Charlie Williams's Blog, page 16

California and stuff

California by Ray Banks is my kind of noir. Small towns, short fuses and hopelessly unrealistic dreams. Banks is a master of character and you should check out this short sharp shooter of a novella, not least because the hero is called Shug. Also because one of the other characters has a "gaming chair"

On a Crime Express tip, a reminder that I will be in Matlock on Saturday 12th March as part of the Derbyshire Readers' Day, in a panel alongside Stephen Booth and Danuta Reah. They will be talking about CLAWS and NOT SAFE respectively and I will be going on about GRAVEN IMAGE. All simultaneously. It's going to be great! Come if you can.

Stained Image

I first got the idea for Graven Image when I was looking at this stained glass in nearby Worcester Cathedral. It depicts some luckless bishop getting burned at the stake and looking pretty damn dignified about it. Looking back at notes and drafts, it seems the first line came to me first: "I was in the abbey when I realised I'd have to burn for my sins." From that, it seemed obvious that the guy saying it was a black brothel bouncer named Leon, and that he was stood right here in the cloisters, waiting for for some sort of punishment to befall him so the natural order of things can be restored to the local underworld.

GRAVEN IMAGE PRIZE DRAW THING

Impartiality was maintained at all times. An independant adjudicator (Toby the Labrador) stood by and ensured that the integrity of the process was not compromised. Then, and only then, did I select five totally random punters to receive a freebie of GRAVEN IMAGE. The lucky ones are:

Duncan S
Sam S
Kathy W S
Dan V
Someone from my mailing list whose email address starts "Baz".

Congrats one and all. And thanks to everyone who joined my fan page in an ultimately fruitless attempt to win. Trust me, with four other books coming out this year, there will be more opportunities.

Graven Depository

It has come to my attention that non-UK readers can pick up a copy of GRAVEN IMAGE cheap AND POSTAGE FREE at Bookdepository.co.uk. When I pretended I was in the USA, it said $6.02 USD. As our American brethren say - pretty neat, huh?

One drawback: it's not available yet. But the book is not published until April 1st, so we should wait, right? And pre-ordering is all the rage at the moment.

The Ying and the Yang of it

GRAVEN IMAGE isn't officially published for another five weeks but we've seen two early and conflicting reviews. The ying and the yang, if you will. First this one from David Paine of local organ the Worcester News, which starts out:

In author Charlie Williams' attempt to write gritty dialogue there is great emphasis on bad language.

This doesn't bode well, does it ? Let's pull that teflon cloak on...

While I don't particularly have a problem with that and accept it is used in everyday life, particularly a stressful situation like Leon finds himself in, other authors like Simon Kernick, who for me is the master of this genre right now, manage to create pace, tension and fear without overdoing it with the profanities.

Let's just say it doesn't get much better than that. But hey, I defend to the death every man's right to express his own onion. I mean opinion. Let's move onto the yang, shall we? The Nerd of Noir starts out:

Leon has fucked up something terrible.

This is already my kind of review!

Though much is often made of voice and madness when discussing his work, I think short shrift is too often given to the fucking delightfully gritty worlds Williams creates, from dingy bars packed with shiftless professional drinkers to the lonely streets where only half-retarded wannabe thugs dare to tread, fritting away the night posing like their favorite crime flick characters to impress their easily amused friends.

Long live the Nerd. And David Paine. Just to show there's no hard feelings, here is a special tribute to you:

Hair of the Dog

Big session last night? Did you paint the town red... followed by a splash of technicolour on the way home? Get your head out of the toilet bowl and into a book, using Paul D. Brazill's handy guide to literary hangover cures over at Mulholland Books. And yes, I am very proud to say that the soon-to-be-reissued (in May) Deadfolk is in there. Keep it right next to your Alka Seltzers.

Graven Freebies

Do you want a chance of winning a copy of my forthcoming novella GRAVEN IMAGE? I am giving away five next week. All you have to do to be in with a shout is "like" my fan page on Facebook. Not on Facebook? Fret not - there are other great ways to be in with a shout. You could join my mailing list. Or do an Amazon (UK or US) review of any of my books and then email me. In fact, I'll give you THREE TIMES the weighting if you do that because I could do with some more Amazon reviews. Does that sound fair? Sure it does.

I spit on your Graven

As already pointed out by the fabulous Ray Banks, anyone wanting to get ahead of the Crime Express game can now do so. GRAVEN IMAGE and the other three books can be snagged here right now, free postage in the UK and everything. That's more than 1.5 months early! Yes, it's blatant CHEATING, but I won't tell.

Let's pick a random blurb to paste here.... Ooh, it's GRAVEN IMAGE by Charlie Williams... what an embarrassing coincidence!

It knocks the wind out of you, reality does

Brothel bouncer Leon shouldn't be here. A week ago he stepped over the line, maiming a slap-happy VIP punter. But he can't stay away. Not with his daughter Kelly being so young and vulnerable. If he can sort it out with Graven, take the kicking he knows he'll get, maybe they can call it a debt paid. But when Kelly goes missing Leon realises what kind of debt is due.

Check that out!

Matlock, 12th March

Matlock: I've always thought that's a great name for a town. Tough and no nonsense. Matt Lock, private eye. He'd be somewhere between Mike Hammer and Matt Scudder, pissed up on whisky but still asking tough questions or blowing heads off. The right heads.

I will be in Matlock on Saturday 12th March as part of the Derbyshire Readers' Day (which seems to be two days, starting on the 11th, but never mind). Find me on a panel alongside Danuta Reah, hosted by Stephen Booth, which goes by the title "Keeping it Short", or something. Either way, it almost coincides with all three of us (along with the legendary Ray Banks) having Crime Express books coming out on April 1st, and those babies are certainly short. And to the point. But probably not very sweet. Check them out here. And dig those covers. Then, *ahem*, think about pre-ordering.

So, can you make it to Matlock? Check out here for details. Scudder and Hammer will probably not be in attendance, but Reah, Booth and Williams surely will. And maybe Matt Lock himself.

NB: Matlock was also a main location for the amazing Shane Meadows film DEAD MAN'S SHOES. If you haven't seen it, find it.

Planted a few heifers

I swear I was after something important, but while looking through (google-translated) Russian reviews of Deadfolk I came across:

"The protagonist gets in the head 20 times, wets himself five freaks and 4 innocent people, including fishermen, planted a few heifers, runs through the city covered in blood, a week carries rotting corpse on the seat beside the driver and swearing at each step. But - a dynamic, funny and exciting. Read disgusting. Make a movie - you will be Academy Award"

Seriously, who wouldn't buy?