How I Spent My Saturday Afternoon

No real need for me to blog in detail about the Golberg book signing I attended yesterday, since my cousin Burl has already done so. http://adoraburl.typepad.com/burl_barer/2010/08/psych-monk-burn-notice-goldberg-rabkin-goldberg-talk-tieins-and-success.html#tp

I got there late, and so missed the picture-taking.

I did, however, make sure Burl was included in the book-signing magic by bringing two rare tomes for his signature: His 1994 book about the MAVERICK movie and TV series; and his 2006 novelization of the movie STEALTH, which was published only in Japanese. (I showed him where his name was spelled out in Katakana.)

Latest Developments in Goldberg Country

Once again, I will assume my familial responsibilities and plug some projects in which that my cousins, the Goldberg Brothers, are involved. Since Lee and Tod Goldberg's blogs average as many hits in a day as I get in about a year, you could say that they don't need my help; but I think print needs to be promoted, particularly when it comes from my family. (And their books are lots of fun to read.)

Lee has reissued a book from him published in the early 90's, TELEVISION SERIES REVIVALS. It catalogs and discusses various reunion specials and series based on canceled TV shows. I love this type of book, so I'll probably be buying a copy.

Lee has also reissued his satirical mystery novel MY GUN HAS BULLETS, which I do own (and have read). This edition was released for the Kindle; and features a rather somber cover by Lee's sister Linda. If you want to read a savage attack on the TV industry by an inside man, this book's for you. It's one of my favorites of Lee's books.

Finally, if you find yourself at the Comic-Con in San Diego next week, both Lee and Tod will be on the panel given by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, on Friday afternoon from 3:00-4:30 in Room 4. At the panel, the organization's Scribe Awards will be given out; and Tod's first BURN NOTICE tie-in book is nominated for one. Oddly, the three-ring-circus programming of Comic-Con has scheduled their panel to overlap with other panels featuring tie-in writers (Kevin J. Anderson in Room 2; James Robinson and Greg Rucka in Room 6DE; Peter David in Room 30CDE) and a panel on tie-in series (Room 5AB), as well as panels featuring Tim Burton, Elijah Wood, David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Stan Freberg, and the cast of EUREKA. At least they're not scheduled against Hayao Miyazaki, whose panel will be held earlier that day.

Diagnostic Stunts

On his blog, my cousin Lee Goldberg reminisces about the "stunt casting" episodes he and his writing/producing partner Bill Rabkin engineered on the Dick Van Dyke mystery show "Diagnosis Murder."  The crossover with "Mannix" and the TV Spies episode are particularly well remembered.

Above is a photo of Patrick Macnee (top professional) with Lee (talented amateur).

LA Times Festival of Books: The Family Presence

The LA Times Festival of Books is being held at the UCLA campus next weekend; and it behooves me to publicize my author cousins' various signings and panel discussions at the event. This information is filched directly from each cousin's blog.

For Tod Goldberg:

Appearances & Signings
Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books
April 25th:
Panel
PANEL 1104
3:30 PM Humor & Race Moderator Mr. Tod Goldberg Mr. Lalo Alcaraz Mr. Christian Lander Mr. Larry Wilmore
Signing to follow
April 26th
PANEL 2102
12:30 PM
Enough About You: Fiction & Humor Moderator Ms. Carolyn Kellogg Mr. Tod Goldberg Mr. Seth Greenland Mr. Ben Greenman
Signing to follow
2:00pm
The Mystery Bookstore booth #411 with Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin
3:00pm
Mysterious Galaxy Booth

And for Lee Goldberg:

April 25, 10:30 am, Dodd Hall
moderating a panel with Craig Johnson and Stephen J. Cannell
Signing to follow
April 25, 2pm, Mystery Bookstore Booth
Signing with Tod Goldberg, William Rabkin & others

First Family Book Signing of the New Year

This afternoon, I bicycled up to Westwood for a book signing at the Mystery Bookstore featuring my cousin, Lee Goldberg, and his writing partner, Bill Rabkin.



Lee was publicizing the latest media tie-in book he wrote, MR. MONK IS MISERABLE (which is enjoying anything but miserable sales; it's in its 3rd printing).








Bill was promoting his first tie-in novel for the TV series PSYCH.

I intended to head home and blog about it in detail. But in the time I biked the four miles from Westwood to my neighborhood (all downhill), took in dry cleaning and had dinner, Lee had already driven back to his home base in the valley and written up his own blog account, complete with photos. The man plainly knows how to write on a deadline.

Once Again, I Plug My Family's Books

If you're a fan of the BURN NOTICE TV series, or a reader of the first tie-in novel, THE FIX, Amazon.com gives you the chance to order my cousin Tod's second tie-in novel, THE END GAME, a mere six months before it comes out.



The publicity-still cover is cool; but I can't help thinking the book would look even cooler with a painted cover -- particularly one like the cover on the Hard Case Crime novel I just finished reading, THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Collins:

Hand Grenade Pins in Every Line

What does a literary novelist do when he writes a media tie-in novel, as my cousin Tod Goldberg did with "Burn Notice: The Fix"?

He searches his soul; draws inspiration from the writers successful with their own books who do tie-ins; invests his emotions in the project; and then writes a nifty L.A. Times essay about the whole experience.

A non-literary novelist likely writes his tie-in, cashes the check, and moves onto the next deadline.

Burning News

Some readers of this blog might know that my cousin Lee Goldberg writes tie-in novels for the mystery series DIAGNOSIS MURDER and MONK. His brother Tod -- heretofore a literary novelist/short story author, a journalist, and a book reviewer -- has now ventured into the same waters. He has announced on his blog that he has contracted to write four tie-in novels for the TV series BURN NOTICE. That means he can (as Lee has), if he wishes, go down to San Diego Con, sit on a panel of media tie-in writers, and then sign autographs under the sails in the convention center.

Meanwhile, Lee's latest Monk book, MR. MONK IN OUTER SPACE, sits on my pile of books to read. It's a Monk mystery set at a science-fiction convention. Is it a frisson of fear that prevents me from immediately cracking it open?

Strike and Strike Again

Today was "take your kid to the picket line" day for the Writers Guild of America strike. I drove by Fox Studios on my way to work in Century City, and saw kidlets hanging out on the picket line with their striking scribe parents. And from my Cousin Lee Goldberg's blog

comes this picture of him and his cute daughter Madison picketing in Studio City.

I recall that in 1988, when we had the last extended writer's strike, TV entertainment options included home video (mainly rented) and cable movies; but was still far more limited than now. Today's couch potato has ready access to thousands of hours of TV series, on DVD, on iTunes, even illegally on YouTube. Will they feel the pinch of a lack of new TV content?

Seeing Walla Walla Clearly

JOURNAL REVOLUTION: seeing clearly

Cousin Linda writes in her blog about visiting Walla Walla this past week for Aunt Dorothy's funeral.  She illustrates her post with some photos of the town that, somehow, look more beautiful than the photographed objects ever did in real life.  Even if you grow up in a place, you never truly see it until you look through an artist's eyes.

Blogged with Flock

Other perspectives on the pilgrimage to Walla Walla come from Linda's brother Tod, and their uncle Burl Barer