PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes -- Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee -- died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.
Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.
Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.
"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write."
Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller.
"He had such a wonderful, wonderful curiosity about the world," she said. "He could take little details and bring them to life, not just in his books, but in conversation, too."
Lt. Joe Leaphorn, introduced in "The Blessing Way" in 1970, was an experienced police officer who understood, but did not share, his people's traditional belief in a rich spirit world. Officer Jim Chee, introduced in "People of Darkness" in 1978, was a younger officer studying to become a "hathaali" -- Navajo for "shaman."
Together, they struggled daily to bridge the cultural divide between the dominant Anglo society and the impoverished people who call themselves the Dineh.
Hillerman's commercial breakthrough was "Skinwalkers," published in 1987 -- the first time he put both characters and their divergent world views in the same book. It sold 430,000 hardcover copies, paving the way for "A Thief of Time," which made several best seller lists. In all, he wrote 18 books in the Navajo series, the most recent titled "The Shape Shifter."
Each is characterized by an unadorned writing style, intricate plotting, memorable characterization and vivid descriptions of Indian rituals and of the vast plateau of the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
The most acclaimed of them, including "Talking God" and "The Coyote Waits," are subtle explorations of human nature and the conflict between cultural assimilation and the pull of the old ways.
"I want Americans to stop thinking of Navajos as primitive persons, to understand that they are sophisticated and complicated," Hillerman once said.
Occasionally, he was accused of exploiting his knowledge of Navajo culture for personal gain, but in 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council honored him with its Special Friend of the Dineh award. He took greater pride in that, he often said, than in the many awards bestowed by his peers, including the Golden Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which elected him its president.
Hollywood was less kind to Hillerman. Its adaptation of his 1981 novel, "Dark Wind," with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward regrettably cast as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, was a bomb.
Although Hillerman was best-known for the Navajo series, he wrote more than 30 books, including a novel for young people; the memoir, "Seldom Disappointed"; and books on the history and natural beauty of his beloved Southwest.
"Those places that stir me are empty and lonely," he wrote in "The Spell of New Mexico," a collection of his essays. "They invoke a sense of both space and strangeness, and all have about them a sort of fierce inhospitality."
He also edited or contributed to more than a dozen other books including crime and history anthologies and books on the craft of writing.
Born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, population 50, Tony Hillerman was the son of August and Lucy Grove Hillerman. They were farmers who also ran a small store. It was there that young Tony listened spellbound to locals who gathered to tell their stories.
The teacher at Sacred Heart's one-room school house was rumored to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so Tony's parents sent him and his brother, Barney, to St. Mary's Academy, a school for Potawatomie Indian girls near Asher, Oklahoma. It was at St. Mary's that he developed a lifelong respect for Indian culture -- and an appreciation of what it means to be an outsider in your own land.
In 1943, he interrupted his education at the University of Oklahoma to join the Army. He lugged his mortar ashore at D-Day with the 103rd Infantry Division and was severely wounded in battle at Alsace, France. He returned from Europe a genuine war hero with a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, temporary blindness and two shattered legs that never stopped causing him pain.
He returned to the university for his degree and, in 1948, married Marie Unzer. Together, they raised six children, five of them adopted.
As a young man, he farmed, drove a truck, toiled as an oil field roughneck and worked as a reporter and editor for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas; the Morning Press-Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma; United Press International in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he rose to executive editor.
He quit in 1962 to earn a master's degree from the University of New Mexico, where he later taught journalism and eventually became chairman of the journalism department. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Hillerman was still teaching when he wrote his first novel, "Blessing Way." A story that always made him chuckle: His first agent advised him that if he wanted to get published, he would have to "get rid of that Indian stuff."
Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Services are pending.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Michael Crichton dies unexpectedly
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Crichton, who helped create the TV show "ER" and wrote the best-sellers "Jurassic Park," "The Andromeda Strain," "Sphere" and "Rising Sun," died in Los Angeles on Tuesday, his public relations firm said in a news release.
He "died unexpectedly," the release said, "after a courageous and private battle against cancer."
He was 66.
Crichton, a medical doctor, was attracted to cautionary science tales. "Jurassic Park" -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island, where they soon run amok; "The Andromeda Strain," his first major fiction success, involves an alien microorganism that's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community.
Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views. He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change, giving lectures warning against "consensus science." He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel "State of Fear," which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists including NASA's James Hansen.
Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business, a trained physician whose interests included writing, filmmaking and television. (He was physically distinctive as well, standing 6-foot-9.) He published "The Andromeda Strain" while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery, called "The Great Train Robbery," and then directed the 1979 film version.
Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer's Guild of America Award for "ER," and won other awards as well.
"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," the news release said.
A private funeral service is expected.
He "died unexpectedly," the release said, "after a courageous and private battle against cancer."
He was 66.
Crichton, a medical doctor, was attracted to cautionary science tales. "Jurassic Park" -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island, where they soon run amok; "The Andromeda Strain," his first major fiction success, involves an alien microorganism that's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community.
Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views. He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change, giving lectures warning against "consensus science." He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel "State of Fear," which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists including NASA's James Hansen.
Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business, a trained physician whose interests included writing, filmmaking and television. (He was physically distinctive as well, standing 6-foot-9.) He published "The Andromeda Strain" while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery, called "The Great Train Robbery," and then directed the 1979 film version.
Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer's Guild of America Award for "ER," and won other awards as well.
"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," the news release said.
A private funeral service is expected.
Monday, October 13, 2008
FEED THE NEED - AND READ
YOU can Make a Difference for the Central Missouri Food Bank
FEED the NEED – and READ!
From Thursday, October 23 through Saturday, October 25,
Nancy’s Trade-a-Book II and First Impressions Book Binding
will be sponsoring a food drive for the Central Missouri Food Bank.
Nonperishable food items will be accepted at the book store (21-Q Conley in Columbia) all three days.
The need is critical.
The dates are important.
Nationwide that weekend millions will be participating in community projects
designed to “make a difference” –
we want you to join us in making a difference too.
Uncertain economy...declining funds... cold weather approaching...
holidays around the corner – all contribute to an ever-pressing need.
Because we know YOU -- our friends and customers -- will be generous –
and to encourage you to give and give and give just a little more
-- and to show you NTAB2 truly appreciates your generosity and support –
we’re making it a customer appreciation event too –
with FREE BOOKS to those making donations.
Here’s how it will work -- simply ...
Donate two nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $5.00).
Donate four nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $15.00).
(*Ramen noodles will be accepted on the basis of 2 packets = 1 food item donated.)
Maximum of 10 free books per customer per day.
Monetary donations (checks only, please) will also be accepted.
Certain restrictions do apply:
NOT included in this free book event are new books, hard-to-find (orange-tagged) books,
and hardcover books.
Free books will be marked (unobtrusively) and not accepted back in the store
as returns for store trade credit.
AND ... to encourage you to dig a little deeper into your grocery bag to help
fill up our barrels with much needed foodstuffs
A $100 NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II GIFT CERTIFICATE
will be given to the individual making the largest food donation*
to the three-day food drive.
PLUS ... you know us – there will probably be a few extra “thank you’s” along the way.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS BOOK BINDING will award (two) PRIZES:
*1 (one) 1/16 scale John Deere Toy Tractor est. value (30.00) from the FARM TOY STORE
(This prize will be awarded to the largest (by weight) one item donation) example 25 lb bag of rice, flour etc. if a tiebreaker is necessary prize will be awarded to whoever donated first
And
*1 (one) $50.00 gift certificate for any binding service they offer.
(This prize will go to the person donating the most can goods on Saturday only)
Bindery prizes will be awarded at Nancy’s Trade A Book II on Sunday Oct. 26th.
*Be sure to tell us you are trying to win the listed prizes
so we can record the amount of each of your donations.
SO REMEMBER: LET’S “FEED THE NEED” ( AND READ)
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE SUPPORT CENTRAL MISSOURI FOOD BANK
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
NONPERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS
NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II
21-Q CONLEY, COLUMBIA
About the Central Missouri Food Bank:
CMFB distributes free food to a network of 145 non-profit hunger relief agencies in
33 counties of central and northeast Missouri.
More than 100,000 people live in poverty in this area.
CMFB Network serves an average of 80,000 people each month with hunger relief services
-- meeting approximately 80% of the need...
leaving 20% of those in need still wanting.
CMFB relies on people like YOU to support its mission to feed people in need.
Individual and business contributions provide more than 60% of its annual operating budget.
YOU make a difference! For more information go to www.centralmofoodbank.org.
About the Make A Difference Day:
Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others
- - a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.
Everyone can participate – especially YOU!
Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event
that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.
In 2007, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day,
accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.
For more information go to www.usaweekend.com/diffday.
FEED the NEED – and READ!
From Thursday, October 23 through Saturday, October 25,
Nancy’s Trade-a-Book II and First Impressions Book Binding
will be sponsoring a food drive for the Central Missouri Food Bank.
Nonperishable food items will be accepted at the book store (21-Q Conley in Columbia) all three days.
The need is critical.
The dates are important.
Nationwide that weekend millions will be participating in community projects
designed to “make a difference” –
we want you to join us in making a difference too.
Uncertain economy...declining funds... cold weather approaching...
holidays around the corner – all contribute to an ever-pressing need.
Because we know YOU -- our friends and customers -- will be generous –
and to encourage you to give and give and give just a little more
-- and to show you NTAB2 truly appreciates your generosity and support –
we’re making it a customer appreciation event too –
with FREE BOOKS to those making donations.
Here’s how it will work -- simply ...
Donate two nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $5.00).
Donate four nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $15.00).
(*Ramen noodles will be accepted on the basis of 2 packets = 1 food item donated.)
Maximum of 10 free books per customer per day.
Monetary donations (checks only, please) will also be accepted.
Certain restrictions do apply:
NOT included in this free book event are new books, hard-to-find (orange-tagged) books,
and hardcover books.
Free books will be marked (unobtrusively) and not accepted back in the store
as returns for store trade credit.
AND ... to encourage you to dig a little deeper into your grocery bag to help
fill up our barrels with much needed foodstuffs
A $100 NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II GIFT CERTIFICATE
will be given to the individual making the largest food donation*
to the three-day food drive.
PLUS ... you know us – there will probably be a few extra “thank you’s” along the way.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS BOOK BINDING will award (two) PRIZES:
*1 (one) 1/16 scale John Deere Toy Tractor est. value (30.00) from the FARM TOY STORE
(This prize will be awarded to the largest (by weight) one item donation) example 25 lb bag of rice, flour etc. if a tiebreaker is necessary prize will be awarded to whoever donated first
And
*1 (one) $50.00 gift certificate for any binding service they offer.
(This prize will go to the person donating the most can goods on Saturday only)
Bindery prizes will be awarded at Nancy’s Trade A Book II on Sunday Oct. 26th.
*Be sure to tell us you are trying to win the listed prizes
so we can record the amount of each of your donations.
SO REMEMBER: LET’S “FEED THE NEED” ( AND READ)
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE SUPPORT CENTRAL MISSOURI FOOD BANK
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
NONPERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS
NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II
21-Q CONLEY, COLUMBIA
About the Central Missouri Food Bank:
CMFB distributes free food to a network of 145 non-profit hunger relief agencies in
33 counties of central and northeast Missouri.
More than 100,000 people live in poverty in this area.
CMFB Network serves an average of 80,000 people each month with hunger relief services
-- meeting approximately 80% of the need...
leaving 20% of those in need still wanting.
CMFB relies on people like YOU to support its mission to feed people in need.
Individual and business contributions provide more than 60% of its annual operating budget.
YOU make a difference! For more information go to www.centralmofoodbank.org.
About the Make A Difference Day:
Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others
- - a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.
Everyone can participate – especially YOU!
Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event
that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.
In 2007, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day,
accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.
For more information go to www.usaweekend.com/diffday.
Friday, March 21, 2008
INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITER AWARDS - 2008
Wow! Out of a field of over 500 books, the ITW Award's Committee, chaired by Vicki Hinze, has chosen five titles in each of three categories: Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Paperback Original. Winners will be announced this summer at Thrillerfest 2008 in New York City.
And the nominees are:
BEST NOVEL 2008
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)
The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
The Ghost by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster)
The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz (Viking)
Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (Putnam)
BEST FIRST NOVEL 2008
Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell (Dutton)
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)
From the Depths by Gerry Doyle (McBook Press)
Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi (Henry Holt and Co.)
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe HIll (William Morrow)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 2008
The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flaco (Ballantine)
A Thousand Bones by P. J. Parrish (Pocket)
The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli (Bantam)
The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon (Pocket)
Shattered by Jay Bonansinga (Pinnacle)
That's the good part. The bad part? We now have to wait till July 12 to learn who the winners are. The envelope, please!
And the nominees are:
BEST NOVEL 2008
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)
The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
The Ghost by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster)
The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz (Viking)
Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (Putnam)
BEST FIRST NOVEL 2008
Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell (Dutton)
Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)
From the Depths by Gerry Doyle (McBook Press)
Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi (Henry Holt and Co.)
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe HIll (William Morrow)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 2008
The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flaco (Ballantine)
A Thousand Bones by P. J. Parrish (Pocket)
The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli (Bantam)
The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon (Pocket)
Shattered by Jay Bonansinga (Pinnacle)
That's the good part. The bad part? We now have to wait till July 12 to learn who the winners are. The envelope, please!
POTTERMANIA!
Producers just announced that J.K. ROWLING's last Potter book -- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS -- will be split into two parts. The first film is slated for release in November 2010, with part two following in May 2011. Producers and author agreed that unlike every other book, you cannot remove any elements of this book, so we shall see it all for full closure.
David Yates, who directed ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and is currently working on the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, will direct both THE DEATHLY HALLOWS films. All the key stars are also onboard.
The two final Potter films will be shot concurrently, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Side note -- The Hobbitt starts filming next year with two live-action movies set for back-to-back shooting also.)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince started filming last September and word from star Daniel Radcliffe is "...brilliant...the funniest."
David Yates, who directed ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and is currently working on the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, will direct both THE DEATHLY HALLOWS films. All the key stars are also onboard.
The two final Potter films will be shot concurrently, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Side note -- The Hobbitt starts filming next year with two live-action movies set for back-to-back shooting also.)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince started filming last September and word from star Daniel Radcliffe is "...brilliant...the funniest."
NORA ROBERTS HOTEL PLANS SCORCHED
In case you missed this bit of recent bad news -- Nora Roberts and her husband, Bruce Wilder, were planning to renovate an historic hotel in their home of Boonsboro, MD, turning it into a B&B with rooms having themes from books. Unfortunately during renovation, construction workers knocked over a propane tank starting a 4-alarm fire that gutted the hotel and severely damaged three other buildings. What a great vacation spot this would have been!
Reminder -- The Hollow (Book 2 in the Sign of 7) is scheduled for release in May! And in April we see Creation in Death with Lt. Eve Dallas (and Roarke of course) by J.D. Robb.
Reminder -- The Hollow (Book 2 in the Sign of 7) is scheduled for release in May! And in April we see Creation in Death with Lt. Eve Dallas (and Roarke of course) by J.D. Robb.
NEWS FROM ALAGAESIA (ERAGON)
REJOICE ERAGON LOVERS ... and circle SEPTEMBER 23 on your calendar ... for the third Christopher Paolini book in the INHERITANCE CYCLE. What began as a trilogy has now been expanded into four books. The author (Christopher Paolini) and publisher (Alfred A. Knopf) decided there was too much information to be contained in a single book. Book 4 is untitled and release date is unknown.
BRISINGR -- Book 3 -- will feature the gold dragon Glaedr with, of course, a great gold cover drawn by John Jude Palencar. The name has particular meaning since it was the first ancient language word that Eragon learned and held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. More to be revealed in Book 3, as we learn that Brisingr is an ancient language word meaning "fire," used to summon and control fire by magic users in the series.
BRISINGR -- Book 3 of the INHERITANCE CYCLE (hard cover) will be available at Nancy's Trade-a-Book II with pre-orders taken in July. Don't forget to stop by and get your name on the list!
BRISINGR -- Book 3 -- will feature the gold dragon Glaedr with, of course, a great gold cover drawn by John Jude Palencar. The name has particular meaning since it was the first ancient language word that Eragon learned and held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. More to be revealed in Book 3, as we learn that Brisingr is an ancient language word meaning "fire," used to summon and control fire by magic users in the series.
BRISINGR -- Book 3 of the INHERITANCE CYCLE (hard cover) will be available at Nancy's Trade-a-Book II with pre-orders taken in July. Don't forget to stop by and get your name on the list!
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