Next month I'll have a nice change of pace: instead of
writing I'll be
reading. I'm set to record the audio book of Eight Milion
Ways to Die
for Chivers North America. I enjoy doing this--I've narrated
six of the
Burglar books, most recently Spinoza, for Penguin audio--and
my pleasure
in being the Voice of Bernie Rhodenbarr is dimmed only by my
own
objection to the whole idea of abridgements. When an
85,000-word book
is cut to 25,000 words, I like to think something just might
be lost
along the way. (In the abridged audio of The Burglar Who
Thought He Was
Bogart, for example, there's no indication that Carolyn is a
lesbian.
Duh.) Now I get to be the voice of Matt Scudder, and this
version is to
be unabridged, so I'll get to read every imperishable word.
I've read
from the Scudder books no end of times at public appearances,
but this
will be my first effort on tape, and I'm looking forward to
it. It's a
very different matter, reading in a studio, demanding more
than I'd have
guessed in the way of energy and concentration, but any time
I can get
paid for something that doesn't involve writing anything, I
figure it's
money for old rope.
He also reports Hit Man has been optioned, probably for a TV
movie, a
new Scudder, Everybody Dies, in October and a few new
reissues of very
early material.
Finally, what you've wanted to know ever since you read
"Lawrence
Block's newsletter" in the first line: "REMEMBER: This
now-and-then
newsletter, free and worth every penny, is available to
anyone who wants
it. Just keep me up to date on address changes and it's yours
forever."
His address is: 299 West 12th #12-D, New York, NY 10014;
e-mail:
LawBloc@aol.com
Mark
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