Nigel Bird's Blog, page 67

Dancing With Myself: LES EDGERTON interviews LES EDGERTON

So, I said to myself… "Self?" And had no answer that wouldn't get me locked up if someone saw me talking to myself…
Okay. Let's give this a try. I think what I'll do is ask myself the questions I wish others might ask me and don't.
Les… may I call you Les?

Absolutely. I rarely answer to Beulah or Jim-Bob, so that'll work out well. I'll be more alert to your questions. If I suddenly quit answering, it's because a couple of guys in white coats carrying butterfly nets just showed up…

You've just published GUMBO YA-YA with Snubnose Press. This is your second story collection. Your first, MONDAY'S MEAL, was with The University of North Texas Press in 1997. Why so long between collections, especially since that book came out to rave reviews in The New York Times where they compared you to Raymond Carver, as well as garnering great reviews in Publisher's Weekly and others, and contained stories that were nominated for a bunch of literary honors? Not to mention selling out the press run?

I guess these aren't going to be short, "yes or no" questions are they! Several reasons. One, I kind of quit writing short stories to focus on novels and screenplays. There was just no money in short stories and I wanted to focus on work that paid. Second, until the e-book revolution, the rule of thumb with publishers was that a minimum of half the stories in a collection had to be published previously in prestigious literary magazines. Since I wasn't writing many during this time, they weren't being sent out. Most legacy publishers won't publish collections simply because there's no money in 'em. With the e-publishing revolution, because of the less expensive cost of production, collections have suddenly become viable and profitable. Even though the requirement of prior publication isn't an issue with e-book publishers, I'm old-fashioned and for myself still want to adhere to the old standards, so wouldn't submit a collection until most had been previously published. And, all but one or two of these have been. Also, years ago when I was writing short stories, they were harder for a lot of reasons to get published and there were far fewer venues available. And, then, a couple of years ago or so, I began to get requests for stories and the money offered was decent, so I began writing a few again. One of the most positive effects of the e-book revolution is that short stories are experiencing a rebirth in popularity.

Do you rewrite much?

I hope none of my writing students read this as I constantly tell them things like, "Writing is rewriting." I tell them this with a straight face and with a serious mien. But, the truth is, I rewrite very, very little. Most things not at all. I write very carefully the first time through and edit as I go. I'm not one of those writers who "slap it down and go back later and fix it." I've found that when I do that, I forget what I was going to fix and that little note on the margin that says "rewrite this" is meaningless at this point. I get the perfect word at the time and I get the effect I wanted or I don't go on until I do. Plus, I've been doing this a long time and I'm pretty good at it. Writing is kind of like riding a bicycle. When you first begin, you have to consciously think of a bunch of things. You have to remember to pedal, to steer, to balance, and probably some other things. Once you've learned to ride a bike, you don't have to think about it any more. You just ride the damn thing. That's where writing is for me—I just ride the damn thing. I don't have to worry about the structure or any of that—I know structure just like a bicyclist knows how to steer. I think some writers are naturals and others have to learn to write on a much more basic level. Doesn't mean the output for one is necessarily better than the other—just different ways to learn to ride the bike. I've found that the earlier in life one became an avid reader, the quicker they're likely to become a good writer.

Also, I worked as a reporter for several years. A sports reporter (don't laugh), and I covered lower Michigan and northern Indiana high school sports and Notre Dame football and basketball. Every Friday night, I wrote more than 40 stories in a two-hour period. You can't be thinking about pedaling, steering, or balancing in a job like that—you just have to ride the bike… or they take your Schwinn away from you and give it to someone less dumb than you are. And they don't want cookie-cutter, clichéd stories—they can get those anywhere and cheaper. Newspapers want some originality, unless you're working for the Neighborhood Weekly Shopper. I worked for a top paper, renowned for its toy department (sports), The South Bend Tribune. Our main beat was the Notre Dame football team, one of the top programs in the country at the time (Ara Parseghian era). The Chicago Tribune and both coasts' Times took our stories. Great training.

Why do you write?

Why do you breathe? The answer to both is the same. You quit… and you die. Or might as well…

What are your favorite stories in GUMBO YA-YA?

I like all of them, but if I had to pick my favorites, it would be the first and last stories. "Best of Friends" and "In the Zone." Both are largely biographical and bring back great memories. And, I think they represent my best work. I'm proud of all the stories in this, but particularly proud of those two. I'm looking over what I just said and just thought—that was dumb! Why would I include any story I wasn't proud of? Of course I'm proud of 'em! I'm also proud of the essay at the end, "Censorship and Why I Love Charles Bukowski." It was written in the nineties and blasted the concept of political correctness when others thought it was a good idea and I felt it was out-and-out censorship. I feel I've been proven right and the world is exactly where I thought it was heading. Fucked up. Now, do you want to hear what I think of the Mayan prophesies…? (Hint: No worries…)

What else is going on, book-wise?

Of course, GUMBO YA-YA. I've also got three new novels out that are doing well. StoneGate Publishing put out JUST LIKE THAT and THE PERFECT CRIME and both were an absolute labor of love. And, Bare Knuckles Press brought out THE BITCH which is my best novel to date and I love every word in it. I think in its way, it's a ground-breaking novel. My secret dream… well, I guess it's not a secret now… is that somebody in Hollywood that can make a decision reads it… I think it's the most cinematic of all my work. If anyone knows anyone I can send it to, lemme know!

What makes me feel good about all of these books are the reviews they've all received from the people I respect most in the world—other, quality writers who know a good book when they read it… and don't blurb or review if it sucks. The folks we see on this site.

Where do you go to improve your craft skills?

I have the TV on the BBC America channel most of the time, and I tune it out most of the time—it's just white noise—except when Chef Gordon Ramsey is on. I pay attention to his shows as they're the best classes on writing I've ever found. If you substitute the word "writer" for "chef" every single thing he says applies to writers. He cuts through all the bullshit and doesn't allow for excuses. He insists on his charges always performing at their highest level and doesn't mollycoddle them with false praise and crap like that. He exposes pretenders. He has standards and accepts no substitutes. He approaches the craft of cooking like I try to approach the craft of writing, both for me and for my students. He's got it right. He knows that if your goal is to make money in your restaurant, you first have to make your food the best you possibly can. He doesn't tell the people he rescues to blog, network, market, advertise, Tweet, or any of that. He has a simple message. Put out a great product. The money will follow.

I think many of us forget that in the e-book universe. As well as in the traditional print universe. I recommend all of my students watch his show and think of him as teaching writers instead of restaurateurs and chefs. Try it. You'll be amazed at what lessons he drives home that you can use for your writing.

Thank you so much for this opportunity, Nigel. One word of advice—I'd look for better interviewers… This guy's terrible! He never once asked me about my amazing sex life!

Now. Run out and buy my books. You owe it to yourselves! 
sea minor - You surely do.  UK buyers here .  US here . 

Dancing With Myself: JOHN LAWTON interviews JOHN LAWTON

This is your first inclusion in a "Mammoth", yet you've been in print for over fifteen years.  What took you so long?


More like twenty five years, but ... de nada. The answer's obvious though.


The short story is not a form I'd ever used until asked. I was a scriptwriter, then a novelist.


Never written a short story until Otto Penzler asked me.


Why did you say yes?


I was approaching the end of A Lily of the Field [sea minor note - currently a top-ten kindle hit in the UK]. The point where you go over everything for error and continuity and so on ... Lily was a book that cost me brain damage. The opportunity to do something else for a while was irresistible and timely. I was living in Italy, high up a mountainside. I took a long walk and came back with East Of Suez mapped out in my mind. It's a mild comedy ... my 'Our Man in Havana'. If it had a subtitle it would be Homage a Graham Greene. And it's loosely based on real things.
Greene's favourite of yours?

He was. Haven't read him in ages. Maybe it's time to re-read.


Would a Graham Greene be your Desert Island book?


No. That would come down to a flip of the coin, perhaps two flips.


Crime and Punishment, Vanity Fair ... Anna Karenina, maybe Middlemarch.




No contemporaries in that list?


Not right now. Ask me again in a year's time.


I really liked AD MIller's debut this year (Snow Drops), but desert island books should be things you've lived with for ages I think.


If your books were filmed who do you see as Troy?


Hard one, but Depp would do. Tosca's easier ... that's Janeane Garofalo.


Diana Brack I wrote with Anna Chancellor in mind, but Samantha Bond would be just as good.


I invented Walter Stilton for Michael Elphick. He's been dead a while now.


If you hadn't been a writer what would you like to have been?


Will a fantasy answer suffice? If so, I think I'd have been a Victorian naturalist, round about 1875, with an interest in amphibians, especially toads.


Toads? You're kidding?


Absolutely not. Newts too.

If you got seriously rich what would you do?


Sue. I'd get very litigious. I think every retiring Prime Minister should be indicted. Let them account for their actions. Guilty until proven innocent. I think I'd use the loot to bring private prosecutions against the buggers. And I'd start with Thatcher and Blair.


What's next?

Next ... well the new book has a provisional title of "...Then we take Berlin" and is set there in 1948 and 1963. The old ones will be put on Kindle ... started on Christmas Day I believe.

sea minor - the Mammoth Best British Crime 9 is now available at the bargain price of £4.49 
 

Simply The Best

This collection is excellent and features my favourite short story of last year.

Not only that, but it's free today at Amazon UK and Amazon US.  What are you waiting for?

On A Brighter Note

A message from Pablo to cheer up a bum day:

Hello all,
First off, a sincere "Thank you" to everyone who downloaded, read, voted, help spread the word—this challenge was thrown together off the cuff and would not have amounted to anything without efforts from a lot of folks. Individual e-mails will go out when I have two seconds to breathe, but you all know who you are.
So, the results are in but I am treating them as tentative, for now. Of the 180 copies of each collection that went out, we have only heard back from 15% of readers with votes. In fact, I have personally chatted here and there with people who have told me they read the collections and just needed to vote, but those votes have not come in yet.
The winner (by a margin of a little more than 2-1) as of midnight, Feb. 1st, is Pablo D'Stair's collection.
BUT: As this could easily change if a good amount of tardy votes come in, any vote that does come in for the next week WILL be counted, no questions. If you personally know someone who read and did not vote (or are such a person yourself) please get the vote in by Feb. 7th.
Because votes are still being counted until Feb. 7th, the Author-List-By-Story for the Challenger Collection and some other updates (including details of Round Two with the $500 Prize Pot) will not be posted/sent out until then.
Now, I do have to say, though I am happily surprised (a little bit shocked, really) to have won (at least so far) that due to the percentage of the readers-to-votes this win is nowhere near as conclusive as I was aiming for. And because of this, and due to the amazing work from the challengers and from all manner of folks helping to promote, I don't feel right about saying "I win" and having no prize being awarded. At the same time, I don't just want to give the listed prizes…because that would be kind of silly and oddly dismissive of the work the Challengers did.
SO—as many of the challengers had hinted at donating any winnings to charity and as many of the challengers have actually worked on the charity anthology The Lost Children, I am going to make a donation of the $100 First prize to PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children and Children 1st UK on behalf of all the writers who participated.
NOTE: This donation is being made, no matter what. If enough votes come in between now and Feb 7th to make the Challenger Collection the winner, I will still pay out all three prizes to the top three Challenger stories, as voted by readers ($225 total).
More updates and details to come.
Cheers again to everyone,
Pablo D'Stair

Bon Anniversaire

It's a year to the day that 'Dirty Old Town (and other stories)' went live on Amazon.

Like my children, it's difficult to imagine my life without the collection in it.  Whatever happens from here on in, I think it will remain my favourite of all simply because of what it involved at the time.

I should have learned a lot during the process.  Maybe I have.  Time will tell.

I've certainly realised that writing and the world of books, stories and publication is where I want to spend my 'working life', even though the path has had it's fair share of jagged glass and impure objects to negotiate.

Bare fact - the book has sold 1,327 copies to date.  That's over 3 (3.63) per day.  Imagine that for a short story collection, probably inconceivable before ebooks.  There have been giveaways and tree-book sales, too, making it even more incredible from where I'm sitting. 

It wouldn't have done so well without the help of so many.  Thanks for the reviews, purchases, patience, retweets, links, spreading of the word and all the encouragement along the way.

Sure, at an income of about 20p per copy I'm not rich in money terms and that dream of long writing days remains in the clouds, but I feel very much enriched as an author and as a human being because of this journey.

Last thing, and this may make no sense at all, I realised when searching out a birthday picture that I see Dirty Old Town very much as a girl.  A female book.  Maybe it's the Nigella referrence in the press the other day.  Who knew?  So do your books have different genders?  Let me know.

One Man's Opinion - THE BITCH by LES EDGERTON

In baseball it's 3 strikes and you're out, for ex-con, Jake, 3 strikes and he's in.  For life.  And ain't that The Bitch?
Jake's been inside.  Twice.  One more conviction and he's going away for good. 
Fortunately for Jake, he's sick of prison life and has decided to go straight.
He's been to college to better himself and has even built a reputation as a hair-stylist that's good enough for him to set up his own salon.   I love this incongruity – big, bad Jake with his blood-stained hands chopping away at a perm.
And he's met a woman too.  Paris.  Beautiful, sexy, smart and about to have Jake's baby.   Looks like he's hit the jackpot, no?
Thing is, Jake doesn't know his stories.  Paris was the guy who did it for Troy.  A name like that and maybe he should have sensed that his bed-of-roses might be full of thorns.
'It all began with a phone call.'
The first thorn appears in the form of Walker Joy, one-time cellmate and saviour. 
Walker's in big trouble.  He owes big money to big crooks.  One job will see him safe.  All he needs is a break in man.
Of course, Jake's not having any of it.  He knows which side his bread is buttered.
Problem is Walker has a few aces up his sleeve and Jake knows he's screwed.  It's enough to drive an alcoholic to drink.  Really.
From there on in the story unfolds.  Jake is reeled in like a prize-fish on the end of the line, all the while knowing that he's  got a hook right up his ass.  He's not a bad bloke, you see.  Or at least his heart's in the right place.  Circumstance has him by the short-and-curlies and no matter how he examines the angles, he's lined up for the corner pocket.
At every point of the story where a ray of hope appears, the world conspires against him and as every chapter comes to a close, the need to read on grows stronger.
It's a well-told tale.  I found it hard not to feel for Jake.  If it were a film or a play, it would be the kind that would have you shouting out for him to get the hell out of there.  'He's behind yer!'  and  'He's still behind yer!'
On the whole, the plot is very much in the present and is all the more uncomfortable for that.  It's punctuated by prison stories and tales from Jake's past that should possibly have made me think less of the man; instead it had the opposite effect.
Well paced, engaging and very entertaining, it's like one of the small diamonds in the collection Jake is aiming to steal.
The ending is perfectly weighted.  Sits on top of the story like the bowler hat on a dapper gent, a hat that needs to be doffed every time Les Edgerton approaches. 
Well done, sir.Amazon US     Amazon UK

GRIMM TALES from JACK BATES

Have you had your broth today?  If not, you should definitely go and get some.  #broth is short for Brilliant Reads On The Heath and it should definitely be added to your favourites.  It's another great innovation from Blasted Heath.

Today's interview is with the lovable and talented authors, Jack Bates.  Not only is he talented, but he has generosity in spades.  Give him some love as he tells us about Grimm Tales.

1. How did you squeeze in with all these other talented writers?



Dude, I don't know. I read Patti Abbott's blog and respond to her posts. About a year ago Chris Rhatigan invited me to join Crime Fiction Writers after he reviewed my Derringer nominated story, Broken Down on the Bonneville Flats. Nigel here drops me a line every now and then so I'm sure I heard of it that way. Also, I've worked with Jay Hartman at Untreed Reads on a couple of anthologies. The community is tight. We all share information.
2. Let's talk about the story. Where did the idea come from? Were you familiar with the folktale?


Once I heard about the challenge, I went looking for one I had never heard. The internet is an amazing tool. I searched 'rare Grimm tales' and there it was. Even had a really cool drawing of a young guy flying over some exotic city.


3. And it sparked your imagination?


You know the cliche about people who ask writers where they get their ideas from? I have no problem doing adaptations. When I was writing screenplays, I used to find stories and practice with turning them into movies. As soon as I read The Flying Trunk, everything started to come into place. I dig writing about Detroit. It's so foreign to so many people even here in Michigan. There is an event down by Wayne State University in the city called The Dally in the Alley. It's a party of hipsters, college students, and whoever else shows up. I saw some pictures a friend posted and everything kind of gelled from there.
4. What's been your favorite part of the experience?


Ken Bruen calling my story a gem in the foreward. Ken, if you read this, a beer on me at Bouchercon Cleveland.
5. What's next?


I've got projects all over the place but what I'm really hoping for is the opportunity to publish the old fashion way. I've always wanted to be a hack, a paperback writer. I'm kind of there. What do they call people who are prolific electronically?

And that Ken Bruen recommendation is thoroughly deserved.  Why not go and see if you agree with him? 

Thanks Captain.

Dancing With Myself: STUART AYRIS interviews STUART AYRIS

For anyone who buys from LULU, or would like to, there's a free postage offer just now if you buy from them.  I've missed out on a number of issues of the excellent Needle Magazine (of noir), edited by the talented Steve Weddle, because of the prohibitive overseas posting rates.  Use the code WHOASHIPPINGUK305 and ask for ground shipping and you won't have to pay for delivery.  Go get those Needles.

Most excellent.

I was delighted to see that Matthew McBride has now had 'Frank Sinatra In A Blender' bought by New Pulp Press.  Seems like a marriage made in heaven to me.

There's still time to vote for your favourite at Spinetingler's Best Novella shortlist.  Course, I'm hoping 'Smoke' comes out on top, but seeing the competition I feel like a winner just being there.  I think you should at least see what the books in the list are as it will give you some great reading for a good while.

Another chance to vote can be found at Out Of Bullets Throw The Gun where the brave Pablo D'Stair has taken on a mob of talented Flash Fiction writers.  So far there have been 175 downloads of each, so there should be 175 votes to come by the end of the month.  Pablo also has some free novellas out there for you at Smashwords.  Go check them out if you're at a loose end.

I have also set myself a new challenge.  It's a tricky one.  I'm aiming to stop myself from buying any more books until April Fool's Day.

In the last month I've been sent my 6 novels by Vintage for winning their review competition, picked up 4 new Needles yesterday, a couple of Pablo's novellas, downloaded Crime-Factory, novella's from the Spinetingler list, a kindleful of free books and great-deal books, been sent review copies and some gifts.  If I keep up at that rate, I'll just not get to read and enjoy what I have.  I'll let you know if I crack.

And now it's time for today's dance.  You'll find a cracking review of Tollesbury Time Forever over at Darren Sant's blog in case you want to check it out.  It looks excellent (and it's another of my recent purchases).

Please welcome Stuart Ayris.

"So Stuart, what do you do from day to day other than write?"
I've been a psychiatric nurse for the last fourteen years but I'm currently working from home as I'm awaiting a knee operation.

"How did you do your knee?"
My niece?

"No. Your knee."
Oh, too much football and cricket over the years, too much falling down subways and too many people pointing at me instead of catching me.

"So tell us about your novel, Tollesbury Time Forever."
Well it's about a man called Simon Gregory, a Beatles-obsessed alcoholic with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a love of cricket. The novel follows him as he attempts to be reunited with the son he abandoned twenty-two years ago. It's set in Tollesbury, where I live, and took about three years to write.

"How long is it?"
Massive.

"And the book?"
Just over 74,000 words.

"How would you describe your writing style?"
I like to think of it as having the descriptive elements of John Steinbeck and the madness of Jack Kerouac. Tollesbury Time Forever, for example has been very highly praised for it's prose yet also contains four short stories three poems (one of which is three pages long) and a Blues song. But somehow it seems to work!

"Did you try and get Tollesbury Time Forever published in the traditional way before settling for putting on Kindle via Amazon?"
I sent it to a fair few publishers and agents and hardly any replied. Those that did basically sent standard compliment slips saying it wasn't for them. I've received better compliments to be honest. So I had the choice of ditching it or having a punt. I had a punt and it's turning out the little man may have been right and the big men wrong!

"How have the sales been?"
Well I was very disappointed with Debenhams this year but I thought PC World made a fair effort.

"And the sales of Tollesbury Time Forever?"
Beyond my wildest dreams - I envisaged maybe selling a hundred overall and I reached that in the first two weeks. The sales in the third week have been phenomenal and the book has managed to stay in the top 60 Literary Fiction Bestseller rankings on Amazon for more or less its whole life to date.

"How has Tollesbury Time Forever been received?"
Incredibly well. I always thought, and was led to believe, that it was an acquired taste, a niche book, something that might appeal to perhaps a carbon copy of myself. As it turns out, it's had over twenty five-star reviews in it's first three weeks. I just can't believe it. It is so humbling and very exciting.

"Can you give us maybe a snippet from Tollesbury Time Forever so readers can see a little of your writing style?"
I am a man yet I am a Hen Harrier also. I am a drunkard and a dreamer. I am a Beatles fan and a lover of cricket. I am a husband and I am a father. I am all these things and more. And I am a friend of yours. I am the world's best friend. Just think of me not as a schizophrenic but as a Hen Harrier only. A Hen Harrier.

For there is no schizophrenia and there is no depression; no bi-polar disorder, personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. There is just life and trying to get through it. That is all. Look past the drugs and past the diagnosis, look deeper than the despair and higher than the highs - and what you have is a soul that needs embracing, a mind that needs cradling and a heart that needs to beat its beat without condemnation.

Some weeks ago, I was at the marshes with just darkness on my mind. I was rushing to the depths. Yet now I float and I rise. The earth is the same yet I see with new eyes. I have learned that the world does not change. All that alters is the way we choose to see it.

I am no more a man than I am a schizophrenic. I live only in Tollesbury Time. And I will live in Tollesbury Time forever.

"Nice. So what are your next steps?"
Unsteady ones. I've had three cans of K cider and my knee is knackered.

"Has she been running?"
Who?

"Your niece."
You're madder than I am. I'd just like to finish my thanking all those people that have downloaded Tollesbury Time Forever and reviewed it. It has seriously meant the world to me.

"So do you have a blog or anything?"
Yep - www.tollesburytimeforever.blogspot.com

"And do you have any final words?"
Just keep frugaling up the frugals people!!

"What does that mean?"
You'll just have to read the book. Tollesbury Time Forever - out now in all good amazon.co.uk and amazon.com sites!

Dancing With Myself: LINDA RODRIGUEZ interviews LINDA RODRIGUEZ

There's been a big slash in the price of Kuboa titles, so it' s well worth taking a look.  The tree-book version of Dirty Old Town (and other stories) is now only $2.95, which is fantastic.

And don't forget that gem of a collection from Chris Rhatigan, Watch You Drown. 

Now, over from Minotaur books and dancing with herself, the one-and-only Linda Rodriguez.  A big Sea Minor welcome if you will.


In Linda Rodriguez's Every Last Secret: A Mystery, half-Cherokee Marquitta "Skeet" Bannion fled a city police force and family entanglements for a Missouri college town as chief of campus police. Now, the on-campus murder of the student newspaper editor puts Skeet on the trail of a killer who will do anything to keep a dangerous secret from being exposed, and everywhere she turns she uncovers hidden sins. Time is running out as Skeet struggles to catch the murderer and prevent more deaths by unraveling every last secret.
" Every Last Secret  offers that rare and startling thing in the universe of thrillers: a truly fresh voice."   —Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 national bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean
"There's a new cop in town and she has smarts, courage, and a good heart. Mystery readers will find a new favorite in Chief Skeet Bannion."  --Nancy Pickard, author of The Scent of Rain and Lightning
"Murder on a college campus, plenty of bad people, and all kinds of puzzles to solve.  Linda Rodriguez has written a highly enjoyable procedural introducing a rough and tender heroine, Skeet Bannion."--Kathleen George, author of The Odds and Hideout
1)      So what are you doing in this series of interviews on crime writers? You're a poet, not a crime writer.
My first crime novel is being published by St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books in April 2012. Every Last Secret: A Mystery won the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition. I've finished the sequel and am starting the third novel in the series. Oh, and I have a short story, "The Good Neighbor," coming out in the anthology, Kansas City Noir, so I think all that makes me a crime writer.
2)      You've moved from writing poetry to mysteries. Doesn't it bother you, coming from literary circles, that you're writing genre? You'll never be able to write poetry again now that you've strayed, will you?
The short answer to that is no, it doesn't bother me. This is a question I get asked in person quite a bit. It implies, of course, that genre novels are a lesser form of writing. I don't believe that. I think many mystery/thriller writers and science fiction/fantasy writers are writing brilliant books with a great love of language, strong characters, and real attention to some of the key societal issues of today. I have a Literary Mystery Novelists series on my blog, www.lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com, that showcases many of these writers in the mystery/thriller field. Also, I still write poetry and will continue to do so, just as I'll continue to write mystery novels. I've never seen it as an either/or situation.
3)      What made you decide to write a book with a campus police chief as the protagonist fighting corrupt administrators to solve a murder on campus that they'd rather have covered up? You did it because of all the news stories lately about campus crimes and cover-ups and violence on campus, didn't you? Just trying to cash in, right?
Why are you so unpleasant? I actually wrote Every Last Secret over three years ago. Its publication just as campus crimes and campus police are in the news (á la Penn State/Sandusky, the pepper-spraying campus police officer at UC-Davis, and the slain campus police officer at Virginia Tech) is sheer coincidence. I certainly was aware when I started writing of campus crime and violence and the role of campus police after years of working with them on my old university campus where I was an administrator who dealt with sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination complaints.
I wanted to have a heroine who would have a reason for investigating crimes (other than just being nosy) and would be experienced with guns and physical combat without writing an urban police procedural. I knew quite well that most larger colleges have their own police forces consisting of commissioned officers who have gone through police academy and often have years of experience on metropolitan police forces. Thus, Skeet Bannion came to be.

4)      This Brewster, Missouri, town you write about with Chouteau University in Every Last Secret, what town and college are you really writing about? Give us the lowdown on who's dirty and where the bodies are buried. This is really just a juicy memoir, isn't it? You're pulling a James Frey in reverse, right?
Wrong! There are a lot of small towns right around Kansas City, Missouri, where I live. Some are college towns, and some of these small towns have the old-fashioned courthouse square structure (of which I'm a great fan). So I made Brewster a college town and gave it a courthouse square. Some of these towns are right on either the Missouri River or the Kansas (Kaw) River, so I set my town of Brewster right next to the Missouri River, which is one of America's great rivers. I combined some of the most interesting aspects of these towns for Brewster, and I combined some of the most interesting aspects of colleges and universities in this area for Chouteau University. I spent years as an administrator at a local university, and I didn't want people thinking Every Last Secret was just a roman á clef and trying to see which character was really who in real life. With a fictional town and university, it's easier for readers to realize the book is pure imagination.

5)      Traditional mystery, small town—is this one of those cozies? With a cat who detects?
I guess you might call it that, though Skeet is a little harder-edged than your usual cozy heroine. She spent years as a cop with the Kansas City Police Department, much of it in Homicide. And Kansas City is a big murder town with lots of gang violence. Skeet came to this small town looking for a peaceful life, but small towns are really idyllic only on the surface. They have their own tawdry crimes and secret corruption hiding in the depths. Not to mention the spillover from the nearby city.
She does have a cat, Wilma Mankiller, named after the great Cherokee principal chief, a hero of Skeet's and mine. Wilma, the cat, doesn't talk or detect or do much of anything except regular cat things, though. There is another cat in the book, Cernunnos, whose owner thinks he spends his days meditating, but Skeet just thinks he spends his days in a stupor from overeating. Sorry, no cat-detecting.
6)      Why do you think mysteries and thrillers have become so popular recently?
Aside from the fact that so many hugely gifted writers are writing some version of crime fiction right now? I mean, you have Louise Penny, Daniel Woodrell, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Robert Crais, Laura Lippman, Kathleen George, Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin, Elizabeth George, Walter Mosley, Nancy Pickard, James Lee Burke, Deborah Crombie, Val McDermid, Declan Hughes, Michael Connolly, Margaret Maron, Alafair Burke, George Pelecanos, Emma Donoghue, James Ellroy, Ruth Rendell, Steve Hamilton, and the list just goes on and on.
The standard answer, I believe, is the desire to see order restored, and I'm sure that's right—as far as it goes. I think there's more to it, though. Mysteries are about the relationships among people and about the impact that violence has on those people and those relationships. Also, the crime fiction field is examining parts of our society and issues within our society that other areas of fiction ignore. Put those factors together with a large number of talented writers, and you have all the makings of a boom.
7)      You write and publish poetry and novels but not a lot of short stories. Why is that?
The short story form comes very hard for me. Usually, the moment I start writing, the characters and situation start to grow, and before I know it, I've got something that wants to be a novel. I'm in awe of those who toss off multiple short stories every few months. It's a form I'm interested in working with more in the future, though.  I love a challenge, and writing good short stories is very challenging.
8)      Everyone knows publishing is going through a huge, messy transition right now. Are e-books going to wipe out paper books? Will self-publishing and Amazon destroy publishing as we know it? On and on ad nauseum.
First, you must look at the real data behind all the headlines and overdramatic hype. E-books are currently only 20% of total publishing sales, and their spectacular rate of growth has slowed.  Will they continue to grow as a portion of all publishing sales? Yes. Will they wipe out the physical book entirely, except for rare collectibles? Anything's possible, but I don't see that happening in the next couple of decades.
Every time some new technology comes along, people leap at the chance to shout the end of the book. Radio, movies, television, VCRs, all of these things were supposed to spell the end of the book. Guess what? The book's still going strong. Paperbacks were supposed to spell the end of the hardcover book. Yet more hardcovers were published last year than were ever published in any year before the paperback book came out. I think the mass-market paperback book may actually be in some real trouble. Perhaps the e-book will completely replace the mass-market paperback. But no, I don't see the end of the book anywhere in sight. People will always need and want stories, and right now the book (paper or e-) is still the best way to experience and re-experience stories whenever we want them.
9)      You have published award-winning poetry books, an award-winning mystery book, and a cookbook that's been a steady seller since 2008. Usually, writers tend to specialize. Why don't you? ADHD? Short span of attention? Is that you just can't resist shiny objects?
You are cruel. I prefer to say I have a broad range of interests. It's why I'm never bored.
10)  What are you working on now and for the future? Or will you just be a one-book wonder?
I've finished my next book of poetry, Dark Sister, which is based on teachings of my Cherokee grandmother. I have another book of poetry I want to write after that about sociopaths and monsters. So I will be continuing with the poetry alongside the novels.
Every Last Secret is the first of a series, and I've finished the second book in that series, Every Broken Trust, so I'll be writing the Skeet Bannion books for some time, and I'm excited about the overall narrative arc of those books and Skeet's development within them. I have another mystery series in mind that I'm eager to write, as well. I'd be interested one day in turning my hand to a historical mystery, and I could see myself eventually writing some urban fantasy (but probably not vampires, especially if they sparkle). Then there's this big, complex novel about the Vietnam War at home and abroad that I've long wanted to write. I'm not likely to run out of book projects any time soon.
Thank you so much for having me here on Sea Minor, Nigel. I hope you'll all visit me at www.LindaRodriguezWrites.blogspot.com and check out Every Last Secret at your local bookstore or Barnes & Noble or at http://www.amazon.com/Every-Last-Secret-Linda-Rodriguez/dp/1250005450 .

One Man's Opinion: WATCH YOU DROWN by CHRIS RHATIGAN

Chris Rhatigan has been making a big splash in the world of fiction.  He specialises in short fiction and is a real craftsman of the art.

Not only does he put out great work, he's a reviewer and an editor and this puts him at the cutting edge.

What I admire in this collection is two-fold.  First of all, it's lean and stripped of the unnecessary yet remains juicy and plump at the same time.  The stories a rich and the worlds have all the dimensions I could want as a reader.

The second reason is connected with his diversity - the themes, voices, territories and genres are really varied as is the length; he can thrill with a piece of micro-fiction, flash and short without faltering or losing his edge in any of these formats.

It's a really poweful mix you'll find here and I hope that your prepared to jump into its icy waters (for dark and chilled they mainly are) - I guarantee that you'll be woken up with a start and that you'll be diving straight back for more.

Only negative for me is the cover - and that's not the way I judge a book, no way.

Superb and super-cheap.

Take it in the US, the UK of from that other land called Smashwords.  Any which way you can.

I'll do you an offer, too.  Send proof of purchase over via my email and I'll send you a copy of Pulp Ink, the anthology Chris and I worked on together.  I haven't told him that yet, so Mum's the word.