BTAP #8: Pajama Party by Stephen D. Rogers

February is looking pretty darn good at BEAT to a PULP. First up is Derringer Award winning author, Stephen D. Rogers with “Pajama Party.” Don’t be fooled, this ain’t no Annette Funicello sleepover but a slice of hardboiled with a dash of humor as Rogers continues to leave his stamp on the crime genre. His recent stories can be found in Thrilling Detective and on his website.

Next Week: "Caveat Venditor, Caveat Emptor" by Thuglit's Todd Robinson

Coming Soon: Chap O'Keefe's "The Unreal Jesse James"

Writing Away

I’ve been making great headway on my western noir and the short story I mentioned for Two Sentence Tuesday. Isn’t it nice when the writing gods are kind? With this flurry of creativity, I was unable to do a forgotten book, but Patti Abbott never lets us down. Click here for this week’s list of FFB contributors.

Reeves Update

Yesterday, I put up a post about my search for a definitive bio on Bass Reeves. Today, Art Burton, the foremost authority on Reeves, stopped by to shed some light on this fascinating man. I've looked up Mr. Burton's book Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves and found it's available through Barnes and Noble, and I'm planning to order a copy tonight.

In his comment, Mr. Burton extended this invitation: "If anyone would like to work on a Reeves project, print or film, they can contact me at aburton@southsuburbancollege.edu." You can read his full response in the comments section of my previous post on Bass Reeves.

Bass Reeves

I’ve always been intrigued by the life of Bass Reeves, U.S. Deputy Marshal. From Wikipedia:

Although he arrested some of the most dangerous criminals of the time, Reeves was never shot (despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions). He had to arrest his own son for murder. Reeves worked a total of thirty-two years as a federal peace officer. During his career he worked the Indian Territory, pre-state Oklahoma. At statehood, Reeves became a member of the Muskogee, Oklahoma, police department at the age of 68. Bass Reeves became a legend in the Indian Territory and was one of Judge Isaac C. Parker, of Fort Smith, Arkansas' federal court, most valued deputies. Reeves was an expert with rifle and pistol. During his long career he developed superior detective skills. Before he retired from federal service in 1907, Reeves had arrested over 3,000 felons. Reeves admitted having to shoot and kill fourteen outlaws in defending his life while making arrests. Many scholars consider Reeves to be one of the most outstanding frontier heroes in United States history.

I’ve read quite a few online articles and have run into some conflicting information. If anyone knows where to find the best bio on Reeves, I'd be interested in checking it out.

Reeves links: Legends of America | Handbook of Texas

OOTG's Matt Louis

Out of the Gutter's Matt Louis has a cool interview in Oregon's Mail Tribune. Oh, and just for the record, I'm not the guy who urinated on his copy and sent it back.

Matt, has decided on Sexploitation as the theme of the next issue of OOTG. No date yet for submissions but it's never too early to start dusting off your old stories.

Two Sentence Tuesday

I’ve been reading Robert B novels since 1984’s Valediction. I'm currently enjoying the Bostonian author's 2007 release, High Profile, featuring Paradise police chief, Jesse Stone. These two lines are from the opening chapter:

In the years since he’d come to Paradise he never remembered, from year to year, how pretty spring was in the Northeast. He stood now among the opening flowers and the new leaves, looking at a dead man, hanging by his neck from the limb of a tree in the park, on Indian Hill, overlooking the harbor.

My own two lines come from a short story I’m currently whipping into shape called "Stranglehold":

I had the strange sensation she was cheating on me. It made me wonder who was the bigger fool—her husband for sharing her or me for feeling jealous.

For more Two Sentence excitement, check out the Women of Mystery blog.

My Town Monday: Notable Residents from Freeville, New York

I haven’t posted much about my hometown because, unfortunately, I’m rarely there. For the past fifteen years, I’ve worked all over, from Washington DC and North Carolina to Belize and Cameroon, and now Louisiana. I’m a gypsy at heart so I enjoy the traveling and wouldn’t change a thing. But as soon as I step back in Freeville -- I’m home.

I’m not the only famous (all right, enough with the chuckling!) resident who feels this way about Freeville...

Many of you may already know the name Amy Dickinson; she took over the Ann Landers’s advice column for the Chicago Tribune with “Ask Amy” in 2003. If that isn’t enough to make her Freeville’s most famous resident, her multi-million book deal with Hyperion will certainly give her the top spot! The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, A Daughter, and the Town that Raised Them, her first of a two book contract, will be out in February.

My sister, Meta, and Amy were both from Dryden high school’s Class of ’77, though Amy might not remember Meta’s kid brother from down the street (I was seven years old at the time). Even so, I can’t wait for the release of Amy Dickinson’s book. It's gotten a lot of early positive reviews and I’m looking forward to a fresh perspective on our little hometown as seen through the eyes of one of Freeville’s “Mighty Queens.”

From the Cortland Standard, Monday, January 12, 2009.
I used to ride my bike over that bridge all the time as a teen, going into town from my house.

For more MTM posts, check out Travis Erwin's site.