ParanoiaNovel.com

If you're getting this newsletter, you may already have read POWER PLAY...but if you haven't, or if you're recruiting new readers, here's your chance. It's the story of Jake, a junior executive with a major aerospace company, who finds himself a fish out of water at a high-level corporate planning retreat. When armed men take the group hostage, Jake is the only one with the skills they need to survive.

POWER PLAY made national bestseller lists around the country in hardcover, and I can only hope it succeeds as well in paperback. Thanks to all of you for your support and your word-of-mouth, which sells more books than any review or promotion...but if you want reviews, you can read all you want here. I especially appreciate the kind words from fellow authors (such as Tess Gerritsen, who said, "I dare you to read the first page. You won't be able to stop," and Lee Child, who said POWER PLAY "moves like a bullet out of a gun").

In the U.K. this month, POWER PLAY is:

• Crime Book of the Month at Waterstone's
• Crime Thriller of the Month at Borders
• discounted at all Asda supermarkets
• displayed at all checkout lines at Woolworths stores
• prominently featured and discounted in front of store at all W.H. Smith stores
• featured in posters throughout the London Underground starting March 10

Talk about arriving with a bang...you can read more about POWER PLAY's U.K. publication here. I also spoke with David Freeman about my books for his Meet the Author web series -- you can watch interviews about POWER PLAY, KILLER INSTINCT, NO HIDING PLACE (the U.K. title for COMPANY MAN) and HIGH CRIMES at Meet the Author.

I didn't do any formal signing events, but I did sign stock at several Borders and Waterstone's in and around London. I also had a great time with the BBC's Simon Mayo and a panel of critics on Radio 5's Simon Mayo Book Club; for the next few days, you can download the interview here.

A week in London was hardly enough time, so I'll be going back in July for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, better known as Harrogate. It's scheduled for July 17-20 at the Crown Hotel, Harrogate, Yorkshire; the guest list includes Robert Crais, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen and Peter Robinson. I've never been, so I'm excited at the prospect; if you're attending, make sure to say hello.

WDEN-FM, out of Macon, Georgia, is one of the biggest country music stations in the U.S. -- and I’m just thrilled that morning DJ Laura Starling has picked POWER PLAY as her book club selection for March. I’ll be talking to Laura live on Tuesday, March 25 at 9:15 a.m. Eastern time; if you’re not in WDEN’s broadcast area, you can listen online at www.wden.com. Laura will be giving away copies of the book, and I may drop a few hints about what I’m working on now. Which leads me to…

The question I’m getting most often these days is some version of this one:

Are you writing another book? When’s it coming out?

The answer to the first question is yes. I’ve had my head down the last couple of months trying to make the deadline on the next book, which will launch a new series. It’ll be out around the end of this year, but I don’t have a publication date yet -- and I can’t tell you much more than that. It’s about high-level corporate security consultant Nick Heller and his colleagues. Launching a series is a new challenge for me, and it’s important that this first book sets the stage for many more to come. I’ll share more details in the months ahead, and let you know a publication date as soon as I have one.

If you have other questions, feel free to send them on to Joe@josephfinder.com. I read all the e-mails, and while I don’t always have time to answer right away, Webmistress Clair often knows the answer, and will respond promptly.

The most recent trivia question was both a trick question and a spoiler -- in fact, we're not even going to repeat it here, in case some people haven't yet read PARANOIA. Since it wasn't entirely fair, we put everyone who submitted one of two possible answers into the drawing for a free signed copy of KILLER INSTINCT -- and we congratulate Stephen Book of Lubbock, TX; Anna Sutherland of Danville, VA; and Carla Nyquist of Boulder, CO.

The new trivia contest, which runs until the end of April, is a little more straightforward. What is the name of the Conover family dog in COMPANY MAN? The answer is not only in the book, but also somewhere on the website. Submit your answer by April 30 to Claire@josephfinder.com, with the subject title "Trivia contest." We’ll draw three winners at random. Unfortunately, we can only send books to U.S. addresses, and we ask that you not enter if you’ve already won something from us in the last 12 months.

We’ve also given away some signed copies of the POWER PLAY paperback, and we plan to give away a few more. Congratulations to Johnny Wright of Carlsbad, NM; Michael Spencer of Orem, UT; Tracey Gates of Mount Orab, OH; Tom Babcock of Anaheim, CA; and Annette Kalkhoff of Spirit Lake, IA. If you have a U.S. mailing address and have not won a signed book in the last 12 months, send your complete name and mailing address to Claire@josephfinder.com between now and March 31. Use “PP Paperback Giveaway” as your subject line. We’ll draw five names at random to win signed copies of the POWER PLAY paperback. Good luck!

Not much touring coming up in the months ahead, but I’ll be at a couple of conferences and special events:

Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
"Spring Fling," A Library Lovers' Evening with Joseph Finder and others
A fundraiser for the Newton Free Library
Tickets $100.00
330 Homer Street
Newton, MA 02459
617-796-1407
http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/library/

July 9-12, 2008
Thrillerfest (registration required)
The Grand Hyatt
New York, NY
http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/index.html

July 17-20, 2008
Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival (registration required)
The Crown Hotel
Harrogate, Yorkshire
England
http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/index.html

As new events come up, I post them here and on my MySpace calendar. I’m delighted to meet readers in person, and really appreciate everyone who takes the time to come out and say hello.

Thanks again for your support, keep reading, and I hope every day's a Power Play!

All the best,
Joseph Finder
Joe@josephfinder.com