Photo-Finish Friday -- Shelby GT500

My buddy JD gave me one helluva ride in his 2009 Shelby. Awesome vehicle. Yeah, I want one.

And my friend Leah J. Utas is the force behind Photo-Finish Friday.

Pulp Modern III

Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles are back in PULP MODERN III. "Legends," co-written with Chuck Tyrell, features our antiheroes in 1920s New Orleans where Miles and his wife, Violet, run a jazz club. Two reporters show up to interview Miles about Cash Laramie. But the reporters aren't who they seem. They've been hired by the wife of the preacher who was killed by Cash and they're digging for information on the whereabouts of the outlaw marshal.

You don't want to miss old western Colts vs. machine guns in this action-packed tale available at CreateSpace.

Round Two eBook

BEAT to a PULP: ROUND TWO is now available on Amazon for $5.99.



FOREWORD by Sophie Littlefield
THE SPACE KILLERS by Bill Pronzini
FAR FROM HOME by Vin Packer
KING by Dave Zeltserman
MISSED FLIGHT by Steve Weddle
PURRZ, BABY by Vicki Hendricks
THE LITTLE BOY INSIDE by Glenn Gray
AN OPEN DOOR by Chris F. Holm
THE SHADOW LINE by Charles Ardai
RANSOM AND RED FINGERS by Garnett Elliott
PILLOW TALK by Jodi MacArthur
SKYLER HOBBS AND THE COTTINGLEY FAIRIES by Evan Lewis
THE KING OF MARDI GRAS by Anthony Neil Smith
THE LAKE BOTTOM BONES by Wayne D. Dundee
NIGHT TERRORS by Jake Hinson
LOST VALLEY OF THE SKOOCOOM by Matthew P. Mayo
SHADOW OF THE CROSS by Larry D. Sweazy
A WORLD YOU DON'T KNOW by James Reasoner
STATE ROAD 53 by Alec Cizak
THE HAND THAT FEEDS HIM by Patricia Abbott
A SPECIAL KIND OF HELL by Hilary Davidson
A GOOD KILL IS WORTH REPEATING by C. Courtney Joyner
DRIFTER FROM WENATCHEE by John D. Nesbitt
GIVING DAD THE FINGER by Keith Rawson
GHOST OF A CHANCE by Howard Hopkins
THE QUICK ... AND THE DEAD by Bill Crider
RIFT by Nik Korpon
BIG DARLENE THE SEX MACHINE by Matthew J. McBride
MAYBE SOMEDAY by Sean Chercover
THE OLD WAYS by Ed Gorman
PULP ART: AN APPRECIATION by Cullen Gallagher

Altered Plans

Saturday’s plan was simple: mail out copies of ROUND TWO to contributors, finish proofing a collection of my crime stories, and publish the next BTAP story on the webzine.

Reality: Staples had in stock only half of the padded mailers I needed, so fifteen out of thirty books were sent out, leaving more to do this week. Then, the Internet was working sporadically which meant the other items on the list were getting done in bits and pieces.

And to top it off, while taking an afternoon break watching GHOST PROTOCOL with the family, I discovered a bump on the top of my head that was kinda crusty. Dandruff? Not a stranger to that but when something popped and puss ran down my forehead, I jumped up and had Little d take a look. At first, it seemed like a pimple but when examined under the light, it looked more like a rash a good half dollar in size.

Off to the doctor—an old, country sawbones at that—who said it was too soon to tell. Could be a rash, could be an infection. It was in a spot difficult to diagnose so early, and because it had popped open, he suggested I should wait twenty-four hours to see what happens. “This is the same treatment I would give to my brother if he was sitting across the table from me and asked my opinion.” That didn’t make me feel any better, but I smiled kindly.

I left the office thinking about the time I slammed my head into the corner of a cabinet door in the camper a couple of weeks before. Was it that? An infection? Or it does resemble shingles—I had the chickenpox as a kid, so it could be that. Though shingles usually happens to men and women over fifty.

And now here I am. My Sunday is shot for the most part as I sit here and wait to go back to the doctor. Ava wants to go to the pool and Little d will take her. I’m going to read the Vin of Venus novella that Garnett Elliott sent to me. With fingers crossed for a simple infection and not shingles.

How’s your day/weekend going?

Writing and Publishing Updates

I’ve got some writing and publishing updates that are mostly Western related, hence the doodle by my buddy William E.

First up: Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles will return in a story titled “Legends.” This one, co-written with Chuck Tyrell, has our heroes in 1920s New Orleans as a sequel to “The Wicked.” "Legends" will be in the upcoming issue of Pulp Modern edited by Alec Cizak. Mr. Cizak is planning to have the third issue out in a few weeks.

I received a most welcomed email from Wayne D. Dundee who wrote to say he’s started his second Cash Laramie novel. He recently made an inspirational visit to the Vedauwoo Rocks area of Wyoming where a stellar plot for the new novel will take place. It sounds like a serious rival for Manhunter’s Mountain. By the way, Mountain is still riding high on the Western chart and showing considerable determination on the hardboiled chart. Thanks, Wayne!

BEAT to a PULP: Round Two is still in the eBook works. We’re hoping it will be available later this week.

Also coming up soon is an eBook collection of mine called The Education of a Pulp Writer: 10 Crime Short Stories.

Never slow down and you never grow old, right?

That’s it for me. What are you up to?