Ken’s only Portland, Oregon event is for a good cause.

It’s a fundraiser for Caldera Arts, and will take place at Wieden + Kennedy, an advertising agency that has done award-winning work for Nike, ESPN, and other clients around the globe.

Admission to the event is free, but proceeds from sales of Slow Fire, which will be handled by Powell’s, will benefit Caldera, a non-profit that mentors under-served children through art and nature projects.

For details, please visit the Events page.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

Joe Hartlaub recently reviewed Slow Fire in Bookreporter.

We had a feeling we were going to like the review right from the opening paragraph:

“When an author can get the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end within the first few pages of a novel, you know that he or she is worth the valuable time you will spend reading… Such was the case by the third page of Slow Fire, Ken Mercer’s debut novel.”

If you’d like to read the full review, all you have do is click here.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the largest book festival in the country, will take place April 24-25 on the UCLA Campus.

Ken will be there for three different signing events on Sunday, April 25th.

From noon until 2:00, Ken will be signing for Sisters in Crime in Booth #355.

From 3:00 until 4:00, he’ll be signing for The Mystery Bookstore in Booth #411.

From 4:00 until 5:00, he’ll be signing for Mysterious Galaxy in Booth #614.

Please come by and say hello. Unlike some other authors, Ken will be happy to personalize a copy of his book for you.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

Ken recently appeared on the nationally syndicated radio program America’s Best Selling Authors.

The interview is wide-ranging and covers a variety of topics: Ken’s sordid past, sportswriting, the burning of his first novel, the road to publishing Slow Fire, and the real life inspirations for the book. You can listen to the full interview by clicking here.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

At Ken’s recent event at the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, he got a brief taste of what it must feel like to be a mega-bestselling author.

Ken signed close to 150 copies of Slow Fire, which had been made a selection of one of the Poisoned Pen’s book clubs.

Many thanks to the Poisoned Pen’s Will and Pat, who joined with Ken to form a human assembly line that allowed all those books to get signed in record time. And thanks again to Barbara Peters and Hector DeJean for making it possible.

You can click on the image to view it full size.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

It’s not The New York Times, but Slow Fire was #3 this week on the Marin Independent Journal’s fiction bestseller list. Came in just behind Stieg Larsson, but he probably benefitted from the fact that he is now deceased (and Swedish).

If Herr Larsson were still alive (and American), Slow Fire might have been #2.

You can click on the image to view it full size.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

BookPage, a leading monthly book review distributed to over 4,000 public libraries and bookstores, features Slow Fire in their March 2010 issue.

The reviewer, Bruce Tierney, had this to say: “Slow Fire is without a doubt violent… but exceptionally well-paced and carefully plotted… and, we hope, the beginning of a fine new series.”

You can read the full review online here.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

The big day–at least around these parts–has finally arrived.

Slow Fire, the debut novel by Ken Mercer, was released today, February 16, 2010.

Ken’s been working on this book for over three years now, along with a small army of people at Macmillan publishing, Markson/Thoma, and others we apologize for forgetting to mention.

We hope you’ll feel it was worth it.

To find out more, you can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

Who says you can’t go home again?

As some of you may recall, Ken Mercer narrowly managed to survive a childhood in New Jersey before moving to Manhattan during the Bright Lights, Big City 1980s. Dates have now been confirmed for Ken’s return to the east coast.

On Wednesday, March 24th, Ken will be discussing Slow Fire at Sages Pages in Madison, New Jersey. The following evening, he’ll be appearing at The Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca for an in-store interview with Ian Kern.

You can view the details, as well as Ken’s full event schedule here. You can access the home page at kenmercer.com.

We’re excited to announce a special event that’s just been added to the event schedule. Barbara Peters of The Poisoned Pen will be interviewing Ken live and in person in Scottsdale on February 21. The conversation will cover Slow Fire, the path to publication, and writing.

Barbara will also be putting Ken on the spot by talking about what she would have done differently—had she been the editor of Slow Fire. She’s made Ken promise to remain polite, and to refrain from murdering her.

You can view the full event schedule here. You can access the home page at kenmercer.com.