We Might Have: Poems by Gerald So

I've said before I have a difficult time critiquing poetry. But I know what I like and I like Gerald So's poetry a whole helluva lot. I downloaded We Might Have: Poems and am looking forward to reading one a day. I'll leave a review on Amazon when I'm done.

Garnett Elliott on ADVENTURES

Edward Grainger (AKA pulp writer/editor extraordinaire David Cranmer) serves up some bite-sized wild west excitement in ADVENTURES OF CASH LARAMIE AND GIDEON MILES. Many of the stories are reminiscent of old Gunsmoke and Have Gun, Will Travel radio serials, which will satisfy traditional western enthusiasts, but other pieces (notably "Kid Eddie", "Miles to Go," and "The Outlaw Marshal") have a darker bent, for those who like a little grit along with their flashing gun-play.

Written with the pulp values of brevity and action, the stories go down smooth. Lest you think it's all blood and thunder, though, Grainger sets a couple stereotypes on their heads, and even explores so-called "contemporary" issues (child abuse, racism, sociopathy) through the dusty lens of an older time.

Good for readers wanting fast-paced westerns with a twinge of nostalgia, and good for writers interested in the mechanics of vintage pulp, ADVENTURES OF CASH LARAMIE AND GIDEON MILES delivers both barrels of literary buckshot! --From Garnett Elliott's Amazon review.

Thank you to all who made ADVENTURES the eleventh best in Westerns based on Amazon customer reviews.

The Monday Interview (and a book giveaway contest)

Larry Sweazy has an interview with me (now stop groaning!) and he will be giving away five copies of my ADVENTURES OF CASH LARAMIE AND GIDEON MILES. Check all the excitement here.

Ngaio Marsh Award Longlist

Janet Rudolph's Mystery Fanfare.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

My all-time favorite old school comedy act is the Marx Brothers with a close second being Buster Keaton. But it seems Bud Abbott and Lou Costello somehow escaped my attention, except when I was a kid at grandma's laughing at the classic Who's On First, and then later at the video store where I worked (David’s college years, folks) enjoying Hold That Ghost and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. That’s about it, even though I’ve had Volume 3 of their movie collection sitting on the shelf for quite awhile. I finally decided it was time to catch up on this famed duo.

The Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Volume 3 contains eight movies from 1948-1953. I started with Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. The boys work at a hotel where a guest is murdered and suspicion falls on Costello the bellhop and for good reason—bodies begin piling up in his room at a side-splitting alarming rate. Abbott plays the hotel detective who is only a tad smarter than his friend the bellhop and tries to clear him regardless of the evidence that is stacking up against his innocence. Boris Karloff does well playing it straight as a hypnotizing swami who attempts to convince Costello to off himself. Many other fine supporting characters you’ll immediately recognize come together for a classic Ellery Queen style whodunit.

The funniest scene for me was Abbott and Costello urgently trying to rid themselves of the bodies and at one point they set two stiffs up at a card table for a game of poker. Interestingly, every scene with a corpse was removed prior to distribution in Australia and New Zealand, and Denmark went so far as to ban the film completely.

I can't say I laughed a lot at this film but several scenes like corpse poker brought big chuckles and I’m looking forward to watching the other films in this collection which include Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Mexican Hayride, Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, Comin’ Round the Mountain, Lost in Alaska, and Abbott and Costello Go to Mars.

Look Who's in Today's Boston Globe!

My buddy Matt Mayo and his better half, Jen.

I Was Very Sad To Read This...

Martin H. Greenberg has passed away at age 70. R.I.P.