Ed Gorman's Blog, page 258

Brendan DuBois on John D. MacDonald

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A Different Take on John D. MacDonald

By

Brendan DuBois


The postings and writings about John D. MacDonald on Ed Gorman's blog got me thinking about my own memories of this famed grandmaster.

One of the most embarrassing details about me being a mystery author is just how ill-informed I am about the field, especially when I first started out. I sold my first short story to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine back in 1985 and knew nothing --- zip, zero, nada --- about mystery fiction. So I immediatel...

The end of the world as we know it?

The recent trend among superstores to sell hardcover bestsellers for under nine dollars has generally been regarded as bad news for non-bestselling writers. If you can get a massive King for nine bucks why pay $23 for a Gorman? I wouldn't.

But on The Today Show John Grisham, whom I've always considered a very erudite and classy guy, went even further, talking about how he wouldn't be hurt but hundreds of other writers would. He said there were other threats beyond the nine dollar books.

(Th...

Forgotten Books: Danse Macbre

Danse Macbre by Stephen King

Forgotten? Nothing by Stephen King is forgotten. I imagine that virtually if not literally everything he's published is in print. That said, even some readers of his horror novels may have passed this one by. Not everybody is inclined to read a long overview of the horror field but they should because this is one of the most articulate, occasionally eloquent overviews of an entire genre I've ever read. And lest you think it might be a bit on the dry side, it's a h...

Bored To Death

As a few of you may remember, I quit watching Bored To Death after the first episode. Just couldn't get into it. Last night because I couldn't find anything else I tried it again. Carol came in and sat down when she heard me laughing. I really enjoyed the first part of the The Case of The Missing Semen. Next week part two. Zach Galifianakis is still for me the best part of the show. I knew ten of him in college and they were just as much pained and painful fun as he is. He's the Puck of exis...

Team Jordan

I've written before about my friend Jim Rigney better known as the international bestselling fantasy writer Robert Jordan and his great epic The Wheel of Time. Jim was not only one of the most important writers of our time, he was a warm, funny, brilliant friend. On the Tor website I found a fascinating video with Jim's team who worked with him during his life and have carried on afterward. Jim's wonderful widow and editor Harriet McDougal also talks about how she decided that writer Brian Sa...

Short stuff

I've been reading a lot of short stories lately and thought I'd recommend a few tonight.

On Tuesday I received the new Alfred Hitchcock double issue dated January/February 1010. I've been reading through it and found a number of particularly strong stories:

"Game" by Janet E. Irvin is a classic suspense story with some truly chilling moments. Very precisely observed.

"The God of Right and Wrong" by Steven Gore is a dark, twisty piece of work with exactly the right kind of payoff. Gore's s go...

Ed Gorman, Gunfighter

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Mystery and western writer Evan Thomas was nice enough to doctor this cover with my face substituted for the gunfighter's and titles of some of my westerns listed instead of the real stories in the magazine. I tried to e mail Evan to thank him but found that I had the same trouble I have a lot of times with comments--they just don't get sent. I try all the various ways of sending them but apparently I'm not signed up for any of them. And when I do try to sign up it doesn't register. It isn't ...

Henry Kuttner

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Henry Kuttner wrote every kind of pulp fiction there was. He excelled at science fiction and fantasy. He also wrote three mysteries that I've always enjoyed as well as an original paperback series about a psychiatrist.

He was friend and mentor to both Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson. With his wife C.L. Moore he produced a large volume of stories, a long list of which are considered classics today. He died way too young at age forty-four. I still remember reading about his death one eighth g...

Boo

Todd Mason forwarded me the following list of writers' favorite scary stories. I reply after the list

Martin Morse Wooster reports to the FictionMags list:

In their October 28 WASHINGTON POST fiction page, the editors of BOOK WORLD
asked writers, "What story scares the hell out of you?"

Anne Rice: M.R. James, "Count Magnus"
Scott Smith: Stewart O'Nan, A PRAYER FOR THE DYING
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: Karl Edward Wagner, "Sticks"
Jonathan Carroll: W.W. Jacobs, "The Monkey's Paw"
Dan Chaon: Jo...

Buy this book-I need the money

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DEATH GROUND by Ed Gorman
from Gravetapping by Ben Boulden

Another older review. I posted it about a year ago, but Leisure has just released Death Ground in a new edition. It should either be on bookstore shelves or on its way. It is a Western that anyone and everyone will enjoy. The cover art is terrific, and the novel is even better.

Leo Guild is an aging bounty hunter. He is a former lawman, father and husband, but that is all behind him. Now he rides alone. He is melancholy, intelligent and ...