Criminal-E

John Barlow interview: Hope Road

2012-03-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

Hope Road by JohnBarlow

95p | $1.50 | £2.22| $2.99

AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Kobo| Smashwords

John Barlow was born inLeeds, West Yorkshire, but now lives in Spain. He won the ParisReview Discovery/Plimpton Prize for his first published work, andsince then has published fiction with HarperCollins and non-fictionwith FSG. His books have been translated into six languages. Hiswebsite is at: http://www.johnbarlow.net/

Canyou sum up Hope Road in no more than 25 words?

HOPEROAD is a psychological mystery. It’s about the son of a careercriminal who’s been ‘straight’ all his life, but who getsinvolved in a murder investigation.

What's unique aboutit?

It’san amateur sleuth story with a police proceduralrunning in parallel. But I’ve also tried to explore the way thatcrime affects human relationships, in particular the relationshipbetween the sleuth (the son of a career criminal) and his girlfriend(a young police detective). That’s the ‘psychological’ element,a term I adopted after an early review pointed out thecharacter-driven nature of the book.

What are yourexpectations for the book?

Myaim is to take the crime family at the centre of the novel and writea whole series of novels. It’s set inLeeds, and I’ve had some very gratifying comments about how I’veevoked that city. My dearest hope is that someone will say, ‘It’sa bit like Kate Atkinson’s STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, butgrittier, and it delves a bit deeper into the soul.’

Whatdid you learn while writing it?

Onthe practical crime side I learned two mainthings. First, I discovered that my uncle John had been an armsdealer, and was found dead on a flight from Amsterdam with his throatcut. The UK police were after him for the theft of munitions from theBritish army, and he was suspected of various other arms-relatedcrimes. That, of course, partly explains why I am so interested inthe issue of crime and families... Then, I was lucky to get a contactwhich eventually led me to a real money counterfeiter (HOPE ROADinvolves a subplot about fake money). That was really great research.

Doyou bear the reader in mind when you're writing? If so, how does thataffect the way you write?

Itry and write in such a way that the reader never notices thatthere’s an author there. I want to storyto be told as naturally as possible. I do loads of rewrites, each onetrying to make the prose simpler and smoother. I try and become areader every time I return to the text, coming at it from differentangles, re-reading in different ways.

Canyou provide a youtube link to a song you'd like to be the title trackto the movie adaptation of your book?

And So It Goes, byBilly Joel

...so I will choose tobe with you

As if the choice weremine to make

For you can makedecisions too

And you can have thisheart to break.

And so it goes and soit goes

And you're the only onewho knows...

HOPE ROAD is reallyabout why we lie to those who love us most. It’s about the pain butalso the normalcy of deception. A love story, I guess. ‘And So ItGoes’ perfectly captures the underlying melancholy of the maincharacter.

Whowould you like to direct the film adaptation?

Michael Winterbottom

Towhat extent do you view writing as a business?

It’smy job. I write my own books, and I alsowork as a ghost-writer (financial thriller at the moment!). Inaddition, I do some journalism and also work as an academic editorand occasional translator. So, one way and another writing is my onlybusiness. Writing my own fiction is special, though; I could stop allthe other stuff tomorrow, but not my own writing.

Howmuch do you read?

Iread and/or write all day, every day. Theonly respite is that I do the occasional feature for a food magazine,and these involve travelling to report on some food producer orother. Reading for pleasure? Less that I used to, but a fair bit.More crime than anything at the moment.

Whatare your ambitions for the next year?

Iaim to finish the follow-up novel to HOPE ROAD, which will explorethe background to my uncle’s arms dealing activities more deeply. Ialso have a YA novel. I’m probably going to sign with an ambitiousnew e-publisher for the YA book, which will be a new and excitingdeparture for me.

What are yourlong-term ambitions?

Myprimary aim is to see how the ebook market develops and to try andposition myself somewhere within it. Oneway or another, I’ll be staring at a screen all day, that’s forsure!

HopeRoad by John Barlow

95p | $1.50 | £2.22| $2.99

AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Kobo| Smashwords

Ten Things That Happened While I Was In Bath

2012-02-26T07:59:00.001-08:00

Bath in a bookshop in Bath
photo by Janet McKnight

Just back from a short and most pleasant visit to Bath. Still catching up but here's a few things that happened while I was gone:

I: Bloody Scotland launched its website, and very pretty it is too. There's also news of a short story competition that could see you published in a Blasted Heath ebook anthology.

II: Dead End Follies listed Ten Literary People On The Web That You Absolutely Need To Know and were kind enough to mention me. "I suspect Allan has eight pairs of arms, six brains and needs about twenty minutes of sleep a night for optimal functioning." I wish.

III: Anthony Neil Smith made his excellent Choke On Your Lies free for Kindle on Friday. It goes back to 'paid' on Monday so grab it while you can.

IV: Liberties Press has reduced the price of Declan Burke's Irish Book Awards-shortlisted Absolute Zero Cool to £1.95.

V: Speaking of Dec, here's a piece on ebook pricing he wrote for The Irish Times. And here's another interesting piece on ebook pricing from Digital Book World, specifically in relation to the impact of Amazon's KDP Select.

VI: Here's a chance to win Gerard Brennan's chapbook: Possession Obsession And A Diesel Compression Engine.

VII: NoirCon 2012 looms ever closer, with distinguished guest Lawrence Block and keynote speaker Robert Olen Butler (this I'd love to hear: Butler's book on writing fiction, From Where You Dream, is a mind-blower).

VIII: Benedicte Page gave Blasted Heath's February titles. Ray Banks's Wolf Tickets and Douglas Lindsay's The Unburied Dead a nice shout-out in her ebooks round-up in The Guardian.

IX: eBooknewser lists 10 Boards For Ebook Fans from new social networking site, Pinterest.

X: Some much-appreciated and very inspiring Amazon customer reviews have appeared for a few of my books. Two-Way Split is described as having "a gut-knotting finale that unfurls with the inevitability of all great tragedy and the best nasty sex ever" (thanks, Maya!); Savage Night is described as being "Shakespearean in scope and theme, unrelenting, tragic ... a powerful revenge tale, in which violence, fate, love, hate and even humor commingle like blood and wine, one barely distinguishable from the other" (thanks, Marilyn!); and finally "the writing quality is high, the stories are top notch, and this piece is worth your attention" (thanks, Pearce!) is a terrific response to Hilda's Big Day Out.

Barry Graham interview: When It All Comes Down To Dust

2012-02-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

Barry Graham is an award-winning novelist, journalist and Zen teacher.He is the author of ten books, including his most recent, When It All Comes Down to Dust. Born and dragged up in Glasgow, Scotland,he currently lives in the urban war zone of Phoenix, Arizona.

Can you sum up your book in no morethan 25 words?

A neo-noir tale of love, sex and murder in which a woman confronts a manwho did unspeakable things to children – including her.

What's unique about it?

Without giving anything away, I’ll say that the characters, thesituation and the way it turns out all combine to make it a book that’s unlikeanything else you’ve ever read. All my other books have been preparation forwriting this one. The French magazine Transfuge called it “one of the greatpost-realist novels” - and it hasn’t even been published in French yet!

What have you done/are you doing tomarket it?

Sending out press releases, appearing at book festivals and variousvenues where I’ll recite chunks of it from memory. Posting on social media, andmentioning it on my blog and website. Asking bloggers to review it.

What are your expectations for thebook?

I’m not sure, but I’m fascinated to find out how it does. I walked awayfrom a likely offer from a major publisher, because I sincerely think this is agreat book, and I got tired of waiting for them to decide what to do about it.Responses from readers so far suggest that I’m right.

What did you learn while writing it?

That when I looked in the darkest and most frightening places I couldimagine, what I found there was compassion.

Do you bear the reader in mind whenyou're writing? If so, how does that affect the way you write?

Never. I don’t write for the reader, and I don’t write for myself - Ijust write. I write at the service of the story. When the story is as good asit can be, I thank it for what it taught me, and then I put it out there and letit find its readers.

How important is talent?

Considering the amount of drivel that’s published by the big houses, I’dsay talent isn’t important at all when it comes to getting a deal with them.When it comes to writing a good book, I think some talent is necessary, butwork and perseverance and honesty are more important.

Provide a YouTube link to a song you'dlike to be the title track to the movie adaptation of your book.

Western Wind by The Heroes Are Horses

Who would you like to direct the filmadaptation?

Jean-Luc Godard.

To what extent do you view writing as abusiness?

I view writing entirely as an art, and I view publishing entirely as abusiness. I write for love, and publish for money.

How would you describe your taste inbooks?

Very broad. I read everything from pulp crime to critical theory tohistory to philosophy to Japanese and Chinese poetry.

What was the last good eBook you read?

Your novel Slammer. But, to behonest, I don’t think it’s a good book. I think it’s a terrific book.

What are you reading now?

Black Hornet by James Sallis. A weird, brilliant novel.

Which writer do you most admire?

That’s a tie between Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, Alain Robbe-Grillet,Jean-Patrick Manchette and Nakagami Kenji. When it comes to living writers,it’s a tie between Daniel Woodrell, Larry Fondation and Elmore Leonard. Innonfiction, Michel Foucault. He’s probably influenced how I write and thinkmore than any other.

What do you do when you're not writing?

Practice and teach Zen Buddhism, read, watch films, cook, hang out withmy girlfriend and our cats, watch boxing, go and hear live music, wander aroundPhoenix, Arizonawhile carefully watching my back.

How much do you read?

At least two books a week, usually more. I don’t watch TV at all.

How much time do you dedicate towriting? How much time would you like to spend writing?

I write every day. My fiction and my blogging probably add up to eightor ten hours a day. I’m satisfied with that amount.

How much time do you dedicate topromotion?

I’m not sure. I use Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus almost every day,and I send out mass emails letting people on my list know what I’m doing. Iblog every day, and have a lot of readers, though I’m not sure how that impactsbook sales, or even if it does. I also do performances of my work just aboutanywhere they’ll have me.

What are your ambitions for the nextyear?

To finish another novel and publish it, and to publish a collection ofmy journalism.

What are your long-term ambitions?

To keep writing, be as kind as possible, and see where this life takesme.

Which author should be much betterknown?

Larry Fondation and Lynne Tillman.

What's the book you've recommended mostto friends?

The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins, my favorite novel ever.

Do you write outside of the crimegenre? If not, would you like to?

My first novel was a horror novel set in Glasgow https://sites.google.com/site/dogobarrygraham/of-darkness-and-light). My next threeweren’t in any genre, though I’d say all of them have a kind of noiratmosphere, and all contain crime and violence. I don’t know how to write aboutthis world without writing crime fiction. I also write poetry and essays.

Where do you write?

In a recliner in a corner of my living room (see photo)

How do you feel about reviews?

Anything that lets people know about a book’s existence is good. I don’tunderstand writers who get upset about bad reviews - it’s a review of yourbook, not of you. I’ve bought books after reading bad reviews of them, becausethe book sounded like my kind of thing. I’ve read good reviews of books and notbought the books, because the book didn’t sound like my kind of thing. I’mgrateful for any.

Do you have any other projects on thego?

I’m writing a short novel, a sort of techno-thriller. Then I’ll finish asequel to When It All Comes Down to Dust.I’m also putting together a collection of talks I’ve given at The Sitting FrogZen Center, where I serve as Abbot. The next book I publish will probably be mycollection of reporting and commentary, YourDoctrines I Must Blame.

Bonnie Kozek interview: Just Before The Dawn

2012-02-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

Just Before The Dawn by Bonnie Kozek

AmazonUK|AmazonUS

Bonnie Kozek is the author of the Honey McGuinness hardboiled grungethrillers, Threshold and Just Before the Dawn. Kozek has received awards from the NationalEndowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. Learn more about her work at: http://www.bonniekozek.com or contact her at:bk@bonniekozek.com

Can you sum up Just Before The Dawn in no more than 25words?

Psychedelics, psycho-killers, and a lethal XXX-Ratednightmare of biblical proportions: Welcome back to the twisted world of HoneyMcGuinness.

What was yourmotivation for writing it?

Truth is often unearthed in the most unexpected places,utilizing the most unconventional methods, which requires an author to bewilling to get her hands dirty. I like gettingmy hands dirty. I like plunging thedepths of a damaged psyche. Noir grungefiction provides me a perfect vehicle and offers a bottomless pit of grime. It’s a match made in heaven, I guess. Plus, it’s a challenge – like having a dinnerparty and serving T-bone steak without the meat on it. Stripped of the traditional pulling ofheartstrings – stripped of prettified, multisyllabic, adjective-laden language– I have to try to deliver a bone so tasty that my guests won’t notice. Not so easy.

So, I’m always on the lookout for a concept, a core –something around which I can construct a story and use the vernacular of thegenre. Perhaps surprisingly, for Just Before the Dawn, I found thatkernel in a small book called The Prophet. Written by the great Lebanese poet, KhalilGibran, I read these words: “ . . . when good is hungry it seeks food even indark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks even of dead waters.” And I thought: Bingo! That’s it! See, I’ve got this protagonist, HoneyMcGuinness, who’s so starved that she could actually travel that road. So, I set out to test her limits –physically, emotionally, ethically and morally. In all these areas, I tried to explore the depths to which she wouldallow herself to sink. I tried to takeher to – or let her hover just above or below – that “point of no return.” I wanted to answer the question: Could Honeydescend to a place so dark and deep that she couldn’t claw her way out?

How long did it takeyou to write?

About four years total. I put it down for a number of years and then came back to it.

How much differencedoes an editor make?

Working with an editor is detrimental to my mental andphysical health. Here’s why:

I had a literary agent and editor at a distinguished New York agency. Things went swimmingly for a while. He used words like “remarkable” and“brilliant” about my work. He awaitedeach new chapter with bated breath. Hesaid he loved the novel (which, by the by, is yet unpublished) and was certainhe could get it published by a well-respected house. We worked closely over a two-year period –speaking daily. During this time hesuggested editorial changes, which I made without fuss. After the two years, when the book wasfinished, he decided to have his new assistant read the manuscript, explainingthat the work needed “fresh eyes.” Afterreading the manuscript, this prepubescent moron told his boss that he “couldn’tfollow the story” and his boss, my agent/editor, sent me an email saying thathe had decided he couldn’t sell the book, ending the email with one word:sorry. Immediately after receiving theemail I fell down two flights of stairs. Later that day I drove my car into a ditch. The following night I walked in a zombie-likestate into the home of complete strangers and proceeded to join the bewilderedlittle family at their dinner table where they were just about to partake of areally nice home-cooked meal. (Unbelievably, they let me stay. Oh, the kindness of strangers.)

I’ll take a good proof-reader over an editor any day of theweek. If a proof-reader fails to catch amistake, it may be temporarily embarrassing (i.e. “Ghengis Kahn” instead ofGhengis Khan”), but at least it’s not permanently disfiguring.

Who designed yourcover?

Cornelius Drake, which may or may not be a pseudonym for adesigner/photographer who may or may not make his or her bread and butter bydesigning the covers of children’s books.

How much differencedoes a good cover make?

A good cover can’t “make” a book, but it can help get a bookinto the hands (virtual or actual) of a potential reader. No question about it. Conversely, a lousy cover can definitely“break” a book. My philosophy is: ifyou’re going to invest some serious money, this is the place to do it.

How important is agood title?

A title can be of greater or lesser consequence, dependingon the content. In this case, Just Before the Dawn, the title wascrucial. Because of the XXX-Rated adultcontent, I wanted to prepare and caution the reader. I wanted the title to be unambiguous: “You’vebeen forewarned! Enter at your ownrisk!”

What's the best pieceof business advice you've been given?

My father only gave me one piece of advice: Even thegrandest ideas start with a small spark. Even the greatest fortune starts with a single dollar. So, when you find a passion for something,start small – even if it means starting in your garage or your basement.

What's your favouritepart of the writing process?

I’m obsessed with words. They’re powerful and endlessly mysterious. I believe that each and every single word hasa secret code – something that lies beyond its obvious meaning. The key to breaking the code is finding theright word and then finding the right word to follow that word and then thenext, and so on. I adore spending timefinding just the right word – even when it takes me days or weeks, which itoften does.

Also, writing grounds me to the earth – to time and space –which fulfills a hunger I have for terrestrial connection. It’s funny because, theoretically, fictionwriting wouldn’t seem a natural conduit to “reality” – yet somehow it works forme.

What are yourstrengths and weaknesses as a writer?

I think people become artists for varying reasons. Some are born with immense talent, othersmake art to survive. (The two-timePulitzer prize-winning journalist and author J. Anthony Lukas once said, “Allwriters are, to one extent or another, damaged people. Writing is our way of repairing ourselves.” Lukas, diagnosed with depression tenyears earlier, hanged himself in 1997.) It’s fair to say that I started out as a member of the lattercategory. It’s a less intellectualapproach – at least in the beginning. And the risks are titanic, because talent not wholly inborn is learnedand earned through the sweat of the flesh and the letting of blood. So, in the beginning, I fought demons on thebattlefield of the written page. Thathas changed over time. I think thatknowing why I write is my strength.

My weakness is that when it comes to writing I’m a “one verbat a time” type of gal. When I’m writingI can’t take breaks. I can’t take awalk. I can’t answer the phone. I can’t interact with other people. I can’t make any type of plan – even if it’ssomething in the far distant future.

What aspects ofmarketing your book do you enjoy?

None.

As a reader, howwould you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I don’t read really scary, gory books – books with derangedkillers or the likes – or any mass-market crime fiction. Other than that, I’m open.

What are you readingnow?

“Magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann

If you had to re-reada crime novel right now, what would you choose?

“The Burnt Orange Heresy”by Charles Willeford

What's the bestcollection of short stories you've read?

“When the Messenger is Hot” by Elizabeth Crane

Ever tried your handat poetry?

I have one book of published poetry, “Mania” – which hasoriginal artwork by the American/Dutch artist, Jan Frank. Lately, I’ve been writing rhyming poems,which I’ve found to be surprisingly un-childlike.

Do you read outsideof the crime genre?

For a long time I only read and related to really torturedwriters, poets, artists: Baudelaire, Rimbaud – the usual suspects. I remember reading an interview from 1919with the writer Djuna Barnes. Theinterviewer asked her why she was so morbid and she answered, “Look at mylife.” I mean, that’s what I related to. Not anymore. Now I like rhyming poems andArtaud. In the noir crime fiction genreof the Honey McGuinness books, I’d say my favorite writers are Jim Thompson,Charles Willeford, Charles Bukowski, Raymond Chandler. Outside of this genre? Oh, there are so many. Among contemporary writers I’m crazy forJeanette Winterson, Jonathan Lethem. Iread Alice Munro, Carl Hiaasen, Walter Mosely, David Foster Wallace. Then there’s Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, AnaisNin, Henry Miller – that crowd. There’sHemingway, Fitzgerald, and Steinbeck. And Gabriel Márquez, ThomasMann, Alexander Dumas. I’m sure I’vemissed some but as you can see, my stock is eclectic. Once you clean house, there’s room for everything. I like that.

Do you enjoy writing?

Beyond words.

Do you have any otherprojects on the go?

I’m currently working on a novel (the working title: The Woman Who Was Good Enough to Eat),which was inspired by the true story of a 55-year old woman who met a 30-yearold man and, two days later, married him. Before the honeymoon was over he ate her, literally.

Just Before The Dawn by Bonnie Kozek

Amazon UK|Amazon US

Free For Two

2012-02-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

These two very fine books are free on Kindle over 4th and 5th Feb.

The Unburied Dead: Amazon UK|Amazon US
Yellow Medicine: Amazon UK|Amazon US

A stark and edgy new police thriller from the creator of the Barney Thomson series.
A psychopath walks the streets of Glasgow, selecting his first victim. He sees his ex-girlfriend everywhere, and he will have her back.

When a woman is savagely murdered, her body stabbed over a hundred times, the police know from the nature of the crime that the killer will strike again. DCI Bloonsbury, the once-feted detective, is put in charge of the investigation, but as the killer begins to hit much closer to home and an old police conspiracy starts to unravel, Bloonsbury slides further into morose alcoholic depression.

In the middle of it all is Detective Sergeant Thomas Hutton, juggling divorce, deception, alcohol, murdered colleagues, and Dylan. He could use a break but the dead will not rest and the past will not be buried until he can catch the latest serial killer to haunt the streets of his city.

Praise for Douglas Lindsay:

"The plot, Russian literature fans, is a modern spin on Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The bloody ending, movie buffs, is pure Reservoir Dogs."
– The Mirror

"This is pitch-black comedy spun from the finest writing. Fantastic plot, unforgettable scenes and plenty of twisted belly laughs."
– New Woman

"This chilling black comedy unfolds at dizzying speed... an impressive debut novel."
– Sunday Mirror

"A flawless follow-up to an impressive debut, this is extremely well-written, highly amusing and completely unpredictable in its outrageous plot twists and turns."
– The List

"Lindsay’s burlesque thrills offer no sex, no drugs, no desperation to be cool. Just straightforward adult story; fantastic plot, classic timing and gleeful delight in the grotesque. With more talent than Irvine Welsh could dream of, Lindsay has crafted a macabre masterpiece where content lives up to style."
– What’s On

About the author:

Douglas Lindsay is the author of the Barney Thomson crime series, which begins with THE LONG MIDNIGHT OF BARNEY THOMSON, and is currently seven novels and a novella (THE END OF DAYS) strong. He is also the author of LOST IN JAUREZ. THE UNBURIED DEAD is his most recent novel. Douglas lives in Somerset.

Deputy Billy Lafitte is not unfamiliar with the law—he just prefers to enforce it, rather than abide by it. But his rule-bending and bribe-taking have gotten him kicked off the force in Gulfport, Mississippi, and he’s been given a second chance—in the desolate, Siberian wastelands of rural Minnesota. Now Billy’s only got the local girls and local booze to keep him company.

Until one of the local girls—cute little Drew, bassist for a psychobilly band—asks Billy for help with her boyfriend. Something about the drugs Ian’s been selling, some product he may have lost, and the men who are threatening him because of it. Billy agrees to look into it, and before long he’s speeding down a snowy road, tracking a cell of terrorists, with a severed head in his truck’s cab. And that’s only the start.

Ten Short Bits Of News And Info

2012-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

1: If you're in Glasgow and free on Mon 30th January, I'll be giving a talk at the University of Strathclyde. This is open to the public, entry is free, and kicks off at 5pm. More details can be found here.

2: Blasted Heath has launched a new daily book recommendation with the bewitching acronym of #broth (Book Recommendation On The Heath). You can join in too. Check it out here.

3: You may have noticed that Criminal-E has been on something of an interview hiatus. Well, that's about to end very soon. I have some fine ebook crime writers lined up who will be revealing all. Well, maybe not all. Although that's an idea...

4: A while back I created a highly indulgent list of my top 200 noir fiction titles. It stops in 1997. My new Italian publisher, Revolver, has asked if I'll update it with a list of the best noir since then. Looking forward to this.

5: More Blasted Heath news. Next month sees the launch of The Unburied Dead by Douglas Lindsay and Wolf Tickets by Ray Banks, stonking books both.

6: And more events: Stuart MacBride is at Blackwell's in Edinburgh on Thu Feb 2nd (free, 6.30pm) and Len Wanner will be grilling Tony Black at Mayfield Library in Dalkeith on Sat 4th Feb (free, 6pm).

7: Will the big publishers drop DRM? Nice to see it being advocated at least. Bookseller Backed By Big Publishers Advocates Abandoning Digital Rights Management.

8: There's some pretty interesting information to be gleaned from Verso's 2011 Survey of Book-Buying Behaviour.

9: I'm very happy to say that the excellent Connie Haag is translating Bye Bye Baby for the German digital market.

10: And finally, I'm currently revising Kiss Her Goodbye, which will be the next of my novels out on Kindle. Here's a first look at the cover.

Big Day For Hilda And A Savage Night Out

2012-01-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hilda's Big Day Out was commissioned by the Sunday Mail as its seasonal short story and published in the newspaper on Jan 1st. I've made it available on Kindle FOR FREE from now thru Jan 10th. You can get it by clicking on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

It's a tale of violence, abduction, and pilchards, told from the perspective of a Dandie Dinmont terrier called Hilda, who's whisked away from a deserted Edinburgh beach by a skinny stranger on New Year's Day. (You may recognise Hilda as Pearce's dog from Hard Man and Kill Clock).

Also included are three bonus stories: Your Mother Should Know (from the Pulp Ink anthology); Bye Bye Baby (from Shattered: Every Crime Has A Victim) and Call Me, I'm Dying from A Hell of a Woman: An Anthology of Female Noir.

Nigel Bird (the man behind the excellent collection Dirty Old Town) has some very kind words to say about Hilda over at his Sea Minor blog, as does McDroll (the talent behind Kick It and co-editor of The Lost Children charity anthology) at her I Meant To Read That blog (some other great freebies mentioned there too from Anthony Neil Smith & Victor Gischler, Heath Lowrance and Fingers Murphy).

Also just published on Kindle for the first time is a revised version of Savage Night, my Tarantino-inspired tragi-comic crime thriller about a blood feud. This was the prequel to the novella, Killing Mum.

You can download Savage Night from Amazon.co.uk here, (not available in North America where my erstwhile publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, controls the ebook rights, sorry). It's currently 99p.

How much blood would you spill to avenge those you love?

Andy Park passes out at the sight of blood, but he thinks he’s discovered a way to make his family’s enemies pay. He isn’t prepared for the fallout, though. Before long, his teenage son is in mortal danger and his daughter and her fiancé are forced to carry out his dirty work.

Meanwhile, a masked man known only as Mr. Smith is blackmailing Tommy Savage—for what, he has no idea. And after an attempt to gain the upper hand has near-fatal results, Tommy and his brother, Phil, find themselves heading to a graveyard with only a couple of swords and a bag of cash for company.

Will they survive the night? Will anyone?

With equal parts blood phobia and blood lust, Savage Night is a cinematic tragi-comedy of love and violence that unfolds over six short blood-blind hours in Scotland’s capital city.

According to the Observer, Savage Night is "a black comedy akin to the work of Christopher Brookmyre and Douglas Lindsay..." and "if you have a robust sense of humour, you'll love this." I hope so!

The Paperbacking of Bye Bye Baby

2011-12-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Bye Bye Baby ispolice thriller that tells the story of a very unusual kidnapping. Itmay be a novella, but it's the most important book I've ever written.

It was originally scheduled for publication in July 2010. Afew months after I handed in the finished manuscript, that date wasrevised to July 2011. Then, sometime during 2010, I was advised thatthe publication schedule had changed again and Bye Bye Babywouldn't be seeing the light of day until 2013. Damn and blast,I thought. Or words to that effect. Who'd have thought it would turnout to be one of the luckiest breaks I've ever had as a writer?

Barrington Stoke verykindly offered to let me have the rights back in case I wanted topublish elsewhere. I didn't, because I like what they do, and I'denjoyed writing Kill Clock for their MostWanted series for reluctant readers, and was stoked at the thought of Bye Bye Baby being part of the same series.

So I asked if they wereplanning on doing anything with the digital rights, and if not, couldI have those and Barrington Stoke could keep the paperback rights.They were delighted with the idea, and so began my foray intoe-publishing.

I'd observed thesuccess of John Rector, one of my JBA authors and one of theself-publishing Kindle pioneers. I'd seen his US sales figures forTheGrove and was duly impressed. But Bye Bye Babywas a short novella, a Scottish police procedural, and the Kindle wasin its infancy in the UK, so my expectations for sales of my own weeeffort were minimal. (Plus, I'm no John Rector. Check out his books,you'll thank me for it).

I uploaded the ebookversion of Bye Bye Baby to Amazon in Aug 2010. Between Augustand November, inclusive, Kindle sales were even more minimal than I'danticipated. I sold 13 copies.

Undaunted (in fact, Iwas extremely daunted – 2010 was not a good year: my primarypublishers on both sides of the Atlantic had dropped me,unsurprisingly, since my sales figures were mince; and having mincefor sales figures makes it extremely difficult for a new publisher towelcome you on board), I decided to throw everything into giving ByeBye Baby a real shot at selling a few copies. I was my ownpublisher after all, and I should be doing what publishers do,instead of sitting around moping.

I'd also acquired thedigital rights for Killing Mum,a novella published in print by Crime Express in July 2009. Ie-published it at the start of December, and then started looking forways to sell Bye Bye Baby. First obvious strategy was theworld's oldest publishing promotional tool: price. I dropped minefrom $2.99 to 99 cents. That meant a royalty cut from Amazon (70%down to 35%) but given that I'd been selling only half a dozen copiesa month, I was hardly running the risk of throwing away a fortune.

I spent a long time onthe various ebook forums, finding the WritersCafé section of the Kindleboards in particular agoldmine of useful advice, stats, tips, warnings, new opportunities,etc. I posted on the UKKindle Users Forum and MobileReads and others. But I got most traction from athread on the Amazon.co.ukKindle forum that eventually ran to over 70 comments.I set up Google alerts for all the successful indie authors. They ledme to new ebook-interest sites. I read their interviews. I read theirblogs. I adopted their strategies where they seemed applicable. Isent off a lot of review copies. I gave lots of copies away. I triedeverything to bring Bye Bye Baby to the attention of newreaders in the hope that the more people who read me, the more likelyit would be that some of them might enjoy what they read and tell others. I allocated two hours a day to engage in marketingand promotion, and I didn't rule out anything (well, apart fromFacebook: gotta draw the line somewhere!).

The result of all thatactivity? I got lucky. December Kindle sales for Bye Bye Babyjumped to 232. Quite adifference. I kept up the marketing into January, trailing offhalfway through. By then, the Amazon recommendation algorithm hadkicked in. I was unaware of its enormous impact at the time, but myguess is that much of my marketing efforts resulted in only a fewsales. Getting those early sales in volume during December wascrucial, though, because that's what triggered the subsequentrecommendations. (For more on the Amazon recommendation algorithm,checkthis out).

January Kindle sales ofBye Bye Baby totalled2071.

I did very littlemarketing in February, during which Bye Bye Baby was in thetop ten in the Kindle store for most of the month. It peaked at #6.Sales for the month were 9379.

By that point, ByeBye Baby was my best-selling book. And that remains the casetoday, with sales of well over 35,000 copies. Killing Mum,which I never pushed much beyond a few mentions on the forums,reached #25 in the Kindle store. Best guess is that was as a resultof being recommended to customers who'd bought Bye Bye Baby.Killing Mum has now sold over 11,000 copies.

If it wasn't forBarrington Stoke postponing publication of Bye Bye Baby, I'dnever have self-published. And if I'd never self-published, I'd havehad no chance (or desire, even) to persuade Polygon, publisher of mybacklist novels, to let me sub-license the Kindle rights to Two-WaySplit and Slammer, which are now out in new, improvededitions. If I hadn't had experience in self-publishing ebooks, Iwould never have hooked up with Kyle MacRae, and Blasted Heath wouldnever have been born. There would be no Blasted Boxset!

And a final side-effectof publishing the digital edition of Bye Bye Baby – and thereason for this extremely long-winded blog post – was that ithelped bring forward publication of the paperback edition. I'mdelighted to say that Bye Bye Baby is now available in print.And a lovely little book it is too.

"a quick, taut thriller... not a word is wasted" – Ian Rankin

"a terrific read and a great premise from an excellent writer" – Stuart MacBride

"A story that moves quickly, in short chapters of crisp prose, with plenty of plot turns to hold the attention, and characters you can love and others you can hate... Like Guthrie's full-length novels, Bye Bye Baby is sly, noir as all hell (more noir than some, actually), and it just might bring a tear of pity to your eyes. It's a police procedural filled with incident and back story, and man, what an ending." – Detectives Beyond Borders

available from

Amazon UK | Waterstone's | WH Smith |The Book Depository

and other fine bookshops

Ten Things I Learned Since Saturday

2011-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

1: The Trap of Solid Gold is an excellent blog dedicated to the work of John D MacDonald, creator of Travis McGee and author of many other great paperback originals, my favourite of which is Soft Touch.

2: Lawrence Block has gone 'indie' by self-publishing a Matt Scudder short story collection. He explains why here.

3: Daily sales of 18-25 since Saturday are enough for Two-Way Split to nose into the top 100 thrillers on Amazon UK. The week-on-week sales increase is almost certainly driven by Amazon's recommendations. First month's sales were 155. Already this month: 135. Total UK sales still lag behind the US (739/872), which you'd never guess from their current rankings: under 500 in the UK and over 15,000 in the US.

4: Edinburgh has an exciting new bookstore: Pulp Fiction.

5: Penguin, the publishing house that invented the mass market paperback, believes that the format will all but disappear, according to Publishing Perspectives: “in essence, the mass market is becoming digital.”

6: DD Scott demonstrates the power of free, selling more books in a month than in the previous year: more at the Writer's Guide to e-Publishing.

7: eReaderIQ is a free service that – among other things – lets you know when a Kindle title you're interested in comes down in price.

8: The Google eBookstore is now in the UK. It's far from intuitive for publishers. Spent 30 minutes trying to trying to find out if I could sign up and getting constantly directed to blank screens. End result: I'm no wiser than I was when I started. So I haven't really learned anything much at all. Better have another #8.

8: Waterstone's '3 for 2' price promo is what they were known for.

9: The Kindle will be available in France from Oct 14th. Wonder how long before Spain.

10: And finally, Grift Magazine claim there's something interesting in the offing. “There are a lot of people publishing eBooks out there these days, either on their own or with the help of a publisher – be it bootstrapping indie or Big 6 imprint — and it is clearly the future of publishing. The winners will be the ones who innovate, do something different. I’ve been given a sneak peek at one such operation, about which I can’t report much, but suffice to say they’ll be making headlines soon.”

Some great writers on board there: Anthony Neil Smith, Ray Banks, Douglas Lindsay, Gerard Brennan. I've heard rumours of a few others too. Looks to be an exciting line-up.

Ten Things I Learned This Week

2011-10-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

(photo by DC John)

1: To have a better understanding of Tartan Noir, you shouldread The Incredible Hulk, according to Bookchums. Whoknew?

2: If you want to allocate ISBNs to your ebooks, Nielsen's bestpractice is to provide different ISBNs for different formats, just likephysical books. I had assumed it was one ISBN for all ebooks, but, no, PRC(Kindle), ePub, PDF all require separate ISBNs.

3: The percentage of publishers in the

offering their ebooks to librariescould be as low as 20% (via theBookseller).

4: Advertising ebooks on Facebook would appear to be evenmore of a waste of money than I thought. Not a big fan of paid advertising inany case, but if you do want a decent return for your buck, I'd imagine you'remuch better focusing on the kind of places where ebook readers hang out.Anecdotally, Kindle Nation and Pixel of Ink are two names that keepcoming up.

5: Roz Wood should write more reviews. This oneof Slammer is her first blog entry.

6: The shelf-life of an ebook bears little relation to theshelf-life of a physical book. We're conditioned to accept that books sellmassively in the first few weeks of release, then taper off quickly. The Kindleversion of Two-WaySplit sold 16 copies in the UKyesterday – just over three months after its release. That's more than anyother single day so far. Sales have grown steadily week on week since it wasreleased.

7: Formatting issues are more easily resolved if you use OpenOffice than Microsoft Word. I knew this already but I had yet another reminder.Open Office is free (and compatiblewith MS Word).

8: Bloomsbury continues toembrace digital like a good 'un with the launch of a new digital imprint: Bloomsbury Reader.

9: No matter what I try, sometimes I just can't leavecomments on blog posts. I wanted to leave one hereto say, "Don't pace yourself! Read Beastof Burden now, it's a classic piece of contemporary noir," but all my attemptshave been foiled. I frequently can't leave comments here either. I know,that'll teach me to use Blogger.

10: Plans for expurgated editions of my books are anon-starter. I was seriously considering it – it's easily done with ebooks. Butthis one-starreview of Bye Bye Baby about the'foul language' shows the likely futility of such an exercise. If I was toexpurgate my books I'd be using Bye ByeBaby as a yardstick. As Ray Banks points out in this poston the topic of swearing, there's minimal (and minor) bad language in the book(the strongest swear word is 'shit'). So, f**k that.

Portobello Book Festival

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Next weekend sees the third Portobello Book Festival, which takes place in Edinburgh's seaside (photo by Andrew Girdwood). The festival is organised by a group of local enthusiasts in conjunction with Portobello Library.

Last year I participated in a sell-out event at the Town Hall with Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone and Caroline Dunford. It's great to see the festival going from strength to strength with another stellar and diverse line-up this year.

I'll be making a couple of appearances, one to interview the very talented Doug Johnstone (and watch him drink whisky), and the other as part of a panel on publishing. From the programme:

SATURDAY 8th OCTOBER
6.00-8.00pm
DALRIADA on the PROM
DOUG JOHNSTONE, writer, musician and journalist, talks to Allan Guthrie about his new novel Smokeheads. This event includes a whisky tasting in collaboration with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

SUNDAY 9th OCTOBER
11.00-12.30pm
PORTOBELLO LIBRARY
FROM IDEAS TO PAGE
Join MARIANNE PAGET, new writer; FRANCIS BICKMORE, Senior Editor Canongate Books; and ALLAN GUTHRIE, Literary Agent, author and editor, in a workshop about getting published.

Click here for the full programme.

Dani Amore interview: Dead Wood

2011-09-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

Dead Wood by Dani Amore
86p/99c
Amazon UK, Amazon US

Dani Amore is a crime novelist living in Los Angeles, California. You can learn more about her dark, mysterious and sarcastic ways over at www.deadlysarcasm.com

Can you sum up Dead Wood in no more than 25 words?

A disgraced ex-cop turned private investigator finds himself on the trail of a hired killer who has mysterious links to his own tragic past.

What was your motivation for writing it?

A true story, actually. The serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer used to drug his victims. Once they passed out, he would kill and dismember them, then have sex with their body parts.

One of his victims, however, managed to escape. He staggered into the street, completely drugged out, and flagged down a cop. Dahmer came chasing after him and convinced the cop the victim was his boyfriend, and was merely drunk.

The cop gave the victim back to Dahmer, who took him back to his apartment and butchered him.

I always wondered what that would do to a cop. To have a person come to you for help, and you hand him back to a serial killer who then kills him in the most ghastly manner possible.

I thought it would be an interesting starting point for a character in a crime novel.

How long did it take you to write?

For the first few months, I had a bunch of starts, stops, and startovers. I always seemed to get to about page 100 and then trash the whole thing.

Anyway, by the time I was ready to drink a crate of vodka and pursue my dream of bagging groceries at Publix for a living, I found my stride.

The rest of the book came pretty quickly, maybe another couple of months.

How important is a book's central character?

To me, a great character is only the beginning. It’s the relationships that character has that really makes it fun for me. In this book, I had a great time with John’s relationship with his wife, and one other woman, in particular. To me, that’s what makes a book feel complete. No matter how great a character is, if that’s all there is on the page, readers will eventually become bored.

What's the best piece of business advice you've been given?

The best piece of business advice I’ve ever been given is also one of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever been given. It was told to me by my boss in advertising. He’d given me a project. He wanted it done right, but he also wanted it done fast so we could bill the client.

He handed the folder to me and said:

“Kill it and bill it.”

Words to live by, my friends.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

Finishing the first draft, driving to this little cabin I have on a small lake, building a big bonfire, and getting absolutely wrecked.

As a writer, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

My ideal reader likes Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, but wishes there was a little more sex and violence on the page. They also have a good sense of humor, perhaps leaning slightly toward sarcasm. And they love reading about strong women.

From an artistic rather than financial perspective, what book do you wish you had written?

The Big Sleep or The Great Gatsby. Maybe I’ll combine the two: The Great Big Sleeping Gatsby.

Where do you find out about new books?

My current favourite is http://ebookbabe.com/. The Babe does not disappoint.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

Yes, the sequel to DEATH BY SARCASM, called MURDER WITH SARCASTIC INTENT, is just about ready. I’ve also got a Western coming out in the spring of 2012.

Dead Wood by Dani Amore
86p/99c
Amazon UK, Amazon US

Len Wanner interview: Dead Sharp

2011-09-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Dead Sharp by Len Wanner

A collection of interviews with nine Scottish crime writers

£5.99

Two Ravens Press

Since this is an ebook blog, first question has to be: what kind of relationship do you have with ebooks?

Nice – hit first and hit hard. Mr Guthrie, you gent, straight in there with a relationship question. Naughty. Right so, let's skip the foreplay!

My relationship with ebooks is that rarest of relationships shared by Catlic priests and their innocent flock. I believe in the redemptive power of ebooks. I believe in the spiritual rebirth of the e-published author. I believe in the e-publisher who takes a leap of faith on prodigal ebooks. And I believe in the rewards of impulsive indiscretions with that cheap and cheerful flock.

Can you sum up Dead Sharp in a paragraph?

When I started working on this collection of interviews with Scottish crime writers, I hoped it would allow writers and readers to sidestep today's marketing stampede. I've since come to think of Dead Sharp as nine sideways reflections on crime fiction, the books and everything it takes to get them written, retailed, and read.

But it's not for me to say I succeeded, so I'll refer you to David Corbett:

"Len Wanner is a gift to any serious writer, but especially contemporary crime writers, who see their genre not as some ghettoized backwater of the entertainment industry but the legitimate heir of the social and political novels that seem to have lost their caché in literary circles. Wanner understands that crime provides a unique and crucial perspective on the tensions not just between the individual and society but society and the state, tradition against change, wealth against poverty, conformity against liberation, as well as the ever-present corrupting influence of power. The writers he chooses to interview all share a critical eye of modernity and a commitment to literary skill. More importantly, he has that rare gift for not just putting them at ease but leading them into the thornier realms of creativity and contemplation, where the juices run dark and the questions often remain unanswered--but never unaddressed. The interviews are insightful gems, full of invention, wit and cleverness as well as the honesty and perceptiveness one expects from men and women whose job is to craft well-told tales. Wanner captures these writers at their best, lures them into unconventional terrain and obliges improvisation, with bracing results. You will have to look far and wide for any more interesting, informative and just plain engaging dialogues with writers than those Len Wanner provides here."

And yourself - who is Len Wanner?

Len Wanner was born in the alpine republic of Bavaria. Having graduated from University College Dublin and authored Dead Sharp: Scottish Crime Writers on Country and Craft, he currently lives with his lady friend in and out of the University of Edinburgh where he is patiently finishing a PhD on Scottish crime fiction and not so patiently awaiting royal patronage. In the meantime, he works as a freelance translator and editor of TheCrimeOfItAll.

Why the interest in Scottish crime fiction particularly?

Having grown up in Bavaria, I have a deep respect for any culture that celebrates masculinity by donning fetish wear.

I also have a deep respect for transgressive writing that is free of anti-intellectual bias and full of bile when it comes to the antics of the intelligentsia. There's a lot of that in Scotland. At its best, that kind of crime fiction is tempered by a self-deprecating sense of humour and tendered by a self-conscious sense of compassion. You tend to learn something about yourself while you're having a good time with those books.

But I think it's the Lederhosen/Kilt connection that got me into it.

How hard was it to choose which authors to include in the book?

As hard as Chinese arithmetic. I'd read the Paris Review Interviews, the two Badlands books by John Williams, and the two interview collections by Craig McDonald to get a sense of how your lineup can turn a short list of separate interviews into an extended conversation about a shared topic. So I had to hold off on including some of my personal favourites and well-known Scottish crime writers simply because their interviews didn't fit into the company of the final nine, never mind the space of 250 pages.

In short, I wanted to afford readers two equally rewarding reading experiences: Read one interview, go read a few of the interviewee's books, then continue accordingly with the other interviews, or read them all back to back. Either way, rather than concentrating on one area of 'Tartan Noir', you should get a comprehensive overview from these nine interviews, which is why I chose authors who would represent the diversity of sub-genres, styles, settings, themes, politics, aesthetics, and voices at work in Scotland today. Completing that overview would take another book length collection.

How much research did you do before interviewing the authors?

You're one of the interviewed authors, so perhaps you should be the judge of that. You or my legion of readers.

I'd like to think that I did the right kind of research to ask informed questions and still be intuitive in directing the interview when authors answered questions I never asked.

What research did I do? I watched every youtubed session of James Lipton having his wicked way Inside the Actors Studio. Then I gave up on linear biography questioning and discovered the art of interviewing in the afore-mentioned collections. As for the critical context, it certainly benefited my research that I've been doing a PhD on Scottish crime writing for the past three years. That and the fact that I like most of the fiction enough to read it in my spare time, so I'd read at least half their books before interviewing the nine authors.

But what really proved invaluable was reading some of the previous interviews each author had done. Sure, the odd time I found a question that was asking to be plagiarised, but more often than not I found out which questions not to ask. It pays to learn from others just how easily authors can be bored into some truly awful answers.

Putting you on the spot, but which interview was most fun?

Yours. But I won't go into it. A gentleman never tells.

What was the most surprising discovery you made during the interviews?

That everything can go wrong. Take Louise Welsh's interview: I'd read all her books and most of her previous interviews. I'd even prepared several lists of questions just in case I'd be struck down by jet lag Liptomania. Of course, I knew that doing the interview in Glasgow's college of art would test the mettle of even this man of chilled steel, but what I don't know is whether Miss Welsh put my hobo chic down to the occupational hazard of losing my way in the settings of her novels. I got there on time and in one piece, but the worse for wear after straying through a sweltering West End on the aggressive side of charming, and I'd hate to think she took my state as a comment on her work. In the end, she had the good grace to be more attentive to my questions than my grooming. My apologies for sweating on your parade, Louise.

Can you give me some tips on how to improve my interviews?

Well, as you know from having read my book, there's a short essay on interviewing in the back of Dead Sharp. That includes ten tips on how to improve anyone's interviews.

As for your interviews, I think you should always ask my favourite final question: "What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started writing?

Who would you most like to interview?

Bernard Pivot. Anyone who's watched Jimmy Lipton climax with his Proust Questionnaire knows that the man has a lot to answer for.

What's next?

The second volume of interviews with Scottish crime writers. I don't have a title yet, but I'm half way through the lineup and this much I can tell you: It's gonna be dead sharp.

Cheers, Len. Looking forward to chatting to you further next week.

***

Indeed, Len and myself will be 'in conversation' at a free event at Edinburgh University next Thursday, 22nd Sept. Details follow:

University of Edinburgh
Ground Floor Lecture Theatre

Hugh Robson Building

George Square

Thu 22nd Sept, 6.30pm-7.45pm

Join us for what promises to be a fun, eventful and informative evening in celebration of Scottish crime fiction as Len Wanner discusses his highly acclaimed collection of in-depth interviews with some of Tartan Noir's finest exponents, DEAD SHARP: SCOTTISH CRIME WRITERS ON COUNTRY AND CRAFT, with digital publisher, literary agent and award-winning crime novelist, Allan Guthrie.

Dead Sharp by Len Wanner

A collection of interviews with nine Scottish crime writers

£5.99

Two Ravens Press

Jim Winter interview: Road Rules

2011-09-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

Road Rules by Jim Winter
86p/99c

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook

Jim Winter works in the medical industry as a jack of all cybertrades. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Nita, and stepson, AJ. His book, Road Rules, is out now on Amazon, BN, and Smashwords.

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

The road trip to Hell starts with a stolen car. And ends in the garden of good and evil.

What was your motivation for writing it?

It started on a dare, actually.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

I love it when I finally get moving on a story and sometimes you have to tear yourself away from the keyboard. When you leave the computer grinning, you know the story’s coming along.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I prefer two kinds: The bleak kind, like Ken Bruen writes, and the sheer smart-ass crime fiction, like Stuart MacBride. Ken has a way of making you want to slit your wrists when you’re done with him, and then you can’t wait to take the ride again. Not to mention you can’t really tear yourself away from the poetry of his writing.

MacBride is just completely subversive, kind of like Ed McBain locked in a room with Monty Python. And the brilliance of it is MacBride has all these horrific crimes as his backdrop.

What was the last good eBook you read?

The Caretaker of Lorne Field, which is a horror novel by Dave Zeltserman. I love the way he ends it. You still don’t know if the whole thing is real or just a delusion.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

Mystic River. It’s just this big sprawling thing that squeezes everything out of its characters and setting.

What did you do before you became a writer?

I was an IT drone for an insurance company.

How old were you when you completed your first novel?

I finished the first draft of Northcoast Shakedown when I was 36. I got to call my mother about that a couple of months before she died, so that was a happy night.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

From an author standpoint, I’ve shifted into the 99 cent camp. A few writers I know have said they sold more and made more at that price than the equally popular $2.99 price. (Mind you, that might vary between countries.) As a reader, if it’s low enough, I’m likely to take advantage of Amazon’s one-click and make an impulse buy.

What are the biggest problems facing writers these days?

It wasn’t that long ago you knew what the rules were. You wrote a book, got an agent, and if you kept at it long enough, you got a contract. Now the rules seem to change almost weekly, and the big publishers haven’t got a clue. At least it’s not the recording industry. 12 years after Napster, and record companies still think everyone owes them a living. Publishing is at least trying. They’re falling down, but they’re trying.

What are the greatest opportunities facing writers these days?

For once, I think writers truly do own their own destinies. You don’t have this expensive middle man making your work too pricey to go independent. It’s no guarantee of success, but at least writers now have control.

Which author should be much better known?

Michael Lister

Do you read outside of the crime genre?

I read science fiction, history, some nonfiction. I avoid political screeds whenever possible.

Road Rules by Jim Winter
86p/99c

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook

Sample Sunday: Sonic Slammer

2011-09-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

To mark my prison novel Slammer's release to Kindle for 99p, I thought I'd have a stab at something new. So here's me reading a wee section, with a bit of musical accompaniment ('As I Figure' by Kevin MacLeod).

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Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Ray "Beast of Burden" Banks has provided ten cracking reasons to buy the book. If links could blush, this one would be scarlet.

I've also had a series of very generous reviews, for which, many thanks! Here are some of the highlights:

"Clever and engaging" -- The Crime of it All
"Cracking stuff" -- Daz's Short Book Reviews
"Mind-blowing tale" -- Midnight (Top 100 Amazon reviewer)
"Masterpiece of modern noir" -- Jay Stringer
"One of the best noir novels ever" -- Chris Rhatigan
"an amazing book" -- Heath Lowrance
"The reach and scope of the book is immense" -- Nigel Bird
"a brilliantly written, claustrophobic classic" -- Paul D Brazill
"top-notch noir from a favourite author"-- Lauren Winters
"tense, superbly written slice of desperate life" -- Dubin
"terrific Tartan noir" -- BookRambler

Hope you like the sound of it.

Slammer is available here for 99p.

Russel D McLean interview: The Death of Ronnie Sweets

2011-09-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Death of Ronnie Sweets (and Other Stories) by Russel D McLean

£2.17/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Russel D McLean has hung around the crime fiction scene for almost a decade now, working variously as an ezine editor, a reviewer, a bookseller and a general miscreant. He has written many short stories and more recently two PI novels set in the mean streets of Dundee, Scotland. Russel’s first novel, THE GOOD SON, was nominated for a Shamus award by the Private Eye writers of America.

How much difference does an editor make?

I worked with many different editors over the course of these stories depending on the market. Some of them did light edits, some did heavy. I learned the most working with Gerald So at Thrilling Detective on the story that would become LIKE A MATTER OF HONOUR; lots of bad habits were reformed on that particular story. And Linda Landrigan of Alfred Hitchcock’s really helped bring out WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR, a story that initially gave me great difficulty in writing. Basically, a good editor helps a writer refine what they’re doing. I don’t think any fiction is written in isolation. Although ultimately the voice has to be the authors, otherwise what’s the point?

Who designed your cover?

The brilliant JT Lindroos, who also designed the UK e-dition of THE GOOD SON. JT’s one of the best damn designers out there (as I’m sure you can testify, Mr Guthrie) and really seems to get to the essence of a brief, while delivering a few surprises along the way. With THE DEATH OF RONNIE SWEETS, we started with one idea and along the way JT threw this unexpected one into the mix that finally became my preferred design.

How important is a book's central character?

I like to tell very personal stories, so while my casts can be large, my protagonist is always the focal point. In this collection, we see a character evolve and change across multiple stories. Sam Bryson started as a bit of a cypher, an excuse to tell a Chandlerian story in Dundee, and across the stories he really developed a life and a voice all of his own.

What was the last good eBook you read?

I loved Gar Anthony Haywood’s short story collection, LYRICS FOR THE BLUES. The man can write, and of course we all know I’m a sucker for a good Eye story. The Aaron Gunner stories are lyrical, affecting and really do stay with you after you’ve finished reading them.

In fact, I’ve been reading a lot of collections digitally of late (call it research). Other favourites have been Steve Hockensmith’s DEAR MR HOLMES – he’s one of the funniest and most inventive crime writers I’ve read in a while – and Zoe Sharp’s FOX FIVE. Sharp is one of those writers who deserves to be doing far better; I adored her novels and loved these shorts.

In terms of full length novels, I’d have to say the most fun I’ve recently had, electronically speaking, was with Anthony Neil Smith’s twisted little e-xclusive, CHOKE ON YOUR LIES.

(Yeah, that was more than one book – so sue me, I read a hell of a lot!)

What makes you keep reading a book?

Voice. A plot that moves – ie, characters that actually do things rather than talk about doing them (a fast-moving plot doesn’t always mean gunplay and fisticuffs). Oh, and characters who are deeply, deeply flawed. I get very irritated with perfect people.

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

An apropos question, considering I’m here to push a collection of shorts…

I only started reading collections in recent years, so I’m not an expert, but there are two that I always talk about when people mention short story collections.

There’s the Megan Abbott-edited HELL OF A WOMAN (from the magnificent Busted Flush Press) which contained some of the finest and most consistent writing I’d found in a multi-author volume.

And Vicki Hendricks’s FLORIDA GOTHIC STORIES was one of the most haunting and beautiful single author collections I think I’ve read in years.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

I think a balance needs to be struck. To charge over £10 or $10 for an ebook is insanity. But at the same time I think a blanket 99p/99c policy is maybe equally insane. I’m experimenting with pricing on those books I have control over (some of my ebooks are controlled by publishers, others I own the rights to) and seeing if I can find a comfortable middle ground but knowing that I want to keep the books affordable. Basically, they need to be cheaper than physical books, and yet they still need to be enough that the writer is paid. Right now, the thing to remember about ebooks is this:

No one knows anything.

Of course, in publishing it was always thus.

How do you feel about anyone being able to publish?

It’s great for authors who can bring deserving works back into print, or authors who are ready to be published (and everyone knows it) but for one reason or another have no other way to get out there. It’s also great for writers of short collections. It’s a fantastic opportunity to find and continue to promote talent that otherwise might have drifted into the forgotten places.

However, some people are going to be trying to run before they can walk (ouch, what a cliché!). Some people who should never be writing are going to be pushing crap down reader’s throats and believe they have every right to do so. And some people who could mature into great writers if only they had a few suggestions, edits and nudges, are going to be unable to learn from the ego-crushing experience that I believe all writers should experience.

Because, honestly, I believe that rejection made me a better writer. And I’d cringe if some of those early attempts at novels had made it out there (at least in the state they were in then).

All of which is a rambling way of saying that the current e-model free-for-all can be both a blessing and a curse. Which maybe isn’t much of an answer, but it’s the best I got.

The Death of Ronnie Sweets (and Other Stories) by Russel D McLean

£2.17/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Timothy Hallinan interview: Little Elvises

2011-08-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Little Elvises by Timothy Hallinan
£2.13/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Timothy Hallinan, both Edgar- and Macavity-award nominated in 2011, is the author of the Poke Rafferty Bangkok thrillers and the Junior Bender Mysteries. This year, he conceived and edited an ebook of original short stories by 20 well-known mystery authors, SHAKEN: STORIES FOR JAPAN, with 100% of the price going to Japanese disaster relief. His most recent book is the Junior Bender ebook, LITTLE ELVISES.

Can you sum up LITTLE ELVISES in no more than 25 words?

A thriller with a laugh track, set in Los Angeles, with roots in the 1960s imitation Elvises. Almost everyone, including the hero, is a crook.

What was your motivation for writing it?

I wanted to make myself laugh, for one thing. The first-person narrator of this series, Junior Bender (I didn't know—until Zoë Sharp told me—what “Bender” means in British slang), is a burglar who moonlights as a private eye for crooks. Junior operates on a moral scale that interests and amuses me. He's a career criminal, but he's also an unhappily divorced man who worships his daughter, and—within broad limits—he always keeps his word. Junior's voice was in my ear the entire time I wrote the book.

Also, I always found the Little Elvises, most of whom had careers that could be measured in months, both funny and sad, which I think is a great combination.

How long did it take you to write?

Seven weeks to a full first draft, because once Junior starts, he won't let go of me. I wrote the first book about him, CRASHED, in five weeks, which is the fastest ever for me.

How important is a book's central character?

It's pretty close to everything, especially when that character is written in first person. He/she is the reader's guide and companion. If the reader doesn't want to hang around with the central character—well, there are a lot of other books out there.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

Finishing.

Ever tried your hand at screenwriting?

When my first series of books came out, in the 1990s, I got a call from a very big producer, who shall remain nameless, asking whether I'd like to make obscene amounts of money as a dialogue doctor. I said yes and got a script someone had obviously slaved over for God only knows how long along with a bunch of notes about how to make some scenes stronger. The dominant voice in this process undoubtedly belonged either to the lead actor or his agent, because over and over again, I was instructed to give him the closing line in a scene, and make it a grand slam. I was also, for two scenes, asked to give him a specific number of additional words – say, 48. That drove me crazy until I counted the words for him and the other actor/actress in each scene and learned that 48 new words would give that character one more word in the scene than the other character had.

I sent the script back and begged off.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

I'm most of the way through the fifth Poke Rafferty Bangkok thriller, THE FEAR ARTIST, and I've got about 20,000 words on the next Junior, MUTHER'S DAY. And I get up every day full of anxiety about whether the day's work will be any good and also thrilled silly that I get to do this for a living.

Little Elvises by Timothy Hallinan
£2.13/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Brian Lindenmuth interview: Snubnose Press

2011-08-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

Brian Lindenmuth is the editor of Snubnose press and the non-fiction editor of Spinetingler Magazine. In addition to Spinetingler his work has appeared in Crimespree Magazine and at Galleycat and the Mulholland Books websites.

Can you provide an overview of Snubnose Press?

Snubnose Press is the newly formed ebook imprint of Spinetingler Magazine. Spinetingler has been around since 2005. We have a long history of publishing short fiction from new, established and emerging writers. Spinetingler is also a paying short story market. Snubnose will be an ebook extension of that ethos focusing on longer works of fiction.

Why become a publisher?

Why not?

Because it's the next logical step for us and we've wanted to for years now. Years ago, when Spinetingler was under different ownership for a bit, we had wanted to get into publishing and had many discussions. Around that time we had talked about getting into the limited editions market for example. Start-up costs were always an issue and e-publishing has lowered the bar of monetary start-up costs enough to enable us to seriously move forward with what we wanted to do all along.

Plus, because of our involvement with the community and we have friends who are writers we know that there are a lot of really great writers out there and a lot of great manuscripts.

Who's involved?

Jack Getze, Sandra Ruttan and myself. Our logo and the cover for Keith Rawson's upcoming short story collection were designed by Ben Springer (aka Poker Ben). Boden Steiner, who did the cover for Speedloader, is our Art Director.

Who chose the name?

I did and pitched it to the others. Everyone liked it so we took the ball and ran with it. It felt right once it was there.

How do you decide which titles to publish?

We use some of the minor thaumaturgical methods outlined in Agrippa's De Occulta Philosophia libri III combined with a workforce that includes the friends of our children.

How many titles are you planning on publishing?

For the rest of 2011 we will be publishing about a book a month. We would like to maintain the same pace in 2012 but obviously that will be determined by the submissions we receive.

How did you decide on your contract terms (which are incredibly generous!)?

The core group of owners of Spinetingler and Snubnose are Jack, Sandra and myself. Two of that group are writers who have had various ... interesting ... adventures with traditional publishers. So we wanted to be generous to writers. Also, there is a practical side to generosity that I would be remiss in not mentioning. It is very easy for authors to self-publish their work these days. So we put together what we think is a good package: generous contract, an art director, an editorial staff (that have reps for being tough) and an established marketing platform.

How much editorial input do you have in your titles?

Mo the one-eyed cat makes all the tough decisions.

What are your marketing strengths?

We are established within the mystery and crime fiction community. The Spinetingler name carries with it some level of quality assurance. We have well established ties and friendships within the business. That's just to start. That's just the folks we know. We want to move beyond the groups and circles that get created over time (and can calcify) and find new groups of readers. The internet has created a new tribalism that we sometimes aren't aware of. It's of the utmost importance to work your base AND find new people to connect with.

Tell us about your launch title, Speedloader.

Speedloader is an anthology of six short stories that can be classified as dark crime fiction by new and emerging writers. One of the stories, Plastic Soldiers by WD County is one of the darkest stories I've ever read. Nik Korpon's story about drug addicts in Baltimore uses an economy of words to get to the heart of a personal and moral dilemma. Nigel Birds story shows what small crimes can be lost in larger ones. Richard Thomas's story explores the heart of an alcoholic's slide. Matthew Funk's story takes the reader and his everyman protagonist on a nighttime hell ride. Jonathan Wood's story is a revenge epic written in miniature.

All of the writing in Speedloader is top shelf and our goal is to have future Speedloader installments.

What else do you have coming up that you can tell us about?

Our lineup for the rest of the year includes the short story collections Monkey Justice by Patti Abbott, The Chaos we Know by Keith Rawson and Gumbo Ya-Ya by Les Edgerton. The novel Harvest of Ruins by Sandra Ruttan. And the revenge novella Dig Two Graves by Eric Beetner. We are actively negotiating on a few other titles, one of which is so experimental that it probably proves the need for small presses.

How important is digital in relation to paper?

Well, it's a game changer. As a reader I love my Kindle and do a lot of my reading on it. As an editor I love being able to send submissions to my Kindle and make motes on a manuscript. As the husband of an author I've seen the benefit of being able to e-publish out of print back list titles. I've also seen the success that others that I know have had.

There has also been a huge rise this year in e-publishers.

Like all transitional periods though I don't wish to speculate too much because I can't predict the future. I'm enjoying the ride though.

What are your thoughts on eBook pricing?

They have been all over the place. As a reader I've bought my fair share of cheap ebooks, some of which still remain unread, and I've bought higher priced ebooks from traditional publishers. I used to think that ultra cheap was the way to go but now I'm not so sure.

In general (for right now) here is my pricing philosophy.

Something like Speedloader (6 stories) is good at .99c.

A short story collection or a larger anthology should be $2.99

Novellas should be $2.99

Novels should be in the $2.99-$4.99 range.

I don't think a universal sweet spot has been found yet because where the rubber meets the road for a title varies for each book so the most important thing that this whole epublishing enterprise has allowed is flexibility. We can release at one price and play around until we find the right one. It's a great theoretical argument but ultimately it's going to be like that old saying that all politics is local. We’re going to work hard to find the right price that fills the most potholes on as many streets as possible.

How much difference does a good cover make?

People say don't judge a book by its cover and, broadly speaking, that may be true. If we are being honest this proves to be a falsehood, especially at the extremes. A terrible cover immediately sounds a false note, repelling the reader, and a great cover may not guarantee a sale or a great read but it will make a reader stop and take notice. That's nothing to take lightly. And when the content of the book is as great as the cover, that's special.

Boden worked his ass off and gave us a great and special cover for Speedloader. The designs and variations that hit the cutting room floor would make great covers in their own right. He worked tirelessly to make the cover as great as possible and the final result speaks for itself.

It seems to me that in the e-book age cover artists aren't getting the props they deserve. To fix this we want to make sure that everyone knows who does our covers because we are proud to show off his work and we want to make sure his name rings as loud as it should.

Clearly the cover game is changing and it is one of the many interesting facets of this whole evolution to watch. Just a couple of examples. How important are cover blurbs on an ebook? With the reduced size, how much emphasis should be put on font size?

You've been getting some reader feedback already, in relation to the cover for Sandra Ruttan's HARVEST OF RUINS. Is this kind of interaction something we're likely to see more of?

In some form. We want to make sure the reader is involved because...why not. The Harvest cover thing actually evolved. There were a few cover choices and both Sandra and I were debating which one we liked best. I then decided to show the cover selections to some co-workers of mine. Some people who are readers and book buyers but aren't a part of the online community. They all chose the same cover and it was different than the one that I liked. So the idea of soliciting feedback from readers in the community came from there.

How important is a good title?

As an editor one of the things that I realize I am thinking about when I'm reading submissions is the length of the title. If ebook covers are generally viewed at a thumbnail size then a title with seven or eight words isn't going to work as well as a title with three words. Speedloader is one word and ties in thematically with the Snubnose name and the amount of stories.

What aspects of marketing do you enjoy?

Meeting new people and being introduced to new blogs and sites. There also is some joy to be had in seeing something you had a hand in making being recognized and talked about. I love talking books.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I prefer darker types of fiction. I want to be gutted, it is a rare emotion but an attainable one.

As a publisher, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

Someone with an open mind. Someone willing to say ‘yeah, that sounds interesting’.

What was the last good eBook you read?

The great thing about these evolving times is that that question can mean so many things. Fuck a good book. How about great ones?

How about a book that was self-published by the author - Angela Choi's debut novel, Hello Kitty Must Die, came out last year from Tyrus and she self-published her second novel earlier this year. It's called Apologies Not Included and is dark and twisted in the best possible way. I think that female writers are writing some of the best psycho-noirs out there and are really pushing the boundaries of what that form can be and do.

How about a backlist title from an established author - I finally had a chance to read Hoodtown by Christa Faust, which is a great example of a mid-list writer being able to bring out an older title. It's probably one of the best books I've read all year.

How about an ebook by an epublisher - Frank Sinatra in a Blender by Matthew McBride from Concord ePress is a darkly funny book that a traditional publisher may not have been interested in.

How about a novella that was released online serially - Pablo D'Stair's novella This letter to Norman Court was serialized over community blogs and sites and is now available in its entirety for free from Smashwords.

Or a novel (I’m assuming) released serially by an established crime writer – Ken Bruen’s Black Lens has been coming out in weekly installments over at the Mulholland Books website.

What are you reading now?

I've always got my fingers in multiple pies so: manuscripts; Pulp Ink; The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey; Just Like That by Les Edgerton; Wild at Heart by Barry Gifford; God's War by Kameron Hurley; 99 Days by Matteo Casali & Kristian Donaldson and finally Novahead by Steve Aylett

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

The death of Newton Thornburg in May really struck me. For such a great writer to die in relative obscurity and for his death to go unnoticed was a tragedy. His novel Cutter & Bone remains a favorite (and the movie, Cutter's Way that was based on it) and with his death I feel a strong urge to read it again.

Who's your favourite living writer?

Will my wife kill me if I don't say her :) So the question becomes who is my second favorite writer which as you know is a very tough question. James Sallis maybe.

What makes you keep reading a book?

Short chapters. Kidding. Kind of.

Years ago I tried to quantify what constitutes a great book for me and the best that I could do was to imagine a three circle Venn diagram with the three circles representing character, writing and story and my favorites resting somewhere in the intersection of the three.

What makes a book sell?

Word of mouth and coverage. Then sales beget more sales and eventually, at some point sales can become a kind of self-sustaining feedback loop.

How do you create 'word of mouth'?

Get the book into readers hands. People can’t talk about it if they haven’t heard of it and read it. For Speedloader that meant putting it in the hands of the best online writers, our friends and people we have developed relationships with over the years. Also, no gun. What I mean is that when I sent the books out I didn't pressure anyone for a review or coverage in a timely manner. I've been a reviewer for too long to understand that increased publicist pressure doesn't work and can be a turn off. So put the book in folks hands and let it go from there. You also need to make a diligent effort to reach blogs and sites that may be interested and that are outside your normal community. Find new people, put the book in their hands, let them tell their people.

You’ve been telling people for awhile now about not preaching to the choir. That is in my DNA. For years I was the mystery and crime reviewer at a SF/F site. I’ve had people say to me why would you do that. Because it was the best place to be and I probably sold more books for authors than anybody else because the audience I was writing for wasn’t aware of the authors I was writing about.

Years ago Richard Pryor infamously set himself on fire in a drug-induced psychosis and ran down a California street in what is now known as the "freebasing incident". The police officer who finally subdued him said that Pryor was lucid and kept saying "if I stop I'll die". That's a phrase that has always stuck with me. You cannot rest on laurels and past accomplishments and what happened yesterday has no bearing on what will happen tomorrow. Keep working the shit out of it, in other words.

How do you feel about writers self-publishing?

On one hand you have my wife who has self-published a back list title. You have found success with it and friends have found success as well. I think the stigma that once was there isn't there in the same way. On the other hand you have The Greek Seaman.

Which author should be much better known?

There are a lot but I don’t like wishy-washy answers that evade the question so I’ll say… Lynn Kostoff, and hopefully that happened last year and the increased coverage of Late Rain (as compared to his previous novels).

If someone's reading this who has a project that might be a good fit for you, how would you prefer them to go about submitting it?

Our guidelines can be found here. Bottom line is to send us an email to snubnosepress@gmail.com

Keith Rawson interview: The Chaos We Know

2011-08-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Chaos We Know by Keith Rawson

£1.71/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Keith Rawson is a little-known pulp writer who lives in the alkaline desert waste of southern Arizona with his wife and very energetic daughter. His stories, poems, interviews, reviews, and essays have appeared in such publications as Plots with Guns, Needle Magazine, Out of the Gutter, the Lineup, CrimeWav.com, Powder Burn Flash, A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp and many others. He is a staff writer for Spinetingler and publisher of Crimefactory magazine.

Can you sum up The Choas We Know in no more than 25 words?

Nasty, trangressive pieces of hard-boiled dirt

What was your motivation for writing it?

I just write. I can’t stop myself anymore. Seriously, I’ve tried to kill it but it won’t go away.

How long did it take you to write?

Well, since The Choas We Know is a short story collection, it’s about a quarter of my output for the past 4 years. It’s a combination reprint/out of print/never before published collection. There’s a ton of new material slated for upcoming anthologies and online/print magazines that I wanted to include, but I figured the editors I’m working with on those projects would most likely kick my ass if I did.

How much difference does an editor make?

A HUGE difference. A good editor makes you see things in a different light even if you initially don’t like the changes they want you to make. Believe it or not, probably my most effective editor has been my friend Kieran Shea (co-editor of the upcoming anthology, D*CKED, and all around talented mother fucker.) Shea is such a perfectionist with his own work that he demands the same from the people who are writing for him.

Sure, I wanted to kick his ass a little (just a little) when he came back with the edits for my story in D*CKED, but in the long run it made the story so much better.

Brian Lindenmuth is also a HUGE asshole of an editor, but he’s one of the few guys who I know won’t blow smoke up my ass about a story.

Who designed your cover?

Mr. Ben Springer ( @pokerben on the Twitters, you should follow him)

How much difference does a good cover make?

On a personal level, not all that much. Of course, I buy a ton of books and the book description and premise mean much more to me than the cover. But for most book buyers, I guess a solid cover makes a difference. But, seriously, who the fuck buys a book solely for the cover and without reading the premise first? (and this is by no means a shot at cover designers like Boden Steiner, Ben or John Hornor Jacobs, all of these guys are doing some important work)

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

Write one thing at a time. This was advice I was given a long time ago and I heeded it near religiously up until this past year. I don’t know if it had to do with some big life changes I was going through or if I was just bored with what I was writing? But for the first six months of the year I was juggling three lengthy projects, plus taking on more than a few short stories.

Finally I just had to give myself a break from writing before I permanently burnt myself out. Now I’m back to being focused on a single project with a short story or two thrown in there keep the voice fresh.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

I love plotting. I love coming up with what motivates a character or group of characters. I love coming up with the meat of a story and putting it down on paper. I hate endings, though. When I’m plotting I can see the entire picture except for the end. I don’t know if this is because I like to keep it a surprise when I’m writing it or if it’s my creative blindspot.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

Pretty much all of it.

A few years ago I discovered I was adept at the marketing side of publishing. I love being able to spot trends and then learn how to exploit them. I love coming up with strategies to help push sales and interest. I don’t really know if anyone is paying attention to what I have to say, or cares, but much like my writing, you can take it or leave it, because I’m going to write what I want and market it the way I want.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I like my crime fiction much like my women and coffee: Dirty, violent, funny. How can a cup of coffee be funny? Well, your woman can dump it in your lap, break your nose with the mug, and then laugh hysterically while you hop around the kitchen with your crotch on fire and trying to stanch the flow of blood gushing from your nose.

Ah, my 5th wedding anniversary, I remember it like it was yesterday.

What was the last good eBook you read?

I’m reading Harvest of Ruins by Sandra Ruttan right now and like Sandra’s past novels, I’m really enjoying the hell out of it. She has a gift when it comes to writing a procedural.

What crime book are you most looking forward to reading?

Uuuummm, all of them.

Like most fans of crime fiction I’m omnivorous, I more or less want to read every book that comes out, but being on a limited book budget, I, of course, have to pick and choose. So if I had to narrow it down here’s a breakdown: Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill, (Yeah, I’ve already read it months ago, but I’m still going to buy it.) The Cut by Pelecanos and The Drop by Connelly (what can I say, I like my big blockbuster books) The Killer is Dying by James Sallis (reading it right now to prep for an interview with him on August 18th, but once again I’ll still buy it) The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell (Same thing as Sallis, but once again I’ll buy it because, hey, I’m a sucker like that.) So that wraps up this month…

I’m also really looking forward to Duane Swierczynski’s next Charlie Hardie novel, Hell & Gone, and Charlie Stella’s next novel from Stark House… Yeah, I read way too fucking much.

What are you reading now?

My “just for fun” read is Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs. Great supernatural southern gothic, it’s a ton of fun.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

Probably The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale. Great novel that I haven’t read in close to ten years.

Who's your favourite living writer?

That one flip flops for me on a yearly basis, but this year it’s Lansdale. I went on a binge of re-reading Lansdale after finishing off his latest Hap & Leonard novel, Devil Red. I think the most important thing about Lansdale for me is his control of the BIG voice. The natural storytelling voice that I think most writers possess but either choose to ignore or convolute due to market concerns

From an artistic rather than financial perspective, what book do you wish you had written?

The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy. I love all of that conspiracy stuff like a fat kid loves anything he can fit in his mouth.

What did you do before you became a writer?

Everything. I worked as a busboy, a fry cook, a bartender, a gas jockey (being a gas station attendant, believe it or not, is still the favourite of my old jobs. I worked graveyard shift, so I spent a good portion of the night doing nothing but reading.) staff at a group home, manager of a day program for the developmentally disabled, a college enrolment advisor, and now I work as a social media manager

Where do you find out about new books?

The blogs mostly. I’m a big fan of Patti Abbott’s forgotten books Friday, plus blogs and sites like Hardboiled Wonderland, Pulp Serenade, Bookgasm, etc.,

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

I’m still a big fan of Hemingway’s Men Without Women. I also love Hubert Selby’s Song of the Silent Snow. Of course, Selby is one of my cornerstone authors, so I pretty much love everything he put down on paper,

What are your views on eBook pricing?

Nothing should be priced under $2.99 unless it’s a short story single, otherwise all you’re doing is shooting yourself in the ass. Yeah, you might gain a wider circulation (and that’s a big maybe for most writers), but when you price yourself at 99 cents you’re not only cheapening all of your hard work, but you’re making jack shit on the money end to boot.

I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, but with all of the writing I do, I’d like to make a little money at it

What are the biggest problems facing writers these days?

Developing an audience and making money off your writing. Developing an audience isn’t hard per se, you just have to remain persistent and publish regularly, but the tough part is taking that audience and convincing them to buy what you’re selling, especially if you developed your audience online through the zines where you’ve been giving your writing away for years.

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

I love it and hate it. I love it because you run across little gems like Josh Stallings first novel, Beautiful, Naked, & Dead or Witness to Death by Dave White. But then you get….well, quite a bit of stuff that should have never left the writer’s hard drive.

Which author should be much better known?

Shit, all of us…. But if I had to narrow it down, I think it’s about time Ray Banks got more than a little exposure. Same with Victor Gischler, Neil Smith, Scott Phillips, Stephen Graham Jones…Really, there are way too many to name.

What's the book you've recommended most to friends?

The Song is You by Megan Abbott and Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Do you enjoy writing?

When the words are really working me, I love it. But when I have to work the words, I fucking hate it with a blinding passion

Do you enjoy the editorial process?

Does anyone? Next Question!

What's the oddest question you've been asked in an interview?

It wasn’t so much odd as condescending and from an interview I abandoned after the first two questions.

Quick piece of advice to writers who would like to start interviewing other authors from a guy who’s done a lot of them: Remember interviews aren’t about YOU they’re about your subject.

How do you feel about reviews?

I love ‘em, I write tons of them and enjoy reading them.

How do you feel about awards?

I’ll never win one

The Chaos We Know by Keith Rawson

£1.71/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Zoe Sharp interview: Fox Five

2011-08-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

FOX FIVE: a Charlie Fox short story collection by Zoë Sharp

Introductory offer price £0.86/$1.49

Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com

Zoë Sharp opted out of mainstream education at the age of twelve and wrote her first novel at fifteen. When she isn’t writing about her ex-army bodyguard heroine, Charlie Fox, Sharp is usually hanging out of moving vehicles with a camera, or doing house construction. She is a member of the Murderati blogsite (http://www.murderati.com), and part of the Hardboiled Collective.

http://www.zoesharp.com

What was your motivation for writing Fox Five?

I realised I had four existing short stories featuring Charlie Fox that spanned her career from back when she was still teaching self-defence in a northern UK town, right up to her present career in close protection. The rapidly expanding market in eBooks gave me the chance to gather them up, together with a brand new 12,000-word story, intros and other bonus material like a Meet Charlie Fox section, with the hope both of delighting existing readers and introducing the character to new ones.

Who designed your cover?

This was done by a very talented graphic designer, Jane Hudson at NuDesign. I think she’s really caught the feel of Charlie with this. She’s also done the eBook covers for the first five early books in the series. It was great to have the opportunity to sit down and watch a real artist at work, and to develop a really strong series identity.

What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

Probably ‘having written’ rather than the actual writing, which can be a frustrating, exhausting, mind-sweat slog – at least if you care about it being right. But I do love getting it to all hang together, when the story seems to take on a life of its own and the strands weave together more tightly. I outline a lot before I begin, but this doesn’t make the story stale for me. If I know the route I can enjoy the journey rather than worry about getting lost. I plan the major events of the plot, but not the reactions of the characters to those events. They surprise me as they go, and that’s a pretty good part of it, too.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

Two pieces of advice spring to mind. The first I know came from Stephen King’s ON WRITING memoir – ‘read, read, read, write, write, write’. There’s no substitute for it. And the second – can’t remember where this came from, but I have it as my screensaver – is ‘GET ON WITH IT’.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

Getting out there and actually talking to people – doing bookstore and library events, and festival and conventions. Which is a shame, really, because more and more the publicity side of this business is being done via the internet. Now I can do an interview slobbing around in my PJs (if I wore any) rather than having an excuse to dress up ;-] OK, TMI, I know . . .

As a writer, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

Hmm, this is a good question, because mainly I write to please myself. I wanted to read about a strong female protagonist who wasn’t a caricature, but I couldn’t find one that satisfied me, so I set about writing my own. However, I realise that there aren’t too many people exactly like me (which, let’s face it, is probably a good thing) so I’m hoping to appeal to all readers who enjoy action with a human touch. I hope fans of Lee Child’s Reacher would also enjoy Charlie Fox.

What did you do before you became a writer?

I can’t really remember a time before I was a writer. Probably just loafed, I suppose. I have always written to one degree or another, finishing my first novel at fifteen. It did the rounds and received what are known in the trade as ‘rave rejections’, but at that age one is easily discouraged. I tried my hand at non-fiction instead, working as a freelance photo-journalist. This teaches you a LOT about the craft – how to write to topic, to length, to deadline, and not to be too precious about it if a sub rips your deathless prose to bits to make it fit the page layout. The photography side of it teaches you to really LOOK at what’s around you, and to capture a flavour, an essence, in a single frame.

What makes you keep reading a book?

Voice, character, pace, story. I love books that lose me a night’s sleep because I just can’t put the damn thing down, where the story is not obvious but doesn’t present impossible puzzles with implausible solutions. And, for some reason, I’ve found since I bought a Kindle that a book has to work just that little bit harder to hold my attention. Maybe it’s because I can’t gauge the length of it as easily, and I can’t just flick forwards to see how many pages to the end of the next chapter.

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

I still really like Jeffery Deaver’s TWISTED. Every story grips you and because it’s an anthology from a single author, the voice and the quality is consistent all the way through, which can sometimes be an issue with collaborative efforts. I also like single-character anthologies, like the ones done by Leslie Charteris featuring Simon Templar, The Saint. They’re little brain-snacks of your favourite character, rather than a full sit-down meal.

What's the book you've recommended most to friends?

Strangely enough, it’s a non-fiction book by motorcycle journalist Dan Walsh, called THESE ARE THE DAYS THAT MUST HAPPEN TO YOU. Walsh is a mad Mancunian, who set off to ride around Africa – way before Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman – and then down through the Americas, with no prep and very little backup. He’s a prose poet, and his stuff is compulsively, beautifully readable.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

Yes. But that, as they say, is another story . . .

Kent Harrington interview: Red Jungle

2011-08-19T01:13:00.000-07:00

Red Jungle by Kent Harrington

£2.14/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Kent Harrington was born in San Francisco. He attended San Francisco State University and received a degree in Spanish Literature. He lives in Northern California.

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

Red Jungle is about the effects of neo-colonialism on Guatemala and the effects of a murder on the life of one man and his family.

What was your motivation for writing it?

I had wanted to tell my family’s story because I thought it also said a lot about the nature of Guatemalan politics and history. We go way back there on my mother’s side having arrived as a foot soldier with Pedro Alvarado.

How long did it take you to write?

The book took about 18 months or so. I started it there in Guatemala.

How much difference does an editor make?

A lot of difference. I had one of the best in Dennis Mcmillan and still use him even though DMP is now out of business. A good editor has to be a psychiatrist.

Who designed your cover?

I designed the Red Jungle cover because I decided I didn’t like the cover that DMP was going to use. I took the photo used on the cover of the first edition with a throwaway camera no less! It’s a photo from atop a pyramid at Tikal.

How much difference does a good cover make?

It makes all the difference, I think. Or at least I used to think that. They say now with eBooks, covers don’t matter. I doubt that is true. The first impression a reader has of your work is the cover. In my opinion, the cover has to reflect your POV as an artist. And, too, the cover is part of the entertainment value of a book.

How important is a good title?

It’s the same for titles as it is for covers, only perhaps more so, because they have to speak to the reader’s subconscious. A title almost has to conjure up something in us. It has to work like a good poem works too. In other words, like a poem, a good title works via sound too. It has to sound good.

How important is a book's central character?

Good question. I think that, normally, it’s everything. I wrote a comedy called Lola Knows Best and it was a shared stage, so maybe there it wasn’t as important. But generally speaking, your protagonist – he or she or it—better be damn engaging or you’re screwed.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

I think it was from a movie writer ironically: “get into the scene late and leave early.”

What's the best piece of business advice you've been given?

Tell them to send the money! In Hollywood they always want to somehow delay payment. In the novel business there was never much money to begin with, but it’s always good to remember that as a professional you want to be paid—just like the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

I love going through at the end and adding what I call language sparkles here and there. That’s something that I enjoy because during the first and second drafts you have to worry about the big picture and not the details or you will NEVER finish a novel.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

My strength is I let the characters tell me their story. My weakness is that I let the characters tell me their story.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

I love to meet fans one-on-one at a book store. They are always so gracious and sweet to me. And when they tell me that I’ve given them a bit a pleasure in life, that to me is more important than any money or critical praise. When you hear praise from a fan it just means the world. I hope the bookstore never dies! Sometimes when things are going badly with work, I remember how important it is to get it perfect, because I want that fan to walk up to me and say it was good.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I tend to enjoy the old school third person style. I find that first person narrative limiting both as a writer and a reader. If it’s a good yarn, I’ll enjoy it.

As a writer, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

Eclectic. I don’t want readers to like just my type of book! What kind of world would that be? No, eclectic.

What was the last good eBook you read?

I have not read any eBooks except my own to make sure there were no mistakes in the transfer. It’s only because – and especially lately – I like to get away from the computer screen when I’m reading because I use the computer so much when I’m working! It’s not a comment on eBooks. I plan on taking an eBook reader on my next trip as I can no longer carry five books around on vacation like I used to. There is a place for both.

What crime book are you most looking forward to reading?

Right now The Talented Mr. Ripley by Highsmith. I really want to read the whole Ripley series. I loved the movie and want to read it on my next vacation—really, really do.

What are you reading now?

Right now, because I’m in the middle of a novel, I read mostly non-fiction. I’m reading V.S. Naipaul’s An Area of Darkness and enjoying it. The first chapter is funny.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

Madam Bovary without question. It’s been on my mind. I’d like to adapt it for film. That would be fun.

From an artistic rather than financial perspective, what book do you wish you had written?

The Comedians by Greene. What a book! It’s been forgotten here in the States but I re- read it and it’s a masterpiece. Truly is.

What did you do before you became a writer?

I was a day laborer. A carpenter. A teacher, and a busboy. I’ve had lots of jobs, some dangerous, and they were good for a crime writer to have had.

How old were you when you completed your first novel?

I was 25. The novel was no good. However, the discipline it took to finish it was pivotal to the direction my life was to take.

What makes you keep reading a book?

I have to care about what’s going to happen. It’s very simple, if I don’t care I put it down. There has to be a strong narrative element, as well as good characters, obviously.

What do you look for in a good book?

I want to be entertained and transported hopefully to some place or situation I’ve not experienced and that intrigues me. It’s why I like Jane Austen, precisely because I couldn’t experience that world any other way!

Where do you find out about new books?

Usually from good friends. Dennis Mcmillan is always calling me about something. I love it when he calls about books. He’s encyclopaedic about crime fiction.

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

Ernest Hemingway’s First 40 Stories or something like that. I loved those stories and it was those stories that made me want to be a writer when I was just thirteen.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

It seems that there is a great deflation, driven by the flood of eBooks that are being released on the Amazon platform. I don’t think that will last. Prices will stabalize for eBooks ultimately. Readers will be willing to pay a fair price, say between 4 or 5 dollars, for eBooks from a good author they really enjoy.

What are the biggest problems facing writers these days?

The above issue of price. Again, I think readers are learning that just because it’s cheap doesn’t make it worth buying.

Ever tried your hand at screenwriting?

Yes. I’ve written the script for Dia De Los Muertos, which is in development with Danny Huston directing. I’ve written original screenplays too, as well as adaptations of my novels.

Do you read outside of the crime genre?

Yes, quite a bit. I love history and recently, because of the novel I’ve been working on, have had to do a lot of research, which I enjoyed a great deal. I’m a bookworm at heart.

What was your favourite book as a child?

The Cat And The Hat Comes Back. I used to read it about once a day when I was about six.

Do you enjoy writing?

I love it. There is nothing I love more than putting a sentence together.

Do you enjoy the editorial process?

No, because it makes me nervous. I get anxious unless I know the editor very well. People who don’t know you are often too quick to dismiss things that are, in fact, important about your work.

What's the oddest question you've been asked in an interview?

Had I ever screwed while riding a bicycle. Honest. It was asked at a bookstore. Funny!

How do you feel about reviews?

I don’t pay them much attention—good or bad. That’s some more good advice I got when starting out.

Huston told me that his grandfather (Walter Huston) had sunk all his money in a play that went bust. When Walter had to act the last scene of Treasure of Sierra Madre where he cries and stomps around, he just recalled his bad reviews for that play, and all the money he’d lost!

How do you feel about awards?

I’ve never gotten any, so I’ve no opinion!

Do you have any other projects on the go?

Yes a novel called .....

Red Jungle by Kent Harrington

£2.14/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Pulp Ink: Openings

2011-08-18T02:47:00.000-07:00

Pulp Ink edited by Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan

£1.71/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

PULP INK is the bizarre, chaotic side of crime fiction. From an ass-kicking surfer on acid to an idiot savant hitboy, these tales are dark, funny, action-packed and told with all the gleeful insanity of a Tarantino flick.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll roll into the fetal position and beg for mercy.

So sit back. Pour yourself a cup of joe, crack a beer, tie off – whatever you need to get comfortable – and get ready for a dose after dose of pulp action.

With stories by:
Allan Guthrie, Reed Farrel Coleman, Gary Phillips, Hilary Davidson, Matthew C. Funk, Paul D. Brazill, AJ Hayes, Michael J. Solender, Richard Godwin, Naomi Johnson, Jimmy Callaway, Sandra Seamans, Patti Abbott, Jodi MacArthur, David Cranmer, Chris F. Holm, Jason Duke, Eric Beetner, Ian Ayris, Kate Horsley, Matt Lavin, Jim Harrington, Nigel Bird, Chris Rhatigan

Requiem for Spider by Reed Farrel Coleman
Her heart was lonelier than Sergeant Pepper’s and the whole fucking band. I could see that from across the bar, not that across the bar was like seeing across space and time. It was more like twenty feet and, at that time of night, the view was relatively unobstructed. She had last call girl written all over her. Don’t misunderstand, she wasn’t a call girl. She wasn’t even much of a girl anymore. Thirty, at least, she hadn’t fit that description for quite some time. What I mean to say is that she was the kind of woman who probably had more than her share of men, but only because she understood that desperation was her ally. She was that pair of shoes on the discount rack you bought because you needed shoes and you only had so much money and the store was closing. When the bartender screamed “Last call for alcohol,” it was her mating song. She was a last call girl.

Jack Rabbit Slim’s Cellar
The $5 Mil Hak by Jodi MacArthur
Elvis sang. High heeled shoes and flats drummed in harmony across a high waxed floor. My head ached. My balls ached more. A bullet dug into my ass, making my sitting experience an uncomfortable one. I kept a special utensil in my sleeve for occasions like this. Lesson learned from ’89, the Red Iron Waffle. Unfortunately, Hank Rinks remembered the Red Iron, too. His goons checked my sleeves first thing.

Padre by AJ Hayes
It’s midnight when the cell phone rings. I scramble awake to answer. Only one person got that number. Hello Padre I say. How you doing? He talks a while. I say okay and hang up. Jimmy looks at me.
    Padre needs us I say. Jimmy’s already out the door.

The Creation of Ice by Sandra Seamans
Madelyn Cooper awoke to find herself duct taped to a straight back chair. An elderly woman, who looked like a bag of cotton balls had exploded on her head, stood with her arms crossed over her sagging breasts clutching a cast iron frying pan in her hand. Madelyn moaned, the frying pan certainly explained the pounding headache.

Zed’s Dead, Baby by Eric Beetner
“Zed? Oh Zed’s dead, baby.”
    “Yeah, so I’ve heard.”
    “Well, then why are you asking me?”
    “I’ve heard a lotta guys called dead who walked through the door the very next day.”
    “I don’t know what to tell you. Zed’s dead.”
    “Yeah, you said that already.”

Your Mother Should Know by Allan Guthrie
God took Pa when I was six. An automobile accident. Some folks’ religious fervor would have waned. Not my mom’s. Pa’s early ascent to heaven made Mom even more passionate about her faith. She prayed on her knees every night for hours at a time, skin like squashed spiders when she stood up.

You Never Can Tell by Matthew C. Funk
Junior was studying Atticus’ hands to figure if they were the right ones and Nina wondered how he might tell they were the ones that killed his father.
    Would it be something in the crease of the knuckles? In the notches? In their weight? She just knew they weren’t the hands Junior had been seeking for these past nine months.

A Whole Lotta Rosie by Nigel Bird
Fifty years to the day Rose has been walking on the planet. Not that she’s walked on much of it. Sheep farms in the summer. Back home the rest of the time.
    Hasn’t been far.
    Not that she’s needed to.
    A huge fish in a small pond, you might say. Six foot four and eighteen inches round the biceps. The blokes on the station all kid on she’d crush any man who lay between her thighs, but they’ve all taken their turn at one time or another and all gone back for more.

The Lady & The Gimp: A Peter Ord Investigation by Paul D. Brazill
They say that it never rains but it pours and that troubles are like buses – they all turn up at once. They say a lot of things, though. And most of what they say is about as much use as a condom in a convent.
    For example, they also say that lightning never strikes twice. Which is a pretty clear indication, to my mind, that “they” never encountered Lightning Jones.

A Night at the Royale by Chris F. Holm
The man in the black gabardine suit gritted his teeth and tried in vain to ignore the idiot Americans who sat behind him in the otherwise empty theater. They’d stumbled in five minutes prior – a good twenty minutes after the feature had begun – giggling like schoolgirls and reeking of patchouli and marijuana. In the man’s youth, such tardiness was not permitted; when he was a boy, if you wanted to catch a film in Amsterdam, you were to be seated before the lights dimmed or you were not to be seated at all. But then, these were different times, as the dull glow of the No Smoking signs peppered throughout the theater reminded him – and these imbeciles were as unfamiliar with Dutch culture as with the inside of a shower.

Clouds in a Bunker by David Cranmer
“Hold on a moment. The teakettle is whistling.” The line went silent for a beat and then, “I’ll be right back.”
    On the other side of the six-inch thick door, Chief Willis sat close, listening in, while the beady-eyed police negotiator Meeker tilted the phone for both officers to hear.
    “Damn, the old man is gone again. I thought we had him this time,” Meeker said.

The Wife of Gregory Bell by Patricia Abbott
I didn’t start out to be a criminal. Does anyone? But in my case, it made no sense. I was raised by upper middle-class people in a nice suburb of Philadelphia. There was no gang or disreputable friends to lure me into a life of crime. No incidents to jade me. My parents did all the right things and my two sisters are virtuous if slightly dull women.
    It seems likely I was a genetic mishap because something inside me was restless and twisted from the start. Even as a child, if I could find a way to avoid work, I did. If I could discern an easy way out, I took it. If an opportunity to acquire something I wanted presented itself, I seized it. Yes, I wanted things and was particularly susceptible to things of beauty, seldom resisting a cashmere sports coat, a prom queen, a sports car. I took all of them out for a spin.

If Love is a Red Dress – Hang Me in Rags by Michael J. Solender
Perhaps you should rest now Del. Wearied bones make for weighty ascent.
    Rest? I don’t think I’m up for any rest just now. What difference would it make? My mind won’t stop racing. Her vision will never escape my memory. So at peace, so much at ease. Her pallor shone bright against the ruby redness of her dress.

A Corpse by Any Other Name by Naomi Johnson
Lucian put his El Dorado in park. Holding onto the wheel with the hook at the end of his left arm, he turned to face Mackie in the passenger seat and gave him a “you best not be fucking with me” look. It made Mackie glad he wasn’t fucking with Lucian.
    “He’s really dead.”

Surf Rider by Ian Ayris
The Surf Rider’s mind blew in April ’73. The Surf Rider, he didn’t feel a thing – five Strawberry Fields and a staple diet of Mandrax and Lebanese Gold does that to a man.
    The doctors called it a “drug-induced psychosis.”
    Nearly forty years on, the Surf Rider stands at a bar in Huntington Beach, what remains of his dignity covered by an Afghan coat and knee-length Bermuda shorts. His voluminous gut pushes out a faded Grateful Dead t-shirt, his sun-brown hands clutch a bright yellow Lightning Bolt surfboard closer to him than the dreams of a shattered childhood. His silver-grey hair hangs past his shoulders, and his eyes stare wide, wide to a world beyond words.

The Slicers’ Serenade of Steel by Gary Phillips
Rudy Canary wasn’t much for jogging. His knees hurt and it seemed as if invisible pins were pricking his lower legs as he ran down the street. It was going on eleven o’clock on a moonless night. In this part of town, only the working girls and potential johns cruising by getting an eye and earful were out.
    “Come on, stud muffin, forty for a date,” a big-boned gal spilling out of a too-small outfit blared at a mortgage slave rolling slow on the street in a sedan. She made a fist near her mouth, working it back and forth as she rhythmically poked her tongue inside her cheek.

The October 17 Economic Development Committee Meeting by Chris Rhatigan
I need fire running through my veins for this. Instead I’ve got a combo of caffeine, nicotine and dexedrine.
    I’m parked behind Parson Government Center. Probably ten minutes left and I’m rattling like the muffler on a banger’s Civic.

Threshold Woman by Richard Godwin
Late June, fireflies bomb the window of my Buick as I drive slowly to Sultry.
    Her brother Carlos calls her Anna, he doesn’t know her secret name, the one I use as I hold her shivering in my arms.
    She is clear as diamonds, soft as petals.
    She shimmers in her own perfume.

Redlining by Jim Harrington
Walter rested his forehead against the steering wheel while he waited for Malcolm to return. He’d warned the fool about drinking so much water. At the sound of a voice, Walter looked up as Malcolm emerged from the woods talking on his cell phone.
    “What the…?” Walter pounded his fist on the dash and exited the truck. He adjusted his cap against the sun, stomped to his partner, grabbed the phone, and hurled it into the mix of budding trees and rotted trunks.

Jungle Boogie by Kate Horsely
Raoul stood on the corner, leaning against the plaster wall of Bar El Diablo, telling himself to walk away. It was seven in the evening and the sky was a ripening bruise behind the cathedral. The August heat licked his face and a knot of girls skipped arm in arm across the zócalo. One burst into song. He told himself to go back to the museum, to lock the statue in its glass case, and if his boss asked any questions to make up some amusing story. But he’d crossed an unseen line on Barrio El Cerrillo and now he couldn’t move. So he dragged on the stub of his cigarette and stared at the blonde woman on the cathedral steps.

This Little Piggy by Hilary Davidson
Lysandra hated her clients, and she didn’t try to hide it. Freakshows, she called them, though she had special nicknames for the real weirdos. There was her regular four o’clock Tuesday appointment, who liked her to wear pink marabou stilettos. Such a stereotype, that guy, so she called him Frederick’s of Hollywood. Her Wednesday nooner had a thing for thigh-high black boots, and Lysandra called him Pretty Woman – not to his face – since she suspected he’d never gotten over Julia Roberts as a hooker. Pretty Woman’s Thursday counterpart craved pointy-toed Jimmy Choo kitten heels in beige, of all colors; Lysandra suspected that one was a politician and dubbed him El Presidente. But her ongoing Friday five o’clock date was the worst: Stanky Mr. Keds had an unhealthy fixation on sweaty sneakers. Lysandra barely managed to suppress her gag reflex in their sessions. She charged him three times her usual fee before decamping to the shower and scrubbing every inch of herself – not only her feet – with a scented scrub that reminded her of sugar cookies in her grandmother’s kitchen.

Comanche by Jason Duke
Willie Jones looked around the empty bedroom at the back of Devilwood Springs. The room was as Kara had described it, no windows, the walls and ceiling covered in mirrored panels positioned at different odd angles. The mirrors reflected myriad fractured copies of him through the bleak emptiness of the room. His lean build, tucked black Under Armour shirt, dark blue jeans, unnervingly stared back on him everywhere he looked.

Misirlou by Jimmy Callaway
1. Cheeseburger, Hold the Relish
    Mal walked in the front door, said, “Cheeseburger’s dead.”
    Bronson looked up from the TV, said, “What?”
    Stillwell looked up from the TV, said, “Who?”
    Mal said, “Guy that runs that Greek place down the street. I stopped in for a gyro, joint’s closed for a week. Death in the family notice in the window.”

The Only One Who Could Ever Reach Me by Matt Lavin
You wish Freddy would shove his goddamned fist in his mouth and choke on it. Instead, he wipes his nose on the sleeve of his gray hoody and flashes you a nasty, tobacco-toothed grin.
    “Glad you’re here, Greg,” he says. “I need some sleep.”

Pulp Ink edited by Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan
£1.71/$2.99
Amazon UK, Amazon US

Nigel Bird interview: Beat On The Brat

2011-08-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

Beat on the Brat by Nigel Bird

86p/99c

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Author of BEAT ON THE BRAT (and other stories) and DIRTY OLD TOWN (and other stories), Nigel Bird's work has appeared in a number of magazines and collections, including the Mammoth Best British Crime Stories this year. He has just released the much-awaited PULP INK anthology with co-editor Chris Rhatigan in collaboration with Needle Publishing.

How important is a good title?

The need for a good title is something I may have underrated. There’s a difference I need to come to appreciate between an I-like-it-a-lot title and a title that works for the general reading population.

Take ‘Beat On The Brat (and other stories)’ as an example. It’s from a great song by the Ramones. It works really well as a title for a short story when the story suggests a possible inspiration for the song. And I love it.

Whether it’s a good title for a collection remains to be seen. Perhaps it’s that step too far, a matter of my personal taste overriding any sense of the market.

All the same, I’m the kind of guy who thinks ‘Baby In The Icebox’ is a title of genius. At least I’m not alone in my folly.

Where I draw some comfort from my title choice is the way it should prevent innocents stumbling into it and finding they have bought something which is far too challenging for them to work with. Due to the nature of this one, I really don’t want people taking this up as a whim and finding themselves plunged into my worlds without warning.

What was the last good eBook you read?

For fun and absolute pleasure, ‘The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson’ was splendid. I also enjoyed ‘Out There Bad’ by Josh Stallings, a very different kind of story to ‘Long Midnight’ with energy, violence and stimulation from cover to cover (virtual covers, that is).

‘The Bastard Hand’ by Heath Lowrance really buzzes, is amazingly powerful and is highly recommended.

My favourite summer holiday read, however, has been ‘One Too Many Blows To The Head’ by JB Kohl and Eric Beetner. Set in 1939, it feels like it was written about then – zesty one-liners and cracking dialogue as well as a world of unpleasantness brought to life in a way that made me feel I was there. I’m not sure it has sold that well in the UK, but it should be at the top of everyone’s To Be Read list.

Where do you find out about new books?

The network of people on the internet provides a wonderful range of tastes and recommendations to dip into. There are people out there who are so well read that it makes a good deal of sense to be led by their opinions. I can get more books than I need from Twitter and Facebook alone, but it’s the blogs I love to go to for the real depth of opinion and the personal twists. I’m almost afraid to mention any lest I miss some out but – Spinetingler, Pattinase, The Drowning Machine, Jen’s Book Thoughts, My Friends Call Me Kate, Musings Of An All Purpose Monkey and You Would Say That Wouldn’t You will always give you a good all round view and will cover a lot of older material as well as the new.

I also read a lot of short stories online. Favourite places are Beat To A Pulp, A Twist Of Noir and Shotgun Honey. Offering a compass point in that region are Death By Killing, Sant’s Rants and the very impressive Criminal Thoughts of R Thomas Brown.

Goodreads does a good job of spreading the word. Once you get to know the people writing the reviews, it can be an excellent source of eclectic material.

I have picked up a couple of books from Kindle Forums and Amazon threads, too. No regrets as yet.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

It will settle. Reach a balance that everyone is happy with.

Given that when buying a Kindle readers have forked out £100 plus already, I think they need to benefit from low prices for e-books.

I put out ‘Beat On The Brat’ at the £1.49 which seems more than generous, but is above the going rate for quality work in the UK. I’ve just this morning had a rethink, however. You can get real gems out there for the bargain prices and early doors’ sales for this one suggested that £1.49 was just too much. It’s now back to the 75p/99c minimum and I hope that will encourage people to buy and read, which is why I put it out in the first place.

My biggest issue over pricing is with Value Added Tax. We’re not taxed on paper books, so to have it imposed on the sales of the environmentally friendly option seems absolutely crazy. All books should be free from tax, something I’m feeling more strongly about as I come to terms with the imposition.

I’d like to point out that I’m not against taxes at all. My daughter spent a night in hospital a while ago, attended by dedicated, specialist staff who monitored her breathing after her first severe asthma attack. They saved her life that night and I didn’t have to pay anyone a penny. It would have been the same if she’d been there for six months. I’d pay more tax to make sure these services are maintained. Just not on e-books if I had the choice.

Ever tried your hand at screenwriting?

About 20 years ago, I wrote something called Deborah Faints. It was a romantic comedy as far as I was concerned.

A young man working in a bookshop falls for a customer. When she puts a notice on the board asking for piano lessons for her daughter, he gives her a call and becomes the new tutor. The girl’s been a mess since the death of her grandfather, but when our guy shows up she opens up a little after a session of chaotic fun. The catch is that Chris (let’s call him that) can’t play the piano.

Chris gets lessons from an old drunk down the road, a star of yester-year fallen on hard times. Payment is in whisky and cigarettes.

The romance gets underway until the lady finds out about the fake piano skills and it unravels until it’s all tightly bound once more.

I thought it was great, like Clerks but clean.

I passed it on to a film-maker and he...

... lost it (either that or couldn’t face telling me the truth).

I have a copy still to be typed under a pile of dust.

Ever tried your hand at poetry?

Indeed I have.

When putting together ‘Beat On The Brat’, I was trying to establish a balance in the work so that it would really engage the reader. The timing of me putting it together coincided with the Norwegian massacres and that reminded me of a batch of Haiku I’d written about another killing from last year. Once the connection in my head had been made, I had to have the poems in there.

Later, when I realised I was putting together work that is about as dark as I can imagine, I felt there was a need to tone down the whole by using some lighter shades from the palette. I guess the Haiku had opened the gates, so I went for something I wrote a while ago as a kind of Bob Dylan/Nick Cave amalgamation. There’s humour in them there hills, honest.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

The release of Pulp Ink is imminent [it's out – Al]. It’s been a hugely exciting project and I need to thank all the authors involved, Chris Rhatigan (co-editor) and all those who’ve been supportive in terms of offering reviews, opinions and islands of calm when the occasional storm has appeared on the horizon.

For those who aren’t aware of Pulp Ink, it’s a collection of stories themed around the soundtrack of the movie Pulp Fiction.

The line-up for the collection is:

The authors who we’re bringing together are (in order of appearance in the book) Reed Farrel Coleman, Jodi MacArthur, AJ Hayes, Sandra Seamans, Eric Beetner, Allan Guthrie, Matthew C Funk, Nigel Bird, Paul D Brazill, Chris F Holm, David Cranmer, Patti Abbott, Michael J Solender, Naomi Johnson, Ian Ayris, Gary Phillips, Chris Rhatigan, Richard Godwin, Jim Harrington, Kate Horsley, Hilary Davidson, Jason Duke, Jimmy Callaway and Matt Levin.

Doesn’t that just blow your socks off?

And Chuck Wendig was kind enough to take an early read for us. This is what he thought:

"Tongue-piercings. Foot-fetishists. Murderous cinephiles. This gritty, grimy, giddy collection is as pulpy as they come, transcending the Tarantino reference material and stepping into its own. All because of a stable of home-run crime writers who know just what the hell they're doing."

It’s looking fantastic and I hope that everyone out there takes a look.

I’ll also be out there soon in a great anthology called Grimm Tales, soon to be released by Untreed Reads. It’s another great collection. Another honour to be included.

On my plate just now is a story I’m trying to get together for the excellent Shotgun Honey. There’s a word limit of 700 words and I’m finding that to be a real challenge for the tale I want to tell. It’s a reminder to me of the talent of the authors who’ve made it up there already and created waves of their own.

My novel is still there, too. 5000 words from the end of the first draft. I can’t wait to get the broad strokes over so I can begin to sift out what works from what doesn’t.

Something else I’m really looking forward to is a little cross-pollination. A short work of mine was accepted by artist Stacey Yates for a project she has on the way. Taking a set of short pieces on a similar theme (the report of a body of a woman found in the road) she’ll produce work to bring the stories to life visually. I’m very happy to have the chance to be in a gallery with my words – no way my drawing skills were ever going to have that happen.

Beat on the Brat by Nigel Bird

86p/99c

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Sheila Quigley interview: Thorn In My Side

2011-08-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thorn In My Side by Sheila Quigley

£4.59/$5.99

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I started writing down stories as soon as I learned how to read, and started sending stuff out, very early on. It took thirty years to get published, and the pile of rejections, however nicely worded, were starting to look ridiculous. Before then I worked as a sewing machinist, on the farms picking potatoes, and as a market trader selling toys and fancy goods, double glazing saleswoman, and frozen food saleswoman. Finally the dream happened, and Run For Home, my first novel, came out. Sheila Quigley

Can you sum up Thorn In My Side in a couple of sentences?

The fate of the world is in the hands of DI Mike Yorke and a clairvoyant street kid named Smiler. Everyone from the lowlifes of the London streets to the monks on Holy Island become involved in a race against time to save humanity.

What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

The very beginning, that moment out of the blue when it all falls into your lap. Problem is it’s mostly a mixed-up jigsaw, but the fun is sorting it out and then seeing the whole.

What aspect of marketing your books do you enjoy?

Meeting my readers in bookshops when doing signings. The other week at one signing I noticed a young man hovering about. He finally came over, leaned across the table and said, ‘Can you sign it to my mam please?’ As I handed him the book, he said, ‘You don’t look like the kind of woman who can write these kind of books.’ So I’m thinking, does your mam look like the kind of woman who would read these kind of books!’

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

Remembering that it took me thirty years to get published I think it’s great. BUT, I strongly advise anyone not to put out e-books without being properly edited. The money saved by getting an e-book out can be spent on a damn good editor. Because yes, people are snapping up the 99p e-books, but if your first one is badly edited, they won’t be buying the next one and people will soon start to realise you get what you pay for. Although I strongly agree that e-books should be a lot cheaper than print books, just not this cheap.

What’s the book you recommend most to friends?

The Stand by Steven King.

How do you feel about awards?

Given that most of them are bought and paid for, not a lot.

Do you enjoy writing?

I love it, it’s like breathing, can’t stop doing it and would probably go stark raving mad if I couldn’t do it.

Do you have any projects on the go?

Halfway through the second in the Mike Yorke series, Nowhere Man, due out in November, and way behind. Also every year in Houghton le Spring where my Seahills books are set, we do a tour of all the murder spots in my books. Now Sunderland want me to do a murder tour in Sunderland called Slaughter in Sunderland. I have about five weeks to come up with a short story. Help!

As a reader how do you describe your taste in crime fiction.’

Not madly keen on police procedurals. I like action on top of action, not pages of needless description.

What was your favourite book as a child?

Anything by Enid Blyton.

Do you read outside of the crime genre?

Mostly horror, and some fantasy. Before that, science fiction. Still remember some fantastic short stories I read a long time ago in the sci-fi genre. Amazing that some of them have come true.

Thorn In My Side by Sheila Quigley

£4.59/$5.99

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Les Edgerton interview: Just Like That

2011-08-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Just Like That by Les Edgerton

£3.50/$4.99

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Les Edgerton is an ex-con who was a writer even when he was robbing folks. He has eleven books in print, the most recent JUST LIKE THAT and THE PERFECT CRIME, coming out this week as ebooks from StoneGate Publishing. He’s got a barbering certificate from Pendleton Reformatory and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College, each of which he credits equally for helping him pay the rent and have a Jack and water from time to time. He has a blog at http://www.lesedgertononwriting.blogspot.com/

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

Ex-cons Jake and Bud take a road trip from Indiana to Louisiana and back. Along the way a lot of shit happens—if you read it, you’ll have a good idea what the two guys alongside you the interstate with the out-of-state plates might be up to and you might want to get off at the next exit.

What was your motivation for writing it?

It’s about 85% autobiographical so it was a part of my life I wanted to express. What being a criminal was kind of all about—our thought processes, an outlaw’s unique view of life, etc. The vast majority of writers aren’t criminals and although no category of society can be generalized, I think criminals often are and not in accurate ways many times.

How much difference does a good cover make?

If you’re just shopping for a book or “buying blind,” it probably means a lot. If you’re like me—mostly buying people whose work I want to read, not much at all. Publishers like the Big 6 claim they’re very important, so, considering their success, I guess they’re right...

How important is a book's central character?

To me, he or she is the most important element in the story. No exceptions. The protagonist is what makes the story and the antagonist is what makes the protagonist. The strength of the story depends on the antagonist, however. Strong opposition, great story. Weak opposition, snooze.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

A speaker came up to me and asked: What are you doing at this (writer’s) conference? You don’t learn to write by going to conferences. You learn to write by reading and then writing. Get out of the house and into a bar or someplace where things are happening. Go mug somebody or seduce somebody’s girlfriend. Get some material. There are no “secrets” to be gained from writer’s conferences—no magic dust they’ll sprinkle on you to make you a writer. The only secret is—plop your ass into a chair and write every day.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

I write great frickin’ dialog (confirmed by the NY Times who said I did), and I understand what a story is. It ain’t me regurgitating my thoughts via a character’s persona or contemplating my navel and considering those thoughts something anyone would remotely be interested in. I understand what Vonnegut said when he said, “Literature is in danger of disappearing up its own asshole.” Don’t want to be poster guy for that. Stories are about one thing only—entertainment. If you want to “learn something” take a class on basketweaving or pipefitting or literature or something and try to stay awake. My weakness is writing description. I just don’t do it. I’m kind of like Helen FitzGerald who confessed to the same weakness and said it perfectly: “Fog’s fog.”

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

The darker, the better. Like Brian Lindenmuth I detest novels that begin deliciously dark and then at the end turn cowardly and have the protagonist like kittens or some such crap. I like realism and realism isn’t often pretty.

What was the last good eBook you read?

I usually am reading three or four at a time. The last ones I read that were super were, Psychosomatic (Anthony Neil Smith), The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam (Chris Ewan), Bye Bye Baby (by somebody named Guthrie...), and Threat Warning (John Gilstrap). Read those this week.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

The same one I reread probably five or six times a year. Killshot by Elmore Leonard. Another one I reread often is Harry Crews’ A Feast of Snakes. Both are perfect books. The other book I re-read at least every three months or so is Camus’ The Stranger.

What makes you keep reading a book?

I read until I come across one of those sections Harry Crews said he tried to avoid in his own writing... those “places people skip.” When I begin to skip sections very often, I put it down. Life’s too short. It’s probably why I haven’t read any of those Stieg Larrson novels—can’t get past the first 20-80 pages.

Ever tried your hand at poetry?

Very seldom. Reasons are: 1. I’m not very good at it. 2. I don’t want to have to dress all in black. 3. I don’t want to have to wear long-sleeved shirts in the summer to hide my suicide scars.

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

I think it’s mostly bad. I know there are all these folks running around saying it’s wonderful and joining writer’s clubs and joining arms, learning secret handshakes and singing Kum-bay-yuh, but the truth is, a vast number of these folks shouldn’t be published... ever. They’re not writers for the most part; they’re typists. They’re just not very good. We’re losing the gatekeepers and this craft is supposed to be hard. This is an art form in which practitioners should either be geniuses (far fewer of those than many think), or invest the time, blood and sweat and disappointment to learn the craft. You’re supposed to be... what’s the word? Oh, yeah... good. If anyone can get published (and it seems they are), then there’s little quality out there and it means little to say you’re an author. We live in an instant gratification society, one in which too many people feel they’re “entitled” to all kinds of things, and we’ve also become a victim society. There are folks out there who think all they need to do is take some classes, read some craft books, maybe get an MFA (now, that’s a huge crock, and I have one and would have spent the money and time more wisely on a hooker), and they’re all set to be a writer. For many of those folks, the most creative writing they’re capable of is signing a check to a vanity press. Sorry, but it’s the truth. Nobody has... or nobody should have a right... to be published. To have their work printed, sure, I guess, but not published. Legitimately, that is.

That said, I understand why many writers who actually are good turn to self-publishing lately. It’s because of the mindset of legacy publishers. There are editors at these places who are under severe mandates to only publish writers who can guarantee a sizeable market for their work, so more than one editor isn’t able to take a chance on any writers but brand names, as much as they’d like to take chances. They simply can’t and survive. There are many editors who are forced to go against what they long to do because of the beancounters in accounting. That’s fucked and it’s why legacy publishers are going under and self-publishing is growing. No guts, no glory.

The good news is that this leaves a vacuum for good writers who can’t get a deal with legacy publishers—new kids on the block like Bare Knuckles Press, Snubnose Press, StoneGate Publishing and a raft of others who are beginning to fill the void and publish talented writers who don’t yet have the audiences required by the legacies. These guys and others are the ones with the guts and are the ones who are going to reap the glory.

Why do you write?

That’s easy. I write because I hate. A lot. And hard. I hate bullies of all stripes and consider it the duty of the writer to expose these folks and hold them up to public ridicule.

Just Like That by Les Edgerton

£3.50/$4.99

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Ed Gorman interview: Blood Moon

2011-08-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

Blood Moon by Ed Gorman

86p/99c

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Ed Gorman has been publishing crime novels for more than a quarter century. Lawrence Block has called him "A terrific writer" and The Drood Review noted that "Gorman is one of the masters of the detective genre." His work has won the Shamus and the International Writers Award plus been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Silver Dagger.

Can you sum up Blood Moon in no more than 25 words?

Here’s a quote from Scotland on Sunday: “Blood Moon has everything--prison drama, horror story, whodunit, psycho-thriller--all skillfully combined to lead you to a shock ending."

What was your motivation for writing it?

I wanted to show readers that something different could be done with the standard serial killer tropes and I wanted to write an ending readers would remember for a long time.Plus the characters worked on me day and night. They became real to me in the course of writing the book.

How long did it take you to write?

Five months.

How much difference does an editor make?

There are editors and editors. I once had an editor who saved a book I was plodding through. And I once had an editor who, in my estimation, was ruining my book. I bought it back rather than make the changes and it turned out to be one of my best-reviewed novels. Generally I’ve been happy with the editors I’ve worked with. They have sound ideas.

How important is a book's central character?

I “hear” my stories and books. Voice. And this always comes from the central character. I’ve thrown away as much as two hundred pages on some books because I couldn’t “hear” them. Once I do I work quickly.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

Never reread until you’re finished with the first draft. Max Allan Collins told me that after I’d failed to finish numerous first novels. His advice really helped me.

What's the best piece of business advice you've been given?

You know, everything’s changed so much most of the advice I valued over the years is now irrelevant. This is a mysterious new world for most of us, Kindle, Nook, etc, almost science fictional in some ways.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

Having a good day working. And then, the finest day of all, finishing.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

My strength is generally character and my weakness is generally glibness. I have to watch myself with the latter.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

I really don’t enjoy any of it.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

Because I edited Mystery Scene magazine for eighteen years, I pretty much sampled every kind of mystery fiction. I even read a few cozies I liked. Early on Nancy Pickard, for instance, was giving the form real grit. Most of the time though I prefer darker stories and novels.

What was the last good eBook you read?

Dying Memories by Dave Zeltserman. A fine piece of work.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

I’ve been meaning to re-read The 31st of February by Julian Symons. It’s one of the few believable books in which the central character is insane. You don’t realize this at first but Symons cunningly plants clues from the first.

From an artistic rather than financial perspective, what book do you wish you had written?

The Chill by Ross Macdonald. To me it’s the only perfect private eye novel. And a damned powerful one.

Blood Moon by Ed Gorman

86p/99c

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Josh Stallings interview: Out There Bad

2011-08-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Out There Bad by Josh Stallings

£2.85/$3.99

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Josh Stallings is your average ex-criminal, ex-taxi driver, ex-club bouncer, film-making, scriptwriting, award-winning trailer-editing punk. His first novel BEAUTIFUL, NAKED & DEAD is garnering great notice from readers and reviews.

Can you sum up Out There Bad in no more than 25 words?

Guns, strippers, sex-trafficking, vengeance, Russian mobsters, Mexican hit men, a straight razor, Moses McGuire and Gregor, all rolling straight to hell in a V8 supercharged road beast. (That’s 28, but who’s counting?)

What was your motivation for writing it?

I read an article in the LA Times about sexual trafficking, a firsthand account of a young woman who had been taken from Russia and smuggled into Mexico and finally into the US to be used as a prostitute. It struck me hard. So I started digging deeper. Somewhere along the road I knew there was a novel I had to write about the subject. I wanted to shine a light on the cost of turning girls into commodities, in human terms. It was the next logical place to let Moses McGuire loose; an avenging mad man wreaking havoc on these bastards.

Word is you get very close and personal with your research. Any truth in that?

My mother asked me the other day if “I did those things I write about, you know, with strippers.” At first I was offended. This isn’t the first time I’ve been asked this. Yet they never ask if I’ve shot a man in the face, and that is also in the books. I think the reason for the question is that I write with honesty about both violence and sex. And I do research what I write about. I have spent many hours hanging in strip clubs interviewing dancers, bouncers and bartenders. For Out There Bad I went to Mexico and spent nights on the street hanging with pimps and bordello bouncers and hookers. I think because of my tattered past I am allowed into their world. I both love and respect these people of the battle zone.

How do you feel about reviews?

The reviews I’ve gotten so far have been stellar so I love them, and when and if I get a bad one, I hate them. No really, I find the good reviews help quiet the negative voices in my head. I try and not get too wrapped up in them. Both of these books were completed before any one reviewed them; Beautiful, Naked & Dead was soundly rejected by multiple agents and I didn’t let that stop me from writing Out There Bad. It does however feel good when someone gets what I’m doing and cares enough to write about it. The most powerful review I got came as an email:

“Hello my name is Xtc. I met you a couple weeks ago at the Playpen Club on Sante Fe/ Sacramento. You gave me a copy of the book you said you had recently published. I really appreciated the gift. First off, I really enjoyed the book, I read about seventy pages the first night. I love that the setting, for the most part, took place in LA. I loved all the descriptions that you mentioned throughout the book. I would definitely say you really grasped what "the strip club world" is all about. Also another aspect that really caught my attention was the description of Kelly. I really feel like I can relate to her. I loved how Moses described her as having the looks to be a stripper, but not the strength of character. I really feel like thats exactly how I am there... You did a great job writing this book and really making sure the reader felt every emotion that was expressed throughout. I cant wait for the next book. Thank you for the Gift.”- Xtc.

That meant the world to me

Which author should be much better known?

Matthew McBride. He wrote Frank Sinatra in a Blender, absolutely blew my socks off. His stuff is visceral and funny and fucking brilliant. He has a truly original voice.

Another author to watch is Thomas Pluck. He has had a few short stories published and is fantastic. I can’t wait to see what he does with a longer form.

What are you reading now?

I just finished Paul Brazill’s Drunk on the Moon, loved the hell out of it. It feels both fresh and like classic old school Noir. Before that I read Street Raised by Pearce Hansen, another amazing writer. I feel like the e-book has brought on a renaissance in crime writing. With so many fine new books and reissues of older books like Yellow Medicine by Anthony Neil Smith, there has never been a better time to be a reader of crime fiction. Only problem is how to find time to read all I want to. A quality problem.

Do you enjoy writing?

Absolutely, yes. I love writing. What I hate is getting ready to write. I torture myself, convinced that I shouldn’t even bother, that if I write a new book everyone will discover that the first two books were a fluke and really I suck. It is impostor syndrome. I go through the same crap whenever I start a new movie trailer (I’m an editor by day), even though I have cut hundreds of successful trailers over the years. I have learned to accept it as part of my process and type my way through it. Once I’m actually writing, the world goes away and I fall into the novel. I’m riding shotgun with Moses as we tear up the countryside from East LA to the heart of Mexico. What’s not to love?

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

I have been lucky enough to work with some fine writers over the years. Having them care enough to tear apart my work. One piece of craft I got from fantasy writer Tad Williams, who said every character that appears on the page should be interesting enough that if the novel followed them off stage their story would be equally compelling. I think I have done a better job with that in Out There Bad. I experimented with having multiple points of view. Moses is the central voice, but the novel leaves him to follow a young Russian girl being trafficked and several other characters. I love Beautiful, Naked & Dead, but this is a bigger and better novel because of this freedom to roam.

Out There Bad by Josh Stallings

£2.85/$3.99

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Zirk van den Berg interview: Nobody Dies

2011-08-01T04:55:00.000-07:00

Nobody Dies by Zirk van den Berg

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Zirk van den Berg wrote his first, rather literary, books in South Africa. The country also provides the setting for his crime novel Nobody Dies, even though he now lives in New Zealand. The book was first published by Random House New Zealand in 2004, to good reviews.

Can you sum up Nobody Dies in no more than 25 words?

A police woman in charge of the witness protection programme kills her charges. Being between lives, they’re never missed or found. Until now...

What was your motivation for writing it?

The premise of the story excited me. And it touched on issues of identity, which were relevant to me around the time I migrated from South Africa to New Zealand.

How important is a book's central character?

I believe the central character in any book is the narrator. The first character an author has to create is the one telling the story, even if it appears to readers to be “the author” whose words they read. As a person I’m rather retiring, but as the narrator of a story I can be as outspoken and opinionated as anything.

Nobody Dies is probably more about the almost innocent Daniel Enslin who goes into the witness protection programme than it is about the policewoman Erica van der Linde. The dangerous criminal Baas Ferreira and Erica’s colleague Mike Acker also have major parts in the story.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

It’s a toss-up between writing something I like, on the one hand, and on the other reading something I’ve written earlier and finding that I still like it. It’s wonderful to read something after many years, liking it, and realising you’d written it yourself.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

I like books with interesting narrators, in other words ones where the telling of the story comes from an angle that is captivating, where the person telling the story seems to take an interesting view of things. This doesn’t have to be first-person narrators, by the way.

Then I like interesting characters in the story too. They don’t have to be weird. Stories about almost ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances tend to strike a chord with me.

I prefer something that’s original, rather than another Raymond Chandler copy. I don’t care for clever whodunnits and don’t read books about serial killers.

My favourite crime authors are Charles Willeford, K.C. Constantine, Elmore Leonard and some books by Jim Thompson, whose Pop. 1280 is the greatest crime book out there, unless we count Dostoevsky.

As a writer, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

A reader for whom character, theme and prose matters more than plot twists and violent thrills.

What are you reading now?

Hard Rain by Dutch crime writer Janwillem van de Wetering. His books can take a bit of getting used to, as the characters have strange Dutch names (Grijpstra and De Gier) and have an unusual philosophical take on the crimes and society they deal with. There's lots of off-beat talking. But the books are unlike anything else out there and well worth getting into.

What makes you keep reading a book?

I want to be delighted from paragraph to paragraph, either by the insights or the sparkle of the prose. And I need to care for the characters.

Where do you find out about new books?

I check out recommendations by friends and hang around second hand bookshops and libraries. But the most exciting way is to try and find out which authors my favourite authors read.

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

Anything by Alice Munro. The woman is perhaps the greatest short story writer ever.

What are the greatest opportunities facing writers these days?

Being able to use e-publishing to get books directly to readers, without first having to convince publishers (who are, after all, business people) that there’s prestige to be gained or money to be made.

Ever tried your hand at screenwriting?

Yes, I had some one-off pieces produced on South African TV 20 years ago. I like movies as a medium, but writing for them is so collaborative that it’s less satisfying. Also, you’re even more constrained by budgets and popular tastes than you are when writing novels.

Ever tried your hand at poetry?

Not since my teens. I’m not clever or deluded enough.

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

It’s good in the sense that it removes the publisher as gatekeeper, but it’s bad in that the market is flooded with drivel. It makes it harder for readers to ferret out the good stuff.

Which author should be much better known?

You mean, apart from Zirk van den Berg?! Everyone I’ve mentioned so far that any reader doesn’t know.

What's the book you've recommended most to friends?

King Solomon by Romain Gary (writing as Emile Ajar) and The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom. The crime books I’d recommend most would be Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson, and Charles Willeford’s four Hoke Moseley novels. They’re best read in order, starting with Miami Blues. But the one I like best is Sideswipe. It’s a lovely story about ordinary life in which the detective hardly features.

Do you read outside of the crime genre?

A lot. Some sci-fi by Philip K. Dick, Cordwainer Smith and William Gibson. The 1930s spy stories by Alan Furst. And lots of semi-forgotten books that used to be mainstream.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

We’re just finishing the editing of No-Brainer, a light-hearted mystery romp featuring a struggling sculptor who blackmails people into buying his work. It falls somewhere between Kinky Friedman and K.C. Constantine in tone. It should be out shortly. I’ll post updates on my website, http://www.saybooksonline.com/. I’m also writing a sequel to that book and have a finished historical novel set in the Boer War that is still being prepared for publishing around the end of year, hopefully.

Nobody Dies by Zirk van den Berg

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Two-Way Split: One-Month Old (digitally speaking)

2011-07-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

Two-Way Split by Allan Guthrie
99p/99c
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Two-Way Split has received some very nice mentions since the Kindle release at the end of June. Thank you one and all! Here are a few first-month highlights.

Les Edgerton, at his writing blog, says: "this is a novel that is enormously entertaining. The words such as “riveting” and the phrases such as “couldn’t put it down,” or “this was a page-turner,” are overused in assessments like this—many times, undeservedly--but dang it, all of those and more apply to this novel. I couldn’t put it down; it was riveting; it was decidedly a page-turner… and I’ve become a huge, huge fan of Guthrie."

Luca Veste at Guilty Conscience says: "'Two-Way Split' was a complete surprise to me. I didn't know an awful lot about it when I started reading, but straight away I was pulled in. Guthrie has superb knack of setting the pace early, the story never drags. The way the story unravels, you're never sure of what will happen next, no words wasted or spent overly describing anything incidental, it is a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller."

There's also an interview with me at the Guilty Conscience blog.

AJ Hayes at Octogeek says: "In Two Way Split, Mr. Allan Guthrie with a maniacal laugh, knocks your derby clear off your head, sends it flying with the wind and announces that people, events and even life itself always come down to the jagged edge of a two way split. Buckle your chin strap and hang on, troops. You’re in for a RIDE!"

There's another interview with me at Anthony Neil Smith's Herman's Greasy Spoon.

And a Russian review from Ray Garraty at Endless Falls Up: "Two-way Split is Allan Guthrie's debut novel, and it's hard to believe. The book is so masterfully written, so there is lots of energy here, that it can be seen: the author is a great writer. Very, very good book."

Declan Burke at Crime Always Pays says: "Fans of classic crime writing will get a kick or five out of TWO-WAY SPLIT, and we’re talking classic: Allan Guthrie’s multi-character exploration of Edinburgh’s underbelly marries the spare, laconic prose of James M. Cain with the psychological grotesqueries of Jim Thompson at his most lurid … The result is a gut-knotting finale that unfurls with the inevitability of all great tragedy and the best nasty sex – it’ll leave you devastated, hollowed out, aching to cry and craving more."

Jay Stringer at Do Some Damage says: "If James M Cain wrote a heist story set in Scotland, the result would read a lot like Two Way Split. It's a book that sets the fuse on page one and then runs like hell, and you won't find a better debut crime novel."

There's yet another interview with me at Audacious Author.

Daz's Short Book Reviews says: "[Guthrie] masterfully blends all these ingredients together with fast paced and gritty descriptive writing. He simmers several plot lines until boiling and mixes them all together to create a fantastically enjoyable novel. Another great creation from one of Scotland’s finest crime writers."

And finally, entirely unrelated to Two-Way Split, here's a piece I wrote as part of Dead End Follies excellent Ten Rules To Write Noir series.

Tomorrow, a post about sales.

Two-Way Split by Allan Guthrie
99p/99c
Amazon UK, Amazon US

Bill Cameron interview: Puppy Love Noir

2011-07-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

Puppy Love Noir by Bill Cameron
86p/99c/99c/

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook

Bill Cameron is the author of dark, gritty mysteries featuring Skin Kadash: County Line, Day One, Chasing Smoke, and Lost Dog. Bill’s short stories have appeared in Spinetingler, Portland Noir, First Thrills, and the forthcoming West Coast Crime Wave and Deadly Treats anthologies. His work been nominated for multiple awards, including the Spotted Owl Award for Best Northwest Mystery, the Left Coast Crime Rocky Award, and the 2011 CWA Short Story Dagger Award. He lives in Portland, Oregon. Bill tweets at twitter.com/bcmystery. Learn more at www.billcameronmysteries.com

Can you sum up Puppy Love Noir in no more than 25 words?

One kid wants to get laid, another wishes he hadn't got laid, and a third wonders if he'll live long enough to get laid.

What was your motivation for writing it?

I have a particular fascination with adolescence, that time in our lives when hormones and our twisted society conspire to totally fuck us over. Some of us are lucky enough to come through it reasonably whole. The rest become C-list celebrities, politicians, or the stuff of Nancy Grace's repressed sexual fantasies.

How long did it take you to write?

The three stories are separated by twenty years. I wrote first version of "On the Road to Find Out" in 1985. "The Thunderhead and the Beast" got its start in the early '90s, and I wrote "Counterflow" in 2008.

How much difference does an editor make?

Editors illuminate our blind spots and force us to think about what we're doing in a way we can't on our own. Even if we choose to disregard an editor's recommendations, I feel our command of our stories improves by listening. But more often than not, editors help us make our stories better.

Who designed your cover?

'Twas me. By day, I'm a mild-mannered graphic designer. I've had the privilege of designing my covers with Bleak House and Tyrus. With Puppy Love Noir, I chose to extend the design metaphor I established with Day One and County Line.

How much difference does a good cover make?

My gut is that a bad cover hurts more than a good cover helps. Of course, as soon as I say I think of covers which are so delicious I'd buy the book for the covers alone. Duane Swierczynski's covers do that for me. Of course, the books inside his magnificent covers are even more delectable.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

I've heard this attributed to Nora Roberts, Stephen King, and several others, my mantra when the words won't come: "You can't fix a blank page."

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

I think this makes me a bit unusual, but revisions are my fave. Filling blank pages is an often slow, almost tedious process for me. But by the time I have a draft, I've begun to understand what the story is really about. My enthusiasm for explodes in the second and third drafts.

As a reader, how would you describe your taste in crime fiction?

Broad. I read everything from gritty and hardboiled to cat mysteries. What can I say? I appreciate a gentle poisoning in a cup of tea as much as a brutal lead pipe bludgeoning.

As a writer, how would you describe your ideal reader's taste in crime fiction?

Ideally, readers will have broad tastes as well. Category granularization strikes me as more limiting than helpful. Good stories can be found in every category and genre.

What was the last good eBook you read?

I'm about halfway through Brett Battles' Becoming Quinn and loving it. I've been a fan of Jonathan Quinn since The Cleaner, and really enjoy what Brett's doing with the character in the short stories and novella he's epubbed in the last year or so.

What crime book are you most looking forward to reading?

Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski is tops on my list, waiting only for me to beat an end-of-the-month deadline so I can give it my full attention. Can't wait.

What are you reading now?

On the Nook, the aforementioned Becoming Quinn by Battles. My back pocket book is The Final Evolution by Jeffrey Somers, rollicking mayhem at the twilight of humanity.

If you had to re-read a crime novel right now, what would you choose?

I've had a hankering to revisit the Nero Wolfe vs. Arnold Zeck trilogy by Rex Stout. I think they'll be my next re-read.

What's the oddest question you've been asked in an interview?

When Lost Dog came out, a radio interviewer asked me if the people of Portland were rising up to run me out of town because of my depiction of the city. My answer: "Oh, shit. Was it really that bad?"

Puppy Love Noir by Bill Cameron
86p/99c/99c/

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook

Paul Bishop interview: Croaker: Kill Me Again

2011-07-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Croaker: Kill Me Again by Paul Bishop

£2.14/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

A thirty-five year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, Paul has twice been honored as Detective of the Year. As well as numerous novels, he has also written scripts for episodic television and feature films. As a nationally recognized interrogator, he appears regularly on the hit ABC reality series Take The Money And Run . . .

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

L.A.P.D. detective Fey Croaker and her crew get put through the ringer when a current murder victim appears to have also been murdered ten years earlier.

Who designed your cover?

Keith Birdsong designed the covers for all my e-books. I lucked into finding Keith through another writer friend. He is a professional illustrator working for many Legacy publishers, so it was a big break for me to get him to work on my covers – and I’m delighted with them.

How important is a book's central character?

A strong central character can make up for a lot of other flaws in a novel. For me, a central character has to have some redeeming feature, something to make me like the character and spend time in their company. If a central character is too whiney, too crass, too stupid, or simply not fleshed out, I toss the book aside.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

There is no such thing as writing, only rewriting. It’s an old saw, but no less true because of it.

What's the best piece of business advice you've been given?

It isn’t going to get done unless you do it yourself – trust no one.

Do you enjoy writing?

I enjoy having written. Writing is an immense pleasure on the rare days it flows straight onto the page. The rest of the time, writing is hard slog. Typing The End is cathartic. Sometimes, I do it all day long, over and over again.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

I’m currently fascinated by the use of social media to reach new readers. Everybody knows Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and most writers are making use of blogs and websites, but there is a lot more out there (such as Ning and its ilk) to discover and use to your advantage. It’s fun, social, interesting, and staying on the cutting edge keeps you sharp.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

$.99 to $2.99 seems to be the appropriate price range. I refuse to buy an e-book listed above $9.99 – even at that price it’s still gouging the reader. Legacy/traditional publishers have still got their heads in the sand when it comes to e-books. The music industry was turned on its ear by MP3s, and e-books are doing the same thing in the publishing world.

What are the greatest opportunities facing writers these days?

When self-publishing was ignored – and often rightfully so – as simply vanity publishing it was the kiss of death. Today, however, the paradigm has completely changed. As authors like Joe Konrath, Amanda Hocking, John Locke, and Barry Eisler lead the charge into e-publishing, authors are realizing how much opportunity there is in the e-publishing world. Opportunities abound and are increasing daily. It’s a great time to be a writer.

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

I think it’s fabulous. Those who grouse about the ‘tsunami of crap’ supposedly heading our way as more and more self-published authors find an e-platform are alarmists of the worst kind. The sky is not falling – the cream will rise to the top. All you have to do to separate the wheat from the chaff is look at an e-author’s cover and read the product description blurb. The quality of those two things will immediately tell you if a book is worth taking a chance on.

What are you currently reading?

I’m making my way through several novels by British thriller writer Stephen Leather. The last book I finished was Anne Perry’s Traitor at Lisssen Grove, which was riveting.

Do you have any other projects on the go?

Along with two other writers, I’ve created a new e-series called Fight Card. The stories will be boxing novels set in the 1950s, emulating the sports pulps that were as popular as the traditional mystery and hero pulps with which we continue to be fascinated. The first two novels in the series, The Cutman and Felony Fists, will be released in late August. A third book, The Knockout, will debut later in the year.

Keith Birdsong has done the covers for us and they are dynamite. We had such a blast writing the books because not only do we love the genre, but we have control over the whole publishing and promotion process. The books have a niche appeal no traditional publisher would have taken a chance on reaching. However, as the authors, with all the tools of blogs and twitter, we know how to reach our following.

After the Fight Card series premieres, I have another series, The Interrogators, due out in early 2012.

Croaker: Kill Me Again by Paul Bishop

£2.14/$2.99

Amazon UK, Amazon US

Jarrett Rush interview: Chasing Filthy Lucre

2011-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Chasing Filthy Lucre by Jarrett Rush
86p/99c/99c/99c
Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook, Smashwords

Jarrett Rush lives in the Dallas area with his wife, Gina, and their chocolate Lab, Molly. His short fiction has appeared at A Twist of Noir and Shotgun Honey. He blogs at Jarrett Writes.

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

In a world where cash is king and data is a drug, a group of reluctant rebels team up to fight a rising corporate power.

How's that? Twenty five words exactly.

How long did it take you to write?

From writing the first word to writing "the end" it was probably about 6 months. I don't have firm dates, but I started it around June 2010 and finished around Christmas. I worked on other short pieces while I wrote Chasing Filthy Lucre so that dragged things out a bit. But that was good for me. It allowed me to develop a rough outline and keep myself following it. If I had just charged straight through I think I would have started to deviate from the path I'd worked out.

This was the first thing I'd written with an outline. I typically wrote from the seat of my pants. I knew the beginning and the ending, but not much in the middle. With Chasing Filthy Lucre, I had much more of the structure figured out before I wrote it. I think that helped quite a bit.

Who designed your cover?

I did my own cover. I work in newspaper design so I'm not unfamiliar with layout and typography. I knew what I wanted and executing was pretty easy. Chasing Filthy Lucre is the first in a planned series and I wanted a look that I could replicate across all the books. Basic colours. Simple typography. Iconic imagery. I'm sure that professional cover designers can look at it and pick it apart, but I'm happy with it.

How important is a good title?

When I'm buying a book it's critical. The title has to catch me. There's no arguing that a great cover is vital to sales, but a great title can overcome a mediocre cover. At least it can if we are talking about me spending my own dollars.

Typically, I like shorter sharp titles. Something with punch. However, that's not always the case. I have been drawn in by the longer title. But again, it's got to grab me. Give me something in that longer title to pique my interest. The titles that don't do anything for me are those that are basically labels. Not to pick on Dickens, he was a great writer but A Tale of Two Cities does nothing for me.

How important is a book's central character?

Again, it's critical. The character doesn't have to be a good person. There are plenty who aren't. But, as long as they're relatable, central characters can typically overcome any flaws an author wants to lay on them.

Speaking for me, I don't like the perfect character. I can't relate to perfect. If I'm reading and a couple chapters in we still haven't found something that the central character struggles with then I'll put a book down.

I was reading something a few months ago that I'd heard lots of good things about. It was a thriller and the story itself sounded good. Once I dived in, though, the central character was the smartest, most athletic, best looking guy, and the only person in the world who could fix the novel's central problem. I take that back. There was one other person with the skills necessary to save the world. It was a woman and she was also the prettiest, smartest, and most athletic. I never finished that book. I don't mind smart. I don't mind athletic. But when a central character's main flaw is that they are too perfect there's nothing there for me to grab onto. I need them to have a problem bigger than being too good at everything.

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given?

Write. You hear it all the time, but it's really true. Just write. Don't worry about getting the words perfect the first time. That's what revision is for. Besides, you can't edit words that aren't on the page. Worry, at the start, about just getting a first draft.

I love process. I love hearing how others go about creating, but I think too many times we can get so caught up in trying to emulate how someone else does things that it can paralyze us. I know it's happened to me. I'd read an interview or an article and someone who I admired would say they did things a certain way so that's the way I'd try to do it. It never worked for me. We are all unique. We all have the way that works for us. The only step in the initial creative process that we all share is that we have to write if we want to finish anything.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

The best part is writing that first draft, when the story is unfolding before you, when you get surprised by a character's actions. Thomas Harris said in an interview I read somewhere that he felt like he was a reporter in the scenes of his books just observing and recording everything that's happening. When I read that originally I couldn't relate. Now, I think there's some truth to it. I feel a bit like that myself. Yes, I know generally where the story is going, but I can still be surprised. Your characters do take on the personalities you give them. They do make their own decisions. Sometimes, we have to override those decisions for the sake of the story. We are the gods of the worlds we create, after all. But when the words are really flowing and the scenes are coming and you are just along for the ride, there's no better feeling.

That's my favourite part of the writing process.

What makes you keep reading a book?

A compelling plot and a compelling lead character. Give me a protagonist who I can relate to and stick him in a plot that it looks like he might not get out of and I'll keep reading. I'm a genre fiction guy. Literary fiction doesn't really do it for me. Honestly, some of the books that are the most exciting to me are in the Young Adult genre. The kids don't have time to waste on navel gazing. They like action from Page One and that's what authors are giving them. One of my favourites is the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. The stories start quick and never stop, and Artemis is a great character. Who doesn't love a kid super genius who is also one of the world's greatest super criminals? But there's more to him and it's the "more" that makes you read on. The books are a series and they read quickly. Pick them up if you can to see what I'm talking about. All action. Satisfying story.

Where do you find out about new books?

Lately, all my purchases have been because of recommendations from Twitter, either from the writers themselves or from other writers sharing books they've found. I also find some recommendations on blogs and through Facebook.

When that fails, I can always go to the bookstore and find something. It's usually a good title and an eye-catching cover that will get me first. Read the blurb and a page or two. If I'm hooked I'll pick it up.

Honestly, though, most of the time I'm going off of recommendations from folks on social networking sites. They haven't let me down yet.

What's the best collection of short stories you've read?

I'll give you two. The most recent was 8 Pounds by Chris F. Holm. The writing, the voice, the variety of stories. It was all great.

The other is Rumble, Young Man, Rumble by Benjamin Cavell. I found it a few years go on a discount table at one of the major chain bookstores. The book sticks out in my mind because of the opening story, Balls. It's about a guy who runs a sporting goods store and is obsessed with the standing of his competitive paintball team. It stands out because of the voice. The character is so arrogant and thinks so much of himself, but there is a real insecurity behind his words. It's fantastic.

What are your views on eBook pricing?

Overall, my philosophy is to each his own. You have to price where you're comfortable. I went with 99 cents because Chasing Filthy Lucre is a 21,000 word novella. With where pricing was at the time, I chose 99 cents because it didn't seem fair to price it at $2.99 since many full-length novels were priced there. Ideally I would have loved to try and make a go at $1.99, but that seems like a bit of a pricing black hole so I went with the lower option.

In general, though, I think that self-published and independent works are priced too low, traditionally published books are priced too high, and that it will all work itself out in the end. Once everything settles, I think you'll see many independent novels priced at $4.99, or close to it. That seems like a fair price for both the reader and the author. It also leaves some flexibility to work out a pricing standard for shorter works, like novellas and short stories.

As far as traditionally published works, I can't see how pricing an ebook the same price as a paperback is sustainable. There are continuing costs associated with a print book – the paper and the printing of more books. With an ebook all of your costs are one-time things. You only edit the book once, you only format it once, you only upload it once. You aren't printing new copies. That makes it hard to justify the current pricing, at least to me.

What are the greatest opportunities facing writers these days?

The greatest opportunity is the chance to take things into their own hands and have some success at it. For a long time self-publishing wasn't a financially viable option. The cost to get started was prohibitive and then the chance that you'd make any of that money back was slight, at best. With the Nook, the Kindle, and all the other ereaders, all of that changed.

I went to my first writing convention a couple of years ago. I was excited. I was going to listen to authors and experts speak on the one thing I've wanted to do my entire life. I just knew that I was going to come away from there a better writer and have the knowledge I needed to barge my way into the publishing world.

Instead, I left discouraged. All the authors leading the discussions I attended left a few minutes at the end for questions. Multiple times these authors were asked about finding an agent and breaking in. More often than not they answered the same way: "Don't go by me. I got lucky."

Now, writers don't have to rely on that luck if they don't want to. The ereaders and epublishing have made it possible to actually make a living self-publishing. I know that self-publishing doesn't guarantee any kind of success; there you still need a little luck. But now more writers can get their work in front of readers.

How do you feel about the ease with which anyone can publish?

I think it's great, obviously. I wouldn't have done it this way if I didn't think it was a good idea. There are some who will complain that now readers have to wade through too much junk to find the gems. No one was going to the book stores in years past and just picking up any old book and buying it because it had been through the traditional publishing process. That was no guarantee of quality. The unfinished books sitting on my shelves are testament to that.

Yes, there will be more books to wade through. And, no, not everyone is meant to be a writer. But things will naturally sort themselves out. Most of the good stuff will find an audience eventually. The stuff that's not as good will falter.

Chasing Filthy Lucre by Jarrett Rush
86p/99c/99c/99c

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Nook, Smashwords