L.A. Noir

The CITY OF THE LOST Three Week Release Report

2012-01-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

First off, an announcement.

I'll be at Borderlands Books in San Francisco next Saturday, February 4th at 3pm, signing with author of zombie novels FEED, DEADLINE and the soon to be released BLACKOUT Mira Grant (AKA Seanan McGuire). If you haven't picked up those books you owe it to yourself. She's an amazing writer and those novels are the best zombie books written, hands down.

Now CITY OF THE LOST came out three weeks ago and I've been getting asked lately, how's it going?

The short answer is, I think, that it's too early to tell.

I don't have any reliable sales numbers, yet and frankly don't have any context for them. I don't know what "good" is here. Is it only good if you sold 10,000 in your first week? I didn't, in case you're wondering.

I honestly don't know how reliable Bookscan numbers are. Not every bookstore reports to them. Amazon numbers are useless because all they tell you is where you rank in relation to everything else in their store. With no actual numbers attached all that does is give me the illusion of data while at the same telling me fuck all.

As I find out more and figure out how all this works I'll probably talk about it, but at the moment I got bupkis.

That said, I've been busy. Guest blog posts, interviews, signings, reviews. Is it enough to make the book successful? I have no idea.

So here's where I've been and what I've been doing and what people have said about the book:

First off, we got the first 3 chapters of CITY OF THE LOST up at Criminal Element. Check it out. I think you'll like it.

I did a couple of signings at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach and San Diego and Noir At The Bar last Sunday and I was on an author panel at a local Barnes & Noble.

Got some good reviews.

Kirkus - A starred review!
Both the fantasy/sci-fi AND mystery blogs at Barnes and Noble
Musings Of An All-Purpose Monkey
My Bookish Ways - 5 out of 5.
The Qwillery - 5 out of 5 Qwills.
Rex Robot Reviews - 4 out of 5 robots! ROBOTS!
Josh Palmatier's review over at the DAW Livejournal page
Lots of love over at Goodreads

Then I did some interviews:

And a whole lotta guest blogs:

Russel D. Mclean's site - Talking about the hazards of a missing O and the wonders of startling profanity.
Chris F. Holm's site - Talking about the cover and art for CITY OF THE LOST by comic artist Sean Phillips
Do Some Damage - Talking about indie bookstores
The Qwillery - Talking about noir and the paranormal. In real life. Our Lady Of The Shadows
Musings Of An All-Purpose Monkey - Talking about my take on weird L.A. The City of Strange Angels
Chuck Wendig's site - Talking about how not to be scared shitless that I have a new book. Terror And The Debut Author
John Scalzi's site - The Big Idea behind CITY OF THE LOST
Though not actually about CITY OF THE LOST I did a guest post at 7 Criminal Minds talking about one of my favorite authors, Joe Lansdale
And finally, a handful of posts for Penguin's community blog talking about world building, unsympathetic characters, mixing up genres and wrapping up today with the nightmare that is Revisions.

You know what I've discovered after doing those?

I'm tired. Seriously, I'm beat.

Overall, though, I think this has gone well. Won't know for a while if any of this has helped or hindered, if ever, but I went in with pretty low expectations, and so far they've all been exceeded.

Thanks for stopping by. We'll get back to the blood and guts and dismembered bodies tomorrow.

Noir At The Bar - The Recap

2012-01-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

Culver City, CA

So last night, Eric Beetner, Mystery Dawg and I held our third Noir At The Bar at The Mandrake and goddamn was it good.

DEMON BEETNER WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL

The crowd was fantastic and I saw some new folks I didn't recognize. That makes me happy. Whether they came to hear a friend read, hang out with a bunch of drunks telling stories, or were in the bar wondering what the hell this was all about I don't really care. I'm just glad we've managed to keep an audience and grow it a little bit each time.

We even had guests from out of state. Sabrina Ogden from Shotgun Honey was in the crowd to cheer us all on.

Travis Richardson opened up with a couple short flash pieces and a nicely jacked up story about a father and son on their way to a Boy Scout meeting when Bad Things happen.

I think he wins for most traumatic Boy Scout experience

AJ Hayes followed up with some short pieces that showed he's not just a pretty face.

Reading about the perils of witness protection

And then we had Aaron Philip Clark, whose book THE SCIENCE OF PAUL recently came out from New Pulp Press. He read a piece from a work in progress and damn that man is a talent. Watch out for this guy, folks. He's going to kick all sorts of ass.

You are going to be reading a lot about this guy, guaranteed

Bob Ward came on to read an hysterical, fucked up scene about a desperate man trying to roll over geezers at a casino, from his latest novel, THE BEST BAD DREAM.

I had no idea casinos were this dangerous

And then me reading a chunk from CITY OF THE LOST.

Drunker than I look

A huge thank you to Mysterious Galaxy for coming out and having books on hand. We're hoping to have that be a regular thing, so when we do the next one you'll be able to get copies of the readers' work and maybe get it signed by the author if you're into that sort of thing.

And speaking of the next one, we're already lined up for March 25th. So far we've got Hilary Davidson, Johnny Shaw and Gary Phillips lined up and we're working on getting more.

If you came by last night, thank you. I hope you enjoyed it and I'm really glad you could make it. And if you weren't around, well, you're missing out on some of the best crime writers out there.

Join us next time. We'd love to see you.

The San Gabriel Police Department Could Use Your Help

2012-01-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

Back in September of 2007 the body of Pasadena City College nursing student Liya Lu was found in a trash can and the evidence pointed to one Isaac Campbell as a suspect. Campbell was picked up in, Minneapolis? I think? Anyway, they picked him up a few months later and he's been in the hoosegow since. Trial was going on in December and it looks like there might be more going on with it.

I got a comment last night on the original post I did on it from 2007 from Detective James Just of the San Gabriel Police Department and thought it should get a little more airplay.

Anyone who reads this Blog that knew Isaac Campbell or Liya Lu please call me to provide further information for this case. We are going to retry this case possibly 30 days from the next court date of 02-15-12 and I am trying to locate any other friends of Campbell or Lu. If you have any other information such as character evidence or statements made by Campbell or Lu please call or e-mail me.

Thanks!
Detective James Just
San Gabriel Police Department
626-308-2847
jj079@sgpd.com

So, if you knew Isaac or Liya and have any information regarding either of them, Detective Just of the SGPD would like to speak with you. Give him a jingle, won't you?

Just Slap' Em Together And Call It A Day

2012-01-19T10:41:00.001-08:00

Los Angeles, CA

A couple of days ago some people walking their dog in Bronson Canyon in the Hollywood Hills found a bag with a head in it.

This, as I'm sure you can understand, caused great consternation.

The police have been crawling through the scrub looking for the rest of the body and as of yesterday they have found two hands and two feet.

Head, hands, feet. No body.

By a startling coincidence, police in Tucson have found a body. With no head, hands or feet.

Now police say they don't think it's likely they're a match.

But I say, "Who cares?"

This is synergy, people. It's meant to be. So what if they're not the same guy? It's all the requisite parts, isn't it? Did Dr. Frankenstein care that he had parts from all the same person? Does Mr. Potatohead care if his parts all come out of his own butt?

No!

Parts is parts. Mix and match and save yourself some time. Come on, it's not like we're a stranger to dismembered bodies out here.

And if you find another torso, head, hands and feet, well, stick them together. At the end of the day they're all gonna get dropped down a hole, right?

Thinkin' outside the box. That's me.

Some People Really Like Their Nuggets

2012-01-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Burbank, CA

Khadijah Baseer must really enjoy her Chicken McNuggets. I mean, she got arrested for them.

Well, not arrested for the nuggets, exactly. For offering sexual favors in a McDonald's drive-thru lane in exchange for them.

Seems she was opening up car doors and offering the drivers unspecified acts of a carnal nature. One gentleman says he was approached but turned her down.

Well, yeah. He would say that to the cops. But he didn't say why he turned her down.

I'm thinking there's something funny about those Chicken McNuggets. We've already had a heroin filled burrito, why not some fried chicken treats with "special sauce"?

Or, you know, maybe he just has a problem with crazy women offering handjobs for a super-sized meal?

Could happen, I suppose.

A Mother's Love

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

San Dimas, CA

You know how in the movies somebody in jail would get a cake from their girlfriend or their dear old mom and inside there'd be a file for cutting through bars?

Did that ever work? Really? How many hours would it take to get through a set of iron bars? And don't you think the guards would notice? Might as well give them a woodchuck for all the good it would do.

Which makes me think that this mom might have had the right idea.

Rhonda J. Gonzales, 44, went to see her son who's currently doing a stint at Camp Glenn Rockey, a probation camp in San Dimas. Instead of trying to give him useless tools of escape baked into pastries, she brought him bundles of marijuana stuffed in her purse, presumably to smoke and/or trade to make his stay more enjoyable.

Well, she would have if she hadn't gotten caught in the parking lot.

See, before you can go in to the camp you get searched for things like weapons, alcohol, drugs.

Bet she was surprised. Good thing she had a medical marijuana card.

Oh. It was a fake? That's unfortunate.

Hey, wait... you don't suppose. Maybe she knew it was a fake? Nah. I'm sure she's squeaky clean.

Oh, an outstanding warrant, you say? And she went to take pot to her son in jail with a forged medical marijuana card?

Man, she must really love him.

Time To Get Drunk And Talk About Tragedy - Noir At The Bar #3

2012-01-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hey there, cats and kittens... and other mammals too, I suppose. Ocelots, maybe? Are ocelots mammals? Or are they marsupials? Wait. Marsupials are mammals, too, aren't they? Or are those platypuses? Platypi?

Fuck.

Anyway, whatever you are, we got FUN TIMES A'COMIN'!

Really, they're breathing hard and everything.

THE THIRD SEMI-MONTHLY WHENEVER WE HAPPEN TO GET AROUND TO IT NOIR AT THE BAR!!1!

Alcohol! Crime! Zombies!

That's right, folks, it's here. On Sunday night, January 22nd, at The Mandrake Bar in Culver City we're gonna do another Noir At The Bar.

We'll have AJ Hayes, Robert Ward with his new book THE BEST BAD DREAM, Aaron Philip Clark with his book THE SCIENCE OF PAUL and... *drumroll please*

ME! Reading from CITY OF THE LOST. After tossing back a couple watered down Glenlivets, of course.

You don't think I do this shit sober, do you?

Plus we're having Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach (beautiful and charming people who really class up the joint, believe me) on hand to sell some books in case you're looking to buy.

So start 2012 off right and come on down. Drink some hooch, and listen to a bunch of guys throw some nasty noir stories at ya.

Hope to see you there, folks.

But Aside From All That I'm Sure She's A Peach

2012-01-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA

To hear her attorney tell it Nanette Packard-McNeal is not a nice woman. Deceitful, he calls her. Dishonest. Unfaithful.

But, he says, and this is important, she's not a killer.

Packard-McNeal, 46, is in court for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Bill McLaughlin in 1994. She's accused of plotting with her other boyfriend at the time, ex-NFL linebacker Eric Naposki, in the almost 20-year-old crime.

Seems she was dating both of them and, according to Packard-McNeal's attorney, when Naposki found out he got upset and topped Mclaughlin all on his lonesome. I'm thinking the phrase, "riddled with bullets" was probably used.

The defense's argument here is that Naposki was broke and Packard-McNeal wasn't going to get McLaughlin's cash, so what the hell would be the point of taking him out?

Prosecutors, of course, see things a little differently. They're going with the "Look how horrible she is!" argument. McLaughlin was loaded after inventing a device that filters plasma from blood. Before his death they say that she was taking credit for the invention and telling people that she was going to be coming into some money soon.

If the defense can get past the whole "She's a hussy! She's a bad person!" implication the prosecution is tossing around it sounds like she's got a fair chance of walking. From the thin slice the story gives us it sounds more like a cheap prosecutorial trick than a solid case.

Naposki was convicted back in July for first degree murder with a January 20th sentencing date. So unless he comes in with a "I'll hang her out to dry for a reduced sentence" thing the defense should just need to raise enough doubt about her potential involvement.

Man, this is like a Cain novel. The Femme Fatale, the jilted lover, the rich victim. I think I'm gonna have to watch this one.

I wonder if she looks like Barbara Stanwyck.

In The Wild

2012-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

So the book went live last week.

And it's been getting some cross-genre love.

Paul Goat Allen dug it over on Explorations, the Barnes & Noble SciFi and Fantasy Blog and Jed Ayres had some nice things to say over at Ransom Notes, the Barnes & Noble Mystery Blog.

To be honest I've been a little worried about how either genre camp was going to take the book. Not everybody likes chocolate in their peanut-butter, after all. It's nice to see it getting this kind of reception from both sides.

Then I did signings over the weekend at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach and San Diego.

The RB store was the book launch and mostly had people I knew. A couple strangers came by, which was nice. It was pretty full and VERY surreal. I think something like 20 people? Give or take? Plus I think I pissed off my sister-in-law by teaching my nephew some new swear words.

So that's a win.

San Diego had more people than I expected, which is to say more than zero. Two lovely people, Christine and... Kevin? I think, showed up and we spent an hour talking about zombies. It was a lot of fun and totally worth it.

The staff at both stores are fantastic people. I had a blast at both signings and actually sold some books. Which was, you know, the point.

In all, this whole book thing seems to be going well. Who'da thunk?

In Which Books Are Given Away

2012-01-06T06:36:00.001-08:00

Sick of me, yet? God knows I am.

If you're not check out these two interviews with me over at The Qwillery and My Bookish Ways running today where I talk about, shocker of shockers, CITY OF THE LOST, what I'm working on next, Noir At The Bar and other sundry things.

There's even a fez in one of them.

But wait, as master salesman Ron Popeil once said, there's more!

Hidden deep within those two interviews are encoded details on how you (Yes, you!) can enter to win a copy of CITY OF THE LOST for your very own with a hand scrawled note inside written by my helper orangutan Bjorn The Mighty And Incontinent.

Actually, no, the details aren't encoded. They're just down at the bottom.

But the rest is true. Bjorn's here to say something to prove he is more than just my peyote fueled hallucination.

khfgapistg'a?UJoESAutrg aekt5":HUDZG
SDJTGAISU TGAEUTRWT7GUQUWTGFQ

sEE?

Dammit, he hit the Caps Lock again.

Anyway, hope on over and enter to win. It's US/Canada only, I'm afraid, since I'm broke and can't afford shipping to Zimbabwe. That peyote habit just costs too damn much money.

In Which I Jump Out of An Aeroplane

2012-01-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

And the flogging of CITY OF THE LOST continues.

I'm over at Penmonkey Chuck Wendig's place today talking about fear, my first book and breathing in free fall.

Please to enjoy.

In Which I Talk About Elephant Guns

2012-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

John Scalzi has been gracious enough to host me at his blog today as I discuss The Big Idea behind CITY OF THE LOST.

Hint: it involves elephant guns.

The Release Day Round-Up

2012-01-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

With the release of CITY OF THE LOST today, it's been pretty much been like any other day.

Except for HOLY SHIT BOOK! BOOK BOOK BOOK!!!1!one! BOOOOOK!

But besides having a new book out, I've learned a very important lesson.

I'm a whore.

Really. I've been bouncing around and popping up like an unfortunate erection.

Like here, at Criminal Element, where you can read the first three chapters.

I'm over at Do Some Damage talking about it and giving you some suggestions about where to buy it. Hint: Bookstores. Like Mysterious Galaxy.

I've even done a couple of interviews over at Bish's Beat and at Spinetingler.

But that's all ME ME ME. The important question is what are other people are saying about me? Or, you know, the book. I guess.

Turns out, some very nice things.

The Qwillery - 5 Quills

My Bookish Ways - 5/5

Rex Robot - 4 out of 5 robots! Robots, people. ROBOTS.

Kirkus Reviews. They gave me a star. I'm told it's a good thing.

Thanks, everyone, for putting up with my shameless flogging of this thing. It ain't over, yet, but I promise I'll stop talking about myself soon.

Soon-ish, at any rate.

In Which A Book Is Released And I Extol The Virtues Of The Independent Bookstore

2012-01-03T07:35:00.001-08:00

So today's the day. CITY OF THE LOST is finally out.

When I first told my family that I had a book coming out a cousin of mine asked, "Are they going to sell it in bookstores?"

I expected that question. I'm something of the black sheep round these parts so it wasn't surprising. She's not mean, she's just different from me and coming from her it was a valid question.

And so I didn't say, "No, I'm going to drive around and sell copies out of the back of a van like they were puppies."

Yes, you can actually buy it in bookstores, like my favorite local, Mysterious Galaxy. Here's a link to the book if you want to order a copy or, better yet, go down to one of their stores in Redondo Beach or San Diego and grab a copy.

Why? Why would I ask you get out of that comfy chair and brave the traffic?

Well, Mister Dave White has kindly allowed me to usurp his spot over at Do Some Damage today to talk about it.

Hop on over there and I'll tell you all about it.

In Which I Thank The Not So Little People

2012-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

The road a book takes to creation, I've learned, is a lot like wandering stoned through the desert on a vision quest. It's hazy, enlightening, full of strange new lessons from strange new people.

There's a lot of falling into cactus.

At the end of it you have gone to the land of the dead and come back changed.

CITY OF THE LOST officially hits the bookshelves tomorrow. And though I'm the one who wrote it that feels almost incidental.

Do you know how many people it takes to write a book? Lots.

I don't care whether you've gotten it published with some massive New York publisher, a tiny indie-press, self-pubbed or sitting in your desk drawer covered in dust. You didn't write it alone.

There are the people who gave you good advice you took and bad advice you ignored. The ones who encouraged you to do it, or discouraged you and you told them to go fuck themselves. There are writing groups, editors, agents, friends, spouses.

And I'd like to thank a few of those people who helped me get CITY OF THE LOST where it is today.

I know I'm missing some people from this list. And I'm sorry for that. It's been a long road and I have a memory like a bullet-ridden sieve. But here are a few shout outs.

My Wife, Kari
She convinced me to do NANOWRIMO in 2002. If I hadn't done that I don't think I'd have had the confidence to pursue writing anything longer than a couple thousand words. It proved to me that I could sit down and actually do the work. Toss in years of encouragement, advice and not killing me with a shovel, though I'm sure the urge has been pretty great from time to time.

Allan Guthrie
My agent, the Tartan Ninja. Al Guthrie isn't just a hell of an author, or one of the brains behind Blasted Heath Books, or even a fantastic agent. He's a kick-ass editor to boot. He had suggestions and pointers on CoTL that made it a far better book than I could have hoped for. Even if I cursed him for all the rewrites, the outlines, and that one, teeny-tiny suggestion that meant rewriting the entire second half of the book.

But he was right, damn him. He usually is.

Betsy, Debra and Josh at DAW Books
Everyone at DAW has been fantastic to work with. Thanks guys for putting together a kick-ass book.

Sandra Ruttan
I came up with the idea for CoTL back in 2004 or so but couldn't make it work. Finally I decided to hell with it and I wrote a short story to get it out of my system. Submitted that to Sandra over at Spinetingler Magazine and they ran it. Of course, it didn't get it out of my system. Instead it turned into the first few chapters for CoTL.

Duane Swierzynski and Rob Gregory Brown
Both of these fine, upstanding gentlemen helped me out with my agent search. Thank you, guys. Really appreciate the assist.

Brett Battles
Who critiqued the book, giving me some excellent suggestions and, while I was looking for representation said, "Hey, what about that Allan Guthrie guy? I hear he's an agent. You should try him."

Theresa Weir
Who read an early draft and has been a constant supporter of my writing. She's an incredible writer and a good friend.

The Folks At The Mystery Bookstore
Before it closed early last year, my go-to bookstore was The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. Linda, Bobby and everyone else who worked there was always very supportive. You're all very missed.

There are more. Lots more. Daniel Hatadi, Chris Holm, J.D. Rhoades, David Terrenoire, Doselle Young, Naomi Hirahara... The list goes on.

Thank you, everyone for helping get this mad creation out into the wild. I honestly couldn't have done it without you.

That Was The Year That Was

2011-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

So. 2011.

Man, what an ass-kicker. Just to get this out of the way, there were huge swaths of this year that blew monkey chunks. Much turmoil, panic, putting out of fires, deaths in the family, medical crap, assorted financial bullshit. We're still picking up some of the pieces.

That said, it's also been one of the coolest years. And here are some of the things that made it that way.

AN EDUCATION IN THE PUBLISHING BIZ
My first novel, CITY OF THE LOST drops next Tuesday and this was the year of getting it ready to go. Galleys, cover art, copyedits.

I've got a long way to go before I really understand the details and the ins and outs of this stuff, but going through the process has been a hell of an education. Every thing I've learned has not only shown me how little I know, but also helped give me details on what I don't know. Seeing the holes in my knowledge as opposed to just knowing they're there is a big shift.

FINISHING MY SECOND NOVEL
The second novel for my publisher, DAW Books, DEAD THINGS, was turned in over the summer. Technically, it's the third one I've written. But it's the second that will get published (provided my editor doesn't throw it back and say, "This is crap! Write another one!") and the first I've written under contract.

I like it. After spending some time away from it I think it's got some problems. Hell, I know it's got some problems. But it's a complete novel and I think it's pretty solid. And the folks who've read it have had good things to say about it. And also some not good things that I haven't quite figured out how to fix, yet.

But that's for 2012.

PANDEMIC
Thanks to Mr. Chuck Wendig I got a chance to contribute a short story and some text to a kick-ass transmedia project called PANDEMIC that ran at Sundance. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.

NOIR AT THE BAR L.A.
Thanks to my cohorts Eric Beetner, and Aldo "Mysterydawg" as well as some pointers from Jed Ayres and Scott Phillips who started the whole thing back in St. Louis, we finally got off our asses and kicked off the L.A. edition of Noir At The Bar. It's been a blast and a half and we plan to keep it going as long as we possibly can. There are some damn fine crime writers in the Southland and we'd love to have them read to a room full of drunks.

We've already got three lined up for 2012 in January, March and May, and are making plans for more and better. Personally, I'd love to be able to look back in 10 years and say, "Damn, have we been doing this that long?"

Los Angeles has an eclectic literary scene and it's a trip when I realize that we're becoming a part of that. It's an experiment I'm proud and happy to be a part of.

For 2012 we'll be figuring out better and more ways to promote it, finding some possible new venues so them Valley folks who don't want to brave the Westside can swing by, and more writers we can promote and have read.

NEEDLE MAGAZINE
To say that I'm an editor for NEEDLE: A MAGAZINE OF NOIR is kind of stretching the definition. I haven't been asked to do much in the way of actual editing. I read slush, giving me a chance in the last year to read some amazing crime fiction.

And looking at my queue right now I see I have a lot more to read. Huh.

Anyway, I wouldn't be doing that if it wasn't for authors Steve Weddle and John Hornor Jacobs, the brains behind the operation. Steve's willingness to stick to his vision of a print only magazine that's 100% pure ass-kicking fiction and John's killer design sense have made NEEDLE one of the most polished, slick and impressive publications out there. It's a labor of love.

And speaking of NEEDLE, I have to give a shout out to my fellow readers of slush, Matt Funk and Dan O'Shea, two amazing authors who consistently deliver the goods.

ASSORTED AND SUNDRY WRITING STUFF
This last year saw my zombie short story WORLD'S GREATEST DAD appear in the Halloween anthology DEADLY TREATS edited by Theresa Weir / Anne Frasier. I like that story a lot. It was fun to write and even more fun to read the other stories in that anthology.

I turned in a short story for the DON'T REST YOUR HEAD anthology being put out by Evil Hat Productions.

I got some gaming work that I can't talk about, yet, but trust me, it's awesome stuff and I'm collaborating with some outrageously talented people.

I posted a few short stories here at L.A. Noir that I'm particularly proud of.

DARK AS A DUNGEON
A horror western about a U.S. Marshal who gets more than he bargained for when he goes after an outlaw in a seedy, little mining town.

BREAKING IN THE NEW GUY
An ugly little story about a rookie gangster's first night out with the big boys.

FIX
A short piece about a homeless vampire who just can't take the beatdown she's been getting any longer. This one shows a bit of my writing process, and it's set in the world of CITY OF THE LOST and DEAD THINGS.

ALL OF YOU
What's really made 2011 special is all of my readers, my friends, my family, and especially my wife.

Thanks for following me, reading my insane ramblings and not calling the cops. I've made some great friends, met some awesome people.

Have a happy new year folks. Let's kick the unholy hell out of 2012, shall we?

In Which I Show You A Pretty Picture

2011-12-30T08:27:00.001-08:00

I'm guest blogging today over at author Chris F Holm's place and talking about CITY OF THE LOST. All part of the official Shilling Of The Book.

But today I'm not talking about the book so much as I'm talking about the art inside it by comic artist Sean Phillips.

I say it better over there, so go on and take a look, would ya?

In Which I Feel Sorry For A Botanist With An Unfortunate Name

2011-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

CITY OF THE LOST is out next week, people. NEXT FUCKING WEEK!!!1!!

In fact, thanks to Mr. Thomas Pluck, there are reports of it already out in the wild.

And thus today begins the cycle of unrepentant book flogging!

You know, like spanking only not as fun.

And we start it over at the digs of crazed Scottish author Russel D McLean where I talk about the dangers of a missing O, Scottish botany and startling profanity.

In other news, and I'll be talking about this every single day until it happens, I'm a signin' me some books!

Come one, come all! I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach and San Diego next week, Noir At The Bar later next month and up in San Francisco in early February at Borderlands Books. Still finalizing the date on that one.

Friday, January 6th at 7:30pm at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach.

View Larger Map

Saturday, January 7th at 2:00pm at Mysterious Galaxy San Diego

View Larger Map

And then we're doing Noir At The Bar on Sunday, January 22nd at 8:00pm at The Mandrake Bar in Culver City. Still finalizing details on that one and we'll have more later. But mark the calendar.

Lovecraftian Noir - FATALE by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

2011-12-28T11:15:00.001-08:00

I got a surprise in my inbox yesterday.

FATALE, the latest collaboration between Sean Phillips, who did the artwork for CITY OF THE LOST, and writer Ed Brubaker.

I have nightmares like this.

And holy shit is it good.

The story, at least this part of it, bounces between Dominic Raines and Walt Booker in the late 50's and Nicolas Lash in the present day with Josephine, a mysterious woman who doesn't seem to age, connecting them. She has a secret, probably more than one, and a power to draw men in and control them, though she seems to see it as more curse than boon.

Aside from the fact that trouble follows her wherever she goes and her ability to create obsession is in full force, we don't really see the curse part in action, yet, but given some of the hints dropped in the first issue I get it's gonna be a whopper.

Brubaker does an excellent job of laying down the groundwork for future issues, putting forth questions I get we're going to be spending a lot of time trying to find answers for. Who's Josephine? What's her secret? What happened to her during the war? Brubaker uses the shifting perspectives of his four protagonists to great effect, dropping hints of past horrors and future betrayals.

Phillips's artwork jumps off the page, capturing the characters' joy, shock and terror. When Phillips shows us Walt and Josephine together, Walt standing there sucking on a cigarette, his face completely hidden in shadow, Walt's utter contempt is palpable.

And it's all enhanced by Dave Stewart's coloring. The muted tones really add to the noir feel.

When done well, and this one is, first issues are a delight to read. At the same time they leave you itching for the next one and a month feels like a long time.

FATALE comes out next Wednesday, January 4th from Image Comics. Find a store near you and grab a copy.

The List of Awesome Things

2011-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

CITY OF THE LOST comes out in one week. And you know how I'm gonna celebrate this pseudo-not-really-a-milestone?

By NOT talking about it.

Over the next week I'm gonna be flogging this thing like a sub with no safe-word. Today, all you gotta know is right there over on the sidebar and that you can pre-order it here. Or if you're of a more technological bent, go here for the Nook version or here for the Kindle version.

Today I'm gonna pimp other people's work. Stuff I've read, or stuff I want to read, or stuff I've read that you can't read, yet, not because you're not awesome, because you are, but because the publishers have these things called "schedules" and "production runs" and other such impressively business sounding words.

And so here, in no particular order, is a

LIST OF AWESOME THINGS

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
CRIMINAL: LAST OF THE INNOCENTS The CRIMINAL series is one of the best collaborations in comics and the latest, LAST OF THE INNOCENTS, is a whopper. Brutal, poignant, and deliciously fucked up. Brubaker's story-telling is top notch and Phillips' art (who did the cover and artwork for CITY OF THE LOST, by the way) makes the story pop.

FATALE - Supernatural noir with Lovecraftian hints. I haven't read it, yet, since the first issue's not out until next week, but I so want to get my hands on this.

Chuck Wendig
Wendig's novel BLACKBIRDS isn't out until April, but I got a chance to read it in manuscript form. It's about a girl who can tell how someone will die by touching them. It's about cheating fate, the choices we make and what it really means to choose your own path.

It is one of the most fucking incredible books I have read in years. This book will win awards.

Sadly, you'll have to wait to read it. But if you'd like to get a chance to check out some of his other work, grab a copy of SHOTGUN GRAVY and DOUBLE DEAD. Fantastic reads.

Seanan McGuire
I'm a sucker for good Urban Fantasy. The operative word here is "good". And that's Seanan McGuire. Her Toby Daye series about a changeling who's more than she appears is brilliantly done and hits all the right notes. Start with ROSEMARY AND RUE and read on through to her latest, ONE SALT SEA.

And then there's her new Incryptid series starting in March with DISCOUNT ARMAGEDDON about the Price family who has spent generations studying the monsters of the world.

Mira Grant
Seems like apocalyptic zombie stories are all over the goddamn place, but there aren't a lot doing post-apocalyptic zombie stories. And certainly not well. But Seanan McGuire writing as Mira Grant knocks it out of the park with her Newslfesh series. This is about what happens after civilization has gotten back on its feet again and still dealing with a zombie plague. And what do you know, we're still assholes.

The books are more about news, media and politics than zombies. Start with FEED, grab DEADLINE and then pine for BLACKOUT, which isn't out until February.

John Hornor Jacobs
SOUTHERN GODS One of the best books I've read this year. Set in the post-war South, SOUTHERN GODS is the story of veteran Bull Ingram, who's been hired by a Memphis DJ to track down a mysterious blues musician who goes by the name of Ramblin' John Hastur. Southern gothic, blues music and Lovecraftian horror. Jacobs knocks this out of the park.

Christa Faust
Nobody writes pulp the way Faust does. Brutal, rapid fire prose, poignant moments that make you pause and really think about what she's saying. Everything from her tie-in novels to her Hard Case Crime books is an exercise in how to do it right.

CHOKE HOLD is one of my favorite novels of the year and its prequel, MONEY SHOT is balls to the wall amazing.

Anthony Neil Smith
ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS "When two of the Twin Cities' “Lost Boys” — young Somali men drafted to fight for terrorists back in the homeland — kill a pair of cops on his home turf, detective Ray Bleeker is left devastated. One of the dead cops was his girlfriend. The investigation grinds to a halt when he discovers that the young murderers have fled to Somalia to fight in the rebel army. He's at his wits' end when the father of one of the boys, an ex-gang leader named Mustafa, comes looking for answers, wanting to clear his son's name and refusing to take no for an answer. Bleeker and Mustafa form an uneasy alliance, teaming up to help bring the boys back home to stand trial. But little do they know what Somalia has in store for them."

This one's on my TBR pile. I've loved Smith's writing ever since I read THE DRUMMER. He's a kick-ass talent who consistently delivers. If you don't read YELLOW MEDICINE and HOGDOGGIN', you are dead to me.

Chris F Holm
Another one you can't get your hands on for a couple of months. DEAD HARVEST is a pulpy supernatural novel about angels and demons and the poor bastards who get stuck in between them. This is a hell of a debut and you're going to want to check it out soon as it comes out.

Duane Swierczynski
Everything this man has ever written is fucking gold. But here are some of his latest. FUN AND GAMES is brilliantly violent. Then there's the follow-up, HELL AND GONE, which I haven't cracked open, yet, and POINT AND SHOOT, which doesn't come out until March.

But if you're really hard up for some Swierczy, check out his comic work. His run on DC's BIRDS OF PREY is phenomenal.

Ray Banks
DEAD MONEY is one of the first books put out by new publisher Blasted Heath. It's on my TBR pile, but his other work are phenomenal. SATURDAY'S CHILD is one of my favorite novels ever.

Caitlin Kittredge
THE IRON THORN is a Lovecraftian, steampunk, YA novel. Anybody else and it would have devolved into a mess of horror cliches and top hats with gears glued on, but Kittredge pulls it off masterfully. The follow-up, THE NIGHTMARE GARDEN is out in February.

And proving that she's a writing machine, I'd be remiss to not mention DEVIL'S BUSINESS, the latest in her Black London series. Great book from an impressive author.

You know what? There are a lot more that should go on this list, but I'm getting a cramp in my fingers. So how's about you toss a couple into the comments, yourself?

Awful Spry For An Old Guy

2011-12-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

San Luis Obispo, CA

Dye packs are the whoopee-cushions of the bank robbing world. Seriously, they're comedy gold. Like blowing all the windows out of your getaway car as you pass the cops responding to the call, for example.

But besides being a good tagging tool, now they're good for age verification.

The FBI released a new video of the Geezer Bandit a guy who appears to be in his 70's who's been knocking over banks throughout California since 2009. It shows him walking out to his car and having the dye pack blow up in his face.

One of the theories that's been floating around is that the Geezer is actually a much younger man who is using an old-person mask made by one of the effects houses that sells those sorts of things to the general public. This video gives a pretty good indication that this might be true.

Because when that thing goes off boy-howdy does that fucker run.

Now having shit blow up in your face can override all sorts of things, like, you know, your bowels. But stiff joints and arrhythmia are kinda tough to not feel, ya know?

Or are they? In the interest of science let's set off a bunch of flash-bangs at random people and see how quickly they run away.

Oh, wait, we already have that answer.

Thanks, Oakland PD!

Imagine If His Initials Had Been IED

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA

The vigilant eyes of the Sheriff are upon you workday commuter. They watch with raptor-like intensity for anything that may step out of the norm, for the hints of terror that dog the men, women and occasional midnight trannies of the Los Angeles public transportation system. And when they find something they SWOOP into action to protect you from greasy backpacks with an implied threat scrawled on in ragged Sharpie.

Union Station was partly evacuated yesterday when Sheriff's deputies caught sight of a lone backpack with the word BANG written on it. This caused much furor and gnashing of teeth. As well as the rush hour closure of the Red and Purple lines between Union Station and the Civic Center as the bomb squad sniffed it over to find...

That it belonged to a guy named Bang Bang.

Hooray! Once again paranoid vigilance saves the day!

How Do YOU Think I Should Whore Myself?

2011-12-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

CITY OF THE LOST comes out in a few weeks and I'm getting ready to flog it the way a choir boy goes at it when he discovers nudity in National Geographic.

I don't much like doing self-promotion. The surest way to turn me off of anybody (writer, artist, blind hobo date) is the constant hard sell. The unending barrage of, "BUY MY BOOK!" feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Of course there's a balance there. How much is too much? That's subjective and for me it goes up and down depending on my mood and whether or not I've taken my meds.

Not that I won't happily pimp somebody else's stuff. To me that's different, though I'm not entirely sure why. I think it has to do with the idea that I'm sharing something that I think is cool and think that maybe you'll find it cool, too.

Instead of the hard sell I'd rather create some kind of connection with people and hope that they find what I'm saying interesting enough to want to buy the book. I have no idea if this will actually work. I also have no idea if I'm actually interesting.

Now I've got some guest blog posts lined up for the week that the book comes out. I've written a couple so far, and I'll be spending the next week or two writing more.

But here's the problem. I'm not sure what else to talk about.

So, here's where you, dear reader (all two of you) come in.

What would YOU like to know?

How I got an agent? How I got the book published? How did it get from point A to point B? My writing process (or lack thereof)? The music I played incessantly while I was writing it? How I feel about publishing, genre, writing in general? What's next?

If there's something you want to know about the book or its writing, or whatever, sound off in the comments below or over on Twitter (@sblackmoore).

Thanks. I appreciate the assist.

Gotham's Not The Same Since Bruce Hit The Bottle

2011-12-08T09:52:00.001-08:00

Pasadena, CA

In the inky depth of night, where terror rules the street only one man can save this vile city of rats and scoundrels.

But he's gotta pick up a 40 first.

Seems the Dark Knight knocked over a liquor store in Pasadena last night. Guy walked in wearing a Batman mask and he and three other guys (no word yet on whether they were dressed as the rest of the Justice League or just Robin, Batgirl and Alfred), waved some guns around and walked off with some cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets.

Lottery tickets.

When Bruce Wayne's playing a scratcher you know the economy's gone to shit.

Cops later picked up the getaway driver and the car, but no sign yet of The Bat.

It's like he just melted away. Into the shadows. WooooOOoooOOOOoooooo.

Here's a tip, check with that Selina Kyle chick. I hear she's got a thing for him.

Holy Shit, It's A Book Launch - CITY OF THE LOST signing at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach

2011-12-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, boys and girls it's actually finally really fucking here.

My first novel, CITY OF THE LOST comes out in January. And we'll be launching it Friday, January 6th into the stratosphere where it will explode into a thousand, flaming-

Wait. No. I've just been told that the fire marshal has nixed that plan.

Fine. FINE. Instead, we'll set it loose onto the Pacific like the fighting ships of old and-

Sorry, no again. Apparently being a trade paperback it's not much of a floater.

Okay, look. I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach (2810 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278) on Friday, January 6th at 7:30pm. We'll have books there. It is a bookstore, after all.

And I'll be drunk. NO. No, I'll be signing. Books. MY books. Or book. Singular. I mean, I've only written one, so far. But I'll be signing more than one copy. It'd be kind of silly to have people come down, scribble my name once and then send them all away, now wouldn't it?

I'll probably sign somebody else's book too, if you like. I can do a pretty passable Neil Gaiman scrawl. I mean, it won't fool the bank or anything. Or him. Or anybody, come to think of it. Hell, if that were the case I wouldn't be doing this writing thing in the first place, now would I?

So come on down, invite your friends. Buy a book. Learn to forge my arthritic scrawl. Listen to me read. In English!

There will be swearing, stammering, occasional flatulence!

There might even be cake.*

So pop on by that Friday night and join me for an evening of books, books and more books. And occasional signage.

*My lawyer would like me to inform you that this is not in any way an actual guarantee of the presence of cake, pastries, pies, cookies, rugala, malasadas, croissants, crullers, jelly donuts, Belgian waffles, Bavarian cremes, or any and all cake like objects.