- - -  Michael Z. Lewin  - - -

January 1, 1970

I regaled you in June with news of the stops Liza Cody, Peter Lovesey and I will be making next month with our “Wanted for Murder” show – described recently as mystery vaudeville. Isn’t vaudeville dead? Ah well.

But we are also doing something different this year. We've produced a “Wanted for Murder” CD: TAKE-OUTS. I’ve attempted to include a picture of the cover below, and a picture of the back cover lower down. But for those of you unable to get these images, they both appear now on my website, on the Home and Events pages respectively.

(picture from Home page was here)

Liza, Peter and I like to try new things – the kind of show we do testifies to that. And this is certainly… different. There are songs (including Peter’s famous “Autopsy Scene”) along with two new stories (one by Liza and my first new Rover in years), readings and two 3-way conversations.

We did it to offer the people attending our shows this year something more like what they’ve just seen than a book can be (although only Peter’s song actually comes from the show.)

And I’m sending this to you now because as part of the elite band of my newsletter subscribers, you deserve to be told about new things before the rest of the world. So now you know…

On the site’s Events page it explains how you can buy copies if you’re inclined - Christmas is coming... And below this paragraph I've put the picture of the back cover, with its list of the ten tracks and individual pictures of the three of us.

(Picture from Events page was here)

As far as we know, no other mystery writers have done anything quite like it. We'll cry when somebody tells us another group has...

News of the oeuvre

I do hope soon to have some (new) news about EYE OPENER. But meanwhile I can alert you to a couple of stories coming up in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. I don't know the issues yet. One is called "Cigarettes" and the other is a new Powder story called "911".

The story from the CD, "Rover - CSI" will be published in the October edition of Indy Mens Magazine - so contact your no doubt numerous friends in Indianapolis so they can snag copies for you.

Another story I was working on this group kinda grew. I'm working on the second draft now. It's currently 295 pages long. Yes, I think we can call it a novel.

In Japan, FAMILY PLANNING will be published in November as a Hayakawa Pocket Mystery. In the October edition of Hayakawa's Mystery Magazine I'll talk a little about it, while also joining in the celebrations for the series' 50th year. 50 years... Amazing.

And I was pleased that the edition of ROVER'S TALES in Chinese is now officially out, from Wisdom & Knowlege/Two Person Publishing Company.

Best wishes to you all.

Mike

Michael Z. Lewin
September 2003