Friday 1 May 2009

It's no longer a Mystery, it's a little piece of History

Hopefully very exciting times ahead folks, with the news that Mystery Man has been seized by the Richard and Judy show for their Summer Read promotion, news which was released by huge coincidence on the very day the book was published. I'm in with seven other books, which I'm sure are all fine and wonderful, but really I'd much prefer you buy mine! What it does mean is that the hardback/trade paperback will be joined very suddenly next weekend by the mass market paperback as well. Frankly, I think you should buy them all. It's also a little ironic that a book which in its own mad way celebrates the wonder of independent book stores, suddenly becomes available through Tescos and Asda and other major chains where previously I couldn't get arrested. Seriously, it's a huge bonus. Depending on where you live of course, and when you read this, I hope some of you can come along to what will be a rather surreal experience tonight, the launch of Mystery Man in No Alibis in Botanic Avenue in Belfast, that's 7 pm on May 1st.
This extra promotion for the book has also led my publishers at Headline Review to bring forward the publication of the sequel, The Day of the Jack Russell, which instead of May next year, is now to be published this coming November. Around about that time I should also be starting in on the third in the series, which at the moment I'm calling Dr. Chicago. All I need now is a plot.

Meanwhile, entirely independent of the above promotion, I'm at a fairly advanced state of negotiations with the BBC over a television version of Mystery Man, and if all goes according to plan I'll start writing the script in about a month's time.

5 comments:

bookwitch said...

Great news. I'll force all the other customers in Tesco (if I ever go there) to buy your book.

Hope you have fun tonight. I'll be with you in spirit. No, not that kind of spirit.

adrian mckinty said...

its hilarious! funniest book I've read since, well since the last bateman actually.

reviewing it for the oz press soon.

Unknown said...

Anyone else think that the Brendan Coyle character in Mystery Man has striking similarities with the author John Banville writing mystery novels as Benjamin Black???? Hmmmm....

SooperTara said...

I was hoping there would be a sequel. I was left wondering if our mystery man really did have a mad mother...
The whole time I was reading it I was thinking what a fantastic tv show it would make, good to know its actually going to be one.

CrazyDaisy said...

Colin,

Loved it as I do with all your work, I was reading it in a friend's apartment in Spain where I stumbled across a dvd of "Wild About Harry" - so I had myself a Double Whammy!

Looking fwd to the sequel - I hope old Dan Starkey doesn;t take too much of a back seat...

Daisy