Hey there.

I’m unsure exactly how to present this to you.

I’m half-inclined to say, “Oh my God! I’ve got a great deal for you on some books!” But I’m not the type of guy to say corny things like that.

Or, “You can take care of all your holiday shopping right now for that special somebody on your list.” But I hate feeling like I’m part of a commercial.

Neither of those things really gets what I’m trying to say. So let me try a different way.

Back in 2010, Tyrus Books, then barely a year old, released a few anthologies.

Delta Blues, as you might have guessed from the title, is a collection of short stories centered around the Mississippi Delta and blues culture, featuring works from John Grisham, Charlaine Harris, Ace Atkins, and others. The foreword to the collection was written by Morgan Freeman. The whole thing was edited by my good friend Carolyn Haines. We even had an awesome release party for the book in Clarksdale, Mississippi at Mr. Freeman’s blues club, Ground Zero.

By Hook or By Crook edited by Martin Greenberg and Ed Gorman was a compendium of great crime fiction short stories from 2009. It includes selections from some of the genre’s biggest names including Laura Lippman, Dennis Lehane, and Mary Higgins Clark.

What set Delta Blues and By Hook or By Crook apart from other anthologies we’d done, was that we produced limited editions in addition to the regular trade printings. As a special treat for collectors, we thought it’d be cool to do something a little different and ambitious with the books.

For instance, 100 copies of Delta Blues were produced with a leather cover, gilded pages, numbered, and signed by all of the contributors. 100 copies of By Hook or By Crook, also numbered, and also signed by all of the contributors, were printed, too.

At about the time we should have been promoting and selling these books, the company was in a bit of a restructure mode, other things took precedence, and, well, we never really let people know the books existed.

And now, two years later, they are shelved carefully in my office. A steady reminder of a lost opportunity. Also two years later, the pre-FW version of Tyrus Books has a few bills left to pay hopefully early in 2013, at which point we’ll be able to close the books (no pun intended) and clear out some space, both physically and mentally, for other worthwhile projects.

So here’s the deal.

Both of these books were originally given a suggested retail price of $250, but we’re motivated sellers at this point. We’re offering $125 for one book, $200 for both. If you’re really into limited editions and/or helping us out, for $250 we’ll throw in the first two anthologies and a limited edition of Loren Estleman’s Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection (also signed and numbered).

Nothing would make me happier than moving these books into fine new homes. Maybe these aren’t for you, but you know somebody else who might be interested. Maybe you want one for yourself, and a buddy of yours wants the other. We’re good with any of it.

Interested? Send an email to ben@benjaminleroy.com with your request or any questions you might have, and I’ll take care of it from there.

Thanks,

Ben