On the upside

It’s nearly four years since our lives took that big swerve into the pandemic. Has yours gone back to the same as before? Or are there new normals? Any silver linings?

by Dietrich

Has life gone back to the same as before? Well, there are fewer masked faces, less of those floor stickers warning about keeping a safe distance, and less elbow bumping too. But, instead of looking in the rearview at all that, I’d rather look at what’s ahead for ’24.

As for silver linings on the writing front, I’ve had plenty of time to sit and create. I’ve got some ideas and notes for a new crime caper that I’m eager to get to work on. And just before the holidays, I had some positive news on a film adaptation I wrote which I hope to share soon.

Currently, I’m working through a final draft of a story that’s set in different parts of Europe toward the end of the second world war. It’s a departure for me, a kind of anti-war novel. 

And there’s another novel I completed last year that’s been contracted with ECW Press. I won’t mention the title yet, but I can say that it’s set in the depression-era, and it’s in line for editing and should be released sometime in ’25. 

Right now, I’m looking forward to getting a glimpse of cover design ideas for the one that’s coming out this fall, also from ECW. It’s called Crooked, and it’s also set in the 30s. It’s based on Canadian-born Alvin Karpis and the notorious Barker Gang. It follows actual events and tells how Karpis joined forces with the Barkers, and how they set on a trail of bank robberies and kidnapping on their way to becoming the most hunted outlaws in America.

Details haven’t been worked out for any tours or any reading events for this year, but they’ll be posted on my website once they get finalized.

And there are plenty of conferences and festivals to look forward to this year as well. I’m not totally sure which I’ll be attending, but there have been a few favorites over the years. Bouchercon will be in Nashville this September. It’s big, well organized, always well-attended, and it’s a guaranteed good time. I’ll bet some of the Minds, past and present, will be there, and it’s always great getting together with them. Plus, it would be hard to pass up a chance to visit Music City all at the same time. 

Left Coast Crime’s in Seattle this year. It’s not as big an event, but it’s just as much fun. And for me, there’s no excuse for not attending since it’s just a short drive across the border. 

On the Canadian side, I took part in the MOTIVE festival in Toronto last June. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some Canadian author pals. And with any luck, I’ll be returning again this year. And Toronto is also home to the TIFA festival which takes place in the fall. It’s Canada’s largest and longest-running literary festival, and it’s also a great event to take in. 

And there are plenty of books to look forward to as well: A new collection of Chester Himes stories called The Essential Harlem Detectives; Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem; and for literary fiction there’s James by Percival Everett; and Knife by Salman Rushdie. And one I didn’t get to in 2023, Sleeping with Friends by Emily Schultz.

That’s some of what I’m looking forward to in the coming year. 

And here’s to wishing you all a great 2024. May this be your best year yet.