person (or parent or legal guardian if such person is a minor) whose real and actual name or likeness is used or featured in any Entry that you submit. If you fail to obtain the consent, your Entry will be disqualified. We have the right at any time during the Contest to request proof of consent, and to disqualify your Entry if you cannot provide the requested documents. Excerpts, along with the your name, city, and state of residence, and portions of your Entry which relate to the submitted Chapter, may be posted on any website owned or operated by us or any of their affiliates (“Our Site”), any other website or other online point of presence on any platform through which any products or services available on or through Our Site are described, syndicated, offered, merchandised, or advertised. Our decision to post an Excerpt or any portion of an Entry on any one of Our Sites does not mean that the selected Entry has been selected as a winning Entry. Furthermore, you acknowledge that your Entry is based on copyrighted characters, concepts, and other creative elements belonging wholly to Adventures in Television Inc. and that “The Dead Man” logo is a registered trademark of Adventures in Television Inc. and that you may not publish, or otherwise publicly disseminate or repurpose your Entry in any media or format, regardless of whether or not you win the contest, without the written consent of Adventures in Television Inc.

6.                  COLLECTION/USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION. We are collecting personal information primarily to process Entries, to contact you if necessary, or for marketing and other purposes. By participating in this Contest, non-U.S. resident entrants are authorizing the transfer of personal data to the United States for these purposes. By entering the Contest, you agree that we may share your information, in our sole discretion, with third parties that have a need to know the information, such as the judging panel or third parties that we retain to assist in administering the Contest; however, those third parties may only use the information for purposes related to this Contest.

7.                  GRAND PRIZE. If you are selected as the Winner in a category, you will receive a $500 Amazon gift card and a standard work-for-hire publishing contract with Adventures in Television Inc. to write a novella, of no more than 25,000 words, in “The Dead Man” series and to market and distribute your final manuscript as a published book. Upon the full execution of the publishing contract, Adventures in Television will pay the Winner $500.00 USD. The $500.00 payment is an advance against the royalties to be earned by the Winner under the work-for-hire publishing contract. The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the publishing contract is $500.00 USD for the advance. You will receive half of the advance on signing the contract, half on delivery of the final manuscript. Adventures in Television will determine the royalty rates to be paid under the work-for-hire publishing contract, which will depend on the format in which the book is published and the projected print run. You may not negotiate the standard work-for-hire publishing contract with Adventures in Television, and you must sign it “as is” upon receipt of the executable contract if you wish to enter into the publishing contract being awarded. The work-for-hire publishing contract will be governed by the laws of the State of California.

8.                  DISQUALIFICATIONS. If your Entry is disqualified for any reason, you will not receive a notice or explanation describing the reason for the disqualification.

9.                  WINNER NOTIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS. If you are selected as a potential Finalist, we will notify you by phone or e-mail starting on or before Sept 1, 2012. You will be required to sign and return a work-for-hire publishing contract with Adventures in Television, which Adventures in Television will countersign only if you are selected as the Winner. We must receive the signed publishing contract by Oct. 1, 2012. If any documentation is not returned by the specified dates, we may invite an alternate Finalist, chosen by the Adventures in Television judging panel to replace the original Finalist. If notification to the alternate Finalist is returned as undeliverable, we will invite the next eligible alternate Finalist, and so on. Prior to awarding a prize, we may require you to sign additional documents we believe are necessary to confirm your eligibility, to obtain a liability and publicity release, and to award any prize.

10.              ADDITIONAL TERMS. The Contest and all accompanying materials are © 2012 by Adventures in Television, Inc. All rights reserved. The Contest is void outside the eligible entry jurisdictions and where prohibited by law. You agree that our decisions related to the Contest are final and binding in all matters. We reserve the right, to the maximum extent permitted by law, in our sole discretion, to change these rules or cancel the Contest at any time. We may also modify, terminate or suspend the Contest if any viruses, worms, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes beyond our control corrupt or impair the administration, security, or fairness of the Contest or submission of Entries. If you use the name or likeness of an individual in your Entry, you agree to be solely responsible for that use. Amazon is not a sponsor of or involved in the judging of this Contest.  You agree that we, Amazon and our and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, along with any officers, directors, agents, employees and representatives of any of them (collectively, “Released Parties”), will not be responsible for any action brought by a person whose consent you did not obtain. The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any human or other error that may occur in the processing of the Entries; (b) any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to or alteration of Entries; (c) or for technical, network, telephone, computer, hardware or software, malfunctions of any kind, which may occur in connection with this Contest, including, without limitation, any errors or problems related to the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the announcement of the prizes, or the Contest-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for: (y) inaccurate transmission of, or failure to receive, any entry information on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site; and (z) injury or damage to you or any other computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Contest. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to disqualify any individual found to be tampering with the entry or voting process, the outcome of the Contest, or the operation of the Contest or Web site; to be acting in violation of these Official Rules; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person (including actions by you INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND IF SUCH AN ATTEMPT IS MADE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER RELIEF (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM THE PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

11.              LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNAUTHORIZED USE OF ANY ENTRY (OR ANY PORTION OF ANY ENTRY) BY ANY THIRD PARTY. YOU AGREE (FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR HEIRS) THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LIABILITY, LOSS, INJURY, OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY OR TO PERSON. YOU ALSO AGREE THAT WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REASONABLE ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COURT COSTS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, OR BY REASON OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZES (INCLUDING ANY TRAVEL OR ACTIVITY RELATED TO A PRIZE). NOTHING IN THESE OFFICIAL RULES WILL LIMIT ANY RELEASED PARTY’S LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY THAT PARTY'S NEGLIGENCE, A BREACH OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES, OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.

12.              GOVERNING LAW/DISPUTES. This Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California. As a condition of participating in this Contest, you agree, to the extent permitted by law, that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with this Contest, will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in Los Angeles County, California. FURTHER, IN ANY DISPUTE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL YOU BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN AWARDS FOR, AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES, OTHER THAN ENTRANT’S ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES (E.G. COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERING). YOU FURTHER WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR INCREASED.

13.              RIGHTS OF PUBLICITY. By participating in the Contest, you consent to the worldwide use of your name, biographical information, photographs, videos or likenesses in any manner and in any medium now in existence or later invented for any purpose in connection with the Contest without additional compensation, notification or permission, except where prohibited by law.

14.              SPONSORS’ ADDRESS. Adventures in Television, Inc, P.O. Box 8212, Calabasas, CA 91372

Slaves To Evil

Today marks the debut of Lisa Klink's THE DEAD MAN #11: SLAVES TO EVIL, her first published novel. She's also the first woman (so far) to contribute to the series, which is published more-or-less monthly by Amazon's 47North imprint. Here's the plot...

Matt Cahill has an unusual gift: he can see the corruption in people’s souls, making the afflicted appear as walking corpses to his eyes. This macabre ability has set him on a one-man crusade to eradicate these servants of an ancient and powerful evil, embodied by the aptly named “Mr. Dark.”
On his way through the small town of Breckenridge, Minnesota, Matt sees the unmistakable signs of corruption in the chief of police and numerous cops. The evil that has consumed them now terrorizes innocents and allows drug and sex trafficking to run rampant. Just as Matt confronts the enslaved cops, a gun-toting teen appears, looking to make Matt pay for murdering her brother. Of course, Matt did kill her brother—he was another corrupted soul who’d been planning a bombing. But how can Matt convince Elena of the truth without any proof?
Trapped between Mr. Dark’s forces and a girl hell-bent on revenge, Matt faces an impossible choice: remove Elena—permanently—or let her kill him and doom the town.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Lisa has spent years toiling in the trenches of primetime television, as a writer/producers on shows like Star Trek Voyager and Missing...and has even written a Las Vegas strip tourist attraction (The Star Trek Experience, which was at the Hilton for years) . So we thought we'd invite her over here for a chat about her career and her creative process.


How did you become a writer?


I’ve written stories ever since I knew how to write.  I wrote a play in college and graduated with an English major.  After college, I moved to L.A. to work in Hollywood.  At first, I wanted to write movies.  Then I tried writing a TV spec script and found I liked that better.  I took a UCLA Extension class in TV writing from Bill Rabkin, which I really enjoyed.  I had been pitching stories to the Star Trek series “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager,” and finally sold one to DS9.  That was my first produced episode.  It led to a staff job on “Voyager.”


What do you enjoy most about being a writer?


I love the feeling when I get a moment of action or line of dialogue just right.  It’s like thinking of exactly the right comeback to an argument (usually in the car on the way home).  For a few minutes, I feel like a genius.  Then it’s back to work.  I also like the problem-solving aspect of writing, figuring out the right order for the scenes and which clues to drop where.


What drew you to "The Dead Man?"


I was lucky enough to work with Lee and Bill on two TV series, “Martial Law” and “Missing.”  We became friends.  I heard about the “Dead Man” series they were working on and told them it sounded like fun.  So they asked if I’d like to write one of the books.  I jumped at the chance.  I was right – it has been fun.


You've written scores of produced screenplays, but this was your first, published book. Did you find the transition to prose tricky?


Yes, it was tricky.  TV writing is very sparse and functional.  A script isn’t a final product in itself, but a blueprint for an episode.  If something won’t be on screen, it doesn’t go in the script.  With this book, I had to push myself to include more description, emotion and inner thoughts of the characters.  There would be no set design or actors to add those elements later. 


You've spent many years writing and producing TV series, some of them with Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin. How was writing "Slaves to Evil" different than writing an episode of a TV series? In what ways was it the same?


I found it challenging to write prose after years of scripts.  The biggest advantage of a book over TV is the complete lack of budget and network restrictions.  I could have as many sets and characters as I wanted.  I could use bad words and nasty violence with no censor to stop me.  That was fun.


This experience was like TV writing because the premise and main characters had already been established.  I had always found the idea of writing a novel intimidating because I’d have to create the whole universe from scratch.  This was the perfect transitional step.  Also, I was already comfortable working with Lee and Bill, so I knew I had good support.


You've written TV shows, comics, books....you even scripted the "Borg Invasion 4-D" attraction that ran for years at the Hilton in Las Vegas. They are such different mediums. How do you do it? Do you have one guiding philosophy or approach to the writing that you do? What sort of writing do you like best? 


I honestly don’t think I have a preference.  I’m most comfortable with television, but I really enjoy the challenge of working in different media.  Whatever the format, good writing always comes down to story and character.  I have to get those right first.  Then it’s a matter of shaping the script to fit the final product.


Now that you've written a book, are you tempted to write another outside of "The Dead Man" universe?


I would love to write more books.  I read a lot of nonfiction, so I’d like to try that next.  I also have a couple of ideas brewing for original novels.  I’ll always keep writing, in as many different media as I can.  New experiences and new challenges keep it interesting.

FREAKS MUST DIE

The tenth book in the DEAD MAN series, Joel Goldman's taut and terrifying FREAKS MUST DIE, is out today exclusively on Amazon. Here's a short interview with Joel about his career and his experience writing the latest DEAD MAN.

Q: You spent many years as a lawyer before you started writing. How did your first novel come about?

A: One of my law partners complained to me about another partner and asked for my advice. I told him we should write a murder mystery and kill the son-of-a-bitch off in the first chapter and spend the rest of the book figuring out who did it. So I did.

Q: It seems like so many lawyers become novelists. Is there something about framing a case, and presenting it to a jury, that makes a lawyer especially skilled at effective story-telling?

A: I was a trial lawyer for 28 years. Trying a case is all about telling a story. You need a hook, a compelling protagonist and a narrative that holds together, makes sense and gives the jury a reason to root for your side. Writing a novel requires a lot of the same story-telling skills.

Q: After writing several "Lou Mason" legal thrillers, you shifted gears and began writing about an FBI agent. What prompted the shift?

A: I developed a movement disorder called tics which is similar to Tourette's. It makes me shake, spasm and stutter. I wanted to write about my experience so I created Jack Davis, an FBI agent in his mid-50's and gave him my disorder. I wanted to find out what would happens if he shakes when he should shoot.

Q: "Freaks Must Die" novel is your first foray into the horror genre...was that a challenge for you? How is it different from writing a legal thriller or a crime novel?

A: It was a challenge to get in the horror mindset. Once I integrated that into a crime setting, it felt the same, only bloodier.

Q: This is also the first time you've written for a series that you didn't create. What was that experience like?

It was a great experience. The collaboration with the creators of the series, Lee Goldberg and Bill Rabkin, was a terrific learning experience. Capturing the voice and sensibility of Matt Cahill was a challenge. I felt a real responsibility to stay true to the character and the series.

Q: What's next for you?

A: I'm working on a novel that will be out later this year introducing a new series featuring Alex Stone, a public defender with a "Dexter" sense of justice.

Goldberg on Writing

DEAD MAN co-creator Lee Goldberg sat down for a print interview with Kings River Life magazine and, later, video interview shot at the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento. Here's the video:

Dead Man #9 - Carnival of Death

The 9th book in the DEAD MAN saga, Bill Crider's CARNIVAL OF DEATH, is out this week. We asked Bill a few questions about his career and his new book.

You write in so many genres--western, mystery, horror--do you have a favorite? If so, why?

I've enjoyed writing in every genre, and I'd hate to pick a favorite.  I've been most successful in the mystery and crime field, but a lot of the popular fiction writers I admire most have written in several fields.  There's a lot of crossover between mysteries and westerns, for example, with writers like Elmore Leonard, Harry Whittington, Bill Pronzini, Bob Randisi, James Reasoner, and on and on.  So I'm just following their lead.

Is there a common thread to your writing?Most of my writing is set in small towns in Texas and, though I've ventured far afield on more than one occasion, you could say that Texas and Texans figure in most of my work. I like to write about the changes in life and society I see going on around me and how the changes affect the characters in my books, so that's another thread that runs through them.

You're considered an expert on pulp fiction and the old Gold Medal paperbacks. Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin say they were influenced by their love of those books when they created The Dead Man series. Where do you think The Dead Man fits in with, and deviates from, books of that era?

The Gold Medal paperbacks were short, punchy novels full of action and color. They moved fast, and they featured ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I see The Dead Man as being solidly in that tradition, with some elements of the fantastic added for color. There's also a connection to the kind of adventure books that I wrote with Steve Mertz more than 20 years ago in series like The M.I.A. Hunter and The Tunnel Rats. And of course Nick Carter.

How did you approach your Dead Man book, Carnival of Death? What were the challenges? What did you enjoy most?

The challenges included writing an action-oriented story that also developed the character and history of Matthew Cahill a bit without violating the rules of his world and what had happened in other installments of the series. An even bigger challenge was to write a book that was up to the high standards of the ones that preceded it, all of which were topnotch stories by writers whose work I admire. The most enjoyment came from getting back to writing the kind of series action story like the Gold Medal paperbacks. It's always great fun to do that kind of thing.

What's next for you?

I'm working on a book in the Rancho Diablo series that I write with Mel Odom and James Reasoner. It's a western with horror elements called Gabby Darbins and the Slide-Rock Bolter. Should be fun.

A Year Ago Today

Lee Goldberg here...

As you already know, Amazon has ordered 12 more books in the DEAD MAN series...in digital, print and audio...on top of the 12 that they ordered back in September. That will keep the monthly series of original novellas going into 2013 (book #9, CARNIVAL OF DEATH, comes out in a few weeks).

The renewal cames just as DEAD MAN VOLUME 1, a digital and print compilation of the first three DEAD MAN tales, and the audio edition are released.

What you may not know is that news comes almost to the day that Bill Rabkin and I self-published FACE OF EVIL, the first DEAD MAN tale, one year ago this month. Last February, I had the silly fantasy that Amazon would see the potential of the series and become our publisher...little did I know how quickly that dream would come true.

But I owe that to a series of events that began in an "Introduction To  TV Writing" class I was teaching at UCLA back in 2007. One of my students was a guy named Mike Daniels. The goal of the class was for students to leave with a solid outline that they could use to write their first spec script in the "Introduction to Screenwriting" class. But it was clear to me that Mike was far too talented to be wasting his time writing an outline...he should go to script now. So asked I him to continue participating in class, but to start writing  the script and share his pages with me on the side. He did.

By the end of the term, he'd turned out a brilliant RESCUE ME spec...and, if memory serves, a spec pilot script as well. At the end of that last class, I told him he was as good, if not better, than most TV writers that I knew and to stop wasting his time taking classes...he was ready to conquer the TV biz.

And he did.

Within a year, he was on staff of ONE TREE HILL. Today, he's married to one of the actresses from the show and a producer on SONS OF ANARCHY.

What does all of this have to do with THE DEAD MAN?

Not long after our class was over, Mike asked me if I'd read an unpublished novel that his brother James had written.  James was a lawyer, but on the side he also narrated books for Brilliance Audio. I agreed, with more than a little hesitation, to read the book. Much to my surprise, I really liked the book...it was clear he had enormous talent...but the story needed a lot of work. I suggested some revisions to the opening chapters, which James made, and then referred the book to my agent. She saw the potential too and took him on...and although she wasn't able to sell the book, I never forgot it or how talented he was. When the DEAD MAN came along, I asked him if he wanted to write one. He did...and the book turned out to be RING OF KNIVES, the second in our series.

When RING OF KNIVES came out, James told all of his friends at Brilliance Audio about the book...and when they read it, they thought that it, and the other books in the series,  would make great audiobooks.

Since Brilliance is owned  by Amazon, word about their interest in the series soon filtered up to the editors at Amazon Encore and Thomas & Mercer...who called me about the print rights.

And you know how the rest of the story goes...

But the capper is that James, and his brother Luke, are narrating the audiobooks (James narrates his books, Luke narrates all of the others). Is that just  too perfect?

Anyway, this all goes to show how everything is connected...and that you have no idea how something you do today could pay off in unexpected, unimagined ways years from now.

Amazon Brings Back The Dead For More

We're thrilled to announce that Amazon's 47 North imprint has commissioned 12 more DEAD MAN novels, carrying the monthly action/horror series into 2013. Upcoming authors of DEAD MAN novels include Joel Goldman, Lisa Klink, Mel Odom, Christa Faust, Burl Barer, Phoef Sutton, and Anthony Neil Smith.

Now You Can Listen to THE DEAD MAN

The first three DEAD MAN novels, combined in DEAD MAN VOLUME 1, are now available in an audiobook from Brilliance Audio and Audible. The books are narrated by the Daniels brothers...Luke and James,who also happened to write Dead Man #2: Ring of Knives.

The Dead Man Theme Song

Matt Branham has recorded a terrific theme song for THE DEAD MAN that will soon be featured on the audiobook editions from Brilliance Audio. But you can listen to it right here.

Coming Soon....more adventures of The Dead Man

Rave review for KILL THEM ALL

The fine folks at Horror World have given Harry Shannon's DEAD MAN: KILL THEM ALL a rave review. They say, in part:

What ensues reads like a sick western set in modern times, replete with the best bells and whistles...Like most of Harry Shannon’s accomplishments, this novella entertains and is well worth the ride

Dead Man #8: FIRE AND ICE is now available

Jude Hardin's FIRE AND ICE, the latest tale in the bestselling DEAD MAN saga, is now available. It's a rip-roaring thrill ride through a landscape of pure terror. Here's a short interview with Jude about his writing and his DEAD MAN tale.

A Q&A with Jude Hardin
Question: You've had so many jobs...professional drummer, bartender, avionics technician, carpet cleaner, chemical plant supervisor, substitute teacher, and registered nurse. Did it take a while to "find yourself" and have you finally succeeded in your quest? 

Jude Hardin: Ha! Maybe I was trying to find myself, or maybe I just can't hold a job. But really, I've always been a writer, even though I've mostly paid my bills doing other things. I went to the University of Louisville right out of high school and earned my bachelor's in English, and from there I didn't really know what to do to make money. I tried freelancing for the Louisville newspaper for a while, but spending two weeks on a feature article and then getting paid $50 wasn't cutting it. I bartended for a while and then joined the Navy and learned electronics, and after the Navy I went back to bartending and did some other things and finally went back to school for a nursing degree. I've been working as an RN for fifteen years; but, through everything I've done, since I started working on My English degree when I was eighteen, really, I always thought I would sit down some day and write the great American novel. When I turned forty-three, I figured I better get started before it was too late. I thought it would be easy. I thought I would write a book and send it out to publishers and they would line up with their checkbooks and fight over it. I was deluded, of course. It wasn't easy, at all, and nobody fought over that first book. Or the second. Or the third.

Q: How did you get involved in The Dead Man series and what attracted you to it? 

JH: It was really quite a coincidence. I was working on a horror novella called Unborn at the time with the intention of self-publishing it, and I thought I might like to collaborate with someone else on a different self-publishing project. I approached author J. A. Konrath and asked if he would be interested. He had too many other things going on at the time, but he knew that his friends Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin were rounding up a posse of writers for a series of action-adventure/horror novellas. He gave me Lee's email address, and I sent him a short query and he agreed to take a look at the first few chapters of Unborn to see if I might be a good match. I sent the chapters and he wrote me back the same night and offered me the Dead Man gig. I was ecstatic and accepted without hesitation. 

Q: Is it hard writing a book in a series that you didn't create? What have you learned from it? 

JH: It was harder than I thought it was going to be. Nobody, and I mean nobody, knows a character like the author who created that character. It's sort of jarring, like you're not in Kansas anymore. Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin loved my villain right away, but it took me longer to nail the main characters in the series--their characters. Lee and Bill are television writers, so it was interesting developing the story with them from that perspective. It was a great experience. 

Q: How much does Fire & Ice draw on your own experience working in a chemical plant? 

JH: Most of the action in Fire and Ice takes place inside the plant, so I used my memory from a job I had in the early-to-mid 90s to construct the setting. I worked there for three years. It was a big steel building with no climate control, and I can still feel the heat of the place in the summer and the cold in the winter and the noise and the smell. I often draw on real-life experiences when composing my fiction, and I think it adds a certain verisimilitude for the reader--a portal to what John Gardener calls the fictional dream--that looking things up on Google can't always match. 

Q: What's next up for you? 

JH: I recently signed a multi-book deal for my Nicholas Colt thriller series, so that's going to keep me busy for at least the next couple of years. Colt is the main character in Pocket-47, my debut novel. New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen says, "POCKET-47 sucked me in and held me enthralled. Author Jude Hardin keeps the pace frantic, the thrills non-stop, but best of all is his hero, the wonderfully ironic Nicholas Colt. This is a character I'm eager to follow through many adventures to come." So that's what's next up for Colt and me--many adventures to come!

News from The Dead

Lots of exciting news in the world of THE DEAD MAN. The Brilliance Audio edition of THE DEAD MAN V1 -- which includes "Face of Evil," "Ring of Knives," and "Hell in Heaven" -- is now available for pre-order. What makes this especially cool is that "Ring of Knives" author James Daniels performs his own book while his brother Luke Daniels does the others. The Daniels Brothers are experienced audio book performers and we're lucky to have them bringing Matt Cahill and Mr. Dark to life...so-to-speak. The paperback edition of THE DEAD MAN V1 comes out in February.

Meanwhile, James Daniel's latest DEAD MAN tale, "The Beast Within," will be published in just a few weeks.

KILL THEM ALL -- 99 Cents for a Very Limited Time!!

Harry Shannon's KILL THEM ALL, the sixth book in the DEAD MAN series, is bargain priced at 99 cents for a very limited time. And if you visit the product page for the book, you'll find a terrific Q&A interview with the author. Here's an excerpt:

Q: You've written a lot of horror books, including Clan, The Hungry and the Lionsgate movie and novel Dead and Gone. How is the horror in The Dead Man different from what you have done before? 
HS: That's an interesting question. For me, horror is not a genre so much as an emotion, so it can be expressed in any number of ways. I generally gravitate towards dry humor coupled with a serious exploration of existential themes--literally the meaning of life, death and those fragile emotional attachments we form along the way. With my entry Kill Them All, I wanted to use the horror as a metaphor for moral corruption. I immediately saw Matt as the classic American hero, an archetypal loner wandering into and out of a troubled desert town, standing up to evil on behalf of the weak and downtrodden. I often set novels in Nevada, but to answer your question, this one has the feeling of a graphic novel, and though it's contemporary it is far more of a classic western than anything else I've ever done. It tempts me to try my hand at a period piece. 
Q: This is the first time you've written in someone else's "universe." What was it like writing characters you didn't create? 
HS: To be honest, it wasn't easy at first. I'm not used to having to discipline my muse to that degree. Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin were very patient with me, red-lining and sending back a couple of drafts, pointing out where I'd gotten something wrong about Matt's personality or background. The tone had to be just right, and my goofiness had to be reigned in a bit. Kill Them All ended up far, far better as result of their patience. I'll have to prepare and outline more carefully the next time I do a project like this. But once the boundaries were nailed down properly, it just started flowing out. I'm proud of i>Kill Them All. It has substance to it, and was lots of fun to write.