News from Zoë Sharp and Charlie Fox
Third Strike is now out in paperback in the UK. Published on June 15th by Allison & Busby, this is the seventh instalment of the best-selling Charlie Fox series, and sees Charlie taking on the most difficult job of all − safeguarding her own parents.
Publishers Weekly
'Male and female crime fiction readers alike will find Sharp's writing style addictively readable − one of the very best crime fiction sagas out there.' Paul Goat Allen, Chicago Tribune
Library Journal awarded Third Strike a starred review:
'. . . captures readers on the first page and doesn't let go. Highly recommended.'
Third Strike will be out in the States in mass market paperback from St Martin's Press in November 2009.
I'm delighted to announce that American publisher, Busted Flush Press, have just signed up to reprint the entire Charlie Fox backlist, so all those hard-to-find early books will be available in trade paperback format next year (2010). The plan is to publish Killer Instinct in the spring, Riot Act in the summer, Hard Knocks in the autumn, and Road Kill in the winter, all with new introductions and added extras. I can't wait!
CWA Dagger Award Nomination!
The shortlists for the prestigious Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards have just been released, and I'm thrilled that my story 'Served Cold' has been proposed for the Short Story Dagger. 'Served Cold' was originally published in the States in the A Hell of a Woman anthology, edited by Megan Abbott (Busted Flush Press). The story was then published in the UK in The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime, edited by Maxim Jakubowski (Constable & Robinson).
Also shortlisted are Lawrence Block, Sean Chercover, Laura Lippman, Peter Robinson and Chris Simms. I hold out absolutely no hopes of winning, but shall bask content in their company until the results are announced on July 15th.
Criminal Tendencies
Also on the short story front, I have a Charlie Fox short story, 'Off Duty', just out in the Criminal Tendencies anthology, edited by Lynne Patrick, and published by Crème de la Crime. The anthology is published in support of the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline and The Genesis Appeal, a charity specialising in research into prevention of breast cancer.
What's Happening
Next month is another busy one. I shall be appearing at the 2009 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate from July 23-26, including holding a workshop on self-defence and action prose as part of Creative Thursday.
Then on July 30th I'm off to Caerleon in South Wales to deliver a main lecture at the annual Writers' Holiday at the University of Wales, Newport.
In May, I appeared at the second CrimeFest event in Bristol, and I was the Caroline Willner International Guest of Honour at Mayhem in the Midlands, held in Omaha, Nebraska. Follow the links to photo-reports of both events on my website.
Signed Copies
Signed books make ideal gifts, and I've now teamed up with local internet booksellers, Loads-A-Books, who are close enough for me to call in and sign or personalise a book as you wish. They even have a number of the earlier out-of-print editions, which are hard to find. Contact Chris on loadsabooks@googlemail.com