Smiley as Puppeteer

I'm reviewing the eight George Smiley novels for Criminal Element and I'm up to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold that put John LeCarre on the map.

The Roots of Creativity

After a long day of work, I've come to enjoy painting with my three-year-old daughter. It's a relaxing pastime that we both enjoy and I marvel at her progress over the last year. Quite often she paints houses with her family in them with the sun in the sky. And she always signs her paintings, sometimes with a heart next to her signature.

Meanwhile I usually create a standard-looking tree and grass with the occasional bird flying past. She liked watching me paint my various trees and decided to make this very artistic-looking tree of her own. I love the fact she went in her own inspired direction.

And Now Dinosaurs in Kevin's Corner!

I had quite a lot of fun reading and publishing Garnett Elliott's latest adventures. Kevin Tipple enjoyed them as well saying, in part, "The tales of Carnosaur Weekend are all very good ones very much worth your time." Full review here.

Just When I Thought No One Was Listening...

I wrote an article on Vladimir Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark and originally received one lone comment. Didn't think much about it but assumed it wasn't well received. Well the good folks at Criminal Element posted it on reddit where it snared 20,000 page views and, so far, garnered 155 comments. What else can I say but... Wow!

At Kevin's Corner...

I'm always appreciative when someone takes the time to read a book I've worked on and even more pleased when they take the time out of their busy week to review. In this case, Kevin Tipple was kind enough to write a few words on my Further Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles. Thanks, Kevin!

Adventures, Spies, Gangsters, and Thrillers

The public image of Richard Burton (1925-1984), for better or for worse, will forever be intertwined with Elizabeth Taylor (who he married twice) and for a lifetime struggle with alcohol. But at his Hollywood start, Burton established himself as a top Shakespearean actor on par with Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. Poor film choices—a number of them with Taylor—helped dilute that prestige during his lifetime. Looking back now, thirty years after his passing, there are more triumphs: Hamlet, Becket, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1984, etc. than failures like the bottom of the barrel, The Klansman (1974).

Here are four films (two hits, two lesser-known efforts) that show the versatile range of a man who once with self-deprecating humor mused, “The Welsh are all actors. It’s only the bad ones who become professional.”

Please read the rest of my article over at Criminal Element.

Free eBook: The Year I Died Seven Times Book #7

The Year I Died Seven Times by Eric Beetner has reached the final installment of this exciting serial novel and to celebrate the release BEAT to a PULP is offering #7 free for five days along with most of the other titles. A perfect time to leap on this hardboiled adventure. And see what Clare Toohey has to say about this series over at Criminal Element.