URL power and Douglas Preston update

proof that we aren't always shouting into a black hole.


Italy's two largest newspapers, Corriere della Sera (Milan) and La Repubblica (Rome) -- equivalent to the New York Times and the Washington Post -- printed prominent stories about the judicial harassment of the journalist Mario Spezi and Preston's interrogation.

the following is from Doug's letter to International Thriller Writers:

It is truly amazing to see the effect that a little flexing of literary muscle through ITW can achieve.

The stories are both very good. Among other things, those of you who blogged about the situation and all of you marvelous ITW folks got some good press (see farther below). Any further help you can give is very much appreciated.

I've translated the headlines and a few paragraphs from the articles and included the full articles later.

Corriere della Sera
Florentine Murders: Thriller writer indicted for perjury. His colleagues mobilize.
Monster Case: Duel Between DA and American Writer

Inside, a relevant paragraph says:

Now that he has returned to Maine, Preston has begun to tell the story of what happened to him on his recent trip to Italy. The story is making the rounds of the Internet, through the blogs of writers, critics, and intellectuals. It was republished by the newsletter of the International Thriller Writers, which reaches many hundreds of authors, and in that way came to the notice of the Boston Globe and the New York Times.

La Repubblica
Writer Accuses DA in New Book
Monster of Florence: Diplomatic Case between Italy and the USA

Rome--A new 'case' involving the Monster of Florence investigation: this time the risk is a diplomatic-judicial-literary tiff with the USA. Behind it all are the killings of the Monster of Florence (sixteen between 1968 and 1985) and the theory that a Satanic sect was responsible, which is currently being pursued by the D.A.'s office of Perugia. The protagonists: the journalist Mario Spezi and the American Douglas Preston, thriller author, against the D.A. of Perugia Giuliano Mignini. For several days now Senator Susan Collins, daily newspapers such as the Boston Globe, and important literary associations [that's ITW, folks!] have been working on behalf of Preston.

Your blogs and ITW's newsletter were directly responsible for generating these articles. And this is just the beginning.