JonathanKellerman.com

Dear Readers,

It’s been a long time since my last home-page greeting.

My excuse – yes, you’ve heard it before - is that I’ve been spending most of my writing time on books. And a lesser share answering the mail I receive through the website. (It is, indeed, me, not my assistant, who replies.)

Jesse’s third novel, THE GENIUS (which I kid him is autobiographical) has been published to rave reviews in Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and People, and has garnered high praise in The Times of London from the ever gentlemanly, preternaturally talented Harlan Coben. This chilling portrayal of murder, madness and art’s darkest side makes me proud, once again, to be Jess’s dad. Do yourselves a favor and get it.

In terms of the old man’s books: OBSESSION came out in paperback a few weeks ago and reached #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. On April 20, it will be #8, for its sixth week on list. Thank you.

COMPULSION debuted at #1 on the NYT and will be # 3 on April 20. Thank you, again. Oh boy, do I mean that.

Here’s proof that I’ve been locked in a room for months, typing:

1. The next Delaware novel, BONES, is completed and will be published in October.
This time, publication will be simultaneous in the US and the UK. Finally. Thank you, British readers, for your patience and loyalty.

2. I’ve finished the text (110 essays) of WITH STRINGS ATTACHED, the art book based on my severe CGD (chronic guitarmania disorder.) That tome has entered the production phase and will be published in November. (First time in over two decades of writing professionally that I’ve actually sat in on a layout meeting.)

3. I’m currently working on a novel titled TRUE DETECTIVES – a “stand alone” featuring a couple of fascinating brothers, one a cop, one a private eye, who’ll appear, along with Alex and Milo, in BONES. That book is slated for March, 2009.

4. I’ve just signed a contract for several more Delaware novels that should keep me busy well past the point where I qualify for Social Security.

5. The basic structure of the Delaware novel to follow TRUE DETECTIVES has begun to plague my sleep. (Waking up in the middle of the night and scrawling notes about characters and plot elements is always a good sign the old brain’s still somewhat functional. Even when the morning light reveals illegible chicken scratches.) I even have a title, but I’ll keep it to myself for a while.

6. I published an op-ed on healthcare in the Wall Street Journal, on April 14, 2008.

For the most part, Faye and I shun attention, preferring to concentrate on family and work. Though we think of ourselves as friendly, like many writers, we’re both pretty shy, at the core. However, we recently agreed at the behest of our publishers, to be filmed for the CBS New Sunday Morning Show.

The Thursday prior to broadcast, cheerful crew – producer, interviewer, cameraman, sound guy – rolled up our driveway early in the morning and began schlepping their equipment into the house. Lots of equipment. Faye made them coffee. Sent our asst a few hour later, to get some sandwiches for their lunch. Dinner was also a possibility – so was a late snack. Because they spent 15 hours with us over two days. In order to distill a 6-8 minute segment.

I’m talking re-arranging the furniture, draping the windows, interviewing us, re-interviewing us. Re-re-interviewing us. Then they had us go through our photo albums to glean snapshots that could be scanned and jpg’ed (I have no idea how to do any of that but my erstwhile, gracious assistant, Terri Porras, is techno-adroit.) Then there were those “spontaneous” shots of Faye and me walking around the backyard. (Smile, chit-chat, stop, smell the roses…) And the drives around various local landmarks. And more questions. They filmed Faye as she cooked scrambled eggs. Filmed me attempting to play guitar. Re-arranged more furniture. Had Jesse drive up to L.A. less than 24 hours after he’d arrived in the States, bone-tired, following a brief trip abroad.

When the show first aired, we didn’t catch it because our brand new DVR (the product of a coerced “upgrade” from the geniuses at DirectTV) malfunctioned. Finally, we got a chance to view a tape, and found that the finished product emphasized me at the expense of Faye, treated Jesse like a silent-film actor (lips moving, no sound) and weighed heavily on the whole rich-and-famous “power couple,” aspect. We’d spent so long talking about the craft of writing, how much we enjoy being married to each other, the satisfaction of raising kids who turn out to be decent human beings, the importance of appreciating one’s success and giving back. None of that made the cut, but that’s showbiz, folks.

Being a grandfather is all it’s cracked up to be, and more. Great fun, and I get to sleep through the night.

Best wishes to all of you for a terrific Spring and Summer.

JK