My good buddy Wayne Gardiner (left in this foto) continues to knock the ball out of the park in his career as a mystery writer. Wayne and I worked together in magazine publishing, and for all those years we traveled the country, persuading marketers to advertise their products and services in the magazines we represented, I never knew that Wayne had a secret life!
I did read one of Wayne's earlier spy novels, "The Man on the Left," and have devoured his stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Like most commercially viable writers Wayne learned his craft by practice, practice, practice, and reading as much of his mentors as possible. I found out this week that Wayne considers the sui generis James Lee Burke a mentor, and finally had the chance to meet him.
Wayne and wife Dianne were in Missoula, MT recently for a book signing by Burke. Gardiner had the chance to hang with the man, something he's always wanted to do. I am intrigued by what these wordsmiths had to say to each other.
Look for Wayne's work in an upcoming issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I buy my mags at Barnes + Noble in the Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka, MN, but you can certainly find copies on line.
No comments:
Post a Comment