My first sequel

It was suggested that my story Get Gone may be a good candidate for a sequel. I gave it a shot. I have to say it was fun. You can read it here. It does make me think about how much I am slacking in coming up with the outline for the sequel to One Too Many Blows To The Head but I have a lot of irons in the fire right now. Even just starting it is a great reminder of how fun those characters were to write and it is a pleasure to renew my collaboration with JB Kohl.

Our world class illustrator is working on the cover art. I have already made arrangements to do a signing at The Mystery Bookstore in LA and working on others including Phoenix and Chicago. It's moving slowly but becomes more of a reality every day. I will also be featured in an anthology called Murder is on the Wind. I quite like the story I wrote for that one. Very dark.

In July I am really looking forward to Seth Harwood's signing of Jack Wakes Up and Megan Abbott's signing of Bury Me Deep. I'm going to try to make it to Jason Starr's signing too.

Big Weekend

Well when it rains it pours I guess. I have a new story up at Darkest Before the Dawn which is a really great site for slightly longer stories and some that are a little more off the beaten path, which my story is. Two Left is a western. I still had a little Deadwood residue in my system I guess so I tried to get into that mindset with a little story of gold fever.

Also, and I'm really excited about this, I have recorded my first podcast. My story Past Due has been podcast as episode 39 on the amazing crimewav.com I love this site. It is so great to hear stories read out loud. I wish I could have had someone with a better voice or more dramatic flair read mine but I did okay. If you haven't been to this site take some time and browse around to listen to some of the stories. A really great experience. 

AND...my contribution to Six Sentences is up as well. This site is great and shows a huge range of storytelling all in only six sentences. It is amazing to see what people can do with so little. I realized my story had a typo in it and it made me feel like an idiot. I can't even proof a six sentence story. Sheesh! And it is no comment on our educational system. I had all the breaks, just lazy or ignorant or both. 

I hope I can keep up the pace for a year full of quality output (sans typos). News about the novel I co-wrote with JB Kohl is coming soon.

Starting them young

I wasn't sure where else to share these pictures of my daughter but why not here. She turns 3 next month but already has great taste in literature.

A shorty

What's better for a writer with very little time on his hands than flash fiction? Not much. The top of the heap in crime flash fiction is Powder Burn Flash and they just posted a new story of mine called Worth It. Check it out if you've got 90 seconds to spare.

Get Gone

It's been a while since I've written anything new. Give me a break I've been busy! I've been working on outlining a new novel and I think it's going to be good. Now I just need to clear some time to actually write it (details). We are getting close to publishing 'One Too Many Blows To The Head'! I don't want to jinx it before the contracts are actually signed. More details as that comes together.

In the mean time I did manage some time to knock out a quick one called Get Gone. It is up at A Twist of Noir and it was proposed, by someone other than me, that it become the first of a series. Hmmm...could be interesting. Read it and tell me if you want to know more about this guy. Because, y'know, I've got lots of time....

A winner! (sort of)

The results are in for the Twist of Noir short story contest is in and I won - kind of. The panel of judges were deadlocked so Christopher flipped a coin. I came out in 2nd place. It is an honor to even be in the top 3, or top 10 for that matter. Check out the winning stories. Both great. It is nice to finally see this one published. 

I need to get back on the keys and start writing again after my grueling time doing two jobs. I've had some progress on the novels. People seem interested. What will come of it, who knows? 

Keeping it quiet but...fingers crossed.

My favorite story

The long awaited publication of the new issue of Thuglit just hit the cyber-newsstands. These folks can really pick a gritty and hard boiled crime story to I am honored to be included with my story 'Ditch'. This one is a personal favorite of mine. Some may hate it due to the structure which may seem like a gimmick but I sure do like it. Judge for yourself here.

Really hope you dig it.

I'm midway into my first Wade Miller novel and I am really liking it so far. It's from 1952 and it feels "vintage" if you know what I mean. Wish I had more time to read and my Dad just left Beat The Reaper with me on his recent visit so I'm eager to get to that one too. So many books....

I've gone international

I have a new story up at Pulp Pusher, a great site out of the UK run by author Tony Black. It is my first attempt at a female narrator. I ran it by one female who I trust and she said it all rang true so that's a good sign. I'm working two jobs right now so very little time to write and what time I did have I needed to finish several articles for the Film Noir Foundation.

One of the shows I'm working on is really great. Don't be scared by the fact that it's on MTV. You can see a trailer for it here. Yes it's a "reality" show but it really is good and dark and action-y and the episode I'm cutting right now is about mobsters and there are guns, dead cops, snipers and crooked cops. Sounds like my kind of show.

Enjoy the new story. I sent the book out to another publisher so fingers crossed on that. Also waiting for March to be over so they will announce the winner of the Twist Of Noir contest.

New Crooked story

Issue #2 of Crooked is out and it is another great collection of stories. My short 'Partners' is included. I hope you like it. If you do then you can vote for it at the site. Not sure what this gets me except a glowing sense of pride. Any other writers out there should submit to this new e-zine to keep it afloat. Not that I invite more competition to getting placed but they deserve to have choices to choose from and not to just take whatever comes by the old in box. 

I'm working a story for A Twist of Noir's first story competition. Should be fun. The theme is "Alienation".  There's nothing more noir (or more vague). Wish me luck.

The Last Bullet

I have another story up at A Twist of Noir called The Last Bullet. It is a little different and I'm glad Christopher went for it. It is slower and more cerebral which I know can be an oxymoron in crime fiction but that's what short fiction is for - to try new things. 

I find it hard to write stuff so short (most of the online sites look for under 2000 words or some under 4000) It does force you to keep things tight and that is a good exercise in discipline. 

I'm trying to read some independently published stuff to maybe compile a list for the Film Noir myspace page. It's hard to fit it all in but I'm trying. I'm into a collection of novellas called Squid Pulp Blues and it's really different and good so far. I've honed the craft over more than 2 decades of seeking out the under-the-radar music that I love. Finding authors like that is a LOT more time consuming though. 

If anyone wants to send me stuff for free though..........