THE BIG NOWHERE

From previous posts you will be aware that I’m fast becoming a fan of James Ellroy. I’ve just started to read The Big Nowhere, which is the second book in the acclaimed L.A. Quartet series. The following section struck me as... brilliant.

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The County side was bustling: traffic fatalities lined up on gurneys, morgue jockeys tagging big toes, uniformed deputies writing dead body reports and Coroner’s men chaining cigarettes to kill the stench of blood, formaldehyde and stale chink takeout.

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For me, the skilful use of exciting words to set a scene so authentically is stunning. Masterful stuff, Mr Ellroy!

DISCOUNT NOIR - NOW AVAILABLE

Discount Noir is alive and kicking and available at the Untreed Reads store.

Go on treat yourself. It’s a bargain basement bargain at $4.49 for a digital download of top quality flash fiction. Double digit HERE folks!

JAMES ELLROY - THE DEMON DOG OF HARDBOILED NOIR

I took myself off to the Bloomsbury Theatre in London last night to listen to James Ellroy reading extracts from his latest memoir - The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women. After the reading, which lasted twenty minutes or so there was a discussion on all things Ellroy followed by a Q&A session on his canon of literary masterpieces.

He is a larger than life character and was totally at home on the theatre stage. I really cannot do the man justice in this piece but sufficient to say I was astounded to see the theatre packed with so many fans. “Peepers, prowlers, pederasts, panty-sniffers, punks and pimps,” as Ellroy would say. When Ellroy took to the stage his command of the English language and sheer personality had the audience, including me, enthralled.

The whole thing must have lasted an hour and fifteen minutes but time flew by. The man is a superb orator and entertained with his trademark and wicked: Humour, slang, patois and creative profanity. He is controversial, complex and, in my opinion, a wordsmith bordering on genius. Ellroy was not as hesitant as me on this point; nailing his colours firmly to the mast by declaring himself a literary genius and comparing himself to Ludwig van Beethoven. Few in the audience had any issues with this.

I gleaned a few remarkable things about the great man: Ellroy does not own a computer. Ellroy does not use the Internet. Ellroy researches his literary projects using the printed word and interviews. Ellroy writes in long hand. Ellroy completes a detailed outline - 400 plus pages written in long hand – before he starts a novel. Ellroy does not deviate from the outline during the writing of the novel. Ellroy rarely watches films and television. Ellroy never reads contemporary books by other authors. Ellroy can spend hours in a darkened room just thinking about his writing.

I cannot call myself a fanatical Ellroy reader because I have not read a huge amount of his work; I am going to put that right though.

Many years ago I read Dick Contino's Blues: And Other Stories. Recently I read The Black Dahlia. I bought this book a long time ago but put off reading it because I had read that Ellroy’s writing style was difficult to read; although his unique staccato prose developed from White Jazz onwards. When I did get around to reading The Black Dahlia I swallowed it; hook, line and sinker. Captured not just by the blistering story and the skilful use of words but how the fiction was set so authentically in 1940/50’s Los Angeles and weaved around real life events. The rest of the L.A. Quartet is on my TBR shelf and I will promote The Big Nowhere to the next book on the rank without further ado.

A hat-tip to James Ellroy – The Demon Dog of Hardboiled Noir!

DISCOUNT NOIR – COMING SOON

The publishing date for Discount Noir is Tuesday 19^th October. Published by Untreed Reads and edited by Patricia Abbott and Steve Weddle with a line-up of amazing writers who have penned flash stories featuring big box discount stores in the tradition of Walmart. The full list of contributors is as follows:-

Patricia Abbott, Sophie Littlefield, Kieran Shea, Chad Eagleton, Ed Gorman, Cormac Brown, Fleur Bradley, Alan Griffiths, Laura Benedict, Garnett Elliot, Eric Beetner, Jack Bates, Bill Crider, Loren Eaton, John DuMond, John McFetridge, Toni McGee Causey, Jeff Vande Zande, James Reasoner, Kyle Minor, Randy Rohn, Todd Mason, Byron Quertermous, Sandra Scoppettone, Stephen D. Rogers, Steve Weddle, Evan Lewis, Daniel B. O’Shea, Sandra Seamans, Albert Tucher, Donna Moore, John Weagly, Keith Rawson, Gerald So, Dave Zeltserman, Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen, Jay Stringer, Anne Frasier, Kathleen A. Ryan, Eric Peterson, Chris Grabenstein and J.T. Ellison.

The cover looks fantastic and I’m as pleased as Punch to have a piece in this e-book. For more details please double digit HERE folks.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

These two fine publications arrived in the post this morning. Don’t they look dandy? I reckon the stories are going to be top notch too. I’m looking forward to getting my mince-pies on them immensely.

My hat is tipped towards David and Patti for the original photo idea.

And a classic tune to round things off. You can’t beat a bit of Rod!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend folks.

DISCOUNT NOIR

Last year I took part in Patti Abbott’s Walmart, I Love You, flash fiction challenge. The challenge attracted some great writers who put together some great stories. But it didn’t end there....

With Patti and Steve Weddle as editors and super agent Stacia J.N. Decker onboard, the project with some additional stories from other top writers has been put together as an anthology. Tentatively titled Discount Noir, the collection of stories will soon go to e-press published by Untreed Reads. For the official announcement double digit HERE.

This is my first inclusion in an anthology and, whilst I realise that I am holding onto the coattails of some super writers, I am blown away with the whole thing.

Finally, my thanks have to go out to Patti, Steve and Stacia for all their hard work, which has made this happen. Congratulations to all involved!

Have a good weekend folks.

TONY BLACK’S GUS DURY NOVELS

I’ve just finished reading, back to back, Loss and Long Time Dead; books three and four in Tony Black’s stunning series of Gus Dury novels. I read the first two, Paying For It and Gutted a while back, when they came out in paperback.

Now, hands up here, I’m no book reviewer but these books struck a chord with me and I wanted to put a quick post up about them.

Gus Dury is a washed up hack and an alkie with issues that stem from a troubled childhood. Gus has a quick temper and, at times, lets his fists do the talking. He’s fond of a pagger! After seeing his once promising journalism career and his marriage flushed down the toilet, Gus looks out at the world through the bottom of a whisky glass.

A friend asks a favour of Gus and he finds himself as a reluctant Private Investigator, pounding the mean streets of Edinburgh in his trusted Doctor Martin boots.

I read the books in order and I’m glad I did. Although each book is a standalone they chart a journey for Gus and, at times, reference key events from previous books.

But, by reading chronologically, I got a real taste of how Tony’s writing improves with each novel – not just the storylines but also how Gus evolves as a flawed and complex character; getting under his whisky sodden skin and a real understanding of the baggage he carries and the demons that haunt him.

It’s a bruising, rollercoaster journey for Gus. Along the way, written in first person, with a caustic and searing wit, we see and hear Gus Dury’s view of the world and his beloved city of Edinburgh, how it has changed; for good and for bad.

All four books are, in my humble opinion, cracking reads and highly recommended.

Check out the links/blurbs below and for a taster short story, care of The Rap Sheet, double digit HERE.

PAYING FOR IT
Former journalist Gus Dury has hit rock bottom – drifting from bar to bar, a drink away from Edinburgh’s down-and-outs, his high flying career and wife he adored now a distant memory. But his life takes an unexpected turn when a friend asks him to investigate the brutal torture and killing of his son.

GUTTED
When the gangland owner of a pit bull that killed a three-year-old girl is found gutted on an Edinburgh hill Gus Dury is asked to investigate, and soon finds himself up to his neck in the warring underworld of the city's sink estates. Amidst illegal dog fights, a missing fifty grand and a police force and judiciary desperate to cover their links to a brutal killing, Gus must work fast to root out the truth, whilst the case sinks its teeth ever deeper into him.

LOSS
Gus Dury is a changed man. He is off the Edinburgh streets and back with estranged wife, Debs. He has promised her that he won't get involved in any more dodgy cases which the police can't or won't solve. And above all, he's off the drink. In his pocket at all times is a half bottle of Scotch, but although the label is worn to shreds, he has never so much as loosened the cap. Then his brother Michael is found dead with a bullet in his heart and Gus' life begins to unravel all over again. How can he keep the promises he has made and still avenge his brother's murder?

LONG TIME DEAD
Gus Dury is back on the drink. While in hospital after a hit-and-run accident, his best friend, Hod, asks him to investigate the ritual, on-campus hanging of an Edinburgh University student. The murder victim's mother is a high-profile actress, who has promised a big-money reward. Gus, desperate for money, goes undercover at the university, taking a janitor's job, and soon uncovers a similar ritualistic hanging which took place in the 70s. Few of the students are prepared to talk about it - until another one of their group turns up dead by the same method. But Gus now moves into very dangerous waters as he begins to discover what and who is really behind it all - and he becomes the next target for the executioner.