Monday, February 8, 2010

Hello. Is it me you're looking for?

Okay, okay. I'm not a big Lionel Ritchie fan, far from it, but the lyric seemed appropriate given the length of time between my last blog. But I have an excuse, sort of. I was coaching two basketball teams, promoting Wrongful Death, finishing Bodily Harm and trying to complete two book proposals for upcoming David Sloane novels. On top of that, I'm traveling quite a bit, as the schedule on my website can attest.

San Diego. Who wouldn't want to go to San Diego in the winter. My first time at the San Diego State Writer's Conference and I must admit it was a blast. I met a lot of people from all around the country and had a great time teaching and doing the Sunday morning keynote address. Here's the lesson. You never know how successful a writer's conference will be for you until months and sometimes years down the road. Don't focus on "getting and agent" so much as learning the craft. If you learn the craft and create memorable characters doing interesting things, the Agent will take care of itself.

San Francisco. Speaking of another great place to go in the winter, my old stomping grounds. God I love that city and I'm excited to be a first time invitee to the San Francisco Writers Conference. My thanks to Mike Lawson, Elizabeth Pomada and Laurie McClean for the invite. I'll be teaching a seminar on Writing the Legal Thriller, but really, its all about writing Genre fiction. Looking forward to hearing Steve Berry speak as well. Have you read his books? If not, you're missing out. Great stuff. There's a good reason he is a perennial New York Times Best Seller. The man can flat out write, and you won't meet a nicer guy.

Chicago - My kind of town. I'll be returning for the 5th annual Advanced Fiction seminar. This is a two day intensive, class participation workshop. In addition to the 120 page workbook, you'll have one of the best weekends of your year. I guarantee it because I always do.

Wrongful Death. The paperback comes out this month, with an absolute killer of a cover. I'm excited as ever about this book.

Bodily Harm. Below is the Press Release for the third David Sloane novel. I couldn't have written it any better, so why try when you can cut and paste. Enjoy.

For Immediate Release
“John Grisham, move over.” —The Seattle Times

“Smart and savvy with more muscle than the average legal thriller. . .
Dugoni has put the thrills back in the genre.” —Nelson DeMille

New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni delivers a searing courtroom drama in his newest thriller, BODILY HARM (May 25, 2010; Touchstone; $25.00/hardcover; 978-1-4165-9296-9). When parents lose their six-year-old son to an esteemed pediatrician’s seeming negligence, they turn to attorney David Sloane for justice.

In his return as “the lawyer who does not lose,” Sloane is on the verge of another victory, but something about the malpractice case has bothered him from the start. And his uneasiness grows when toy designer Kyle Horgan confronts him on the way to the verdict to claim responsibility not only for the child’s death but also for the fate of a second little boy in central Washington.

When the toy designer vanishes, leaving behind only a ransacked apartment, Sloane teams up with his longtime investigative partner (and former CIA operative) Charles Jenkins to reexamine the deaths and dig deeper into Horgan’s claims. They are forced to enter the cutthroat world of toy manufacturing—where hundreds of millions of dollars are staked on finding the next “It” product. Sloane must dodge a vicious and calculating killer, exonerate the doctor, and overcome a devastating personal loss that nearly destroys him—all while keeping in check his overwhelming desire for revenge.

Sound enticing? Hope so.

Okay, got to run. Basketball practice tonight. Keep writing.

Bob