Year: 2013

Let’s Lunch “The Munchies”

The wonderful writer and cook Cheryl Tan invited me to contribute a recipe to her “Let’s Lunch” group in honor of The Marijuana Chronicles. So here goes, a recipe with a little commentary… With the publication of THE MARIJUANA CHRONICLES I think I’m getting a bad reputation. But hey, it’s better than no reputation. And putting that book together was so much fun. I mean Singapore stoners via Cheryl Tan? What could be better or more exotic? Or Lee Child’s stoner preparing for his drug trial by doing what else: getting stoned. Or Joyce Carol Oates’s middle class widow rushing head first into danger in pursuit of the weed or Linda Yablonsky’s cross-dressing, gun-toting hero or Amanda Stern’s touching coming of age pot story or 60s radical Raymond Mungo in pursuit of medical marijuana or Maggie Estep’s stoned zombie hookers. Yeah, you heard that right. I could go on, but let’s get to the munchies. … Read more

I’m Back! The Marijuana Chronicles, Inherit the Dead and more…

I’m back. Not that I was ever away, not from my life that is. (Though I sometimes dream of escaping, buying some secluded island like Marlon Brando did, but would I have to ruin my career and gain 200 pounds? First, I’d have to get a career like Brando’s, then make enough money to buy an island, two things that are highly unlikely, so… never mind.). What I meant was that I was away from my website, but now that it’s been rebuilt I’m going to stay current and I hope you’ll follow me. I’ll be updating my activities as a writer and artist, things I believe you will find interesting as opposed to what I’m having for breakfast or my afternoon snack (though you can ask if you really want to know). So, this past year, where to start? Maybe with the books I recently put together. The first, for Akashic Books, “The Marijuana … Read more

Celebrity Crime Files Intro

Check this out! It’s a combination of computer generated animation and my art.  I made the drawings that were used in this sequence for the television show Celebrity Crime Files on TV One network.  If you watch the sequence all the way through you will see my drawing of an unfortunate fellow who caught the business end of the bullet trajectory at the very end.  

Val McDermid Interviewed by Jonathan Santlofer at the Center for Fiction

The Scottish writer, Val McDermid is a dream interview, fast, funny, and filled with great stories. Frankly, I could listen to her beautiful lilting accent for hours and her advice about writing is just as beautiful. Like all of the terrific writers who come to Crime Fiction Academy this interview was only the 1st half of a great evening. The 2nd half continued upstairs with the CFA students only and was even more inspiring and more personal.

Brooklyn Book Festival – Criminal Intent

Johnny Temple, publisher of Akashic Books and who runs the Brooklyn Book Festival,  asked me to put together a panel of crime fiction writers. I thought this diverse group would be fun and they were: Lawrence Block (multi-award winning writer of “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” just one of his 40 or so great novels), Susan Isaacs (her hilarious 1st novel, “Compromising Positions,” has become a classic), Peter Blauner (author, reporter and often Law & Order contributor) and Persia Walker (“Black Orchid Blues,” one of those crime novels so steeped in time and place –Harlem in the 1920s—one feels as if they have lived there). The combo of Susan, Larry, Persia and Peter was a great mix of super-smart people, light and dark humor and great commentary on crime writing. Have a look and listen.  

The Release of New Jersey Noir

I was honored when Joyce Carol Oates invited me to contribute a story for this collection of noir tales. The first thing she asked was, “Do you have a connection to New Jersey?” and I do. For one, I am married to a Jersey girl. And two, after graduate school I rented a studio in Hoboken (Frank Sinatra’s home town) and lived there for many years. That studio plays a part in the story that I wrote for this anthology, “Lola,” which is one of my favorite stories.

Strathmore Artist’s Pad Cover and Interview

Strathmore selected some of my work to be printed on the cover of their 400 Series Charcoal drawing pads.   To mark the occasion they also did a small interview with me on their website.  Here’s an excerpt: How did you interpret using the Strathmore Thistle for the pad cover artwork?  Anything else you’d like to share about your piece? I used the thistle as part of a plant motif that frames my portrait of the artist, Marcel Duchamp, and one of his artworks, and ties the drawing together. How did the Strathmore paper you used for the project affect your drawing (or painting) techniques? The paper’s tooth set up a wonderful texture for the charcoal, which I allowed to show through. I use Strathmore bristol plate when I draw with pencil because of it’s smooth surface, but the charcoal paper was perfect for exploiting the effects of this particular medium. (Read the rest here)  

Mary Higgins Clark Interviewed by Jonathan Santlofer at the Center for Fiction

Mary Higgins Clark is smart, funny, down to earth and earthy. When I asked her to speak at Crime Fiction Academy she didn’t hesitate. She contributed a chapter to the serial novel I put together for Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, “Inherit the Dead” and was never a diva, though she could have been. As you will see in this video, Mary is always Mary.

Linda Fairstein Interviewed by Jonathan Santlofer at the Center for Fiction

Linda Fairstein is one of those people who is so accomplished and so smart she could be intimidating if she were not so damn nice. Her life as a NYC prosecutor informs her novels with a kind of veritas we all wish we had. When she met with the CFA students afterwards, she divulged all sorts of details about her real life cases, her personal life and her writing, much of which is still resonating with me.

Anatomy of Fear Podcast – Listen to the Whole Book!

Here it is! The whole podcast of Anatomy of Fear read by yours truly Jonathan Santlofer. Listen and enjoy! Download the whole podcast here or listen below. Prologue: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/0_Anatomy_Of_Fear-Prologue.mp3] Chapter 1: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/1_Anatomy_of_Fear-Chapter1.mp3] Chapter 2-3: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/2_Anatomy_of_Fear_chapter2-3.mp3] Chapter 4-5: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/3_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter4-5.mp3] Chapter 6-8: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/4_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter6-8.mp3] Chapter 9-11: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/5_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter9-11.mp3] Chapter 12-14: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/6_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter12-14.mp3] Chapter 15-17: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/7_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter15-17.mp3] Chapter 18-19: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/8_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter18-19.mp3] Chapter 20-21: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/9_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter20-21.mp3] Chapter 25-28: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/11_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter25-28.mp3] Chapter 29: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/12_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter29.mp3] Chapter 30-31: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/13_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter30-31.mp3] Chapter 32-33:[audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/14_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter32-33.mp3] Chapter 34-35: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/15_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter34-35.mp3] Chapter 36-39: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/16_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter36-39.mp3] Chapter 40-42: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/17_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter40-42.mp3] Chapter 43-45: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/18_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter43-45.mp3] Chapter 46-48: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/19_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter46-48.mp3] Chapter 49-51: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/20_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter49-51.mp3] Chapter 42-55: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/21_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter52-55.mp3] Chapter 56-61: [audio:http://bak.jonathansantlofer.com/wp-content/uploads/22_Anatomy_of_Fear_Chapter56-61.mp3]