David Cranmer's Blog, page 28

Q&A with Court Merrigan

After many months of work (and obviously much longer for Court), we finally get to enjoy the release of THE BROKEN COUNTRY—just out today. Not sure what it is about? Then click over to this interview we did for Criminal Element.

At Outpost 16

Jake is feeling unsettled about spying on Ben Slightman The Elder and Andy while they’re conversing in private. After Ben Slightman the Younger falls asleep, Jake slips away with Oy—sniffing like a bloodhound—to follow their trail to a seemingly abandoned building. It’s labeled Outpost 16, which Jake assumes was erected by the Old Ones. There, he finds more North Central Positronics, LTD signs and tech. On the door itself: WELCOME TO THE DOGAN. Uh-oh. Here we go, as they say.

Inside, fluorescent lights snap to life, revealing skeletons in tattered brown uniforms—soldiers of sorts who’ve long since given a damn about what they were guarding. More shocking than the gruesome remains are the 31 screens monitoring various locations in the region, including Calla high street, Our Lady of Serenity Church, and Took’s General Store.

Rest of my reread of Wolves of the Calla can be found at Criminal Element.

The Broken Country

Our latest BEAT to a PULP release is a partnership with the talented Court Merrigan with one very looong title. You ready? Ok, here it goes: The Broken Country: Being the Scabrous Exploits of Cyrus & Galina Van, Hellbent West During the Eighth Year of the Harrows, 1876; With an Account of Mappers, Bounty Hunters, a Tatar, and the Science of Phrenology.

Set in post-apocalyptic 1876, The Broken Country tracks the scabrous exploits of the outlaws Cyrus and Galina Van. The pair kidnaps a naïve, young scion and head west in pursuit of gold, glory, and respect. Along the trail they met Atlante Ames, a mapper who euthanized her own father and now seeks her twin brother, himself gone outlaw in the ravaged West. In cold pursuit rides the implacable bounty hunter Hal, who takes scalps in the name of Jesus Christ and the science of phrenology, and the contemplative Buddhist assassin Qa'un, paying off the bloodprice he owes Hal … bounty by bloody bounty. Cyrus and Galina's hard road west comes to a head in a dynamite-tossing, six-gun-blazing shootout at the old train depot in Laramie.

A dark journey to a time when wagon trains have retreated and the Old West is haunted by bonepickers and starving tribes, The Broken Country is unlike any other book you will read this year. And we have never written a truer statement than that last sentence. Here's the Amazon link to buy either print or ebook.

Head Full of Snow

American Gods is losing me and I try to explain some of the issues in my coverage of the third episode.

FROM DUNDEE'S DESK: Another Look: ARIZONA BUSHWHACKERS (1968 Western s...

FROM DUNDEE'S DESK: Another Look: ARIZONA BUSHWHACKERS (1968 Western s...: For a long time I rather arrogantly ignored the string of low budget Westerns produced by A.C. Lyles in the mid/late 1960s as sub par mo...

Rough Edges: Peacemaker Award Finalists Announced

Rough Edges: Peacemaker Award Finalists Announced: 7TH ANNUAL PEACEMAKER BEST FIRST NOVEL: Echoes of Massacre Canyon by Ben Goheen aka Ben Tyler (Five Star Publishing) Si...

The Outlaw Marshal is Returning

Nik Morton discusses writing about someone else's series character. That someone else is me and I couldn't be happier when Nik breathes continuing life into Cash Laramie.

Lilac

I've mentioned planting a lilac and d and I managed to get the tree (some call them shrubs) in the ground yesterday. Not the exact right time for lilacs but we will nurse her carefully.

Happenings

A busy week that keeps getting just a little more hectic. On the work front, my interview with Court Merrigan is complete and I'll let you know when that shows up on Criminal Element—the BEAT to a PULP offices are bustling with managing promotion for THE BROKEN COUNTRY. In addition, we are finishing the cover and final formatting for Glenn Gray's TRANSGEMINATION, an out of this world ride from the author who's knack for the outlandish knows no bounds, and we are also ramping up our Thomas Paine project. I'll have more details on these very soon. Not to forget, there's a sci-fi offering on the way from Nik Morton featuring Knightly & Cole and we'll have the bloody return of The Lawyer though his vendetta trail may have to wait a few more months since I'm writing that one with a title I particularly like, The Honorable Killer.

If you are looking for a mystery and a detour from the beaten path I recommend Sebastian Fitzek's The Nightwalker that I reviewed here. The psychological thriller still has me pondering some passages months after the read. Year end best, easily.

On the personal side, I'm continuing to clear out fallen trees from our property and general landscaping to beautify. We bought a lilac that I had wanted to plant yesterday but hope to get in the ground later today with d and Ava's help.

There are also scheduled doctor's appointments and dental visits that have me a bit on edge, because one involves our little one but hopefully all will turn out ok. So, guess, I better get moving and turn a few pages. And as mom would say, "Arrivederci!"

Decompressing

The sun is finally striking through and that will give me an opportunity to clear out some brush on our property (nicknamed the High 'Chalet') and plant a lilac we bought last week. Landscaping gives me a welcoming decompression after a long day in front of the screen. Also, I'm learning to break off at 5 p.m. and just not think about deadlines and relax. (That's MUCH easier said than done when you work for yourself.) Family times goes into full swing with board games like backgammon, Scrabble. Or reading something purely for entertainment that has nothing to do with reviewing like my current evening diversion, The Little Book of Mathematical Principles by Robert Solomon. Also, Little d and I are slowly whittling our way through the first season of Raising Hope and the final season of Doctor Who featuring Peter Capaldi as Twelve. So as I like to say from time to time: "Easy, you know, does it, son."

—and now let me spin around the web and see what everyone else is doing.