David Cranmer's Blog, page 97

The B-Man Cometh

I’m camping this weekend and this is lying in the grass. Who is B-Man?

Banana Man? Probably.

What’s his story? You tell me.

Under Construction: The Guns of Vedauwoo Cover

Wayne D. Dundee has written another Cash Laramie novel, this one called, The Guns of Vedauwoo. I'm in the editing process, and I thought you might like to take a look at the cover which is under construction. Would love to hear your thoughts. The excellent photo of the Vedauwoo rocks was taken by Rich Prosch.

The complete Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series:
Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles
Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Vol. II
Bullets for a Ballot
Manhunter's Mountain
Miles to Little Ridge

Vin of Venus

Vin, bereft of half his limbs and his memory, struggles between two worlds--the mist-shrouded, verdant hell of ancient Venus and the mean streets of modern Europe--battling both alien monstrosities and underworld villains on his quest to recover his identity. Along the way he is aided by an unlikely cast of allies, as well as the mysterious, ruby-encrusted bracelet that serves as the only link between his heroic past and grim present. Written in classic pulp-style, VIN OF VENUS mixes Hardboiled and Sword and Planet elements in a genre-bending series of action tales.

"Vin of Venus" by Garnett Elliott, Paul Brazill, and David Cranmer is available on Amazon for $0.99.

Harvest of War

Book description: Victory rewards the most brutal. But in a war fought between Orcs, Humans, and the monsters known as the Reapers, who best deserves that title? And will any of them fight for the weak? Or are the weak doomed always to be prey?

I read Mr. Gramlich's novella (or long short story) in one sitting while my charmer shopped for groceries and I watched our baby get some Z's in the car. Yes, there's plenty of descriptive action in the appropriately titled "Harvest of War," but it's the character development between two unlikely allies that leads me to say that this is my favorite story by Charles Allen Gramlich to date. My wife returned from shopping and asked how it was, and my reply was, "Brilliant. Wish I had published it."

"Harvest of War" can be found on Amazon for the bargain price of $0.99.

In That Split Second

We had talked about that point when our little girl would tumble into the pool by accident. She’s coming up on eighteen months now and loves the water but still hasn’t dunked her head under completely. She spends a lot of time walking up and down the steps and floating in her inflatable bee.

Of course as soon as we mentioned it this past week, her foot slipped on the second step and she fell backward into the pool. She quickly spun around underwater so that her belly faced the bottom of the pool … her mom’s hands were already reaching and pulling her out of the water. She had held her breath like we showed her, and she was still holding her breath until her mommy told her to breathe which she did. I reassured her she’s ok. We immediately took her back into the water so she wouldn’t be afraid the next time, and she hasn’t been afraid since.

Everything seemed to go textbook perfect for such a situation. But it bothered the hell out of me for days after because of the sheer helplessness in that spit second Ava was scrambling underwater. Man, a parent doesn’t like to see that vulnerability.

Kyle Knapp Interview

Who are your primary influences and why?

I was originally influenced by the life of Jim Morrison when I began writing because he was the first character in my life, or in a book, or in history that I was able to naturally and genuinely identify myself with as a young man. After Morrison grew out of fame and pop culture, he walked around a lot anonymously; in gardens and mazes and throughout some of the most remarkable cities in the world. He was determined to live up to his own identification with the greatest of the poets. I believe he wrote about 1600 poems in his life, and I think eventually a clearer visage of history will deign to adequately respect his achievements in literature. I’ve thought that the identity of a poet (or of my conception of the life of a poet) was a blessed and noble ideal since I was very young ... and part of that was inspired by Morrison.

It wasn’t until I began to read Vladimir Nabokov, and soon after Arthur Rimbaud, that I began to appreciate writing (and literature) “in itself” and devoid of any relationship to the formation of an identity or to a philosophical ideal or something like that. A girlfriend had left Lolita at my house when I was seventeen and I was obsessed with the fey solipsism of the character Humbert Humbert. Not so much for his horrid affinities, of course; but, in order to imitate the genius of Humbert’s hand, I had to greatly expand my use of the English language. I wrote all the time and studied literature feverishly for a couple years after that, and I really learned to love the art of language. Rimbaud’s “A Season in Hell” is something that I came across in that time. It’s one of the most originally brilliant, eccentric and exciting articles that I have ever read in my entire life. I think I’ve read all of Paul Schmidt’s translations of Rimbaud by now, and I have to assent that I’ve been irrevocably inspired, and maybe even to an extent complimented by my postured fidelity to Rimbaud’s work.

Why write poetry? It is known to be a hard sale, and, with the exception of a few chosen, most poets would go hungry trying to make a living from it.

I never really thought about that until after I had been writing poetry for many years. When I began writing I was a teenager, and an idealist, and I remember being passionately determined to learn about different ways that I could survive and be happy without living by money. I don’t want to make a living as a poet as much as I want to perfect myself as a writer for my own private joys. I like poetry the most as a form of expression because of any of the art forms that I know of, it offers your audience the greatest degree of participation on the part of their own mind. And not just their active consciousness. A great poem can access thoughts and feelings that you may not have been aware you had. Pieces of your life that aren’t always current or held together. For example, a poem can return to you dreams that you will never remember but have shaped you forever, once long ago, and you may or may not know why. I think it’s fascinating, exciting, and important to provoke and expand your mind, and reading and writing poetry is a fantastic way to do that.

A lot of your poetry touches on nature and your fondness for it. Where does that come from?

It’s very hard for me to reminisce genuine moments of happiness from my life, and the few that I can afford are from a childhood replete with explorations and adventures in the forests. That and much of my early work was written by the side of a large secluded pond on my parent’s property.

What’s next on your agenda?

Well, my plan is to organize a few more volumes of my earlier work and get it out there so that I can focus on the creative element of writing again ... the fun part.

Kyle Knapp’s Pluvial Gardens, edited by David Cranmer, can be found here.

How to Stay Ahead by Patti Abbott

Patti Abbott returns to BEAT to a PULP with "How to Stay Ahead." You will not want to miss this one.

Next week: Eric Beetner's "Family Secrets."

Poetry

I’m editing a collection of poems for BEAT to a PULP.

Now, poetry and I have always had a sparse relationship. As a kid I liked Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, both introduced to me in school. Then along the way, in my twenties, I bumped into Sylvia and Ted plus a Lizard King who had also opened up some other doors to me. Lately, it's been Charles Bukowski.

When it comes to poetry, either it speaks to me or it doesn't, and most of the time I prefer the raw not-yet-pigeonholed style. The collection I’m working on has all this. It will be ready soon along with an interview to introduce you this new and superb writer.

I’m curious to hear from you ... how does poetry speak to you and who are some of your favorite poets?

Preferred Customer at BEAT to a PULP

In fond remembrance of Mike Sheeter, who passed away on June 5, 2012, we are rerunning his fine story, Preferred Customer, that first appeared in April 2009.

Hawthorne: The Long Black Train

I have a lot of fun reading these Hawthorne tales by Heath Lowrance. A mash-up of western and horror and I guess best described as weird west stories. They clip right along and can be read in less than thirty minutes and at $0.99 is the right price.

This time out it is hell on wheels as a simpering madman, possessed by dark magic, transforms a night train into a rolling charnel house. Hawthorne comes face-to-face with an evil beyond imagining.

Hawthorne: The Long Black Train is now available at Amazon.