Phoef Sutton's Blog
April 19, 2017
LATFOB
This weekend (April 22 & 23) I'll be signing at the LA Times Festival of Books on the USC campus. Should be fun! At Brash Books, Prospect Park, Mystery Writer's of America and Mystery Ink.
LATFOB
I'll be signing at the LA Times Festival of Books on the USC campus. Should be fun! At Brash Books, Prospect Park, Mystery Writer's of America and Mystery Ink.
November 15, 2016
Book signing Tonight at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena! HEART ATTACK AND VINE.
LA friends, we all need to be among good people right now, and we all know that book people are good people, and we all know that a witty, intricately plotted, absorbing L.A. noir mystery is just the thing to take one's mind off one's troubles... so please join us to celebrate the publication of Phoef Sutton's terrific new book HEART ATTACK AND VINE at Vroman's Bookstore tonight at 7 p.m. There'll be a live performance of the great Tom Waits's song "Heart Attack and Vine," a lively conversation between Phoef Sutton and Lee Goldberg, and a wine bar manned by me. --Colleen Dunn Bates.
November 7, 2016
September 27, 2016
SAVE THE DATE
CRUSH is coming back! The HEART ATTACK AND VINE launch party/book signing is approaching. Tuesday evening on November 15th, at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. Buy the book Kirkus describes as "Fast, light, and witty, Sutton's second novel is a pleasure." Publisher’s Weekly calls it “a terrific sequel… the multiplicity of suspects and red herrings is straight out of Agatha Christie.” I’ll be there, signing-pen in hand, and the always-entertaining Lee Goldberg will be interviewing me. We’re expecting a surprise musical guest to sing a little Tom Waits for us. And the publisher is supplying the hooch. Hope to see you.
September 19, 2016
A great review for HEART ATTACK AND VINE from Publisher’s Weekly.
Set in Hollywood, Sutton’s terrific sequel to 2015’s Crush finds Caleb “Crush” Rush working as a bodyguard and courier for Rachel Fury, “part-time actress, full-time grifter,” in what turns out to be a con involving the letters of transit prop from Casablanca and an underworld figure. Three years later, Rachel reenters Crush’s life as Rachel Strayhorn, an up-and-coming star nominated for an Oscar. She needs protection from a stalker during a birthday party for her current mark, director Adam Udell. Out at the pool at Adam’s place, someone fires a shot, but is it at Adam or Rachel? Against his better judgment, Crush agrees to travel with Adam’s movie-making circus to New Orleans, and this time, the shots that ring out in the night find their mark. The violence and sex mixed with the ongoing multiple cons give this something of an R-rated Scooby-Doo feel, while the multiplicity of suspects and red herrings is straight out of Agatha Christie. Calm, steady Crush makes a wonderful lead. Agent: Allison Cohen, Gersh Agency. (Nov.)
September 9, 2016
A starred review from Kirkus for my next novel HEART ATTACK AND VINE, coming in November!
KIRKUS REVIEW
This fast-moving, wiseass, noir tale of murder and Hollywood features the return of bodyguard and bouncer Caleb Rush (Crush, 2015).
Crush (Caleb’s street name) has a simple task: his old friend Rachel Fury is paying him $500 to deliver an envelope and pick up a suitcase. The envelope is supposed to contain letters of transit from the movie Casablanca, for a collector of movie memorabilia. The suitcase is supposed to be full of cash, but both parties cheat each other. For her part, Rachel is “a part-time artist, part-time actress, and full-time grifter.” “It’s all a movie, Crush. And I’m the lead…conning rich bad guys and winning the heart of the Hunky Good-hearted Bodyguard Action Hero,” a perfect description of Crush. Like many of the characters, she’s manic and funny. Several years later, Crush happens upon an Oscar-nominated actress named Rachel Strayhorn passed out in a Porsche in the parking lot of a nightclub, dress hiked up and panty-free, being photographed by a bunch of guys with cellphones. Crush recognizes his friend Fury: “It’s a long con,” she tells him when he pulls her out of the car. “A very long con.” She even has her “very own stalker.” Crush, on the other hand, is a quiet tough guy who doesn’t use guns. “Your guns are you,” Rachel says. Her father, Lloyd, calls Crush “half Cossack and half Roman centurion.” Still, she says Crush will never make it as a grifter, because he’s too soft. Indeed, he hasn’t pulled a con in 10 years. They meet up with “film director and professional bad boy” Adam Udell, who makes action movies and has built a gleaming white pyramid in a cemetery as his “tomb-in-waiting.” People die, and Crush jumps bail after a bogus murder charge, but those are details in a tight plot that culminates in Oscar Night, where Rachel and Adam are both up for awards.
Fast, light, and witty, Sutton’s second novel is a pleasure.
This fast-moving, wiseass, noir tale of murder and Hollywood features the return of bodyguard and bouncer Caleb Rush (Crush, 2015).
Crush (Caleb’s street name) has a simple task: his old friend Rachel Fury is paying him $500 to deliver an envelope and pick up a suitcase. The envelope is supposed to contain letters of transit from the movie Casablanca, for a collector of movie memorabilia. The suitcase is supposed to be full of cash, but both parties cheat each other. For her part, Rachel is “a part-time artist, part-time actress, and full-time grifter.” “It’s all a movie, Crush. And I’m the lead…conning rich bad guys and winning the heart of the Hunky Good-hearted Bodyguard Action Hero,” a perfect description of Crush. Like many of the characters, she’s manic and funny. Several years later, Crush happens upon an Oscar-nominated actress named Rachel Strayhorn passed out in a Porsche in the parking lot of a nightclub, dress hiked up and panty-free, being photographed by a bunch of guys with cellphones. Crush recognizes his friend Fury: “It’s a long con,” she tells him when he pulls her out of the car. “A very long con.” She even has her “very own stalker.” Crush, on the other hand, is a quiet tough guy who doesn’t use guns. “Your guns are you,” Rachel says. Her father, Lloyd, calls Crush “half Cossack and half Roman centurion.” Still, she says Crush will never make it as a grifter, because he’s too soft. Indeed, he hasn’t pulled a con in 10 years. They meet up with “film director and professional bad boy” Adam Udell, who makes action movies and has built a gleaming white pyramid in a cemetery as his “tomb-in-waiting.” People die, and Crush jumps bail after a bogus murder charge, but those are details in a tight plot that culminates in Oscar Night, where Rachel and Adam are both up for awards.
Fast, light, and witty, Sutton’s second novel is a pleasure.
September 5, 2016
CRUSH RETURNS IN HEART ATTACK AND VINE.
New York Times bestselling author Phoef Sutton (that’s me) is thrilled to announce that CRUSH is coming back! For his second adventure.
Kirkus gives it a starred review, describing it as a “fast-moving, wiseass, noir tale of murder and Hollywood… light, and witty, Sutton's second novel is a pleasure.”
HEART ATTACK AND VINE will be available this November.
http://www.prospectparkbooks.com/port...
Pre-order your copy now!
Kirkus gives it a starred review, describing it as a “fast-moving, wiseass, noir tale of murder and Hollywood… light, and witty, Sutton's second novel is a pleasure.”
HEART ATTACK AND VINE will be available this November.
http://www.prospectparkbooks.com/port...
Pre-order your copy now!
February 9, 2015
WRITING -- It’s like going on a trip.
I started out writing short stories.
It’s like walking around a small room, exploring every corner. It’s one of the hardest kind of writing there is. To make a small thing profound is a daunting task. I started out writing dozens of short stories and collecting a bulletin board full of rejection slips from mystery magazines. I never got an acceptance. But I learned a lot.
I’ve written plays.
It’s like wandering around a room, blind-folded. After awhile you have the whole area mapped out in your brain. Then you can work and fill it with characters and incidents. Glorious.
I’ve written half-hour comedy
It’s like taking a walk around the block. Within a short space of time and place, you examine the whole world. In the “haiku” of a joke, you examine all of life. In the confines of the ‘writers room’ you take on all of civilization. The most glorious kind of writing.
I’ve written screenplays.
Two have been produced. Many more have been lost in development hell. One or two of them still show signs of life.
Writing a screenplay is like taking a long trip. While you’re on it, you’re in command, deciding every twist and turn. Once you’re done with it, you relinquish control completely. The director, the producer, any one at all decides about everything. Another writer comes on board and tries to change as much as possible so he can get credit. The way it is now, it’s a fool’s errand, bound for heartbreak.
I’ve written hour drama.
It’s like taking a weekend trip. You have to remember where to turn and where to stop, but you can keep the whole trip in your head at one time. You have the trip mapped out before you go. When you’re back, you get together with others and rehash the trip again, changing in here and there to make it more exciting. It’s a confusing journey, but a very gratifying one.
I’ve written novels.
“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. “ -- E. L. Doctorow.
It’s a long, lonely journey and at times you’ll get lost and have to retrace your steps. But if you stick with it, it’s the most rewarding voyage you’ll ever take.
It’s like walking around a small room, exploring every corner. It’s one of the hardest kind of writing there is. To make a small thing profound is a daunting task. I started out writing dozens of short stories and collecting a bulletin board full of rejection slips from mystery magazines. I never got an acceptance. But I learned a lot.
I’ve written plays.
It’s like wandering around a room, blind-folded. After awhile you have the whole area mapped out in your brain. Then you can work and fill it with characters and incidents. Glorious.
I’ve written half-hour comedy
It’s like taking a walk around the block. Within a short space of time and place, you examine the whole world. In the “haiku” of a joke, you examine all of life. In the confines of the ‘writers room’ you take on all of civilization. The most glorious kind of writing.
I’ve written screenplays.
Two have been produced. Many more have been lost in development hell. One or two of them still show signs of life.
Writing a screenplay is like taking a long trip. While you’re on it, you’re in command, deciding every twist and turn. Once you’re done with it, you relinquish control completely. The director, the producer, any one at all decides about everything. Another writer comes on board and tries to change as much as possible so he can get credit. The way it is now, it’s a fool’s errand, bound for heartbreak.
I’ve written hour drama.
It’s like taking a weekend trip. You have to remember where to turn and where to stop, but you can keep the whole trip in your head at one time. You have the trip mapped out before you go. When you’re back, you get together with others and rehash the trip again, changing in here and there to make it more exciting. It’s a confusing journey, but a very gratifying one.
I’ve written novels.
“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. “ -- E. L. Doctorow.
It’s a long, lonely journey and at times you’ll get lost and have to retrace your steps. But if you stick with it, it’s the most rewarding voyage you’ll ever take.
January 27, 2015
LIVING MASTERS
I watched a special on magician-extraordinaire Ricky Jay, and it got me thinking. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but it seems me that there are very few absolute masters of a given form left on earth. Here’s a tribute to some:
TONY BENNETT – the master of the American Songbook. Age does not dim his majestic phrasing. In his own words: “I don’t follow the latest fashions. I never sing a song that’s badly written. In the 1920s and ’30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written. These are classics, and finally they’re not being treated as light entertainment. This is classical music.”
LAWRENCE BLOCK – the master of the hard-boiled crime novel. The diamond-sharp Matthew Scudder novels are the living equivalent of Ross MacDonald and Richard Prather and John D. MacDonald. They move with brutal intensity down the mean streets of crime fiction.
JACKIE CHAN – the master of action/comedy. Trained in the Peking Opera, he began as a stunt man in Hong Kong movies and developed into the finest practitioner of physical comedy since Buster Keaton. Just watch PROJECT A, POLICE STORY or DRUNKEN MASTER II and be amazed. The years and the incredible risks he takes (just watch the out-takes at the end of any of his movies) have taken their toll on him, but he still possesses the infinite grace of a dancer and gifted clown.
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN – a master historian. Author of TEAM OF RIVAL and NO ORDINARY TIME, she inherits the mantle of Barbara Tuchman and Stephen Ambrose. RIVALS brought me to tears in its final chapter. Accusations of plagiarism aside, she has knack of bringing history to life like no one else.
EMMYLOU HARRIS – a master of country music. Winner of 13 Grammys, Harris sings with the purity of a seraph. As a matter of fact, when I die and go heaven, if the angels don’t sound like Emmylou, I’ll ask for a refund. I’d list my favorite albums of hers, but that would just be a list of all her albums. She carries the torch of Patsy Cline and Gram Parsons. She is a national treasure.
RICKY JAY – a master magician. The undisputed master of sleight of hand magic. His books (LEARNED PIGS AND FIREPROOF WOMEN and CELEBRATIONS OF CURIOUS CHARACTERS) and his Broadway shows (RICKY JAY AND HIS 52 ASSISTANTS and ON THE STEM) are evidence of an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the history of prestidigitation and stage magic. He inherits of the mantle of Cardini and Slydini. He is the Sensei of the new generation of magicians.
PADDY MALONEY – master of Irish folk music. The founder and leader of The Chieftains, he is to Irish music what Bill Monroe was to Bluegrass. The King, the God, and Creator. He makes a tin whistle sound like the most gorgeous orchestra imaginable. Also a virtuoso of Uilleann pipes. The Chieftains have played with the Rolling Stones and provided the magical score to Kubrick’s BARRY LYNDON. Every Irish tune you ever hear owes a tribute to him. A composer and performer for 40 years.
More to come. Who can you think of?
TONY BENNETT – the master of the American Songbook. Age does not dim his majestic phrasing. In his own words: “I don’t follow the latest fashions. I never sing a song that’s badly written. In the 1920s and ’30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written. These are classics, and finally they’re not being treated as light entertainment. This is classical music.”
LAWRENCE BLOCK – the master of the hard-boiled crime novel. The diamond-sharp Matthew Scudder novels are the living equivalent of Ross MacDonald and Richard Prather and John D. MacDonald. They move with brutal intensity down the mean streets of crime fiction.
JACKIE CHAN – the master of action/comedy. Trained in the Peking Opera, he began as a stunt man in Hong Kong movies and developed into the finest practitioner of physical comedy since Buster Keaton. Just watch PROJECT A, POLICE STORY or DRUNKEN MASTER II and be amazed. The years and the incredible risks he takes (just watch the out-takes at the end of any of his movies) have taken their toll on him, but he still possesses the infinite grace of a dancer and gifted clown.
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN – a master historian. Author of TEAM OF RIVAL and NO ORDINARY TIME, she inherits the mantle of Barbara Tuchman and Stephen Ambrose. RIVALS brought me to tears in its final chapter. Accusations of plagiarism aside, she has knack of bringing history to life like no one else.
EMMYLOU HARRIS – a master of country music. Winner of 13 Grammys, Harris sings with the purity of a seraph. As a matter of fact, when I die and go heaven, if the angels don’t sound like Emmylou, I’ll ask for a refund. I’d list my favorite albums of hers, but that would just be a list of all her albums. She carries the torch of Patsy Cline and Gram Parsons. She is a national treasure.
RICKY JAY – a master magician. The undisputed master of sleight of hand magic. His books (LEARNED PIGS AND FIREPROOF WOMEN and CELEBRATIONS OF CURIOUS CHARACTERS) and his Broadway shows (RICKY JAY AND HIS 52 ASSISTANTS and ON THE STEM) are evidence of an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the history of prestidigitation and stage magic. He inherits of the mantle of Cardini and Slydini. He is the Sensei of the new generation of magicians.
PADDY MALONEY – master of Irish folk music. The founder and leader of The Chieftains, he is to Irish music what Bill Monroe was to Bluegrass. The King, the God, and Creator. He makes a tin whistle sound like the most gorgeous orchestra imaginable. Also a virtuoso of Uilleann pipes. The Chieftains have played with the Rolling Stones and provided the magical score to Kubrick’s BARRY LYNDON. Every Irish tune you ever hear owes a tribute to him. A composer and performer for 40 years.
More to come. Who can you think of?
