"Moonlight Falls" Again...

"Man's life is flashing before his eyes...."

The first line in my novel, Moonlight Falls, still causes chills to run up and down my spine. I was in quite the state when I wrote it. The second marriage was crumbling, the bank account was in the red, my original Big 5 publisher wasn't about to roll out a third book for me now that I hadn't earned out a mid-six-figure advance, I had no freelance prospects, and my dog died. Okay, well I'm fibbing about the dog, but things were pretty bleak to to say the least. So much so, that not even the worst country music ballad could do it justice.

How does the line go in the famous Wilco song? I shiver whenever the doorbell rings. Or something like that. And yeah, I must admit, there were times I thought, you know what, why not just check out now and beat the reaper at his own game. But then, even the next cheeseburger is worth waiting for. Especially if the cheese is sharp cheddar and you're washing it down with an ice cold beer.

But it was in this state of mind that I began Moonlight Falls, with those first seven words. Because in a real way, my life was flashing before my eyes. I knew that I had no choice but to write my way out of my depression. That a creative mind had no other choice. That is, it wanted to survive.

I can still recall sitting across from Suzanne Gluck's big glass desk inside her glitzy William Morris Agency office in Manhattan, while she read the manuscript one page at a time, a pair of brass knuckles set out on the desktop, and her rather attractive assistant bringing her a bagel (no cream cheese). Gluck was, is, arguably, the best literary agent in the world. And that is no exaggeration. She took a special interest in Moonlight Falls and I was convinced at the time that all my problems were solved. But it was not to be. In the end, that big ass advance I hadn't earned out at Delacorte plagued me like a bad shadow and even she couldn't sell it. I had no choice but to go with a small publisher.

Said small publisher treated me very kindly, but as time went on and the manuscript was whipped into someone else's editorial vision, it sort of lost it's original gritty vision in order to become more attractive to a wider audience. But only now, nearly ten years after I first started writing it, is my original vision of the manuscript available for both new readers and Zandri completests. It's hard-boiled, it's noir, it's romantic suspense, it's raw, it's sexy, it's bad ass, and yeah, it's as close to the original version Ms. Gluck read inside her office with me staring at her, wondering if she was single (she wasn't).

So, without further rumination, for the first time in a long time, I give to you, MOONLIGHT FALLS (EXTENDED EDITOR'S CUT EDITION)...

 Also, check out the original MOONLIGHT FALLS TRAILER

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM


     

THE SHROUD KEY is Released and More News!

I just finished writing and distributing my newsletter for those subscribed fans and friends. But since so many of you aren't subscribed I thought I would put it out as a blog. So here goes: 

Author Photo by Jessica Painter Hello All, Just a quick update on from my part of the globe now that the Fall season is upon us (Yes, the summer flew by). I have some good news regarding the Thomas & Mercer edition of THE REMAINS. This month it's an "Editor's Pick" at Amazon and has been enjoying a stay in the Top 300 Kindle books for more than a week now. In the UK it reached the Top 10 and is still in the Top 50. The T&M editions of THE INNOCENT and GODCHILD have also been enjoying a nice revival (If you recall, THE INNOCENT was once published under the title, AS CATCH CAN by Delacorte Press). I'm also excited to announce that the third in the Marconi series, THE GUILTY (StoneGate Ink), has been an Amazon Hot New Release in Hard-Boiled Mystery since it's release one month ago. Also look for the fifth in the Dick Moonlight PI series, MOONLIGHT SONATA, which is also being released by StoneGate Ink. On the foreign end of things, I've just signed with MEME PUBLISHERS in Paris and Milan. Meme will be handling the foreign translations of all the Moonlight and Marconi novels, plus THE REMAINS and THE SHROUD KEY (see below). MOONLIGHT FALLS is he first to be translated into both Italian and French. It will be available in Europe in Spring 2014. This month is also special in that my newest novel in a brand new series featuring Renaissance man, Chase Baker, has now officially been released in e-book (trade paper to follow). It's called THE SHROUD KEY. Here's what the novel is all about: Chase Baker is not only a true Renaissance Man, he’s a man who knows how to find trouble. A part-time resident of Florence, Italy, his resume reads like a modern day Da Vinci or Casanova. Writer, private investigator, tour guide, historian, treasure hunter, adventurer, and even archaeological sandhog, Chase is also a prolific lover. Unfortunately for him, his dangerous liaisons all too often make him the target of a jealous husband. Now, at the direct request of the Florence police, he finds himself on the trail of an archaeologist by the name of Dr. Andre Manion who’s gone missing from his teaching post at the American University. But having worked for the archaeologist several years ago as a sandhog on a secret but failed dig just outside the Great Pyramids in the Giza Plateau, Chase smells a renewed opportunity to uncover what just might be the most prized archaeological treasure in the world: The mortal remains of Jesus. But how will Chase Baker go about finding both the archaeologist and the Jesus Remains? With the help of Manion’s beautiful ex-wife, Chase will manage to secure an up-close and personal examination of the Shroud of Turin, not only to view the famous image of the crucified Christ, but to unlock the relic’s greatest secret which is none other than a map, or a key, detailing the precise location of Jesus’s body. Fans of Dan Brown, Clive Cussler and JR Rain will find The Shroud Key an irresistible adventure.   In terms of appearances, I'll be hanging out at Bouchercon the weekend of September 19-22 which is happening this year at Albany's Empire State Plaza. I'll be a part of a cool panel on Friday morning 9:00-9:55AM-Friday Room 1 Worse Comes to Worst-tragedy as entertainment Art Taylor (M), Joe Clifford, Nik Korpon, F. Paul Wilson, Johnny Shaw, Lee Thompson, Vincent Zandri Please stop by! Here's hoping this finds you well. As always I appreciate your support and friendship. I look forward to seeing you many of you soon. Cheers, Vince WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM VINCENT ZANDRI, NOIR AUTHOR vazandri@aol.com Find me at www.vincentzandri.com Author Photo by Jessica Painter

Pam Stack's "Author's on the Air" Interview with Vincent Zandri

The lovely Pam Stack

Thought I'd give you something different from the Vox for a change. Just this past Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of being the guest of Miami's Pam Stack. Via her popular Blog Talk Radio program, Authors on the Air, she has interviewed some of the hottest and most popular thriller writers at work today, including Dave Zeltserman, Meg Gardiner, David Morrell, and many more. I can't tell you how honored I am to enter into the ranks of these great writers. Before you listen, it might interest you to know that BlogTalk Radio ranked my show #4 out of 30,000 other programs being aired that day. A number which astounds me and really pleased Pam. I can tell you this, it's rare that I listen to the podcast of an interview once it's in the can. But Pam Stack's questions and delivery were so professional and knowledgeable, that she really made me work for my answers. In the end, I think we both did a pretty good job. And I was pleased to give it a very good listen. 

With that, I give you....

AUTHORS ON THE AIR: VINCENT ZANDRI

                                                  WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

MOONLIGHT FALLS Comes Full Circle

Six years ago I was surviving as a freelance journalist and sometimes foreign correspondent. I hadn't published a full-length novel since 2001 when Dell published, Godchild, the second in the Jack Marconi series. I was beginning to think I would never enter back into the game again. Even then, I still had no idea about the power of e-books and digital publication, so I was still schlepping manuscripts the old fashioned way: via snail mail and via an agent who schlepped via snail mail. In the end, a small traditionally based press took the book on. I signed a traditional deal for traditional percentages. Hey, what did I know?

Now I have the rights to my first Dick Marconi novel back. And now, for the first time, the novel that started it all is available from a digital-heavy indie press that knows how to publish, market, and distribute e-books--StoneHouse/StoneGate Ink. I should know, Over the past two years, I've sold literally hundreds of thousands of copies of my novels with them. So many that it led to a seven book deal with Thomas & Mercer of Amazon Publishing.

 Introducing for the first time, again, MOONLIGHT FALLS

Get it here on Kindle
Get it here on Nook
Get it here on Kobo

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Don't Read Your Reviews

Papa poised to kick a critic's ass...

There's a great scene in the recently broadcast HBO movie, Hemingway and Gellhorn in which a drunk Papa spots a book reviewer from across a crowded bar, and taunts the man into a fist fight.
"Hey you...Critic!" Hemingway belligerently shouts at the smartly dressed man. "Critic, come here!"
The critic in question is supposed to be Max Eastman who, in the early 1930s accused the macho Hemingway of being a sissy with no real hair on his chest. Whether Eastman was trying to be literal or just tooling with Hemingway is still up for conjecture eighty years after the fact. But I can bet that if the great Papa were still alive today, the nasty review would still be fresh in his mind and just as hurtful. So it went in make-believe-movie land that, when confronted face to face with his less than favorable reviewer, Papa not only tore his shirt open to reveal real chest hair, but he attempted to knock Eastman's teeth down his throat (In real life this altercation occurred in NYC in Max Perkin's Scribner's office. Eastman and Hemingway wrestled around a bit with the critic supposedly gaining the upper hand in the fight, prompting Papa to start laughing and suggesting they share a drink.).

The point here is not critics or macho stances or even boys being boys. The point is that, man or woman, we all loath reviews. Rather, we loath the bad ones. But as writers in the digital age, we not only have to sweat out the professional reviews, we now are forced to put up with the amateur reviewers. I recall a lecture given once by John Irving when I attended the Breadloaf Writer's Conference back in 1991 in which he explicitly stated that he would not review a single book by an author without having read his entire library first. That's the kind of care a professional reviewer puts into his reviews.

Today however, we place a whole lot of importance on reviews that come from amateurs who know as much about writing a proper review as they might flying a 747. That said however, their reviews are not taken lightly. They are considered a crucial component in the sales, or lack their of, of any given author's books. In other words, the more bad reviews an author receives the better the likelihood that his sales will stink up the joint. The converse is also true.

As authors, we don't have a whole lot of power when it comes to who reviews our work, be it other jealous authors cowardly hiding behind a clock of anonymity, or a spiteful ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, or simply someone who doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. But then, in many ways, it's a Godsend that so many non-professionals will take the time to lend their opinion about our novels and therefore help spread the good word.

Thank you!

But all too often, these same reviewers will go out of their way to say nasty things about a book, and this mean-spiritedness translates into one star reviews that inevitably hurt authors who are trying to make a living.

Imagine if you a will a world in which the reviewer must state his or her occupation and we, the writer, in turn, get to observe their performance for the day and write our own review.

1 Star ...  "This Lawyer Really Sucks"

"When I sat down in court to observe this lawyer in action today, I expected great things. After all, everyone is talking about how great he is. But his opening argument bored the hell out of me. It was full of cliches and the whole thing was slow moving. I won't be attending anymore opening arguments by this lawyer." 

Ok, you get the point.

So, what to do then in a world in which the amateur rules?
Don't read the reviews. Good or bad, just don't read them. Instead spend your time writing the best books you can. Then, in the end, you will know that no matter what anyone says, your book is as good as your could make it. A book that will stand the test of time. A book that will put hair on your chest.

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

How To Win The Superbowl and Sell More Books

"The first ever, Tushdown! Or, the touchdown that wasn't supposed to happen."

If you're like me you like football. Good old, hard-hitting, American football. And if that's the case you probably caught the Superbowl last night. I'm a New Yorker so my favorite home team was playing in the game. The New York Football Giants. Having spent the weekend in New York with my new sig other and our daughter, I was particularly pumped up to catch the last big game of the season. With the New England Patriots and the dangerous quaterbacking of Tom Brady being our opponent, the game promised to be a high scoring scorcher.

It turned out to be anything but that.

Instead the game seemed at times, to be a like a carefully choreographed dance fueled more by what could happen than what would happen. Instead of the Giants utilizing their signature rough and tumble defense to maul Brady, they more or less stood back and allowed him to play his short game while at the same time, preventing him from making any big plays. Kind of the same strategy boxers use when they stand back against the ropes and allow their opponents to hit their arms and foreheads, but not give them the chance to land anything big.

The Patriots played the same kind of game. They allowed the Giants to complete short passes and runs, but prevented any real high scoring. It was a weird game in which the Giant's running back was told not to score. Huh? Time had run down to nearly the last minute and the Giant coaches, who no doubt consulted with their computers, decided that their odds of winning would be greater of they decided not to score a touchdown than if they scored and allowed Tom Brady to march back down the field with one minute on the clock. Instead, the odds would be better for the Giants if they stayed out of the end zone, allowed the clock to wind down to just a few seconds, then took their chances on a game winning field goal.

The Patriots were aware of this strategy also, and in turn ordered their defense to allow the Giants to score a touchdown...In the Superbowl...With one minute to go. What resulted was a Giant running back who bolted to the end-zone only to realize at the very last second that the Patriot defense wasn't trying to tackle him. He tried to pull back, but momentum forced him past the goal, tushy first.

It all turned out OK for the Giants, so I guess the Big Blue coaches, or their computers anyway, were right. But not right for the Patriots. Well, whether you're following me here or not, the whole thing just feels strange to me. It's not just football that's changing. Times are changing, and life as we knew it even five years ago is changing. Never before in my life have things seemed so different. I mean, sure, I wake up and write everyday like always, but it's the way I now conduct my life, my business, my relationships and my thoughts that seems so bassackwards, if you'll allow me to coin a phrase.

For instance: this past weekend, one of my indie publishers, StoneGate Ink, decided to run a promo of the special uncut edition of Moonlight Falls. In terms of changing times, this novel epitomizes the type of thing readers will see in the future in that's its a novel that features additional never before seen chapters and points of view than its originally published form. It's really quite the reading experience. But here's the thing, instead of lowering the price for consumers, they have offered it up for FREE for a limited time only. In turn, the book has shot to the No. 1 spot for Hardboiled Thrillers in the Free category and hit the top ten overall. It's moved something like 13000 copies in 24 hours. That's awesome, I guess. But as writers, aren't we supposed to want to sell our books for profit?

I guess the reasoning behind it all is that if readers enjoy the free copies of my work, they will then be willing to spend a little on the other books. That's what the computer program indicates anyway. I'll check my Amazon rankings for my other books like The Innocent and The Remains and see how they're doing today. Maybe my pub's strategy has paid off and the sales of those former Kindle bestsellers will be on the increase. Maybe not. Computers have been known to be wrong too, you know. Just ask the Patriots.

My newest major publisher is also far different from the publishing houses I knew only ten years ago. They're not even really a publishing house so much as a store. In fact, their computer-generated matrix marketing program virtually assures stellar sales via the Internet. And get this: as authors, we aren't discouraged from doing traditional book signings, but we aren't encouraged to do them either. With sales being fueled by the digital marketplace and the dominant form of reading being the e-Book, book signings are about to become an old fashioned method of selling your books. Book sales today are more about tagging, algirithms, social media pushes, limited-time freebies, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and just generally having little or no contact with real people. You just need a computer or a handheld Droid.

In a few weeks I'll speak to some young student writers enrolled in an International Journalism class at the state university. I'll talk a little about how to go about filing stories the traditional way to news agencies around the world while living or spending an extended length of time in a foreign land. But I'll rely heavily on the online opportunities and even then, I'll suggest that they not rely on getting "paid" work, but instead start their own blog in order to post their own stories in their own digital format. They can then monetize the blog while attracting a base of followers who will come to rely on them for newsworthy material, videos and photos. If they are good enough, they might get the stories out far quicker than the major media. If they are really savvy, they can Tweet their stories and U-Tube them with their Smart Phones as they happen. So you see, I'll be talking about becoming a foreign correspondent for a traditional news service, but then, this job really doesn't exist anymore. Because times are changing. The fact that you are reading this blog proves it.

Like I said at the beginning of this piece, I spent the weekend in New York with my new sig other and our daughter. Did you catch that one? "Our  daughter?" My new sig other is my old sig other, or my ex-wife. We are giving things a second chance because we still have strong feelings for one another, and hey, this is the modern world. There are numerous websites dedicated to rekindling things with the ex, and how to go about it so the odds are stacked in your favor. In short, you learn to allow your partner to play their short game so that you don't give up the big play. Or, said in another way, if you want your relationship to work this time, you no longer sweat the small things in order that you preserve the long-term goal. That is, being in love forever.

And the computer is right. We're doing fine and discovering new and great things about one another while we laugh about those small things that would have annoyed us even five years ago. Life is weird. Used to be, the more things change, the more they stay the same. But that notion doesn't exactly hold true anymore. Now I believe that the more things change, the the more things change.  

Get more Zandri novels: WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM


 







 

Kindles Present Endless Author Possibilities

"The special combined edition: the first of its kind for Kindle??







Remember the days when you'd sign a major contract, get a big ass check in the mail, and just spend a year or so partying like a rock star in New York or Los Angeles or Lincoln, Nebraska for that matter? There was nothing else to do because after all, your book probably wouldn't be hitting the shelves until at least a year from contract execution.

I remember my original editor for The Innocent telling me to "Take a break," at the lobby bar of the hotel we were staying at for Bouchercon back when that novel was first about to be published by Delacorte.

All that's changed now with the new publishing model which includes heavy reliance on Kindle and E-Book sales. It's no longer cool for an author to write one book a year or every two years (Egaads!). Authors now can, and should, try and write at least a couple of novels a year, including some digital shorts. Readers with Kindles can now read more books simply because of the ease and convenience of downloading them and also because they can afford them. It used to be a bit of a strain on a budget to invest in a $30 book. But now you can have that same book for anywhere from $.99 cents to $9.99, hot off the digital press.

Other exciting opportunities also exist for authors, publishers, and readers. For instance, my bestselling Kindle novel, The Remains has been teamed up with Aaron Patterson's bestselling novel, Sweet Dreams to form one of the first ever special edition, two thriller Kindle packages which is now available from StoneHouse Ink for just $4.99. I'm not advertising the "Sweet Dreams/Remains" special edition so much as I'm alerting you the reader and author as to the great opportunities that now exist for us all.

It's because of these ops that I'm able to make a living and you dear reader, don't have to go broke because of it. Everyone benefits.

So what's on the horizon?

Digital shorts that will eventually be collected into a special edition volume. Collected non-fiction volumes, collected blogs, entire single author fiction cannons, special "uncut" editions of novels, special "cleaned up" editions of novels, etc. The opportunities are endless.

So long as the product is worth the price of admission and so long as we authors keep honing and improving our craft, we'll keep churning out the work for you. Oh, and thanks but no thanks, dear editor. This author isn't interested in taking breaks. I've got two novels going now and I can't wait to finish them so that I can start two more. After all, 'm a writer. That's what I do.

For a ton of Reading Ops, head to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Social Media Balancing Act: Author Bri Clark Chimes In!

So I'm always either being applauded or spanked for utilizing social media for selling my novels like The Remains or The Innocent (see how I just did that?) But then, how else can one get the word out about one's new book? Rather, what better, more efficient medium is there to help spread the word? Yet authors who utilize this all important if not miraculous tool must realize that specific written and unwritten rules of engagement must be adhered to. Or else, you're nothing more than a spamaholic.

It is with this marriage of marketing and internet magic that I give you a guest post by up and coming writer, Bri Clark.

Bri or, Brick, is a young (not even 30 young), talented, energetic, new author. Wife, Mom, businesswoman, former repo chick, advice giver, and all around literary tyro, there's pretty much nothing she can't do. She hails from Boise, Idaho. That's right, Boise, which these days is emerging to be the new literary Paris or maybe New York of the early 21st century. Maybe the aforementioned destinations still reign as a romantic ideal, but consider this: in Boise you can purchase a three bedroom house with some land and a majestic mountain backdrop for less than the price of renting a space in a parking garage for your Beemer in Manhattan. No wonder writers are flocking there in droves. But then, I've been ordered not to tell anyone about "the secret!" Oops, cats our of the bag so to speak.

Bri has books coming out from both StoneHouse Ink and Astrea Press and promises a brilliant literary future. She's also got her finger on the social marketing pulse as demonstrated by the following guest blog (P.S. The Golden Girl Pic was her idea!):

How do you find a balance between being social and genuine when having dual interests in social media?

The same way the women of Steel Magnolias balanced gossip and friendship.

Now I don't really have the answer to this...although I am very good at gossip...any reputable southern belle is.

Here are some experiences and examples of how I have balanced my established relationships with my budding fan base of supporters.

1. Interest--I glance at links and post as time allows. I read blogs, skim comments and respond as I feel compelled to. I absolutely do not care about football of any kind...yet here I am in the heart of Bronco nation. One of my closest online friends is a total NY Giants fan and when they are having a bad game I can't even talk to them. While I empathize with their frustration I have no interest in football therefore I won't fake it.

2. Reciprocation-- If I read something I feel that is worthwhile or interesting I will retweet it or post a link or email a link to those that I think would appreciate it. In exchange my friends do the same for me. However, I have never asked someone to repost something of mine. That should be their own desire.

3.Manners-- I am often asked to comment or give feedback on stuff that people send me links to...poems, blogs, and novels. There are times that I am not really into what they have done. However, that could only be me. I have always found something positive to say about all those works so far. Even if they say brutal honesty....noone really wants that kind of truth unless its from someone close or a professional...even then you tread lightly.

4.Boundaries--Most of this information pertains to facebook...I do have pictures of my children and my family on my page. However on my blog I don't use my family's real names. I use nicknames. I feel like I will probably end up setting up a separate fan page for my stuff. For now I will stick to the one page.I do not post deeply personal thoughts or feelings...there is a message feature or just plain email for that. There are customizable features that you can use in privacy settings on most websites. And lets just tell it how it is people....Common sense....use it...if you don't have it I'm sure there is a book on it...read it.

So these are a few of my own personal experiences and feelings on the whole social media network. We all love gossip, humor and scandal...when it comes down to real people and their struggles great or small like the ladies of Steel Magnolias we in the publishing industry are there for each other.

Well so far in my experiences...

Bri

Predictions and Prophecies: Vive le Revolucion!!!

Lately I feel like I'm at war with the world's bookstores. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it's true I've been social networking and virtual "cyber" pushing the Kindle and EBook sales of my new bestsellers, The Remains and Moonlight Falls (and the forthcoming The Innocent), like a street-corner prostitute on crack, I haven't completely ignored the value and communal benefits of the traditional bookstore. After all, all my books are still published in paper and like any other author, there's no greater feeling than holding your own book in your hand.

However, bookstores if they are to last must face some serious facts, the major one being, if they don't adapt to the new indie publishing revolution, especially EBook/Kindle publishing, they will go out of business, or at the very least relegate their personalized service to the big box Target's of the world. That includes the littlest corner shop to the big B&N stores.

So what's going to happen if bookstores are to survive?
-They will reduce inventory and order on an add needed basis which will fuel the rise of POD and short print runs.
-The old, antiquated, and author damaging return policy will either be abandoned or seriously reduced. In other words, shop owners will no longer be able to depend on this luxury for balancing their bottom lines.
-POD kiosks, like the kind seen in Japan, will become more and more the trend. How's this work? A reader walks into a book store, browses from a list of titles and covers, and orders a copy. It is automatically printed and bound inside the store.
-EBook sections will arise. It will work just like the POD kiosk only you will receive downloads on your EReader.
-Bookstores will become much more communal; meeting places for writers, authors, etc. This is already happening of course, and has been for years. What it means however, is that Book Store Owners will now have to get into the food and beverage business.
-Book Stores will become mini publishing houses. They will begin to offer electronic and POD publication of a few select authors in their communities. They will publish a few traditionally, perhaps even entertaining agented deals. But most will offer publishing services in which wanna-be authors will "pay to play." This is already happening in Albany in a big way!
-The retail space Owners must rent will be reduced to perhaps half of what was once needed in order to house thousands of titles.
-As traditionally published books fade into the sun, much like 8-track tapes, cassettes, vinyl disks, and CDs of old, Book Stores will reply more and more on used and "Rare" book sales.

Paper books will survive alongside EBooks. Book Stores will survive too. But only the ones that embrace the radical changes that have not only occurred in the industry over the past year, but that will come to a head over the next three to five years.

Welcome to the new world publishing order where authors have more control over their own work than ever before!!! Viva le Revolucion!