Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 52

Maynard Soloman Interviews Long-Haired Hippie Freak, Big Daddy Abel

Big Daddy Abel is a musician with the Amish Outlaws and author. I wanted to talk with him about his writing process. Despite not coming from a writing background, his non-fiction Open Mic series has been phenomenal on the e-book charts.

The five-volume Open Mic series contains BDA's musings from the road. Some are entertaining, others are enlightening and all are worth checking out.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make the interview. So I had the Ol' Badger himself, Maynard Soloman, fill in for me. Good luck, BDA!

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Maynard: Back in the good ol' days, I used to crack them gal-damn hippie folk right in the skull. That was before America went to hell and you could still treat hippies proper, see. So what's your deal? You some sort of long-haired fruit bat hippie from the Old States who came here to sing songs or just cut a swell?

Big Daddy Abel: First off, a cut of prime rib would be VERY swell! I think my long haired hippiness is more likened to the vampire bat. Lots of myths and folklore, but not too much clarity on the reality. I think my deal actually comes FROM being cracked in the skull. I cracked it myself though against a dashboard after having hit a telephone pole with my car. It seems ever since then I have had a desire to share my thoughts or perhaps, more accurately, an inability to keep my mouth shut. The singing, guitar playing, song writing stuff has been in me since childhood. The book writing began some time during the college years. That is what the purpose of college IS isn't it, making hippies?

Maynard: You ever cover Bruce Willis songs, hippie? Now there's a fella with soul.

Big Daddy Abel: Did you mean The Bruno songs or the Accelerators stuff? For me it's only the songs from the soundtrack to Hudson Hawk and only when Danny Aiello is around. "Swinging On A Star" being my favorite.

Maynard: I drive around this beautiful country of ours in a Winnebago RV. That POS and me are a lot alike. Both have trouble unloading our septic tanks. Sometimes I just sit in a Wal-Mart parking lot and open 'er up. Must be all that road food. You ever get that problem? What four-wheeled coffin to hell do they got you holed up in?

Big Daddy Abel: Wal-Mart. That's where you're SUPPOSED to empty your tank isn't it? I can suggest a few nice places to eat when you're in the Pennsylvania, Maryland, NJ, NY area. Sheetz and Wawa. GREAT places for road food at 2 AM when nothing else is open and you've just finished singing songs to a bar or club full of people looking for a fun night of drinking and dancing.

If I may suggest the Chicken Quesadila from Sheetz and the Double Turkey and Provolone 10" from Wawa. They'll keep you from starving and keep you regular. Or at least I eat there on a regular basis since we are on the road so much every week.

Seeing happy faces wherever we play is a wonderful feeling and not too much could upset you in that situation. The hotels are usually nice. Been in a few that I would rather not go back to anytime soon. If they could soundproof and light proof the place so I could sleep past 8 AM after being up until 4 AM I wouldn't complain too much. The long drives get to be a bit tedious at times and whatever vehicle is easiest on gas is the chosen mode of transport.

Even so with 3 or 4 Amish guys in a car that have been eating at Sheetz and Wawa creates it's own kinda gas INSIDE the car. Luckily our air conditioner is the old 2/55.

Maynard:  Hippie, listen. I like buffets. If they ain't being a pillock about it, they oblige me with a senior citizen discount. Thing is with some of these places, the gal-damn gravy has a crust the size of a phone book sittin' on top. That's why I like the Country Kitchen buffet. They stir the gal-damn gravy. They know gravy makes the meal. With how my digestion is any more, it damn near is the meal. What's your favorite buffet?

Big Daddy Abel: Oh my. VERY difficult decision there. We play at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, every month or so and they have a real nice one. I tend to go for the pesto topped pizza mostly.

Now that I think about it and seeing how I am a night owl and fond of Sheetz and Wawa, if I were pressed to make a choice I would say Sheetz wins. Well the cheesesteak from Gaetano's in NJ is something that can't be beat either. Domino's Think Crust Hawaiian Pizza is a real treat too!

Maynard: Big Daddy Abel would be a heckuva name for a sandwich. What taste temptations would be on it?

Big Daddy Abel: I can see it now. "Are you Abel to handle the Big Daddy?" (Maybe not.) I think that sammich would have Boars Head oven roast turkey on it. Heck, a double serving. Provolone Cheese. Hot peppers. Mayo. Lettuce and tomato. Black olives, salt and oregano. Or maybe I would rename the 17" cheesesteak from Gaetano's, which has 3 pounds of meat on it. Quite a difficult choice. It would depend on the day if I were to TRULY name it. Some days it should just be good and filling or other days it should be hot/spicy and tasty.

Maynard: The ATF raided my RV the other day. Can you believe that malarky? I was all badgered up in the can hidin' from 'em. Gave me time to read your little Commie manifesto, Open Mic. I gotta say, that was some impressive blasphemy. How many of them hippie pills did you pop before you got "inspired" to write these Open Mics?

Big Daddy Abel: Well, thank you! I think mostly the "hippie pills" are life in general. I'm not one to follow the crowd. I tend to stay off to the side and keep an eye on things. Open Mic is a series where I change the topic in each volume. Sometimes I change the topics within the volume, but I always try to tie it together into a theme.

Open Mic Volume One was about Freedom of Thought from a different perspective than most people think about.

Open Mic 2 was a fun and light hearted one about music and acting experiences I've had.

Open Mic 3 was about "Pressure" and all its many shapes and effects on folks, again, with a bit of a controversial view, to some.

Open Mic 4 has VERY helpful information about meeting the opposite sex and the decay of society and how people tend to give up thinking logically for themselves.

I just finished Open Mic 5 and it is about being thoughtful and aware of others regardless of race, sex, religion, etc. So they tend to come from everywhere and what I see in life is the inspiration.

Maynard: Now see here, hippie. Are you a flannel-mouthed liar or a four-flusher liar?

Big Daddy Abel: I think I might have a foot in both or perhaps I am in a whole other realm. Most times I am sarcastic when trying to provoke a thought. Opinionated for sure.

So I think I am pretty much telling what's on my mind directly without too much filter. (Too much filter meaning I find a nicer way of saying things instead of being as direct and blunt as it might be in my head. Nicer word choices.)

So I think I am a four flushing foul mouthed truth spewing apple cart upsetting hippie freak.

Maynard: Seems you got your mitten with those Open Mics. Got a lot of people fancying your hippie writing nowadays. Why do you think you got the bulge and other people don't?

Big Daddy Abel: I think books, music, and life in general has so many great things out there. I think people who are willing to try many things get the most out of life.

I think the people who have been willing to give my writing (or music) a chance have found something they relate to in some part of their mind.

Something I say may ring true with them and they find themselves liking it even so it may have been new and/or foreign to them before. I think if you make someone happy or they feel good about something you've created you have a success. Even if it's only a couple people.

I think writers, of books or songs, want the WORLD to know of their work. It's communication. When you speak to the masses and the masses "speak" back by becoming fans/followers/supporters, you feel connected. You feel like you belong or are connecting with others and feel less "alien" to the world, as many creative people tend to feel.

It's a mutual feeling though. The person who likes what you've come up with also feels that connection and sense of belonging, even if it's to a fringe subsection, in and of life. It's a success and a gift that keeps giving and hopefully spreading. Trying new things is the only way to experience life fully. Books, music, art, TV, movies, etc.

It's all there. Dive in. The water's warm.

Maynard: I don't want to look like I'm on the shoot with you, hippie, but when are  you going to start making some shit up?

Big Daddy Abel: Well... that is quite a difficult task. I have "made some shit up" when I collaborated with Giovanni Gelati on a story called The Jersey Shore Has Eyes. It's a funny short story about the audience at one of my band's, The Amish Outlaws, shows. How they "turn" into zombies is quite unique. Not too much blood and gore, but lots of funny situational humor.

I think I will be collaborating on some more "make believe" with a fellow author, B.R. Stateham on something that will be quite good.

As for other made up shit... I will be recording a new CD soon. Most times when I write songs it is about things I see or think. So most of the situations in my songs ARE made up and not so much personal, but still, hopefully, thought provoking. And funny. Funny is ALWAYS the first and main hope.

Maynard: I gotta take French leave before this conversation goes any more up the spout. What did you learn here today, hippie?

Big Daddy Abel: Well, Maynard, thanks so much for all the questions and taking the time to talk with me. It's been a pleasure and an honor. I learned that I am fast becoming a big fan of yours and look forward to hearing more about you. If you ever feel so inclined as to stop by my Big Daddy Abel pages on Facebook you'll find one page is the musician page. It has my original music there and the other, BD Abel, is the one I mainly talk about The Amish Outlaws on.

There's also reverbnation.com/bigdaddyabel and for all of the Open Mic volumes of short stories you can go to Amazon.com and find Big Daddy Abel in the Kindle store. Although you don't have to have a Kindle in order to read any of the books there. They make applications for folks to read on their phones or computers now. Really cool stuff!

Thanks so much Maynard! Happy trails and clean rest areas to you good sir!

Maynard Soloman: Good luck with those hippie pills, hippie.


 
 

International Casting Call for Noir/Hard-Boiled Authors for a new Anthology Series

From Giovanni Gelati's blog, Gelati's Scoop:

Yesterday, October 10,2011, I had Paul D. Brazill as my scheduled guest on the G-Zone, my Blogtalk Radio Show. B.R. Stateham was nice enough to help me co-host; it was really fun. In the midst of the interview these two great noir/hard-boiled authors came up with an idea: Why not produce a new Anthology series gathering the best noir/hard-boiled authors the world over? Is noir the same in Levittown,Pa. as it is in Moscow? Hard-boiled fiction, do they tell the same story in Liverpool as they do down under in Australia? Sounds like a pretty cool experiment to me! The idea seemed sound, the concept holds water, and I think readers would be intrigued.

But wait there is more!

We are going to take this to another level; there will be a few bells and whistles on this that I am not going to discuss in an open invite. I would much prefer to add a few surprises along the way.

So, do you write noir or hard-boiled fiction? Can you write noir or hard-boiled fiction?

If you don't and you know someone that does, please pass this along, especially if they live in different countries, we want this to be an international cast truly.

I gave B.R. Stateham a homework assignment and asked him to give me a paragraph on the project to whet everybody's appetite, here it is:

"Murder around the world. Is a body lying on the floor with a knife jutting rudely out of the victim's chest the same kind of murder in Calcutta, India as it would be, say . . . . in Oslo, Norway? Are the motives of a villain in Yokohama, Japan the same as might be found in Stuttgart, Germany? The art of the mystery/detective story found around the world; a treasure chest of delicious whodunits. "

Okay ,now you have the nuts and bolts of it, tell a friend; I mean that really, tell a friend. Please email me your noir/hard-boiled story. Send to:

gelati.giovanni@gmail.com

If you are a novice, self-published, traditionally published, indie we don't care, noir and hard-boiled knows no bounds, HIT ME!

Closing date for the first one is Nov. 12,2011.The next round cutoff is Dec1,2011.First come first served!!

Maynard Soloman Gets His Own Facebook Page

It's a new thing, for me anyway, to give a fictional character a facebook page. It's also new for me to admit that running two facebook efforts (one profile, one page) about myself as an author is inefficient and confusing.

So I asked Maynard Soloman what to do. He said something like, "Just give me the gal-damn page and I'll figure it out. Have you seen my keys to the 'bago?"

I hadn't, but I did give him the keys to the facebook page. Now he's "learning" people to cuss like him. This should be interesting.

Click here to check it out.

Video: Black Heart Magazine Noir Issue

Black Heart Magazine's Noir issue (which you can do yourself a favor and get here) came out earlier this year. I must've missed the fact they made a trailer for it. So here it is, only four or so months late.

Photo: Why You Should Read

This was making the rounds on the Internets. And it's true. Books are sensitive and "Jersey Shore" is indeed terrible. Bibliophiles are the only reason they get up in the morning.

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My Interview with Vincent Zandri

So a while back, I signed up for a blog tour to help Vincent Zandri promote his new book, "Concrete Pearl." I've been counted as one of his legions of crime fiction fans for a long time, so in a fanboy kind of way I felt obligated. But I also had questions I really wanted to ask him. The blog tour seemed like a good fit.

Here's my interview. Enjoy!

(P.S. Click here to read my review of "Concrete Pearl.")

Vincent Zandri is the No. 1 International Bestselling author of the thrillers THE INNOCENT, GODCHILD, MOONLIGHT FALLS, THE REMAINS and CONCRETE PEARL. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, he has was a Stringer for The Albany Times Union Newspaper, and a contributor to New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, Game and Fish Magazine, and more. His short fiction has appeared in many of the leading journals and magazines, Orange County Magazine, Buffalo Spree, Negative Capability, The Maryland Review, Rosebud, The Best of Rosebud, Lost Creek Lettersamong them. His novels, stories, and journalism have been translated into many foreign languages including the Dutch, Japanese, French, Russian and Turkish. A freelance photo-journalist, foreign correspondent, and Blogger for RT, Globalspec and International Business Times, he divides his time between New York and Florence, Italy.

 

For more on the author, go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM.

 

* You and I have a lot in common. We both pursued journalism before trying to "make it" at creative writing. What in the hell were we thinking?

Well, the first time around, Dell gave me almost a quarter million bucks in advance money, so I quit journalism. Then when everything went south and when I didn't earn enough to earn out my advance, I ran out of money and work. So I went back to journalism. What's my point? No matter how well you're doing, always keep your hand in it even if it means keeping up with your annual National Writers Union dues. You never know when you're going to have to sell a story again in order to eat.

 

* People point to you as an indie author who "made it." Do you feel like a made man?

I don't know. I get up and go to work each day. I mean, ok, I get to do that sometimes in Italy or where ever, but it's still a lot of work to "make it." I think you have to make it everyday like anyone else who makes their living on their own. You can't slack off, if only to take small breaks here and there. This is a cyclical business and like journalism, you can go through long sprints where everything you touch turns to gold and long, dreadful droughts where no matter what you write or pitch, it gets ignored.

 

* You ever get tired of people asking you that question?

I don't know if I get tired of it, but it makes me a little uncomfortable. I mean there are so many authors who have made it more than me. I look at Amanda Hocking or John Locke or Harlan Coben for that matter, and I'm just floored at what they are able to consistently move. They're the ones who have made it.   

 

* Your novels take place in or around Albany, New York, which is one of the places you live. You also have a place in Italy. Which one has the most booze stocked/writing potential?

Both are well stocked (I'm writing this in Italy right now). Only difference is I can share a bottle of wine with a friend in a park or on a narrow cobbled street and the cops aren't going to bust me for open container. Cop might actually join us. I like writing about Albany in Italy since it's so far removed, not just geographically speaking, but culturally. In Florence I tell people I'm a writer and they look at me like, "Well, of course you are. Otherwise you would be a painter." In New York I tell them I'm a writer and they ask me who's published me, how much money I make and am I interested in hearing their sure bestselling idea they just haven't had the time to sit down and write yet.

 

* Enough shop talk, let's get to the good stuff. I think "Concrete Pearl" is your best novel. Do you agree?

Maybe. I was born and raised in the construction business so the material came easy. And the protagonist Spike is someone whom I'd love to ask out. She's hot and smart and a go getter. She's also loyal and dedicated to a fault. I think in terms of plotting and working out the angles, it's definitely one of my best efforts. Took me a while to work it all out.

 

* You've stated before that certain elements of your novels are based on real people and events. You've even used actual names in drafts before substituting fictional ones. What can you tell me about the real Concrete Pearl? Follow-up, how much is the bounty for your scalp?

Oh boy, the novel definitely is based on some real stuff that went down in Albany and other parts of New York State. Some contractors decided they could make a killing by cheating on asbestos removals. And they did. Problem is, they were cheating at places like public elementary schools and other public buildings where they're potentially exposing little kids to cancer. And they did it all in the name of money and ego. I went to high school with a couple of the players. One of them is in prison for like 25 years and the other...the rat...was released after only a year. You wanna hear something really amazing? New York State is allowing the latter individual to work as an engineer again. Holy crap, you can't make this stuff up. Anyway, I don't like cheaters and if the players recognize themselves and go after my scalp, well, I'm ready for them. They have no credibility.   

 

* "Concrete Pearl" is the first time you've explicitly written yourself and your band, The Blisterz, into a novel. Why did you do that? Does it count as a "gig?"

It definitely counts as a gig as we didn't get paid to play, which was usually the case for The Blisterz. But I genuinely like the guys ins the band and I wanted to kind of immortalize us by putting us in there. Plus it was fun. I've since left the band due to professional constraints but I still keep in touch with them.  

 

* Despite the "Spike" nickname, the protagonist in "Concrete Pearl" is a female. You wrote her in first-person. What did you do to get inside females?

What do I do to get inside a female??? Sure you want me to answer that one?? Ha! Ok (pulling head out of gutter)...I grew up with two sisters and domineering mother. I've had a girlfriend ever since kindergarten, and two wives to boot. So, I feel that by now, I can pretty much pull off a woman's POV. Besides, Spike is tough. But then, the trick was not to write her as a man with boobs. I think I succeeded.

 

* OK, there was a bit of wordplay with that last question. You haven't left the room, have you?

See previous answer...

* Then let's switch gears and get serious. Unlike some of your other novels, "Concrete Pearl" didn't have the advantage of being in print with a major publishing house before becoming an indie e-book. Do you think this hurt it?

Maybe. But then neither did The Remains and it's been a perpetual bestseller for 15 months, having hit the Top 100 overall Kindles on two separate occasions. CP needs a little time and marketing before I can get a real sense of its sales potential.  

 

* You've written in your blog about the impact of novel writing on your family. One of the casualties was your marriage. Is there any relation between that and the female characters in your novel? For example, Keeper Marconi in "The Innocent" and "Godchild" is tortured by the loss of his wife.

For sure. I'm one of those gotta play the Hemingway-tortured-writer-the-work-comes-first kind of idiots, and that kind of thing takes its toll on your sig other. More recently however, I've developed a pretty solid relationship with a visual artist who completely understands my need to work and travel and not live the garden variety family life. My kids understand because they grew up with it, but even though both of my ex's and I get along great now, there's still some bitterness there on their part. I've even asked my second wife to reconsider our relationship at certain points over the course of the past 6 years, and she's seriously thought about it. But in the end she always pulls back knowing that I'm probably twice as busy as I was when we were married. But to answer your question, yes, I work out my relationship woes in all my books. It beats having to pay a shrink.  

* More success means more work. Ever worry you'll get burned out on all this?

Nope...

* What's next for you?

I'm going to take a shot here since this won't be out until September, but presently my agent Chip MacGregor, is in negotiations with Thomas and Mercer (Amazon) for the the buyout of all my books and the new Moonlight novels, "Murder by Moonlight," plus a couple of new ones. The beauty of the deal is that I can still work with StoneGate Ink as well. So I get the best of both the traditional big leagues and a hot indie pub. Like I'm saying, we're in "negotiations" at the present time, but it's my sincere hope that by the time you publish this, those negotiations will have turned into a solid commitment.   

 

* Where can people find out more about you?

 

www.vincentzandri.com

 

* Anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks for having me, and good luck with your own work, Ben. I'm honored to have spent some time with you. Next time, let's do it over a beer or two.

Audio: Listen to My Podcast Appearance

Good morning!

It was a real treat to be on the G-Zone podcast show this morning with host Giovanni Gelati. He and I always have a great time. We talked about "Cleansing Eden," Maynard Soloman and more. You can listen to it here.

Are You Dead?

The last I checked, I am not dead. I am, however, working on something big not related to writing. So tell your friends to stop sending flowers to the house.

See you in the funny pages,

-Undead Ben

Review: Concrete Pearl by Vincent Zandri

The fourth book on my Vincent Zandri crime spree is also his latest, "Concrete Pearl." Having read and reviewed the unholy trio that put him on the map (read my reviews of "The Remains," "The Innocent" and "Godchild"), I can safely say "Concrete Pearl" tops all of them. It's his best work to date.

The story follows "Spike" Harrison, who inherited her father's construction company. She's the general contractor for a public school job when one of her sub-contractors bails. That guy, Jimmy Farrel, is in charge of asbestos removal. Now Spike is on the hook for a bunch of sick school kids. She has to figure out where Jimmy went before her ass winds up behind bars.

Oh yeah, and she has no money. That bastard Jimmy took it all when he ran.

The reader knows much more than poor Spike, though. Zandri tells us exactly what happened to Jimmy in the first chapter. It's not a spoiler to say that Jimmy wound up under a load of wet concrete. Given that most of the novel follows Spike's attempts to find Jimmy, you'd think Zandri ruined "Concrete Pearl" before it even started.

If you thought that, you don't read enough Zandri.

There's an entire conspiracy behind why Jimmy was killed. Watching that unravel as the walls close in on Spike is what makes this novel such a gripping read. There's layers upon layers of foul play at work. Following Spike's investigation is the only way to make it followable.

Adding yet another dimension is that Zandri stated in a G-Zone interview (I forget the exact date of the show) that this is based on true events. Pulling a page from Hitchcock, he affirms this by writing himself into the story. His band, the Blisterz, plays a key role in the novel.

Whether the Blisterz were actually involved is up for speculation. Maybe I'll ask him some time. He did join the Trestle Press crew for a new series, due out later this year. (Note to self: Hell yeah.)

There's enough intrigue in "Concrete Pearl" to keep you guessing until the very end. That sounds cliche, but it's true. This is Zandri's best novel to date. You can't say it any other way.

Click here to get "The Concrete Pearl" for the Kindle from Amazon.

Click here to get "The Concrete Pearl" for the Nook from Barnes & Noble.

Starving Authors: Noir Nation Needs Your Work

Don't knock $25. It's a lot of money when you live your life 1,000 words at a time. I found this over at CrimeSpace:

 

The discussion on the forum "What are some examples of crime literature that serve as deep social commentary?" got quite a lot of responses.  This has inspired us at Noir Nation to add a new section to the first issue of Noir Nation wherein writers opine on the following question: Must crime noir have a moral point?  The word limit is 300 to 500 words. Include short bio, and photo. There is a $25 honoraria, payable on publication. Best five get published in Issue No. 1. Send to eddie@evegaonline.com --Eddie Vega

Pretty cool, eh? A chance to get your work published in the inaugural issue of what sounds to be one killer 'zine. Go get 'em, tiger.