You say Goodbye, and I say Hello

by Alison Dasho

The time has come, my blog-reading friends, to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.

However, I must now take my leave, bowing out of leading any more blog discussions here at Dead Guy. It's been a fantastic two and a half (er, two and three quarters, I guess?) years, and I will always be grateful to Jeff and the other Dead Guys (and Gals) for letting me be part of this wonderful online gathering.

I'll still be around the internet, and you can of course find me at my website, or over on twitter, or occasionally on tumblr. I'm sure I'll pop into Dead Guy often to say hi and leave my two cents in the comments.

But! You guys! Since I'm on my way out, I have the honor of writing the introduction post for the new Dead Guy. And just wait until I tell you who it is.

First I'll tell you that the incoming Dead Guy is actually going to take over posting from the Publisher point of view -- and our own Lynne Patrick will shift from the Publisher perspective to that of Editor.

That was kindof a hint, then. Since the new Dead Guy is a Publisher, and a man I've known well over the years.

Okay, but first, go here and play the Sgt. Pepper's video, because I want this to be read as if sung to that tune:

So May I Introduce To You ... The One-and-Only Ben LeRoy ...

of Tyrus Books (and F+W Crime, and Prologue Books) an F+W Media Inc. Company!

In case any of you are unfamilar with Ben, let me share a little bit about the man I worked with for almost eight years, first at Bleak House, then at Bleak House under Big Earth Publishing, then as a part of Tyrus Books.

[And if we stick the Ben = Billy Shears analogy from Sgt. Pepper's (can you tell what's on my iTunes today?), then that makes him Ringo, too. And if he's Ringo, I hope that maybe makes me George.]

Ten Things You May Not Know About Ben LeRoy, the new Dead Guy blogger

1. He doesn't really like The Beatles, so the analogies above are perhaps moot.

2. I once watched him eat a burger called The MidWesterner, and I was terrified he'd die of a coronary right there. It was a 1/2 pound beef patty, topped by a 1/2 brat patty, topped by a mound of fried onions and three kinds of cheese.

3. He loves baseball more than anyone else I know. Ask him about Ty Cobb. (And then think about how Ty Cobb's full first name was Tyrus. Coincidence?!)

4. He has written a couple books himself.

5. He travels a lot, and loves it. Adventure 'Til Death is one of his many mottos.

6. He tweets under the Tyrus Books handle.

7. He also blogs over here and over here.

8. He counts among his favorite books Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour, an Introduction; Shot in the Heart; Deer Hunting with Jesus; and A Prayer for Dawn

9. If it weren't for Ben, I wouldn't be an editor. When I was just an intern, he talked me into quitting my two other jobs to work for Bleak House full time. I got on-the-job publishing grad school for 8 years, and it was great.

10. He used to joke that I was "the brains of the operation," back when we worked together at BHB and Tyrus. Well, if it was in any way true that I was the head, then he was the heart.

Ben is the kind of guy who feels everything, and feels it intensely. He is so full of emotion and passion and earnestness that he fills up and projects it all outward. He's like Deanna Troi in reverse (and without the teal bodysuits) -- rather than being empathic and taking in the emotions of others, he produces within himself the kind of passion about literature and the written (or spoken) word so intense that it emanates from him in deep, resonant waves, suspending those around him in a kind of magical ocean of YOU GUYS HAVE GOT TO READ THIS.

His belief in his work and the world is astounding and captivating.

He builds around himself wonderful communities of readers, writers, and thinkers, and the connections he makes between people tend to lead to lasting, fruitful, fulfilling collaborations. He's doing that right now with F+W Crime, and I'm sure it'll be a success.

And with that, dead Dead Guy readers, I will bid you adeiu! You're in good hands with Benjamin M. LeRoy -- go ahead and get swept up in his passion for reading and stories.