Friday, September 20, 2019

Letting go of Tony 2

Usually when I release a new book I do so with a bit on melancholy, the feeling a parent has when sending their child off to school on the first day, knowing that they must stand on their own now. It’s out of my hands. My love is unconditional, but now they must walk alone.

Not so with THICKER THAN WATER. Releasing the next Tony Flaner mystery is a joyous sparkly, party of triumph and silliness. Tony had his first day of school already. He did well, but dropped out for a while to find himself and a new publisher. It’s been a long strange trip, but his return is, for me, nothing less than triumphant.

I love Tony Flaner. Many people compare him to me. I am one of the models for my flawed slacker, a big one, but not the only one. More importantly, Tony is a model for me. He’s my hero. I look to him for tenacity and resilience, a cynical attitude and sarcastic wit.

We’ve been friends for many years, Tony and I. He taught me my vocation and together we learned completion (see THE FINGER TRAP). Tony and I won the highest award we ever strove for, the Diamond Quill from the League of Utah Writers, one of my favorite writing organizations. I’m not just a member, I’m the president. But I wasn’t then.

Then Tony got lost. Publishing intrigue struck just at that moment of triumph and Tony fell out of print. It has taken this long to bring him back. June saw the return of THE FINGER TRAP and August saw the release of THICKER THAN WATER, the second Tony Flaner mystery that signals that the series is safe and sound and ongoing.

Echoing the themes of Tony’s fictional life, the journey to return the series to publication has been an exercise of push and pull. Push as I kept writing Tony, Pull that fans asked for more. Also it was hard to do and the feeling of accomplishment in bringing him back is itself a reward. Selling a bunch won’t suck, but having the moment of holding a Tony Flaner mystery was, well, triumphant.

It’s been a struggle to happen but it has happened. Flaner fans will love THICKER THAN WATER. Tony told me so. It’s an exploration of family and the debts we owe our ancestors. It’s got more local color than Moab at sunset, a love story, a killer whodunnit, and plenty of indulgences for Tony to be Tony.

And best of all, it’s available.

A personal triumph for me, another day in the life of Tony Flaner.

You can pick up a copy THICKER THAN WATER, and THE FINGER TRAP at Amazon now. Let me know what you think of them if you read them.



Thursday, September 5, 2019

September FanX 2019

FanX is upon us!

Come visit me at my table A16, in the creator's space or see me at my panels.

FanX
September 5-7, 2019


Salt Lake Convention Center
100 S W Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101





Thursday September 5, 2019


Stranger Things: Urban Fantasy Done Right

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm — Room 151D 
The hit Netflix show has become a worldwide sensation. Listen to creative professionals discuss what Stranger Things does right, and how you can emulate it in your own creative works.  

With: Shannon Barnson, Shelly Brown, Jared Garrett, J.R. Johansson, C.K. Johnson, Breezy Weekes, Johnny Worthen

American Apocalypse: Is the End Near?

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm — Room 255C 
Why do we think the end is neigh? How is this cultural fear represented in popular media such as books, television and cinema? What does it say about us? Group will discuss the historic, psychological and cultural phenomenon of the apocalypse as represented in our entertainment media and have a good time doing it.
With: Cody Goodfellow, Mark Avo, DJ Butler, Jodi Milner, Eric Swedin, Johnny Worthen