Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 51

Trying to Milk a Forced Confession Out of B.R. Stateham, Crime Author

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B.R. Stateham is a fellow crime author at Trestle Press and all-around good guy. Or so I thought. I read some of the works in his Call Me Smitty series. I wondered what kind of monster could come up with a killer that basically amounts to a human lawnmower blade. Smitty is a hit man. This is some dark, brutal stuff.

I figured the best thing I could do was try to get a confession out of him. I mean, just look at the guy. Doesn't that look like a ruthless killer to you? Here's how I almost made a citizen's arrest:

When you agreed to do this interview, you replied with, "Questions, ahoy! Send away, me matey!" Are you a pirate? Follow-up question, do you hate ninjas?

I do write pirate stories.  In fact, I have a novel that has a pirate-detective as its main character. It's called, The Adventures of Geoffery Armitage Ffolkes Begin. And yes; I happen to like ninjas.

You've found an audience for your Smitty series. I can only imagine how depraved these people must be to want to read something so brutal. Do you get fan mail from prison?

No fan mail from prison. But a lonely house wife did write a note on my Facebook page. Said the Smitty stories made her day-dream a lot whimsically. Wonder what she meant by that?

Is there an overarching plot to each installment of the Smitty series or is it more episodic? Does Smitty know who shot J.R.?

Smitty is more episodic--although when I go and write a novella it may refer to something from out of his past found in a short story. As for as J.R. Ewing--he doesn't know who shot him. But for a price, and as long as your not squeamish, he could find out for you.

A recent Smitty collection is called "Three Deadly Sins." How many of them have you committed today? Got any plans for tomorrow? Murder, perhaps?

Usually every day I commit the sin of gluttony. And of course, being slothful. As for as writing about how to do someone in, that never stops.

What would Smitty think of the liberal political views you espouse on your facebook page? Would Smitty run as a liberal Democrat, something you've described about yourself? If not, would he consider a run for the GOP presidential nom? Shit, may as well, right?

Neutral when it comes to politics for Smitty. Money is the color green on both sides of the aisle. Now as for me . . . got a year or two to discuss politics? Maybe a decade?

Who is this "Eunice" person you keep threatening on your blog? Here's a quote from an Oct. 14 post: "Eunice, I said homicidal! Not matricidal! But keep it up, woman. Keep it up!"

Ah . . . Eunice! My smart-ass alter ego; female version. A mouthy broad who doesn't think any man measures up and constantly wants to prove it. Writing/reading blogs can become a chore sometimes for all of us. Putting a little humor in 'em smooths the banality out a bit, don't you think?

You and the ubiquitous-as-a-fart Paul D. Brazill are putting together a collection of international crime fiction. What's so appealing about murders in other countries? You certainly keep it local with all that talk about killing Eunice.
 
Ever read a Tony Hillerman novel? He wrote about two Navajo cops on the Navajo reservation. The Navajo look at murder--both culturally and spiritually--completely different than the Anglo-White culture does. This fascinates me. So I wondered if there are cultures out there who have their own unique ways of understanding murder. I'm betting there is.

You've expressed frustration in the past about not gaining traction with works when you thought you would. Have you ever considered offing Eunice in the hopes of increasing sales? I read that earlier this year John Wayne Gacy's art raised a lot of money for charity. That kind of thing.

Eunice is not the 'giving' type. Unless you consider giving someone hell is charitable.

Your blog, "In the Dark Mind of B.R. Stateham," describes you as having a "twisted and warped mind." Do you blame this all on Eunice?

No. I claim twisted and warped as my own. I need little help from others to trip over the deep end.

Level with me. You're going to kill Eunice, right? You can tell me. I'm a licensed attorney. (Disclaimer: License was never endorsed.)

Eunice can't be any safer than being in my hands (mind). She's the edge that gets the juices flowing creatively. I've always been fond of verbal sparring (as, no doubt, you've already seen on my Facebook page). Eunice in the blogs will pop up here and there on a regular basis. She's a good ole'girl; forgetting, of course, how she has a fondness for meat cleavers and dough rollers.

B.R., it's always a pleasure to talk with you. Let me know how my limited legal expertise can be tapped for your upcoming murder trail. Besides 20-25 years in a steel cube, what's next for you?

Just more of the same, buddy. More of the same. Lots of stories, characters, ideas floating around up there in my noggin'. They'll come out sooner or later.

There you have it, guilty as charged. Keep up with this vicious criminal on his blog.

Congratulations to the #1 Short Story Author in the World

Just wanted to recognize my fellow Trestle Press author, Karen Anna Vogel, for having the number one short story e-book in the world this morning. Amish Knitting Circle Volume 1 is burning up the charts.

 

Congratulations, Karen!

 

Click here to check it out on Amazon. Pick up the e-book for only 99 cents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major News: DARK PAGES PRESS is Here

As mentioned previously, my publisher, Trestle Press, has grown in such size and success that it now requires imprints to keep expansion manageable. I see this as a good thing, since it will focus all the crime authors in one spot.

Now that spot has a name, DARK PAGES PRESS. I'm stoked about the possibilities. It's going to streamline the authors' efforts, starting with an anthology in November.

Trestle Press is pleased to announce the birth of a new Imprint under its umbrella, DARK PAGES PRESS.

DARK PAGES PRESS will be housing all of the Trestle Press Noir/Hard-Boiled titles.

Authors such as Paul D. Brazill, B.R. Stateham, Jochem Vandersteen, Darren Sant , Benjamin Sobieck, Nigel Bird, Thad Brown, Julia Madeleine, Heath Lowrance, Michael Tabman, Lawrence Howland, Jeffrey Martin, Jr., J.E. Seymour and McDroll will be part of the stable of authors to get this started. It truly is an international cast.

The changes will be made in late November with the launch of the new website and the first anthology from the group.

 

My contribution to the anthology puts a crime fiction twist on a strange phenomenon known as ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. I can't wait to see what the other authors contribute.

Cheers, everyone! It's a happy day indeed.

P.S. If you're a crime author looking for a home, give Trestle Press/Dark Pages Press a shot. From the publishers to the authors, this really is a "family." Click here to visit Trestle Press for more information.

Trying to Milking a Forced Confession Out of B.R. Stateham, Crime Author

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B.R. Stateham is a fellow crime author at Trestle Press and all-around good guy. Or so I thought. I read some of the works in his Call Me Smitty series and wondered what kind of monster could come up with a character that amounts to a human lawnmower blade. Smitty is a hit man. This is some dark stuff.

I figured the best thing I could do was try to get a confession out of the guy. I mean, just look at the guy. Doesn't that look like a ruthless killer to you? Here's my attempt at playing cop:

When you agreed to do this interview, you replied with, "Questions, ahoy! Send away, me matey!" Are you a pirate? Follow-up question, do you hate ninjas?

I do write pirate stories.  In fact, I have a novel that has a pirate-detective as its main character. It's called, The Adventures of Geoffery Armitage Ffolkes Begin. And yes; I happen to like ninjas.

You've found an audience for your Smitty series. I can only imagine how depraved these people must be to want to read something so brutal. Do you get fan mail from prison?

No fan mail from prison. But a lonely house wife did write a note on my Facebook page. Said the Smitty stories made her day-dream a lot whimsically. Wonder what she meant by that?

Is there an overarching plot to each installment of the Smitty series or is it more episodic? Does Smitty know who shot J.R.?

Smitty is more episodic--although when I go and write a novella it may refer to something from out of his past found in a short story. As for as J.R. Ewing--he doesn't know who shot him. But for a price, and as long as your not squeamish, he could find out for you.

A recent Smitty collection is called "Three Deadly Sins." How many of them have you committed today? Got any plans for tomorrow? Murder, perhaps?

Usually every day I commit the sin of gluttony. And of course, being slothful. As for as writing about how to do someone in, that never stops.

What would Smitty think of the liberal political views you espouse on your facebook page? Would Smitty run as a liberal Democrat, something you've described about yourself? If not, would he consider a run for the GOP presidential nom? Shit, may as well, right?

Neutral when it comes to politics for Smitty. Money is the color green on both sides of the aisle. Now as for me . . . got a year or two to discuss politics? Maybe a decade?

Who is this "Eunice" person you keep threatening on your blog? Here's a quote from an Oct. 14 post: "Eunice, I said homicidal! Not matricidal! But keep it up, woman. Keep it up!"

Ah . . . Eunice! My smart-ass alter ego; female version. A mouthy broad who doesn't think any man measures up and constantly wants to prove it. Writing/reading blogs can become a chore sometimes for all of us. Putting a little humor in 'em smooths the banality out a bit, don't you think?

You and the ubiquitous-as-a-fart Paul D. Brazill are putting together a collection of international crime fiction. What's so appealing about murders in other countries? You certainly keep it local with all that talk about killing Eunice.
 
Ever read a Tony Hillerman novel? He wrote about two Navajo cops on the Navajo reservation. The Navajo look at murder--both culturally and spiritually--completely different than the Anglo-White culture does. This fascinates me. So I wondered if there are cultures out there who have their own unique ways of understanding murder. I'm betting there is.

You've expressed frustration in the past about not gaining traction with works when you thought you would. Have you ever considered offing Eunice in the hopes of increasing sales? I read that earlier this year John Wayne Gacy's art raised a lot of money for charity. That kind of thing.

Eunice is not the 'giving' type. Unless you consider giving someone hell is charitable.

Your blog, "In the Dark Mind of B.R. Stateham," describes you as having a "twisted and warped mind." Do you blame this all on Eunice?

No. I claim twisted and warped as my own. I need little help from others to trip over the deep end.

Level with me. You're going to kill Eunice, right? You can tell me. I'm a licensed attorney. (Disclaimer: License was never endorsed.)

Eunice can't be any safer than being in my hands (mind). She's the edge that gets the juices flowing creatively. I've always been fond of verbal sparring (as, no doubt, you've already seen on my Facebook page). Eunice in the blogs will pop up here and there on a regular basis. She's a good ole'girl; forgetting, of course, how she has a fondness for meat cleavers and dough rollers.

B.R., it's always a pleasure to talk with you. Let me know how my limited legal expertise can be tapped for your upcoming murder trail. Besides 20-25 years in a steel cube, what's next for you?

Just more of the same, buddy. More of the same. Lots of stories, characters, ideas floating around up there in my noggin'. They'll come out sooner or later.

There you have it, guilty as charged. Keep up with this vicious criminal on his blog.

Review: I Should Have Seen it Coming

Crime fiction doesn't always have to be about murder. Fraud happens more often than murder, but it's hardly represented in crime fiction. Here's one short story that does fraud well. 

 

In a nutshell, I Should Have Seen it Coming lays out in simple, straight-forward prose how to be a tarot card-reading con artist. I'm on a fraud kick with my writing lately, so I enjoyed the angle author Victoria Watson took.

 

Those who want a quick, fun 15-minute read will enjoy it, too. The main character, Carol, loses her job to outsourcing. She pays the bills by BS-ing her way through a job as a tarot card reader. Little by little, her effect on clients grows deeper. The money follows suit. But so does the risk. Will it catch up with her? Or is there a reason the title is, I Should Have Seen it Coming?

 

Click here to get I Should Have Seen it Coming for the Kindle for 99 cents.

 

Click here to get it for the Nook.

 

P.S. This short story reminded me of this classic clip. I've been thinking about it, since it inspired my next novel.

 

Cleansing Eden Makes Front Page of Examiner.com

Opened my e-mail this morning to an excited message from Stephanie Schmitz, who interviewed me the other day for the Charlotte Examiner about Cleansing Eden. It seems the interview made the front page of examiner.com.

She wrote:

"Congratulations to Ben Sobieck for making the FRONT PAGE ( as in first page of the national website entry portal) for his article with me. FYI - content is chosen by editors, so I have nothing to do with it."

Wow! I didn't want the page to go anywhere, so I saved it right away. Click here to see it.

And if you didn't catch the interview, click here to read it.

The Interview that Didn't Run in the Charlotte Examiner

I'm happy to say that this interview with Stephanie Schmitz of the Charlotte Examiner is one of the best I've given. A lot of the credit goes to Schmitz, who pushed me to think hard about the answers. I like the way I described the layers of Cleansing Eden. It's hard to sum up the surface stories and underlying philosophies.

 

While I come across as serious in this interview, here's a fun fact. This was actually the second round of answers. I was in a Maynard Soloman mood for the first time around. That didn't fit the feel of the Examiner. I took no offense and reworked the answers. I was a guest, after all.

 

You can read that second, respectable interview here.

 

As for the first, unpublished interview (typed after a mass injection of coffee), have at it right here:

 

1. Tell me about your novel with Trestle Press.

 

It's a crime thriller called, Cleansing Eden, and it is one helluvan original undertaking. Lots of creative thrills you won't dig up anywhere else. Just look what I just did with the word "helluva." Changed it to "helluvan" so it fits with "original." That kind of blow-your-mind stuff.

 

In all seriousness, I worked on Cleansing Eden for five years because I didn't want my debut to be underwhelming. I wanted to do something different, with tons of layers that open up the more times you read it.

 

For example, I named one of the characters Ben and one of them Nick. I did this only so I could have a fictional conversation with my brother, Nick, who died when he and I were young.

 

There are names that change throughout the book as the characters develop their identities. It's very slight.

 

The "drug" in the novel adapts depending on who needs it. Sometimes it's this fictional thing called Bluegrasse. Other times it's submitting to a boss to advance a career. Or maybe it's pop culture. Each of those three things will get you euphoric, but there are consequences.

 

Here's the straight rundown of Cleansing Eden:

 

"When a smooth-talking stranger offers aimless runaway Nick Eden a way off the streets, he jumps on the chance at a new life. The stranger provides the things Nick never had: regular meals, a warm place to sleep, plenty of praise and a peculiar drug called Bluegrasse.

 

"But there's a catch. The stranger's purpose for Nick is killing celebrities deemed too damaging to society.

 

"As the body count rises, Nick must choose what means more to him: a twisted sense of purpose or the lives of the people he's called to kill."

 

2. How did you meet the infamous Giovanni Gelati? Tell us about how he invited you to be a part of Trestle Press.

 

He's infamous now? Jeez, I guess he finally went ahead and killed that guy. Talked about it for years. I never thought he had it in him.

 

I saw a blog post from him and, no shit, I left this exact comment:

 

"Yo, Gelati! What's the scoop on Trestle Press? Heard a lot about it, seen its name sky-written above high school football games, was mugged by its hired goons, and yet, I can't nail down if it has a website."

 

Those hired goons eventually forced me to sign a contract. I don't want to stir the wrath of Giovanni Gelati. I heard he's infamous now because he killed a guy.

 

On a side note, I probably come across as a supernova of a smart ass. But Cleansing Eden doesn't have that same flavor. It's a serious, gripping and intense crime novel. I just don't afford myself the same luxury in interviews. I'm always writing to an audience. I want this interview's audience to stay stimulated. I don't want to bore them.

 

3. Have you been published before? What are some of your other works in print?

 

I'm a journalist by trade. I started at a newspaper and now work for a magazine/book/TV/Web publisher, so yes to all that. Too many to list there.

 

Fictionwise, I also have a short story series about a crass and clueless detective named Maynard Soloman. Those are much more light-hearted than Cleansing Eden. Just look at the titles. Who Whacked the Blogger? Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs. Maynard Soloman Fixes Social Security and Eats a Pony.

 

Drugs + Social Security + pony eating = light-hearted crime fiction fun!

 

4. What do you see in your future as a writer? What are you working on right now?

 

Broke, destitute and living behind an Arby's. Or rich, comfortable and still living behind an Arby's. I went to college in a town with the highest Arby's per capita. I am not making that up. There are Arby's all over the place.

 

I have another standalone novel in the works, and a new Maynard Soloman installment. Maybe he'll take on the obesity epidemic next. I should set it at an Arby's.

 

5. Take a moment and tell us about yourself. What are the best ways for readers to find you on the Web?

 

I don't crank out a lot of fiction material. I take my time, because I want to give the reader the best possible experience. I would never ask someone to pay for something that I wouldn't myself. I think some authors forget that concept now that it's become so easy to crank out an e-book. It's like they're saying, "I wrote this in an afternoon, give me some money." I can't do that to people. I produce quality over quantity. I don't rush myself. I write when I feel like writing. Otherwise, it all comes out uninspired.

 

My website is crimefictionbook.com. I'm also on Goodreads, CrimeSpace, BookTown, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. All my e-books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other fine e-retailers.

 

Maynard Soloman is on Facebook, too. Hit him up if you're in the mood for some hippie-hating.

Joined Google Plus Today

I took the dive and joined Google Plus today. I figured it could be a good way to connect with new readers.

 

My impression is that it is a leaner social media platform than facebook. The interface is intuitive, but I'm not sure how to make things do what I want. For example, I couldn't add captions to photos I uploaded. I'm sure I'll figure it out in time. I don't see it yet overtaking facebook, but I didn't want to miss out on something big.

 

What about you? Have you checked it out yet?

 

Click here to see my Google Plus page. Add me to your circle and let's talk crime fiction.

Can I Read E-Books on My Smart Phone?

A friend of mine asked me that today. He has an Android smart phone. It's not a Kindle or a Nook, so he figured he couldn't read my crime fiction e-books on his 'droid.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble must've seen this question coming, because they have FREE (yep, free) apps for all Android and Apple smart phones. You download the Amazon Kindle app or Barnes & Noble Nook app, then purchase e-books to read.

Not only that, but they also offer free PC and Mac downloads for computers. They're really easy to install.

Click here to get the Amazon Kindle app.

Click here to get the Barnes & Noble Nook app.

When you do, don't forget to download my "Cleansing Eden" crime novel!

Trestle Press Branches Into Imprints

Trestle Press, my publisher, is branching out into genre-specific imprints. The first will focus on Christian/faith works. There will also be one just for crime fiction, which is where I'll fall. I'm pumped, because the more vertical a brand, the better it often performs.

I'm also excited because Trestle Press keeps growing. It feels good to be on the ground floor of something big.

Here's the news release about "Helping Hands Press," the Christian/faith imprint:

Trestle Press is pleased and honored to be hosting their new imprint, "Helping Hands Press."

Our name comes from life experiences of being helped and fellowship of doing the same. The books, novels, novellas and digital short stories carried will be inspirational, motivational and enriched with a faith based message. We will strive every day, every read, every experience to deliver and distribute quality, craftsmanship, and a faith-centered vision by some of today's most forward thinking authors as we charge forward producing the written word that reflects everyday life in a realistic and caring fashion. Our mission is to foster in our readers the desire to live out their Christian faith in their words and through their actions.