Real Illusions Pre-Order

First, let me just say that Jeroen ten Berge is amazing. He's done several covers for me since we first started working together two years ago, and I love each and every one of them, but what he's done with this latest cover is magical. Not only that, check out what the paperback is going to look like (click on the image to see a larger version).

 

RealIllusionsPOD

 

As you can imagine, I'm very excited about releasing this book. Both the ebook and paperback will be ready by the end of the month, but I wanted to offer the opportunity for readers to pre-order the paperback, which I'm certain will be absolutely beautiful. As always, you will be able to purchase the book from Amazon or CreateSpace directly, but if you pre-order from me, I'll sign and inscribe your copy. Retail price will be $13.95 (USD). If you're in the U.S., the cost would be $15 (USD), which includes shipping; if you're out of the U.S., the cost would be $20 (USD), which includes shipping, though I'm still taking a big hit, as international shipping is ridiculous. The amounts can be sent via PayPal to robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com. As an added bonus, if you'd like to purchase any additional copies of my books (even including The Inner Circle, which retails for $16.95), add $10 for every copy and specify what you'd like included (add only $5 for Phantom Energy). All readers who purchase paperback copies are also entitled to an ebook copy, in either epub or mobi, which will be sent to them as soon as the ebook is released.

Some Books I Really Enjoyed In 2012

I read just under sixty books this year, counting novels and short story collections and graphic novels and audiobooks (but not counting lit journals or other magazines). I enjoyed many of those books. Below are the books that I really enjoyed, in no particular order except in which I read/listened to them (I've also specified whether they were ebook or hardcover or paperback, for those who care about such things). Novels:

  • 11/22/63 by Stephen King (hardcover)
  • THE ODDS by Stewart O’Nan (hardcover)
  • TELL NO ONE by Harlan Coben (ebook)
  • GONE FOR GOOD by Harlan Coben (ebook)
  • CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins (ebook)
  • THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick deWitt (ebook)
  • WESTLAKE SOUL by Rio Youers (ebook)
  • MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins (ebook)
  • SAMSON AND DENIAL by Robert Ford (ebook)
  • PINES by Blake Crouch (ebook)
  • THE LAST KIND WORDS by Tom Piccirilli (ebook)
  • CLOUD ATLAS by David Mitchell (ebook)
  • BIG MARIA by Johnny Shaw (ebook)

Stories:

  • THE WEATHER STATIONS by Ryan Call (ebook)
  • 8 POUNDS: EIGHT TALES OF CRIME, HORROR & SUSPENSE by Chris F. Holm (ebook)
  • FULLY LOADED: The Complete and Collected Stories of Blake Crouch (ebook)
  • SUDDENLY, A KNOCK AT THE DOOR by Etgar Keret (ebook)
  • THROTTLE by Joe Hill and Stephen King (ebook)
  • SCAR TISSUE by Marcus Sakey (ebook)

Nonfiction:

  • SH*T MY DAD SAYS by Justin Halpern (ebook)

Audiobooks:

  • THE AFFAIR by Lee Child, read by Dick Hill
  • CREOLE BELLE by James Lee Burke, read by Will Patton
  • BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey, read by Tina Fey
  • THE DETACHMENT by Barry Eisler, read by Barry Eisler
  • GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn, read by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne

As you can see, the majority of the books I enjoyed were read digitally. I don't think the ereading experience swayed my opinion one way or the other when it came to each individual work, but I do find myself preferring digital more and more. Maybe that's why it's been taking me a few weeks so far to get through THE TWELVE by Justin Cronin and I'm not even 200 pages into it yet -- I'm reading the hardcover, instead of the ebook, which would be much more convenient as I would pretty much have it with me wherever I go. As I'm not about to take the hardcover around with me everywhere, the only chance I have to read it is at home, and when I'm at home, I find myself concentrating on other things ... like reading on my Kindle. Or, who knows, maybe the book itself just isn't as good as THE PASSAGE.

As is usually the case, there aren't a lot of women on the list, which reflects poorly on my reading selections. (I've got Jennifer Egan and Ann Patchett and Tana French, as well as many others, on my TBR pile, so don't crucify me!)

So anyway, that's what I read and enjoyed this year. How about you?

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The Inner Circle Gets Mentioned

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Some writers fall all over themselves and do whatever they can to get mentioned on year's end best-of lists. I'm not one of those writers. Still, I was thrilled and pleased to see that Brian Keene named The Inner Circle as one of his top ten books of 2012, alongside Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and Tom Piccirilli. Here's some of what he says:

Critics love to attach comparisons to this new generation of authors. I don’t know that such comparisons do anyone any favors, but they do alert the previous authors audience to the presence of an author whose work they might also enjoy, so it is with that in mind that I offer this: Robert Swartwood is the next F. Paul Wilson — if F. Paul Wilson’s DNA was spliced with Michael Marshall Smith. The Inner Circle is a crafty, clever, white-knuckle thriller. If you haven’t yet read Swartwood, you’re missing out.

Thanks, Brian!

You can read the rest of what Brian said, as well as check out the rest of the books on his list, here.