MINDJACKER: A Crime Thriller

Ian Ayris Times Two

2012-02-03T14:33:00.001-05:00

I have had the pleasure of gettting to know (virtually) Ian Ayris over the last year or so, and besides being a very talented writer, he seems like a good guy. That counts a lot with me. Even if you wrote the best novel ever, if you come off as a dick, or dickette(?) I'm not going to read your work. Sorry to offend, but learn some manners, respond to comments if others take the time to read your stories or comment on your good news, and maybe, just maybe, take some time away from the self-promo, to give other's writing a try.

Anyway...I am really stoked to hear that Ian's novel ABIDE WITH ME has been released early, and just as pleased to let you know that his crime / noir short story collection UNCLE MILDRED is also available for purchase. Most important, is the fact that all proceeds from sales of UNCLE MILDRED are being donated to Cancer Research UK and The Breast Cancer Charities of America.

WELL DONE IAN!!!!

If you want to to have a look, and perhaps get yourself a copy of either, or both:

ABIDE WITH ME can be found on Amazon US HERE and UK HERE

UNCLE MILDRED can be found on Amazon US HERE and UK HERE

Have a great weekend everyone!

9 Days of Madness

2012-01-27T10:05:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again. Following on the success of Chris Allonotte's EIGHT DAYS OF MADNESS contest last year, he has graciously decided to do it again this year. The theme is "unsettled", max word count 1,500, and you can find out all the deets HERE

Charles Gramlich is over at Novel Spaces ( a great site) talking about the element of "surprise" in writing. Charles has a great way of breaking things down so they are easily understandable. Check it out HERE

Ray Banks: California & Arlene Hunt: Black Sheep

2012-01-26T09:58:00.002-05:00

Loved Ray's story "GOD ONLY KNOWS" that was included in the OFF THE RECORD collection, so I asked him via his BLOG which should I read first California or Dead Money. He said, California, as it is short, and if I dug it, I would most likely dig Dead Money. I did, and DM is up next after Arlene Hunt's BLACK SHEEP (more about that below)

CALIFORNIA is up for best novella of 2011 over at Spinetingler, and you can vote for your choice HERE. I posted the below review on Amazon US & UK, and you can check out, and hopefully purchase CALIFORNIA HERE

5 star: You Think YOU Had A Bad Day?

Ray Banks has been on my list of writers that I wanted to read. After recently being very entertained by a short crime story of his that was part of a collection, I decided to read California. The other two reviews of this novella length piece, pretty much summed up my thoughts. The characters and the dialogue are what really made this work. The opening scene reeled me in and the story, pacing, and excellent banter between all the various players, kept me interested right to the end. This was a quick, very satisfying read and I will most certainly be reading more from the author.

Arlene Hunt is an Irish crime writer, who I have wanted to read for some time now, I just didn't know where to start, or what to expect. I decided that BLACK SHEEP would be it. There was no Ebook version available (big bummer) so I ordered via Amazon. I'm 3 chapters in, and it is money very well spent. What the Hell was I waiting for? Killer opening, down and dirty writing, and I am hooked, big time! This is the kind of writing and style that reminds me of when I first discovered Julie Morrigan- the kind a lot of lads could take a lesson from ;) . You can find out more about Arlene HERE

And finally, watched this movie for the umpteenth time last night. Never gets old, and a kick-ass soundtrack. Have you seen it? What did you think?

Seana, we hardly knew ya

2012-01-24T06:59:00.002-05:00

What a good surprise I got when I read Seana Graham's blog post. She did a really excellent podcast at KUSP 88.9 in California, where she talks about her writing, GRIMM TALES, books, and Ebooks. She did a tremendous job with the questions and the quality of the audio is crystal clear. So cool to put a voice with the pic and the virtual personality. Be sure to give it a listen HERE (Seana comes on at about the 45 minute mark) and check out Seana's blog HERE. If you would like to have a look at GRIMM TALES, click on the cover on the left side of this blog.

While I'm on the podcast theme, Steve Brewer, who I became a huge fan of in 2011 was a guest on the Morning Show with Larry Aherns KIVA.AM (New Mexico).Very entertaining and well worth a listen ( Steve comes on at about 6:50 mark) HERE.

Steve also has a new short story, PAYOFF available for free at Smashwords HERE

On a more personal note, I have 3 short stories available today for FREE on Amazon: THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE BLOOD FARM, and THE MONKEY TREE. If interested, just click on the book covers on the right side of the blog to take a look, and perhaps download.

News From John McFetridge

2012-01-20T12:09:00.001-05:00

John is one of my favorite authors. He writes the kind of crime / suspense stories I really, really love. His novel, TUMBLIN' DICE will be on my e-reader the minute it comes out in March. He also shared an exciting, innovate, marketing strategy his publisher ECW Press has come up with. Check out John's post on the topic HERE

And.......I have made my novel MINDJACKER available for FREE download at Amazon today and tommorrow. I have also, since yesterday, made all my crime / suspense short stories free at Amazon. This will continue through end of today.

You can click on any of the covers on the sides of this blog to find them in the US, and click HERE for the Amazon UK store.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!

Lacrosse: Crooked Arrows Trailer

2012-01-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

This is the trailer of the first major motion picture about the sport of Lacrosse, CROOKED ARROWS. It's being pushed as a RUDY/ MIGHTY DUCKS type of movie. The genre is familiar, but the sport is becoming part of pop culture in the US and is the fasted growing youth sport in the US. It is a Native American sport with a fascinating history and just as my coaches did in (yikes) 1979, I pass this history on to the kids I coach. It is a contact sport and the skills required are very similair to Hurling.

Here's my lad in action.

And of course, and most important, after the warriors do battle, nothing but handshakes and good sportsmanship! ( thats me and my 2 great asst coaches at the end of the line)

The 2011 Irish Men's National IndoorTeam ( someday would love to have a home / away series with our kids and a team of kids from IRE)

Finally, here is how the big boys do it!

Review: The Cold, Cold Ground

2012-01-17T09:39:00.004-05:00

Finished Adrian McKinty's THE COLD, COLD GROUND ( kindle version) over the weekend and posted the below review on Amazon US & UK. I'm certainly no reviewer and will only post a review of something I like, or I think others with similiar tastes might enjoy. If I don't dig a book, then it's, "whatever you say, say nothing" ;) You can get your copy HERE

5 Stars: While I was chugging beers and wearing a Devo hat...

"In 1981 I was 16, without a care in the world, while across the Atlantic in Ireland...

Having read and enjoyed all of McKinty's previous crime novels, and based on the description of this one, I was pretty confident that it would be discretionary entertainment dollars well spent. However, no author I have read, no matter how much I have enjoyed their past work gets a free pass. In fact, with each novel, the stakes and expectations are raised and as soon as I feel they are relying on old tricks or mining tired, predictable and clichéd themes, I'll move on. This was billed as a police procedural and I'm not really a fan of that genre, so a level playing field was set.

What I experienced was a fearless, hard-hitting, and dare I say, important and perhaps groundbreaking novel. It also enlightened me as to what my aversion of the procedural genre stemmed from. The story takes place in 1981 where the cops for the most part, relied on detective work and instinct, rather than technology. This is a world before cell phones, DNA, and all the other crutches that are so commonplace in modern crime fiction. Sean Duffy is a great character and if you took the best qualities of John Thaw's Inspector Morse and The Sweeney's John Regan, added a jigger of cool, and a splash of very entertaining wit, you'll get an idea of what he is all about.

The first person narrative was done superbly and I felt like I was side-by-side with Duffy and his excellent supporting cast of characters- in the Land Rover, on the streets, at the station, and all the other locations the story took me to.

I am well-versed in the "Troubles" or at least as much as you can be from reading numerous non-fiction and historical fiction regarding the subject, but the superb writing, excellent story, and McKinty's intimate first-hand knowledge and experience, enabled The Cold, Cold Ground to take me to a time and place, like none of that reading possibly could.

A great read and I was pleasantly suprised to find the first chapter of the next "Duffy" installment was included in my kindle version. And what a opener it was!"

********************************************

This really is a great read, and if there was an extra star, I would have given TCCG one. After re-reading the review, I hope the John Thaw comparision does not make readers think Duffy is an old geezer because he's a young dude, more of a Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice with the crime solving methods / intelligence of a Morse, and the cowboy mindset of Regan and Crockett. What really, really made this work for me, and most any story I love (good guys or bad) , was the comraderie of Duffy and his fellow RUC mates.

I think this would make a terrific movie and some of the scenes, if done right would have you on the edge of your seat. I'm thinking a Michael Mann treatment would do it justice.

OFF THE RECORD

2012-01-13T10:21:00.001-05:00

Tough day at work yesterday ( thanks to staying up too late reading The Cold Cold Ground ) followed by a late Board of Directors meeting for the youth lacrosse league I'm invloved with, but when I arrived home, my print copy of OFF THE RECORD was waiting for me. Luca Veste did a great job with this! If you are not familiar with OTR, it is 38 crime stories based on "classic" song titles, written my 38 UK and US writers. What really mattters though is, every single penny ( or pence ), is going to children's literacy programs in the US & UK.

If you feel so inclined to support this cause, you can take a look, and perhaps get yourself an electronic or print version:

Ebook at Amazon US HERE...Amazon UK HERE or in print at Lulu HERE

A huge thanks to Luca Veste for putting this all together. He hosts a great site HERE and you can check out his Ebook publishing venture, Guilty Conscience Publishing HERE.

Johnny Was...McKinty is...

2012-01-12T10:27:00.002-05:00

Caught this movie over the weekend, and enjoyed it very much. It's the kind of movie I love: all about the "bad guys", lots of great lines, some huge laughs, violence, tremendous soundtrack, excellent acting, and a super cast, that includes Eriq La Salle, Vinnie Jones, Roger Daltry, Lennox Lewis, and Patrick Bergin who, until I saw the credits did not recognize. I think most will really dig it, if you like the Guy Ritchie \ Tarantino type of story, at least I did. To get more details, click HERE

I have read each of Adrian McKinty's crime novels and enjoyed all of them. If I had to pick a crime author ( that I have read) who always delivers the goods, he is the one. I have been wanting to read his latest, THE COLD COLD GROUND, since it's release, but it was only available in paperback from Amazon UK, which, If you live in the US, can be a bit costly for shipping. I bought his last one FALLING GLASS (loved it) from the UK. In a case of good timing on my part, as I was about to bite-the-bullet and order from UK, a commentor on Adrian's blog broke the news that CCG was out on Kindle US! One minute later, I had it on my kindle for PC (no nook version yet, but Calibre can covert it to the epub format) and dug right in with a late night session. I'm about 40% done and it is excellent. I'm finding that CCG is a great mix, stylistically, of FALLING GLASS, FIFTY GRAND, and the "Dead Trilogy". The MC, Det Sean Duffy is such a good character, with a great sense of humor (some hugely funny lines already). A full review will be coming and I'm hoping to finish it tonight. (maybe a wee bit or reading is being done at work today...sssshhh)

Adrian hosts a great blog HERE. You can check out CCG HERE and for all you music fans, he had a great post yesterday that included some fascinating info on a Sex Pistols gig HERE

R.S. Bohn:

2012-01-11T09:11:00.001-05:00

I have been a fan of R.S. Bohn's for some time now, so when she posted looking for beta readers for a 3000 word story she wrote, "Judith Of The Lions", I offered to give it a read. I was very pleased that she took me up on the offer, and what a treat it was. I have had a tremendous week, Stuart Neville's "Collusion, Stuart Ayris' "Tollesbury Time forever" and R.S Bohn's story. The best thing about it all is it had nothing to do with my own writing. I just sat on my ass, turned pages, or clicked a mouse, and in return went on 3 fabulous rides.

Doesn't get much better than that. Now, "Judith Of The Lions" is a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and at times, unsettling story. R.S. Bohn has proved time and again, that she is a master of crafting desciptive phases, characters, and settings. This story is no different, and I dare to say, it is the best one I have read by her. I provided my detailed feeback, and out of respect to R.S, do not want to take the liberty of sharing it, but it was all extremely positve. There is no doubt in my mind it will find publication, and when it does, you will be in for a real treat.

She might still be looking for a few more beta readers, and if you feel so inclined, you can offer to help her out HERE

TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER by Stuart Ayris

2012-01-10T09:45:00.003-05:00

I think most people who roll in the same writing circles as I do, or maybe even follow this blog, have heard of an extremely talented, and certainly on of my favorite up-and-coming crime writers, Ian Ayris. What you might not know, is that he has a brother Stuart, also a writer, and who has just put out a novel of his own, called TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER

I also have to add, and this is only my virtual friendship take, these Ayris brothers seem like top gents, the kind I would love to meet up with someday and shoot the shit with..my kind of dudes from my generation!

In yet another example of Facebook proving to be a worthwhile time investment, I read the below description of Stuart's novel, and it sounded really interesting: Beatles, Cricket, alcoholism.....right up my alley!

"Tollesbury Time
Nothing is real
And there's nothing to get hung about
Tollesbury Time Forever"

sing the children...

That's all very well if you're not Simon Gregory, a Beatles-obsessed alcoholic with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a love of cricket. For Simon, nothing is real except the knowledge that he misses the son he abandoned twenty-two years ago. Although the rope around his neck is real. And Tollesbury Time is real too - as you about to find out...

Let me just say, the description, while spot on, did not prepare me for what was to come. It was so much more. This is not a crime story, and that is the beauty, and appeal that it held for me. This story reminded me that as much as I love reading and writing crime \ heist stories, what truly impresses and moves me are unique, well written and well told stories. I just finished Stuart Neville's "Collusion". It was excellent, but when I finished, I was thinking about his next novel. After finishing Stuart's novel, I was thinking about it, as it was implanted in my mind...still is!

I put the following review on Amazon US and UK yesterday:

5.0 out of 5 stars: A Work of Art, January 9, 2012

"I have been entertained by many a good read, but what I truly enjoy, the reason why I read, is to be emotionally moved. A truly good piece of writing stays with you after the last page has been read and makes an impact on the way you view not only the world around you, but yourself. TOLLESBURY TIME FOREVER is such a story. The product description caught my attention and after reading the sample chapters, I could not buy it fast enough. There are sentences, paragraphs, and passages within, that are better than entire novels I have read. During the course of the read, I had to make the decision to keep moving on rather than re-reading the beautiful prose, because the story was so good, I wanted to finsh it. A catch-22 for sure, but I knew I would be revisting the story again.

Along with the excellent writing and story, there are plenty of twists and turns you will never figure out, and it all builds up to a tremendous ending.

From the first page to the last, I was engaged, entertained, and most of all emotionally invested. As a reader, I could not ask for any more!"

So there you have it. I very highly recommend this novel and you can check it out:

- On Amazon US HERE and Amazon UK HERE

Stuart blogs HERE

Best of luck to both Ayris brothers. I wish you the greatest of success in all your endeavors.

Crime Always Pays: News

2012-01-09T14:10:00.001-05:00

Irish crime writer and overall patron saint of all who read and write Irish crime fiction has decided to pull back the throttle a bit on his awesome blog Crime Always Pays. The CAP blog is such a crucial resource for those of us who dig this genre, and I cannot say enough good about Declan the writer, or more importantly, the person. Of course, I have never met him( hopefully someday, just like all of you other web friends, I will) but via his actions and words, it is a no-brainer to make such a claim.

You can get all the details of the news, the reasons for the decision, and get a link to the Irish crime Facebook Group that Declan is passing the torch to HERE

So, here's to you Mr. Burke. I wish you success in all your future endeavors, and pass on a heartfelt thanks for the help, knowledge, and laughs, you and CAP have provided me the last couple of years.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Joe Clifford's has a good one at TK-n-C

2012-01-05T16:25:00.001-05:00

Read a really excellent story today over at Thriller's Killer's -n- Chillers by Joe Clifford. It's called "Another Man's Treasure". This had all the ingredients I love: Excellent writing, tight structure, top-notch description and characters, a whopper of a twist, and most of all, not at all predictable and suspenseful as all hell.

If you feel so inclined, give it a read and drop Joe a comment. You can find "Another Man's Treasure" HERE

This song popped into my head as soon as I finshed the story. It was also referenced in a scene in my novel, "Mindjacker". Works even better for Joe's tale! RIP Shannon Hoon ( Blind Melon Singer)

Thanks to Graham Smith....

2012-01-04T13:22:00.001-05:00

I love it when Facebook actually serves a purpose, besides letting me know what someone had for dinner or a whole bunch of other useless information. Yesterday, TRESTLE PRESS author and CRIMESQUAD reviewer Graham Smith had a status with a link to the OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING site, and the accompanying pic (see below) was of John F. Dobbyn's novel BLACK DIAMOND. Of course, I had to take a look, was not disappointed, and thanked Graham for the info. You can check out all Graham's offerings HERE as well as a nice interview he just did over at Paul Brazill's place HERE

Well, Graham, being the gent he seems to be, did me one better. He told me about another Oceanview author, Tom Macdonald, who, like Mr, Dobbyn, is from Boston, and had a novel, "THE CHARLESTOWN CONNECTION" that I might enjoy. Bing, Bang, Boom..Just like that, two novels I cannot wait to read, especially after reading the samples. Nothing like an Irish crime story, set in Boston. What a day, but..... it got better....

When I find out about a new author, I like to do some recon on them and their writng, website, blog, and any local signings on their schedule. Primarily, to get some background, before I spend the cash, but also to be able to let them know that I enjoyed their writing (if that is the case)

Well, when I checked out Tom Macdonald's site, it mentoned that on Feb 23 he was going to be at a big local author event in Nashua, NH (15 mins from my house.) The date / location sounded familiar, and much to my suprise, it turns out I am going to be at the event as well ( as an author). I am so excited, as there are some very impressive writers attending, and it freaks me out that I will be with them. I agreed to participate in Sept, and have been so busy, had not thought about it. You bet your ass, I am counting the days now!

So, a heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Mr. Smith. Check out his writing, and Crimesquad, which is a tremendous site!

Stuart Neville's Collusion

2012-01-03T10:16:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a terrific holiday season and I wish a happy and healthy 2012 to one and all. I am 3/4 through reading "Collusion", Stuart Neville's follow up novel to his tremendous "The Ghosts of Belfast". TGOB was a game-changer for me, when I read it in Jan 2010 and I am really digging the way "Collusion" is taking me back to that time. What a wild ride it has been since I read TGOB, so many new friends, stories, novels, writers, and good times. I am really looking forward to 2012, assuming the world doesn't end. So, a sincere thank you to Mr. Neville, for writing such great stories. If you have not read TGOB or Collusion, you can get both of them together for kindle HERE

Next up, after a review of "Collusion", is Adrian McKinty's "Cold,Cold, Ground", and Stuart Neville's "Stolen Souls". Can't wait!

17 GRIMM TALES for your e-reader

2011-12-22T08:45:00.001-05:00

John Kenyon, who is the brains behind the way cool print mag and online site,"GRIFT", has announced that Untreed Reads has e-published GRIMM TALES. 17 crime themed stories inspired by classic fairytales.

GRIMM TALES is available at Untreed Reads site HERE, as well as Amazon, B&N, and the Apple iBookstore.

Ken Bruen, who wrote the forward for GRIMM TALES says:

"The stories all display not only marvellous invention, turning the whole concept of fairytales on its mysterious head, but breathing new life into a genre that has become, if not familiar, certainly stale".

Along with the other 16 excellent writers who have stories in this collection, I am happy to say that my story "Divided We Stand" is also included.

So, if you do decide to check it out, and maybe even buy it, I hope you enjoy it and sincerely thank you for giving it a read.

Some Good Info From Steve Brewer

2011-12-13T16:42:00.001-05:00

Over at Steve Brewer's blog, he provides some nice tips on Noir /Hardboiled novels, collections, and films, as he prepares to start his teaching gig in New Mexico. Def worth a read HERE

The Whole Bleedin' Lot @ Flash Fiction Offensive

2011-11-28T03:32:00.001-05:00

When Dave Barber invited me to have go at coming up with a story for the monthly Guest Writer feature over at the Flash Fiction Offensive, of course I accepted. As part of the Guest Writer spot, you get an additional word count (2000, instead of 1000 words), a picture accompanying the story, and an extended bio. Big time thanks to Dave B for the opportunity and the Nice intro he did. If you would like to give the story a read, check it out HERE

Spent some of the weekend reading all the of the tremendous 38 stories in the highly anticipated OFF THE RECORD collection. All proceeds from the e-book sales will go to children's literacy charities in the UK and US. It's available on Amazon US / UK, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Big time kudos to the mastermind and publisher Luca Veste. Check out all the details at his site HERE

LEBANON: A Movie Recommendation

2011-11-25T12:22:00.001-05:00

One of the best things about having On Demand through my cable provider, is sometimes you stumble across movies that you would not have found out about. I hit the jackpot Weds night whan I decided to watch a foreign movie called LEBANON. Here's the description that I read and made me give it a try:

"June, 1982 - The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town - a simple mission that turns into a nightmare. The four members of a tank crew find themselves in a violent situation that they cannot contain. Motivated by fear and the basic instinct of survival, they desperately try not to lose themselves in the chaos of war."

Think DAS BOOT, but it takes place in a tank.

This movie was excellent. The story, film technique, and huge amounts of tension and suspence, all added up to a great experience. This does have subtitles, but that has never been a problem for me. After a few minutes, I dont even realize I am reading them. I give it 5 STARS, and a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Two From Charlie Wade

2011-11-18T08:35:00.001-05:00

Charlie Wade, who blogs over at SpiesLiesandPies has couple of excellent stories on the web today. Each one, left me wishing there was more. Charlie is surely a writer I will be following closely in the future. He has mucho talent, and the diversity in style and writing on display between both stories is very impressive.

Check out "School Daze" now showing at Thrilllers Killers-n-Chiller's HERE

And over at Shotgun Honey, you can find "Route A66 Diner" HERE

News From Two of The Goodfellas

2011-11-17T09:31:00.001-05:00

Tonight is the Irish Book Awards. Talented writer, Crime Always Pays blog host, and great friend to his fellow writers, Deckan Burke, is up for the Crime Fiction award. His post today over at CAP provides a bit of insight into what the event will be like. ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL is a tremendous novel and one of the best I have read this year. He's facing some stiff competion, but my fingers are crossed and I cannot wait to find out the results. Best of luck to one of the good guys! Details HERE

Sticking with the theme of writers who are very talented as well as nice, generous people, Col Bury posted a review of Lily Childs' MAGETA SHAMAN over at his site. Now, at face value, I would not normally read this genre, but because Col provided such an excellent review, he highly recommended it, and I know how talented Lily is as a writer, I will surely be reading it. You can check it out HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-11-15T10:17:00.004-05:00

Charlie Stella is an author that has always been on my list, and thanks to Peter Rozovsky who posted a review of Mr. Stella's novel CHARLIE OPERA, I got the kick in the ass I needed to start digging in. I just down loaded JIMMY BENCH-PRESS. I wanted to start with JOHNNY PORNO, but it is only available in paperback. Check out Peter's review HERE

Just finished Julie Morrigan's CONVICTIONS, and posted this review at Amazon and Smashwords:

5 stars: A Terrific Mystery Story
"Convictions is an excellent story that mystery and thriller fans will surely enjoy. As hard as I tried to guess the ending, I was not able to. This is a character driven, emotional ride, that avoids the usual cliches associated with law enforcement, as they try to get to the bottom of who's abducting the children. Investigator Karen Fitzgerald was a favorite of mine, but there are many other excellent players on both sides of the law throughout. The story, top notch writing, and excellent editing, all add up to "highly recommended" for me."

The Nerd of Noir posted a great interview with Allan Guthrie over at Spinetingler HERE

AJ Hayes really knocked my socks off with his story BERTINO'S HEAD over at Absolutely * Kate's Place HERE

I'm all about music, so when Adrian Mckinty, after reviewing Rolling Stone Mags top 500 albums, listed his top 25 HERE, I just had to check it out. Very diverse selections from the commenters as well. 3 of the ones Adrian listed would have made my list:
3. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin
4. Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones
16. Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix

And without boring you with my list, here are just a few:

-Appetite For Destruction - Guns-n-Roses

-Live Bootleg - Aerosmith

- Exile on Main Street - Stones
-Van Halen 1 & 2 (tie) - Van Halen

Patti Abbott has a very entertaining story BLACK WHITE AND RED ALL OVER, at the Flash Fiction Offensive HERE

The Great God Pan and....

2011-11-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

After reading a post regarding suspense, by Charles Gramlich, that he did over at the Novel Spaces blog, The novel "The Great God Pan" by Athur Machen popped into my mind. This is an old novel, but perfectly defines a form of horror based suspense, for me at least. Anyone else ever read this? If not, might want to give it a go. Charles' post can be found HERE and info about the novel can be found HERE

-Over at Adrian McKinty's place, he's listed his top 25 "Micksploitation" ( great term ) movies that are condesending toward the Irish folk, and a few that truly depict how things should be portrayed. Tons of interesting comments and def worth a look HERE

- Found a couple of short stories that I really enjoyed reading, and you might too. Nick Bolduck's "Exposure" is over at A Twist of Noir HERE and Graham Smith's "Shooting Stars" is at Thriller's Killer's -n- Chillers HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-11-08T10:44:00.001-05:00

Finally, we were able to have Trick-or-Treat this Saturday, after the powers that be in my town postponed it, because of the ice/snow storms that brought most of Massachusetts to its knees. We were lucky to have not lost our electricity, but a whole lot of people went up to five days without it. The official hours of T-or-T were 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Very strange, as it was sunny out the whole time. $10.00 at the Salvation Army got me the above Disco Dan get-up.

Here's a few things of note that I checked out on the web.

- It's November, so that means it's Noir time over at Absolutely * Kate's place. Already some great stories have been posted by some familiar names. Today, it is Chris Rhatigan. Bop on over to The Bijou HERE

- Speaking of Mr. Rhatigan, he provided links to some very good stories by Erin Cole and Julie Morrigan HERE

-Darren Sant provided an excellent review of Paul Brazill's "Drunk On The Moon" series HERE

- Over at Tony Black's Place, Ray Banks is talking to Allen Guthrie about "Dead Money" Not to be missed, HERE

- Editor at the Flash Fiction Offensive, Dave Barber, has announced that the FFO has re-opened for submissions HERE

- Seems like Mr. Barber also has some competition in his house. Check out his daughter's first published piece of writing, and be sure to take a look at all the comments HERE

- Top writer and overall good guy, Nigel Bird, has an interview over at Luca Veste's blog HERE

- Last week, Sandra Seamans had an excellent post regarding the lack of women getting published in crime fiction, and self- promotion HERE. Well, Chris LaTray has taken the baton from Sandra and posted a candid, well thought out post HERE

- I had never heard of film director Jim Jarmusch before, but thanks to Paul Waters' Blackwatertown blog, I am very intrigued by the films he has made, especially "Dead Man" starring one of my fave actors, Johnny Depp. Check out another well written and interesting segment of "The Day I Met..." HERE

- Finally, author Lee Goldberg of "Monk" fame, and Joe Konrath share some intesting stats regarding their print vs ebook sales at Joe K's blog HERE

The Monkey Tree is at Thriller's Killer's -n- Chillers

2011-11-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

Thrillers Killers -n- Chillers was the first online story site I discoved that focused on crime and horror stories. It's been over a year now and because of that site, I have met so many talanted writers, who more importantly, are just damn nice people, always willing to lend a helping hand, ear, or offer encouragement. My first online story was featured there. What a thrill that was when I got the news from editor Col Bury!

I have had a few stories featured at TKnC since then. The thrill never gets old, for me at least. The latest is "The Monkey" which is being featured as part of their Hellicious Halloween special. I'm in some great company, for sure. So, if you want to give my story a read, and check out the others that have already been featured, Click HERE

Special thanks to Lily Childs, editor at TKnC, and one hell of a writer herself, for putting this special Halloween feature together. Well done!

TKnC Hellicious Halloween Special Kicks Off Today

2011-10-31T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Hellicious Halloween Special kicks off today over at Thriller's Killers's-n-Chillers.

Check out the complete lineup of authors, stories, schedules, and today's first treat HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-10-28T10:18:00.004-04:00

- Col Bury has shared some good news. His collection of crime stories "Manchester 6" has been published in eBook format. Col fills you in on all the exciting deets HERE

- Col is also the featured guest over at Richard Godwin's place HERE

- Over at BlogTalkRadio, Paul Brazill, Darren Sant, B.R. Stateham, and Luca Veste are talking about International Hard Boiled and Noir. Check out what they have to say HERE

- Chris Allinotte has a very good story, "Temping Morsels" over at Lily Childs' blog HERE

- The Blackwatertown blog has a couple worthy posts. A very entertaining and well written recap of an encounter with the Queen of England HERE. And there's a lot more to visting Northern Ireland than wall murals ("Kid in the Gasmask" is fav of mine) Find out about the many excellent alternatives HERE

- Charles Gramlih has an excellent post on the "psychology of fear" HERE

- My feeble attempts to keep you up-to-date on whats happening in the crime writing webshpere pale, in comparison with the service Sandra Seamans provides on her blog. Sandra is also a fine writer as well, and has a great Halloween treat on display over at the Flash Fiction Offensive, "The Painter" HERE

- Declan Burke's tremendous new novel "Absolute Zero Cool" is up for an Irish Book Award. Find out more and how to cast your vote HERE

- Ken Bruen is now blogging. Stop in, check it out, and say hello HERE

- And finally, John McFetridge is one of a handful of writers that pen the exact kind of stories I love. If you have not read any of his novels or shorts, you do not know what you're missing. I was pumped to hear that his next one "Tumblin' Dice" is coming out in March 2012. John fills you in HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-10-19T10:15:00.003-04:00

Nobody played the "rich kid A-hole" in the 80's like James Spader. In this particular pivotal scene from "Less Than Zero", he's being a real pal to Robert Downey Jr, as well as life coach and occupational, er, counselor (if you know what comes next. Yikes!). Things were a little bit different for me and the high school crew I rolled with, compared to LTZ crowd. It was more like "Dazed and Confused" (one of Matt McConaughey finest performances)

Anyway...plenty happening over the last week:

- Detectives Beyond Borders host, Peter Rozovsky, has a very good entry on display for Patti Abbott's Reginald Marsh Flash-Fiction Challange. Check out "Smithers Should Have Listened" HERE, and then check out the links to all the other entries at Patti's site HERE

-BSTSLLR.com is an exciting new digital publisher, who from what I can see, are on the right track, with a goal of publishing "established authors and promising new authors in eBook format across various plaforms". If their first debut, pictured below, is any indication, I'm already digging them. I just purchased WCCW and can't wait to get into it. You can check out their web site HERE

- Tony Black's site, Pulp Pusher has a nice interview with Declan Burke HERE

-Speaking of Mr. Burke, he's talking about Gerard Brennan's new novelette, "The Point", which has a great cover HERE.

- Adrian McKinty has a nice little rant about NYC publishers HERE, the title of which might have fit in nicely with The Stones' "Shattered', at least that's what popped into my head.

-Charles Gramlich, writer and host of the Razored Zen blog, keeps meticulous track of what he reads. He shared some very interesting stats HERE

- Joe Konrath is on sabbatical, but his eBook designer, Rob Siders, has the floor as guest blogger and shared some very usefull insight HERE

- Over at Blackwatertown, there is another entertaining segment of "The Day I met..." series. This time it is actor James Nesbitt, who was in among other things, "Waking Ned Divine, "Bloody Sunday", and "Resurrection Man". Enjoy HERE

- Over at Do Some Damage, Steve Weddle shared some pics and a recap of his time at the "Whodunnit: A Day of Mystery Madness for Mystery Fans" HERE

Finally, I posted the following reviews at Smashwords, B&N, and Amazon.

HEARTBREAKER: Julie Morrigan

5 Stars: A Great Trip for Rock Music and Mystery Fans

I'm all about Rock-n-Roll and this novel more than met the high expectations I had going in. Although Heartbreaker is a fictional band, it didn't take long for the author to have me thinking they were real. And when I finished, I was wishing I could go out an buy their CD's. The transitions from the interview style passages to flashback scenes were handled superbly. Along with being an excellent chronology of blues based RnR, there are a few nice subplots, as well as a damn good mystery that runs throughout and kept me guessing until the end. This was an excellent introspection into the behind the scenes world of all that is real rock n roll...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I Could easily see this novel being used in the classroom for courses related to post 1960's rock music history. Just like getting a bonus track on a CD, there is an excellent short included at the end titled "Shadow Man" which in itself, would have been worth the price of admission. The overall presentation and editing were flawless. Highly recommend this to both music and mystery fans.

THE BIG WINK: Steve Brewer

5 Stars: Brewer Delivers Again

As soon as I finished the author's latest novel, LOST VEGAS, it was so good, I jumped right into THE BIG WINK and was not disappointed. A great, fast moving caper tale for sure, with a terrific cast, lots of plot twists, and many riotous laughs. The way the story is told and the characters are top notch. Uncle Graybeard and Detective Holland's boss were just a few of the supporting characters who really added to the enjoyment of the read. I'm finding that a Steve Brewer story not only provides great entertainment, but can actually make a bad day, a good one. As mentioned by another reviewer, this story begs for a screen adaptation, ala, "The Big Lebowski".

Steve Brewer's In The House!

2011-10-17T04:00:00.003-04:00

I posted a couple weeks ago HERE about how I discovered today's guest, mystery/crime/ heist writer Steve Brewer. Man, can this guy write AND tell a story. So, I was more than stoked when he agreed to do a Q&A. I have read his three latest novels LOST VEGAS, THE BIG WINK, and CALABAMA since then, and loved everyone of them. On Steve's blog, it says he "writes books about crooks" and he does it so well.

I am both pleased and honored to present you with the below Q&A with Steve.

How long does it typically take you to finish a novel?

SB: Usually around nine months. Takes about three months to write the first draft, and another three months to do the many, many rewrites. I take lots of "cooling off periods" during the rewrites, which is why it usually stretches to nine months.

In your latest novel, LOST VEGAS, of the three central characters, Nick, Tony, and Big Jim Kelton, which one did you come up with first?

SB: I initially thought Nick and Tony were future characters in two different books when I first came up with them years ago. The opening sequence, with the movie theater robbery, was going to be part of a book featuring Tony's crew. Then I started playing around Nick, this former button man who needs to hire some robbers, and it clicked together. Big Jim came later, as I started the first draft.

Big Jim Kelton is a tremendous antagonist. The sections with him in it had me cracking up the most. I’m not taking about smirks and smiles, but full blown laughter. Where did your inspiration for him come from?

SB: Glad you enjoyed Big Jim. I've met a lot of men like him over the years -- local backslappers and gladhanders who'll cut you off at the knees, given half the chance. Big Jim's also got a sadistic streak, which he exercises through his giant Samoan bodyguard, Shamu. They're a scary couple of dudes, in my mind, but good for a lot of laughs, too. I still crack up every time I read that passage where Shamu's on fire and Big Jim is casually putting him out....

THE BIG WINK is centered around the medical marijuana industry. It is a very hot and controversial topic in California, especially lately. How much research did you have to do?

SB: Quite a lot. At the time, we were living in Redding, where THE BIG WINK is mostly set, next to the Emerald Triangle, the most famous marijuana-growing area in the U.S. Dispensaries were springing up all over town, and I talked to some of the local owners and growers and patients while I was researching the industry. I also followed the media coverage, good and bad, for years. I think THE BIG WINK is a succinct snapshot of a place and time, as the Green Rush swamped Northern California a few years ago. But it could all change if the feds follow through on their recently announced crackdown.

After a ten year hiatus, you are getting into teaching again next spring at the University of New Mexico. The class is called “Hard-boiled Fiction and Film Noir" Almost all the followers of this blog and the ones I frequent, are huge fans of these genres. What are you going to be covering with your class?

SB: I'm really looking forward to getting back into the classroom. I teach in UNM Honors, which is like a small liberal arts college within the larger university. Small classes full of really bright students. I taught there for three or four years before we moved to California in 2003, and they always said they'd love to have me back. I offered this class there before, and it was a lot of fun. The main texts are "Hard-Boiled," an Oxford Press anthology edited by Pronzini/Adrian, and Eddie Muller's "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir." Students also watch a sampling of noir classics such as "Double Indemnity" and "Out of the Past." It's a fun class.

You also offer manuscript editing and polishing services. What are some of the common things you find that need editing and polishing when reviewing a manuscript?

SB: Point-of-view wobbles, overblown description, too many words devoted to the wrong things (the weather, driving directions, reams of backstory), clunky dialogue, poor sentence structure. Too many writers, especially new ones, believe they can just spew word salad everywhere and the rest of us will understand what they mean. If your story isn't clear and easy to read, it doesn't matter how wonderful the ending is. The reader will never get there. For more info about my editing services, your readers can e-mail me at abqbrewer@gmail.com.

You novels have some great covers. Do you create them yourself, or does someone create them for you?

SB: I've had mixed luck with cover art over the past 17 years, depending on the publisher and book, but the ones you're referring to are my latest novels, which are published as e-books. Those covers are done by my wife, Kelly Brewer. Kelly is a former newspaper editor who's my first reader as well. The covers she's created recently for LOST VEGAS, THE BIG WINK and CALABAMA have been top-notch.

Heists are by far my favorite genre, especially when they focus on the bad guys, not the cops. I also like a few laughs, along with the suspense, tension, and action. Can you recommend any authors who write these types of stories that I and readers of this blog might not know about, but should take a look at?

SB: Surely, you've read all the Dortmunder novels by Donald E. Westlake. Those are the best. Hell, just go watch "The Asphalt Jungle" over and over. That's all you need.

What are you working on now?

SB: I just started writing a new Bubba Mabry novel (working title PARTY DOLL) in which the Albuquerque private eye is hired to find a missing stripper named Joy Forever. Typical screwy Bubba story. Assuming I finish it, this will be the ninth tale in the Bubba series. One of the great things about e-books is that I can write about a character like Bubba, who has bounced around a lot of publishing houses, and I can be certain someone will publish it. ;-)

I have been trying to spread the good word about you, because that’s the kind of guy I am. If I discover something good, whether it’s a new band, a tune, novel, or a writer, I’m going to tell anyone who I think may have similar tastes. Social media is a great tool for this. How do these types of applications help you as both a writer, and with promoting your various endeavors?

SB: Again, thanks to my wife, I'm very active on Facebook and Twitter. I'm typically a technology foot-dragger, but she'll get me all set up with an account and show me the basics and, next thing you know, I'm a Facebook junkie. But I've always been an enthusiastic promoter of others' work. I used to review mysteries in magazines and newspapers, until I got to know so many mystery writers, I couldn't be objective anymore. I've been a member of DorothyL for more than a decade, talking up books, and I get hard-boiled reading suggestions from rara-avis. I'm fairly new to Twitter, but I'm trying to do that retweet thing whenever I see mentions of books/authors I enjoy.

I love music, have since I can remember. How about you? What’s playing in the car, or the Casa de Brewer?

SB: I'm a big blues fan, my wife less so. When we recently moved back to New Mexico from California, we were in separate vehicles for two days, and I listened to Chicago blues the whole time -- Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Etta James, Junior Wells. Just the thing to keep me blasting across the Mojave desert. I also listen to lots of jazz, and the bluesier side of rock: Stones, Allmans, Clapton, JJ Cale. Not many people notice, but all the titles in the Bubba series come from old songs: LONELY STREET, BABY FACE, WITCHY WOMAN, SHAKY GROUND, DIRTY POOL, etc. The exception is the novella SANITY CLAUSE, which is a Christmas story.

Your first published novel Lonely Street, featuring what you have called your franchise player, bumbling Albuquerque private eye Bubba Mabry, was made into film starring Jay Mohr, Joe Mantegna, and Robert Patrick. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

SB: It was a lot of fun and a nice payday, though the movie went straight to DVD after a few film festival screenings. I spent two days on the set back when they were shooting in late 2006, and that was a blast. Then we got to attend a premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival in '09. I formed a tight friendship with Peter Ettinger, who wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, and he and I still bounce around screenplay ideas together.

Where can readers and fans find you online?

SB: www.stevebrewer.us.com takes you to my Amazon page, where there's a bio, my books and my Twitter feed. www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com is my blog, Home Front, which includes a lot of humor, personal/book news and the weekly humor columns I wrote for newspapers for a decade.

I'm also widely available on Facebook, where I post my silly "Rules for Successful Living" everyday, and on Twitter as @BrewerRules.

Where can we find your novels?

SB: Most of my 20-plus books are still available in paper form through your favorite bookstore, and they're all available as e-books via Kindle, Smashwords and other e-book stores. Thanks so much for asking!

Thanks you, Steve! I wish you the best of luck and next up for me are:

My Book, The Movie

2011-10-14T12:59:00.004-04:00

Found a pretty cool site called "My Book, The Movie". It showcases an author's novel and the author gets to explain who they had in mind, or would envision playing the characters in their novel. Take a look HERE

Deciding something like this for my novel Mindjacker was pretty easy, because I modeled each character after someone famous as I wrote the story. Basically, I had the image in my head and created the character based on that. The above picture is John Paul DeJoria, who I imagined as the nefarious, megalomaniac shrink Joel Fischer. But, I'd be willing to throw Mel Gibson a bone to get his career back on track, if he was up for it. How about any of you. Any famous or infamous people you envisioned playing a part in your stories or novels? Here's the rest of my cast for Mindjacker.

Tom (Fischer's brainwashed guinea pig) : Ewan MacGregor

Bryce (Fischer's other brainwashed guinea pig): Jarod Leto

Johnny Salvation (Fischer's limo driver and closest confidant) : Tony Sirico

Paul (stoner who steals the Dreemweever): Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit

Luke (other stoner who steals the Dreemweever): Sully Erna of Godsmack

Crystal ( Fischer' girlfiend and co-conspirator) : Jenna Lamia

Lee Lee (Crystal's best friend) : Sherry Stringfield

Derrik (Fischer's bodyguard) : Anthony Anderson

James ( Fischer's bodyguard and chemist): Vin Diesel

Evan ( L.A. cop in Fischer's pocket): Josh Brolin

Robert (Russian investor): Mickey Rourke

Jason ( Russian investor): Billy Bob Thornton

Victor (technology & multimedia wizard): Philip Seymour Hoffman

Scott (First victim of the Dreemweever): Jake Gyllenhaal

Merri ( Scott's Wife ): Cameron Diaz

Stephan ( Plastic Surgeon): Robert Klein

Sergey (Russian Hitman): Wladimir Klitschko

Anton (Russian Hitman): Dolph Lundgren

Dodge Challenger (Badass ride): as itself

So, I have handed the studio execs a perfect cast with a kick-ass soundtrack. Now, they just have to get their people in touch with my people to finalize the deal :)

The Beat On The Street

2011-10-12T10:39:00.002-04:00

No, this is not a picture of Heartbreaker, before they hit the big-time. And if you don't know who they are, well, you ain't up to speed on your pop culture history. Mrs. Howell certainly would have had a field day chasing the Heartbreaker lads around with the scissors though.

In other news:

- I finished Steve Brewer's novel, LOST VEGAS, and posted the following review at Amazon and Smashwords.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dig Heists?...You'll Love This.
"I am a huge fan of heist style stories and this one certainly delivered the goods, and then some. The writing style is smooth as silk. This was a very entertaining read and the pages seemed to fly by. A terrific plot, tremendous characters, lots of action, and many laugh out loud moments. The style is surely reminiscent of Elmore Leonard, but the author adds a Stephen King like touch to it, that makes it his own. This story begs for a movie adaption ala, Oceans 11, Get Shorty etc...Already started reading The Big Wink by the author and am loving it."

I am well into Steve's medical marijuana heist story, THE BIG WINK, and as mentioned, loving it. Couldn't resist taking a sneak-peek at his Hillbilly Noir crime story CALABAMA, which opens with, "Never argue with a man whose tattoos outnumber his teeth".

- Adrian McKinty just announced his next novel, COLD, COLD GROUND is coming out in January. I'm all over that one. Details HERE

- Luca Veste unveiled the cover for OFF THE RECORD HERE

- Found a pretty cool interview Christa Faust did HERE

- The latest edition of Needle Mag is out. Steve Blackmore fills you in HERE

- Speaking of Needle, you can try and win yourself a copy over at Do Some Damage HERE

-While you're over at DSD, be sure to check out the interesting posts and associated comments that have been made the last few days.

- Over at Ashedit, find out how author Rebecca Forster got her novel HOSTILE WITNESS to # 1 on the Kindle charts HERE

HEARTBREAKER: Has The Moves Like Jagger

2011-10-11T12:51:00.002-04:00

If you have not read any of Julie Morrigan's writing, you don't know what you are missing. I've known Julie for about a year now and she is one of top writers that I really, really dig. Last year, just about this time, I read an interview Julie did with Paul Brazill HERE which I posted about, HERE

I had read a few chapters of what would eventually become Heartbreaker a while back over at Julie's blog, and loved it. So, when she announced that it was just released a couple days ago, it was a big suprise and I downloaded it for ONLY 99 CENTS. What a great read it is. I can't put it down. Even though Heartbreaker is a fictional band, Julie has brought them to life. If you know anyone who digs Rock-n-Roll, this will knock their socks off. The novel also has very good cross over appeal; the story is one that both men and women, who aren't hard core crime lovers, will really enjoy

A full review will be forthcoming (only 100 pages left), but why wait. Go download yourself a copy at Amazon HERE or Smashwords HERE

Julie had a great interview regarding music and Heartbreaker over at Luca Veste's joint HERE

Do Some Damage News

2011-10-05T09:43:00.002-04:00

One of my many fav blog sites is Do Some Damage. The talent and diversity of the authors who share the daily posting duties is tremendous as is the subject matter. I have learned a lot about crime writing and the authors during year I have been following the site. Here's a couple items that might be of interest.

- John McFetridge, who writes the type of stories I really dig, is taking a hiatus from his DSD Weds slot. Find out why HERE

- Thanks to Sandra Seamans, I found out Steve Weddle, who's also one of the people behind Needle Magazine, has a highly entertaining interview over at the Ginger Nut Case blog HERE

If you can string together 78 words by Friday night, you just might end up in Esquire. Again, thanks to Sandra, you can give it you best shot HERE

Finally, just got a nice note from Steve Brewer after I sent him an email letting him know how much I am digging his latest "Lost Vegas". He's graciously agreed to a Q & A session and I'm stoked about that. Already have "Calabama" and "The Big Wink" on the nook ready to go, while I wait for a couple Pelacanos novels to arrive at my town library (thanks to The Nerd of Noir's recommendations)

The Beat on the Street

2011-10-04T09:55:00.000-04:00

A well known literary agent recently pontificated about 10 things writers must do HERE, which in turn ended up the subject of a great post, and lot's of reader feedback over at Joe Konrath's blog HERE

-Now, if you are looking for some advice / tips that might actually help you, Allan Guthrie has 10 excellent points over at Criminal- E HERE

- Over at Do Some Damage, guest blogger Brian Lindenmuth has some excellent observations on the e-book cover HERE

- Patti Abbott is looking for your take on the best TV cast ensemble HERE

- If you think stock traders have your best interests at heart, might want to check out the post over at Paul Waters' site HERE

- Lot's of new stories have been posted over at A Twist of Noir HERE and Thrillers Killers-n-Chillers HERE

- Big time congrats to FFO head honcho Dave Barber, and William Dylan Powell. Both got some well deserved recognition for their recent short stories. Details HERE

- Jeanette Cheezum is Paul Brazill's guest for his Short Sharp Interview feature HERE

Steve Brewer: Thank Facebook For This One

2011-09-30T10:12:00.009-04:00

Noticed on the Mindjacker FB page a small thumbnail picture of "Lost Vegas" by Steve Brewer, letting me know our pages were similiar. I checked it because the cover was cool. Glad I did! Here's why.

I am a huge fan of heists, both novels and movies. Love them. Well, after a bit of recon, it seems Steve is quite prolific in the heist / crime writing arena. Maybe others have heard of him. Can't believe I hadn't. He's got 20 novels out there, mostly heists, but also some PI and even a hillbilly noir. I read the first 2 sample chapters of "Lost Vegas" on his blog, and I was hooked. My nook is going to be busy downloading at least 5 or 6 of the heist stories, based on the premise and covers. He's got some impressive credentials as well (listed below).

He's got a blog, where you can check out CH 1 of "Lost Vegas" HERE and CH 2 HERE

STEVE BREWER is the author of more than 20 books, including the recent crime novels LOST VEGAS, THE BIG WINK, CALABAMA and FIREPOWER.

His first novel, LONELY STREET, recently was made into a Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna. BOOST currently is under film/TV option.

Brewer's short fiction appeared in the anthologies DAMN NEAR DEAD, THE LAST NOEL and CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT, and he's published articles in magazines such as Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.

A writing coach, Brewer has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Midwest Writers Workshop and the Tony Hillerman Writers Seminar. He regularly speaks at mystery conventions, and was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM, in 2011.

He served two years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and twice served as an Edgar Awards judge. He's also a member of International Thriller Writers.

Brewer worked as a journalist for 22 years, then wrote a weekly syndicated column for another decade. The column, called The Home Front, produced the raw material for the humor book TROPHY HUSBAND.

Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Get Plugged For Free @ C.A.P

2011-09-29T09:20:00.000-04:00

Over at Declan Burke's fantabumundo blog, Crime Always Pays, there is a free, signed copy of Eoin Colfer's "Plugged" up for grabs. Stop on over and try your luck HERE

A Little Sumpin' Sumpin'

2011-09-28T11:50:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to come up the main idea for a story (750 to 1500 words) that is due next month for Luca Veste's forthcoming story collection OFF THE RECORD. Had a few things come to mind, but nothing that really got the juices flowing. Then, I read Erin Cole's post about stories or partial stories that are in limbo, and sure enough, I went through 5 years worth of idea's I keep track of, and made my decision. Big Relief!

You think you had a bad day? Well, Matt Hilton's had a worse one HERE

Big congrats to Joelle Charbonneau over at Do Same Damage, who's latest novel has just came out. Her two novels are def going to be Christmas presents for some people I know. Details HERE

There's a few decent posts I found out there regarding writerly type of stuff.

- Dan O'Shea is talking about research HERE

- Cath Bore has an entertaining post on the importance and even style of notebooks HERE

You don't want to miss William Dylan Powell's story "Road Kill" thats showing over at FFO. It is just so damn good. Find it HERE

The latest installment of Paul Waters' The Day I Met series tells us about Padmini Natarojan's encounter with Indiri Ghandi HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-09-26T11:15:00.002-04:00

It was a weekend full of my kids sports activities, but I did manage to finish / submit a story I was working on, and submit another one. Lot's going on in the world of web, so for anyone who did not catch some, or all of the below news, here you go.

- Peter Rozovsky has hit the 5 year mark of his excellent Detectives Beyond Borders blog. I found out about DBB, from Adrian McKinty's blog, and glad I did. Congrats Peter! You can read about Peter's recap of his 5 years in the biz HERE

- The Nerd of Noir friggin' kills me. Every time I read a review by this dude ( or, er, dudette? who knows?) I not only get the straight dope on the subject matter, but also laugh my ass off. Check out The Nerds take on the movie "Drive" HERE and George Pelacanos' "The Cut" HERE. This Pelacanos cat has got me all kinds of excited and I'm diving in, full throttle, starting tonight.

- Paul Brazill is doing the Chinwag over at Richard Godwin's place HERE

-Dave Barber is over at Nigel Birds, being grilled by his Two Blokes characters. Check out the insanity HERE

- Speaking of Mr. Barber, he's also the editor of the Flash Fiction Offensive and there are two great reads I found there. "Robert the Arab Girl" by Stuart Matthew David HERE and "Lunch Break" by Trey R Barker HERE

- Chris Rhatigan really impressed me with what he was able to do with a 50 word limit over at the 50 to 1 site. Check out "Guy With the Barbed Wire Tattoo" HERE

- Over at Ashedit, there are some great pics from Bouchercon 2011 ( including, ahem, Christa Faust, be still my heart) Check them out HERE

- Found a new blog that I look forward to following. The host is Cath Bore, Liverpool writer. Enjoyed the posts so far. Stop in and check out Cath's place HERE

Contagion: No Antidote For This Piece Of...

2011-09-21T08:10:00.002-04:00

Took the kids to see Contagion at Chunky's this weekend. It's one of those places where you sit in comfortable, leather chairs that came from big SUV's, order food from the pub style menu, and watch the show. Let's just say the meal was the best part of the experience, and the food ain't that great.

I was sceptical before I even went. I'm not a big fan of this genre- The Stand and The Andromeda Strain set the bar so high, for me at least, all else are also rans.

My biggest gripe, was the horrendous acting from this A-list cast, most of which I normally dig. Even Matt Damon, a Boston homeboy, gives a pathetic, emotionless performance. Same goes for Winslet, Paltrow, and even, dare I say, Fishburne (that hurts). But, it is Jude Law who really stinks it out. I do owe him some kudos because, I spent most of the movie, wondering what hat, or hoodie he was going to be wearing next to hide his hair loss. My patience was rewarded with a big reveal at the end, and it ain't pretty. I swear this was actually part of the script.

The film style was very reminiscent of Saw, as were the only for shock value blood, snot, vomit, foaming at the mouth scenes. I do give the actors credit for allowing themselves to be filmed very closeup, in all their "natural" glory. I didn't know Winslet and Paltrow were in it, and it took a while for me to recognize them.

Taking a queue from the Saw franchise and the most recent Planet of the Apes movie (which I did like) there is the big ending scene that answers the questions, and fortunatley, provided me the chance to leave the theater (like I was the one fleeing a pandemic)

The night was not a total loss. When we got home, Lord of the Flies was on. Which got me to thinking...If any down and out fly extra's are reading this, I highly recommend Contagion as a five-star feast.

Noir At The Bar, Go Git It!

2011-09-19T11:12:00.001-04:00

As mentioned in a prior post, I won a copy of Noir At The Bar from Patti Abbott's blog via a guest post by Chris La Tray. Everyone has jumped on the ebook bandwagon, but this collection is a great example why we still need paper. The cover, blurbs, and foreward by Jedidiah Ayres had me laughing my ass off ( not easy to do) before I read a single story. When it arrived, I opened the package, wife and kids all anxiously waiting to see my winnings. The wife says 'you won a used book?' It is not used, but the cover is made to look like it. It's all part of the presentation, along with every blurb that basically shits all over it. Fucking Brilliant!!!

Every story is a keeper in this collection. I enjoyed everyone of them. I hate spoilers so I'm not going to go into details, but if I had to pick one story that is still stuck in my head for various reasons, it would be "They Take You" by Kyle Minor. Like I said, not a bad tale in the lot and this collection is superb.

You can get yourself a copy, as well as read the blurbs I was talking about HERE

Oh Blackwater, Keep on Rollin.

2011-09-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

No, Gerry Adams isn't talking about the results of his "enhancement" test trial, but he is the latest subject of the very entertaining "The Day I met..." competition over at Paul Waters' Blackwatertown blog. This is a good one, and incredibly, true. Had me laughing, and on the edge of my seat. So, stop on over and join the fun HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-09-12T12:34:00.002-04:00

Saw lots of 9/11 specials on the tube all week and yesterday. God bless everyone who died, survived, and sacrificed their time helping out before and after this trajedy. I'm damn proud to be an American!!

The NFL was on yesterday, but I watched the US vs Ireland Rugby World Cup match. What a great sport and these guys make NFL players look silly. Most of my mates on the cricket team I played for also played Rugby, so I know how tough and fearless you need to be to play rugby. I think in my younger days, I would have been a decent Rugby player but... I still have all my teeth and the legs have avoided serious injury so far, so propably just as well. AND BELOVED NOTRE DAME LOST TO MICHIGAN, They officially SUCK!

- Sanda Seamans beat me to the punch on some excitin news from John Kenyon, Check it out HERE

- Glenna is back in action with a couple of well done reviews, including Declan Burke's Absolute Zero Cool HERE

- R.S Bohn is giving away a print version of her chapbook "Letters From The Egg". She's mulling over a couple options for the best way to do the random drawing. Maybe a reader poll is in order R.S? Check it out HERE

- Steve Weddle has a great post about writer conventions over at Do Some Damage and if you leave a comment you could win a copy of "D*cked" HERE

- Paul Waters over at Blackwatertown, has link to a short film, "Attack of the Evil Muffins" by aspiring filmmaker Hannah Charles. Def worth a look HERE

-Big congrats to Gerard Brennan over at Crime Scene NI, whose forthcoming novella "The Point" has already secured some big-tme endorsements. Find out who HERE

- More big-ups and best wishes / hopes go out to Greg Grzegorzek, whose novel just went out on submission to publishers. Read all about it HERE

- And finally, Jodi Macarthur is back in action. This is great news from a way cool and talented writer. Details HERE

To The Victor, Goes The Free Shit

2011-09-09T09:47:00.001-04:00

I am not a lucky guy in terms of winning stuff. As long as the kids and extended family are healthy, I don't ask for much more out of life. I have been fortunate to win some great writing related prizes over the past year though, like:

- "Three Seconds" by Roslund & Hellstrom from Declan Bruke's site

- "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly from Jed Ayres' site. He even included the movie poster.

- "Needle: Issue 2" from Stephen Blackmore's site

- $5.00 Amazon gift card from Laurita Millers' site

And most recently, courtesy of Chris La Tray, the "Noir at the Bar" anthology and two Chris Farnsworth novel's are on the way to Massachusetts.

I sincerely thank all of you for hosting the contests, being such good writers, and most of all, whether you know it or not, teaching me the game.

When I received the Needle: Issue 2 a while back, the first thing I noticed was how cool the cover is and all the big-time names (at least to me) listed as contributers. I read a few stories, got side-tracked, and hadn't re- visited it until last night. I read the entire issue and there is not a bad story in the lot. If I had to go with one story that I dug the most (totally subjective), it would be Nolan Knight's "Tip The Barkeep".

Big time kudo's to all the players who run Needle and of course, the authors. It is a tremendous offering in every catagory (presentation, content, and editing). Can't wait order the back issues and future releases. What the fuck was I waiting for!

Now, I cannot friggin' wait for '"Noir At The Bar" to arrive. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

A Lyric By Any Other Name

2011-09-06T10:45:00.002-04:00

Found the Be Here Now cd by Oasis while cleaning out a TV cabinet last week and have beeen listening to it alot. The song in the video clip is "My Big Mouth" and is my favorite on the disc There a line in it that goes:

"I'll put on my shoes as I'm walking slowly down the hall of fame".

This song sparked a couple ideas for a story I'm working on now, mainly because I misinterpreted the above lyric as "You can hold my shoes as I'm walking slowly down the hall of fame", which I think sounds even cooler. Lots of ideas came from that simple mistake. Lucky I have not blown out the speakers in my Jeep, listening to it, but this is one of those 'crank it up' type of songs.

Thanks to Sandra Seamans' blog, I found very helpful post by Alan Rinzler on how to publish your short stories to some new paying markets. It seems like the short is really making a comeback. Check it out HERE

The Writing Season

2011-09-02T13:26:00.001-04:00

I wish I could cop to writing everyday, but I would be feeding you a line of crap. Truth is, if I was talking about Sept thru April (which Lee Childs does) I think I could honestly say I do write everyday. This is my "writing season" and the last few weeks have been the "pre-season". Getting back into the swing of things, training the mind, setting goals, and getting so damn excited about it. If last year is any indication, it is also when the blogs start getting busy as well. I love this time of year, the long dark nights, kids in school, and I can easily dedicate a few, although late night hours to writing.

Sure, I'll try and squeeze in a short story in the off-season if I can and I'm always thinking about ideas and making notes, but I'm talking about 'sit your ass in the chair with regularity' writing.

Do you write every day, or are you like me and have certain times you write?

It's a long weekend here in the US, so if you live here, enjoy the last Summer hurrah and if you don't, tell your boss, I gave you the day off: :)

With All Due Respect...

2011-09-01T11:56:00.001-04:00

Over at the All Due Respect blog, C.J. Edwards makes quite an impact with his first published piece of fiction THE PEEPER. I feel obligated to warn you that it is graphic, disturbing, will not be for everyone, but it is all about the writing, characters, and story. This delivered on all three. It's fiction, but MC's like Jimmy are all around us and C.J brings one directly to your computer screen and into your mind.

Here's a tip: Read his bio, AFTER you read the story, you 'll feel better ;)

Tiddies & Guns & Bankok..Oh My!

2011-08-31T11:24:00.001-04:00

If you don't know this already, there is a Hell of a lot of great short story writing over at the Flash Fiction Offensive. Big prop's to editor Dave Barber, who somehow juggles work, family, and his own writing, to find the time time for FFO. Today, I read 4 in a row. Each one is a good read, unique in style, and take place in different countries or geographic locations. Can't ask for much more than that.

Paul Brazil starts things started, delivering the goods as the FFO's monthly Guest Writer spot. He makes the most of the extended word count with SNAPSHOTS.

Paul Salvette did an excellent job taking me to the sleazy streets of Bankok with his tale RAID ON SOI 5

Nathaniel Tower gets my vote for most original theme with BREAST AND PICKUPS

Ryan Jackson cranks up the action in the inner city project's with 12 GAUGE RAGE

Up The Junction

2011-08-30T13:07:00.001-04:00

Around 1981 or so, the song "Tempted" by Squeeze was getting heavy airplay, and my take was 'fuckin kill me if I ever like shlocky, horseshit like this'. Well now, fast-foward to 1985 or so, and me and my buddies are into Echo and the Bunnymen, Husker Du, English Beat, The Replacements, and errrr, Squeeze. We wore out the "Cool For Cats" CD that summer. Ironically, that album came out in 1979. Our favorite was always "Up The Junction" because we seemed to always be getting ourselves in trouble in one way or another. If you were in a jam ie; arrested, about to get into brawl, or any other unsavory situation, you were "up the junction" The point of this post? Last night I watched a show of the nowadays Squeeze performing in Bryant Park in NYC. Sure, they are a bit long in the tooth, but still sounded good and when they played "Up The Junction", I think I dug it more than I ever had. Just a simple pop tune, good lyrics, and catchy riffs.

With all of the BRIT GRIT posts going around lateley, especially over at Ashedit, I think the lyrics of UTJ are just so cool, especially the English slang sprinkled throught. Plus, if you listen, it tells a pretty cool story as well. Any Squeeze fans out there?

Short Stories: 3 Good Ones

2011-08-09T11:03:00.000-04:00

Read three quality short stories today while perusing the blogs I follow. Each one brings something different to the table: subject matter, style, emotion, suspense, and clever plot twists. I love the diversity between these tales and it is a great example of various techniques authors use to build and maintain tension / reader interest. So, have look and if you feel compelled, leave a comment for the authors and \ or blog hosts.

- Luca Veste's "Time" is over at Thrillers,Killers n Chillers HERE.

- Fiona Johnson's "Saying Goodbye" is at the Flash Fiction Offensive HERE

-Surya Sunder Dey's "A Walk on the Golf Course" is over at the "Guilty Conscience" blog HERE

Absolute Zero Cool: 10...9...8...7....

2011-08-01T15:15:00.006-04:00

Mucho talented writer and overall nice guy Declan Burke's latest novel, ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL makes it's debut on August 10th. You can get all the details from his Crime Always Pays blog HERE or from his publisher, Liberties Press's website HERE

Check out the very impressive pre-release blurbs HERE

I was fortunate enough to read a version of AZC in Novemeber 2010 when it had a different title. I, pardon the pun, absolutely loved it and provided the following review:

"If you took Palahniuk's "Fight Club", Ellis' "American Psycho", and King's "Secret Garden, Secret Window", combined them with Burke's mastery of dialogue, character, and the human condition, then removed the gratuitous violence, the end result would be Burke's latest and most impressive novel to date, "The Baby Killers". An excellent read that continually ratchets up the intrigue and suspense factors as it builds toward the tremendous finale, while at the same time providing an intense, no holds barred, behind the scenes introspection into the psyche of the writer and his process."

Declan did a really excellent Q&A with questions I sent him a while back, and if you missed it that time around, you can have a look HERE Well worth a read for sure!

Them's Some Bad-Ass Banditos

2011-07-25T11:51:00.001-04:00

Westerns really aren't my thing. I don't read them much, but I do enjoy a good one when I watch one. "3:10 to Yuma" was the last one I really liked and I do want to see the remake of "True Grit".

I just read an excellent 600 word Western themed story by Court Merrigan over at Thrillers, Killers n Chillers. It's titled " Thirty Miles North of Cheyenne". It's more of a scene, but from the get-go, this one had my undivided attention, for the quality writing, suspense, and the imagery. I give the author mucho credit for taking a typical Western scenario that has been done a million times and would have most rolling their eyeballs, and pulling it off so well, especially in only 600 words.

Check out "Thirty Miles North of Cheyenne" HERE

They always get their (infor)MAN(ant)

2011-06-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

The biggest news around today is the capture of the elusive James "Whitey" Bulger. He's the former big-time crime boss from Boston, MA, who has been on the lamb for about 16 years. This guy was the real deal, but I think the biggest issue with him is that he despised "rats" and dealt with them severely, yet he was the biggest rat of all. Can't wait to see how this all works out.

If your looking to find out more about Whitey and his notorious Winter Hill Gang, I can recommend Black Mass and BOYOS, as two good novels that are well worth a read.

Watery Grave Invitational: The Winners

2011-06-20T07:06:00.000-04:00

The winners have been seleted in Naomi Johnson's Watery Grave Invitational. Big-time congrats to the winner's and everyone who participated.

1st Prize: RUN FOR THE ROSES by Chris La Tray ($50)

2nd Prize: FINGERPRINTS by Eric Beetner ($35)

3rd Prize: A POCKET FULL OF HORSES by Chad Eagleton ($20)

4th Place: HARD TIMES by Ian Ayris (A bye into the next WGI)

5th Place: A tie:
                A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK by Patricia Abbott
                TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG by Nigel Bird
                (Byes into the next WGI)

You can read the top 3 stories over at Noami's place HERE

He's not only a blogger...The dude can write too!

2011-06-07T12:26:00.001-04:00

Seems like the Do Some Damage "Noir at the Beach House Challenge" has garnered the interest of a good number of writers. So far, the following have thrown their machete into the ring and I hope some more do as well.

Stephen D. Rogers
Eric Beetner
Keith
Seb Duper
Patti Abbott
David Cranmer
Chris LaTray
Peter Rozovsky
Benoit Lelievre

Peter Rozovsky, he of the excellent Detectives Beyond Borders blog, has already posted his story HERE. Most impressive is the fact is this is Peter's first foray into crime short writing. Very impressive debut!

Holiday's Were Made For...Working!

2011-06-06T12:12:00.002-04:00

Man, has it been hectic lately. Spent the Memorial Day long weekend working and have to do the same Fourth of July. The Man even has us scheduled for next Memorial Day. But hey, I got's to pay he bills, and considering the state of the economy, I ain't gonna complain and I'm glad to have a job. The youth lacrosse season wraps up this weekend, so putting away the coaches hat is going to free up a good chunk of time.

Through it all, I was able to write and submit a 3,400 word short for Naomi Johnson's Watery Grave Invitational. I called it "Renegades of Pain" and I'm really happy with it. BIG TIME thanks to Naomi for hosting it and just as much thanks to Sanda Seamans' blog for tipping me off to it, at the eleveneth hour. I chipped away on this one from 10pm to 1am when I could and loved every minute of it. For whatever reason, I love writing under pressure. I'm always writing down small idea's for stories, or using real life situations to motivate me. For this one I combined two.

- Getting ripped off big time, when I bought my wife a flat iron for Mother's Day.
-That old Charms Lollipop commercial with the kid asking the owl how many licks it takes to get to the center of the pop.

From those two things, somehow, I built a story around them.

If you are looking for a way cool challenge, check out Steve Weddle's post today over at Do Some Damage. Summertime & Crime. I am so all over this as both are two of my fav subjects. Details HERE

Even though I have not been posting lately, I've still been following lots of blogs, reading some great posts and stories, and commenting when I can. There is so much talent out there, it is insane.

The Beat On The Street

2011-05-18T06:55:00.001-04:00

It's old news that blogger was having some issues last week. Sure, it was a pain in the ass, but it is free and not much you can complain about, if your are not paying for it. It was however a case of bad timing, as that was the day I posted a very entertaining interview with Declan Burke. Not only did the post disappear for a while, but all the associated comments, and I'm sure I missed some of them. So, in case you didn't get a chance to read it, Click HERE to get a few laughs and maybe learn a few things.

In other news...

- Seana Graham posted an excellent story that she had published a while back HERE

- Erin Cole had some great insight into the whole concept of fear and what makes her tick over at Richard Godwin's place HERE

- Over at Thrillers, Killlers 'n' Chillers, there is a really excellent story by Stephen Mescandlon.This is well worth a read HERE

- Lastly, I owe Sandra Seamans more than a huge thank you for tipping me off to Naomi Johnson's 3rd annual "Watery Grave Invitational" contest. I was lucky enough to be selected to participate along with other mucho talented writers who I look up to. And although my selection was not based on talent (you entered and were randomly selected from the pool of entrants), I welcome the chance to try and take my writing to a new level and moreso, read all the stories that come out of it. There is actual prize money associated with this one, which is way cool of Naomi to offer. Best of luck to all involved! Details and the list of writers HERE

Declan Burke Is In Da House!

2011-05-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to welcome crime writer Declan Burke, the author of the THE BIG-O, CRIME ALWAYS PAYS, and EIGHBALL BOOGIE. He's also host of the excellent blog Crime always Pays. He was kind enough to answer some questions for me and he did terrific job with some great answers. His next novel ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL is in the process of being published and he's actually asking visitors to the CAP blog which of the three potential cover works best HERE, so swing by and cast your vote.

1) I have never been to

Ireland

, but it is at the top of my list to visit. What would you suggest as the top 5 things that I should make a point of seeing?

“Well, there’s a question I’ve never been asked before. The Book of Kells in Trinity College, Dublin, is a bit of a tourist trap, but it’s well worth seeing, particularly as we cross the threshold into the brave new age of epublishing and digital text - nice to see an actual book that has survived and thrived since the 9th century. I’d also recommend Croke Park, when there’s a good hurling match on - it’s the hallowed turf of the GAA, and if there’s anything that’s intrinsically Irish these days, it’s the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association). And if you’re not Irish, hurling has to be seen to be believed.

“Further afield, and being biased towards my home town, there’s plenty to see in Sligo. WB Yeats’ grave is something of a disappointment in itself, but the setting - ‘neath bare Benbulben’s head ’ - is pretty dramatic, and well worth casting a cold eye on. Also in Sligo, there are the passage tombs at Carrowkeel, which are considerably smaller but nonetheless older than the Egyptian pyramids, and a lesser-known, and therefore not tourist-trapped, version of Newgrange.

“For the fifth thing to see, drop by my house and I’ll show you the goldfish pond that provided the inspiration for ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL. It’d be good to hang out for a while, get the barbecue on, have a few beers. If it all gets out of hand, I cook a mean breakfast, too.”

2) Both "The Big O" and "Crime Always Pays" had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. I'd have to think you've got a good sense of humor. The kind of gent who would be pretty fun to hang with. What kind of student were you as a kid?

“Kind words, sir, and much appreciated. I was a terrible student, unless the subjects were English or History, both for the stories. I wasted a lot of my school time writing stupid plays (although they were great fun at the time), and I was pretty fanatical about sport at the time - I represented my school at football (soccer), and managed to miss a penalty in an All-Ireland final, which was a pretty big deal at the age of 17. I liked school, though, or as much as anyone is likely to like school - I had good friends, played a lot of football, and did just about enough in the subjects that weren’t English and History to get by. Most of my school memories are good ones. I wasn’t very funny, if that’s what you’re asking - I’ve never been very entertaining in person, or any good at telling jokes in the pub. It’s a lot easier to do on paper, when you have all the time in the world to think of a good come-back or one-liner.”

3) Will we ever see anymore of the old gang from "The Big O" or "Crime Always Pays"?

“I honestly don’t know. I have a story in mind for them, certainly, which I think would be fun to do, but CRIME ALWAYS PAYS was sold as the second part of a two-book deal, which the publisher then declined to publish. So it’s available on ebook, but I doubt very much it’ll ever see the light of day. That’s a pity, for me, because I think it’s best thing I’ve written, and it was the most fun to do. I don’t know, maybe I’ll write the story and publish it solely as an ebook. I kind of miss not having Rossi around.”

4) I was lucky enough to read an ARC of "The Baby Killers", which is now forthcoming as "Absolute Zero Cool". It was excellent. During your re-editing process, without giving away any spoilers, how much has changed since I read it?

“Again, thanks for the kind words. As for how much it has changed for its final version, that’s a hard question to answer. I tightened up the ending significantly, made it more a bit darker, and more noir-ish, I think. It was also nice to be able to make it more relevant, because right now,

Ireland

is going through such turbulent times that every week seems to bring another crisis. But then, it’s a weird book for me, because it seems as if it was always undergoing radical changes. I wrote the first draft(s) about eight years ago, during a pretty dark and lonely time in my life, and I think the story was far too reflective of that, in too a literal way - it was a straightforward-ish tale of a hospital porter who sets out to blow up ‘his’ hospital. So it was great fun to rewrite it with a new framework, in which the hospital porter, a sociopath, rewrites the story with the help of the author, to get him out of publication limbo, in the process making him a more likeable sociopath. It was cathartic, too, I think, to write the frustrations of not having the book published out of my system, and to play with the idea of what a novel should or shouldn’t be, or try to do. I really have no idea of how it’s going to be received once it is published (in September). I think it’ll be a real love it-hate it book. But that’s okay.”

5) "Lord of the Rings" or "Lord of the Flies"?

“Flies, definitely. I’ve never read LORD OF THE RINGS, for one, although I do have a vivid memory of trying to during my teens, and finding it very tough going. LORD OF THE FLIES, on the other hand, blew me away when I read it during my teens - I’d say only CATCHER IN THE RYE and SUMMER OF ’42 had more of an impact on me during those impressionable years. The idea that kids could be that savage to one another was fantastic, and scary, especially as it was an ‘old’ book, as far as I was concerned. I love William Golding, though, I’ve read virtually everything he wrote. I’m well overdue a re-read of THE SPIRE at this stage, although my favourite is probably THE DOVBLE TONGVE. Given that it was a first draft (it was published posthumously), your reading mode is alternately jaw-dropping awe and teeth-grinding envy.”

6) In Adrian Mckinty's "The Dead Yard" one of the characters, among other things, is a surfer from your hometown Sligo. Is there really a surfing "scene" in Sligo?

“Sligo is pretty well known for its surfing here in Europe; the good beaches are on the east coast, although Strandhill, about five miles from Sligo town, has a really thriving surfing scene too. Bundoran, about thirty miles from Sligo, has a really good reputation as well. I’m not a surf bum, but as I understand it, Atlantic surf is way different to Pacific surf; apparently, the real surf junkies, the big wave surfers who like it insanely dangerous, travel to

Ireland

to surf. There was a pretty good documentary made about the phenomenon a couple of years back, although it centred on surfing off the coast of Clare. It’s called Waveriders, check it out if you can, it’s good stuff.”

7) You and John McFetridge did a book tour in the

a while back. Without incriminating John or yourself, would you share a bit of what that was like.

“Man, that’s a whole new blog. Seriously. I was a big, big fan of John McFetridge’s books, and when he said he was going to the Baltimore Bouchercon, I threw out the idea of maybe getting together and doing a few gigs. A road trip from Toronto to Baltimore evolved out of that, and it was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I was kind of worried how it’d go, ten days sharing a car and the same room as some guy I’d only traded emails with, but it was terrific. There were a couple of hitches along the way, for sure, like the time John made the mistake of letting me book the room in Philadelphia, and I managed to book a room with one double bed. The guy on the desk was going, ‘Hey, whatever, we’re cool.’ I’m looking at John and saying, ‘Listen, you’re a nice guy, and I like you, man, but there’s no way …’ Then there was the time we booked in to a YMCA just off Central Park in New York, and discovered NYPD crime-scene tape preventing access to the showers … I was one seriously smelly Irish guy by the time we crawled into Philly. But no, it was a wonderful trip. Driving through Vermont in the Fall, to Brattleboro, and Mystery on Main Street, where John and I very nearly outnumbered David and his two guests, and where I picked up a vinyl copy of Robert Frost reading his poetry for seven bucks … I got to meet John, Scott Phillips, Reed Farrel Coleman … I was in the bar at the B’con hotel, and I spotted Reed surrounded by his usual entourage, y’know, and he’d said pretty nice things about THE BIG O. So I went over and tugged his sleeve when he had a second, and said, ‘Reed, I’m Declan Burke. I owe you a drink.’ And he went, ‘Fuck no, man - I’m buying YOU a drink.’ And he did. Top bloke. I also got to meet Joe Long, which was terrific; saw my book, THE BIG O, in a Borders in Manhattan, which was a pretty big deal for me; I finally got to meet with the Jordan clan, Jeff Pierce, Sarah Weinman, Glenn Harper, the inimitable Peter Rozovsky … I’d love to do that trip again, I swear, only this time in slow motion. It was wonderful.”

8) The thing about "Absolute Zero Cool" that really impressed me was that in the end I had no idea of how much of it was based on true events and what wasn't. Besides the obvious things that would have you incarcerated for life, are there some elements of reality to it?

“The short answer is that there is, yes. Obviously I’ve never set out to blow up a hospital (mwah-ha-ha, etc.), but as I mentioned earlier, I wrote that book during a dark-ish time in my life, and subsequently found it very hard to find a publisher for it. So those aspects are bound up in the telling. I don’t know, I was just having a little fun with some of it - for example, the unnamed author who redrafts the sociopath’s story is the author of THE BIG O and EIGHTBALL BOOGIE, which are two of my books; the author is married with a baby girl, as I am myself; and there are various nods throughout to a meta-fiction in which Declan Burke isn’t just the author of the novel, he’s the guy interacting with the hospital porter, Karlsson, to rewrite the novel. But ultimately, it’s all fiction. It’s a novel. I sent the book out to some writers I really liked as writers to get some feedback, and possibly even some cover quotes, and people were very generous. But I did on occasion get a follow-up email saying, ‘Hey, man, is everything okay? How’s your mental health? Is your baby okay?’ The baby girl in the book suffers from asthma, but my own baby girl doesn’t … Anyway, it was nice for people to go that extra mile and ask if I was okay, but it was also nice that the book was persuasive enough to have them believe that I’m a complete nutcase.”

9) I have a daughter, who's the absolute light of my life. Before I had kids, I used to cringe at a statement like that. How has fatherhood changed your view of life, if at all, and as a writer?

“I can sympathise entirely, sir. Before Lily came along, I had a stock response on the whole having kids thing, which ran, “Any moron can have a kid, and most do.” But absolutely, Lily has changed my life hugely. I never realised that your life is actually split into two halves, the before-kids and after-kids. You just look at the world in a different way. Lily taught me unconditional love, and that has to affect the way you see things. As for my writing, definitely - I’m far more careful about what I write now, not in the sense of not wanting to write something she might some day find offensive, or gross, or gory, but in the sense that I’m far less flippant about violence, for example. I was never a particularly violent writer, or explicit writer of violence, but maybe it’s the case that I’m a wee bit more sensitive to the realities of life, of how fragile people really are, physically, emotionally, the whole nine yards. One of the main issues in AZC hangs on that Cyril Connelly quote about the pram in the hall being the death of creativity, or art; but I’ll be honest, I love having that pram in the hall. Maybe it’ll mean I’ll be a lesser writer, I don’t know; but having Lily convinced me that there isn’t a single idea, philosophy, book or concept that can measure up to the worth of a child.”

10) I read somewhere that you started out working at a music mag. What was that like and did you enjoy it?

“Well, it wasn’t a music mag - it was a Time Out-style magazine, and I managed to get the job of music reviewer. It was great. I was far more into my music back then, and I was getting free CDs, going to gigs, interviewing people … and getting paid for it. Plus, the people I was working for and with were pretty cool. The best moment was interviewing Leonard Cohen. It was on the phone, unfortunately, because he was in London and I had a tight deadline, but he was smashing - very warm, generous, self-deprecating and funny. I’d been a fan of his since I was about 14, so that remains the high-spot of my career in journalism. I rang a friend of mine back home about five minutes before the interview was supposed to start, just to chat about football and whatnot, and when the receptionist buzzed Cohen’s PR guy through, I said to my mate, “Sorry, squire, I have to go - Leonard Cohen’s on line four,” and just hung up. He still talks about it today. My mate, like - not Leonard.”

11) What is written on your tombstone, and what song plays at your funeral?

“Jeez, I don’t know. Something about being a good dad and husband, I’d hope. Everything else is just static, really. As for the song - I think maybe the ‘Match of the Day’ theme tune, which is the programme that does a round-up of the weekend’s football highlights on BBC on a Saturday night. I wouldn’t want people getting too morose.”

12) When can we expect "Absolute Zero Cool" to be available for purchase?

“The book will be published in September by Liberties Press. Thanks a million for having me on here, sir, I really appreciate it. Hopefully, when MINDJACKER gets the publisher it deserves, you’ll return me the favour over at Crime Always Pays.”

Stephen King's Take on the Short Story

2011-05-11T12:17:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Sandra Seamans' excellent blog My Little Corner, which is a tremendous resource to keep up to date on what is happening in the publishing world, especially short fiction, I found Stephen King's thoughts on the state of the short story. It was published in The Atlantic magazine HERE. It is well worthe a read.

What really caught my attention was this comment:

"And there are little magazines that publish in that sense -- but a lot of the people who read those magazines are only reading them to see what they publish so that they can publish their own stories".

I know a lot of the writers I follow and read are all published in these types of small press or e-zine sites and blogs. There is no pay usually and if you did get a few bucks for a short, it would be a great win. So, is there any truth to SK's comment or has he become so successful and out of touch with "the little guy" that he's got his head up his ass? Remember, he used to submit soft-core porn stories to skin mags when he first started out, and I'm thinking he might have only bought them to see his own stories in print.

I'm over at Allan Guthrie's Criminal-E blog

2011-05-09T09:47:00.003-04:00

If you're an aspiring writer, there is nothing quite as exciting and rewarding as when you check your e-mail and it brings good news. I remember dancing around my living room, the kids thinking I was bonkers, when Col Bury informed me that a story I wrote, would be in Thrillers, Killers-n-Chillers. It was the first time I had something posted online that others might read, and dare I say find entertaining. Well, when I received and e-mail from Allan Guthrie, who is one of my fav author's, asking if I would do a Q&A on his excellent Criminal-E blog, I damn near had a coronary. Allan does it up right, and I am extremely grateful for it. Allan's "Hard Man" and "Slammer" are tremendous, and I can't wait to dig into "Killing Mum" and "Bye Bye Baby".

If you feel so inclined, you can take a peek HERE

A Sad Day At The Bijou

2011-05-04T09:31:00.002-04:00

I received an email this morning from Absolutley * Kate that her Mother has passed away. Those who are lucky enough to know A*K, including myself, are aware of the what a tremendous, talented, and just overall great person she is. She's a had a rough go of it of late, losing her Dad and now her Mom. I don't feel comfortable giving out her email, but I would hope anyone who reads this and knows Kate, would stop by her excellent site AT THE BIJOU HERE and let her know she is not alone in the comment section of her last post. She comes from a close knit family just like me and although I am lucky enough to still have my parents, it is my biggest fear of them passing and I dread that day. My deepest, heartfelt, thoughts are with Kate, and anyone else who has had to deal with the loss of a loved one.

This one is for you Kate.

Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty: A Review

2011-05-02T22:08:00.001-04:00

I read Adrian Mckinty's "Dead I Well May Be" about a year ago and I was blown away by it. Since then I have read just about all his crime novels. Still need to check out "Hidded River" and don't know how I missed this, but there is another I just found out about called "Orange Rhymes With Everything" from 1997. Anyway, his latest, "Falling Glass" is excellent and I highly recommend it. Dare I say, I might have liked this Killian cat, more than Michael Forsythe. Here's the review I just posted on Amazon where you can get your copy HERE * Print is not avail in US yet, but I went through The Book Depository via Amazon site and it was a piece of cake.

Five Stars: McKinty Delivers...Again
Like most others who have provided reviews of this novel or audio book, I have also read and really enjoyed `The Dead Trilogy' as well as Fifty Grand. As mentioned, Michael Forsythe is a minor character, and reading those novels does provide a bit of an insiders view into this one, but you could also read Falling Glass first and go backwards, which I'm sure you would be compelled to do if this was your first exposure to the author's work.

So, what is so good about Falling Glass? Everything. From the first few paragraphs, it felt like getting back together with an old friend (McKinty, not Forsythe) and I was immersed in the story. This novel showcases McKinty's versatility as a writer. The stripped down, no nonsense writing style had me thinking Hemingway right out of the gate and was very different from his other work. The narrative voice even had a less serious, more relaxed feel to it. It was the perfect fit for the not so perfect, not infallable hero, Killian.

It seemed like McKinty let his hair down for this one and it paid off. Not mentioned by many is the fact the main villain, a Russian hit man, is one of the most evil, fascinating characters I have encountered in a long time. The cat and mouse game between Killian and him is tremendous and is what would not let me put this down. Clocking in at a genre standard 300 pages and loaded with excellent dialogue and almost non-stop action / tension, it is a fast read.

The whole Tinker (think Brad Pitt in Snatch) angle was brilliant. Coulter is every bit as intriguing as Charlie Croker in Tom Wolf's A Man in Full, and Coulter's right-hand man Tom, gives Duvall's role in The Godfather a run for his money. As with McKinty's other novels, not only was I highly entertained, but his expert use of setting, cultural references and customs, and history, expanded my knowledge in many ways. A great read that continues to prove McKinty is a huge talent who is here to stay and deserves a seat at the table with the best of modern crime fiction writers.

Gold Teeth and a Curse For This Town

2011-04-28T11:11:00.000-04:00

Took some time away from all things writing for a couple weeks, due to school vacation, Easter, and trying get my lacrosse team whipped into shape. The funny thing about writing is the insane amount of self-imposed pressure we put on ourselves, at least I do. So, it was good to take a little break, although I couldn't resist following my fav blogs here and there. Like others, I like to dabble in poetry / lyrics. This one pretty much describes my mindset the last couple weeks. I heard the Shins "New Slang" a couple days ago, and it snapped my out of the funk. The power of music struck again!

Golden Gate Moment

My internal seismograph registered

The swell miles out to sea

A familiar unseen force

Gaining momentum and strength

Despair and hopelessness

Rapidly melting candle wax

Approaching the shoreline

Destroying music’s enjoyment

Exorcizing hopes and dreams

Crashing down and enveloped

Pleading internally for sanity

Cold rail of the suspension bridge

A ray of sunlight breaks

On the serene horizon

Signifying recovery

Bright warming light

Transforms gray landscapes

Into vivid Technicolors

Cloudless skies inducing

Megalomaniac confidence

Swathed in possibilities

Paradise surrounds me

Admiration and gratefulness

For one more day

I'm In Like Flynn & The Beat On The Street

2011-04-07T11:50:00.001-04:00

- Over at Absolutely * Kate's blog At The Bijou, she's been hosting The Rat Pack Review. The star of the event has been crime writing machine Robert Randisi, who's latest venture is crime novels featuring those ultra-cool, swinging cats of the infamous Rat Pack. There's a great lineup of writer's who chose members or associates of the pack and wrote stories in their persona. I'm very proud to say I was included (as Errol Flynn) along with A*K, Anthony Venutolo, Kevin Michaels, Julie Morrigan, Paul Brazill, Eric Beetner, and of course Mr. Randisi. You can check out my story "Bung Ho!" as well as all the others HERE

- Speaking of Kevin Michaels, I am in the middle of his debut novel "Lost Exit" and it is very good. I'll be posting a review when done, but you can check it out HERE

- "She's no Agatha Christie". That's how an excellent feature story on Julie Morrigan (wink, wink) Lewthwaite's "Gone Bad" collection stars out in the Newcastle Journal HERE

- One of my fav crime writers, who's style I love, John McFetridge, has landed a TV gig and I could not be happier for him. Find out more HERE

- Another crime writer, I really dig for both story and style is Allan Guthrie. He's got a cool new blog focusing on ebooks HERE

-Finally, Glenna has another great review and excerpt up at her blog. This time it is Adrian McKinty's latest "Falling Glass". To be honest, I didn't read it because I am waiting for my copy to arrive and hate to find out any details of a novel that I am so looking forward to read. If you have not read any of Adrian's crime novels, you don't know what you are missing out on. He's also got a great BLOG and actually interacts with his followers, which I find is not very common with other big-time writers, who love to post about themselves, yet never take the time to interact with fans. Check out Glenna's review HERE

Forget Charlie Sheen's Goddesses'...Here's A Pair You Can Win!

2011-04-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

It is a good week to be crime fiction fan. Here's a few items that may be of interest.

- Over at Declan Burke's Crime Always Pays, he's offering up a free copy of the "Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries 8" all you need to to is post your fav short story of all time in the comments section of his blog by Thursday high noon HERE

- Unless you live under a rock, you most likely heard that Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan are the editors of a forthcoming collection of crime stories by writers, who to me, are the varsity lineup that I aspire to join someday. Seems they had copyright issues with the original title, so over at Chris R's blog you can submit your "Pulp" themed title and maybe win a copy of "Mammoth Book of Best British Crime" HERE

REVIEW: GONE BAD by Julie Morrigan

2011-04-04T14:33:00.001-04:00

A large, seemingly never ending work project and running a youth lacrosse program have kept me really busy lately. Been able to keep track of my fav blogs, but commenting, and posting on mine has been tough. So, I figured I would get things back on track with a review of Julie Morrigan's "Gone Bad" story collection.

Back in Sept 2010, thanks to Paul Brazill's blog, I found out about one of my favorite crime writers, Julie Lewthwaite ( Morgan, Morrigan) and had the following to say HERE Since that post I have read many more of Julie's stories and others that have not yet been published, or are excepts from larger to be completed works. Man, can she write hard edged, kick-ass crime stories. It's one thing to write about bad guys and killing people, but to do it with such a well written style takes a real talent. Her latest collection of stories is called "Gone Bad" and it is a winner in so many ways. You can buy it in ebook form for just .99 cents at SMASHWORDS, AMAZON, and AMAZON UK

Here is the on-line review I posted, and for .99 cents, you can't find better entertaiment.

5 Stars
"This was a terrific read. A great mix of flash and short stories make up this hard nosed, no-nonsense collection of crime stories showcasing both the bottom and top rungs of the UK crime world. Believable, authentic dialogue and excellent characters are what really made this work for me. The flash stories all catch you with a great twist and pack a big punch, but it is with the longer short stories that the author does her best work. Flawless writing / editing and excellent formatting made this a very enjoyable read on my nook. Highly recommend to any crime, drama, or thriller fans."

My crime story "Toraloo" over at Thrillers, Killers -n- Chillers

2011-03-29T10:48:00.000-04:00

Started doing a jig when I got an email this morning that my crime short story "Toraloo" was now showing over at Thrillers,Killers-n-Chillers. If you would like to give it a read, click HERE

Wives And Lovers: How Times have Changed

2011-03-22T14:34:00.002-04:00

Stumbled upon this song while searching AM radio for a traffic report on the ride home the other day. It's Jack Jones 1966 doing "Wives and Lovers". I couldn't believe the lyrics when I first heard them. In fact, I had to google the song that night to make sure I wasn't hearing things. Just a tad bit chauvinistic, you think? And this was a top hit in 1963. Still, it's a pretty catchy tune.

Mr. Jones also sang "The Love Boat" Theme! Wasn't he in that episode when Gloria Steinem was chasing him with a butcher knife.

Hey! Little Girl
Comb your hair, fix your makeup
Soon he will open the door
Don't think because there's a ring on your finger
You needn't try anymore

For wives should always be lovers too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
I'm warning you...

Day after day
There are girls at the office
And men will always be men
Don't send him off with your hair still in curlers
You may not see him again

For wives should always be lovers too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
He's almost here...

Hey! Little girl
Better wear something pretty
Something you'd wear to go to the city and
Dim all the lights, pour the wine, start the music
Time to get ready for love
Time to get ready
Time to get ready for love

WE HAVE A WINNER!.... TF:80

2011-03-21T07:57:00.001-04:00

TF:80, as unique and mysterious a handle as I have ever heard of ,came up with the correct answer. Crystal Kelly was modeled after actress Jenna Lamia, who had the following roles in the shows and movie I referenced in the provided clues.

Siobhan Miller in Law and Order - SVU

Carrie Schillinger in OZ

Sherri Ward in The Fighter. ( She's on the left end)

Thanks to those who participted and I'll do it again sometime soon. Here's another passsage that takes place after Crystal & Lee Lee arrive in New York.

Crystal and Lee Lee stood in the same stall in the ladies room of the St. Regis Hotel.

“So, what do you think Lee?” Crystal took two power sniffs off the coke bullet, handed it to Lee Lee. “Is this a trip or what?”

“They are so good looking.” Lee Lee hit each nostil twice. “A little eccentric, but my God, are they handsome.”

“They’re hot, that’s for sure. It’s really freaky, you know, how this all worked out. Don’t you think?”

“Kind of, but we’re in New York. What do you expect? I’m not going to complain.”

“Me neither. Besides, you might just get your chance to be in the movies. Just let little 'ole Crystal work her magic on them.”

Crystal took a couple more hits off the bullet, offered it to Lee Lee.

“I'm good, for now at least. Let's go.”

“Okay.” Crystal opened the stall door. “Our princes are waiting.”

Step Right Up...Win a Copy of Mindjacker

2011-03-18T12:00:00.004-04:00

As promised, here's your chance to win a free print copy of "Mindjacker", which I will ship to wherever the winner lives. All you have to do is guess the real life person that I had in my head when I created the character Crystal Kelly. She's a B-list actress and the main squeeze of megalomaniacal L.A. shrink Joel Fischer. So, here we go...

I was / am a huge fan of the HBO series Oz, and this actress, who I first saw in one of my favorite episodes of Law & Order, appeared in a stretch of OZ episodes. The role she played in that L&O episode is who I had in my head. She's not an A-lister, but there was something about her I just dug. Below is the short chapter, where I introduce her in the novel.

CRYSTAL

“How are you my dear?” Joel said over his cell phone.

“Actually, I’m getting ready to go to lunch. What’s up?”

“I wanted to run something by you. It might prove to be a good opportunity.”

“Oh, is that right. You know me, I’m all about opportunity. When it knocks, I’m right there standing naked at the door. No seriously, what’s going on?”

“Through a client of mine, I’ve been made aware of a director and a screenwriter, who are going to be in New York this weekend on a working vacation. From what I’m told, they already have a deal, an extremely lucrative one I might add, to make the picture.”

“And this is important to me...why?”

“It’s important to you because they will be in New York to review locations and more importantly, because two large roles have not been cast yet. Roles I might add, that you could be a nice fit for.”

“Now you have my attention baby. What’s the catch though? As much as I’d like to believe that this is only about little ‘ole me, I know there has to be something else.”

“Can’t this just be considered a simple act of kindness, done for no other reason than the worship of one of the most attractive members of the opposite sex?”

“Please, save it, come on.”

“Well, if somehow theses gentlemen, who I might add are relocating to LA, were to decide they needed to confide in a certain professional about their issues that might be considered a brilliant stroke of good fortune. Don’t you think?”

“Now you’re talking. So what’s the plan? I’m presuming the plan doesn’t include me investing any of my hard earned money. Does it?”

“Why of course not my dear, I think the two of you will be extremely happy with the arrangements.”

“The two of us, who’s the two of us?”

“Ah yes, like I said, there are two of them that are going to be out there and I can’t very well send you out there alone now. Can I? I was thinking that your friend Leigh Anne might be persuaded to join you. Do you think that’s a possibility? Of course, she wouldn’t have to know anything other than it’s a free trip to the greatest city in the world, outside of LA of course. What do you think?”

“I’ll ask her, but no guarantees. I’ll see if she’s up for it. It’s just a weekend right?”

“Yes, get there on Friday and back by Sunday afternoon. Get in touch with her and let me know, toot sweet. If she doesn’t want to go, start thinking of a plan B person. Anyway, just let me know, I’ll take care of all the arrangements. Five star all the way baby. Make sure you tell your friend that too, okay? Ciao.”

“Later magic man.”

Happy St.Patrick's Day & A Heart Shaped Hammer

2011-03-17T07:01:00.002-04:00

I was jumping for joy when Chris Allinotte emailed me, informing that the story I sent him, "Heart Shaped Hammer" would be included in his Madness in March challenge. Even better, it worked out that it would be featured on St. Patricks Day! My sincere thanks to Chris for the opportunity, and all the other writers who's stories have entertained me, and others all week.

You can read Heart Shaped Hammer HERE

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO EVERYONE!!!!

The Beat On The Street and Win A Copy of Mindjacker

2011-03-15T16:57:00.002-04:00

Going to be giving away a free print copy of Mindjacker, and will ship to wherever the winner calls home. All you need to do is check my blog on Friday March 18th, at 12:00 PM EST. All the characters in the novel were inspired by some famous person or another. So, I'll post a short excerpt, provide a clue, and the first person to guess the real life person wins a copy, or at least something to stoke the fireplace with.

In other, far more interesting news...

-Chris Allinotte's Madness in March has been a real treat so far. R.S Bohn, Richard Godwin, and Angel Zapata have been featured so far. As the Nerd of Noir might say...Dig this shit HERE

-Speaking of Ms. Bohn, she's this weeks judge for Lili Childs Friday Prediction. Enter your best hundred words HERE

- Any time someone can expose "reality" tv for the mindless scourge that it is, I'm interested. Benjamin Sobieck is doing just that at the Flash Fiction Offensive HERE

- Col Bury is giving a rave review to Andy Rivers novel Maxwells Silver Hammer. I am so all over this, if I can get it from amazon UK. Details HERE

-If you've authored a novel or collection and are looking for some exposure by way of an interview at a pretty cool, up and coming site, stop on over to this thread on the Absolute Write site. Complete details HERE. I took them up on the offer and the first round of questions hey sent me are really impressive.

The Beat On The Street

2011-03-11T15:23:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid Lost in Space was my favorite show and man did I hate Dr. Smith. I always wondered when Don was going to give him the beat down he earned and deserved every episode. This guy was the definition of a scoundel. Anyway, lot's going on in the blogsphere.

- Julie over at the Gone Bad blog has just released a collection of her crime stories. I have it on my nook and it is awesome. Details HERE

- Alan Griffith has chosen Anonymous-9's "Hard Bite" as his crime fiction choice at Col Bury's blog. What a story it is. A-9 (way cool name) is my kind of writer for sure. Find a link to the story HERE

- Glenna has a great review of Adrian McKinty's new novel "Falling Glass" HERE

- Chris Allinotte's Madness in March stories start on March 13th. Find them HERE

- Thanks to the always entertaining Nerd of Noir, I found out about a free PDF collection that features great stories by some big-time writers. Downloaded it HERE

- Richard Godwin's novel "Aposte Rising" is now for sale. Paul Brazill can tell you about it HERE

- The A Twist of Noir's 600-700 challenge resumes en force on Monday HERE

- Chris Rhatigan had a cool flash piece published at Michael Solender's blog HERE

- If you have a great 200 word opening to a short story, the American Pop Lit blog is having a contest. deadline is March 21. Check it out HERE

- R.S Bohn has a really moving flash story at her blog HERE

- If there is a better source for what's going on in the world of publishing opportunities than Sandra Seaman's blog, I have not found it. These 3 items came from her.

- Allen Guthrie's writing rules HERE

- If you have a Bigfoot story. You can submit it HERE

- A riotous essay on the evolution of the use of shit and fuck in literature and film HERE

- Lastly, Dave Barber has done such a good job as the new editor of the Flash Fiction Offensive that submissions have been put on temporary hold. Details HERE

A Couple of Reviews

2011-03-10T13:36:00.002-05:00

Last week I posted about just getting into and really digging James Henderson's novel, "Baby Huey: A Cautionary Tale of Addiction" HERE I finished it a couple day and the excitement I had then pales in comparision to how I felt after I finshed it. I have been on the kindle and nook boards spreading the good word and the novel continues to gather traction and climb the charts. I posted the following review on Amazon. It's only .99 cents for kindle & nook. If you check out the other reviews, you'll see I am not alone and not bullshitting you.

Baby Huey: A Cautionary Tale of Addiction
Oprah Should Be Pumping This Novel (5 stars)
"By a sheer fluke of coincidence I found out about this novel on an indie book review site, one which I check frequently, but don't very often find novels that are the type I like to read. The reviewer gave it 5 stars and the review itself hooked me. For only .99 cents, I made the investment, took a chance. This is not only a great novel, it is an important one, which like the sensitive subject matter, had me hooked from the first page. I could not put it down, telling myself only one more chapter and I'll stop. I hate spoilers in reviews, so I will only say that I have heard great art described as someting that stays with you, makes an impression, and leaves you thinking about it after you have witnessed it. James Henderson has written a novel that had me laughing out loud, feeling sad, and sick to my stomach throughout, it is that good. Literary, dramatic, and full of twist and turns, I urge you to read it. You will not be disapointed! Like others have said, I didn't want it to be over and actually miss reading it."

A.J Hayes, who most of us know and is one hell of a writer, was kind enough to purchase my novel, "Mindjacker" for kindle (only .99 cents for kindle or nook) and provided a review, which I am very happy about and thankful for!

Mindjacker
Morality Tale In A Tornado (five stars)
Great ride. Like a combination Tilt-A-Whirl and Wild Mouse . . . in the dark . . .with really great music . . . and, oh yeah, your arms and legs get sucked off your body. The back story has the subtle flavor of some great movies: the original Manchurian Candidate, The Parallax View and the original Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. If this all sounds confusing and scary -- you're right. Read it, but make sure your chin strap -- and athletic supporter -- are cinched down double tight. Like I said, it's one helluva ride.

For those of you still not riding the ebook train, I'm going to be giving away a few print copies of "Mindjacker" next week, so stay tuned!

Lady Gaga Show Was Insanely Awesome!!

2011-03-09T16:28:00.001-05:00

Had a complete blast at the Gaga show last night. I'll go even futher and say it was the best show I have seen in my life. I'm all about rock-n-roll, but this was truly a spectacular event. I have been thinking about the best way to describe it and here's what I came up with.

If you took the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Blue Man Group, The Wizard of Oz, a great rock band, and added a one hell of a singer / performer, you would have the Lady Gaga Monster Ball.

Let me just say first off that Gaga can sing tremendously and man can her back up band (drums, dueling guitarist on Gibson's and bass player) play. There was no lip synching or phony backing tracks involved.

The TD BankNorth Garden (still the Boston Garden to me) was packed to capacity with all of us "little monsters", moving , grooving, and singing along. Huh? you're 45 years old Seano, a big tough aspiring crime writer, oh the shame, say it isn't so. Well, that's the whole shtick of the show; come on in, lock the doors to keep all the normals out, and let your freak flag fly.

There were drag queens, drag kings, Gaga wannabees, grandma's, kids, adults.and every possible thing you could imagine. And this was just in the concourse, before they opened the doors. It was priceless watching all the stuffy business people walking through the crowd to catch their trains home. My wife's dad has lived in Cape Cod for 25 years and we have been to Provincetown so many times, none of this was new to me, my daughter, or her friend. Basically, the philosophy in my house is there are two kinds of people; Good and Assholes.

The show was supposed to start at 8:00 PM, but the opening act The Scisssor Sisters didn't come on until 8:30 and they were not good. They wrapped up at 9:00 and the audience was made to listen to Michael Jackson songs until 9:45, when things got going. It was worth the wait and the show ended at 11:45. Not once during that 2 hours did it lose the momentum. Even during the 4 short intermssions, the music and acccomanying video's were awesome. Every song was an event equal to a big time Broadway production in itself and Gaga knows how to work a room.

I would go see her again in a minute and besides the new hit "Born this Way", she played another new one that is sure to go to # 1 when it is released and it is more like a rock pop song with an insane guitar solo.

If you get a chance, I would recommend trying to see as she is way talented and the production is second to none. It was one of those times, me and my daughter will remember forever. My wife took her to a Gaga show last year at the Wang Center , but my daugher said this one blew it away.

Going GA GA Over Tonight

2011-03-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

Taking my daughter and her friend to see Lady Gaga tonight. Should be interesting. Just downed an extra large turbo ice coffee with two shots of espresso and I'm raring to get my freak on!

Patti Abbott has an intersting discussion going on regarding the value / overexposure of e-readers on her blog HERE

Nathan Bransford is further elaborating on e-publishing and the "ebook millionaire's". He also makes a mea culpa that he actually, er, rejected Amanda Hocking's novels when she submitted to him when he was an agent. Find out more HERE

ebooks & Independent Authors vs Traditionally Published Ones

2011-03-07T17:23:00.004-05:00

By now most have heard about this this writer Amanda Hocking who self published her e-books and sold 450,000 copies in January. I found out about it via Nathan Bransford's blog, who I used to follow when he was an agent, but stopped because I could not take all the sucking up some of the followers did. He's no longer an agent and the blog is still going strong, minus all the invisible hand stuff, which was very refreshing. He had a good post today regarding ebooks, traditional, and self publishing. You can check it out HERE

Dancing With Myself @ Nigel Bird's Blog!

2011-03-04T15:11:00.001-05:00

When Nigel Bird asked me if I wanted to participate in his "Dancing With Myself" feature, of course I accepted, and started dancing in my cube at work. I have not missed too many of them since I started following his great blog and always enjoy and learn something about writing and more importantly, the author. So if you want, you can learn some more about me HERE

More Proof Publishers Have their Heads Up Their Asses

2011-03-03T23:04:00.002-05:00

Now that I have had a nook for a while, it has opened my eyes even further to the fact that there are so many good writers out there, who because of the archaic agent / publishing system, would never have had their novels read by anyone. A textbook example of this is my latest find which I discovered over at Lynn O'Dell's Red Adept Review site.

The author is James Henderson, The novel is "Baby Huey: A Cautionary Tale of Addiction". James couldn't find a publisher, decided to go it on his own, and much to my benefit has it out as an e-book for only .99 cents. It just came out in early February and is now at # 10 in the fiction /drama rankings in the kindle store. How's that for a big Fuck You!

Baby Huey is everything I love in a novel so far (and I'm just getting to the crack part, so that's saying something): well written, excellent voice and characters, and cleverly funny. It is one of those "can't put it down" type of novels.

So, if you have a spare .99 cents, you 100 % cannot go wrong. The link to James' very nice and inspirational website, where you can find out more about him is HERE and the novel is available in print, but you can get it on Amazon and B&N in ebook.

The Greatest Sports Victory Ever!!

2011-03-03T10:25:00.001-05:00

The Ireland Cricket team pulled of the the greatest upset in the history of sports yesterday by beating England in their World Cup match. Kevin O'Brien brutalized the ball and scored the fasted 100 runs in WC history. Adrian McKinty describes just how big a victory this was on his excellent blog HERE

Here's a little taste of just how tremendous Kevin O's batting performance was. Remember that the ball is coming at him at about 90 MPH

All Star Lineup For Patti Abbott's "Scarry Night" Flash Challenge.

2011-02-28T13:23:00.001-05:00

Over at Patti Abbott's blog, there is a veritable who's who of short story writers who took part in her Scarry Night Flash Challenge. I missed out on this one, but considering who took part, I don't feel worthy enough to be listed with such talent. You can find links to all the stories HERE

- Bale won the Oscar for BSA, the only one I really cared about, and I figured there was a 50% chance he would get screwed out of it.

- For whatever reason "GoodFellas" has been playing a lot on cable lately and I watch it every time if I am home. If I had to pick one movie as my favorite, this would be it.

- There's still time to enter Chris Allinotte's Madness in March Story Challenge. Deadline is March 4th. Details HERE

- I'm still working away on my next novel, "Sissy Murphy" or "The Dead and Dying" are the titles I like so far. I have a 2000 word crime story "Toraloo" submitted to TKnC, I'm finishing one to send to Flash Fiction Offensive, and working on one for Chris A's above mentioned challenge.

Lastly, today is the deadline for the Red Adept Review: Twists Contest. I submitted a 2,500 word story (non crime / violence) two months ago and should find out soon if it made the cut and will be in the planned anthology which will be published. JA Konrath is involved, so that is a bonus. Details of the contest are HERE

The Beat On The Street

2011-02-25T15:28:00.001-05:00

Over the last few weeks I was lucky enough to win some free items from other great blogs I follow.

- Over at Crime Always Pays, I received "Three Seconds" by Roslund and Hellstrom from host Declan Burke. About twenty pages in and I really like it. Glenna over at Inspirations blog did a great review ot the novel HERE

- Stephen Blackmoore host of the L.A. Noir blog sent me a copy of Needle Magazine # 2. Half way though it and there are some tremendous stories. Going to do a reveiw once I finish.

- I got Michael Connelly's "The Lincoln Lawyer" and poster from Jebidiah Ayres, who hosts the Hardboiled Wonderland blog. First time I have read Connelly and I really like his style so far.

Now playing at the RAT PACK REVIEW....Kevin Michaels HERE

Thrillers Killer-n-Chiller's has temporarily closed for submissions. Details HERE

Some familiar names have made it into the Radgepacket 5, including Paul Brazill, who can provide the details HERE

RAT PACK REVIEW now playing AT THE BIJOU

2011-02-23T08:01:00.000-05:00

Th Rat Pack Review has kicked off at Absolultely* Kate's blog AT THE BIJOU. Special guest, Mystery writer Robert J. Randisi, who has also authored a series of way cool "Rat Pack Mysteries" is featured today and throughout the extravaganza. This is going to be a good one, for sure. Check it out HERE

Madness In March Story Challenge

2011-02-18T10:14:00.001-05:00

Over at the Leaky Pencil blog, host Chris Allinotte is sponsoring a story challenge that sounds very interesting. I swore I would hold off on the shorts for a while, but I don't think I can resist this one. I'm finally realizing that the stories that give me the most problems are the ones where you have to include certain aspects or items in the story. Besides a crime theme, I like to freewheel it and find that required items in a story, while good for brain exersize, end up getting in the way of the story. Check out the details HERE

Highlights from the challenge include:

*2000 word max

* The best of the runners' up to be featured on Chris' blog on every second Wednesday at thirteen o'clock following the contest.

*If your story is the best of the bunch, Chris will feature the book of your choice, and its purchase link on this site for 30 days. (There may be a little something else for the winner as well, but that's t.b.d.)

*For all the entries, Chris will be putting together a PDF chapbook that includes featured stories, as well as any other entries received, to be sent out after everything's finished.

A Good'n Over At FFO

2011-02-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

Over at the revitalized Flash Fiction Offensive, which seems to be getting stronger with every story, Chris Allinotte's "Heisting Miss October" is a great read. I'm a child of the Seventies and Chris did a great job of capturing the vibe 'o the times. Check it out HERE

A Valentines Day Song

2011-02-14T22:21:00.001-05:00

Not much to say other than this song is the perfect song that I am dedicating to my wife for Valentines Day for oh so many resasons.

When The Breaks Are Beating the Boys

2011-02-13T21:19:00.001-05:00

Man, has it been a hellaciuos stretch lately, one that has seriously challenged my undying Joie de Vivre. Yet, I have been around the block enough to know that everything passes, eventually, and so it has. No earth shattering stuff, but enough to be really fucking up my program that it was all I could do to stay up-to-date with my fav blogs, which kept me sane. Now I'm revisting them and commenting on all the great stories and info.

Adding to the insanity was that darn inspiration striking right before all hell broke loose, and feeling the need / compulsion to finish a couple of stories I had started, and having to come up with something for The Fab Feb Film Fest. I really am my own worst enemy sometimes. I'm reading "Black Mass" and watched "In The Name of The Father". Both excellent by the way.

On thing that is really bumming me out is I can't comment on Paul Brazill's blog because Internet Explorer seems to crash my browser every time I try. My laptop is the one I use for work as well and non IE browsers are a big no-no. So Mr. B, I'm still enjoying your blog as usual but...I'm with you in spirit man!

Absolutely * Fab Story & Great News for Declan Burke

2011-02-02T19:02:00.003-05:00

Declan Burke shared some really great news over at Crime Always Pays. His tremendous new novel, which I had a chance to read, has found a publisher. Details HERE

Over AT THE BIJOU, where a story isn't just a story, it's an extravaganza of the highest order ( I almost feel bad for not having to fork over an admission fee) Absolutely*Kate's Fab Feb Film Fest is featuring a tremendous story, "Chopper John" by Colin James. You have to read this. I burst out laughing in my veal cube today. Read it and enjoy HERE

Where's My Motivation?

2011-02-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

So, I'm at the gym the other morning and they don't exactly play any rocking stuff at 5:30 AM. I'm also still racking my brain as I workout for a subplot in the novel I'm working on. I hear a hip hop style song and as I'm listening to the chorus, I'm thinking that I have heard this somewhere before. Sure enough, it's someone poaching Supergrass' "Alright". The lyric's of the chorus spark a major idea for me and I knew what direction I needed to go with the story. Turn's out it was Travie McCoy. Can't any of these hip-hop wankers come up with anything original?

Anyway, the Supergrass version does not quite inspire the mood or the characters I'm going for, but I'm happy to have found the idea. I was still in search of some tune that will bring images to my mind, when low and behold, while driving home in a snowstorm tonight, scanning the radio channels, on comes Buckcherry's "Dead'. I spent the rest of the ride with my brain on overdrive and ideas coming quickly. Another one down!

The Beat On The Street

2011-01-31T12:08:00.005-05:00

Yes, that's a younger John Thaw on the right, aka my fav crime guy of all time Inspector Morse. This pic is from a series he did called The Sweeney.

Got an email this weekend from Col Bury asking permission to post my story "Charles in Charge" in the guest section of his fancy new site. It was obviously a no brainer. If you haven't read it, take peek at it as well as other stories HERE

Over at Paul Brazill's place there is a must read Guest Blog from Julia Madeleine regarding who actually is reading your submissions HERE

Thanks to Sandra Seamans' excellent blog I found out about a tremendous essay written by Kent Harrington. Enjoy it HERE

Some new stories have been posted for the A Twist of Noir 600 - 700 challenge HERE

There's still time to enter Jodi Macarthur's Love Pen saying contest HERE

Lily Childs' February Femmes Fatales series kicked of today with bang HERE

Lastly, Roger Smith's "Wake Up Dead" was one of the top novels I read last year. The Nerd of Noir has done a great (entertaining as hell) review of it over at Spinetingler HERE

Homeboy Hits It Big With The Fighter

2011-01-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

If you need a reminder that if you have a dream, believe in that dream, and never give up, you will enjoy this story. Keith Dorrington grew up in my hometown. I played on the same football team as him, athough I was a freshman and he was a senior, he was a good guy and always very funny in the locker room. Billerica, Ma is the kind of town where, even if I became President of the United States, I'll still just be a "Mick from the Ric".

Keith D is now up for a Best Story Oscar for The Fighter. His story is truly an inspiration and you can read a really good interview with him HERE

Last fall, I was on Facebook messaging back and forth with Keith about my novel, our mutual interest in the Boston Irish crime scene and the concept of the next novel I wanted to start writing. This was when the Fighter was just gettting ready to start the release process. Anyway, he told me to send him my novel, and he'd be in touch. From that day on , The Fighter juggernaut has just taken off and I couldn't be happier for him

I was psyched when I got a Facebook message from Keith last week telling me he's been really busy (you think?) but he "wants us to grab a coffee." once the dust settles. The old saying goes " You can take the boy out of Billerica, but you can't take the Billerica out of the boy" and in this case, it proves true.

Where's My Motivation?

2011-01-26T20:08:00.008-05:00

I'v been putting off writing one of the key scenes in the novel I'm working on, knowing that when the time is right, I'll know. I'll hear that song that's going to get me where I need to be to put what's in my head into my heart, and then into a word doc. Kinda like in the Fifities when a girl wouldn't go all the way until she heard "the song". At least that's how it was on Happy Days. Wa, Wa, Wa.

I've always been a huge fan of Alice in Chains and while I'm driving home from work, scanning the channels looking for tunes, because I'm in all out novel writing mode and you never know when a song might inspire, WHAMMO, this song comes on. Chills go up my spine, sinuses burn, and I know 100% that this was what I've been wating for. It brings me to that place deep in my mind's world of hurt.

The lyrics, music, changes in dynamics, and the eerie feeling that Layne Staley is dead but this sounds like his spirit is singing with them, let's me know I can go all the way.