L.A. TImes Festival of Books in Pictures

Spent all Saturday on the campus of UCLA at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Tons of people - readers and authors alike! But no reason to tell you about it...let me show you....



No crowds yet...still about an hour from official opening time. But they're coming!

Setting up at the Mysterious Galaxy booth

Book TV

Everywhere books!

Robert Gregory Browne at his first of four signings for the day

Best T-shirt of the day

Nathan Walpow at the Mystery Bookstore booth

The Mystery Bookstore's very own Bobby McCue

The crowds begin to grow

James Ellroy at the Borders booth

Michael Connelly talking to a fan

Crowded now

The wonderful and talented Cornelia Read fresh from the Edgars

Speaking of Edgars...Edgar award winner Naomi Hirahara and I catch up (Way to go, Naomi!)

Duane Swierczynski trying to unsuccessfully get out of a picture with Sean Doolittle during our gourmet lunch

Sean Doolittle and Victor Gischler

Mary Higgins Clark (blue jacket), Carol Higgins Clark (in red), behind the Mystery Bookstore worker in the white shirt is George Pelecanos passing time with Stuart Woods.

A whole portion of the festival I only did a quick pass through...

Simon Wood

The Fonz looking for a book...that's right, Henry Winkler at the Mystery Bookstore booth

Sean Doolittle and Joanne Fluke

Laura Lippman talking with Jan Burke at Mystery Galaxy booth

Joseph Wambaugh

Megan Abbot, Jason Starr, and Theresa Schwegel


If you've never gone before, hopefully these pictures will have convinced you it's an event not to be missed.

LAT Festival Some Preliminary Photos

From last night's party at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. Bobby and Linda through a FANTASTIC party. Must have been over a hundred people by final count. Here are a few pics. I should have taken more. After the party about a dozen of us went and grabbed a (too expensive) dinner: Jim Pascoe, Sean Doolittle, Jason Starr, Victor Gischler, Jan Long, Simon Wood, Stephen Blackmoore, Mark Haskell Smith, Aldo the Mystery Dawg and son, and Robert Gregory Browne.

Off to the festival...after a quick stop at the old Farmer's Market for breakfast! Enjoy the pictures....




Stephen Blackmoore and Robert Gregory Browne trying to look important


Murderati Blogmates Simon Wood and Robert Gregory Browne

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books!

This is a big weekend here in L.A. It's the Festival of Books at the UCLA campus. An excuse for a couple hundred thousand of your closest friends to get together an celebrate the written word.

I will definitely be there, hanging out with this guy, hoping to see this guy, and this guy, and the female Brett, and her good friend...oh and this knucklehead will be there too, but if I see him first, I might be able to avoid him.

The point is there's going to be a ton of people in town for this really wonderful event. If you are in the area, I encourage you to go even if just for a few hours. It's a ton 'o fun. And you can quote me on that!

I'll be wandering around, so if you see me, stop me and say hi!

Here are some links to get you excited:

The Mystery Bookstore, which is hosting a pre-festival party Friday night (yep, I'll be there!)

A Nice Piece in the L.A. Times

Festival of Books Home Page

List of Author Attendees (which I know for a fact is not a complete list

Festival FAQ

Festival Directions

Festival Event Map (warning, this is a PDF)

The Amazing, Vanishing Brett and a Piece of Flash Fiction

In a disappearing act most famous magicians would be jealous of, I've been off the blogs for several weeks now. Blame it on several things...first, and visually the most obvious. I've been in the process of having my website, blog and myspace page redesigned and relaunch. (Very happy with the results.) Second, at least last week, I was sick - ugly sick. 102º temperature sick. Here, take these antibiotics sick. Better now...mostly. And third, I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes things to prep for the release of THE CLEANER (just over 2 months from now!!)

One of those things hit today. A very nice piece in Publisher's Weekly that you can read here.

I'm not promising to be around as much as I was earlier this year, but I will try to be here a couple times a week. I'm working on rewrites to book 2, and continuing to prep for June 26th.

In the mean time, here's a story I wrote that was up last year on Flashing in the Gutters. Hope you enjoy:


Venti Latte


“The large one.”

“You mean venti?” the barista asked. She was probably just barely out of high school.

“Sure. Venti. That’s the large, right?” the man asked.

“That’s the large.”

“Good.”

“Can I get your name?”

The man looked around. “Why? Is there a line?”

There was no line.

“Right. Sorry. I’m a little nervous,” she said.

“This your first day?”

“No. Third.”

“You’re doing fine.”

And she was, too. Her customer service was all he could have expected.

“How much?” he asked.

She hesitated for a moment like she hadn’t understood what he was saying, then shook herself and rang up his drink.

“Three forty-five,” she said.

“Annie.” It was one of her co-workers. The red-headed kid who looked like he could use a little sun. “Just give it to him.”

“It’s okay,” the man said. "I don't mind paying."

He pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to the girl. Once she had given him his change, he dumped it all in the tip jar.

While the rest of her co-workers and pretty much everyone in the coffee shop watched, Annie made the made a venti latte. No one offered to help, but she seemed to have everything under control.

Somewhere in the distance, there was the faint sound of a siren.

The man waited contentedly as she finished frothing up the milk and adding it to his cup. Once she was done, she put a lid on top and slipped a safety sleeve around the base. Her hands weren’t even shaking as she handed the drink to him.

The sirens were closer now, probably only six or seven blocks away. The man took a sip of the latte, then smiled.

“This is great.”

“Thanks,” Annie said.

“You have a good day,” he told her.

“You, too.”

Except for his footsteps on the tiled floor, the coffee shop was silent. Everyone’s eyes were on him, but he acted like he didn’t notice. The only abnormal thing he did was step over the dead body of the would-be robber lying in the middle of the floor.

The unlucky bastard’s gun was still in his hand. An ancient .38 special. God only knew how much damage the kid had done with it in the past.

As the assassin opened the front door, he glanced back at the counter. Annie was still there, watching him. As he gave her a little wave, she mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

He smiled and walked out to his car. A glance at his watch told him he was still ahead of schedule. That was fine. It was never good to kill someone when you were in a rush.

Ch..Ch...Ch...Changes...

In the effort to gear up for the coming release of my novel, I've launched my new, redesigned website! Check it out HERE.


You may have already noticed the look of my blog has also changed. Thanks go to Madeira at Xuni.com for doing such a great job!

If you get a chance, let me know what you think!

Get POISONED

Tasha Alexander's wonderful A POISONED SEASON is in bookstores today. I was lucky enough to read an ARC, and I have to say, it's a great followup to AND ONLY TO DECEIVE.

London's social season is in full swing, and the aristocracy can't stop whispering about a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendent of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But he's not the only topic of wagging tongues. Drawing rooms, boudoirs, and ballrooms are abuzz with the latest news of an audacious cat burglar who has been making off with precious items that once belonged to the ill-fated queen.

But light gossip turns serious when the owner of one of the pilfered treasures is murdered, and the thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton. It takes all of Emily's wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, even as a brewing scandal threatens both her reputation and her private life.

Buy it HERE.

Killer Year 2008

If you are thriller/mystery/suspense writer whose debut novel is being published in 2008, go tohttp://2008.killeryear.comto learn more about Killer Year 2008.

Killer Year began in 2007 as a group of debut thriller/suspense authors who banded together to help promote each other. In the end thirteen authors were involved. Efforts that they used in promotion included the Killer Year blog, Killer Year website, a chap book mailed to several hundred independent booksellers, organizing Killer Year panels at various conferences and bookseller events, and producing a Killer Year anthology which will be published by St. Martin's in 2008.

For their hard work, they've received major press coverage, radio interviews and feature articles as well as the sponsorship of ITW.

So get ready, because 2008 is gonna be another Killer Year.

For more details go to http://2008.killeryear.com

Application deadline is June 15, 2007.

Help find (read: buy) a LOST DOG

Bill Cameron's debut novel LOST DOG is out now!!! I'm thrilled for him! You can purchase it here.

Peter McKrall is at a crossroads—out of work, fighting a klepto habit, and trying to figure out his next move. Life takes an unexpected turn when a search for his niece’s stuffed dog leads him to something else entirely: a bullet-riddled corpse.
Talking to reporters lands Peter on the local news, which turns out to be a dangerous spotlight. And now Darla, the troubled daughter of the victim, is reaching out to him—but can she be trusted? When a second murder takes place and evidence is planted in his trash, the cops dredge up Peter’s painful history. The only ray of sunshine in this harrowing nightmare is Ruby Jane, whose warm smile melts the winter chill.

An unwitting player in a bizarre chain of events, Peter has no idea that the deranged killer is after him—until he takes a shot at Ruby Jane.

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to...ROB BROOKS! Your copy of THE CLEANER is in the mail!

With everyone's entries, we came up with a great list of books:

May: Lynn Viehl's Night Lost--she's also known as Paperback Writer.

Kim H: Marcus Sakey's THE BLADE ITSELF

Dave White: Robert Crais' The Watchman.

Jippy: Robert Gregory Browne's Kiss Her GoodBye Anatomy of a Book Deal

Joan: The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner

Angela/SciFiChick: Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

clg5: I'M WATCHING YOU by Karen Rose

norby: The Black Angel by John Connolly

Stacey Cochran: Alex Sokoloff's The Harrowing.

Rob Brooks: Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

Kate: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

jeff shelby: Nancy Pickard's "The Virgin of Small Plains"

Mark Terry: Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

M. G. Tarquini: Patricia Wood's LOTTERY

Gerald So: SUICIDE SQUEEZE by Victor Gischler

Time to WIN Again!

That's right, I promise another chance to win a copy of THE CLEANER at the end of March, so here it is!! All you have to do is post a comment to this entry naming the best book you've read in the last 12 months. Give us the title, author, and, if you can, a link to either the author's website or someplace we can learn more about the book. (That last part is not a must...only if possible.) That's it. All entries that have followed those directions will go into a hat and a winner will be randomly drawn.

Contest ends at 9 p.m. Thursday March 29th...

As always: My family, members of Killer Year, previous winners, and those who already have an ARC of THE CLEANER are not elibible...you can contribute, but your names not going into the hat.

How Could I Miss This?

Steven Hockensmith's ON THE WRONG TRACK is out in bookstores now! And actually has been for two weeks. My excuse(s) for my tardiness? Been finishing the draft of Book 2 (should be done this week), and I was major sick last week with the flu...those excuses also work for why this blog has lain dormant for a while.

But get Steve's book. It is even better than the Edgar nominated HOLMES ON THE RANGE, which some of you might remember I absolutely loved. There's nothing like these books out there. I love them because they are not only a great change from my usual reading, but also because Steve is a FANTASTIC writer.

Now This Sounds Like Fun!

Fellow Killer Year member Marc Lecard's VINNIE'S HEAD is in bookstores today! Get it HERE.

In Vinnie’s Head, Long Island petty criminal Johnnie LoDuco snags his best friend’s head while fishing for flounder, and attracts the attention of some very unpleasant people. Is it the head they want, or Johnnie?

"For those of us who like our crime writing with a dose of dark humor, Vinnie's Head is the ticket. Great characters, pace, style, and story -- Marc Lecard has chops!" -- Christopher Moore, New York Times Bestselling Author of A Dirty Job and You Suck

"If you want a blend of 'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia' and 'The Sopranos,' but with dazzling writing and mesmerising characters, this book is it and so much, much more, a dark diamond of that rarity, sheer readability. You don't realize how well crafted the writing is til you've read the novel in one straight sitting. Debuts don't come any better than this." --Ken Bruen, author of The Dramatist and American Skin

"Marc Lecard's savagely funny, fast-paced debut is -- forgive me -- head and shoulders over the competition. You'll love Johnnie LoDuco, the ultimate fall guy who tries to help an old friend, only to find himself way over his you-know-what. I can't wait to read the next twisted thing Lecard fishes out of the dark lake of his imagination." --Duane Swierzynski, author of The Wheelman and The Blonde

Stories, Stories Everywhere!!

The Third Blog Short Story Project is up! This is Bryon Quertermous and Dave White's baby. And what fun it is!! Read through them as you have the opportunity!

Bryon Quertermous - "I Am Not Paul Avery"
Dave White - "The Best Blog Story...Ever"
JT Ellison - "Bits and Pieces"
David J. Montgomery - "AmberSki77"
JD Rhoades - "Flame War"
John Rickards - "Your Friends"
Pari Noskin Taichert - "The Cat's Meow"
Bill Crider - The Sunshine of My Wife
Daniel Hatadi - "Dumped"
Stephen Allan - "Take That, You Prick"
John DuMond - "The Truth Hurts"
Paul Guyot - "As I Lay Dying"
Patricia Abbott - "RE: University Protocol on Incidents of Student Plagiarism"
Mike MacLean - "How Does It Feel?"
Christa M. Miller - Blogging a Fantasy
Stephen D. Rogers - "Comments Enabled"
Karen E. Olson - "Smoking Gun"
Gerald So - Confession of a Spenser Fan
Anthony Rainone - "Burning Down The House"

A BANNER DAY

It is with GREAT pleasure, and EVEN GREATER excitement that I celebrate today the launch of my very, very good friend Phil Hawley's debut novel STIGMA.

I've read STIGMA and it's fantastic. Great characters, great plot, and the beginning of a great career.

I'm heading out today to get my copy. What about you??

An Unexpect Gift

A friend stopped by this morning and gave me a copy of THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN #1 from Marvel Comics. I was surprised and thrilled! I had forgot it was coming out this week.

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King is one of my all time favorite stories. Written over decades, King created the backbone that basically supports nearly all (if not all) the other stories he has written. And what a rich and beautiful backbone it is. I came on late. I think THE GUNSLINGER was out probably 10 or 15 years by then, but once I caught up, I eagerly anticipated the release of each new volume. And when the series finally ended, I was both satisfied and left wonting.

But now, King - working as Creative Director - is working with Robin Ruth, Peter David, Jae Lee, Richard Isanove and Marvel Comics to bring new Gunslinger stories out in graphic novel form.

And oh...my...God...the illustrations are beautiful. And thanks to my friend Greg, I have my own copy. The problem is I don't know whether to read it or put it in a plastic sack and hide it in my closet!

KISS HER GOODBYE

Today is a big day for my good friend, Robert Gregory Browne. It's PUB DAY! As of this morning, his novel KISS HER GOODBYE is available at fine bookstores everywhere.

Can't get to a store? They you can get your copy HERE. I've read it already. It's a great book that will keep you up late unwilling to stop reading. Come on, you know you want a copy!

CONTEST RESULTS...AND NOT JUST A WINNER

Yes, we have a winner! But what we also have a is a great list of suggestions for some great reads. First the winner, then the list...


Congratulations to:

spyscribbler!!

Spyscrib...please email me your address to brett@brettbattles.com and I'll get it out to you. I won't be able to send it out until next week as I'll be at Left Coast Crime through the weekend.

I think this contest was very successful! (I promise to have another...probably late March.) Here's the list of Spy Fiction we came up with in the order they came in:

THE QUIET AMERICAN Graham Greene.
A story of love, lust, jealousy and misguided patriotism set in the turbulent world of 1950s Vietnam.

THE HUMAN FACTOR Graham Greene
Maurice Castle must decide what he needs to do to save his family, and then whether he can pay that price.
Offered up by Stephen D. Rogers

THE TAILOR OF PANAMA John Le Carre
Harry Pendel is an unassuming tailor in Panama, who is working as informant to the British government. What his people don't know is that Harry has an agenda all his own.
Offered up by Stacey

THE SCORPIO ILLUSION Robert Ludlum
An ex-naval intelligence officer is brought out of retirement to stop the world's most dangerous terrorist - who happens to be one smokin' hot lady.
Offered up by Jeff Shelby

SPOOKER Dean Ing
An innocent DEA agent becomes the target of an ex-KGB mother and son team who now make their living hunting fellow spies.
Offered up by Steve

A COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS [aka The Mask of Dimitrios] Eric Ambler
Is in novel terms an existential espionage novel, focusing on why society requires ‘enforcers’ like Dimitrios to make the world revolve.
Offered up by Ali

THE CLEANER Brett Battles
Berlin is again a city of that will send chills down your spine.
All right, Steve G...I know you're just trying to suck up to get an ARC

THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN Another Robert Ludlum
Substitute super-agent for retired Navy officer and Russian counterpart for world's most dangerous terrorist and we've got the same blurb.
This one from Mary

EYE OF THE NEEDLE Ken Follett
The allies have the Germans convinced they plan to invade Calais. Only one spy knows the truth, and the only person preventing him from getting that knowledge to the Nazis is Lucy Rose, a woman caring for her crippled husband on a lonely island.
Offered up by Mindy

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS Olen Steinhauer
In 1948, in a small, unnamed Eastern European country, homicide detective Emil Brod has been assigned his first case in the People's Militia, and his colleagues think he's a spy.
Offered up by Daniel Hatadi

GORKY PARK Martin Cruz Smith
Three dead bodies buried in the snow add the crooked members of the KGB, the FBI, and the NYPD and have fun.
Offered up by Nikki

PATRIOT GAMES Tom Clancy
From Great Britain to the US, danger follows CIA agent, Jack Ryan, and his family, landing them in the midst of international terrorism.
Offered up by Angela/SciFiChick

THE MESSENGER Daniel Silva. Around the globe action involving the world art community, Israeli Mossad, The Pope and the U.S. President.
Offered up by Traveler

THE FAITHFUL SPY Alex Berenson
This book has a depth to it which includes an historical context of the World War 1 aftermath throught World War 11 and contains international intrigue with exceptional characters.
Offered up by Alissa

THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE David Morrell
Spanning the globe this book features a novel of fierce loyalty, violent betrayal and revenge.
Offered up by Ellie

THE PERFECT ASSASSIN Ward Larsen
A lethal organization combined with a partnership with a killer in a high stakes struggle for the Middle East Power.
Offered up by Sharon

TEARS OF AUTUMN Charles McCarry
A unique approach to the Kennedy assassination which contains more information about the Vietnam connection.
Offered up by Pearl

THE MARK OF THE ASSASSIN Daniel Silva
An inside look at the life of a CIA Agent whose quest leads him to a secret organization rife with corruption.
Offered up by Joelle

DOCTOR NO Ian Fleming
Poor James Bond, after recovering from a bizarre shoe poisoning, his rest trip to Jamaica has him fighting off a mechanical dragon and a half German-half Chinese supervillian with only his close personal friend, Honeychile Rider, to lend a hand.
Offered up by Angie

LESS THAN A SHADOW David Chacko
A prominent journalist is murdered in Istanbul escalating into high drama involving the Turkish Mafia,a lethal hidden secret and a terrible threat about to change the Middle East forever.
Offered up by Principessa

LEGENDS Robert Littell
A man tries to sort out his past identies to find out the truth of who he is and, er ... not die.
Offered up by Spyscribbler (fyi...would have taken any of the Rain books, too)

THE EIGER SANCTION Trevanian.
I can't believe nobody's mentioned this one yet. It's a brilliant piece of writing that's almost a send-up of the espionage genre--but also bloody, action-packed, sadistic, and clever as fuck.
Offered up by Duane Swierczynski (BTW...if you haven't read Duane's books - THE WHEELMAN or THE BLONDE - you are really missing something! Just finish THE WHEELMAN last night and read THE BLONDE over the holidays. Loved them!!)

MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION Dorthy Gilman
Senior citizen spy outsmarts the Chinese government.
Offered up by Sandra Seamans (and, of course, cozy spy thrillers count)

STORMBREAKER Anthony Horowitz
After discovering his recently murdered uncle was really a spy, 14 year-old Alex Rider is recruited by MI6 to take over his uncle's mission and infiltrate a prep school.
Offered up the ineligible Rob Gregory Browne

CONTEST!!!

Less than a week left in my contest to win an ARC of THE CLEANER! Details HERE. And here's what some people you may know are saying about THE CLEANER:


"It's always great to discover a new writer who can turn a genre on its ear. Brett Battles's THE CLEANER proves the case. Part Raymond Chandler, part Clive Cussler, part Robert Ludlum, here is an international thriller chocked full of action, taut with suspense, and laced with a fair amount of humor and romance. An exciting debut by a major new talent...I look forward to seeing what comes next!"
--James Rollins. New York Times Best Selling Author of Map of Bones and Black Order

"Brett Battles makes a grand entrance into the thriller scene with this
unputdownable spy novel. THE CLEANER has it all: exotic locales, James
Bondian derring-do, and ingenious plot twists that will keep you
sweating all the way till the end." -- Tess Gerritsen. New York Times Best Selling Author of THE
MEPHISTO CLUB

Brett Battles is a compelling new voice in the thriller genre. The Cleaner
combines the best elements of Lee Child, John LeCarre and Robert Ludlum.
Deftly plotted, perfectly paced and expertly executed, Battles takes his
readers on a joyride from the U.S. to Vietnam to post-Cold War Berlin.
Jonathan Quinn is a character worth rooting for. Brett Battles is a master
story teller. Find a comfortable chair and plan to stay up late. You won't
be able to put it down. A stellar debut. Highly-recommended.--Sheldon
Siegel. New York Times Best Selling Author of The Confession.

"THE CLEANER is a terrific novel. It features a compelling plot, thrilling action and an unforgettable cast of characters. This debut novel is a powerful read." --Robert K. Tanenbaum

A HUGE Congratulations

Two of my favorite books from last year have been nominated for BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR. The first is the moody and lyrical A FIELD OF DARKNESS by Cornelia Read. I read it right after it came out. It's a great book and Cornelia is going to be (hell, already is) a huge talent.











The second is HOLMES ON THE RANGE by Steven Hochensmith. Those who read this blog probably already know I'm a huge fan of Steve. HOLMES ON THE RANGE had be laughing out loud like I've never done before when reading a book. And it's follow up ON THE WRONG TRACK (which I was lucky enough to get in an ARC) is just as fantastic.

I haven't read the others on the list, so I can't comment other than to say they'll have to be pretty damn amazing to be better than these two.











ALSO, Naomi Hirahara's SNAKESKIN SHAMISEN has been nonimated for BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL. Naomi's Mas Arai series is fantastic. I could not be happier for her.










~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CONTEST REMINDER: Win an ARC of THE CLEANER! Read more here.

Win THE CLEANER

Time for a little fun, folks. I have just received my ultra cool Advance Reader Copies of THE CLEANER. But they’re not doing any good sitting here in a box with me. I want to get them into your hands!

Over the next couple of months, I’m planning on giving away a few copies to lucky winners. (Okay, lucky is subjective. You’ll let me know what you think after you read it.)

Well, today is the first day of contest #1. The question is…how to choose a winner?

This is what I’ve come up with. Everyone (with exception of those listed below) who enters is eligible. To enter you just need to post a comment here with the title of your favorite spy novel and a one sentence synopsis. For example, here’s what mine would be:

THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene.

A story of love, lust, jealousy and misguided patriotism set in the turbulent world of 1950s Vietnam.

That’s it. This way we can all learn about books we might not have known about and you all get the chance to win a copy of my book. All entries that have given the appropriate information will be put in a hat. The winner will then be pulled randomly.

Contest ends in 2 weeks on January 31st. You can enter as many times as you want, but only one entry per person will be valid!!

And if you are a member of Killer Year, my writing group, or my family, you can also enter, BUT you aren’t eligible to win. Sorry, gang. You can hit me up for a copy later.