Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 37
June 14, 2012
Anonymous Sex in an Orange Grove?
Might want to say "no" to a romp in the proverbial hay if the trist is to take place in an orange grove. That's the takeaway lesson in this true crime short story over at Fingerprints.
June 13, 2012
Preview of Cleansing Eden Print Edition
Here's a look at what will become the print edition of Cleansing Eden - The Celebrity Murders.
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June 9, 2012
Coming Soon: An E-Book Game-Changer
Expect big writing news from me in about a month. It's not a new release. It's something else. I guarantee you've never seen anything like it before. It has a real chance at breaking new ground in the world of e-books in general, not just crime fiction.
I couldn't make a statement and say I'd be doing it on my own. There are others involved, who are keeping things quiet for now.
That's all I'm going to say for today.
Enjoy the official crimefictionbook.com house band for now.
June 8, 2012
Welcome to the Age of If-You-Don't-Like-It-Bug-the-Author"
To quote the fictional character Gordon Gekko, "Gripe is good."
"Actually, that's not what Gordon Gekko said, but who cares. This is the Internet. You can make up quotes all you want. If people look it up, they'll just come back to your quote. Then you can re-post on Facebook as a meme and look smart." - Benjamin Franklin, as quoted from his horse while overlooking the Battle of Gettysburg from Little Round Top, in 1869.
But really, griping is good in this Bronze Age of e-books. Readers can go right to the author with glaring errors, formatting issues and the hospital bill for when they fell down that gaping plot hole.
I never take this criticism the wrong way, since it's making the reader a part of the e-book experience. Even better, I can make changes right away and get a new version up in a matter of hours.
Griping doesn't always have to be negatively. It can be backhandedly positive, too.
Here's an exchange on Facebook I had recently with Heath Lowrance, contributor to many anthologies (including Burning Bridges) and the cult noir novel, The Bastard Hand. I'm told the latter is excellent, but I wouldn't know. It's not out on Nook.
See? Gripe is good. Just like that, there's an answer from the publisher and a plan.
The takeaway lesson here is if you have an issue with an e-book, there's never been a better time to get something done about it. Authors offer the ultimate in customer service. After all, they spend months - even years - getting a product out to you. They care about the reading experience. You might put your concerns a bit more gently than I did (I've worked with Heath before, so I know he knows I'm just shittin' him), but there's almost a guarantee something will get done about it.
"Plus, there's nothing makes an author's day like feedback from a reader. Did anyone bring crackers? I heard the cheese here is good." - Amelia Earhart, shortly after landing on the moon, 1959.
June 7, 2012
A Knife, A Quill and a Gal-Damn Detective
The star of the Funny Detective Stories e-book series, gal-damn detective Maynard Soloman, is the subject of the day over at A Knife and a Quill. It's a cool new writing site that's gained a lot of momentum as of late.
Topics explored include the sleuth's that motivate his crime- and world-solvingness. Also, can you slap "ness" at the end of any ol' word?
Click here to check it out on A Knife and a Quill, gal-damn it.
June 6, 2012
Video: Interview with Crime Author Les Edgerton
An interview with Les Edgerton, one of the great crime authors today. I especially enjoyed his views about learning to write. It starts with reading.
You can read my interview with Les Edgerton here.
June 5, 2012
Free Crime Fiction E-Book: Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs
Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs FREE CRIME FICTION E-BOOK - ALL E-Book Formats Supported
"Maynard is the philosopher-cum-man-of-action that we all wish we could be, the detective who solves mysteries by turning idiocy against itself." - Peter Rozovsky, Detectives Beyond Borders (Spinetingler Award winner)
"I recommend to everyone who is looking for a quick read. It's perfect for that pick me up laugh, that bathroom read, that afternoon escape." - Molly Edwards, Reviews by Molly
"Oh my goodness! I'm not sure when I've laughed so hard. It was like having a conversation with the man from the 'Grumpy Old Men' movie! So much fun!" - Gina Hott, Hott Books
"It never ceases to amaze me how this young man has created such a perfect crotchety old character. This is such a fun series and Maynard has become one of my favorite characters." - Michelle Peden Vasquez, Life in Review
"With a satirical take on everything from America's war on drugs to immigration law to social security, Maynard Soloman is a mobile home-dwelling crime-fighting dynamo. He may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he sure is amusing." - Laura Roberts, ePublisher Daily
"With a chip on his shoulder and more than his share of attitude, the protagonist presents himself as a force to be reckoned with and immediately captured my interest." - Chantal Boudreau, author/illustrator
* Author nominated for Best Short Story of 2011 by Preditors & Editors Readers Poll.
Fans of funny detective stories, meet Maynard Soloman, gal-damn detective. Some would say he's crusty, profane and clueless. But if you ask him, he solves the world's problems one case at a time. Once you experience his 1930s-style of doing business in a 21st century world, you just might agree.
In this misadventure, Maynard wraps his arms around the War on Drugs. Or is the war wrapping itself around his beloved Winnebago RV and threatening to bust down the door? Either way, the Ol' Badger will solve this business of the War on Drugs once and for all.
Click a link to get this free crime fiction e-book for a variety of devices.
Kindle
Nook/epub
PDF
All other formats
June 4, 2012
A Quote from De Profundis, Oscar Wilde's Brilliant Essay
Oscar Wilde will make an appearance in the print version of Cleansing Eden - The Celebrity Murders. This quote from De Profundis will precede the first chapter. It sums up the themes of the novel perfectly.
“It is tragic how few people ever 'possess their souls' before they die…Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation…[Christ] has far more pity for the rich, for the hard hedonists, for those who waste their freedom in becoming slaves to things.”
Flesh that out into a crime novel, and you have Cleansing Eden - The Celebrity Murders.
Read the rest of De Profundis here.
Until the print version hits, get the e-book of Cleansing Eden - The Celebrity Murders at Amazon.
June 2, 2012
CrimeSpace: A Site Worth Joining
Boutique social media sites aren't usually worth the time. That's especially true in the writing/reading world. Too often, real discussion is choked out by spam or touch-and-go promos.
That's not the case with CrimeSpace. This self-contained social network is full of intriguing discussion about crime fiction. It's a good mix of both authors and readers. It even won a Spinetingler award for service to the crime fiction community.
A quick look at the forum discussion topics will show you everything you need to know.
I recommend you sign up for a free membership today. I'm on there all the time, along with piles of other interesting folks.
June 1, 2012
The Philosophy of Maynard Soloman, Gal-Damn Detective
* An excerpt from 6 Funny Detective Stories - Maynard Soloman Smokes the World's Problems, available exclusively on Amazon here.
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Maynard Soloman, gal-damn detective, has wrapped up more of the world’s problems than any amount of bullets, bullshit and blow (also known as the United Nations) could ever hope to achieve. The War on Drugs. Social Security. Illegal immigration. Gay marriage. Public transportation. Even the existence of Santa Claus.
The current events that theme the Maynard Soloman short stories triggered questions from readers. Am I trying to make a political point? Am I a liberal? A conservative? Or just an idiot with a keyboard?
Except for the last one, none of those are true. The underlying philosophy is this: The world’s problems aren’t fixed, they’re replaced. This is the great folly of humanity, and Maynard Soloman is the way I dissect it.
Here’s what I mean about replacing problems.
Problem: People use drugs to get high. This lowers productivity in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Solution: Wage a War on Drugs to go after users and producers of drugs.
New problem: Any gain in productivity is eaten up by the money it costs to wage the War on Drugs. Crowded prisons, expensive law enforcement operations, an overburdened court system and other socio-economic ills can be linked back to the very thing trying to cure these problems.
See what I mean?
You don’t have to think any certain way about the War on Drugs or any issue to appreciate Maynard Soloman stories. What I’m highlighting is that when the world’s string-pullers set out to fix one problem, they create at least one more.
This isn’t unique to our times. It’s unique to our species. Leaders during World War I dubbed the conflict the “War to End All Wars.” What did their solution deliver? World War II. Out of that came the Cold War. This molded the War on Terror of today. Problems don’t end, they’re replaced.
What’s a guy to do?
Enter Maynard Soloman, gal-damn detective. He is the essence of the American individualist spirit. He’s mobile, entrepreneurial and out for his own interests. He’s a little guy up against the world’s biggest problems, represented by his clients.
Granted, he doesn’t actually “solve” the War on Drugs or “fix” Social Security. No, he’s taking the more effective route. He’s changing individuals, not systems, one at a time.
As I write this in mid-2012, it seems much of the world is trying to change the system. Massive social and political movements across the globe (the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, the Tea Party, etc.) are looking to fix problems.
If these movements succeed in taking over the political top, I believe they’ll wind up substituting in new problems. Again, this is the folly of humanity.
The Arab Spring will trade one kind of tyrannical government for another. The Occupiers will push regulations that hurt the people they’re trying to help. For all its talk of economic freedom, the Tea Party will perpetuate expensive social policies, such as the War on Drugs and the War on Terror.
The real fruits of these movements will occur not at the top, but with the individual at the bottom. Regardless of how it’s been packaged throughout history, the message of any movement has always been the same: People want to live decent lives. If individuals, one at a time, recognize this message, meaningful change will happen from the bottom up.
Take phone books, for example. Their time in history is over, but they still come every six months or so. It’s a hassle each time. You can throw them away (seems wasteful), store them (inconvenient) or try to unload them on someone else. Just ask the people who deliver them.
One solution would be for me to become a phone book executive. Then I could make all sorts of decisions about how they’re delivered. Yet I have a feeling if I did, it’d be in the best interests of keeping my job to order more print runs. After all, who would want an executive intent on destroying the company outright?
At that point, my solution to the phone book problem would have perpetuated the problem I set out to solve in the first place.
It’d be far more effective if individuals, one at a time, just stopped paying attention to phone books. The advertisers would pull out. The phone book company would have no choice but to close.
See what I mean? You can’t change systems from the top down without introducing new problems. You can only change individuals, working from the bottom up.
It’s at the bottom where you’ll find Maynard Soloman. Underneath his crust, he cares about helping individuals with their problems. In doing so, he fixes the world’s problems. After all, it’s individuals who make up the world.
I hope this sheds some light on the Ol’ Badger. He’s a complicated guy, see. And he’s gal-damn tired of all my poindexter malarkey. I’ll step aside and drag my knuckles elsewhere. It’s time to grab your ‘nard bag, hop in the ‘bago and hit the road.
