Down This Long Road Is A Mailbox

At the bottom of this long and winding hill is a mailbox. I enjoy the walk down and even the difficult trudge back up -- gets the blood pumping, which is a welcomed change after typing all morning, and my Saint Nicholas gut tells me I should make the climb a few more times every day. Yesterday’s delivery (from the postman as he said with a smirk, “Read much?”) was HARDBOILED 3. I ripped open the package on the long climb up and read aloud, huffing and puffing, the glossy cover’s names: a distinguished gathering of greatness -- Josh Stallings, Andrew Nette, Patti Abbott, Sophie Littlefield, Chris F. Holm, Keith Rawson, Fred Blosser, Hilary Davidson, and Kieran Shea. A new co-editor is on board by the name of Elise Wright. I’m still tempting her with a full-time gig at the webzine, but she is holding out for more Jelly Bellies. We’ll see who wins.

So, after, I grab another coffee, I will admire the current paperback and then get moving on the next. Always be closing with quality, and the next book is a time traveler that I’ve left stranded for far too long in the 24th century.

And, more importantly, I plan on making more snow angels with my daughter. I didn’t mention that did I? Well, with the dusting of snow we got late yesterday afternoon, she made a total of thirty before the sun went down over the tree line. And I know with her daddy’s help, we can triple that number today. Here's a shot of one of our earliest efforts.

A New Member of BEAT to a PULP

I'm very pleased to say Chad Eagleton has come on board to help edit stories at BEAT to a PULP along with myself and Scott Parker. I'm sure you are aware of his work, but for a few who may not, Chad is a Spinetingler Award nominee and two-time Watery Grave Invitational finalist. He is the editor of the 1950s Greaser anthology Hoods, Hot Rods, and Hellcats. He blogs regularly at Cathode Angel, and his short stories and novellas can be found at many major pulpy webzines and publications.

Welcome, Chad.

BEAT to a PULP: Hardboiled 3

BEAT to a PULP: HARDBOILED 3 is now available at Createspace, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Kobo, and iBooks to follow soon.

Description: The third time's a blood-splattered charm as BEAT to a PULP and nine of today's hard-hitting, top writers stalk the depraved streets where no good deed goes unpunished, vengeance is the norm, and lady luck is a cold-hearted bitch that just left you for dead in a back alley. Raw-nerved, pure virtuosity seeps from the grunge-tainted keyboards of Patti Abbott, Fred Blosser, Hilary Davidson, Chris F. Holm, Sophie Littlefield, Andrew Nette, Keith Rawson, Kieran Shea, and Josh Stallings.

Co-edited by David Cranmer, who brought you the 2012 winner of Spinetingler's Anthology of the Year, this bold and riveting collection is a worthy continuation in the best-selling BTAP "Hardboiled" series.

Pluvial Gardens

The early stages of Pluvial Gardens.

My sister Meta along with her husband Bob and Bob's brother Gary have all been working on the Pluvial Gardens—a memorial garden not only for my nephew Kyle, but also our father whose ashes are there, our mom who is very much alive but is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s, and a family friend who passed away on the same grounds a decade plus back. In this picture, Meta is sitting between two hearts outlined with rocks and filled in with red mulch—that was Bob’s idea, a nice touch. This garden is being constructed on the spot where the house fire claimed my nephew's life. Friends, family, and even some folks who hadn't known Kyle have pledged flowers, money, and time toward creating the garden. The outpouring of love is on a level I've never experienced before.

Also, my niece Kayla recently had this extraordinary piece of art tattooed on her arm. She chose a favorite shot of her brother, and I can see why she picked it. It has the essence of who he was, and the tattoo artist captured this to perfection. I feel like I don't say it enough to her, and so I want to say it now: I’m so proud of my niece in all that she has accomplished and what’s yet to come.

I am one who no longer believes in closure—not when you love someone as much as we loved Kyle. But I do believe you can keep the memory alive, and that brings moments of peace which are very welcomed. And on that note, my sister Meta wants to thank all the writers and readers who have showed so much kindness for her son—the people who reached out with all the support for Kyle's work in the form of reviews and spreading the word.

I hope you don't mind me talking a bit about my family but that is what this old soldier is thinking about on Veteran's Day 2013. And I hope this post finds you all doing well.

Extended Trailer for The Day Of The Doctor

Flannery O'Connor Reads A Good Man is Hard to Find

Rare '59 audio: Flannery O'Connor reads "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Hat tip: Ed Lynskey.

The Guardian's Top 10 Westerns

Peter Swanson brought this list to my attention and I gotta say I like every film here. Your thoughts?

Trails of the Wild

I've been working on TRAILS OF THE WILD for a few months and am happy to finally set it free. This eclectic western collection features six  short stories from the cutting edge talents of James Reasoner, Patti Abbott, Chuck Tyrell, Kieran Shea, Evan Lewis, and Matthew Pizzolato. Grounding the beautifully packaged book (thank you, dMix) is a new Cash Laramie novella by Wayne D. Dundee that gives new meaning to the moniker The Outlaw Marshal. TRAILS is available through Createspace or an eBook for the Kindle and print. By the end of the day I hope to have it in the Nook and iBooks stores. And Kobo follows in about a week.
I certainly hope you have as much enjoyment reading TRAILS as I did while putting it together. 

Elliot, quite simply, writes everything well...

Chad E talks drifters, Desotos, and psychosexual dramas over at the Cathode Angel.

The Little Book That Did

Back in January 2012 when we released MANHUNTER'S MOUNTAIN I had no plans to offer any of the Cash Laramie novels as print books. Ebooks were cresting on the newest of waves, and it seemed like the perfect medium to launch the outlaw marshal character who came up through the webzines. All the Cash & Miles stories have been popular but Manhunter's Mountain is clearly a hands-down favorite. Not a month goes by without someone asking if the series is available in print. One fan from North Dakota even asked if I could print just one copy for his collection, and I wrote back saying it would cost $500! Crickets chirping.

So, from now on most BEAT to a PULP works over 15k will be in both print and electronic formats, and we will work on updating our back catalog.

Thank you Wayne D. Dundee for writing such an exceptional book that perfectly infused the western, noir, and hardboiled elements.

Movie Night: His Kind of Woman

His Kind of Woman is a 1951 black-and-white film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting roles by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, and Charles McGraw. The movie was directed officially by John Farrow and based on the unpublished story Star Sapphie by Gerald Drayson. [Source: Wikipedia]

Tom Pluck's Steelcase

You are looking at a Steelcase business grade shelf stacked 3 deep.

My own books and signed editions by authors I respect line the top shelf. Some are blocked out by the Escher Metamorphosis cards that I respond to letters with.

So there is a benefit to snail mail...

I cycle the books back and forth to force me to read the ones I've neglected. My TBR pile is so big I may never finish it. It just keeps getting larger as more and more fine stories by great writers are published. And then there's the e-books.

The shelf threatens to plummet through the floor on occasion, and I go on a reading binge to put it on a diet, but then someone goes and writes another damn good book and it's overweight again.

If only that were life's biggest complaint, having so many great stories waiting for me to read.

Pluck This!

My buddy Thomas Pluck is featured as part of the Montclair Times Bookshelf. Check out Pluck pens pulp fiction warriors.

In Dreams

In dreams...I talk to you