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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!

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

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

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!

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

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!!

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