"Few writers can blend a contemporary feel with what drew us to old-style pulp and original paperbacks: that momentum, that craziness, the thrill of the downhill slide and crash. Head Games is smart, it's funny, and it moves like a roach when the lights go on -- what's not to love?" -- James Sallis … Continue reading A new trailer for a new edition of HEAD GAMES!
A sneak preview of the next Hector Lassiter novel
Two final, never-before-seen Lassiter novels will appear in the second half of 2015. First up, will be a novel featuring Hector and James Bond creator Ian Fleming in 1962 Japan, and, a bit later, in Istanbul, witnessing the filming of the classic Bond novel, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Japanese author Yukio Mishima will also have … Continue reading A sneak preview of the next Hector Lassiter novel
HECTOR LASSITER: A LOOK BACK & AHEAD by Craig McDonald
"The New Year will see the completion of the Hector Lassiter series' publication, for the first time in its entirety, in chronological order and uniform packaging, by Betimes Books. As the calendar year changes, here's a little look back, and ahead, for the Hector Lassiter novels. The Lassiter series returned courtesy of Betimes Books in … Continue reading HECTOR LASSITER: A LOOK BACK & AHEAD by Craig McDonald
Today: Sam Hawken’s choice
The book I read the most often might not necessarily be my favorite book, but it is the book which speaks to me the most: No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy. When I first read the book in 2005, I knew I’d found the key to unlocking my own voice in writing. Up … Continue reading Today: Sam Hawken’s choice
Today: Craig McDonald’s choice
The book that changed my life was a humble, second-hand paperback reprint of an old pulp magazine story written at the height of the Great Depression. On a cold autumn day, my maternal grandfather handed me the second Doc Savage novel, The Land of Terror. I was always a reader, always had one or more … Continue reading Today: Craig McDonald’s choice
A Very Hector Lassiter Christmas
Craig McDonald about three very different Christmas Eves... Read here: http://craigmcdonaldbooks.blogspot.ie/2014/12/a-very-hector-lassiter-christmas.html
Praise for the opening line of HEAD GAMES by Craig McDonald
"From a much newer novel, Head Games by Craig McDonald, the first line is: “We were sitting in a backroom of a cantina on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, three drinks in, when Bill Wade reached into the dusty duffle bag he had tucked under the table and plunked down the Mexican general’s head.” The … Continue reading Praise for the opening line of HEAD GAMES by Craig McDonald
A review of “The Great Pretender”, book 4 in the “wildly ambitious series about Hector Lassiter”
http://blog.vincekeenan.com/2014/12/books-recent-reading-roundup.html The Great Pretender, by Craig McDonald. I’ve been a fan of McDonald’s sprawling, wildly ambitious series about Hector Lassiter, the two-fisted novelist who trucks with twentieth century luminaries, from the outset. Pretender finds Hector in pursuit of the Spear of Destiny, last seen in Hellboy and Constantine, and tangling with Nazis, witches and, most contentious of all, Orson Welles. McDonald … Continue reading A review of “The Great Pretender”, book 4 in the “wildly ambitious series about Hector Lassiter”
Kindle edition of GIFTS free this week!
Christmas is not always magic but good books always are. Whether you love or hate Christmas, you might enjoy a good story. Our collection GIFTS: NINE BITTERSWEET CHRISTMAS STORIES is free on Amazon this week: getBook.at/FREE_GIFTS
“The Running Kind” by Craig McDonald is released!
Hector Lassiter #6 is released! “What critics might call eclectic, and Eastern folks quirky, we Southerners call cussedness — and it’s the cornerstone of the American genius. As in: “There’s a right way, a wrong way, and my way.” You want to see how that looks on the page, pick up any of Craig McDonald … Continue reading “The Running Kind” by Craig McDonald is released!
Excerpt: The Running Kind by Craig McDonald
“It is a long road that has no turning.”— Irish proverb 1 No happy ending ever started in a bar. The old friends had chosen to murder the afternoon drinking in the shadowy hotel pub mostly to evade December’s bitter chill. “All I’m sayin’ is that any son of a bitch who sets off … Continue reading Excerpt: The Running Kind by Craig McDonald
Excerpt from Gifts: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Craig McDonald
From “Echoes” by Craig McDonald “You two are the closest thing to family I have, Hem, and it’s Christmas and that’s about the giving. You’ll just have to live with the receiving, you righteous son of a bitch.” Hector pointed to the gift for our son. “I’ve got no brother or sisters, so I’ll never … Continue reading Excerpt from Gifts: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Craig McDonald
“Giving voice and face to character: The Lassiter audio books” by Craig McDonald
Craig McDonald on new covers for The Hector Lassiter audio books, recorded by Recorded Books. Read the article here: http://craigmcdonaldbooks.blogspot.ie/2014/12/giving-voice-and-face-to-character.html
Meta-games: Hector Lassiter in the Crossover Universe
Craig McDonald's character Hector Lassiter is now officially part of the Philip Jose Farmer Wold-Newton universe which attempts to link all popular fictional characters in a sort of massive family tree of legends that has become a cult fiction sub-genre: http://www.crossoveruniverse.com/2014/11/crossover-cover-great-pretender.html
E-book edition of GIFTS: Bittersweet Christmas Stories is here!
Our Christmas collection "Gifts: Bittersweet Christmas Stories"from all Betimes Books authors is now available as e-book for only 0,77£/0,99$ here Read it in PDF format here or contact us to receive a free PDF or Mobi copy of GIFTS! For a print collector edition, click here!
Excerpt from GIFTS: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Sam Hawken
From “Feliz Navidad” by Sam Hawken: “It’s Christmas tomorrow,” Mr. Martinez told Raúl one day. “I know. There is a lot of talking about—” “I know what they’re talking about. They’ve been on about it all week. Don’t listen to them.” “But something must happen on Christmas,” Raúl insisted. “Maybe something will,” Mr. Martinez … Continue reading Excerpt from GIFTS: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Sam Hawken
Craig McDonald on GIFTS: our free Christmas Short Story Collection
"My piece is structured as a believed-to-be Ernest Hemingway-penned lost chapter of his Paris memoir, A MOVEABLE FEAST." - Craig McDonald Read more: http://craigmcdonaldbooks.blogspot.ie/2014/11/betimes-posts-free-christmas-short.html
Excerpt from GIFTS by Hadley Colt
From “Slay Belles” by Hadley Colt: “Given his very reason for needing the disguise, and his attendant obligation to escort Selma to her misbegotten agency Christmas party, Ace desperately needed to find some way to pack a piece for swift and easy access. Looking down, he settled on his right, fur-topped Santa boot. Yes, an … Continue reading Excerpt from GIFTS by Hadley Colt
Craig McDonald: Cover me #3 – Forever’s Just Pretend & The Great Pretender
"This edition is all "pretend" in terms of exploring more about how Betimes Books and I went about our strategic relaunch of the Hector Lassiter series, for the first time presenting the entire series in a mix of old and new titles, uniformly branded and sequenced in chronological order. Having established the look of the … Continue reading Craig McDonald: Cover me #3 – Forever’s Just Pretend & The Great Pretender
Book trailer for Hector Lassiter series by Craig McDonald
Watch the book trailer for The Hector Lassiter series by Craig McDonald here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlqi3kxepw
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