BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

Last week I got a call from my editor Sulay Hernandez. "There's something I gotta tell you." I could tell by the serious tone of her voice it wasn't something I was going to be happy about. Reminded me of when a girlfriend says, "We gotta talk." Usually bad news. I took a deep breath. "I'm leaving Kensington and going to the Touchstone Fireside imprint at Simon & Schuster." Okay. Felt like I got a punched in the gut. I haven't been stunned like that in a long time (probably the last time I heard, "We gotta talk...). Guess I still got abandomenet issues.

I knew there'd most likely be a time when Sulay would leave for another house, it's common in publishing. But I thought she'd be around for the Devil's Mambo actually hitting the bookstores, which is only four months away. But next week she's gone. After I got over the initial shock and disappointment, I told her how happy and proud I was. It's great opportunity for Sulay, and a Latina sister making those kind of waves is always a wonderful thing. I adore Sulay and she deserves all the best. Still, I'll miss working with her in a big way.

"Do you want to work with Kate or somebody else?" She meant Editorial Director Kate Duffy, her boss . Kate had championed my novel from day one and got every major player in the house to read it. Besides, I like her a lot. Tough. Smart. Doesn't censor herself. My kind of broad, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. "Kate, of course," I said.

So in a couple weeks I'm handing in my second novel to my new editor, and Sulay will be at a different house dealing with new authors and new colleagues.

Funny how life often has more twists and turns than fiction does. So from this point on, I guess I shouldn't let anything involving my journey as an author surprise me. Like the saying goes, "Roll with the punches, black boy."

I HATE KEN BRUEN

Why do I hate Ken Bruen? Because of his novels. The first Bruen novel I read a few years ago was actually his first crime novel: Rilke In Black. Never heard of him, but I liked the title and the premise, and decided to give it try. Thought it was a good read and he had a strong, clear voice, but I wasn’t bowled over or anything.

About a year ago, my friend Michael kept on raving about The Guards like he was Bruen’s personal publicist. Michael consumes novels of every kind as if his life depends on it, and I hadn’t heard him that excited about a novelist in a very long time. Ironically I ended up reading Bust first (co- written with Jason Starr). Loved it. Old school, over the top pulp fiction. Fun, funny and violent.

I finally read the Guards and was blown away by Bruen’s minimalist, poetic style. I loved the character of Jack Taylor, but was most impressed by how Bruen, like a master music composer, can make a single note evoke a wide range of emotions.

I met Bruen at the Bouchercon mystery conference a few months ago and we hit off like we were long lost brothers. With all the critical acclaim he’s received, I was expecting some smarmy “I’m a hot shit author, so piss off,” attitude. Instead he was warm, generous and very charming.

Then I read Killing of the Tinkers, the second Jack Taylor novel, and I liked it as much as The Guards. I saw Bruen in New York for the launch of his latest novel, American Skin. Brutal, funny and deeply moving, I thought it was an instant classic. Ken recently sent two of his other books: Hackman Blues and London Boulevard. Blues really struck me because the main protagonist is gay and tough as nails. He goes from bashing somebodies brains in, to seducing a young man, and it’s totally believable. It may have one of the most disturbing endings of any novel I ever read. London Boulevard is a wonderfully gritty re-imagining of the classic movie Sunset Boulevard.

Bruen’s one of the few contemporary noirists who can create such dark, violent stories, yet they have an incredible sense of pathos, and longing, for love, for friendship, for companionship. I can see why critics refer to his work as Irish blues.

So the reason I hate Ken Bruen is because he’s one of the best crime fiction authors around, and a brilliant author, period. To top it off, he’s also very prolific, and I’ve loved every one of his novels.

I hate Ken Bruen because I wish I could be that damn good.