New York, a Panel, and a Secret I’m ALMOST Ready to Tell

It’s been a sprint.

Since Signal Code came out in December, Diane and I have been moving fast. She has taken over Triple Shot Press as Publisher and CEO, and with Meg at Literary Inspired, she has given the whole operation a new look.

New covers on Roman Ice and Tuscan Hoax. And the book you may have known as Hypatia’s Diary is now Lost Library, which is a far better match for what the story is actually about: the Lost Library of Alexandria. We also released The Ancient Pathways Trilogy, which packages the story arc of the first three books. If you know someone who would enjoy Darwin’s adventures, it’s a great place to start.

That’s a lot of change in a short window, and I won’t pretend it hasn’t been a little frantic. Anyone who has been part of a product launch knows the drill. Daily surprises. The thing you couldn’t have planned for showing up on a Tuesday at 4pm. I’m looking forward to June, when Tahitian Vault is out and I can take a breath.

But first: New York.

Diane and I are heading to ThrillerFest tomorrow, and I’ll be honest: when the invitation came in to join a panel, I was both surprised and thrilled. The panel is called “Twists, Tension, or Triumphs,” which I find a little funny, because that framing is a bit of a trick question. It’s not an “or” situation. A strong thriller requires all three. Tension is the fuel. Twists are the reward for sustaining it. Triumphs? Well, anything else would be a tragedy.

In addition to the panel, I’ll be making an announcement at ThrillerFest. If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably seen hints of a project that doesn’t quite fit inside Darwin’s world. It started quietly with ideas too good to let go, and a character who refused to stay in the margins.

Well, that thread has been building in the background for a while now. After the panel, I’ll open the garage door!

New York City is more than the epicenter of publishing. It holds a special place in my heart.

Diane grew up in Manhattan. We met there, dated long-distance, and spent a lot of time early on exploring neighborhoods. Funny detail: Diane had never been to the Statue of Liberty, so we went. We got married at First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Avenue and had our reception at the Boathouse Café in Central Park.

On our wedding day, our photographer took us into the park to shoot a roll of black and white film. We never saw the photos. He later told us that a man walked up mid-shoot and said, “Give me the film.” Someone in the background didn’t want to be seen. I’ve thought about that story many times since. Maybe it was a sign that I was always meant to be writing thrillers.

The city has changed since those early years together. It’s no longer home. But it still holds a lot.

While we’re there, we’re hoping to get to the Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca, which is the world’s oldest mystery fiction specialty store. I’d love to get Roman Ice on its shelves. There will be thin-crust pizza, obviously. Some family and friends squeezed in around the edges of the schedule.

Stay tuned.

More from New York soon.

Dave