I like to think that I read more than the average bear, and I certainly have my favorites. I've been counting down the days to the new Neal Stephenson novel, Anathem, since a release date was announced. That being said, I've never really been lured in by any of the television tie-in books. However, a guest article at the LA Times site by Tod Goldberg has left me curious about Burn Notice: The Fix.In the linked article, Goldberg details the thought process behind him making the jump to television tie-ins. He has an interesting perspective and it makes for a good read. Among other things, Goldberg was worried that writing a tie-in might sully his career. One of the things that turned the tide was the fact that he is a huge fan of Burn Notice. He actually makes a great comparison, saying, "It's smart, funny, visually arresting and has the tone and style of my favorite Elmore Leonard novels." Why yes, it is. Goldberg's first foray into tie-ins is available now.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-25-2008 @ 4:38PM
nickmagoo said...
and i too am anxiously awaiting the new neal stephenson tome. after the baroque cycle and cryptonomicon, what other awesome tricks does he have up his sleeve?
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8-25-2008 @ 4:38PM
nickmagoo said...
i saw the article yesterday and was wondering if it might be brought up...what was interesting was how many 'well established' writers do this - while i guess there's a slight stigma attached, i'm sure it helps pay the mortgage. plus, if they're working with characters they already know and enjoy, it's probabky a lot of fun.
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8-25-2008 @ 8:58PM
Lee Goldberg said...
Lots of "well established" writes have done tie-ins...like Lawrence Block, John Jakes, Gil Brewer, Kingsley Amis, Theodore Sturgeon, Arthur C. Clarke, and Stuart Kaminsky to name just a few. You can find out more at www.iamtw.org.
Lee
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8-26-2008 @ 3:29AM
Cray said...
Does anyone know if the book is in continuity of the show? I'm think of getting this for my sister, who's a huge fan of the show.
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8-26-2008 @ 8:35AM
Sam H. said...
Given that Tod Goldberg doesn't HAVE a career to sully -- he's a writing teacher, not a working professional -- I doubt his doing media tie-ins will affect anything.
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8-26-2008 @ 11:15AM
Jennifer said...
I read the excerpt of this book, and it sounds VERY good and in tune with the character. I am not normally into tie-in novels and their lack of canon, but I think I'd get this.
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8-26-2008 @ 12:47PM
Jim Kosmicki said...
I've read several of his brother (Lee Goldberg)'s Mr. Monk novels and they capture the tone and flavor of the characters just right. I'm not a big media tie-in fan normally, as the writers don't really know the characters, but the Mr. Monk books are very good. And in Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, you get Sharona and Natalie together, which will never happen in the show.
If the Burn Notice books are anywhere close to the level of the Mr. Monk books, I'll be reading them.
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8-26-2008 @ 4:19PM
todbg said...
Thanks for the nice words, Brett.
To answer a couple questions: Cray, the book is not in direct continuity. It would just be too hard since the book was written before season 2 even had any scripts, while the next book is being completed now and won't come out until Feb, which means it will be during the second half of this current season. So, you sort of have to think of them as being like a canned episode, where the big backstory of his burn notice isn't advanced too terribly much.
Sam, it is true that I am a professor. It is also true that I have published 3 previous books of a more literary bent and have another coming soon, that wasn't a lie in the article, nor was the part about losing the awards and such, so that might be the working professional part you missed. It's not as if I've been sitting around writing Punisher fan fiction while reading religious texts or something.
Jim, I don't know if my books will be as good as my brother's monk books, but I can tell you I leaned on him a lot to figure out how to approach these, so hopefully something has rubbed off.
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8-27-2008 @ 9:08AM
Jim Kosmicki said...
If i hadn't already been interested in reading this book, your reference to "Punisher fan fiction" would have tipped me over the edge. funny! (and after all, haven't we had over 20 years of very successful Punisher fan fiction published by Gold Eagle?)