I’m THRILLED to chat with excellent crime author, Will Viharo, about the Indie crime scene, the importance and pitfalls of using social media for book promotion, and what I’ve got coming down the line. You can check out the short interview RIGHT HERE.
S.W. Lauden is up for two Silver Falchion Reader’s Choice Awards! Voting is open to everybody and no registration is required. Please cast a vote for GRIZZLY SEASON (Best Action/Adventure) and CROSSWISE (Best Mystery). Thank you!
I was blown away to find out that my first Tommy & Shayna Crime Caper, CROSSWISE, was nominated for the “Best Novella” Anthony Award. The Anthony Awards will be voted on by attendees at the 2017 Bouchercon world mystery convention being held in Toronto from October 12 to 15. I’m thrilled to share the honor with fellow nominees Angel Luis Colon, Sarah M. Chen, John Shepphird and B.K. 
Stevens.
Thanks to everybody for the kind notes of congratulations!
If you haven’t read CROSSWISE yet, it’s a crossword puzzle-themed crime caper that follows the misadventures of disgraced NYPD officer Tommy Ruzzo. Things spiral out of control when Ruzzo chases his girlfriend to Florida where he’s named Head of Security for a beachfront retirement community populated by wisecracking New Yorkers. Ruzzo is stranded among the local losers until he discovers a murdered senior citizen on the bocce ball court.
The second Tommy & Shayna Crime Caper, CROSSED BONES, was just published last week by Down & Out Books.
In addition to the Anthony Award nomination, CROSSWISE is currently in the running for a Silver Falchion Reader’s Choice Award. That one is open for public voting now, and anybody can vote (CLICK HERE). Winners will be announced at the 2017 Killer Nashville Guest of Honor and Awards Banquet August 24 to 27.
S.W. Lauden writes the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series including BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION and GRIZZLY SEASON (Rare Bird Books). His Tommy & Shayna Crime Caper novellas include CROSSWISE and CROSSED BONES (Down & Out Books). He is the co-host of the Writer Types podcast. Steve lives in Los Angeles.
I need your vote please!
I just found out that I’m up for the Silver Falchion Reader’s Choice Awards. These are given out at the annual Killer Nashville convention, and I’m thrilled to see two of my books on the list:
The voting is open to anybody and requires no registration of any kind. If you have a few seconds, please click THIS LINK and give my books a vote. There are lots of great books to choose from, but you can only vote for one book per category.
S.W. Lauden is the author of the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series including BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION and GRIZZLY SEASON (Rare Bird Books). His Tommy & Shayna Crime Caper novellas include CROSSWISE and CROSSED BONES (Down & Out Books). He is also the co-host of the Writer Types podcast. Steve lives in Los Angeles.
Very happy to wake up to this review today over at Unlawful Acts. Based on his many book reviews, it seems like Mr. Nemeth and I have very similar tastes in crime fiction. Always interesting (and a little terrifying) when somebody like that reviews one of your books.
“Crossed Bones is the adult version of a carnival ride and Lauden’s writing keeps us grounded even as we plunge into the absurdity of costumed pirates battling a motorcycle gang for a lost treasure.”
You can read the full review HERE.
S.W. Lauden is the author of the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series including BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION and GRIZZLY SEASON (Rare Bird Books). His Tommy & Shayna Crime Caper novellas include CROSSWISE and CROSSED BONES (Down & Out Books). He is also the co-host of the Writer Types podcast. Steve lives in Los Angeles.
I’m thrilled to share the cover for the new Tommy & Shayna Caper, CROSSED BONES. This is the follow-up to my novella CROSSWISE. CROSSED BONES will be available from Down & Out Books on May 1, 2017!
Like drug-dealing pirates? Keep reading!
Shayna Billups left Tommy Ruzzo and Seatown, Florida in smoking ruins before escaping to New Orleans. She’s slinging rum drinks at a pirate-themed dive bar when a treasure map grabs her attention. All alone and thirsting for adventure, Shayna follows the clues to North Carolina where she assembles a band of drug-dealing pirates to wage war on a murderous mayor and his blood-thirsty biker gang.
As the bodies pile up, Shayna wonders if Ruzzo will find her before she ends up in Davy Jones’ Locker.
And check out the CROSSED BONES pre-order link on Amazon.
Tell a friend. Tell an enemy.
S.W. Lauden’s debut novel, BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, is available from Rare Bird Books. The second Greg Salem novel, GRIZZLY SEASON, was published on October 11, 2016. His novella, CROSSWISE, is available from Down & Out Books.
Hey there! If you’re in New Orleans next week and want to get together for a drink, to break some bread, or to plot world domination, here are a few good places to start looking:
Noir at the Bar—Bouchercon (Reading)
Wednesday from 4:30pm to 6:00pm, now in LaGalleries 6 (moved from LaGalleries 4&5)
Start off your Bouchercon right with a special Wednesday Noir at the Bar speed reading event. 20 authors doing super short readings and then a FREE BOOK giveaway. It’s fast and fun and the perfect way to kick off your Bouchercon right. Spread the word. Look at that freakin’ line up!!!
Skid Row Chatter with Tom Pitts (Podcast)
Thursday from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. (Somewhere in New Orleans)
Details are sketchy, as is the host.
Down & Out Books—Fifth Anniversary Party (Reading)
Thursday from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Cosimo’s Bar (French Quarter, New Orleans)
Down & Out Books is celebrating 5 years! AND–We want to celebrate with YOU! Join us for a special night of drinks and readings featuring: James Ray Tuck (AND he will be our MC), Eric Beetner, G.J. Brown, Jen Conley, Jeffery Hess, Dana King, S.W. Lauden, Gary Phillips, Tom Pitts, Ian Truman, J.L. Abramo, Grant Jerkins and Danny Gardner.
“Born On The Bayou”—Louisiana Stories (Panel)
Saturday, 3:00pm-3:50pm, LaGalleries 6
Bill Fitzhugh (M), S.W. Lauden, Bill Loehfelm, O’Neil DeNoux, Harley Jane Kozak and Jaden Terrell
All Other Times
I’ll be the author hanging around the hotel bar. You won’t be able to miss me.
You can always get info on my whereabouts at my snazzy new author website.
S.W. Lauden’s debut novel, BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, is available from Rare Bird Books. The second Greg Salem novel, GRIZZLY SEASON, will be published in Sept. 2016. His standalone novella, CROSSWISE, is available from Down & Out Books.
The nice people at Down & Out Books have put the ebook of my crime novella, “Crosswise,” on sale for $.99. If that’s the price you’ve been waiting for, just click right HERE.
Need a little more convincing? Well, you can see what the amazing Matt Coyle has to say up above. Or maybe you’d prefer to hear from Scott Adlerberg:
And here’s an amazing Amazon review from the one-and-only Michelle Isler (aka “Godmother”):
“I loved this smart, crime novella. S.W. Lauden just keeps getting better with his books. Crosswise just grabs you from the very beginning and keeps you guessing and entertained through the whole book. Nice, crisp, gruesome, and stuffed with interesting characters.”
Go ahead, give “Crosswise” a whirl!
Sometimes writing a book in a specific location means rediscovering music from there as well. Such was the case with my new novella, CROSSWISE. Take a listen and you might be surprised to find out that some of these artists called The Sunshine State home, at least until they hit the road.
S.W. Lauden’s debut novel, BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, is available now from Rare Bird Books. The second Greg Salem novel, GRIZZLY SEASON, will be published in September 2016. His standalone novella, CROSSWISE, is available now from Down & Out Books.
My new novella, CROSSWISE, was published by Down & Out Books this week. Because it’s set in a Florida Panhandle vacation town, I thought I would create some postcards. I’ll be adding more to this post for the next few weeks.
S.W. Lauden’s debut novel, BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, is available now from Rare Bird Books. The second Greg Salem novel, GRIZZLY SEASON, will be published in September 2016. His standalone novella, CROSSWISE, is available now from Down & Out Books.
Thanks to everybody who pre-ordered CROSSWISE, and those who grabbed it today. The response has been great so far and I’m really excited to know what all of you think once you’ve had a chance to read it. Here’s the low down:
Tommy Ruzzo is a disgraced NYPD cop who follows his coke fiend girlfriend back to her hometown in Florida. She leaves Ruzzo high and dry just before he’s named Head of Security at Precious Acres, a beachfront retirement community populated by wisecracking New Yorkers. Ruzzo is stranded among the local losers until the day he discovers a murdered senior citizen on the Precious Acres bocce ball court. The bodies pile up as Ruzzo uncovers a dangerous trail of clues that brings everybody in his new world under suspicion.
If you want to find out more about why I set this standalone novella in Florida, or how it got published, please check out these recent guest blog posts:
Here’s an amazing early review from Beth Kanell at Kingdom Books:
“CROSSWISE is a fun read and a quick one (130 pages)—a great tip of the hat to the noir genre. Shelve it with Westlake, Robert Parker, and your vintage paperbacks with their slinky women brandishing firearms. Or with Carl Hiassen and Kinky Friedman, for the good-humoredly ridiculous capers. Good stuff!”
Read the whole review RIGHT HERE.
And last, but certainly not least, here’s an interview I did with designer extraordinaire, J.T. Lindroos, who designed the cover for CROSSWISE.
S.W. Lauden’s debut novel, BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, is available now from Rare Bird Books. The second Greg Salem novel, GRIZZLY SEASON, will be published in September 2016. His standalone novella, CROSSWISE, is available now from Down & Out Books.
