Blog Archives

Q&A: Andrez Bergen

25/2/2012

Today's guest is Andrez Bergen, an expatriate Australian journalist, musician, photographer, DJ, artist, some-time filmmaker, wayward graphic designer, and ad hoc beer and sake connoisseur who’s been entrenched in Tokyo, Japan, for the past 10 years. He is the author of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/noir yarn about love, crime, cinema and intrigue — served up with a martini and a paper cocktail brolly. The book has been very well received. Respected reviewer Elizabeth A. White had this to say about it: 'I can say without qualification that not only is Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat one of my Top 5 reads of 2011, it is one of the most creative and engaging books I’ve ever read. Period.'

Tell me about your book.

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is sci-fi-lite, at least according to one of my mates — which surprised me since I believed it safely slotted into the sci-fi genre and I didn’t know there was a style called sci-fi-lite. Probably he was making it up.

Most people are now telling that TSMG is far more oriented toward noir than science fiction, which I guess is attributable to the heavy influences of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett as much as other writers like Philip K. Dick and Graham Greene. Does that actually tell you anything about the book? I hope it does. I’m terrible at snap-synopses.

How long did it take you to complete?

This is going to sound over-the-top, but it actually took half my life to finish this novel. Really. It should be a perfected epic in that case, but much of the time the various manuscripts were stuck in dusty drawers or under cardboard boxes in closets, and I didn’t think about the story at all. The genuine focus periods were in 1992, 2002, and 2006-2010.

What's your favourite part of the creative process?

Probably getting the revelations. Rather than being lobbed at me by some god-like character, these come via stimuli around me — often basic, everyday sights, sounds, train stations or conversations, or just by tuning in to music that moves me, given the mood I’m in at a certain moment. Out of these come snippets of dialogue, throwaway lines, and set pieces that I can knit together in the overall story. Or unstitch and hide.

How important is a good title?

For me this is incredibly important, since I probably won’t bother picking up a book with a bland title. And it’s not that hard to play with the name, or go off on a tangent. I do music as well, and one of the fun parts for me is creating the track titles. A lot of other musicians stick with the mundane and it makes me sleepy.

How important is a good cover?

Again, vital. I know it’s drummed into us never to trust a book by its cover and that not all glittering things are gold, and yet … If you get a superb image and wonderful font worked together into a stunning whole – matched up, of course, with a humdinger of a title — then I will go and judge it and probably give the book a shot.

This has led to some bitter disappointments over the years, but there are things you never learn. To the other degree, I’m sure there are some sensational stories I’ve never read just because the cover is shoddy. Why am I so shallow? God knows.

How do you feel about interviews?

I think they’re fun, but I’m biased — I’m a journalist, and have been interviewing other people for over fifteen years. It’s kind of interesting to reverse the flow, but I do find myself trying to get people to ask me certain questions I think would work better. In a subtle way, I hope.

Where do you find out about new books?

Often I find out via word-of-mouth from friends, although I have such a diverse range of mates that I don’t always trust their taste in books even if I think their ideas about music are revelatory, and vice versa. Recently I’ve been able to hook up with a few like-minded writers and reviewers who I respect and trust, so that’s opened things up a bit.

Otherwise I just find novels I’ve never heard of in the local 200 yen second-hand book shop here in Tokyo. And, yep, usually it’s the covers and titles that win me over.

What are you reading now?

I actually just started Graham Greene’s novella for The Third Man, which I’ve never read. This is weird because I’ve seen Carol Reed’s film version at least a hundred times — I’m not joking, but the way. It’s one of my favourite movies, so I’m curious to see how the book pans out.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on two projects: my next novel, and an anthology related to Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat.

The novel is about an identical twin geisha who lives to be one hundred and harbours venomous feelings toward her sister. It’s narrated by a dead man and kicks off in Japan in 1929 — but looks like brushing up against Melbourne in the 1970s as well. These are just the basics. I’ve got no idea how the rest will develop.

The anthology is steam-rolling ahead much faster, and will also be coming out through Another Sky Press in the U.S. We’ve got writers on board from the UK, the ‘States and Australia, although I don’t want to name them just yet as some are partially committed — it depends on our old friend, time. All the stories will be set in the dystopian, near-future Melbourne occupied by Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, but with more of a noir/hardboiled edge.
Oh yeah, and I’ve got a short story coming out in the next Crime Factory anthology.

How can we keep up to date with your news?

Probably the easiest way is via Twitter (@andreziffy) or my website for Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat.

Other than writing/being published, do you have a claim to fame?

I’ve been making hack music for 17 years under aliases like Little Nobody, Nana Mouskouri’s Spectacles, Slam-Dunk Ninja, Dick Drone, and Schlock Tactile — which I think allows you to guess just how seriously I take that hobby, much as I do love it.

Thank you, Andrez, for a great Q&A.

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is available from Amazon in the UK and the US.

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Buy my books!!! Tiptoeing through the self-promotion minefield.

23/2/2012

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I read a couple of interesting articles about authors’ marketing techniques and what not to do when seeking reviews today and they got me thinking. There are a lot us out there right now trying to work out how to make our books and stories visible in amongst all those that are available, and that’s not an easy thing to do.

And yet, judging by what is in those articles (and there is similar advice elsewhere supporting the stance they take) we mustn’t bang on about our books or aggressively pursue reviews. And while I might not agree with every single point, broadly speaking I do agree. For the most part it’s common sense. Seeing other people constantly self-promote can get grating, even for another writer who understands why they are doing it. There are people I unsubscribe to on Facebook and decline to follow on Twitter because of the constant litany of ‘Me! Me! Me!’ (‘Gob on a stick,’ as an old mate would say.) And just think how off-putting that must be for a potential reader!

So, what should we do?

An organisation I used to work for had regular celebratory events which were attended by many people from other organisations operating in the same arena. These were people it was good to get to know because, taking a short-term view, we often worked in partnership with those other organisations and, taking a longer-term view, we might want to go and work for one of them one day. However, for the most part and unless obliged to do differently, the staff from each organisation spent their time in their own little groups.

And I fear that’s what a lot of us do online for a large part of the time. We hang out in groups and tell the same bunch of people — who already know what titles we currently have available — the same stuff over and over. I know I often feel that’s what I’m doing.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t mention what we’re up to in those groups, of course we should, that’s the purpose of them. It’s great to be able to celebrate our successes, too, but there’s probably little to be gained by posting the same thing over and over again.

We can support fellow writers by sharing their news with our wider group of contacts and using our blogs to promote them and their work, and that's good to do. I suspect, however, that what we really need are different markets to promote in, and that we need to see them not as markets, but as places filled with people we can interact with. We need to get into other groups and forums and mingle, talk about what we’ve read that we enjoyed, talk about our favourite authors, talk about the weather, if that’s what others are talking about. It’s like networking at an event, but instead of wearing a name badge or passing out business cards, we have an email signature or a link to our website. If we seem to be interesting and helpful, then people can check out our writing if they want to, just as they might take a business card or make a mental note of our name.

Also, we can seek out sites that review the type of book that we have written, then follow their guidelines as to how we request a review. If you know people, other writers, perhaps, who also review books, offer them a free copy and ask them if they would consider reviewing it. Then forget about it. They might review it next week, or next month, or next year. They’ll do it in their own time. Or they might not do it at all. It’s one of many things vying for their attention and for all it is your highest priority, it isn’t theirs. And it will disappear from their list of things to do entirely if you nag.

Self-publishing is not an easy road. There’s no guarantee of success. Something that does seem clear to me: the one thing today’s opportunities have in common with the traditional approach to finding an agent and being published is the need for a healthy dollop of good luck. But by being a little bit savvy about how we promote our books, we can give ourselves a far better chance of being lucky.

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Review: Watch You Drown - Chris Rhatigan

22/2/2012

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I know I’m not the only one to have been excited at the prospect of a published collection of Chris Rhatigan’s short fiction, and Watch You Drown certainly doesn’t disappoint. There are fourteen tales here and while each has its roots firmly in the traditions of classic noir, the stories very much inhabit the contemporary world.

These are stories about people who for the most part live on the fringes of society: if they have a job, they earn minimum wage, if they have a dream, they won’t ever see it realised. A nice counterpoint to this are tales about people who have simply been pushed too far, people who are put under such extreme pressure that they snap. A common theme is the potent combination of bad luck and bad decisions.

It’s difficult to single out favourites from such a strong collection, but I’ll try. ‘Skinny Latte’ is a darkly funny cautionary tale about the dangers of making someone work hard for something, then denying them the right to use it, and anyone who has ever worked in retail will understand exactly where ‘Service With a Smile’ is coming from. Finally, ‘Administrative Segregation’ is a bite-sized story that shows more about character and situation than many full-length novels.

Watch You Drown is an absolute gem of a collection, and a must-have for any fans of contemporary gritty crime stories. Very highly recommended.

Watch You Drown is Chris Rhatigan's debut short story collection. It is available from Amazon in the US and the UK. And if you want to know more about the author, Chris popped in for a wee Q&A a while back.

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Q&A: Dani Amore

18/2/2012

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Today's guest is Dani Amore, an incredibly prolific — and hugely talented — crime novelist living in Los Angeles, California. Her first novel, Death By Sarcasm, cracked the Top 100 Mysteries on Amazon.com and introduced readers to Mary Cooper, a Los Angeles-based private investigator with a quick wit and a steady aim. (Read my take on it here.)

Her second novel, Dead Wood, introduced readers to John Rockne, a disgraced ex-cop and private investigator looking into the murder of a woman who built custom guitars. There are six additional titles, and more planned for this year. I'm a huge fan of Dani's writing and it's an absolute pleasure to have her here today.

Tell me about your book.

The Killing League is a thriller about a retired FBI profiler who discovers a competition among active serial killers, and that he, and a woman whose life helped save, are the grand prize.

What was your motivation for writing it?

The same reason I once drank fourteen bottles of Heineken in one hour. To see if I could do it. I’d read about serial killers and the fact that they were competitive. I wondered — if an active serial killer wanted to compete with other killers, how would he do it? How would he set it up? How would he force the others to ‘play?’ The answers are The Killing League.

What's your favourite part of the creative process?

I get very violent and destructive during the first draft, and the first revision. I allow myself to throw things, smash glass items, and shout the worst kind of obscenities one can imagine. That’s about the only part that I truly enjoy.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

The endless cocktail parties I throw for my fans. When booze is tax-deductible, count me in.

How do you feel about interviews?

Mostly, I like the cuddling afterward.

What are you reading now?

I am reading a fantastic book called The Ranger by Ace Atkins. Ace is the real deal, folks.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on two projects right now: the sequel to Death By Sarcasm, which I’m calling Murder With Sarcastic Intent. And I’m also writing another story featuring a guy I call The Garbage Collector. He’s a lot of fun to hang out with.

How can we keep up to date with your news?

Your best bet is my Facebook page, Twitter, or my blog.

I also appear quite frequently in my newspaper’s Local Crime Report.

That was great fun, Dani, thank you!

Dani's books are available from all the usual places, including Amazon in the UK and the US.

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Review: The Lamplighters - Frazer Lee

15/2/2012

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Marla Neuborn’s life is a mess. No money, no job, soon to be homeless … so when she is offered what amounts to a new start, she jumps at the chance, driven as much as drawn to the opportunity of a job on Meditrine Island. It’s a long way away, isolated, she’ll be out of touch with the world for a year — but so what? She has no one to miss and no one who will miss her.

Once there, the seemingly easy and idyllic lifestyle as a Lamplighter — someone who keeps the houses of wealthy owners clean and tidy, runs appliances and lights the lamps every day — turns out to be rather different than Marla had imagined.

As the days go by, the questions stack up: who are the mysterious, absent owners of the lavish homes on Meditrine? What is causing the deaths of the small animals whose bodies Marla is finding around the island? Who is peeping in windows? And why is security so intense?

If you think The Lamplighters starts well (and it does — very) wait until you see how it ends. Frazer Lee expertly builds up the tension, taking the reader on a hell of journey to a horrifying climax.

The Skin Mechanic awaits. He will give you nightmares. Accept this as a fair price to pay for the pleasure of reading The Lamplighters.

The Lamplighters is Frazer Lee’s debut novel. It is available from Amazon in the UK and the US, and from Samhain Publishing. And if you want to know more about the author, Frazer popped in for a Q&A a wee while back.

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Saint Valentine's Day (Price) Massacre

12/2/2012

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I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s exploitative and used far too frequently by manipulative people to crowbar money out of their spouse/partner/current shag buddy. And guilt-tripping someone into buying a bouquet of flowers (to be delivered to work so the recipient can pretend to be surprised and show off about it, taking particular care to simper with fake compassion in the general direction of whichever colleague got dumped last week) or a concert ticket (which has potentially months’ worth of bragging rights attached) or whatever else it might be, has bugger all to do with love.

So, as Valentine’s Day approaches, I thought I’d use it as a tenuous link to support a wee Heartbreaker promotion. As it goes in the book:

‘What do you have in mind?’ Johnny knew from experience that there would be dates already set, deals already made.

‘First off, there’s a big launch party at Crawdaddy. That’s planned for February the fourteenth. Valentine’s day, Heartbreaker, Labour of Love. You see the connection.’

‘It’s not exactly subtle.’

And he’s right, it isn’t. But that won’t stop me.

As of today, and for the next week, the e-book on Amazon in the UK and the US is reduced from £1.98/$2.99 to 77p/99c, and the print book on Lulu has a whopping 40% discount applied to it, reducing it from £10.99 to £6.59. (There’s nothing I can do about the cost of postage, but at least this way it can be delivered for under a tenner.)

So, there you go. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to buy something. Buy a book. Buy it for someone else, if you wish, or buy it for yourself. Or don’t buy it. Read the reviews, the excerpts on this site and the free download, see if you like it, then decide. Do what makes you feel best.

And rest assured that the only emotional blackmail, manipulation and guilt-tripping involved happens between the pages, to people who are all made up anyway.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

4 Comments

Q&A: Eric Beetner

11/2/2012

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Today's guest is the multi-talented and highly prolific Eric Beetner, award-winning short story writer, former musician, sometime filmmaker, film noir nerd and father of two.

Tell me about your book.

Well, I have a few. I’m in several great anthologies I should mention: D*cked, Grimm Tales, Pulp Ink, and Off The Record. And there are two novellas that came out only a week and half apart at the end of last year so I’ll mention those. Dig Two Graves is an e-book from Snubnose Press that is a gritty revenge tale about a would-be bank robber who gets sold out by his prison lover. I hate talking about myself so I’ll let others do it:

‘Dig Two Graves is the product of a diseased mind, and I mean that in the very best way. If you like stories about revenge and criminals fucking up their own shit, this one's for you.’
Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest and The Adjustment

‘Dig Two Graves is everything you want a blackly comic revenge tale to be: fierce, fast, funny, and deliciously foregone. You'll know on page one that this story isn't going to go well for anybody involved, but read that page and see if you can look away. I couldn't. It's all in the voice, and Eric Beetner's got a live one. I look forward to hearing more of it.’
Sean Doolittle, author of The Cleanup and Safer

‘It’s dark, funny, fast, and gleefully, wonderfully wrong entertainment. Beetner handles tension like a veteran and the action and suspense sequences are a fucking hoot, but what really sets this novella apart is Val’s voice. The Nerd advises you to pick this shit up toot-fucking-sweet.’
The Nerd of Noir, Spinetingler Mag

‘Beetner’s novella is so crisp and expertly put together, you can’t help but go along for the ride. Razor sharp writing.’ A best of 2011 selection.
Nick Quantrill, author of Broken Dreams

Then there is Split Decision, book #3 in the Fight Card series. Each book is written by a different author, all under the pseudonym of Jack Tunney for e-books, and our own names for the print version. They are set in the 1950s and real throwbacks to the sports pulps of the era. The whole series is great and there are some amazing entries coming later this year.

Again, I’ll leave it to others to comment on my own work:

‘Beetner's tale is darker than either of the preceding entries, but it's just as compelling and does a fine job of capturing the era. He has the knack of putting his protagonist in an impossible situation and then making the reader race along to find out how it's going to get even worse. Split Decision is a prime example of the sort of variety and adventurous storytelling we can expect from the Fight Card series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.’
James Reasoner, author of Texas Wind and Dust Devils

‘There is nothing predictable about the third installment of the Fight Card series, Split Decision by Eric Beetner. Split Decision has a very different feel from the first two Fight Card stories, but still delivers the same hard punching thrills in a distinctly noirish tale. If had been made into a film in the Golden Days of Hollywood, John Garfield would have played Jimmy Wyler. It’s that kind of story. I finished it in one sitting. It’s that entertaining. Highly recommended.’
Permission To Kill

How long did it take you to complete?

I write fairly quickly and novellas are easier, obviously. I think with each of these I spent maybe two months each. I spend about four on a full length novel, I guess, from starting to finishing a polished draft. That doesn’t count all the thinking time beforehand. I think a lot before I decide to start writing. I’m always juggling ideas and trying to decide what to write next so if I don’t think I know the whole story I’ll wait on it and finish something else first.

What's your favourite part of the creative process?

I love when I surprise myself with a line or a thought. I outline and know where it is all headed, but that frees me up to take detours and change course a bit. Sometimes it effects things greatly, sometimes it is a line I forget about until I’m doing rewrites and I feel like someone else wrote that part. I love when I don’t remember having written something. The bits I like, anyway. Some of it I’d like to disavow. Funny how those are the parts I remember clearly.

How much difference does an editor make?

I need a good editor to fix my silly mistakes and bad habits. I’ve gotten much better at self-editing so my first drafts are much cleaner than they used to be. I am always amazed, though, at how little things still slip by.
I don’t look to an editor for story. I try not to be too precious about things, but I won’t send anything out unless I feel the story is solid and doesn’t need big changes. That said, I have given in and changed an ending here and there, but nothing I felt uncomfortable with.

I think for self-published authors though, a good editor is key.

How important is a good title?

It’s a grabber so I think it is very important. I love a good title. It does draw you in and makes you interested in a story. Generic thriller titles make me pass over a book as do confusing, wordy titles. But take something like Frank Sinatra In A Blender by Matt McBride. How could you not want to read that book?

How important is a good cover?

I’ve been doing my own covers. Dig Two Graves is my design. My first two novels with JB Kohl, One Too Many Blows To The Head and Borrowed Trouble were mine as well. And I’ve been doing covers for Snubnose Press. So, yes, I think a good cover is really important. Nothing makes a small press book look cheaper and less professional than a boring cover with no style done with bad fonts and zero creativity.

I’m a big fan of old pulp covers (who isn’t?) and I take a lot of inspiration from that. Also masters of design like Saul Bass and Chip Kidd. I have very limited Photoshop skills but I like to play around. I wish I could do more to get the ideas in my head to come out on a page. But in my effort to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, I guess I can add book cover designer to my resume.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

I like interviews because I like hearing what people will ask. Other than that, I hate most every aspect of it. I hate blowing my own horn. It feels as much like masturbation as that analogy sounded. My book sales have suffered surely because I don’t self-promote enough but I already feel like what I do is obnoxious enough.

But, yeah, the interviews give me a reason to talk about the books because someone is asking. Otherwise I feel like a loudmouth at a party.

How do you feel about reviews?

I like getting reviewed. Maybe because I’ve been very lucky and haven’t had anyone unload on me yet. I like hearing what others see in a book of mine. I know what I think about it, but you never know if what you intended will come across.

And yes, I do regard reviews when I choose books to buy. If I know and respect the opinion of the reviewer, it makes a difference.

What are you reading now?

I just started Stephen Blackmoore’s City of the Lost. It’s an urban fantasy crime novel that starts off like a rocket. Only fifty pages in I know I will love it. And here’s where I can again stump for Hell on Church Street by Jake Hinkson, a recent read. So damn good. Jake is getting amazing press all over and it is all true. Get this book!

What makes you keep reading a book?

If it goes to unexpected places. I like to be surprised. I’m not usually a procedural guy or a simple who-done-it guy. I like a plot that propels forward all the time. That’s why I know I can always rely on writers like Allan Guthrie, Victor Gischler, Duane Swierczynski, Steve Brewer.

What are you currently working on?

I just moved so I haven’t written squat in about a month, which is rare for me. I have two outlines loaded in the chamber ready to go. I’ll be able to start in about another week or so. Still not sure which of the two I’ll go with. Other than that, just waiting for the call from my agent that any of the five manuscripts I’ve fed him in the past year have sold.

How can we keep up to date with your news?

Another year, another vow to keep up my blog more consistently. (See the above reluctance to crow about myself constantly) but I keep all my info and updates and free stories at ericbeetner.blogspot.com.

Other than writing/being published, do you have a claim to fame?

I’m a TV editor so my name is on TV quite a lot. You have to look fast, but it’s there. I used to be a musician and my old albums are out there for real cheap on eBay. I’ve posed for a painting as an X-Men trading card once. The film I wrote and directed is out there in the world if you do some digging. (I need to work on getting it more easily available.) None of this, it should be said, has made me famous. Including publishing.

What would your epitaph be?

No regrets.

Thanks, Eric for a great Q&A.

Eric's books are available from Amazon in the UK and in the US.

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Q&A: Gary Carson

4/2/2012

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Today's guest is Gary Carson, who created a scandal in Junior High School with a lurid James Bond ripoff that landed him in the counsellor’s office and was eventually read by the entire faculty, including the school nurse. After such a brilliant start, he followed a chequered path that led him, eventually, to Blasted Heath, who have recently published his debut novel, Phase Four.

Tell me about your book.

Phase Four is a complex, apocalyptic thriller about a conspiracy to establish total control over the human mind.

What was your motivation for writing it?

I write for money and pleasure, but so far I'm not making any money and trying to write at a professional level is so hard on my tiny brain that I think I'd get more pleasure out of banging my head against a wall. So the whole thing makes perfect sense.

How long did it take you to complete?

Years and years. I actually had to write another novel first. It morphed into the first version of Phase Four through some weird alchemical process and I had to rewrite that version multiple times before the sucking sound the manuscript made receded to an acceptable level.

What's your favourite part of the creative process?

I've always enjoyed rewriting the same paragraph a hundred times only to realize that it still stinks and that I don't really need it anyway.

How much difference does an editor make?

In my case, all the difference in the world. I've been lucky in that regard.

How important is a good title?

It's critical, I think. You need a title that will grab people's attention and get them to at least read the back-cover blurb and maybe a few opening paragraphs. Someone told me that prospective home buyers make up their minds about a house in the first ten seconds. With books, I think the decision is probably made in microseconds.

How important is a good cover?

Very important. The cover should be irrelevant, but it isn't. I don't buy books just because I like their covers, but if I don't like the cover, I'm less inclined to buy the book, especially if the cover is one of those movie spinoff deals with a big picture of Brad Pitt running away from a slow-motion fireball. It's embarrassing to have something like that lying around the house.

What are your views on e-book pricing?

As a reader, I like cheap books. As a writer, I want to make as much money as possible, but I can see the benefit in low prices. I'm a complete unknown and more people are likely to take a chance on my stuff if they don't have to take out a second mortgage to do it. Also, I've read that writers are getting a better deal, percentage-wise, with a 99-cent self-published Kindle book on Amazon than they would with a traditional publisher. I would point out, though, that even 99-cent e-books are more expensive than the old paperbacks that used to be widely available. For example, my 1965 Signet paperback of Moonraker only cost 50 cents and Ian Fleming was able to make a pretty good living with prices like that. The devaluation of the currency (among other things) has had a disastrous effect on the industry.

What aspects of marketing your book do you enjoy?

I'm still learning this whole marketing thing. Right now, I'm pretty bad at it. I have a lot of trouble writing synopses, for instance. At the moment, I can't say I enjoy any of it, but it has to be done and writers have to learn how to do it well if they want anyone to actually take the time to read their manuscripts.

How do you feel about interviews?

I like them because they give me a chance to blather on and on as well as promote my books, and they give me the illusion that my opinions actually matter.

How do you feel about reviews?

At the moment, I'm so obscure that I'm happy to get ANY kind of review, pro or con.

Where do you find out about new books?

Amazon. Bookstores. Libraries. Word of mouth.

What are you reading now?

Just finished Alexander the Great by Phillip Freeman and now I'm re-reading Moonraker by Ian Fleming.

What makes you keep reading a book?

Tight, fast, descriptive writing. Original ideas. Atmosphere. Fantastic plots presented realistically, if that makes any sense. The slightest whiff of political correctness is the kiss of death.

What are you currently working on?

I just ‘finished’ another apocalyptic disaster thriller called Machine which is going to need more work and I'm currently working on another thriller called Monster Story.

How can we keep up to date with your news?

I have a writer's blog at gcarson.typepad.com/gary_carson (still need to register a domain name) where I try to post current news. I also run two other blogs, an ancient history site called The Ancient World Review and a new conspiracy-oriented blog called Ominous Planet.

Other than writing/being published, do you have a claim to fame?

My ability to stumble through life in a daze is legendary.

What would your epitaph be?

FILE NOT FOUND

Thanks for a great Q&A, Gary.

Phase Four is available from Amazon in the UK and the US.

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White Vampyre (Europa City) - Leon Steelgrave

3/2/2012

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The blurb:

In the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12

Global warming has decimated the planet; and thirty years after the Great Flood the remnants of Europe are crowded together in a vast conurbation that occupies the remaining high ground. Old racial hatreds have re-emerged in the face of growing unemployment and civil unrest, and human vice remains unaltered.

As Europa City spirals into anarchy, Detective Kurt Brecht finds himself forced to confront both the demons of his past and those of his present drug addiction. Aided by the mysterious Lady Methedrine, he must defeat Isaac Vaughan, the head of the powerful Tessler Corporation, and thwart his ambition to seize control of the city.

Sounds pretty good, right? And it is.

Kurt Brecht is seeking to right wrongs and bring the bad guys to justice and for him the ends will always justify the means. Driven as much by events in his past as by the high stakes he is playing for in the present, Brecht is an avenging angel, albeit one with a pocket full of thrill pills and a smart one-liner for every occasion.

When Brecht gets into what, even for him, is extremely serious trouble, his childhood rescuer, father-figure and mentor, Guyon Sajer, takes his journal. It’s no secret that Brecht is a wild card and Sajer has protected him for as long as he could, but the journal reveals secrets that even he could never have guessed.

In the telling of White Vampyre, Steelgrave plays around with both timelines and perceptions, but very cleverly and in a way that enhances rather than confuses the story. From the start, the book races along at breakneck speed. The opening scenes are stark and powerful and tell you everything you need to know about Brecht. He’s a terrific character: imperfect, complex, relentless, and with an unshakeable sense of justice. As the tension ramps up and the body count gets higher, only the mysterious Lady Methedrine keeps her cool. But who is she? And what part does she play in the events that have taken Brecht to the edge?

White Vampyre is a fast, furious, page-turner of a book. It’s dark, violent and deadly, exploring issues of power, exploitation, sacrifice, addiction, greed and integrity. It’s a blisteringly good novel for a writer at any stage of their career, and especially impressive as a debut. I loved it. I recommend it unreservedly.

White Vampyre is available from Amazon in the UK and in the US.

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Leon Steelgrave: Murder

2/2/2012

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Today I'm delighted to hand the reins over to Leon Steelgrave, author of White Vampyre and more recently, A Pauper's Shroud.

If you were to ask if I consider myself a crime writer I would probably hesitate, despite the fact White Vampyre owes as much to that genre as Science Fiction and, more damningly, that I have just published a police procedural titled A Pauper’s Shroud. This isn’t to say I feel the genre beneath me. In fact I find it rather frustrating that the majority of literary prizes refuse to consider genre novels. Good writing is good writing, regardless of the setting or form of the protagonists. The role of a fiction author is primarily to entertain. Informing, inspiring, satirising, helping change the reader’s world view, are all added extras to the escapism they originally signed on for, which in the case of the crime novel is to allow dark thoughts into our minds that would otherwise be unacceptable.

Murder is probably the crime that fascinates writers the most. Ever since Cain put Abel in the ground, we have been obsessed with whodunit and, to a lesser extent, why they did it. Amateur sleuth or painstaking police work, we enjoy the piecing together of clues that leads up to the unmasking of the killer. Raymond Chandler stated in his Ten Commandments for the Detective Novel that 'It must baffle a reasonably intelligent reader', but that 'The solution must seem inevitable once revealed.'

The above are good, solid rules that I can’t fault, particularly as they issue a challenge to the reader to try to prove his or her intelligence by solving the mystery in advance of the narrator. Ultimately, whether we guess the killer’s identity or not, we expect some form of justice, within the letter of the law or otherwise, to take place. The one permissible exception being where the victim is discovered to be less than innocent.

Murder invokes something primal in us. It is the snuffing out of something precious – the potential of all the victim could ever aspire to, or hope to become. It is the one crime where the victim cannot speak out against his or her attacker and so we will the detective on, safe in the knowledge that it is their duty to speak for the dead.

My introduction to the crime novel came in a roundabout fashion through film noir, particularly in the 1940s versions of The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon, both of which starred Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade respectively. Choice of actor aside, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett’s Private Investigators shared a lot in common; a world-weary demeanour, love of wisecracks, sense of justice, and dubious standing with the police. Characteristics that were to form the blueprint of the hard-boiled private detective and for which Hammett should get the majority of the credit, The Maltese Falcon having been published originally in serial form in pulp magazine Black Mask several years before publication of The Big Sleep.

Having fallen in love with both films, the next natural step was to read the source material. Hammett’s work being the less well known in the UK during the late 1980s, Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels provided my first exposure to the world of detective fiction. It’s fair to say that the first person narrative and deadpan one-liners of Kurt Brecht’s journal entries in White Vampyre share more than a little of Marlowe’s DNA. Although Brecht, to say the least, is an unreliable narrator. At the risk of giving away all my secrets, I’ll also confess that Sydney Greenstreet’s portrayal of Kasper Gutman in The Maltese Falcon provided much of the inspiration for the Quartermaster in White Vampyre.

My dalliance with crime fiction might have started and ended there if not for American television’s fascination with police detectives. Two standout series from the 90s were NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life On The Street. Both had pedigree, the former having been developed by Steven Bochco, co-creator of the hugely successful Hill Street Blues and latter being based on former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon’s true crime novel Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets (Simon later went on to even greater success with The Wire). Although both dealt with professional law enforcement officers, they shared a number of similarities with their more hard-boiled cousins. The focus was justice for the victims and to achieve this the detectives felt at liberty to use both verbal and physical threats. Other methods included playing suspects off against one another and implying the prospect of leniency when it was not theirs to give. As a flipside to the above, where the killer proved to be as much a victim as the deceased, the detectives were not averse to helping them with their statement in an attempt to mitigate punishment. Justice opposed to the strict letter of the law.

Television series having a limited lifespan, when the above series ended I went in search of something to fill the gap. Despite the proliferation of such police based series, I found myself drawn to something closer to home in the form of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series.

John Rebus is the sort of character that appeals to me as a writer. Flawed, scarred by his past, pushing the self-destruct button; he encompasses many shades of grey. In a line that can be drawn directly back to Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, he possesses that innate sense of justice so critical to the detective.
Much as I respect Rankin’s decision to set the books in 'real time' and retire the character, I miss Rebus. While his new series featuring Malcolm Fox has the same great characterisation and minute plotting, there’s something a little too nice about Fox for my taste. But having only had two outings to date, I look forward to watching the character develop.

Having established a taste for the Scottish police procedural, it seemed only natural that I should be drawn to Stuart MacBride’s Logan McRae series, particularly as they are set in my former adopted hometown of Aberdeen, albeit an Aberdeen fortunately far removed from reality (apart from the weather - he’s absolutely spot on about it being cold, miserable and wet). Although the first novel in the series, Cold Granite (the title a homage to Lewis Grassic-Gibbons Grey Granite), is largely played straight, subsequent books have upped the humour and gore, relying on a certain suspension of disbelief for those familiar with the city. But like Rankin, MacBride is very much the master of a plot driven narrative, even if he populates his books with larger than life characters. Immensely enjoyable and undoubtedly one of my more recent influences.

And that brings us full circle to my original point - I’d hesitate to call myself a crime writer but it does seem rather inevitable after absorbing the above that I found myself writing a police procedural. Perhaps it’s something in the water or the blood of us Scots, or maybe it’s having grown up listening to the immortal words on Taggart: 'There’s been a murder!', but we do seem to like a good killing. Mine, incidentally, is set in Inverness and I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it.

I’ve mentioned various books, films and writers above, some of which will hopefully stir your interest. For anyone interested in reading further, here are Leon’s top picks:

The Little Sister - Raymond Chandler
You’ll find a close personal connection if you read this.

Red Harvest - Dashiell Hammett
Credited as the inspiration behind Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, which itself was remade by Sergio Leone as A Fistful Of Dollars.

Fleshmarket Close - Ian Rankin

The Falls - Ian Rankin

Flesh House - Stuart MacBride

And finally, something to watch:

Homicide: Life On The Street, Season 2, Episode 1: Bop Gun
A brilliant performance by Robin Williams as a grieving widower struggling to come to terms with having witnessed his wife being shot dead in front of him and his two young children during a robbery. Its strength lies in transforming the victim from a chalk outline into a real person by focusing on the grief and suffering of the survivors.

Forbrydelsen - the original Danish version of The Killing
Even with subtitles, miles ahead of the American remake, which is actually pretty damn good! Another fantastic exploration of the effects of murder on the victim’s family.