Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 18

2014 Dubious CrimeFictionBook.com Awards

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It’s time for the 2014 Dubious CrimeFictionBook.com Awards. The inaugural edition last year was so biased, so dubious, so obviously influenced by bribery, that by popular demand (and court order) they’ve returned for 2014. All nominees and winners are selected by me through a highly subjective process. The only qualification is that I had to have read the work in 2014, and that the work was published recently (although I'll be breaking that rule in about four seconds).

 

This year had some excellent reads to offer as well as some duds that surprisingly didn’t float with me (I’m looking at you, Gone Girl). To add to the total subjectivity of the awards process, I’m including a fancy badge (left) that winners can lift for their websites, provided they link back here in return. It’s just like a real dubious award. Huzzah!

 

2014 Best Crime Series: The Riley Spartz Novels by Julie Kramer

 

In early 2014, I stumbled across a book review in the Star Tribune about a former TV news producer in Minnesota, Julie Kramer, writing crime novels. I have a soft spot for that type of writing (ex-journalist turned novelist), so I ordered up the latest installment in Kramer’s series, Delivering Death, featuring Riley Spartz, a TV news reporter. As I mentioned in my original review, Kramer’s writing some of the smartest crime fiction out there. And I don’t mean smart in a condescending or convoluted way. I mean you can tell the writer knows her shit and isn’t going to insult your intelligence.

 

Delivering Death got me to read the rest of the series, which was just as good. This award was an easy pick for me. Start with Delivering Death and work your way backward.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Best Depiction of Firearms in a Crime Novel: Worm by Anthony Neil Smith

 

This novel isn’t even out yet (I told you these awards were dubious), but my advance read of Neil Smith’s North Dakota oil boom caper not only kicked ass in the story department, but was one of the few novels I read this year that got the guns right. I get to be picky, since I wrote a book about guns and knives in fiction for Writer’s Digest. And when your eye is watching for this stuff, it gets a little tiring to see “.9mm Ar15 machine gun assault weapons” being reloaded with a pump, or “.12 caliber shotgun clips.” Fuuuuccckk.

 

Thankfully, Smith nails every instance of his firearm depictions. It’s something I definitely appreciated. Watch for this one to come out, uh, whenever it comes out, I guess. Here’s Neil Smith’s author page on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Best Crime Humor Novel: The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping by Les Edgerton

 

There isn’t a crime novel I read this year that went for broke in the humor department quite like The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping by Les Edgerton. Edgerton approached this kind of humor in The Bitch, but Plastic cranks the slapstick to 100. It’s more Beavis and Butthead than Three Stooges, but it also contains a nugget of truth about human nature present in every Edgerton novel.

 

The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping is the only novel that, genuinely, made me laugh out loud. It somehow turned a forced amputation into one of the most hilarious scenes I’ve ever read. That takes some doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Best Short Story: The Bitch Pit by Christopher Pimental

 

I used to think hell was the bathroom at this one gas station in Hinckley, Minn., but now I know better. It’s actually what’s inside The Bitch Pit, easily the most disturbing short story I’ve read since Plastic Soldiers. Pimental offers a look at the casualties of war in an unexpected, albeit shocking, way.

 

The content of The Bitch Pit isn’t what makes this story so impactful as much as the tone. This is one of the few stories that, in just a couple paragraphs, can inject a hard dose of absolute dread. It might be because the prose makes you feel like you’ve been dropped directly into hell. Or it might be because the story doesn't just seem plausible, it's actually happening (in so many ways). Either way, Pimental’s yarn about arms dealers in South America is a must-read for those willing to take the dare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Best Crime Novel: Cry Father by Benjamin Whitmer

 

Cry Father by Benjamin Whitmer is literary fiction for the Breaking Bad generation. Or maybe it’s crime fiction for refugees of literary fiction. Either way, it’s by far the best crime novel I read all year. As one reviewer on Amazon put it, “This book is everything that is right about modern crime and noir.” I would agree with that.

 

On the surface, you’ve got a story about a guy dealing with the death of his son meeting an old friend with drug and violence issues. Underneath is a story about the legacy passed down from father to son, and the ways to fill that cycle once it’s broken - if it ever was intact in the first place. In addition, Whitmer sprinkles in nuggets of social commentary that will stick with me for years. For example:

 

They put people in prison for taking drugs. They lock kids away for stealing money from gas stations, for joyriding in cars. But men who abandon their children, they float through life, light as air.

 

There’s also a piece about the cognitive dissonance it takes to think terrorists “hate us for our freedoms” while also hating on illegal immigrants for thinking they’re so free they can just cross into the U.S. without a second thought. That's better than astute, that's a genius observation about American life.

 

Cry Father is a novel worthy of a few repeat reads just to soak it all in. I’d recommend you start with round one as soon as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Random Observations

 

For whatever reason, 2014 marked the most books I’ve seen with titled chapters. Maybe that’s just me, but it looks like those are coming back. Did you notice the same thing? Leave a comment below.

 

P.S. If you enjoyed this rundown, be sure to sign up for my free e-newsletter. It's full of exclusive content I don't post here.

10 Reasons I Kept My Old-Ass Nook E-Reader

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Like the increasing few, I have a Nook. No, not one of those new-fangled ones with the jazzy whatnots and glow-in-the-dark information insertion portholes. I mean a first-gen, vanilla Nook that, on a good day, might get you 10 bucks and a dirty look at a pawn shop.

 

Nook, as in the the company, is due to split off from Barnes & Noble any minute now. It’s given up on producing new e-readers, instead partnering with Samsung to stick its name on a tablet and presumably hoping people with other mobile devices have never heard of the free Nook app.

 

In other words, things aren’t looking up for what used to be a legitimate competitor to Amazon’s Kindle Kingdom. With prices of new, basic Kindle e-readers selling for less than a tank of gas, it’s a wonder I haven’t made the switch.

 

Actually, no it’s not. Here are 10 quick reasons why I kept this its-best-chance-is-to-be-nostalgic-in-five-years e-reader.

 

1 - It still works. There’s nothing mechanically wrong with it. There isn’t a part of the user experience that isn’t as solid as the day it came out of the box.

 

2 - It’s sturdy. Some would say clunky, but I like something that can pull double duty as a weapon against small- to medium-sized rodents. I have my reasons.

 

3 - I have a non-infuriating case for it. Do you know how long it took me to find a gal-damn case that didn’t look like Hello Kitty threw up on it? Long enough that I gave up on humanity being able to produce anything without a cutesy, ironic wink. I don’t need to pretend I’m carrying luggage on an aeroplane ride from the Belgian Congo to the World’s Fair. I need to keep this e-reader alive long enough to get through a book. Maybe the boring, practical cover is why it still works. Fuckin’ hipsters ruin everything.

 

4 - (Insert holier-than-thou rant about consumerism here)

 

5 - I grew to like the feel of the e-reader in my hand. I feel the same way about this as I do remote controls for the TV, and I upgrade both about as often.

 

6 - It’s not the e-reader that counts, it’s the story. If I can read the story just fine, who gives a damn about the platform? Unless what’s really going on is the experience of reading matters as much to you as the story itself. Well, maybe, but then again, really? Was there something you missed out on in that story that the next $200+ iteration of the Kindle will reveal? Or are you spending more time on the device than in the story?

 

7 - File converters. I’m a pretty big deal, you guys, so I get native files from authors on the house. It doesn’t matter what format they come to me as, I can convert them for the Nook. Those online file converters are free. The newest Kindle is $289 (that’s without “special offers” spamming you on the device but with 3G, in case you don’t live near this thing called the Internet). You do the math.

 

8 - Amazon pissed me off for a reason I forget. But I'll be damned if I'm going to forget about whatever that thing is that I forgot. It wasn't so bad that I don't sell all my e-books for the Kindle, though. It's important to have principles.

 

9 - It still works. Yes, even after writing eight more points in this list, it still works. And it probably will continue to do so.

 

10 - Don’t be a dick about e-readers. Be a dick about the stories you like. Then hold that over the heads of people at parties. You’re sure to be the most talked about gent or dame of the evening. After you leave.

 

I don’t care how you want to read e-books, but you need to check out 8 Funny Detective Stories with Maynard Soloman, Gal-Damn Detective. It’ll change a life. As in mine. As in I take your money. And I go to Taco Bell to use the free Wi-Fi, read an e-book, take six hours to eat a $1.19 burrito and more or less loiter until the manager asks me to leave. The End.

Book Recommendation: The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of by Dana King

The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of is Dana King's second installment in his Nick Forte PI series, and it's easily one of the best in the genre I've read all year.

Those familiar with The Maltese Falcon will recognize the statue central to the novel's mystery. Like that classic, everything you like in a great PI novel is present in King's novel, peppered with Forte's lethal one-liners.

The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of made my weekend. I loved every wise crack, every fight scene, every twist and every turn of phrase. This is as fine a PI novel as you'll find. It's well worth the few bucks King is selling it for on the Kindle.

Click here to get The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of in digital or print versions from Amazon.

Department of BS Writer Complaints: Stealing Ideas

“I’d tell you my idea for a novel, but I’m afraid you’ll steal it.”

 

Every jackass with a pulse has a “book in them.” Good for them. Really. They probably also have a killer movie idea, a world-changing BBQ recipe, a new online business concept, a perfect solution for health care reform and a mind-altering sex position to their namesake. Great, but who gives a shit?

 

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Scratch that, a dime a thousand. They’re not anything until they’re executed, which is when they count. Until then, they’re not anything but good feelings, hopes, wishes and unicorn carnitas, and you can’t pay a mortgage with those things. Which is why there’s no reason to worry about someone “stealing your idea.”

 

One, an idea can’t be copyrighted anyway, so the law man isn’t going to bust down doors on your writerly behalf. Two, there’s no guarantee someone who “stole” your idea is going to wind up with the same product at the end. If they’re lifting passages out of your finished work, sure, that’s called plagiarism, and it actually is theft. But up and until that point, no, it really doesn’t matter.

 

I bring this up because I just finished reading an advance copy of a novel set in the North Dakota oil boom. Like my novel, The Invisible Hand, it features meth pushers, prostitutes and a look at how the economic explosion changed a rural part of that state. Gee, it’s almost like this person “stole” my original idea. I really regret posting about “my idea” on social media, because now look what happened.

 

Oh, wait, no I don’t. Because even though our two novels share a similar setting and themes, the end result was two completely different takes. We’re both individuals with our own styles. If anything, I’m honored the idea to set a novel in the North Dakota oil boom was solid enough for someone else to approach. In fact, I’ll be writing a glowing review once this other novel is released.

 

I only rant because I’ve heard this so many times. “I don’t want anyone to steal my idea.” Great. Now actually follow through on the thing you’re worried about being stolen, then we’ll talk.

-30-

image via sxc.hu

Cool: A Podcast Appearance (Sorta)

The Sell More Books podcast show spent a little time discussing my article, Four Surprising Things I Learned From (Not) Getting A Contract Through Kindle Scout. Keen! 

Listen to the podcast Read the original article

Video - From One Crazy Experiment to the Next

After the Kindle Scout campaign didn't pan out, I wanted to keep the crazy going. I decided to offer the entirety of The Invisible Hand on Jukepop, allowing you to name your own price for reading. So instead of giving it a 5-star review, you'd give a five-dollar tip. Or a thousand-dollar tip. Or you can throw a battery at my face for wasting your time. The choice is yours.

 

This little experiment on Jukepop will only last for a limited time. How limited? I'm not sure yet. It's a wide, wild world of publishing out there. But I did make a video (above) to introduce The Invisible Hand.

 

Click here to read The Invisible Hand on Jukepop.

Surprising Lessons from My Kindle Scout Campaign

Even though the Kindle Scout campaign didn't pan out with a contract, there are some surprising upsides (and downsides) to the program. Check out my post-campaign thoughts here at The Digital Reader.

Kindle Scout a No Go

I’m bummed to report the Kindle Scout campaign ended in a most anti-climatic fashion. I received a notification my crime novel, The Invisible Hand, will not be awarded a contract through Kindle Scout.

 

I don’t regret embarking on this grand Kindle Scout experiment. The support from those who nominated the novel was rewarding in its own right and made the entire experience worth it. The Invisible Hand will get out there, just not through the Kindle Scout program.

 

I intend to do a thorough analysis (read: not pissy) of the experience soon to help others thinking about submitting. In the meantime, you can check out all my posts about Kindle Scout from the very beginning here.

 

Thanks again to everyone who nominated The Invisible Hand. Upward and onward, as they say.

 

~Ben

Fingers Crossed - Kindle Scout Campaign has Concluded

My heartfelt thanks (no, really, I have a heart, it's the kidneys you've got to worry about) to everyone who nominated The Invisible Hand in Kindle Scout. The support and encouraging messages meant a lot to me. The nominations are closed. Now begins the waiting period.

For the curious, here's the note Amazon sent me as the campaign concluded.

Dear Benjamin Sobieck,

Thank you for submitting "The Invisible Hand" to Kindle Scout. The nomination period of your campaign has just ended and we are reviewing your book for possible selection.

Here is what happens next:

You will receive an email from us in the next few business days notifying you whether your book has been selected for publication by Kindle Press.

Each Kindle Scout reader who nominated your book will also receive an email from us with the result, along a thank you message you submitted with your campaign.

We will list all books selected for publication on the Kindle Scout website a few days after the selections are made.

But there's already good news for one of the books I nominated, Forest of Forever, and for its author, Rob Blackwell. Here's the note from Amazon about that.

Congratulations! Your Kindle Scout nomination, "The Forest of Forever", has been selected for publication by Kindle Press. The author, Rob Blackwell, wanted to make sure you received this thank you message:

“Thanks so much for nominating The Forest of Forever. This has been an exciting journey and I couldn’t have come this far without you."

As a thank you for your time - and great taste - we are going to send you a free copy of the book before it is officially published. We'll let you know when your early, free copy is available for download.

  

My sincere congratulations to Mr. Blackwell, someone I've come to know through a few Twitter conversations. He's well deserving of the Amazon contract, and I know his novel will do well. And kudos to Amazon for keeping people in the loop with all Kindle Scout developments. That goes for the book I nominated that didn't make the cut, too. It blows for the author, but it's helpful nonetheless.

I hope to hear back with good news from Amazon in the next day or so about The Invisible Hand. It'd add a nice touch to an already great Thanksgiving weekend.

Merry turkey to all, and to all a good pie.

~Ben

Last Chance to Nominate THE INVISIBLE HAND on Kindle Scout

It's getting down to the wire with the Kindle Scout campaign for my crime novel, The Invisible Hand. After a month-long stint, there are only 24 hours left to nominate the novel, and I'm pulling out all the stops. For example, here's an image of a puppy:

Do I have your attention now? No? Fancy kittens instead? OK, here you go.

Now we're cool, right? Right.

What you'll want to do is head here to Kindle Scout and use your regular Amazon account to nominate The Invisible Hand. It's about a murder in the North Dakota oil boom, the unsavory side effects of which my family's ranch has witnessed from the very beginning. By nominating the novel, you're giving me a shot at a hot Amazon publishing contract. And for that, I thank you.

Click here to nominate The Invisible Hand on Kindle Scout.

(images via sxc.hu)