CHRIS HOLM

I confess, as I write this, I'm a little dazed. It's been a whirlwind of a day. Book two of my Collector cycle, THE WRONG GOODBYE, is now available in print, ebook, and audio format—in the US and Canada, at least. Look for it (nay, pound on the counter and demand it) wherever books are sold. For what it's worth, I think this one's really, really good. But since there's a teeny, tiny chance I'm biased, here's a peek at what the ever-wonderful Elizabeth A. White had to say about it: "Holm set the world on fire with DEAD HARVEST, and now he absolutely burns it to the ground with THE WRONG GOODBYE." Thanks, Elizabeth! Thanks also to those who took the time to hype my books today, or dropped a line to wish me well. You made this release one to remember. Now, I do believe it's time to pour a drink. Tonight, I celebrate. Tomorrow, I get back to work.

Back from an overnight sojourn to the spotty-internet-access wilds of western Maine, and what did I miss in my absence? As ass-kicking Fresh Meat post on THE WRONG GOODBYE over at Criminal Minds courtesy of Neliza Drew , that's what! Here's a taste of what the ever-lovely Ms. Drew had to say (click through to read the rest):   "THE WRONG GOODBYE , like its predecessor, works on two levels. It’s a fun adventure, a cross-country fantastical crime spree that fans of Neil Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS and the TV show Supernatural will likely enjoy. It hits all the right notes as both a buddy comedy and a horror show. Between laughing at the oil tycoon and being skeeved out by the 'Bug Man,' it’s great fun, even if you just read along the surface. Look, three words: demon opium den. You need more? Cross-dressing psychic using a demon as a piñata. Underneath, it continues exploring matters of morality, free will, and what it means to be more or less human....

The Announcement It's official: my robot overlords have picked up book three in my Collector series! THE BIG REAP is set to see the light of day sometime in 2013, following this February's DEAD HARVEST and September 2012's THE WRONG GOODBYE. How psyched am I? Freakin' very . For one, THE BIG REAP takes a turn both epic and unexpected, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna rock. For two, you just know the cover will be mind-blowing. (Yeah, that's right: I mostly made this deal so's I could get me yet another kick-ass pulp cover. If I've got to keep cranking out crazy fantasy-noir adventure novels to get 'em, then so be it.) The Contest To celebrate today's announcement, I think I'll give away free stuff. What free stuff, you ask? How about three DEAD HARVEST prize packs, featuring a signed copy of DEAD HARVEST (The Collector Book One), as well as bookmarks, fridge magnets, custom DEAD HARVEST M&Ms, and whatever other crazy-ass DEAD ...

Locus Magazine, who've won like eleventy bagillion Hugo Awards. Locus Magazine, in whose pages a K.W. Jeter coined the term "steampunk," way back in April of '87. Locus Magazine, which no less a luminary than Arthur C. Clarke declared "the only periodical I read from cover to cover." Locus Magazine knows that I exist. What's more, they actually liked my book . There's no online edition, so I can't provide an evidentiary link, but here's a snippet of what they (or, rather, Carolyn Cushman) had to say: "The Collector series gets off to a strong start with this noir urban fantasy, a very promising first novel." You hear that? I'm "very promising." (Or, okay, my novel is. Shut up and let me have this.)

I'm pleased to announce that my short story "Pretty Little Things" will appear in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine! When? I've no idea. But they sent me a contract and everything, so if it's a prank, it's a darn thorough one. I couldn't be happier to be returning to the pages of Ellery Queen. It's a bit of a homecoming for me, since they gave me my first ever professional credit, way back in the Dark Ages of '07. Plus, any excuse to interact with EQMM's editor, Janet Hutchings, is a welcome one, indeed.