Assassins news, and a few words on the passing of Ken Bruen

Bit of a mix today...

Bit of a mixed bag today; there’s going to be another book in the Assassins Anonymous series, which is great, but Ken Bruen died this past Saturday, which sucks.

Let’s start with the good news first…

I dropped the news on social media last week, but I had a newsletter queued up about fundraising for the Transgender Law Center that I wanted to give a little room to breathe.

(That fundraiser closes tomorrow, so if you haven’t bid yet, go do that. My item, a consult session, in which we’ll brainstorm or talk writing craft, is right here.)

Anyway. I’m thrilled to announce that Putnam has signed me for two more books—the first of which will be Three Hitmen and a Baby, in which your favorite reformed killers are tasked with taking care of a toddler. Things go sideways real quick.

The pitch was a little wild, and I’m very happy that my editor, Daphne, got it right from the jump. The book will still be full of pulse-pounding action and emotional gut punches, but I wanted to have some fun with this one, too.

The first Assassins Anonymous book has been a hit with readers, and the second installment, The Medusa Protocol, comes out in June (pre-order link here, and pre-orders are a big deal so don’t be shy!). Medusa just got a starred review from Publishers Weekly, in case you need a nudge.

As for the second book in that contract… I’m not sure yet. I’d love to write a fourth book, but publishing is a fickle business. The market will demand what it demands. If you want to see more of Mark and the gang, make sure to pick up the first two, and tell your friends about them. Post about it on socials, leave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. All that stuff makes a difference.

We’re getting into the promo cycle for Medusa, too, so I’m free and available for podcasts, interviews, guest posts, book club stuff, etc. Hit me up.

Also, I can’t share anything specific, but there’s been some encouraging news on the movie front over at Amblin. As with anything related to Hollywood, it could all fall apart at any moment. But I’ve been hearing good things, and I’ve got my fingers crossed.

On to the less fun stuff…

Irish author Ken Bruen died on Saturday. He was 74.

I took this photo of him in 2011 (as well as the ones below) when Ken took a rare trip to the US for a book tour. I’m proud of how they came out, because I think they caught a little bit about who he was in person.

I’ve always loved Ken’s Jack Taylor books. Jack is a disgraced Garda (Irish cop) turned enforcer/PI, with the soul of a poet and fists made of brick. He’s an addict, and sometimes a bit of a bastard, and he often takes beatings just as good as he hands them out—but he’s a hero for the downtrodden. In a world where the law and justice are two very different things, Jack seeks justice.

My series character Ash McKenna was partially inspired by Jack. But it runs a little deeper than homage. My heritage is mostly Irish, with my dad’s side from Galway, and my mom’s from Donegal.

Ken was from Galway, which is where the Jack Taylor books are set, and I loved reading about a place I was from. His books aren’t about the rolling green hills of the Emerald Isle. They’re about the country’s social and economic change, including the decline of the Catholic Church, and the impacts of the economic prosperity that came from foreign investment (fun fact: Ireland is practically a tax haven for large corporations, thanks to low corporate tax rates, and it’s location making it a convenient gateway to the rest of Europe).

The picture he painted was beautiful, and sometimes sad, but also still beautiful in that sadness.

When I met Ken, I told him my dad’s family was from Kinvara in Galway, and he lit up: he knew a great waffle place there, and said if I was ever in Ireland, to look him up and he’d take me. I’m sad I’ll never get that chance, because even all these years later, I’m sure he’d be good to his word.

The Irish are known for storytelling, and Ken embodied that in the best way. It wasn’t just that he made you feel like a friend the moment he met you. He drew you in, making you feel like the story he was telling belonged to you too, so that by the end, you were co-conspirators.

Without ever really knowing it, he taught me a lot about writing, and storytelling, and my heritage. I feel lucky I got to meet him.

May the road rise up to meet you, Ken.

The rest of you, go pick up a copy of The Guards. No one wrote like Ken, and if you’ve never read him, you’re in for a treat.