Ed Gorman's Blog, page 236

Richard S. Wheeler: The Long Decline

The Long Decline

When I first began writing westerns in the 70s, for Doubleday's library line, the genre was already in decline, though I was unaware of it. The Louis L'Amour factory hid the decay from the world for another decade.

Westerns were suffering from two things: one was the sheer exhaustion of material, so that each story iterated previous ones. The other, and equally grave one, was that the world was swiftly leaving the frontier behind. Urbanization, technology, changing social mores...

From Richard S. Wheeler

This is a post from Richard Wheeler's blog The Curmudgeon's Diary. You can find it here.http://www.richardswheeler.blogspot.com/

A New Western Anthology

Roundup!, an anthology produced by Western Writers of America and published by La Frontera Publishing, has appeared and is selling well. Unlike previous western anthologies published by the organization, this one largely features contemporary stories. One of mine, "The Great Filibuster of 1975," is included.

A superb introduction by Paul Andrew...

Great news for a great writer - Bill Pronzini

BOOBYTRAP by Bill Pronzini

BOOBYTRAP is an action thriller to be directed by the veteran second unit director and stunt coordinator Nicholas Powell ("Bourne Identity," "28 Days Later," "Gladiator," and "The Last Samurai"). Based on the novel of the same name written by award-winning author Bill Pronzini, the script is written by Michael A. Simpson, executive producer of the Oscar-winning "Crazy Heart."

"Mr. Powell has directed many of the most amazing action sequences in recent history includin...

Not Exactly a New Books piece-Bob Randisi; Linkletter

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Ed,

Below is really an email I wrote you about why I could NOT write a new books piece. Seems to me it turned out to be a new books piece. I've attached the cover.


Every time I start a new books piece about this is sounds like I'm tooting my own horn. I mean, I have to say how every book I've ever sold--all 540+--has been sold on the basis of an outline. I'd never written a book on spec and then tried to sell it--until this one.

I decided one day just to see if I could do it. ...

Art Linkletter

Ed here: If you have any serious interest in show business and don't read Mark Evanier's News From Me, an exceptionally wise and rich take on subjects ranging from cartoons to comedians to films...snap to it. Mark has been a major force for several decades in comics, in tv shows (as writer and producer) and observer of our culture. Here's his take on Art Linkletter.

I share Mark's perception of the man. Even when I was eight or nine I sensed he was a phony. Mark uses the right word...unctuous...

How did Bill Crider miss this one?

From Gawker:

Carla Bruni Asks for a Finger Up Her Butt, in Seven Different Languages


France's first lady is tres embarrassed that an old, raunchy episode of a talk show called Eurotrash has surfaced online. Now the French government is scrambling to get it yanked from YouTube. Here's what they don't want you to see.

Apparently the French government fought to remove a longer version of this video—in which Carla showcases a pair of "hot international sex guides" that teach international tramps how...

E publishing- PW & J.A. Konrath

HOME -> DIGITAL -> CONTENT / E-BOOKS
Ed here: Interesting disagreement about the state of publishing and how to improve its fortunes for all concerned. First the piece from Publisher's Weekly then a response from writer J.A. Konrath


Agents Weigh the Growth Of Alternate Publishing Options
By Rachel Deahl
May 24, 2010

In a week that saw Barnes & Noble announce a new selfpublishing unit, one small deal that had the publishing industry paying attention was J.A. Konrath's decision to do his next book...

The Wrap: Lee Child and Douglas Preston

From The Wrap:

Michael Bay to Produce 'Gideon's Sword' for Paramount

By Jeff Sneider
Published: May 24, 2010
Best-selling horror/thriller authors Lee Child and Douglas Preston have teamed for a new series that will follow investigator Gideon Crew, and Paramount has optioned the first novel, "Gideon's Sword," for Michael Bay to produce through his company Bay Films, reports Variety.

While Grand Central Publishing isn't releasing any details yet, they must be pretty juicy to be worth the reported s...

No posts till Tuesday

Carol and I are leaving early Sunday for Green bay to see Marty and Roz Greenberg. I'll post Tuesday night.

Thanks Ed

Extremely funny Parnell Hall video

Thanks to Charlie Stella's blog, I learned about Parnell Hall's song about the mid-list blues.

It's great.

Go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoJ5O...