Tim Rackley Heads to TNT

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be developing my Tim Rackley books (THE KILL CLAUSE, THE PROGRAM) as a TV series for Sony/TNT. I’m teaming up with my good buddy and talented show runner, Shawn Ryan, who wrote/produced great shows like The Shield, Terriers,  and The Chicago Code.

For more information, check out the Deadline article which announced the project.

Favorite Fan Email Ever

You sadistic SOB. I’m a 72 year-old man. I can’t handle too much strain. I have struggled through all of your other books on the edge of my chair and losing sleep, but this new one, “You’re Next” has brought me to the point of distraction. You touched on all the raw nerves in my body: the wife, the precocious child and doing what’s right for our Environment. This is the worst one yet. Like Kat, I hate you. Okay when’s the next torture chamber coming out? Of course I’ll get it. Keep on writing…

YOU’RE NEXT Launch Party

Thanks to everyone for coming out to my launch party at Diesel Bookstore. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. For those of you who missed it, here are some pictures of the event…

 

 

 

 

 

Some terrific LA crime writers showed up too, including Christopher Rice, Eric Shaw Quinn, Brett Battles, Paul Levine, Andrew Klavan, and Timothy Hallinan. Couldn’t manage to snag their photos.

Stay tuned, I’ll continue to post photos from the road.

New Contest

Fellow comic book readers…

In YOU’RE NEXT, Dodge is reading a certain comic. Correctly identify the comic for a chance to win a signed first-edition of the graphic novel VENGEANCE OF THE MOONKNIGHT: Shock and Awe.

Submit your entries to info@kayepublicity.com by August 31st.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

 Please DO NOT post answer in the comments section. Email it to the address listed above.

 

Fundraiser – Detroit Dog Rescue

In Detroit, entire neighborhoods have been abandoned. People aren’t the only casualties of this crisis. It is estimated that over 50,000 dogs, left behind by their families, roam the streets of the city.  Animal Control euthanizes 80% of the dogs they catch.  One organization has stepped up to help: Detroit Dog Rescue. DDR is trying to build the first no-kill shelter in the city, and Simba and I are trying to help.

For every “Like” we receive below, I will donate $1 to the cause. The more likes, the more donations, so please help spread the word. More information can be found Sirens of Suspense. Thank you for your help and support.

Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain, Damnit!

From time to time, I get emails or letters from readers taking issue with the language I use in my books. Usually it’s holy-than-thou nonsense claiming that my use of this word or that offended their pure eyes to such an extent that never again shall they check a Gregg Hurwitz book out of the library. I like responding with four-letter declamations because, well, I’m witty like that.

But the other day, I got an email that struck me for its civil tone. I’ll like to share it here and include my response.
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Hi,

I just finished reading They’re Watching, which was absolutely awesome. It’s the first book that I’ve read of yours and I look forward to reading the rest of your books.

However I wanted to write you about something I find very dismaying. In your novel you frequently use God’s name in vain and I can’t understand why someone so educated finds it necessary to do so. Surely there are enough curse words in the English language that can be used as exclamations instead. I am an avid reader, since I’ve been keeping track of books I read in a database I’ve read 1104 books to date, I only mention this to show that I’m not a book a year reader. I’ve written to a bunch of authors regarding this matter and have received a response from some stating that the majority of people speak this way and they are merely just trying to make their characters realistic. A poll was taken that determined that 83% of Americans are Christian. So I believe it is the loud, vocal minority that speaks this way, especially Hollywood, and not the silent majority.

So I just thought I’d speak up for the silent majority. I think you are an excellent writer and taking God’s name in vain in your novels adds nothing to the story and leaving it out would take nothing from it. In fact, John Grisham and Brad Meltzer are authors who do not take God’s name in vain in their novels. So you see it also isn’t a requirement to become a famous author. I know you already are famous, all I’m saying is that it wasn’t a requirement for them to get there.

Just something I hope you’ll give some thought to when you write your next novel.
Sincerely,
Barbara
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To which I replied:

Hi Barbara,

Thank you for writing. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the book, and I also appreciate your civil and thoughtful tone in conveying your issue with the language I use. Since you took the time to express your question, I’d like to answer it thoroughly.

To begin with, the percentage of Christians is indeed close to what you claim. The last demographics show Christians at 76% in 2008 (though continuing to decline). So — a clear majority. But conveying what is pleasing to a majority isn’t really the aim of a writer or artist. It is writing what is true and offers a veneer of verisimilitude. Indeed, as other authors have stated in their answers you, I do want to write in a manner similar (though not precisely similar) to how people really talk. And there’s no telling what will offend folks — whether they compose the majority or minority. If I eliminate seeming religion-referencing exclamations in favor of sharper swear words, that will upset people too (and has — I’ve received those emails as well).

Lastly, as one of the few Jewish kids in my Jesuit High School, I had the advantage of approaching religion — and the commandments — from a relatively fresh perspective. And what I was taught (and what makes sense to me) is that taking the Lord’s name in vain doesn’t really refer to a frustrated utterance, but rather using God’s name in pursuit of hypocritical, manipulative, or un-Christ-like aims. Like a preacher swindling his flock. Like waging an illegitimate war in the name of God. Like a cult leader abusing members in the name of Jesus. This makes intuitive sense to me. I understand why this would be more offensive to the moral parameters of a religion rather than naming God or Jesus in an utterance. I’ve always taken someone’s declaiming, “Jesus!” to be shorthand for nothing more than “Jesus help me!” or the like — not offensive to my mind.

That said, I do feel compelled to add that when I’m writing characters, each comes with his or her own morality which I allow them to express in full, whether that be in action or language. I’ve written rapists and serial killers and cult leaders and psychopath businessmen. And I’ve written my share of protagonists who are flawed and imperfect and, I hope, three-dimensional — who sound and act as we do. And in painting this ever changing cast, I try to make use of not just one moral perspective — nor just the moral perspective of the majority — but the vast and sundry approaches to life and language that characterize the human condition.

All best to you and thank you for writing,

Gregg Hurwitz

YOU’RE NEXT – Pre-Order Contest – Win a Gregg Hurwitz Library

After nearly five months on the international bestseller charts, YOU’RE NEXT is finally coming home! To celebrate, I’m hosting a giant pre-order contest, a giveaway of all my previous books — that’s 10 signed, personalized first-edition hardcovers! To enter, simply pre-order the book from one of these vendors: 

 

They’re Watching Goes On Tour

This is an email from a favorite reader. Love it!

“Like most journeys that lead to uncertainty and danger, there’s always a woman. And this one was no different. Actually, it was text book; classic 50′s detective stuff. Boat ride to South America. Jungles. Foreign cops, jails and jar-heads. The usual stuff. And the bombshell you knew was too good looking to hang with a mug like yours, which meant that she was playing a game; most likely at your expense. Even knowing that, I was sure to take the fall. Not the stereo-typical blonde type, you might expect. More of a “woman in red” with equally stunning red hair that makes Jessica Rabbit look like a two-bit crack head turning tricks…or maybe the way she looked at me…holding a copy of “They’re Watching” in her long, slender, knife scarred hands. Obvious cage fighter injuries, to be certain.

Read more

Bon voyage to Moon Knight. How he – and my comic brain – developed

This week’s issue of Moon Knight – the conclusion of the Shadowland event – will be my last.

When Marvel asked me to consider tackling Moon Knight, I told them I’d only do it if I could do something really different, as the character’s last reinvention – at the hands of Charlie Huston (and taken over by Mike Benson) – had been solid, innovative, and clever. It had reintroduced Moon Knight to a new generation of readers while keeping a great, dark, street edge on the character. I didn’t want to do more of the same because I feared I would only be doing a pale imitation of what they had already done so well. So my decision was to do Moon Knight BIG, bigger than any comic I’d yet written. My early work focused on the Foolkiller, Punisher, and Wolverine – street-geared, noirish crime stories where the killer-hero toted a gun, a sword, or a samurai blades attached to his hands. This was a natural transition for me coming out of my novels, particularly off the Tim Rackley series, which I considered my action-meditation on vigilante justice.

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Latest Moon Knight covers

The latest Moon Knight covers from superstar artists Francesco Mattina and Bryan Hitch. We wrap up my Deadpool two-issue arc with Vengeance of the Moon Knight #8, SWEET SLUMBER, then we charge forward into the Secret Avengers, MK brooding along as a TEAM PLAYER.

  

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