Saturday, March 07, 2009
Book No. 2
I'm very happy to pass along the news that the husband's second book will hit bookstore shelves soon."The Secret Fire" is the follow up to "The Malice Box." It's both a sequel and prequel to the first, this time set in England, France - and a bit of Red Hook. However, he was also careful to write it in a way that you need not start with "Malice Box" to know what's going on.
Part of the "Secret Fire" is set in World War II. The book is fiction, but like the first book, it uses a lot of real-life events as a stepping-off place. He did original research and interviews to help craft the characters and stories.
In addition -- and I think this is very cool -- he's built a website for the non-fiction parts of the book. "The Secret Fire" website has original audio from his interviews as well as historic photos.
There's also a fancy new "Malice Box" website in Wordpress, which links to the intentionally clunky "Robert's blog" in Blogspot. (For those who haven't read the first book, Robert was told to create a blog on the fly and post pictures/text as a way of proving he was doing what he's told.)
Also of note, he has a Martin Langfield website (featuring a super cool lightning-bolt picture from the ceiling of the old theater on Governors Island, which was only open during Open House NY last year.)
The UK/Commonwealth publication date for "The Secret Fire" is April 16. It's coming out in recession-friendly paperback.
There's no U.S. publisher as of this time, however it's already being translated into German and Dutch.
And lastly, Penguin asked him to write up something for their website about the process of re-imagining history.
Labels: books
Monday, November 24, 2008
Malice Box in U.S. paperback
Attention America, for your shopping convenience, "The Malice Box" is now in paperback in the United States.
Get it at your local independent bookseller, or buy online. The holidays approach, so you may want to stock up now.
Did I mention my husband wrote it?
Monday, May 26, 2008
A good read: The Wolfman
As soon as you write a review on Good Reads, it now gives you the code to paste it on your blog. Like this:
The Wolfman by Nicholas PekearoMy review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was actually a quite enjoyable book -- quick, breezy, several good turns of phrase and a few good zigs just when you think you've got it figured out where he's going with the whole werewolf thing.
Of course I initially purchased out of respect for the author -- Nicholas Pekearo found out from his agent that this book would be published, and then three days later he was killed in the line of duty as an NYPD Auxillary cop while pursuing a guy who had just shot up a pizza parlor on Houston. Real heroic stuff.
But the book indeed stands on its own.
View all my reviews.
Labels: books
Thursday, April 24, 2008
'Floater Week' resurfaces
In November, I went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to cover a book release event for Gabriel Cohen's new New York thriller "Graving Dock." He read a passage from the book that mentions "Floater Week" which he said is real, and normally happens around tax day.
Indeed, April 15 was last week. And from today's New York Times ... it's time.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Another Malice Box review
Here's another nice blog review of Martin's book, which is recently out in paperback in the UK. From Civilian Reader
Needless to say, this is a very well written thriller, with decent pace, original ideas, likeable characters, and fluid prose. If you're looking for something light, but not trashy, then you should pick up The Malice Box.
Labels: books, malice box
Thursday, February 28, 2008
'Malice Box' now in paperback in the UK
Today's the UK release date for "The Malice Box" in the UK. New cover and everything.We've also learned there will be a US paperback edition in the fall 2008 (also with a new cover, so you'll want to collect them all!)
Here are a few places you can find it online:
Malice Box at Waterstone's
Malice Box at Amazon UK
Malice Box at WH Smith
Also, I see the Malice Box Quest is still live. It's a complcated online puzzle/game that Penguin had an outside firm build to coincide with the release of the hardback last year. The prizes are long gone, but you can still play. (And you need not have read the book to win the game, though it's clear the designers used the story as a launch pad for the concept.)
Labels: books, malice box
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Germans haaate the Malice Box
Did I mention my husband has written a book?
They've sold the rights to more than a dozen languages - though so far it's only in print in Polish, Czech, Italian, Dutch, (British,) and German. And while sales are still doing well in the UK, and iffy in the U.S., it's apparently selling quite well in Germany. But the reviews on the German Amazon are hilarious. They hate hate hate it. Passionately. But they're buying it. Maybe they hate it so much they go buy extra copies to hate it some more?
So far there are 14 reviews of "The Malice Box" on Amazon.de. Martin translated a few choice bits for me:
"one star is too many"
"an entirely new dimension of awfulness"
"threw it into the trashcan"
The best review, three stars, says it's "not so bad."
I of course think it's great, and since it's meeting with some success elsewhere, it's easy to laugh at the crazy German thing. Especially since it's selling well there.
So a few other "Malice Box" things of note:
The husband just days ago hit the send key on the first complete draft of the sequel to the Malice Box. Very exciting. It's slated for Penguin distribution in the UK/Commonwealth-types in 2009.
The Malice Box in paperback should hit the shelves, at least in England, at the very end of February.
There is now an audio version of the book, read by a British actor named John Oliver, a guy who actually had a small part in "Star Wars," which Martin loves. Though I'd of course like to see an alternate reading by John Oliver of "The Daily Show" for fun. ... The audio version they sent us a copy of is only in cassette so far, and extremely expensive (like $150 I think) because they market them to libraries. Hoping it comes out in CD later, as the "Star Wars" John Oliver does an excellent job.
Robert's blog -- which oddly never got that much traffic -- is now available in Dutch. (In the book, one of the characters is told to create a blog to prove that he's actually going to certain places. Martin created a real Blogspot account for him, and posted all the pictures referenced in the book.)
MaliceBoxQuest, the online contest Penguin created to tout the book's UK launch, is still online (though the contest is long over) but I think it may go offline at some point. It's worth checking out if you like complicated little puzzles.
Back in October, Martin spoke at a lunchtime Cambridge in America event about his book and a bit about his journalism career. It's on video and they've posted it online.
Cambridge in America also invited him to speak In San Francisco. It was held in the rather posh yacht club in the Marina, the St. Francis. Here's my man:
When we were out for that trip, he also did a reading at Book Passage in Corte Madera, an excellent independent book store. After we got back to Brooklyn, they sent him a box of personalized stationery as a thank you. (You can buy your own from them at that link. It's good stuff.)
Though for that California trip, it was the appearance at the Barnes & Noble in Bakersfield that really moved some inventory. Many thanks to everyone who showed up for that reading, especially my mom, who rallied the troops.
And also thanks to Allison Collins, my sister-in-law, who is doing freelance book publicity. She helped set up the California book tour for us. She's got very reasonable rates -- even if she's not married to your brother.
Here's part of Bakersfield's SRO crowd:
A LiveJournaler gave the book a nice new review, ( "... turned out to be quite dope.")
And lastly, another plug for Good Reads, sort of a Facebook just about the books you've read. The site's founder is a 30-year-old guy named Otis Chandler in L.A., though best as I can tell, he's not related to the Otis Chandler, last, great hope for the L.A. Times before the Tribune Co. "synergized" it into goopiness.
Labels: bakersfield, books, malice box, pictures
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Malice Box: German edition and UK paperback
"The Malice Box" in paperback is now available for pre-order on Amazon's UK site. Release date: Feb. 28. (Though I would have prefered Feb. 29 ...)
"The Malice Box" is on the shelves in Germany -- where it's called "Dämonium." That's also a paperback.
Labels: books, malice box
Friday, November 02, 2007
Library Journal recommendeds 'Malice Box'
The Malice Box got a Library Journal review:
After receiving an unusual copper puzzle box by mail from an old Cambridge friend, Robert Reckliss finds himself embroiled in a life-and-death battle on the streets of Manhattan. Based on the secret alchemy of Isaac Newton, an ancient conspiracy called The Iwnw seeks to destroy Western civilization. Reckliss has the power to prevent this cataclysm—but only if he can tap into psychic abilities he doesn't even believe he possesses. The Iwnw arms a weapon, and Reckliss has one week to complete a physical and spiritual quest that includes solving riddles and finding and disarming said weapon—no small task. In essence, New York City is a main character in this debut novel; Langfield describes its architecture and history with details bordering on fetishistic. Those intimately familiar with the city will enjoy the behind-the-scenes tour of some famous landmarks and glimpses of hidden treasures; armchair adventurers will want to re-create the quest. While the concept is brilliantly clever, the overall execution is a tad disappointing. Recommended for most popular fiction collections.—Laura A.B. Cifelli, Fort Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FLAccording to Amazon.com, the audio version of "Malice Box" will be available in a few weeks.
And after the California book tour, "Malice Box" jumped to No. 3 on the bestsellers list -- for the B&N in Bakersfield.
And as for the other "public" California stop - they couldn't have been nicer at Book Passage in Corte Madera. They even offered us lunch and sent Martin a thank you gift.
Labels: books, malice box
Media notes: cronies, buying fire pictures, pretend news
A couple quick things of interest. ...
* My friend Heesun Wee has a new Yahoo interactive up on Korean "comfort" women.
* Another college friend -- Matt Welch's book on John McCain is out. I'm just a little ways in so far. ...
* Was impressed to see that as part of the LA Daily News fire coverage, you can make an online order for any of the pictures from their staff fire photo galleries.
* And this press release from a PR company showed up in my in box. Will be interesting to Google it in a month and see which "news" outlets use it and which ones don't bother to note they're basically running a press release verbatim. It starts this way:
Dear Editor:
We hope you will consider running this bylined article by Emil Grosso of Sebastians (Boston): "A Step by Step Guide to Choosing the Best Caterer for Your Holiday Needs By Emil Grosso, President, Sebastians Café and Catering.
This article focuses on how to select the perfect caterer now that the holidays are around the corner.
The bylined article appears below. ...
A Step by Step Guide to Choosing the Best Caterer for Your Holiday Needs
By Emil Grosso, President, Sebastians Café and Catering
With the holidays just around the corner, well-informed hosts know to book their caterers early to ensure the success of their parties and events. The right caterer can make or break a get together, ...
Labels: books, los angeles, media
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hello, California
The "Malice Box" "book tour" heads to California today as Martin and I get on a plane and head to San Francisco, then down the glamorous Central Valley.
Please stop by if you're in the neighborhood:
Saturday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.
Book Passage in Corte Madera
(followed by drinks at Il Fornaio)
Sunday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m.
Barnes & Noble on California, in Bakersfield
(followed by drinks at Mimi's)
Labels: bakersfield, books, malice box
Friday, October 12, 2007
Useful NY tool for (published) authors
We had a very nice "Malice Box" reading yesterday with the Cambridge Club here in New York. Since it wasn't held at a bookstore, they arranged for an outside bookseller to set up a table and sell books. I talked to the guy after and he said it's a free service they do. As long as your book has an ISDN number, they can do it for you, too. They're called MobileLibris.
Labels: books, malice box
Friday, September 14, 2007
New York obelisk mystery
Martin has done a guest page at Forgotten NY based on one of the weird facts he dug up while researching "The Malice Box." Please have a look at Mystery of the Obelisks.
And as if your calendar's not already marked -- his first book signing/reading will be at Barnes & Noble in the Village at 7:30 p.m. this evening.
Labels: books, malice box, nyc
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Two book events - Walking Brooklyn and MB
If you happen to be in Park Slope this evening, I'll be the Q half of a Q&A with "Walking Brooklyn" author Adrienne Onofri.
The book talk starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Bookstore on 7th Ave -- not far at all from where we used to live.
And tomorrow night of course is the first reading/signing of "The Malice Box." Please join us at Barnes & Noble in the Village (6th Ave and 8th Street) at 7:30.
Labels: books, brooklyn, malice box, nyc
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Matt's McCain book: October 16
For your pre-ordering convenience: "McCain: The Myth of a Maverick," by Matt Welch.Release date: October 16.
Labels: books
Monday, May 21, 2007
More 'Malice' - a good review and Greek rights
There's a good new review of "The Malice Box" on a crime fiction blog in Australia:
Because the THE MALICE BOX is a combination of fantasy, thriller and mystery it is a different reading experience from a standard, more conventional thriller. It is also different from a lot of recent big-name thrillers in that it does have the adventure or the quest, but the characters are an important component at the same time. The fantastical aspects of THE MALICE BOX will require an acceptance of the unexpected and the other-worldly which is not going to appeal to all readers. The combination of the styles of language - the gothic and the everyday is also obvious at points in the book - not necessarily completely off-putting, but unusual enough to stand out.And more good news - there's an offer on the table for Greek rights to the book. That will make the 10th foreign language rights sold for "The Malice Box."
Labels: books, malice box
Monday, May 14, 2007
The writer's gamble
The New York Times explains the book publishing industry:
Ms. Sittenfeld says she is reminded of something she heard from an editor: "People think publishing is a business, but it’s a casino."The story repeatedly points out that book publishers don't do any market research and have no clue who reads their books or why.
Labels: books
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Signed first edition craziness
Latest weirdness with the "Malice Box" ... one of the books that Martin signed at Heffers in Cambridge the other night for the First Blood event is on ebay with a buy-it-now price of GBP 79.99, (approximately US $158.57.)
Labels: books, malice box
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
New Blood for the Brits
The husband will be in Cambridge on Thursday night to take part in "New Blood: Debut Author Evening" at Heffers Books.
I'm not tagging along for this trip, but when I was there before, we had a nice chat with the gentleman who takes care of their crime/thriller books section. He gave me a copy of great little pamphlet they publish -- "The Crime Reader's Map of Cambridge."
It lists novels set in the area, complete with a body map and markings for real, fictional and historical places. It was great fun looking up "kills" for the street our hotel was on, where we had dinner, and so on.
And while I'm at it, let me share a few more pictures from that trip.
This one is inside the university, actually the rooms where the fire takes place near the beginning of "The Malice Box." When Martin took me there a couple summers ago, this section of the college was closed, so we could only look from the steps at the edge of the courtyard.
Since it was open this time, I headed straight for the far stairwell to take a picture since that's how you'd get to Adam's room. And at that point, Martin said he never said which upstairs room belonged to Adam. Apparently it doesn't say in the book. Hmmmm, who does he think he is?? The author? Because I'm entirely certain that Adam's room is on the second floor, the last windows on the right side of courtyard.The book's sales ranking has been all over the place on Amazon's UK site in the past month. If you read the book (especially if you liked it,) please feel free to sign on to their site and let your thoughts be known. It's popped up on a few bestseller charts here and there and has gotten a few nice remarks from the bloggers -- including (gasp) a spoiler.
He's working on the sequel now, and plans are still a go to get "Malice Box" published in the US come fall.
Labels: books, cambridge, malice box, pictures
Monday, March 12, 2007
'Harry Potter with nipple clamps'
The Times of London reviewed "The Malice Box" over the weekend. Not all good, not all bad, but this certainly stands out:
By the time that Adam’s promiscuous lover Ter-ri turns up it has metamorphosed from Brideshead Revisited into Harry Potter with nipple clamps.
Labels: books, malice box
Friday, February 23, 2007
'Malice Box,' a blog review
Yay for the bloggers.
A "Malice Box" review from Alex at "My Life". He gives it 7 out of 10.
Very funny being on this side of the action as it's still early and we're watching (well, trying to) everything that gets said about the book and the online campaign.
Labels: books, malice box
Sunday, February 18, 2007
'Malice Box' a 'bestseller' in New Zealand
So the latest fun number from Amazon.co.uk is No. 92 for "The Malice Box." Anything in the top 100 gets you on their bestseller list, however briefly.
Also, the book is on the bestseller page for New Zealand's Wellington City Libraries, whatever that means.
Labels: books, malice box
Langfields Observed
So the Langfields have twice been in London's Observer lately. NewYorkology got a few paragraphs last week, a nice mention through and through. And Martin's book gets in the book section today.
"The Malice Box" is mentioned in a list about Dan Brown-type thrillers.
Here's a section from The Observer:
The book is full of puzzles and moves at a good lick, but it is essentially a novelisation of a computer game. Nothing wrong with that, though I could've done without the psychic sidekick and the all-seeing and sinister Watchman.I'm a little stumped over "a novelisation of a computer game" and the "sinister Watchman." I suppose you could come to those characterizations but to me, it rather sounds like both phrases were cribbed from Amazon without having actually read the book. Without getting too much into a spoiler here, if you've read the book you're not likely to call the Watchman sinister although, I know, it says that on the bookflap. So maybe he didn't have to even get as far as Amazon?
Labels: books, malice box, newyorkology
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Crime book of the month at Borders UK
Another good turn for "The Malice Box," this one we happened upon while at Borders here in Cambridge:
"This is one of my favourite books.That nice little flyer was wraped around a copy of one of the books, though oddly, only one. They did however, have a nice end-of-aisle display for "Malice Box" there, naming it the crime book of the month.
This fast moving and interactive thriller will keep you up all night, as you follow Robert Reckliss' quest to save the western world by finding the 7 keys required to disarm an arcane weapon, poised to detonate in 7 days. Open your mind to the power of the soul and join in the quest to close the Malice Box once and for all."
- Amy Tipper, senior fiction buyer, Borders
Labels: books, malice box
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The first moronic Amazon review
So Martin's book has its first "user" review on Amazon.co.uk. Just hope this person never has to rate anything important. She gives the book one star based on the online contest that's being used to launch the book.
"However the puzzles are pitifully easy, i managed most of them in about an hour, and therefore makes it laughable in comparison to some childrens books such as cathy's book or masquerade. Really put me off buying the book, my recommendation give it a miss!"Oh wow, I had assumed it was one of those people who just tried to review as many items as possible to acheive some sort of Amazon fame, but it turns out this is the only review she's written. Nutjob.
But at least the only real review he's gotten so for was by someone who actually read the book. So he's got that going for him. ...
Labels: books, malice box
Friday, February 02, 2007
'Malice Box' reviewed: 'complex and highly original'
"The Malice Box" gets its first review, from Shots Magazine, a crime and thiller pub. It’s crazy good.
You need to find “Malice Box” in the left column and click. Here’s a bit:
This is one of the strangest and one of the best novels I have read for a very long time.
Its complex and highly original plot combines the alchemical writings of Isaac Newton and the mystical elements of the three major religions to send its characters on a thrilling journey of self discovery. The architecture and history of New York also play an important part in the narrative with Reckliss having to visit famous landmarks and hidden corners of the city to complete the seven trials.
There are, obviously, parallels to be drawn between this book and the Da Vinci Code, of the two I would say The Malice Box emerges as the more satisfying read. Not least because however outlandish the situations he places them in Langfield never fails to treat his characters as human beings liable to be changed and even destroyed by their experiences, rather than props to be used in the playing out of an over familiar conspiracy theory.
Labels: books, malice box
Malice and Maxim
In case the Malice Box Quest proved too difficult, Maxim has a much easier "Malice Box" contest. (Still UK residents only.)
Oh, and a push of the crack button reveals the book itself is at No. 177 on Amazon UK.
Labels: books, malice box
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Penguin's Most Wanted
Today's the day. Although it's actually been in the shops in London for a few days, today is the official release date for "The Malice Box." Did I mention it's my husband's book?
Penguin's Most Wanted UK crime site has it as their book of the month. Martin's also written something for them about the origins of the Malice Box, in which he finally makes public one of his little side projects: Robert's blog.
In the book, Robert's told to create a blog, posting phone cam pix and text to prove he's actually solving the riddles along the quest. I just love that it's in Blogspot.
Martin assures me there are a few clever links in there I haven't found yet.
Labels: books, malice box
Friday, January 26, 2007
'Malice Box' in US for fall '07
It appears "The Malice Box" has finally found a US distributor and will be on sale in bookshops here come fall.
The Amazon UK pre-sale ranking has been bouncing all around, though currently it's at 2,951. UK release date: February 1.
Labels: books, malice box
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Quest begins
Malice Box Quest, the game for Martin's book, launched on Monday in the UK.The book itself, The Malice Box, has a February 1 release date there.
Labels: books, malice box
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Congrats (books and art edition)
Congratulations to my friend Kip Bauersfeld, who has an art opening later this month in Prague.
And while I'm at it, here are a few more:
Congrats to Kevin Walsh, whose Forgotten New York book spent the holidays at the No. 1 spot at Brooklyn's best bookshop, Book Court.
And congrats to Todd Francis for finally getting an archive of his artwork online.
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