Les Edgerton's Blog, page 27

Raves for Rob Boley's first novel, THAT RISEN SNOW

Hi folks,

I take great pride in today's post. I want to tell you about a good friend of mine's first published novel, Rob Boley's THAT RISEN SNOW. I've kind of gone along the journey a bit with Rob and feel a "brotherly" pride in what he has created.

I met Rob a couple of years ago when I was asked to be a presenter at the Antioch Writer's Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This was one of the most pleasurable weekends I've ever spent at such an event and Rob was one of the reasons why. He was part of the writer's group I was privileged to work with (we dubbed ourselves "The Best Writer's Group" and we were...). Every single member of our group was not only a uber-talented writer but the nicest group of people I think I've ever got to hang out with.

Rob and I became instant best friends. We hung out just about every hour except when we were sleeping. Our favorite place was "The Gulch" my kind of bar, along with our other best friend, Amanda Winfield.

Well, each member of our talented group read to the assembled folks at Antioch and Rob's reading tore the roof off the place with the wild reaction it garnered. Just plain laugh-out-loud writing. I saw it immediately as something that should be published and I introduced him to one of my publishers who jumped on it with both feet. At last count, Aaron Patterson of StoneGate Ink is planning on publishing a series of Rob's books of at least eight, I believe. This is the first one and they're all a riot of laughs.

Rob and I have continued our friendship. He's been over to spend weekends with me and my wife Mary and son Mike a couple of times--the last time he also brought his fantastic daughter Annabella. And, she truly is fantastic. I've never seen a warmer and more loving relationship than these two have.

Anyway, without further ado, I want to introduce Rob and his first novel and urge everyone to run right over to Amazon and glom onto an ebook copy. It will also be out in paperback in a couple of months.

For another treat, check out Rob on his blog with his amazing daughter! At http://www.robboley.com/blog/


Tell 'em I sentcha!






THAT RISEN SNOW
by Rob E. Boley
Book One of the Scary Tales: A Killer Serial


DESCRIPTION:
The zombie sequel to Snow White begins where the classic fairy tale ends, with the Prince’s kiss waking Snow from her cursed slumber. Snow wakes up, but she doesn’t wake up right.

Now a deranged zombie, Snow infects both the Prince and the seven dwarfs’ leader. That leaves the young dwarf Grouchy, who is secretly in love with Snow, to find a cure for her malicious curse. So begins an epic journey that pits the lovesick Grouchy against dwarf-hating human soldiers, Snow’s ever-growing zombie horde, and his own bad temper.

But when Grouchy and his motley crew of survivors escape Snow’s clutches and seek refuge in a nearby human village, he soon finds that her affliction has spread faster and further then he ever could have imagined. Snow is hell-bent on spreading her horrid curse across the land, and it’s up to Grouchy to stop her before it’s too late.

For fans of horror, dark comedy, horror comedy, dark fantasy, zombies, and mashups such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter; Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters; Little Women and Werewolves; Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter; Henry VIII: Wolfman; Jane Slayre.

REVIEWS:
“Part delicious dream, part nightmare, That Risen Snow is an aberrant fairytale that is just as much a horror story. Boley has a knack for dark comedy and witty prose, and he blends it with a nearly-hardboiled voice uncharacteristic of (and therefore pleasantly unique in) dark fantasy fiction. It’s a story you’ll want to tear ass through but will equally want to slow down for, so you can savor the prose.”
—Brady Allen, author of Back Roads & Frontal Lobes


“In 1912, the Brothers Grimm published an old German fairy tale they titled Snow White. Little did they know that a guy named Rob Boley would come along a hundred years later to reveal the ‘true’ and adult story of Ms. White, or ‘Snow’ as she was known in real life… No one could have possibly foreseen what would become of Snow in the hands of a diabolical, maniacal imagination like Boley’s… Such a nice boy… with such a fevered mind. Read this with the lights on and a baseball bat or shotgun handy… you’re gonna be glad you did. This is a Snow White you ain’t gonna find in the middle school library… Get it, read it, and try to keep the screaming down.”
—Les Edgerton, author of Hooked, Just Like That, and The Bitch


“That Risen Snow and That Wicked Apple make a deliciously diabolical tale—part Walking Dead, part turned-on-its-ear fairy tale. Rob Boley strikes the perfect balance of depth, drama, and dark humor to keep readers devouring the pages and leave them hungering for more.”
—Linda Gerber, author of the Death by Bikini Mysteries
That's it, folks! 
Blue skies,Les

A GOOD DAY!

Hi folks,I just ran across a couple of blogposts that I wanted to share with you guys. The first is from author Lisa Fernow, who made my day when she talked about my newest novel, THE GENUINE, IMITATION, PLASTIC KIDNAPPING, a black comedy crime caper coming out in August from Down&Out Books. This book is my personal favorite and I’ve been writing a sequel to it for some time. KIDNAPPING began as a short story published in The South Carolina Review and then I wrote a novel based on it and then a screenplay. The screenplay was named a Finalist in both the Writer’s Guild and Best of Austin competitions. The novel has a German publisher in Pulpmaster, and the owner of that press, Frank Nowatzke, liked it so much, he took it to Berlinale, the European film festival that is a sister festival to the Frankfort Book Festival. Frank received great responses to it he told me, but all see it as a movie that would have to be filmed in the U.S. and not Europe. Hoping it attracts some attention here when it comes out!
Anyway, here’s what Lisa had to say about it:
The Genuine Imitation Plastic KidnappingPosted by: Lisa Fernow In: Accomplices, Book Stores and Writers I Love, Books 31 Mar 2014 Comments: 1 http://lisafernow.com/the-genuine-imitation-plastic-kidnapping-2/
I happened to be reading Publishers Marketplace, the industry rag that lets you know what books are being sold to publishers by various agents, and I came across a book that made me laugh so hard I nearly wet my pants.
Here is the description: Les Edgerton’s THE GENUINE IMITATION PLASTIC KIDNAPPING, in which a couple of two-bit hustlers come up with the bright idea of kidnapping a crime boss’ fake hand, and hold it ransom for some serious money, to Eric Campbell at Down and Out Books, by Chip MacGregor at MacGregor Literary.
I just had to write to Les. Turns out he’s quite a guy. We’ve been writing back and forth, and I plan to buy this book as soon as it comes out. You might like to read his blog in the meantime.
Why am I telling you this. If you like someone’s work, write to them and tell them so. It really makes their day.  And sometimes it makes yours, back.

Thanks, Lisa! Any time a description of one of my books causes someone to laugh so hard she nearly wets her pants, my day has been made. (And, PW got part of this wrong--it's not a "fake" hand but his real meathook that gets whacked off.)
And then, I came across a blog I visit regularly, Col’s Criminal Library, and saw a really cool shout-out of my novel, THE BITCH.
COL'S CRIMINAL LIBRARY Tuesday, 1 April 2014 Book of the month! 9 books were read in the month, which is 1 shy of my goal of 10 to achieve 120 for the year. I have yet to hit that magical figure in any month in 2014 - hopefully I will catch up later in the year.

All 9 books were authors new to me, (18 from 26 so far in 2014 - I've decided to count Agatha Christie as a new author last month),

4 of the books were debut novels and I would happily read more from all debut authors - Kirschman, Veste, Harvkey and McCrary.

2 were by females (making 5 from 26 for the year - 19% go me! Double last year's % but could still do better)

5 were Net Galley books (God, I really went overboard on there didn't I?), 2 were received from the author, 1 from the publisher and 1 book was actually bought, though it subsequently transpired it wasn't even a whole book, just a portion of it.

7 were US authors - no surprise there, 1 from Australia, 1 from the UK.

In the course of the month my reading took me to Sydney, Liverpool, Cincinatti, Texas, New York, Missouri and Indiana, with some flying visits to Arizona and Mexico as well as a couple of unknown locations!

Progress on my challenges - no Vintage Reads, no Scottish reads, no Espionage reads, no TBR Mountain reads, 1 for my Down Under challenge and a few states filled on my USA challenge (6 from 51, so I'm making some progress there).

Most of my reads were very good, just a bit short of great. Tough to pick a book of the month, but as I read it cover to cover in about 3 hours flat it has to be Ellen Kirschman's Burying Ben. The good news is, she's writing a second Dot Meyerhoff book!
Runner-up!
A close second would be Les Edgerton and The Bitch.

The full list of March reads is as follows:

Harry Hunsicker - The Contractors (3)

Les Edgerton - The Bitch (4)

Mike Resnick - Dog in the Manger (4)

Ellen Kirschman - Burying Ben (4)

Mike McCrary - Getting Ugly (4)

B. Selkie (aka Peter Robb) - Final Cut (aka No Sweat) (aka 1/3rd of Pig's Blood and Other Fluids) (3)

Mike Harvkey - In the Course of Human Events (4)

Luca Veste - Dead Gone (4)

Dorothy Uhnak - Codes of Betrayal (4)

---------------------------------------------

April aims - hit 10 for the month, keep up the female count, chip away at some of my challenges, clear the Net Galley burden from my shoulders - free is not always a good thing!

Thanks, Col!
A good day!
Blue skies,Les

Fun time with Libby Hellman

Hi folks,

Sorry to have been gone so long, but my son Mike and I had a week's vacation in Cave Creek, AZ as guests of my best friend, Tom Rough and his family, wife Lisa and daughter Nicola. It was wonderful! Mike and I and Tom got to go to a Giants' game where we beat the A's and I got to meet up with some of my class members at Federal Pizza.

Joe and Maegan, me, Linda, Suzanna and Kristen--all uber-talented writers and fantastic friends. Well, Joe isn't a writer but he takes the load off Maegan so she can write and he's just one of the nicest guys I know.

When I got back home, I needed to plunge right into the new session of my online class and that kept me busy until yesterday. I owed a friend a chapter for a new crime book he's asked a bunch of us to contribute to and that leads us up to... today!

Where, when I opened my email this morning, I received the following post from the brilliant writer, Lilly Hellman. Her words warmed the ol' cockles of my heart and I thought I'd share them with you.



It’s Steve Sanders’ Fault; Les Edgerton’s too
March 21, 2014 
I was at a Christmas party two years ago at which WGN  news anchor Steve Sanders was also a guest. We started to chat, and when he found out I was a crime writer he told me he had a story for me. Those words are like catnip for a kitten — I’m a sucker for a good story. So I followed Steve into a corner where he proceeded to tell me about a Ku Klux Klansman in Alabama who was in prison for lynching a black man. A few years into the Klansman’s sentence, a young black man was wrongly convicted for raping a white woman. No one really believed the boy was guilty, but the jury was all white (it was the early Sixties), and the kid didn’t have a chance. 
The young man apparently was assigned to the same cell as the Klansman, and over time, the two became great friends, confounding the expectations of almost everyone in the penitentiary.  
I don’t how much of that is, or was true, but it stayed with me. A few months later, I had an opportunity to submit a story to the Fiction River Crime Anthology edited by the wonderful Kristine Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith, and I decided to tackle that story. However, aside from a couple of visits to Cook County jail and a woman’s minimum  prison in Racine, Wisconsin, I am woefully unfamiliar with prison procedures. So I put out a request on Facebook for someone who might point me in the right direction. One name kept coming back; Les Edgerton, a terrific crime writer and himself a one-time inmate at Indiana’s Pendleton penitentiary, which had the honor of being called out by LBJ in the Sixties as one of the worst prisons in the country.
I got in touch with Les, read his book JUST LIKE THAT, which recounts his experiences at Pendleton (and which I highly recommend.)  After that, we emailed and spoke on the phone several times. Les’s patience and generosity was endless, and I am in his debt. There is no way this story could have been written without his help.
Of course I embellished, changed, and added some noir elements to the story—I was in my dark period. The result is No Good Deed which amazingly, did make it into the anthology released this week.
I am delighted to share space with acclaimed authors Doug Allyn, Brendan DuBois, my good friend Julie Hyzy, Steve Hockensmith,and more, and I urge you to check out the anthology. Meanwhile, here are the first few grafs of the No Good Deed.
Gertie Morton’s baby kicked so much in the womb that she knew the kid was going to be a troublemaker. Luther didn’t disappoint. Born in 1943, the colicky baby screamed so much that Gertie thanked the Lord their closest neighbor lived half a mile away. Once the colic was over, teething began, and Gertie gave Luther liberal amounts of whiskey that her husband cooked up in their still.  She sometimes wondered if that was the root of Luther’s problems.
Luther grew into a rowdy boy and even rowdier teen: stealing bikes, then cars, then whatever he could get his hands on.  Which wasn’t much—they lived in a dirt-poor area of Southern Indiana. Luther wasn’t much of a student either, until a sheriff’s deputy caught him smoking and drinking whiskey at the pool hall. Luther seemed to clean up after that, and Gertie was surprised when he came home with a decent report card in twelfth grade. She proudly proclaimed to everyone she knew how he was one of the best students in the school.
She learned the truth a few months later when Luther told her that his high school English teacher was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and had recruited him into the group. Gertie remembered the problems the Klan had caused in Indiana over the years, and while she didn’t exactly disagree with them, she didn’t think it would end well.
It didn’t. A few weeks after Luther’s twenty-first birthday, he was convicted of taking part in a lynching. Sentenced from fifteen to life, Luther was sent to the state prison at Pendleton near Indianapolis.
 Enjoy! Libby Hellman

Thanks, Libby.
Blue skies,Les
 

New review of THE BITCH from across the pond...

COL'S CRIMINAL LIBRARY
Monday, 17 March 2014

Synopsis/blurb……
Ex-con Jake Bishop is several years past his second stint in prison and has completely reformed. He’s married, expecting a child, and preparing to open his own hair salon. But then an old cellmate re-enters his life begging for a favour: to help him with a burglary. Forced by his code of ethics to perform the crime, Jake’s once idyllic life quickly plunges into an abyss. Jake soon realizes that there is only one way out of this purgatory . . . and it may rupture his soul beyond repair.Advance Praise“The Bitch is the kind of raw crime fiction that’s right up my alley, like sandpaper for the brain. Edgerton has got the chops. Mad chops. Gonna make us all ashamed of our puny efforts one day.”—Anthony Neil Smith, bestselling author of Choke on Your Lies, Psychomatic, Hogdoggin’, Yellow Medicine, The Drummer, To the Devil, My Regards, and others.
It might be a bit of an understatement but author Les Edgerton has lived an interesting life. Born in Texas, his Wikipediaentry states the following:Later Edgerton entered a period of his life he refers to as a years-long odyssey, during which he:·         Sold and used drugs·         Worked for an escort service for older, wealthy women in New Orleans·         Sold life insurance·         Worked as a headhunter for a firm specializing in recruiting executives for businesses dealing with electronic warfare·         Was a sports reporter·         Won 16 state championships for hairstyling, a skill he learned in prison·         Co-hosted a cable-television show about fashion in New Orleans·         Made a television commercial·         Acted in a movie·         Was homeless and eating out of a dumpster·         Went through several marriages·         Attended A.A. meetings·         Began writing seriously
Back to The Bitch then.
Not as bleak as many “noir” tagged novels I’ve read and without spoiling anything for potential readers we don’t exit the book with everyone living happily ever after. It is an interesting journey though in the company of Jake Bishop, our main man – a rehabilitated ex-con. He’s happily married, holding down a steady job and he’s got big career plans which will provide for his future family. Life couldn’t be better.


Cue wheels falling off wagon, brown stuff hitting the fan etc etc.
Bishop ill-advisedly takes a call from his old cell mate at Pendleton. Despite his resolve to go straight and stay straight, Jake is then sucked back into the criminal world and at risk of a life sentence back in prison;  a three-time felon or habitual offender - in con-speak “The Bitch.”
Job, hair-dressing, wife, pregnancy, going straight, business plans, brother, cops, burglary, blackmail, diamonds, friendship, history, prison, alcoholism, recidivism, family, secrets, suspicion, snow, murder, kidnap, shovels, bad luck, poor choices, more bad luck, more bad decisions….ergo, death and everyone who survives initially lives unhappily ever after, albeit with a much reduced life expectancy.
Edgerton gives us a likeable protagonist who through a combination of ill-luck and poor decision-making gets locked in a downward spiral from which there is no escape. Enjoyable and satisfying, with well-drawn characters, a decent plot and great pace – overall an entertaining read. Even if at times I was shouting……….NO!.....at Bishop’s fall!
This was my first taste of the author, but with a few other books of his on the pile………The Death of Tarpons, Monday’s Meal, The Rapist, Just Like That……….not my last.
I will count this as my Texas entry for my USA State Reading Challenge. (4 down 47 to go!)

Accessed through the Net Galley website.      

Review, news, and other potpourri...

Hi folks,
Got the following from the newsletter of my friend and fellow writer, Mike Klaassen and thought I’d share with you. At the end, is Mike’s contact info for his (free) newsletter which is always chockfull of good writing advice, reviews, and tidbits. Tell him I sentcha!
Book Review HOOKED: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them GoBy Les EdgertonWriter’s Digest Books, 2007
Hooked is the book about beginnings.
Books about fiction-writing tend to fall into one of three categories:  A-Z books, which address a wide spectrum of fiction-writing issuesQuasi-biographical books, which are as much about the author as they are about writingNarrow-focus books, which take an in-depth look at a specific aspect of fiction-writing 
Hooked, by Les Edgerton, focuses on one aspect of fiction-writing: beginnings.  In general, readers should expect a narrow-focus book to:Adequately address its topic of focus, compiling and reorganizing the body of existing informationDebunk misinformation and out-of-date practices about the topicOffer new ideas and insight about the topicLes Edgerton has accomplished all of these in Hooked. 
Why a whole book about beginnings?  As explained by Edgerton, “The simple truth is, if your beginning doesn’t do the job it needs to, the rest of the story most likely won’t be read by the agent or editor or publisher you submit it to.”
Edgerton addresses misinformation and out-of-date practices from a historical perspective and as they relate to literary fiction.  Whenever an author sheds new light on a subject, there is a risk that someone will be offended: no exception here.  Writers, of any genre, in the habit of beginning stories with hefty servings of backstory or description get an earful. 
Those who believe that studying the classics is the key to understanding fiction may be turned off by Edgerton’s take on beginnings: “. . . many of the great books from the past aren’t practical structure models for today’s market, particularly in the way some of those books begin.”  And, “Beginnings have changed more than any other part of story structure.”
Likewise, fans of literary fiction may take exception to some of Edgerton’s observations.  “Bookscan has revealed the decline of what is usually referred to as literary fiction.  This category of fiction may be dying because it has stuck with the story structure model of yesteryear much more so than any other category.”
Hooked is organized into eleven chapters:Story structure and sceneOpening scenesInciting incident, initial surface problem, story-worthy problemSetup and backstoryCombining inciting incident, story-worthy problem, initial surface problem, setup, and backstoryIntroducing charactersForeshadowing, language, and settingOpening linesRed flags Opening scene length and transitionsView from the agent’s and editor’s chair
The last chapter is structured as questions and answers from agents and publishers.  For example, from agent Jodie Rhodes: “ . . . the more modest the writer, the better the writing.  That’s because good writers know how much they still have to learn.”
Hooked is a must for the bookshelf of serious students of fiction.



SUMMARIZATION: A fairly maligned fiction-writing modeBy Mike Klaassen
Should you always "show" rather than "tell?" Summarizationis the fiction-writing mode whereby story events are recapped. In summary mode events are told rather than shown. Action mode shows an event in detail as it happens, summarization tells about it. The old writing axiom "Show. Don't tell." implies that summarization is inferior writing, to be discouraged. This is unfortunate because telling, in the form of summarization, has a vital role. Any event may be portrayed either in the action mode or in summarization. Consider the following gunfight in action mode:As the sun reached its zenith, Cisco strode onto the dust-filled street and faced Black Bart. Without warning, Bart reached for his pistol. Cisco dived to the right as Bart fired. Cisco rolled in the dirt and drew his Peacemaker. He fanned his hand across the Colt’s hammer in rapid succession, sending three slugs into Bart’s chest.
The same event may be summarized as: At noon, Cisco faced Black Bart and gunned him down in the street.
Summary mode has many applications. It may be used to: (1) report an event that doesn't warrant the detailed, as-it-happens treatment of the action mode, (2) shift from one time or location to another, (3) setup a writing passage by "catching up" the reader on what has happened since the previous scene, sequel, chapter, or section or (4) vary rhythm, pace, tone, or texture.REPORTING EVENTSSummary mode is appropriate for reporting events that don't warrant detailed, real-time presentation. As fiction writers we make many decisions. We choose which events to report and which to leave out. We choose which events to report in detail and which to summarize. For example, depending upon the objectives of the author, the summary of the gunfight described above may be appropriate. Readers may need to know that event occurred but don't need to know the details. Telling lets the reader speed past less important action. If fiction were a video player, action would be accessed with the "Play" button, and summarization would be the "Fast Forward" button, where events are skimmed over. Summarization may be particularly appropriate when there is repetition of events.SHIFTING TIME OR LOCATIONSummarization provides an opportunity to telescope time and shift locations. Rather than showing all the details in an uninteresting journey, the writer might summarize it. For example: Over the next three hours as the storm continued, they followed the winding path around and over one dark hill after another. Like a time machine fitted with a global-positioning device, summarization can transport the character across time and space.
SETTING UP A NEW PASSAGE OR VIEWPOINT CHARACTERSummarization may be used to set up a new scene, sequel, chapter, or section—even a change in a viewpoint character. This may be accomplished at the beginning of the new passage simply by naming the new viewpoint character and describing what he is doing, thinking, or feeling. For example: Fortney reached the top of the hill and stopped. Before him, as far as he could see, stretched rolling, grass-covered hills.
VARYING RHYTHM, PACE, TONE, OR TEXTURESummarization and action, even when used to describe the same event, have a different pace, rhythm, tone, and texture (Just think of the gunfight described above). The decision to use one versus the other becomes a tool for manipulating the story. For example, imagine a medieval battle with knights engaged in a series of sword fights. The writer might decide to describe the first fight in action mode, summarize the next three (Over the next hour Arthur dispatched three more dark knights.), and then show the climatic fight in gory detail.
As with each of the other ten fiction-writing modes, summarization has both advantages and disadvantages. Action involves the reader and is intimate and immediate, but too much action can fatigue the reader. Summarization distances the reader and lacks immediacy. Summarization offers one distinct advantage over the action mode, and that is brevity.
ABOUT MIKE
 Mike Klaassen is the author of two young-adult novels: The Brute and Cracks. He has also written numerous articles about the craft of writing fiction. His current projects include a novel set during the War of 1812 and a nonfiction book about the craft of writing fiction.  
Mike and his wife, Carol, lived in the Wichita, Kansas area while raising their two sons. After fighting cancer for four years, Carol died in 2012.

Mike and Carol were good friends for twenty-five years with another couple, Michael and Gerri. Throughout those years Michael had multiple sclerosis, which became increasingly debilitating. Michael died one month before Carol. After each being married to a wonderful spouse for thirty-five years, Mike and Gerri are happily engaged.                You can learn more about Mike and his novels at www.mikeklaassen.com 
Mike KlaassenP.O.Box 4781Wichita, KS 67204-0781(316) 744-4325mike@klaassen.kscoxmail.com
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If you have enjoyed this newsletter and are not already receiving it automatically each month, you are welcome to a free subscription.  Just click on the "Join Our Mailing List" button at the top of this page (also available at www.mikeklaassen.com).  Or if you prefer, send an email to mike@klaassen.kscoxmail.comand ask to be added to Mike's ezine list. 
Thanks, Mike. Well, in a couple of days, my son Mike and I are jumping on a plane to go spend a week at my best friend Tom Rough's place in Cave Creek, AZ, and are going to see our beloved Giants WHIP UP on the Oakland A's in a spring training game in Scottsdale. Can't wait to be someplace where I'm not staring at six-foot-high snow drifts... And, on a bit of a downer, The Rapist didn't win in the BigAl's recent contest. But, thank everybody for coming out and voting--I appreciate it! I'll try to do better next time...
Blue skies,Les

AGENTS AND BRANDING... IN MERRIE OLDE ENGLAND...

Hi folks,
I don’t know if you’ve seen this on the Intergnat, but historians recently unearthed a series of letters between William Shakespeare and Leonard “Swifty” Cojone, a prominent literary agent in Elizabethean times, which I thought you might find somewhat interesting. Here they are, unexpurgated (which means I didn’t mess with ‘em). Well, I didn’t personally purgate them, but the person who put them on the ‘Gnat has taken the liberty of casting them in present-day English for easier interpretation by today’s public school students.
Dear William Shakespeare,
I was recently on holiday, and happened to attend a performance of a play at the new theater over at Stratford (the Globe, which has the best darn popcorn I think I’ve ever tasted! The beer, however... skunky!). A play I understand you’d written, titled Richard III. While I think you’ll agree that you’ll never be a Christopher Marlowe or even a Thomas Nash, I have to confess that I was somewhat impressed by the performance (enough that I could overlook the obvious historical fallacies to which I ascribe the fault to lay at “artistic license.”). I think you have some potential. I do feel it would benefit you to employ a better editor than the one you currently use. For instance, that line, “Now is the winter of our discontent,” is more than a bit ponderous and clumsy. I can doubtless help you with those kinds of things among the other services I can provide.
If you’re not yet aware of whom I am (please indulge me a polite laugh as I’m sure you do unless you’ve been living in Manchester or Newcastle!), I am Leonard Cojone, literary agent extraordinaire. And, it is in this role that I am contacting you, sir. I should like to talk to you about possible representation of your work. I assume you plan to write additional plays?
I take but a paltry ten percent of receipts for my considerable influence in both publishing your work and gaining entree into Europe’s finest theaters.
If you are interested, please reply as soon as possible. I’m not sure how long I might retain interest as there are other playwrights I’m also interested in.
Sincerely,Leonard “Swifty” Cojones, Esq.P.S. That aforementioned line:” Now is the winter of our discontent” could benefit by being changed to something more accessible to today’s playgoer to something like: “It was a dark and stormy night.” This is the kind of assistance I am able and more than willing to offer should we effect a partnership.
Dear Squire Cojones,
I am so pleased that a gentleman of your considerable influence would see fit to see value in my humble scribbling. I would be delighted to speak with you about possible representation. I am presently penning a new play, a comedy. May I send you a copy for your consideration?
Your Humble Svt,Wm. Shakespeare
Dear William,Well! This poses a problem for me! You say you’re writing a comedy? But, the other plays I’ve seen or am aware of from you have all been dramas. Why would you do this to yourself? To your career? Are you not aware of the value of building a brand? You seen to have secured a bit of a foothold with your dramas (even with the historical errors, not to mention some elements that I would have changed, i.e., the situation where there is far too little violence—only Richard himself dies on stage and I think you know as well as I that our gentle English folks much enjoy far more bloodshed upon the boards than you’ve allowed), and as one who has his finger on the pulse of the public, to venture into another form seems to me to court professional suicide.
Besides, when one says he writes “comedy,” I confess I have to take that with the proverbial grain of salt, sir. It is one thing to claim to have a humorous bent of mind, but my experience has been that those who claim that particular skill, almost always are just not funny, except to relatives and other prejudiced parties.
This presents somewhat of an obstacle for me. I think you may have somewhat of a future in drama and tragedies; I am not so sure that switching to comedies wouldn’t be the kiss of death for your career. I should like to dissuade you from putting pen to humor, sir. If not, perhaps I am not the agent for your future success.
Please advise.
Sincerely,L. Cojones, Esq.
Dear Mr. Cojones,Please don’t misunderstand. I plan not to abandon dramatic works nor tragedies; I simply possess a wider range of interests and although it is possible I cannot write humor—I do have valued friends who have convinced me that I can. My friend, Francis Bacon, has told me more than once when we are in our cups down at the tavern, that he has often “spurted ale through his nose” at some of the witticisms I uttered. Many times, he has smiled and told me he was going to “steal that line” at some pithy saying I threw out. Might I not send you a copy of the play I am currently putting to parchment, with the working title, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”
Yr Humble Svt,Wm. Shakespeare
Dear William,May I call you Bill? Bill, I believe you are making a tragic turn in your career. Not only are comedies not selling well these days, this appears from the title to have supernatural elements. Well, sir—I am here to report that supernatural plays are over. OVER! Their day has long passed. No theater in England will present a play with supernatural bits to it. Are you mad, Bill? Are you taking meals at the hatters and perhaps accidentally ingested some mercury in your bitters?
Oh, Bill, I wish I could make you fully aware of the professional suicide I see you are making with these foolish notions of writing comedy! You seem to have a bit of a knack at creating drama, but I see nothing but disaster and a sad ending for you should you pursue this folly of mounting a comedic play! The thing is, Billy, through much scientific research and polling, we have determined the only way to create and sustain a profitable career in the theater is by creating a brand for the author. A brand, Bill! That means your name becomes synonymous with a single element. In your case, that brand is tragedy.
If you cannot see the wisdom of this advice and persist in following your foolish and ill-advised tack of persisting with this comedy idiocy, then I have no recourse but to end our communication and withdraw my offer of representation to you. I see no profit in continuing our discussion.
This is a sad day for me, sir. I honestly thought I saw a bit of talent in you. Alas, I was wrong it seems.
Regards,Leonard
Dear Lenny,Go fucketh thyself. With all possible sooth and dispatch.
Bill

So we see, boys and girls, the more things change the more they stay the same…
Blue skies,Les

VOTING BEGINS!

Hi folks,

The voting has begun for BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Awards! I'd appreciate your support in the reader's choices for Best Thriller of 2013 for my novel, THE RAPIST. Just click on the picture and scroll down.  There are 13 categories and mine is in the Thriller Category.


Alas, it's one vote per person... guess they never heard of Chicago-style voting...

Thank you for voting!

Blue skies,
Les

New review of The Bitch

Hi folks,
Just got another 5-star review on Amazon and Goodreads for The Bitch.

5.0 out of 5 stars Like an avalanche, this book comes at you fast and hard. It'll bury you!, February 27, 2014 By Rob E. Boley - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Bitch (Paperback) From the first page, this book grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. The protagonist Jake describes his situation as an avalanche, and that's an apt metaphor. This book comes at you fast and hard. It'll bury you!

The pacing is spot on, and Edgerton always keeps you guessing. He drops just enough hints at Jake's prison back story to make you curious to find out more. And he keeps the tension of the core plot cranked way high, making you anxious to see what'll happen next. What's more, he makes you care about Jake. At the heart of this story is Jake's marriage, which comes off as a very real relationship, full of bursts of passion, smoldering resentments, tender moments, and enduring hope.

This is a brilliant example of how genre fiction (in this case, thriller) can be every bit as poignant and expertly-crafted as "literary fiction." Buy it, read it, and be prepared to lose sleep over it.

Thanks, Rob! I’ve got a big, ol’ grin on!
Blue skies,Les

THE RAPIST NOMINATED FOR BEST THRILLER AWARD

Hi folks,
I just received the following email and am absolutely stoked!

Congratulations! Your book, The Rapist, is a nominee in BigAl’s Books and Pals 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards
In the twelve months ending February 28th, 2014, BigAl and the Pals will have received over 1,400 books to consider for review and published 368 book reviews. From those, we chose the books we felt stood out from the pack as exceptional examples of Indie (self-published and small press) writing and divided them into thirteen categories.
Your book The Rapist is nominated in the Thriller category. Congratulations!

For ten days, starting March 2nd at 10:00 Eastern Time and ending at Midnight Eastern Time on March 12th, we'll be asking readers to vote for the winner in each category. Winners will be announced the morning of Wednesday, March 15th. We'll also have a giveaway with various prizes for those who vote.

Winners and nominees of "BigAl's Books and Pals 2014 Readers' Choice Awards" will be featured on a special Readers' Choice page at Books and Pals for at least the next twelve months, with emphasis on the winner in each category.A ‘Nominee decal’ is attached to this email. If your book wins its category, you will receive a ‘Winner’s decal’. Feel free to use the decals to help your marketing efforts.


As a nominee, you don't have to do anything further. However, if you choose to rally your fans and ask them to vote for your book, we won't object ☺. Here’s the link to the voting page : http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2014/02/readers-choice.html. Remember, this link won’t go live until 10:00a.m. Eastern Time on March 2nd.
Finally, those who follow our Facebook page have probably seen the book-related quotes posted there. Among those are quotes from past Readers’ Choice nominees and winners. If you’re not familiar, scan the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BooksAndPals) or look at this page on the blog (http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html) for examples.
These quotes, as well as the blog page listing nominees and winners, will draw continued attention to your book. For some of the nominated books, the reviewer may have a pithy quote in mind that he or she thinks is especially good, but for most books they won’t. So, we’re inviting the author to suggest quotes they think would pique interest in potential readers. Feel free to reply to this email with two or three suggestions of your own. No more than fifty words, please. Short and succinct (20 words or less) is best. Shortly after the announcement of the winners, we’ll begin integrating the new quotes into the posting rotation on our Facebook page.
Good luck,BigAl and the Pals
That was the first email I read when I woke up this morning. Voting will begin on March 2 and I hope you’ll consider voting for The Rapist at that time. I guess I’ll post this again on that day as a reminder and hope you guys won’t think I’m bugging you!
Here’s the review they gave it: http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-rapist-les-edgerton.html



 Blue skies,Les

Rough Edges: The Bitch - Les Edgerton

Hi folks,



I'm a big, big fan of James Reasoner's fiction, so was extremely stoked to see this review this morning. It's always a plus when those you admire and respect enjoy your own work. Thanks, Mr. Reasoner!



Rough Edges: The Bitch - Les Edgerton: You'd think that in a noir novel called THE BITCH, the title character would be a woman, but that's not the case in Les Edgerton&...