Len Wanner has been a friend to crime fiction authors on both sides of the pond for several years now. He also has a vocabulary that challenges Mr. Webster any day of the week (i.e., it is voluminous). He runs a crime fiction blog (The Crime Of It All where he interviews authors, reviews books and champions the little guys as much as the big ones). Len pretty much does it all. And his first book of interviews is now available on Amazon.UK.
I had the pleasure of reading this way back and found The Scotts take on crime fiction, the writing process, what brought them to this genre, etc. truly intriguing.
From Amazon: Len interviews the following Scottish crime authors: Engaging, informative and shot through with humour, Len Wanner's collection of in-depth interviews is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary crime fiction. His interview subjects are nine of today's most successful Scottish crime writers: Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, Karen Campbell, Neil Forsyth, Chris Brookmyre, Paul Johnston, Alice Thompson, Allan Guthrie and Louise Welsh.
My Blurb for his interview book: 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 (author of Johnny Porno)
It should be noted that I had already read The Existential Detective by Alice Thompson, an excellent read. Len’s interview with her was amazing. She is one very smart and talented woman. So much so, I enjoyed this book, I reviewed it on TK in November of 2010:
Jessica Anthony (MY MENTOR this semester in the SNHU MFA program) will be reading at Joe’s Pub this Wednesday, March 7 (this coming week, amici). This is in New York City and very doable for most of yous already living here/there. The wife and I are going to do our bestist to make it but coming from Jersey through rush hour, with the wife’s new job (she nailed her RN position in Princeton-one interview, one job) and me getting off at 6:00 it will be tough for us to make it in time. Jess’s first book, The Convalescent is on my TBR pile soon as I clear off the reviews still pending. I’ve heard her read from her first one and it was absolutely hilarious. See Jess (and hear her read) Wednesday night at Joe’s Pub … Jess has a new book out, Chopsticks (with Rodrigo Corral) , which is some kind of amazing graphically enhanced, website/book/an app ... forgetaboutit ... it’s got it all!
Stephanie Milligan & Tyler Fish … Measuring Twine
Speaking of great writers and SNHU’s MFA program, how about a couple of published poets (and fellow students)? You’ve already had a Stephanie Milligan sample here at TK, but there are four more in this collection of poems. I’m not sure I can reproduce them here, so I’m going to say buy the thing (link above) and you’ll get two SNHU MFA poets in the mix. Tyler Fish also has four poems in this collection. In my humble opinion, the SNHU MFA babes rocked this collection with their works.
If I learn it is okay to use one or two of their poems from the collection, I will post them in the upcoming weeks, you can count on that, amici.
DeSean Jackson … (From some web paper) "The Philadelphia Eagles placed the franchise tag on Jackson on Thursday, assuring the two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver at least $9.4 million next season if he signs the tender."
“I am honored that the Philadelphia Eagles organization perceives me as a franchise player. I look forward to getting a long-term deal done soon and being an Eagle for many years to come,” Jackson said in a statement.
TK translation: “I am a dick. I have always been in a dick (see my college tapes). I could care less about my teammates, the score of the game or anything else that doesn’t feature me. I am eternally grateful to my creator for finding the dumbest organization in all of sports (The Philadelphia Eagles), although I should’ve known this might happen once they signed the dog killer, Michael Vick. They make Knucks’ Buffalo Bills organization appear genius by comparison … and they (the Buffalo Bills organization) are as close to brain dead as a stick of gum. How cool is that these morons, the Eagle organization, are going to pay me to toss another football at the Moonachie Blue Team’s coaching staff and negate a 51 yard play from scrimmage (and then watch the same Moonachie Blue Team go on to win the Super Bowl)? I mean, seriously, one week they bench me for being a great big dick, the next week I’m their franchise player.
How stupid are the Eagles? They left him in the game after that 51 yard penalty.
Stevesanity! Steve Novak Rises To Prominence … and the Knicks can’t sleep … the other night Steve Novak was on the fan explaining how the adrenaline rushes from winning in such exciting fashion is precluding our NY Knicks their proper sleep.
Dustin bone marrow transplant … how proud is the Stella familgia to learn Dustin (youngest of the Stella brats) is donating bone marrow to help save a leukemia patient. The procedure is in May and we (the rest of the family) learned about it just yesterday. That is one cool kid, amici.
—Knucks
What’s a TK without an aria ... how about my favorite (aria) ... Una Furtiva Lagrima from L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love), Gaetano Donizetti’s hilarious opera.
Okay, so that was pushing it. Here it really is:
