Just heard that my short story, "Dumb Beasts," has been accepted for Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England Authors, to be published in November by Level Best Books, a multiple-award-winning small publisher up here in New England. I'm tremendously excited for multiple reasons.
For starters, stories from Level Best's last anthology, Still Waters, have raked in several awards, so I know I'm in fabulous company. And... while I was re-reading my story, I realized that I might have a germ of a new novel. "Dumb Beasts" features a pet psychic who "hears" animals' thoughts – and this helps her realize a murder has been committed. The animals don't talk to her like we talk to each other; they only note what is important to them, in ways true to their species. But my heroine has always been better with animals than with people, so she catches on pretty quick.
I'm now toying with a larger story along these same lines. I want to be true to the animals, and give readers a thrill, too. When I sent "Dumb Beasts" in, I described it as "pet noir." What do you think?
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
World Enough: Boston rock 'n' roll noir
As Dark As My Fur: the second Blackie and Care mystery
The sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir
The new Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery
Now, where's that mouse?
"Probable Claws," April '09
Crime fiction, animal issues, and rock & roll. What more do you need?
COMING SOON: WORLD ENOUGH
World Enough: Boston rock 'n' roll noir
OUT NOW: AS DARK AS MY FUR
As Dark As My Fur: the second Blackie and Care mystery
Where I'll be
Thurs., Nov. 2, 7 p.m., World Enough book launch, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
Wed., Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m., Mysterious Bookshop, New York, NY
For more, please click here.
Stay informed: sign up for my newsletter here.
OUT NOW: WHEN BUNNIES GO BAD
The sixth Pru Marlowe pet noir
OUT NOW: INTO THE GREY
The new Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery
Welcome!
I'm Clea Simon, the author of three nonfiction books and four mystery series. The Theda Krakow books are Mew is for Murder, Cattery Row, Cries and Whiskers, and Probable Claws, all published by Poisoned Pen Press. My Dulcie Schwartz series, featuring Dulcie and the ghost of her late, great cat Mr Grey (from Severn House) are: Shades of Grey, Grey Matters, Grey Zone, Grey Expectations, True Grey, Grey Dawn, Grey Howl, Stages of Grey, and Code Grey. More books are in the works! My Pru Marlowe pet noir series began with Dogs Don't Lie, Cats Can't Shoot, Parrots Prove Deadly, Panthers Play for Keeps, Kittens Can Kill, and (March 2016) When Bunnies Go Bad. And my new darker series, featuring Blackie and Care, debuted in 2016 with Ninth Life and continued with As Dark As My Fur. Look for a third Blackie & Care, Cross My Path, in 2018. My Boston rock noir, World Enough, will be out in the US on Nov. 1. More info as I have it, friends!
Musetta at work
Now, where's that mouse?
Posts
Praise for Clea's books
"Simon’s best known for her cat mysteries like hardboiled (or should I say tough mouser?) The Ninth Life but she is equally adept evoking the gritty past of the sleazy rock clubs of our youth." – Do Some Damage on World Enough
"I consider Clea Simon to be an absolutely brilliant writer, regardless of what genre she writes in. Writing in a cat’s voice is an art form, and few writers manage to do it well. In this series, Simon takes this art into a new realm. The way she sets scenes from Blackie’s point of view, and the way she describes how he takes in the world around him, reflects not just a thorough understanding of feline behavior, but also a connection to the feline soul that I have rarely seen in other cat books. The best writers paint pictures with their words. In As Dark As My Fur, Clea Simon paints a sweeping emotional cityscape that will stay with you long after you put the book down." – The Conscious Cat
"This intriguing series launch from Simon, best known for her cozy Dulcie Schwartz mysteries (Into the Grey, etc.), introduces Boston journalist Tara Winton, who back in the 1980s covered local punk rock bands … Vibrant descriptions of Boston’s former music scene … readers with a taste for noir are sure to want to see more of the edgy Tara. " –Publishers Weekly on World Enough
"Mystery, music, nightclubs, animals in danger: on a certain level, it’s an unlikely combination, yet, somehow, it works very well. And why? That special blend, I think: passion, heart, understanding and voice, voice, voice. Simon’s is as strong and clear as the passion she brings to the stories she tells." – January Magazine on Probable Claws
"With panache and perception, Simon delivers another best-in-show entry." – Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Music journalist Theda Krakow once again proves a feisty and determined sleuth in Simon's lively fourth cat-themed mystery. ... Well-drawn characters, a plot with many strings to unravel and plenty of appealing cats make this another winner for Simon." – Publishers Weekly
"As usual, Theda uses her investigative-journalist skills to save herself and help the cats of Cambridge, all while keeping in touch with the rock-music scene and negotiating an increasingly serious relationship with boyfriend Bill." – Booklist
"Clea Simon does an excellent job creating believable characters in Probable Claws. Theda and the rest of the cast of characters could each be someone the reader already knows in everyday life, or might bump into tomorrow." – Mystery Scene Magazine
"Once again, Clea Simon skillfully brings together the various aspects of Theda Krakow's complicated life. ... Readers who appreciate complicated characters, and intricate plots, will appreciate Simon's latest crime novel, Probable Claws." – Lesa's Book Critiques
About Me
- Clea Simon
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- I'm the author of four mystery series, as well as such nonfiction books as The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats.
Clea Simon's official home page
Support your local mystery bookstore!
![Support your local mystery bookstore!](<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/search/apachesolr_search/Clea+Simon?aff=cleasimon09"><img src="http://www.indiebound.org/files/blue-small.gif" alt="Shop Indie Bookstores" border="0" /></a>)
Coming soon...
"Probable Claws," April '09
Links we like...
- Cries and Whiskers on Amazon
- Barbara Vey on Publishers Weekly
- Bookbitch
- Caroline Leavitt's home page
- Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
- Cozy Mystery list
- Crime Fiction Dossier
- Damon and Naomi's alt sounds
- Deborah Grabien's Tales from the Writerverse
- Do You Write Under Your Own Name?
- Eric Ruben: actor, writer, entertainer
- First Offenders mystery fiction blog
- Galleycat
- Karen E. Olson's home page
- Allia Zobel's Kitty Literate blog
- Larry Karp's Mystery Exchange
- Lauren Baratz-Logsted's home site
- Lesa's Book Critiques
- Linda L. Richards: author and geek girl
- Music critic Brett Milano's home page
- Musings of a Bookish Kitty
- Nose to the Ground: Julia Szabo's dog news blog
- Off the Page: Mystery columnist Oline H. Cogdill's blog
- Poe's Deadly Daughters
- Poisoned Pen Press
- Reviewed by Liz
- Reviewing the Evidence
- Steve Dale's "Pet World"
- The Lipstick Chronicles
- The Scissor Men (our friend Ted's band)
- UCLA Writers Program (where I teach)
- Vicki Croke - animal author extraordinaire
- Working Stiffs
7 comments:
Oooh, nice idea! Will email further thought...
Totally pet noir. Love the idea. Congrats on the acceptance!!!
Pet Noir! I want a t-shirt that is festooned with that!
Thanks, folks. God, don't you wish that you could write faster? (Karen Olson is an inspiration on that front.)
Pet Noir is brilliant and beautiful and so sophisticated. Chris
Pet Noir is brilliant and beautiful and so sophisticated. Chris
I absolutely love the phrase "pet noir"! I hope more authors pick up on the idea and pen their stories. You could edit an entire anthology. I'd be first in line to buy it!
Sandie
Post a Comment