This week I finished a novel. It was a long haul and an instructive experience and I may just write about it here one day. For now, here are a few books I should have been talking up long ago. And not just because they were all written by buddies. Readers, have I ever steered you wrong?

After the Workshop, by John McNally. Oh, man, did I enjoy this book. First of all,  John McNally writes with an old-fashioned device that I still enjoy:   a voice. And I  do like books about the writing life, especially when they’re satires and  comedies.  In my library, this one goes right up  there with Russo’s Straight Man and Chabon’s  Wonder Boys, and I’ll revisit it  again for entertainment and comfort as the years go by.

So Cold the River, by Michael Koryta. This is Koryta’s breakout book, and you’ll see  why when you read it, even if you’ve never read him before. I like how this guy rolls.  In an age of social networking and hectic self-promotion, Koryta, for some crazy  reason, is  still fixated and what matters most to good fiction:  craft and story. And  he’s not even  30. I have a right to despise him for that, but he’s too good, so I  forgive him. Buy it  now, and read it when the leaves are changing.  If you don’t have  leaves that change where you live, go ahead and read it now.

The Deputy, by Victor Gischler. You say you like Victor’s work for Marvel Comics  titles like Deadpool, X-Men, and The Punisher?  Me, too. You like gonzo crossover    fiction like Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse and Vampire a Go-Go? Me, too. But  once  upon a time, Gischler was known primarily for writing straight-up  crime  fiction  the way only Victor Gischler can write it, and here’s proof. If you  also like  books that feature a protaganist whose gun and badge are so heavy that they pull  down  the  waistband of his sweatpants when he goes to work,  you’ll want to look  into this one.

The Cold Kiss, by John Rector. This one’s still hot off the press, so get it while it’s  piping. A tight, character-driven noir tale set in a roadside motel during a blizzard.  If you need more of a description than that, then you and I differ. But you  can still  trust my judgement. This book is in development as a feature film, but  you’ll want  to read the book before you see the movie. This John Rector is on his  way places.  Check it out and you’ll see.

I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like. This piece, created by my old friend Debra Baxter–renowned Seattle sculptor, recent Jentel artist-in-residence, and kid sister of my even older friend Dave–is entitled, “I am going to realign your chakras mother******”. Enjoy.

I followed sports when I was in high school. Mostly pro football and pro basketball (no doubt because, in high school, I played football and basketball). Then I graduated and moved on to other things, and my interest as a mainstream sports fan just sort of dried up, and for the next 20 years or so I remained utterly unplugged.

Monday night football? Not while Northern Exposure was on. SportsCenter? Couldn’t have told you where to find ESPN on the local cable menu. Jim Rome who? Rick Reilly what? Even as recently as this past summer, when famous quarterback Tom Brady posted a cameo on HBO’s Entourage, my wife asked me who he played for, and I honestly couldn’t tell her. Had to look it up on the Internet. True story.

Now, suddenly, this fall, after nearly two decades of genuine disinterest, for reasons I can’t begin to fathom, I find myself interested again. Monday night football? Check. SportsCenter? 732 on the high-def tier. Jim Rome, AM 590, 11-2 daily. 

It’s been sort of surreal. The last time I knew anything about the New Orleans Saints, they were the pencil nobody wanted. You couldn’t trade one for anything.  You just had to throw them away without even sharpening them.

I guess all of this is going the long way around the barn to say that I can’t believe more people haven’t noticed Will Ferrell playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Good buddy Victor Gischler’s new book, Vampire A Go-Go, hit the streets this week. I read this book in manuscript (under its superior previous title, Bad Alchemy),  and it’s  great, but only if you like things that are smart, funny, mildly insane, and compulsively entertaining. Check it out.

Let’s see. Who’s up to what around here?

First there’s turbo-editor Jennifer Jordan, of Jordan Global Media, and her eagerly anticipated new short story anthology Uncage Me. This book is filled with pals and all-around fine writers, and they’re all on their games here. I managed to get my hands on an advance copy of this one a few months back, and it’s a shot of hot sauce. I like hot sauce. Check it out.

The Summer of Gischler kicked off awhile back with Deadpool:  Merc with a Mouth. That’s Part 1 of 6, fans.

This, I do believe, is the comic Victor was born to write. Victor’s got several hundred novels and other funny books coming in the next couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled.

Remember back a couple of posts–ie, moons–ago, when I was talking about John Rector and his harebrained Kindle self-publishing scheme for a book called The Grove? Well, well, well. Since then, John has officially sold his first novel to the smart folks at TOR. Or is it technically his second novel? Doesn’t matter, it’s a great book called The Cold Kiss, and it’ll be out next year. Congrats, Mr. Rector. Oh, and it turns out The Grove is selling like hot cakes. Shows what I know. . . .

Mr. Michael “LA Times Book Prize, Suckers!” Koryta has a new book hot off the press. It’s called The Silent Hour, and I’d be reading it now if I weren’t waiting to pick up my copy at The Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ, where I’ll be signing books with Koryta and Mr. Christopher Reich on August 15. Come see us if you’re in the neighborhood, but either way, check this one out.

Here are two new books that I would recommend even if they weren’t written by good buddies of mine. You can trust me because my taste in fiction is excellent.

First up is Hogdoggin’ by Anthony Neil Smith. A continuation of the adventures of Billy Lafitte. Man, but that guy has got a lot of blood inside of him. Neil takes no prisoners and he’s onto something with these Lafitte books. He is also onto something with his home-cooked gumbo. For sample flavorings, catch up with the virtual biker rally now underway at Crimedog One.

Next is a book that’s as good as free, if you own a Kindle. I’m talking about The Grove by John Rector. I blurbed this book because it is awesome, and I think John is effing crazy for giving it away like this. But he is headstrong and will not see reason. He hits 5-wood out of tall grass. All you Kindle people now reap the benefits of his sad lunacy. Go forth.

 Thanks to all who cast votes and offered advice, both in the comments and via e-mail, regarding last week’s raccoon situation, clearly an emotionally charged issue involving many complicated considerations.

As it is, our friend the raccoon, halt and afflicted though he was, is now nowhere to be found. Which leads me to believe that:

a) He’s moved on,
b) He’s waiting in one of the other outbuildings to murder us,
c) We’ve got wolves.

More news as it develops.

Fellow James Lee Burke fans will recognize the reference and possible symbolism (as yet unanalyzed) now beneath, and indeed at the door of, my fair-weather writing area. The comments are open and your votes regarding Tripod Jr’s fate are encouraged.

After almost a month wandering the streets, Safer has received some very nice reviews in some very nice reviewing places, including People magazine (“a smart, funny, powerfully suspenseful thriller”), The New York Times (“cleverly articulates the vulnerability of a close-knit community”), and The Washington Post (“an enthralling and unsettling story”). Pay no attention to the thankful writer trembling with relief in the corner.

Elsewhere, both Details magazine and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s own Oline Cogdill have suggested that the book’s protaganist, poor Paul Callaway, would have paid green money for Jack Reacher’s help through his ordeal. No such luck for Paul.

Marshal Zeringue invited the book to face his withering Page 69 test.

And a number of other newspapers and blogs also have said extremely nice things, for which I’m extremely grateful, especially in this age of rapidly-shrinking review space, and I will soon get to work updating the book’s home page with all the choice self-glorifying pull quotes anybody can stand.

Meanwhile, I’ve got my eye on you, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Well, here we are:  February 24, Fat Tuesday, and, coincidentally, “on-sale-now” day for my fifth book.

As excited and grateful as I am to have been given the opportunity to publish my work over the past several years, I’ve never been the type to get overly anxious and sweaty over the specific date of publication for a book. So much happens before that date, and we hope for so much to happen after, that the day itself sometimes feels almost. . .I don’t want to say anticlimactic, but, well, sometimes, an awful like like any other Tuesday.

But I’ll be honest:  this one feels different. Maybe it’s because it’s been a couple of years since I had a new book. Maybe it’s because this is my first hardcover in the big leagues, and hopes run high. Maybe it’s a combination of these things, with who knows what else, both practical and sentimental, mixed in.

All I know is, I worked hard on this one, and I hope you enjoy.

Okay, let’s be honest:  I hope you love it and tell all your friends about it and together we stimulate the economy back to roaring good health $24 at a time. But one must maintain a decorum.