A group of ebooks that require attention (and purchase) ... Len Wanner put together a book of interviews with Scottish crime writers that is a must read for anyone inside or outside the genre. Dead Sharp ranks up there with Craig McDonald’s wonderful author interviews (Art in the Blood and Rogue Males). It is a terrific collection TK will do more justice to in the upcoming weeks. For now, here were my thoughts upon first reading these intriguing dialogues a while back: "Some say tomata, others say tomato, but they all share a similar trait; a genuine passion for their chosen craft - crime fiction writers; whether they accept the genre label or not. Interviewer Len Wanner pokes and prods with his usual intellectual inquisitiveness at what makes these Scottish authors tick and then tock ... a must read for writers of all genres and their fans alike." -Charlie Stella
The Bastard Hand, Heath Lowrance. I went through this one pretty quick. Lowrance has a smooth style I thoroughly enjoyed. Charlie Wesley hears his brother’s voice after escaping a mental hospital ... a Preacher with a few vices and plans of his own games him big time ... there’s subtle political and religious commentary in this book that I took an instant shine to. Upon meeting Reverend Phineas Childe, Elmer Gantry immediately came to mind. A very good read.
A plethora (always wanted to use that word) of talent is featured in this collection of tales from the dark side. Pulp Ink is a great bargain. You won’t find this much talent at such a bargain price again for a while is my guess. Forget the toppings on your next pizza and put up the duckets for this collection. You can’t go wrong ...
Author and MFA classmate (smoking partner and all around good people), Kelly Stone Gamble interviewed me over at her website. More fuel for Doc’s fire, no doubt. Kelly is in her last semester at SNHU (Southern New Hampshire University)’s MFA program and is close to finished with her historical novel Ragtown. From her website: Hell is lined with concrete. Such are the thoughts of Lance Camino, a young construction worker, whose survival during the Great Depression relies on laboring in the diversion tunnels of the Hoover Dam Project. Accidents, disease, politics, and the deadly wildlife of the harsh Nevada desert are only a few of the obstacles that interfere with his desire to save enough money to get back to his Texas home. But, something else is distracting him from his goal. Something that his friend Pete McGee says, “has the prettiest red hair in the state.”
Kelly is also a nurse, Mom, Wife and Vegas girl (she lives in Las Vegas). We shared cigarettes and cigarette runs on the isle of Shutter and on the campus of SNHU. The Kellinator is a terrific writer ... visit her webpage, Staring Out the Window.
Bills 3, Bears 0 ... that’s right, amici ... when the first quarter was over (when both teams played their first string teams), we’d already whooped up on those Bears of Chicago 3-0. Our defense shined (sacks galore/9 total). The final score was Bears 10-Bills 3, but nobody cares about final scores in the pre-season. Can anyone stop us now? Tonight we travel to Denver to train those ponies ... Go Bills!
Glee Geeks ... forgetaboutit, the best show on TV ... or you tube ... the wife recently purchased a Glee hoodie and sent it across the pond to Grace Bruen (Ken’s daughter) once we found out the Bruen clan are also Glee Geeks. So last night we watched Funny Girl with Babs and it was a lot of fun to see (and hear) her belt them out ... if only my Bills could’ve gotten her to sing the national anthem up in Orchard Park.
Now, check out Glee’s Rachel’s chops ...Upcoming to TK ... an interview with one of my favorite authors these days, Dana King. He’s about to go ebook with Wild Bill and after reading the prologue the other night, I had to force myself to stop reading forward because of school commitments. It has jumped the cue to be read soon as I’m finished with Diary of an Adulterous Woman (reading it twice for note taking, etc.). Dana does what I do, writes mob stories the publishing industry insists nobody likes to read anymore. We go against the grain, I guess (and smile while doing it). Dana more than has the chops, dialogue that spits (a quote George V. Higgins was attributed with once) and characters, good and bad, that will intrigue us all. This author is more than due his RESPECT and TK will attempt to deliver some in the upcoming weeks.
Here now, from my favorite verismo opera (Cavalleria Rusticana)/Rustic Chivalry to yous nons ... you’ll recognize it from The Godfather (all of them, but especially Godfather III) ... the intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
Turiddu bids his mother farewell; he’s about to fight to the death with the husband of the woman he’s had an affair with (Lola) ... the last line was used in Godfather’s II and III by Coppola (a big opera fan himself) ... Hanno ammazzato compare Turiddu! Pretty much what Patriot fans will be saying once my beloved New York State Buffalo Bills get their hands on compare Tom Brady ...
Go Bills!
—Knucks
