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• Suzanne Chazin
• Stephanie Gertler
• Nicole Mary Kelby
• Michael I. Leahey
• John Searles
2001 Debut Author Roundtable
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2001 Debut Author Update:
Where Are They Now?
 We caught up with 5 of the 8 authors who participated in last year's Debut Author Roundtable. Enjoy this look at where the "Class of 2001" is now.
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| Suzanne Chazin |
I never imagined when I started my series about New York City firefighter-turned-fire marshal Georgia Skeehan, that so much I had taken for granted was about to change.
The Fourth Angel was published by Putnam in February 2001, and I was very pleased with its success. The book was favorably reviewed in People Magazine, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Times. It made the recommended reading lists in several major mystery bookstores. Readers-both male and female-seemed to connect to Georgia and her struggle to find honesty and respect inside the FDNY.
Back then, the New York City Fire Department was a world most people knew very little about. I knew it well, having lived around it for the better part of two decades. My husband is a chief in the FDNY and I'd absorbed the culture through him. In The Fourth Angel, I attempted to create a story that was scientifically compelling, emotionally riveting and infused with the characters, banter and rituals I'd come to know and love about the FDNY. The Fourth Angel was released in paperback by Jove in February 2002.
In my sequel Flashover, just released in May, I once again looked for the same combustible mix. The title says a lot about where I found it. A flashover is a firefighting term used to describe a room that has become so hot, its contents simultaneously erupt in flames. That applies to the fires in the book, but it also applies to Georgia when she finds herself grappling with the bloody disappearance of her best friend while also struggling to unearth the sordid history of a fire that occurred nearly twenty-five years ago. As the betrayals begin to mount, Georgia faces a different, more personal kind of flashover in her life as well.
I finished the final draft of Flashover at the end of August 2001. Eleven days later, the world fell apart. My own husband was at Ground Zero a few hours after the collapse. I was no longer an author then, I was simply a firefighter's wife-grateful that he was spared, distraught that so many others weren't. I grappled with whether I should ever write another Georgia Skeehan novel.
And then something happened. I began getting letters from readers in other parts of the country who had never met a New York City firefighter but who had come to know them from my first book. They inquired about my husband. They told me about their efforts to raise money for the victims of 9-11. I felt heartened that the books had moved people-not just as entertainment, but on an emotional level as well. So I began to write again. Now, I'm finishing up my third Georgia Skeehan novel. In some small way, I've begun to feel a new weight and significance to Georgia and her world. It's a feeling that I hope to convey through my series for many years to come.
Paperback released: The Fourth Angel February 2002 (Jove)
Followup book: Flashover (G.P. Putnam, May 2002); Mystery-thriller sequel, also starring Georgia Skeehan
In the works:
• Two more hardcover thrillers for the series,
Anticipated releases in May 2003 and May 2004
• Paperback release of Flashover from Jove in May 2003
• German rights sold to Lubbe for The Fourth Angel and Flashover
Browse Suzanne Chazin's books on Amazon.com.
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| Stephanie Gertler |
Just got my stack of books yesterday from the publisher...The Puzzle Bark Tree, my second novel, comes out June 3. Lots of happy anticipation mixed with a tinge of nerves (okay, more than a tinge of nerves!). I'm distracting myself, though --- hard at work on my third novel and preparing to get my daughter off to college. It's nice to be back catching up with readers at Bookreporter.com and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com --- I hope you all enjoy The Puzzle Bark Tree. Happy Summer Reading!
Photo (c) Judy Lawne
Paperback released: Jimmy's Girl February 2002 (Signet)
The Puzzle Bark Tree Excerpt
Jimmy's Girl Reading Group Guide
Browse Stephanie Gertler's books on Amazon.com.
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| Nicole Mary Kelby |
I've just completed my second novel, a mystery, Theatre of the Stars. It is scheduled to be published by the Theia imprint of Hyperion in Spring 2003. Set in Paris, South Africa and Morocco, Theatre is the suspenseful story of mothers and daughters and secrets.
I'm currently working on my next book, a dark comedy about Florida entitled The American Dream. Dream is about a hapless used car salesman who suddenly believes he is Jesus. And everybody else does too.
Thanks for including me. Best wishes.
Paperback released: In the Company of Angels April 2002 (Theia)
In the Company of Angels Review & Excerpt
Browse Nicole Mary Kelby's books on Amazon.com.
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| Michael I. Leahey |
Since participating in the Author's Roundtable, you could say I've been busy. My first novel, Broken Machines, was published by St. Martin's Press in October 2000. That event began my formal education in the business of publishing. Lesson number one was that a first author has to build his readership from the ground up, like any other small businessman. That meant contacting books stores and reviewers, doing signings and sitting on writer's panels. I also constructed a web site (www.michaelileahey.com) and wasted virtually all the money I earned from the first book on marketing professionals --- who didn't help. Like all the hard earned lessons in life, I won't forget it.
While I was busy trying to promote my first book, the second novel in the series, The Pale Green Horse, was purchased by St. Martin's Press. This novel required a fairly significant plot change and rewrites. Then, as production went forward, I was reviewing galleys and correcting typos. Managing your book through the production process is a bit like waiting for a baby to arrive. It takes so long to get through the various stages that when the book finally arrives you're happy, but it seems long overdue.
As The Pale Green Horse slowly worked its way through production, I was also trying very hard to finish the third novel in the J.J. Donovan series, Back in the USSR. On April 15th, The Pale Green Horse was released by St. Martin's and I had to divert a considerable amount of my time to promoting that book. If you factor in my full-time job and the young family that is my first priority, you can see how many different balls I'm trying to juggle.
So, when I was asked about what I've been doing since the Author's Roundtable, I was tempted to say --- "nothing much, just the usual." I decided that needed a bit of explaining. The bottom line is this --- I'll keep juggling, if you folks will keep reading!
The Pale Green Horse Review
Broken Machines Review & Excerpt
Browse Michael I. Leahey's books on Amazon.com.
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| John Searles |
I was at my office at Cosmopolitan one morning when a bunch of packages arrived. The first one I opened turned out to be the paperback of Boy Still Missing and I got so excited about the book all over again. The smaller trade size looked like a baby version of the hardcover and I carried it around the office, telling people that it was the cutest little "chicklet" of a book I'd ever seen.
I think they thought I was crazy but that's nothing new. There is something more relaxed about the paperback publication of a novel. None of that stress about reviews --- instead, the paperback has all the good ones compiled in the front! And I feel so blessed to have Frank McCourt's blurb on the front cover.
Right now, I am halfway through a new book about a guy who works as a handyman until he has an accident and begins to have visions in his dreams. The first vision is about the grisly death of someone in his family, which he then tries to stop. Like Boy Still Missing, the book has lots of mystery elements to it. This one plays with time in a way that turns the story into a puzzle for the reader to solve. I am taking a leave of absence from the magazine this summer to immerse myself in the story and, hopefully, get it done.
Photo (c) Sigrid Estrada
Paperback released: Boy Still Missing March 2002 (Harper Perennial)
John Searles' Website
Boy Still Missing Review & Reading Group Guide
Browse John Searles' books on Amazon.com.
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