Wednesday 31 December 2008

There Will Be Booze


I'm still not done with the festivities, and indeed tonight may prove the highlight of a debauched week, but I figured I should post something here, lest one or two people think I've dropped off the face of the blogosphere.

So, just a little heads up. Over the crimbo holidays, I've read and intend to review Everybody Knows This is Nowhere by John McFetridge and I'm neck deep in Adrian McKinty's Fifty Grand. I hope to get stuck into Mystery Man by Colin Bateman next and then I'll be checking out some more Ken Bruen (can't get enough of that guy) and Walking The Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman. I've also got three more David Peace books and... man, this could go on. Basically, I'm spoilt for choice in the new year, so there'll be no shortage of reviews as CSNI continues to grow.

Just for the record, I have a loose priority list with regards to promotion. Writers from the North of Ireland first, followed closely by those from the South. After that, it's kind of up in the air. Anybody who can be tied to Ireland in any way will get whim priority. For instance, McFetridge can trace some of his family back to Larne in Northern Ireland. Reed Farrel Coleman is releasing a book with Ken Bruen this year. I'll probably read Pariah by Dave Zeltserman as it's got Boston Irish gangsters in it. The rest, I'll read for fun, maybe reference it from time to time, but probably not review. I gotta write my own Northern Irish crime fiction too, you know.

So, thanks to everybody who's read, commented and emailed me about the blog. Thanks in general to the crime fiction community for being warm, friendly and cool. Thanks to all the authors I met this year, who ignored my stuttering awe and told me it was nice to meet me. It's been a great year, and I hope the trend continues.

In 2009, aside from reviews, I hope to progress my own writing. If I can't sell a novel, screenplay or stage play, then I'll be chipping away with short stories on the side. But I'm also lucky enough to be involved with a non-fiction project with Declan Burke and Adrian McKinty and a fiction anthology with Mike Stone. Both collections will contain work from some of my favourite writers. It's dizzying to think about it. You'll read plenty of updates on both here.

But for now, give me a few days to recover from an overindulgence of pies and beer and wine and crackers and cheese and whiskey and crisps. Then I'll be a slightly pudgier blogging dynamo bringing you as much news as you can handle, and more besides.

Happy New Year, folks.

17 comments:

Stuart Neville said...

Happy New Year to you and yours, Gerard, and thanks for all your support in 2008. I'll be spending tonight in front of the telly (quite possibly watching a Die Hard DVD) thanks to strained metatarsal tissue in my left foot - my New Nyear's resolution to get fit didn't work out so well!

Anonymous said...

Happy new Year Gerard!
Arlene

colman said...

have a good one Ger,

still working on my reading list for Jan,

bit jealous you've got Pariah as its not out for a few weeks yet, I was intending to do a bit of a post on Dave Z in early Jan as his first three have been superb yet he's not widely read over here.

if you visit his website he's got an ebook of shorts you can read,\

Colman

Gerard Brennan said...

Stuart - No worries. Sorry to hear about the foot. Still, it's a good excuse to ease in to the new regime. Die Hard's more of a crimbo movie though, isn't it?

Happy New Year!

Arlene - Back at you. Thanks!

Colman - Cheers, have a good 'un yourself. Yeah, I'm really, really spoilt for choice, man. But I'll certainly check out that ebook. Thanks for the heads up.

All the best, all.

gb

Michael Stone said...

Happy New Year, Gerard, and to everyone who drops in on CSNI. It's been good getting to know you all.

Peter Rozovsky said...

"For instance, McFetridge can trace some of his family back to Larne in Northern Ireland."

And don't fotget Fetch in The Assassin, short for McFetterich. John might be related.

Happy New Year.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Brian McGilloway said...

Happy New Year Gerard to you and the family
Thanks for all your support for the books in 2008 - hope to get a chance to return the favour in 2009...

Cheers

Brian

Gerard Brennan said...

Mike - Same to you, buddy.

Peter - Liam O'Flaherty? Your Irish literature knowledge never fails to impress me. Happy New Year.

Brian - It's been a pleasure. Happy New Year to you, the missus and the boys.

Cheers

gb

Peter Rozovsky said...

Liam O'Flaherty it is, one of the fruits of my trip to Ireland. Declan showed me his copy of The Assassin, but he wouldn't give it to me. I had to buy my own. Quite a chilling opening scene for a novel published in 1928.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Peter Rozovsky said...

In fact, maybe I'll start calling McFetridge "Fetch."

Gerard Brennan said...

Peter - You did pretty well for books on that trip. You still making your way through them or do you read like that robot off Short Circuit.

Hey, you should call John Fetch. And maybe I'll call you Johnny Five. What do you think?

Cheers

gb

Peter Rozovsky said...

Hmm, I have decided to give John a new name for purposes of my own online story. Maybe I'll make "Fetch" part of that name.

And maybe I'll put Short Circuit on my to-rent list.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

adrian mckinty said...

belated happy new year from me too

Gerard Brennan said...

Peter "Johnny 5" Rozovsky - Short Circuit... Not sure if I'd recommend it or not. It was a childhood favourite, but I haven't seen it since. And now that I think about it, the scene I'm referencing might be in Short Circuit 2.

Adrian - Welcome back, man. You've been missed.

gb

adrian mckinty said...

thats all anybody wants to hear...

getta hack at 50G yet?

just askin

Anonymous said...

Massimo Carlotto has friends who play traditional Irish music.That's a connection.

Happy New Year and good luck for all your projects.

ciao,
marco

Gerard Brennan said...

Adrian - Yeah, I'm 200 pages in to Fifty Grand now. I'm trying my best to savour it. Usually I read your books in a few days, but I'm guessing it'll be at least a year before you've got another crime fiction tome out there. Gotta make this one last.

Marco - I'll allow that as a connection, but only because it's you. Happy New Year to your good self.

Cheers

gb