Dear Readers,

Happy spring to you all!  This winter has been a bear for so many of us, warm weather and sunny skies will be extra-welcome this year.

I’m delighted to inform you that LAST KNOWN VICTIM is now out in paperback!  It’s early this time because I switched publishers and my release schedule has been turned upside-down.  If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you will.  (Be sure to send in your receipt to receive your LKV Mardi Gras beads!)

BREAKNECK, my next novel and first with new publisher St. Martin’s Press, is finished!  It picks up where COPYCAT left off–Detectives M.C. Riggio and Kitt Lundgren are on the hunt for a killer intent on murdering a group of young cyber-thieves, all the while trying to untangle their personal lives.  It will be published in early ’09.  (That topsy-turvy release schedule again.)

The re-release date of RED has been confirmed: December ’08.  I’ll be sure to post a cover the minute I see it.

Until next time,

Best wishes,

Erica

So know that we’re back, Erica’s given some topics to research- some of which may make it into her inspiration for BLOOD WINE:

• Bacchanalia
• Cult of Dionysus Revival
• Ancient Wine and Shaman Ritual
• Characteristics of a cult
• Bohemian Grove  

These are just the beginning seeds of ideas, but I’m  sure they’ll mix together and grow into a wine- i mean spine-tingling flavor of a novel. 

Cave at Bella Vineyards 

Goodbye, Cali!

Everyone we met was so friendly and helpful, so happy to accommodate us and share their community.  BLOOD WINE is going to be as rich and succulent a novel as the region that inspired it.  Erica shared some of her initial plot ideas with me during our last gourmet dinner there, and I can tell you this book will be as blood-chilling as the last, I’m thinking more.  I’d choose a nice Syrah or Red Zinfadel to warm your veins and brace for the twists in BLOOD WINE.  Now, I’ll do my best to get her writing faster!

Erica climbing the wine racks (she loves the stuff!)

I am often asked if any of my novels are a series.  While I’ve written every book as a stand-alone story, some characters have reappeared in several books.  So, I’ve mapped out their histories for curious fans. 

THE MALONES are a close-knit Irish-Catholic family with a legacy of service to the New Orleans Police Department: John, his wife Colleen, and their seven children: John Jr., Quentin, Mary, Patrick, Spencer, Percy and Shauna- five of which are third generation NOPD, are introduced in BONE COLD.

QUENTIN MALONE first appears in BONE COLD as the swaggering NOPD Detective that wins writer Anna’s North heart and justice for her against a stalker.  Quentin later becomes a District Attorney. 

STACY KILLIAN makes her debut in a secondary role in SEE JANE DIE.  Beautiful, blonde and a cop through and through, she is must catch the villain threatening her family.  She gets her own story in KILLER TAKES ALL.  Burnt out from years of witnessing a darker reality in her work, she moves to New Orleans and returns to college.  But even with a new life and new address, Stacy is drawn back into battling crime when  her neighbor is murdered.  SPENCER MALONE heads the investigation. The two detectives pair in LAST KNOWN VICTIM.

SPENCER MALONE, younger brother of Quentin, but with equal attitude, has a minor role in BONE COLD. He returns to carry on the Malone torch in KILLER TAKES ALL, teaming up with STACY KILLIAN and unravelling a terrifying, cultish role-playing game to catch a killer.  Both Stacy and Spencer return in LAST KNOWN VICTIM on the trail of a serial killer known as The Handyman. 

PATTI O’SHAY, aunt to the Malone children and godmother to SPENCER–first appearing in BONE COLD–returns to take center stage in LAST KNOWN VICTIM.  When her husband and fellow NOPD captain is found murdered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Patti vows to catch his killer–no matter the cost to her life or career. 

2/13/08

Another full day of work!  But how can a girl complain when the setting is so exquisite, and the details so gritty!  Erica and I spent a full morning with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (or the “SO” as Captain Dave calls it) learning the ins and outs of the force, their facilities, and the sometimes strange happenings around wine country.  Then it was time to roll into the Coroner’s office.  We were given a full tour of the autopsy room and refrigerated storage (including one recent arrival awaiting exam.)  Strange how creepy all this crime and death seems at first; but a little time in the morgue and I was ready to learn more… just nothing too up close or personal.

Erica with Captain Dave Edmonds

Autopsy Room

2/12/08

Our gracious hostess (and wealth-of-knowledge), Lisa Albertson of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, drove us all around Sonoma’s streets and mountain lanes.  A native of the area, we could not have asked for a better guide.  Lisa gave us Sonoma- then, now, from the elite to the everyday- she was full of fun history, info, and tidbits- from stories of riding her horse to school to knowing which valley the MaxFactor make-up heiress owned and offering us a peek at a $5 million Craftsmen masterpiece overlooking hillside vineyards.  She was generous enough to set us up with an exclusive tour and tasting given by Ted Seghesio- a fourth generation winemaker and owner of his family’s world-class winery. 

At the Seghesio tasting room: Evelyn Marshall, Erica Spindler, Ted Seghesio, Lisa Albertson 

By Evelyn-  Erica’s very lucky assistant!

Wow, where to begin?!?  California was terrific.  We lucked out on perfect sunny days for the whole trip, everyone we met was incredibly helpful and friendly, and the wine was delicious!

Evelyn’s First Impressions:

Sonoma County is an interesting blend of pastoral countryside, chic living, and rustic western charm.  The dormant vineyards filled with blooming mustard flowers are breathtaking.  But, as we learned at Fleury Estate Winery, the wine-making process requires plenty of gruesome machinery and can be a dangerous endeavor.  I saw Erica’s sinister wheels turning and decided to step away from the open tanks…

Dear Readers,

Welcome to my blog!   I’m delighted to have this newest addition to my website and I look forward to it being a great way for us to communicate, though I might take this first post as a way to fill you in on what’s going on with my books.

Currently, I’m putting the final tweaks on BREAKNECK, my next thriller–and the first with my new publisher, St. Martin’s Press!  It’s due to be released in early 2009.  I’ll let you know when the month is confirmed.

LAST KNOWN VICTIM will be released in paperback in April and RED, out of print for ten years, is being rereleased!  I don’t have a cover to post yet, but will, the moment I get one.  That book will hit the stands in December of this year.

Also, THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT, the collaborative project I participated in to benefit the International Thriller Writers Association, has been nominated for Best Original Work at the Audie Awards.  

And, drum roll now . . .  My assistant Evelyn and I are off to wine country to begin research on my next novel, BLOOD WINE.  I’m really excited–and not just because I love wine–about setting a novel there.  We’re hoping to post in from the road–I hope you’ll stop by.

As always, a big thanks for your interest in my novels and visiting my website.

Cheers,

So much to say, so little space - but here goes! First off, greetings and blessings! I hope this edition of Erica Spindler News finds you happy, healthy and enjoying 2007.

Because so many of you have asked - New Orleans is hobbling back to life. There has been progress, but we still have a long way to go. Huge thanks to more than 500 readers who responded to my call for receipts to benefit the New Orleans Police Foundation. Your generosity helped deserving officers get their lives back together post-Katrina.

LAST KNOWN VICTIM is finally here! (9-28-07) LAST KNOWN VICTIM brings back characters from KILLER TAKES ALL. The story is especially close to my heart as it is my first novel set in post-K New Orleans. As many of you know, KILLER TAKES ALL had just landed in bookstores when Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Suddenly, the story felt wrong; New Orleans had been changed forever. I realized I had to bring back Stacy, Spencer and the entire Malone clan - and pick them all up after the storm. How did they fare during the storm? How about after? How did the disaster affect their lives and relationships?

But don’t worry, I hung the answers to all those questions on a very scary plot - and one of my creepiest villains ever. Good news for those of you who have been clamoring for my books on audio - Brilliance is simultaneously releasing both an abridged and unabridged audio version of LAST KNOWN VICTIM.

In other news: I’m taking part in a ‘Serial Thriller’- a project sponsored by and to benefit the International Thriller Writers organization. (ITW’s website) Fifteen authors are participating - including Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Scottoline, and Lee Child, among others. We’re each writing a chapter - I’m Chapter Five. The story will be available this fall from audible.com.

Read on, Friends, for information about my upcoming giveaways and contests, a recipe for a New Orleans Hurricane, and a sneak peek at LAST KNOWN VICTIM. And as always, visit www.ericaspindler.com for updates on appearances, promotions and my monthly contest.

Best wishes,

Erica