_DavidMorrell

“His name was Rambo, and he was just some nothing kid for all anybody knew.” That was the first sentence in my debut novel, FIRST BLOOD. Published in 1972, it’s still in print. Read Nat Segaloff’s THE RAMBO REPORT for the story behind my novel, my novelizations, and the movies.

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of THE ODYSSEY premieres a week from today. It’s the first feature film entirely shot on IMAX cameras. We pre-ordered our tickets for an IMAX theater that recently opened in Santa Fe. theguardian.com/christopher-no…

Travel to London’s Magnificent Crystal Palace, where the first world’s fair took place in 1851. It’s a locale in INSPECTOR OF THE DEAD, the second book in my Victorian mystery/thriller series. Here’s the link to my photo essay. davidmorrell.net/the-magnificen…

@joypainlife Thanks! Please look at the BOOKS page of my website davidmorrell.net in case you missed anything of interest. Some surprises.

@_DavidMorrell Thank you, sir. I've enjoyed books of yours over the years. Always worthwhile.

I’m thrilled that my short story “The Corpse Collector” has been chosen for THE YEAR’S BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, edited by Megan Abbott and Steph Cha. Here’s a link for pre-ordering. It will be published on Oct. 20. bookshop.org/p/books/the-be…

@PeterDee67 I spoke with Sly many times. He's very smart. Also funny. Great sense of humor. Richard Crenna told me that, of all the actors he worked with, Steve McQueen and Sly were the best in terms of knowing what to do before a camera. Expressive eyes.

@_DavidMorrell I think it was Stallone's best film as well.

A deluxe 5-film Rambo 4K set has just been released. Here’s a link. The reviewer says nice things about my novel FIRST BLOOD and agrees that RAMBO V isn’t really a Rambo film. ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/156973/ramboco…

“Riveting! I literally thought I was in 1855 London. With this mesmerizing series, David Morrell doesn’t just delve into the world of Victorian England—he delves into the heart of evil...”—Bestselling author Lisa Gardner davidmorrell.net/books/inspecto…

“Don’t chase the market. You’ll always see its backside.” That’s one of the premises of THE SUCCESSFUL NOVELIST, my writing book. Read a sample chapter on my website. davidmorrell.net/writing/

@frothyfriar @laxbakura @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Yes, that was my goal. Everyone justifies their actions. We're trapped in our individual viewpoints. Rambo and Teasle refuse to understand each other, which mirrored the culture at the time--and today.

@laxbakura @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone @_DavidMorrell I liked the movie because it was clear, but the book you can see it from both sides

In honor of Sylvester Stallone's 80th birthday (big fan @TheSlyStallone ) I got out one of my favorite novels that was the foundation for one of his early movies. My first edition copy of First Blood. Not only was early Stallone movie, it was the debut novel for @_DavidMorrell who was nice enough to send me an autographed book plate for my copy. Love the book, love the movie, and have enjoyed both of their careers immensely.

@joypainlife Thanks!

@_DavidMorrell Still got it. :) Hat's off, sir.

@Flint_Savage000 @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone One of my goals is to use thrillers to explore serious topics.

@TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone @_DavidMorrell Morrell is an incredible writer - after Rambo escapes, in one chapter, Morrell has you thinking Rambo's in the right, and in the next he has you thinking Teasle's in the right. The mark of a truly excellent author is one that makes you actually think.

@Flint_Savage000 @frothyfriar @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Thanks. A lot of thrillers use a good-guy/bad-guy conflict. But I'm reminded of what Socrates said (in one of Plato's dialogues) that no one does evil intentionally. They justify it. In my novel, there weren't any villains. Each was sure he was right.

@frothyfriar @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone @_DavidMorrell As a retired police officer myself, I can tell you that not every situation is clearly black and white. That's part of what made this such a good book.

@GDCWriter My second novel TESTAMENT gave readers nightmares. I resolved never to be that primal again .

@_DavidMorrell Nice, congrats. What's the scariest thing you've written?

@joelansdale Thanks!

@_DavidMorrell Titled Three Bad Men

John Wayne starred in John Ford’s 1939 STAGECOACH, which made him a star after a decade in B movies. The film also reinvented the Western genre. We love collecting classic movie posters and this is one of our favorites. I wrote about Wayne in my essay collection STARS IN MY EYES.

@TimothyImholt @dehallstrom @TheSlyStallone Thanks. My preferred edition (because of the many extras) is a hardback from gauntletpress.com.

@_DavidMorrell @dehallstrom @TheSlyStallone It could be. How many survived the decades is impossible to know. I do know I have only ever seen three. Big fan btw. And your work has certainly influenced some of my writing especially in The Forest of Assassins set in Vietnam following some early Navy SEALs.

@dehallstrom @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Ha

@_DavidMorrell @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Four, but who's counting.

@Flint_Savage000 @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Yes, that was one of my novel's themes. The film of FIRST BLOOD used a similar theme. This recent book explores the stories behind my Rambo books and the movies.

@_DavidMorrell @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone It certainly did that. The ending was tragic, and it really made the reader wonder what we're doing to our fighting men.

@joelansdale Thanks. I'll look for it.

@_DavidMorrell Just finished a book on Wayne, Ford, and Ward Bond.

@GrendelHaw27879 @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone Thanks! There's an available paperback of FIRST BLOOD. Alas COVENANT OF THE FLAME is out of print. P{lease look at the BOOKS page of my website davidmorrell.net. Some items might interest you.

@_DavidMorrell @TimothyImholt @TheSlyStallone My first edition First Blood paperback looks like one of the dead sea scrolls. I gave away my hardback Covent of the flame and one other because I had read them too many times, but now I would really love to read them both again!

@andredursin Thanks for the information! I'll pass it along.

@_DavidMorrell The next pressing of this is available for preordering again David -- amzn.to/4fniPtQ

My audio commentary for FIRST BLOOD is included in the new deluxe 5-film Rambo 4K set, which has both versions of RAMBO IV & V. Sly’s director’s cut of IV is excellent. But I can’t recommend either version of V. There's an availability problem for the set. ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/156973/ramboco…

Daniel Mason’s NORTH WOODS was terrific. Library Journal calls his new book, COUNTRY PEOPLE, “wickedly funny, whimsical, and tender.” Sounds like a great summer read. libraryjournal.com/review/country…