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Raymond Benson

Raymond Benson


Last Updated: 11/18/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 54
Sign: Virgo

City: Chicago
State: Illinois
Country: US
Signup Date: 9/1/2007

Blog Archive
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Thursday, February 19, 2009 
Dear Friends!

Lots of news!--A New Novel, James Bond, Metal Gear Solid, and More!

My new "Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hit," DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE, is trickling into stores and is shipping from Amazon.com! This is the
second in the series and is already receiving some nice reviews (which will be posted, ongoing, on the Reviews page of the website). You can also the order the book directly from the Shop page. DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE takes place in Chicago this time, with locations at various real music clubs in the city. The book is the usual blend of thrills, humor, mystery, references to music, cameos by real rock stars, and the expected sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll!

Several appearances, including a book launch party, have been set up
and can be viewed on the Appearances page.

Here's some James Bond news: Pegasus Books will publish a second
anthology of my 007 work, tentatively titled CHOICE OF WEAPONS. It
will include the novels ZERO MINUS TEN, THE FACTS OF DEATH, THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO, and the short stories LIVE AT FIVE and MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DOOM. Tentative publication date is late spring or early summer 2010.

My novelization of Konami's videogame, METAL GEAR SOLID, won
the "Lovey" (Readers Choice Award) for Best Paranormal/Sci Fi/Horror
Novel of 2008 at the Love is Murder Conference for Authors and
Readers, held in Chicagoland in February! METAL GEAR SOLID 2--SONS OF LIBERTY has a tentative publication date of November 2009.

Watch the website for more exciting news in the works!

Attention Movie Fans! On the FIRST THURSDAY of every month is--live
and in person--the *SECOND* SEASON of DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB! Dann Gire (film critic of Chicago suburban newspaper THE DAILY HERALD) and I present evenings of cinema history, trivia, and mayhem. DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB will take place at the Schaumburg Township District Library (Central Branch). See the Appearances page for more info.

A re-run each month of the *FIRST* SEASON of DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB is at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on the THIRD
THURSDAY of each month. See the Appearances page for more info.

In March, the movie club will do an evening on Stanley Kubrick (March
5, Schaumburg), a re-run of our James Bond program (March 15, a
special presentation in Lincolnshire'..s Vernon Area Library), and a re-
run of Part One of our Science Fiction program (March 29, Arlington
Heights).

Thanks for reading, and best wishes!
Raymond
6:02 PM 
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Monday, October 20, 2008 

Greetings friends!

"THE UNION TRILOGY" James Bond anthology is trickling into stores and
shipping from Amazon!

Several appearances and signings are scheduled for October, November,
and December.

The Chicago area book launch/party is October 25 and there are other events scheduled in the Chicago area, Houston, and St. Louis. See the Appearances page on RaymondBenson.com for more info.

I will be in Italy for the Premio Piemonte Grinzane Noir III edizione Orta San Giulio festival (October 30-31) with James Bond presentations and more.I'll also be in Milan on November 1, presenting a special 007 piano concert. Again, see the Appearances page for more info.

Keep checking the website for more news!

DANN & RAYMOND MOVIE CLUB NEWS--

On November 6, the movie club presents "NO, MR.
BOND, I EXPECT YOU TO
DIE!--THE JAMES BOND FILMS!"

On November 20, the movie club presents "HAIL TO THE SCREEN--
POLITICAL & PRESIDENTIAL FILMS"!

Dann Gire (film critic of Chicago suburban newspaper THE DAILY
HERALD) and I present evenings of cinema history, trivia, and mayhem.

DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB "second season" will take place at the Schaumburg Township District Library (Central Branch).
See the Appearances page for more info.

A re-run each month of the *FIRST* SEASON of DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB is at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on the THIRD
THURSDAY of each month. See the Appearances page for more info.

That's all for now!

Hugs and kisses,
Raymond

RaymondBenson.com

10:27 PM 
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Saturday, September 20, 2008 

Hello Friends!

Quite a bit of news for you...

I will be making an appearance at the New York opening of the BOND
BOUND EXHIBIT of James Bond book cover artwork throughout the years.
My anthology of 007 novels, THE UNION TRILOGY, will be launched there
on Saturday, October 18. The exhibit will be at Bonhams Gallery at
580 Madison Avenue. MONEYPENNY DIARIES author Samantha Weinberg and JAMES BOND--THE MAN & HIS WORLD author Henry Chancellor will also be present. Watch the Appearances page of RaymondBenson.com for exact time, to be announced.

Many appearances throughout October, November, and December have been
announced. The Chicago area book launch of THE UNION TRILOGY will be
October 25. Other Chicago area appearances have been scheduled. I
will also visit St. Louis, Missouri, for the first time in December.
Possible appearances in ITALY will take place Halloween weekend.
Watch the Appearances page for more details!

I have been signed to write the last of six planned pulp adventure
novels to be published by Hard Case Crime. The books feature the
character GABRIEL HUNT and will be in the tradition of Sax Rohmer,
Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, and Indiana Jones. Each book
will be by different authors, credited to the fictional hero Hunt
(but the actual authors will be credited on the cover page). The
other authors are Christa Faust, James Reasoner, David J. Schow,
Nicholas Kaufmann, and Charles Ardai. My book is entitled HUNT
THROUGH NAPOLEON'S WEB. You can see more at the Hunt for Adventure website!

The Britannica.com website is featuring a two-week feature I wrote
about my favorite films of the year 1968 (originally written for
CINEMA RETRO Magazine). Britannica is listing each film with my
comments, one by one beginning with 10 all the way down to 1, on a
daily basis beginning Monday, October 22. It's in blog form, so
readers are invited to comment. There's a contest to win a signed
copy of A HARD DAY'S DEATH if you can guess my 1 pick (shouldn't be
that difficult for visitors to my website!) You can find the blog at the Britannica Blog Site-- just follow the link.

Watch this space for more exciting news in the works!

Attention Movie Fans! On the FIRST THURSDAY of every month is--live
and in person--the *SECOND* SEASON of DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB! Dann Gire (film critic of Chicago suburban newspaper THE DAILY HERALD) and I present evenings of cinema history, trivia, and mayhem. DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB will take place at the Schaumburg Township District Library (Central Branch). See the Appearances page for more info.

A re-run each month of the *FIRST* SEASON of DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB is at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on the THIRD
THURSDAY of each month. See the Appearances page for more info.

I continue to play piano at the bar in Palm Court Restaurant on most
Monday and Tuesday nights, from 6pm to 10pm. See the Appearances page
for more details and dates when I won't be playing.

That's all for now!

Cheers,

Raymond

1:27 AM 
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Sunday, July 20, 2008 

Hi all--

If you're in the Los Angeles area, pease come to my slideshow presentation of "The James Bond Phenomenon" and book-signing,
AUGUST 9, 2008
Saturday, 12:30pm
The Mystery Bookstore
1036-C Broxton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310/209-0415

I hope to see you there!

In other news, the sequel to A HARD DAY'S DEATH is entitled DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE. It will be published in March 2009.

Could METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY be in the works? Watch this space!
Cheers,

Raymond

11:56 PM 
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Tuesday, May 27, 2008 

Hello Friends!

METAL GEAR SOLID is in the stores! This is the novel based on Konami's international best-selling videogame. If your local bookshop doesn't have it in stock, ask them to order it! Or you can buy it directly from Amazon through the Shop page!

Reviews for A HARD DAY'S DEATH are coming in! Check them out on the Reviews page!

New appearances are scheduled. I'll be appearing at the annual Printers Row Book Fair in Chicago on June 8. (The fair is both Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, but I'll be there only on Sunday.)
Noon:
Mystery Writers Panel
University Center Park/Fountain Rooms, 525 South State St.

2pm-4pm:
Mystery Writers of America Midwest Chapter Booth
Booth KK (on Polk Street)

I also continue to play piano at the bar in Palm Court Restaurant in Arlington Heights on most Monday and Tuesday nights, from 6pm to 10pm.
See the Appearances page for more details and dates when I will not be playing.

Cheers, and thanks for your support!

Raymond

3:35 AM 
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Thursday, May 01, 2008 

Hello friends!

I'll be doing book-signings of A HARD DAY'S DEATH (and anything else you happen to bring) in Texas this month.  Please come out... I'd love to see you!

MAY 8, 2008
Thursday, 6:30pm
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonnet St.
Houston, TX 77005
Book signing!

MAY 10, 2008
Saturday, noon
Barnes & Noble--Woodlands Mall
1201 Lake Woodlands Dr. 3008
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Book signing!

MAY 12, 2008
Monday, 7:00pm
Borders
3309 Esperanza Crossing
Austin, TX 78758
Book signing!

Cheers,

Raymond

12:50 AM 
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Thursday, March 20, 2008 
Hello friends !
 
My new rock ’n’ roll thriller, A HARD DAY’S DEATH, comes out on April 1.  This first-in-a-series is a mass market paperback and should be available in just about any store in the USA.  For my friends in the UK, however, I’m bringing some copies over the pond and will host a drop-in, meet-and-greet signing at the location and date below.  Fans are welcome to bring in previously-purchased books for signing. Come one, come all, and tell your friends!  (See description of the book at the bottom of this email.)   Chicago USA area appearances posted in previous blog.
 
APRIL 15, 2008
Tuesday, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Adrian Harrington Bookshop
64A Kensington Church Street
Kensington
London W8 4DB, UK

Best wishes,
Raymond
 
 

A HARD DAY’S DEATH                             by Raymond Benson..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />

 

"A frantic dash through the world of rock and roll.  Thrills

a-plenty and backstage passes to the magical mystery musical

twilight zone."

--Ian Anderson of JETHRO TULL

 

"A sizzling story full of classic thriller twists, humor, and a

dead-on look at the music business."

--Jeffery Deaver, author of THE SLEEPING DOLL

 

From Raymond Benson, author of sixteen novels, including

six James Bond 007 novels, comes this original mystery/thriller

set in the world of rock ’n’ roll.

 

Rock star Peter Flame is found dead.  It looked like he hanged

himself, but the coroner ruled it a homicide.  Now it’s up to Spike

Berenger and Rockin’ Security to find out who killed Flame… and

why.  Was it his ex-wife?  A former bandmate?  A religious cult

that had become Flame’s groupies?  A member of one of the

mysterious rock ’n’ roll gangs terrorizing ..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 />New York?  Only a music

insider like Spike can hope to wade through the rumors and the

legends and find the cold hard facts… and a cold-blooded killer.

 

Available April 2008 from Leisure Books/Dorchester Publishing

ISBN-10:  0-8439-6063-9              ISBN-13:  978-0-8439-6063-1

                            $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN

         Visit the author at www.raymondbenson.com

5:19 PM 
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Saturday, March 15, 2008 
Hello friends !
 
My new rock ’n’ roll thriller, A HARD DAY’S DEATH, comes out on April 1.  This first-in-a-series is a mass market paperback and should be available in just about any store.  However, I’m doing two in-person store appearances in early April, and I’d love for you to try and make it to one of them.  One is in the Northwest suburbs, and the other is closer to the city.  Come one, come all, and tell your friends!  (See description of the book at the bottom of this email.)
 
APRIL 5, 2008
Saturday, noon
Barnes and Noble
920 N. Milwaukee Ave. (at Aptakisic)
Lincolnshire, IL 60069

APRIL 6, 2008
Sunday, 2:00pm
Centuries and Sleuths Bookshop
7419 W. Madison
Forest Park, IL

Best wishes,
Raymond
 
 

A HARD DAY’S DEATH                             by Raymond Benson

 

"A frantic dash through the world of rock and roll.  Thrills

a-plenty and backstage passes to the magical mystery musical

twilight zone."

--Ian Anderson of JETHRO TULL

 

"A sizzling story full of classic thriller twists, humor, and a

dead-on look at the music business."

--Jeffery Deaver, author of THE SLEEPING DOLL

 

From Raymond Benson, author of sixteen novels, including

six James Bond 007 novels, comes this original mystery/thriller

set in the world of rock ’n’ roll.

 

Rock star Peter Flame is found dead.  It looked like he hanged

himself, but the coroner ruled it a homicide.  Now it’s up to Spike

Berenger and Rockin’ Security to find out who killed Flame… and

why.  Was it his ex-wife?  A former bandmate?  A religious cult

that had become Flame’s groupies?  A member of one of the

mysterious rock ’n’ roll gangs terrorizing New York?  Only a music

insider like Spike can hope to wade through the rumors and the

legends and find the cold hard facts… and a cold-blooded killer.

 

Available April 2008 from Leisure Books/Dorchester Publishing

ISBN-10:  0-8439-6063-9              ISBN-13:  978-0-8439-6063-1

                            $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN

         Visit the author at www.raymondbenson.com

12:59 AM 
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Saturday, March 08, 2008 

The cover for my novel of Konami's popular videogame, METAL GEAR SOLID, has been posted in the My Photos folder under Pics.  Take a look!

Besides some Chicago area book-signings in early April, I'll be visiting Lake Garda, Italy on April 11-12 for a James Bond Weekend... and I'll be at a drop-in open house at Adrian Harrington Bookshop in London on April 15. Please see the Appearances page of my website for details.

2:43 AM 
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008 
Hi everyone!--

I've posted the terrific cover of my James Bond anthology in the Pics section, My Photos folder. The cover was designed by Michael Fusco. "THE UNION TRILOGY" will consist of the novels HIGH TIME TO KILL, DOUBLESHOT, and NEVER DREAM OF DYING, along with the full-length short story BLAST FROM THE PAST (which originally appeared in Playboy January 1997 in a shortened version). The anthology will be published by Pegasus Books in October 2008.

In addition, there are lots of personal appearances coming up, including the Love is Murder Conference (February 1-3, 2008), the Self-Employment for the Arts Conference (February 29 - March 1), and a few library visits. See the Appearances page of my website www.raymondbenson.com for more info.

Continuing on February 7 (and the first Thursday of every month) is--live and in person--DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB! Dann Gire (film critic of Chicago suburban newspaper THE DAILY HERALD) and I present evenings of cinema history, trivia, and mayhem. DANN & RAYMOND'S MOVIE CLUB will take place at the Schaumburg Township District Library (Central Branch). The sixth "episode" is entitled: OSCAR PICKS (Dann and Raymond Discuss the Oscar Nominees)! See the Appearances page of my website for more info.

Hugs & kisses,
Raymond
8:47 AM 
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