KU.2 and More Crimes(S) News!

KU.2 is here it seems to have some authors confused.

Me included.

I get that authors are now paid for what readers read in terms of number of pages turned. But what I'm not entirely clear on is this: Is it better for a write to be producing long books now as opposed to novellas and shorts?

Common sense tells me the former as opposed to the latter. In any case, the few books I have published as purely Indie aren't doing any better or worse with the advent of this new and improved system (it's too early to tell). But my gut tells me to go wide with most of my indie books while concentrating on KDP for longer titles, like The Scream Catcher, for instance (actually, this title was recently purchased by POLIS BOOKS).

In the end, I think we should trust the experts on the matter of the new KU, so let's bring in Hugh Howey...The floor is yours Hugh...Click HERE for his latest blog, The Great KU Flip-Out of 2015

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In other News: Richard Matt and David Sweat, the two killers who pulled off the Great Escape from Dannemora Prison in Upstate New York have finally been apprehended. Matt bought the farm after eating a bullet, and Sweat, who also got shot, is currently residing in the Albany Medical Center. 
Some predictions about this case that I got right early on: 
--They would be apprehended relatively close to the joint.
--It was an inside job.
--The tools used in the cutting of the walls, pipes, etc, were easily supplied by COs and other prison workers.
--Security would be lax at the honor block (I've been inside the Green Haven Honor Block where much of the Italian Mob resides and it smells like the best Italian restaurant you've ever eaten in).
--The end would involve a shoot out and at least one them dying.
 
One thing I got wrong: Neither man sought out an old girlfriend and/or wife. Neither had a spouse, I believe, but things being as they are inside an all male prison, I figured they would want to get laid. But then, I guess Joyce Mitchell, the prison worker indicted for aiding and abetting their escape was giving them more sex than they could handle. 

I'm in debt to these guys not only for putting on a good show, but for giving me the idea for my fourth Jack Marconi novel, THE INNOCENT (formerly AS CATCH CAN) being the first one. How ironic that after 16 years of Jack, he's back to investigating the max security breakout of a couple of killers, one of them a cop killer. Think I'll buy David Sweat some flowers.

Lot's coming up including my nominations for a Shamus Award and an ITW Award, so don't forget to check out WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM  for detes. 

Oh, crap, and also, I'll be signing first editions of EVERYTHING BURNS and MOONLIGHT WEEPS at ThrillerFest this Friday after my 12PM Panel, "MEET THE NOMINEES!" Hope to see you there.


 

"Little Siberia" Prison Break: A Case for Jack Marconi?

David Sweat and Richard Matt, on the lamb in Upstate NY

More than a few readers have asked me if I'm going to write about the elaborate, "Shawshank Redemption" style prison break that occurred a few days ago at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in Dennemora, NY, which is located approximately 25 miles from the Canadian border at Montreal. Dubbed, "Little Siberia" by the inmates and security guards (corrections officers) alike, the place is pretty much a frozen hellhole during the winter and a frying pan during the summer months. An escape hasn't occurred there in almost a century and a half, so you can imagine the amount of planning that went into this by two notorious murderers and cops killers.

That said, having researched and written about another elaborate maximum security prison break that took place back in 1968 at New York's Green Haven Prison in my novel, The Innocent, I might speculate on the following:

 
--Judging by the degree of sophistication that went into the breakout...the expert cuts in the walls, the steam pipes, and the overall knowledge of the joint's layout, these two criminals not only had outside and inside help, they had access to facility blueprints.

--Make no mistake, Corrections Offices and prison workers can be bought. They also are human which means it's easy to form emotional relationships with inmates. The prisoners run the show, not the other way around. That means, if the two escapees required power tools to facilitate their escape, they simply found a way to have them smuggled into the prison. Trust me, that's the easy part.

--While the Canadian border is located relatively close by...a forty five minute drive, I'm told...investigators should concentrate first on girlfriends, wives, family members, good friends and the like, before jumping to any conclusions. Sure, the obvious decision for these guys to make is to cross the border and somehow find their way out of the country. But more than likely, they want to get laid and eat a home cooked meal, not to mention down a few beers. Sounds crass and too simple to be believed, for sure, but how's that old song from the 80's go? "People are people," even if they are crazed murderers.
  
Okay, some of you might have a heart attack over what I'm about to point out, but I'm gonna do it anyway since I'm primarily a hard-boiled author. It is kind of romantic these two guys were able to pull off such a skilled escape in this day and age. The brash manner and style in which they managed to pull it off and, on top of it perhaps enjoying the assistance of beautiful femme fatale working inside the joint, is something straight out of a 1930s noir novel or film. I couldn't outline it any better.

So then, will I write about this case?
I'll ask Jack Marconi, former max prison warden turned PI and get back to you.

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