You should know that my standard for newsworthy/blogworthy events in my writing life is pretty high, so therefore not many posts of late. But look out 2015. Lots of stuff coming down the pike.
For now I'd like to send out some year-end thank yous. Be prepared - I'm about to forget some people.
2014 was kind of a kick in the balls for me, writing-wise. There were several setbacks (another reason for the lack of posts is I hate to complain in public when things aren't going my way. It's self serving and whiny. I know my life is pretty damn good, despite what Amazon sales ranks might say about it)
But throughout this kinda crappy year were several highlights and many, many good people who inspired me and kept me positive in the face of bad news. First off, to those who published me. I am eternally grateful. David Cranmer from Beat To A Pulp press has been so good to me this year. We entered this crazy experiment with The Year I Died 7 Times and he kept up the work literally all year long. It was a lot of work and it would have been easy for him to bail on it midway through, but I'm glad he didn't. And all the while he was prepping other great books like Jake Hinkson's The Big Ugly and the Drifter Detective series.
To Eric Campbell for agreeing to publish not one but two books in 2015. It's gonna be a good year for us. To Kjetil Hestvedt for saving my novel Rumrunners from obscurity. Looking forward to May. Both these gentlemen have been a pleasure to work with.
To the anthologies: thank you for either inviting me in or accepting my submission into some truly great company this year. I'm incredibly proud to have stories in Dark Corners Vol. 2 (thanks Craig McNeely) All Due Respect #2 (Thanks Chris Rhatigan and Mike Monson) Pulse Fiction (Thanks Tommy Hancock and Paul Bishop) Hoods, Hot Rods and Hellcats (Thanks, Chad!) Reloaded (Thanks, Ron Earl) and finally to Joe Clifford for having me in Trouble In The Heartland. For a year when I feel like I didn't write or publish very much, this is a list I can be proud of and reminds me I was actually working.
To those who have shown support and friendship, I thank you. Scott Montgomery at Mystery People - wow. To have a bookseller champion my work is amazing. To Matt Coyle and Lisa Brackmann for inviting me to read at their new Noir at the Bar. To Stephen Blackmoore for sticking with me through our own Noir at the Bar for 4+ years now! To Michelle Isler for the unflagging support and even feeding me on her way through town. To Lauren O'Brien for being my favorite Bouchercon hangout pal. To Meg Gardiner, Brett Battles and Elyse Dinh for making great nights out a Bcon tradition now.
To Jennifer Busskohl and Frank Zafiro for co-writing with me. This cannot be underestimated how much I owe them. To Holly West for navigating this crazy writing world with me (and then leaving me in a ditch when she moved away). To everyone who paid me to do a book cover for them, and even the ones who didn't pay.
Here's where I start forgetting people. Anyone who left a review, bought a book, retweeted one of my self-serving self promotions, had an encouraging word or a handshake. To all the authors who came out and read for Noir at the Bar. And to all those authors who graciously gave a story to the anthology I'm trying to get going and all the writers who wrote great books I had the pleasure of reading this year, I thank you.
2015 is going to be a busy one for me. 3 new novels, the full omnibus of Year I Died 7 Times, a few surprises. There will more to post about next year. But stayed tuned to my full website, ericbeetner.com for news and updates.
