Loose Ends

Garnett Elliott sent me an unexpected short story for one of the continuing BTAP sagas. In his email, Garn said, “I think you'll figure who it's about pretty quickly.” That I did. But what fun reading and a stroke of genius in combining a familiar sci-fi classic with ... well, I don't want to ruin it by saying more. It runs only 900 words, so check out this quick read called “Loose Ends.”

New Cover: That Damned Coyote Hill

I was overdue to update the cover of That Damned Coyote Hill so it's consistent with The Long Black Train and The Spider Tribe.

Book description: He came to set vengeance down upon the heads of the wicked--but the strange town of Coyote Hill had its own kind of unearthly retribution. From Heath Lowrance, author of the cult novel The Bastard Hand, comes a weird Western tale of revenge, violence, and supernatural evil.

We Three Gypsies

Here’s where we’ve lived since May--at an old KOA campground in Virginia. Work had brought me back to the great commonwealth for a couple of months, so, my gracious in-laws offered the use of their RV rather than trying to find a short-term rental. Well, a couple of months turned into half of a year, but no complaints from us. Since Little d and I got together a decade and some change ago, we’ve done a great deal of traveling and have accepted we are gypsies. This adventure has been a first with our little charmer in tow. She seemed to enjoy it just as much, given she spent hour after hour at the campground’s pool and playground all summer long.

From the vantage of a writer, the number of characters that passed through this campsite is a lifetime of material. Good folks--and a few nuts--who are just trying to get by in a rough-and-tumble economy, stopping by, sharing a beer or two, and swapping stories by the fire.

Now, here we are in our final week, and, as the campground prepares to close for the winter season, what do we get: Hurricane Sandy. I could’ve done without her but, still, it’s been a memorable experience.

The Spider Tribe

The Iktomi are an ancient evil that feed on the fear and hate of generations, and when the Black Hills run red with the blood of the Lakota, they return to sow death. The mysterious gunslinger called Hawthorne is fueled also by hatred -- hatred of evil. But is his hate strong enough to destroy the Iktomi?

"The Spider Tribe" by Heath Lowrance is now available.

Interview with Ed Grainger

Ron Scheer reviews THE GUNS OF VEDAUWOO and asks this guy a few questions.

Joe Boland

I met Joe Boland through Blogger two to three years ago, and we dropped comments from time to time on each other’s blogs. We shared a deep respect for all things noir and traveling. Heck, we even traveled to some of the same places in Central America. It would have been great to actually meet Joe in person, maybe in Belmopan, and talk books over a beer.

Joe’s good friend, Chris Hocking, wrote to tell me of his passing. It seemed Joe had gone through a real rough stretch, losing several family members before his own untimely death at age 47 from liver cancer. Chris described him as “… a distinctive personality, a sharp and ceaselessly interesting guy.”

Joe’s contribution to the exceptional Detroit Noir was the highlight for many of that top collection. I remember first reading Joe’s work in Muzzle Flash and he reposted several of his pieces here, here, and here. Check ‘em out. He was a fine writer.

Rest in peace, Joe. You will be missed.

The Long Black Train

Heath Lowrance's second Hawthorne book The Long Black Train, released through BEAT to a PULP, has a new cover. This weird western follows the popular That Damned Coyote Hill, and a third, The Spider Tribe, will be out in the coming months.

The Long Black Train is a free download beginning today and running through October 3rd. Grab your copy.