Off on a link expedition

And we start with the disappearance of Italian terrorist-turned-thriller writer (now that’s what I call cred) Cesare Bassati, who was supposed to check in once a week with French cops but didn’t, and now he’s being sought.

The Boston Herald looks at this new trend in crime fiction, something about order, chaos, and a dark mood. What is it? Hardboiled? No, according to them, it’s noir, and they talk to Hard Case Crime’s Charles Ardai and Kate Mattes (of Kate’s Mystery Books fame) about the resurgence.

Jerry Stahl is interviewed at the Grey Lady about his new novel I, FATTY, and that pesky drug addiction thing that seems to still hold fascination for some people.

The Times also delves into one of the hot topics in publishing at the moment: sex. So first this Edward Wyatt gets to write a semi-clueless article about romance novels and chick lit and now he’s writing about sex? I wonder, is he pitching these articles or were they assigned? Will he cover the burgeoning trend of soap opera tie-ins? (Hey, just interview Michael Malone…)

The Southern California Booksellers Association have announced their annual award nominees, and in the crime fiction category, they are Denise Hamilton, Edward Wright, Terrill Lee Lankford, Paula Woods and Jacqueline Winspear. Congrats to all the nominees! (link from Aldo.)

Alan Sillitoe told folks at the Edinburgh Book Fest how he busts through writer’s block: he sends messages to himself in Morse Code. Dude, don’t you think getting smashingly drunk would accomplish the same task a little more quickly?

Dale Salwak prepared an unusual book about writers–by asking their spouses what it was like to live with them. Somehow I bet the consensus answer is somewhere along the lines of “difficult.”

Another day, another accusation of plagiarism, this time against an Australian author, Peter Robb, for his book A DEATH IN BRAZIL.

Amazon Canada has revealed its 50 Essential Books of All Time and Alice Munro’s THE LOVE OF A GOOD WOMAN tops the list.

Caroline Leavitt, in looking at a couple of new novels by Stephanie Williams and Cathy Day, wonders whether it’s really possible to separate the writer from the work. In related news, Chauncey Mabe catches up with Robert Olen Butler and Elizabeth Dewberry, who reveal that they fell in love after reading each other’s books.

The literature Olympics? Whaa…? Never mind that the Literary Saloon (where I got the original link) reports that literature actually was an Olympic sport until 1948. So for all those people who thought Lit Idol was something new–fuggedaboudit.

And finally, how is anyone surprised by this bit of news? Not I, that’s for sure….