Hoods, Hot Rods & Hellcats!

Look at that up there. Ain't it pretty? I've got a story in this collection spearheaded by Chad Eagleton and I'm damn proud to be involved. We all are. So much so that we're asking for the dough up front via Indiegogo (Kickstarter for the cool kids)

The page can be found HERE where you can see Chad give his pitch and read about all the extra goodies you get depending on how much you kick in, all in addition to the book of course. That's the real prize here.

Dig this:

There's murder and robbery, shootouts and knife fights, car chases and drag races, good girls and bad girls, and a lot of troubled men. Hoods opens with a brilliant introduction from counterculture icon Mick Farren, then busts you in the mush with eight lengthy tales from Eric Beetner, Chad Eagleton, Matthew Funk, Christopher Grant, Heath Lowrance, David James Keaton, Nik Korpon, and Thomas Pluck.

A young woman constructs her murderous identity from her father's stash of lurid paperbacks.

A hot rod mechanic's relationship with his troubled wife redlines when his brother returns home from the War.

Passing through a small town, a former Marine finds his girl and a whole lot of trouble.

A pair of brothers on a robbery spree cut a bloody swath through the Southwest until they encounter a little girl with a stuffed rabbit.

A young boy discovers just how far he'll go for rock 'n' roll.

A lonely girl and an emotionally scarred vet face a beachside showdown with a violent motorcycle gang.

A teenager follows the girl of his dreams into a high-octane nightmare.

Two generations of men named Jake obsess over a girl named Cherry.

So get on the ball, time's a-wastin'. Throw down and hold on for the ride.

Limited Edition - updated

Well, I followed through with my weird little idea. I have almost zero idle time, so if idle hands are the Devil's playthings, I'd hate to see what I did if I had real free time. I'd probably be a very prolific arsonist or something.

But until that time comes, I've printed off a limited run of my novel Criminal Economics. The first batch has arrived (see below) and this is 25% of all the copies of this edition that will ever exist in the world. Once I reach 100 copies printed, it goes back in the vault. The book will hopefully come out for real someday, but I hated to see it languish while I pushed some other, newer books ahead of it in line. But even if it gets a full publishing treatment, it won't look like this one.

How do you know you have one of the special editions? All 100 will be hand numbered and signed. By me, I should specify, though if you want my daughters to draw you a picture in one I can talk them into it. That picture below is of the title page where each one will be customized.

How do you get one? Directly from me is the only way. I'll be debuting the new baby at Noir at the Bar this May 26th where I'll be doing a unique reading summarizing the whole book. You'll just have to be there if you want to see that.

UPDATE: BECAUSE OF MY UNDERESTIMATION OF THE US POST OFFICE, I NEEDED TO ADD $1 TO THE SHIPPING COSTS. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

If you can't make it out there or to Bouchercon in the fall where I'll bring a few, but only as many as my luggage will allow, you can order them up directly. Payments through Paypal to ericbeetner (at) gmail (dot) com This one-in-a-hundred edition is only $10, plus $3 shipping if you live anywhere I won't see you in person sometime soon. This isn't really for profit, just to cover my costs. I did it for the love, people.

I'd like to thank R. Thomas Brown for his help in getting this edition ready and looking as good as it does. Also to Brian Lindenmuth for being patient with me as I decide what to do with this crazy novel, and to the Nerd of Noir for reviewing it early for me without a publication date or even any promise of it coming out at all. 

So there you have it – your chance to get a collector's item. Of course this is all predicated on my getting a long track record of publishing and living to a ripe old age when a limited edition of mine might be worth something, so I'm not making any promises this will get you anything more than a quarter at a garage sale in twenty years, but I happen to think it's a pretty fun book too.

The plot blurb is below or go read that Nerd of Noir review above. I'll warn you, it's pretty crazy, violent, and contains the single most vile thing I've ever written. If you know me, you know that's something.

So move quickly. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Coming soon . . .

Well, okay, not as much as I'd like coming soon, but still. I always promise myself I won't use this blog to complain because my writer's life is completely average in terms of the rejection to adulation scale. Which is to say, it leans heavier toward rejection. So far 2013 has been a real kick in the shins.

So, what's a guy to do? Well, be the writer I want to be. I've never aspired to be a great American novelist, or even a highly respected wordsmith. I want to be a pulp hack. I want to be like Day Keene, Chester Himes, William Ard. Churn them out. Write to be read. Most of all, just keep typing.

With that in mind, I took on a novella project at the request of a friend and I just handed in my draft to the editor. It's called Stripper Pole At The End Of The World. Yeah, it's a little odd, a little tongue in cheek. And yeah, it has cannibals. 

The whole project is still working its way into the world, but should be here by summer. The other novellas in this thing all sound amazingly pulpy, silly and fun. Like a double bill horror show at the drive in. Gonna be good.

Also, I decided to do one of those, "Because I can" things. Normally this takes the form of eating ice cream at midnight because I'm a damn grown up and I can, so why not? This time I took one of my older unsold novels, Criminal Economics, a book I like a lot and so did the Nerd Of Noir, but I have very low hopes of it ever being a huge hit book. While I'm waiting to see what the next step in my writing career will be, I'm going to do a limited run of 100 copies of the book, each one hand signed and numbered. Like a collectors edition no one asked for.

Again, why not?

Someday they might be worth something. And if anyone really wants to read my work, they can. Better than it being all alone on my hard drive. It also doesn't spoil the well if I can ever a) sell it as a package deal with another novel, or b) decide what to do with more than 100 copies. 

Who the hell knows? Not me. But either way, I'll soon have exclusive copies to dole out or sell to the dedicated few who really want them. For real, it's a good book. I should mention it includes the most disgusting thing I've ever written. Seriously. It's nasty.

Also, a while ago - and this will tell you how long this book has been waiting around to slip between two covers - I did a post here on the blog with the first line from each chapter. Check it out here. It's a fun little glimpse into the book.

So much stuff!

Somehow I always end up with a big dump of stuff out there all at once. At least it seems that way to me. To keep up, here's what's new and noteworthy.

Thuglit issue #4 is out now, in print and digital. Editor/mastermind Todd Robinson - he of The Hard Bounce and the upcoming Noir at the Bar L.A. on March 24 - had some great edits on my story and made it better. Of course it started, and still features, some cranky people in an old folks home scoring some heroin and how that all goes wrong. Thuglit is always high quality crime fiction and I'm proud to have my second story in there. At this rate, expect another story of mine in 2015.

Beat To A Pulp is one of the most consistent crime anthology publishers out there. Good, good stuff always, so I'm really proud to be included in Hardboiled Vol 2. Some of my favorite writers are in there so it's really worth a gander.

For some weird reason, my novel One Too Many Blows To The Head (co-written with J B Kohl) has been cheap at 4.49 for the paperback for a few weeks now. I love it. I hope it gets people to check out that book since it sort of slipped through the cracks and I'm really proud of it. I did just get a nice note on Facebook today from someone who read it and enjoyed the hell out of it. Keep those coming. I don't get much feedback, so I really love it when I do.

Speaking of feedback, I missed this hilarious slaughter of the anthology Grimm Tales. They singled out each story and only liked one. They used these choice words for my story, Coal Black, my take on Cinderella. "Didn’t bother finishing it after the first two paragraphs. Horrible and insulting to women." 
Ha! My favorite thing about this is that they failed to mention, or apparently be insulted by, the use of the N-word in the FIRST 
SENTENCE! Hey, I still like that story.

But, as if that doesn't intrigue you enough, all Untreed Reads are on sale this month! That means both Grimm Tales and Discount Noir are only .99!

More stories coming soon in both the Hotrods, Hellcats and Hoods anthology and Kwik Krimes, coming in August.

Beat To A Pulp: Hardboiled 2

I'm so thrilled to be in this collection. Yes, the fine folks at Beat To A Pulp have pulled together a volume 2 of their Hardboiled story collection. This one has some amazing writers spanning generations, which is really exciting to me.
The ebook is out now and the print version hits very soon.

Guest Post: Frank Zafiro

Listen up, people. My friend and fellow writer has something to say. Frank is author of the wildly popular River City series among many others – including Blood on Blood (with Jim Wilsky) and two Stephan Kopriva novels Waist Deep and Lovely, Dark and Deep as well as the novel talked about below. He is a master of the hardboiled procedural and he has a few real gems among his book covers. (subtle, ain't I?)

Well, he's here to talk about something bigger than books today, so give a look to what he's offering – a great book for you, some donations to a great cause for them. Read on.
____________________________________________________

This guest blog post has nothing to do with me being Frank Zafiro, a crime fiction writer. 

This guest blog post has everything to do with me being able to be Frank Zafiro, a crime fiction writer. Or anything else I want to be.

No, I'm not going to lay some Anthony Robbins style shtick on you. I mean, I do believe that if you believe in yourself and work hard, you can do damn near anything. But that's another discussion.

What I am referring to here is freedom. Freedom of choice. See, I can be a crime fiction author if I want. Or I could write westerns. Or erotica. But I don't even have to be a writer. I could make movies, or cabinets, or be a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. I get to choose. Because I'm free.

I'm free because this nation is free.

And this nation is free because there are men and women who are willing to serve in the armed forces to maintain that freedom.

Now don't jump up on a political high horse (of any color or variety) and tell me about all of the unjust military actions this nation has taken throughout its history. I know. I'm a History major. Hell, right now I'm reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. I know how fucked up our government can be. But I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the actual men and women who serve. Not the policy makers. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who bear the brunt of every bad decision, every good decision, and every tough decision that those policy makers make.

They pay a price, these warriors. Sometimes it is physical. Sometimes it is psychological. Often, it is some of both. Because of that, and for what they are willing to do at any time, they deserve our support upon their return.

In 1986, I joined the Army on a four year hitch. Operation Desert Storm delayed my discharge for six months. I sat in Germany, watching on in amazement and a little bit of the chagrin one feels when you figure you ought to be there, too. But like all good soldiers, you leave those decisions to the policy makers.

I was lucky. Nothing really bad happened to my body, my heart, my soul. I came back to civilian life and to a nation that is free, and I made my own personal choices about how to live my life.

Not every returning veteran is so lucky. Many bear the scars of their service. And I think it is our sacred duty to help them. It isn't hard. There are Veteran's Administration hospitals and other services all over this country, so volunteering is an easy option. Or if time is limited, we can put our money to work for those who are already helping. Places like The Wounded Warrior Project, for example. Or the one I choose to support, Remind.Org.

Remind.Org facilitates help of all stripes for veterans in need. Because the needs of our returning vets are so varied, I chose to support an organization diverse enough to meet those needs. I learned about Remind.org when I saw something about the "Stand Up For Heroes" benefit concert a few years ago.

I thought for a long while about how I could help. Working at two careers, my time was limited. So I decided to donate all of the ebook proceeds in 2011 from my suspense novel, The Last Horseman. I figured it had a sort of fit to it, since the main character was a veteran and certainly was affected by his time of service. At the end of 2011, I was able to donate about $140. Not exactly earth-shattering. So I decided to do it again in 2012. This time, I was able to raise over $1200. Still not the kind of numbers Bruce Springsteen is able to pull, but at least something more substantial. 

That made me decide to make my support more permanent. I've designated the month of November (when we celebrate Veteran's Day) of every year as the month I will be donating all of my proceeds from The Last Horseman, in all formats -- paperback, ebooks, and audio book --to Remind.org. 

I believe in what this charity does. It isn't about politics, its about people. People who served and who now deserve our support. So if you're a reader, please find a way to help. Give your time or a few dollars to a worthy organization, such as Remind.org. 

If you're an author, maybe you'd consider joining me with one of your titles. It's not the whole year, just November sales. And you don't have to designate all formats. Start with one. Ebooks, for example. More importantly, talk about it. Let your readers know you think it's important. They'll think about it and then make their own choice.

Because they can.  Because they're free.

The Devil Doesn't Want Me book trailer

Because why not, right? A fun little trailer for The Devil Doesn't Want Me. These things only work if they get seen so please, by all means, link, embed, post and pass it around. Only a minute long. I think it's funny. Share away!

Out and about

I'm everywhere lately! This thursday evening is the kick-off from Noir at the Bar San Diego! Hosted by the fine folks at Mysterious Galaxy down there I am honored to be reading alongside Aaron Philip Clark who is an amazingly talented writer. Also three new-to-me writers, Ed LaValle , Steve Willard , and Justin Robinson. It all goes down at Players Sports bar. Promises to be a good time in the grand Noir at the Bar tradition. 


On Sunday I'll be moderating a panel discussion for Sisters In Crime called "In the bleak mid-winter: Looking at Noir" with the all star panel of Christa Faust, Stephen Blackmoore and Gar Anthony Haywood. Should be very fun. All three of them are great speakers and know their stuff when it comes to noir.
That happens at the South Pasadena Library from 2-4.

Also in association with Sister In Crime and the Mystery Writers of America, I'll be at the California Crime Writers convention in June. More on that as it gets closer, but I'll be speaking on a panel called Hardboil Your Mystery. I'll be appearing with Paul Bishop, Gary Phillips and Seth Harwood. Deeply honored to be included in this one.Thanks to Tyler Dilts for the honor.

See you out there!

Something new

Because, y'know, I need more to do, I figured I'd do up a few little video book reviews. Keeping you, the reader/viewer in mind, I kept them short. I call them 60 Second Book Reviews. Guess how long they are?

I even gave them their own place to hang out on the world wide web. So if you want a quick book recommendation from little ol' me, check them out. More to come as I get to them. And as I read more. That pile is looking daunting right now . . . 

60 Second Book Reviews

Next Big Thing Redux

Nick Quantrill was one of the first writers who ever did me a favor.  He said some very nice things about my first two books with JB Kohl, One Too Many Blows To The Head and Borrowed Trouble. I was thrilled with this because  his books, Broken Dreams and The Late Greats are great books that introduced me to a new world of British crime fiction.

When he tagged me in his Next Big Thing posting I was flattered. Nick is indeed a big thing on the horizon. You should check out his dark adventures in the seedy underbelly of Hull, England – and land I was scared to learn is a real place. They might not be the best books for the tourism board, but they're great for crime fiction fans.

So here is a reprise of my Next Big Thing answers with a few rewrites. 

1) What is the working title of your next book?

I never know what will be out next. That’s up to the publishers to see what they want to put out. The most recently completed novel of mine is called The Year I Died Seven Times.

I'm nearly done withe the first draft of the sequel to The Devil Doesn't Want Me. I'm still hemming and hawing about titles on that one. I feel like I should keep it in the series format and have something with Devil in the title, but that risks people thinking I'm writing a horror novel or using some cliched title already in use a million times (See: Running With The Devil which would be a perfect fit, but it's been done)

I'm taking suggestions

2) Where did the idea come from?

Somewhere I came up with that title, The Year I Died Seven Times and I wrote a book around it. Not really the “right” way to do it, but it worked out well.

For the sequel to Devil, I had really rough outlines as we were submitting the first novel. I think maybe 10% of my original pitch for book #2 stayed. The rest evolved and I think it's much better.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Every thing I write is Crime, probably on the hardboiled end of the spectrum. The Year I Died 7 Times is about a missing girl, but it’s not a detective or a who-done-it. More mayhem and really sad attempts to find the girl. If you’re like me, parts of it will be kinda funny too. 

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

The girl who goes missing could be played by that girl from Gilmore Girls who played Rory’s best friend. Though on the show she was Korean and the girl in my book is Japanese. So maybe find a big star in Japan who people here don’t know.

The lead is a late 20’s male. Kind of a slacker. I can’t think of anyone A list, but I’d love to cast Jack Huston, the guy who plays Robert on Boardwalk Empire. That guy can be in any adaptation of any of my books, any time.

I've been asked to come up with casting for Devil before and I'm stumped. My best pick for Lars is David Straithairn. Not sure if he's too old now or not.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The Year I Died 7 Times: Ridley snaps out of his slacker-ish ways when he meets Miho, a beautiful Japanese girl, but when she vanishes one night he sets out to find what happened to her not knowing he’ll be dealing with vicious gangsters, drug dealers, former FBI agents, angry roommates, gang bangers and surly doormen and not realizing that by the end of his search he’ll have ended up clinically dead seven times. 

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I have no plans to self publish at the moment. It is out to a publisher right now who is considering it. 

REVISED: They said no. So, I have a book for sale to a publisher. Who wants it? Don't all jump at once

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

A short amount of time spaced out over a longer period. I started it early in 2012, then set it aside to get to some other, more pressing projects. When I came back to it, it finished up quickly. So about six weeks total with a nine month break in between. The actual writing time was fast, even for me, and I'm pretty quick. I was motivated. 

This sequel is going very quickly too. I'm at about 4 weeks right now and I'm at 52K words. It helps to write characters you know well already.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hopefully nothing, but I’m always trying in my own way to rip off guys like Duane Swierczynski and Victor Gischler.  

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

There is rarely any real inspiration for my books. I just think of something and if it sticks with me I write it. I tend not to write ideas down and that way if they are still rattling around in my head weeks after I haven’t made an effort to retain the idea, I know it’s a good one because it stuck with me.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Um, did I mention the guy dies seven times? It was an interesting experiment to see if I could keep up the tension when the reader basically knows how each chapter/section is going to end. I think I pulled it off, but this story had a long gestation while I figured out how to do it.