Ed Gorman's Blog, page 53
January 30, 2015
from fine writer Lev Levinson REMEMBERING TONY
REMEMBERING TONY by Lev Levinson
Tony was one of the most civilized, generous, reasonable people I ever met. But he had one serious weakness which proved fatal. He liked rough trade.
“Rough trade” refers to violent underclass men. Tony picked them up in the Times Square district during that long-ago era before Times Square became a branch of Disney World.
I don’t know why Tony paid for sex, because he was good-looking, around six foot three, slim, good posture, well-dressed, charming, and worldly, having traveled extensively when in the Navy, and then as companion to wealthy men, one of whom was from a country Tony referred to as “Pseudo Arabia.”
Perhaps Tony tired of ordinary free consensual sex and wanted forbidden thrills, which probably also explained the Marquis de Sade.
Tony and I were neighbors and friends for 26 years. We lived in the same deteriorating apartment building near 9th Avenue on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Occasionally he invited me to parties in his pad, or homes of other people. He was Puerto Rican and sometimes brought me Puerto Rican food that he or members of his family had prepared, because he knew I liked “comidas criollas”, since I’d been married once upon a time to a Cuban.
He never made a pass at me, although we were alone on numerous occasions. He even became friendly with one of my girlfriends, to whom he gave an expensive bicycle he no longer used. He told me she was “very much in love” with me, which came as a big surprise, and indicates how obtuse I was and probably still am.
Everyone in our eight-story building of over 100 apartments knew that Tony liked rough trade. Often we’d see them entering or leaving the building with him. Nobody ever complained because Tony was well-liked, and everyone was all too aware of his own or her own personal weaknesses. There were many visitors, sleepovers and unconventional living arrangements in that building of mostly unmarried people. And New Yorkers mind their own business.
Tony lived on the seventh floor of the building, I on the sixth. One evening I was home alone, reading, when I heard a commotion on the stairs next to my front door. It sounded like horses galloping down the stairs, then they were gone. I didn’t think much about it because many strange people lived in the building, including me, and many odd events had occurred within its walls over the years, a few perpetrated by me.
Next morning I learned that Tony had been beaten nearly to death by rough trade who also ransacked his apartment. He was found unconscious on the floor by his roommate, who also was gay but they weren’t lovers. His roommate had spent the night elsewhere. The tumult I heard on the stairs apparently was Tony’s assailants fleeing the scene of the crime.
When Tony returned home from the hospital, he looked like a different person, gaunt, traumatized, facial features altered by his horrific experience, far different from the usual nonchalant Tony I’d known.
When I finally spoke with him alone in his apartment, he explained that he’d been home alone watching tv, his roommate having gone out, when someone knocked on his door. Of course, one of the big no-nos in Manhattan was: “Never open your door without looking through the peephole first.” But Tony broke the rule, because he assumed it was one of his friends who lived in the building, so he opened the door without looking. Two big guys were there, and proceeded to beat him to a pulp.
Tony told me he’d never seen them before, but I and everyone else in the building never believed that scenario. We assumed that two of his rough trade sex partners returned to do a number on him, and he enthusiastically received them until firsts started flying. They never were apprehended, by the way.
Tony’s personality was changed totally by the experience. No longer was he charming, happy-go-lucky, immaculate in appearance, good storyteller and raconteur. Instead he became morose, shaved sloppily, dressed haphazardly, often smelled as if he’d pooped his pants. He seemed to have suffered brain damage, losing around 20 I.Q. points, quite different from the sharp thinker I remembered.
Previously he’d been talkative, now barely spoke at all. I didn’t know what to say to him. Conversation requires at least two participants. Gradually our friendship fizzled out. We said hello when passing on the sidewalk, or meeting in the elevator, but that was it.
Then I noticed something strange. Occasionally when I left the building, I noticed Tony across the street, gazing gloomily at the entrance to our building, or looking up at the window of his apartment seven stories high. I didn’t know what to make of it.
Then one day I rode the elevator down, the door opened and I stumbled into chaos in the lobby full of my tenant neighbors, One of the women, Gina, stark consternation on her face, said excitedly to me, “Tony just jumped out his window!”
I looked past her through the door window to a body sprawled on the pavement. Gina explained that she was cooking something in her kitchen, when she heard a loud slam outside. Her apartment window was on the first floor near the entrance.
Somebody already had called 911. I still needed to go somewhere, despite this real-life human tragedy. Which meant I had to walk past Tony. I opened the door and stepped outside. He was lying partially on his side, blood pooling around his smashed head, most horrible sight of my life. I was stunned, stared, felt sick, couldn’t believe my friend and neighbor Tony lay crumpled there.
I couldn’t simply stand and gawk, nothing I could do for him, so continued to my appointment, don’t remember what or where. When I returned later, Tony was gone. The super had tried to clean up the blood, but a stain remained.
I had difficulty accepting that Tony actually committed suicide, and wondered what he thought as he dropped to the cement. Was he glad that soon his pain would end? Or did he think perhaps he shouldn’t have jumped, but it was too late? What terrible anguish passed through his mind during those final seconds? He had been raised Roman Catholic, and surely knew that Holy Mother Church considered suicide a sin. Did he fear the eternal fires of hell? Or prefer them to the hell he was living through on earth?
I don’t know what the moral of this story should be. Perhaps we should be more careful about who we sleep with, because they might be monsters beneath their sexy exteriors.
I’ll aways miss Tony because he was essentially good, unusually kind, remarkably insightful and intellectually stimulating most of the time. I hope the Catholic God took into consideration Tony’s essential goodness, because we don’t ask for our sex drives, which often are very difficult to manage. They probably cause us more grief than anything else, except the deaths of people we love.
So rest in peace, Tony, wherever you are. Sorry I didn’t visit you in the hospital, but you know how obsessive I can be about my novels-in-progress.
Often I don’t realize how much certain people mean to me - until they’re gone.
Tony was one of the most civilized, generous, reasonable people I ever met. But he had one serious weakness which proved fatal. He liked rough trade.
“Rough trade” refers to violent underclass men. Tony picked them up in the Times Square district during that long-ago era before Times Square became a branch of Disney World.
I don’t know why Tony paid for sex, because he was good-looking, around six foot three, slim, good posture, well-dressed, charming, and worldly, having traveled extensively when in the Navy, and then as companion to wealthy men, one of whom was from a country Tony referred to as “Pseudo Arabia.”
Perhaps Tony tired of ordinary free consensual sex and wanted forbidden thrills, which probably also explained the Marquis de Sade.
Tony and I were neighbors and friends for 26 years. We lived in the same deteriorating apartment building near 9th Avenue on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Occasionally he invited me to parties in his pad, or homes of other people. He was Puerto Rican and sometimes brought me Puerto Rican food that he or members of his family had prepared, because he knew I liked “comidas criollas”, since I’d been married once upon a time to a Cuban.
He never made a pass at me, although we were alone on numerous occasions. He even became friendly with one of my girlfriends, to whom he gave an expensive bicycle he no longer used. He told me she was “very much in love” with me, which came as a big surprise, and indicates how obtuse I was and probably still am.
Everyone in our eight-story building of over 100 apartments knew that Tony liked rough trade. Often we’d see them entering or leaving the building with him. Nobody ever complained because Tony was well-liked, and everyone was all too aware of his own or her own personal weaknesses. There were many visitors, sleepovers and unconventional living arrangements in that building of mostly unmarried people. And New Yorkers mind their own business.
Tony lived on the seventh floor of the building, I on the sixth. One evening I was home alone, reading, when I heard a commotion on the stairs next to my front door. It sounded like horses galloping down the stairs, then they were gone. I didn’t think much about it because many strange people lived in the building, including me, and many odd events had occurred within its walls over the years, a few perpetrated by me.
Next morning I learned that Tony had been beaten nearly to death by rough trade who also ransacked his apartment. He was found unconscious on the floor by his roommate, who also was gay but they weren’t lovers. His roommate had spent the night elsewhere. The tumult I heard on the stairs apparently was Tony’s assailants fleeing the scene of the crime.
When Tony returned home from the hospital, he looked like a different person, gaunt, traumatized, facial features altered by his horrific experience, far different from the usual nonchalant Tony I’d known.
When I finally spoke with him alone in his apartment, he explained that he’d been home alone watching tv, his roommate having gone out, when someone knocked on his door. Of course, one of the big no-nos in Manhattan was: “Never open your door without looking through the peephole first.” But Tony broke the rule, because he assumed it was one of his friends who lived in the building, so he opened the door without looking. Two big guys were there, and proceeded to beat him to a pulp.
Tony told me he’d never seen them before, but I and everyone else in the building never believed that scenario. We assumed that two of his rough trade sex partners returned to do a number on him, and he enthusiastically received them until firsts started flying. They never were apprehended, by the way.
Tony’s personality was changed totally by the experience. No longer was he charming, happy-go-lucky, immaculate in appearance, good storyteller and raconteur. Instead he became morose, shaved sloppily, dressed haphazardly, often smelled as if he’d pooped his pants. He seemed to have suffered brain damage, losing around 20 I.Q. points, quite different from the sharp thinker I remembered.
Previously he’d been talkative, now barely spoke at all. I didn’t know what to say to him. Conversation requires at least two participants. Gradually our friendship fizzled out. We said hello when passing on the sidewalk, or meeting in the elevator, but that was it.
Then I noticed something strange. Occasionally when I left the building, I noticed Tony across the street, gazing gloomily at the entrance to our building, or looking up at the window of his apartment seven stories high. I didn’t know what to make of it.
Then one day I rode the elevator down, the door opened and I stumbled into chaos in the lobby full of my tenant neighbors, One of the women, Gina, stark consternation on her face, said excitedly to me, “Tony just jumped out his window!”
I looked past her through the door window to a body sprawled on the pavement. Gina explained that she was cooking something in her kitchen, when she heard a loud slam outside. Her apartment window was on the first floor near the entrance.
Somebody already had called 911. I still needed to go somewhere, despite this real-life human tragedy. Which meant I had to walk past Tony. I opened the door and stepped outside. He was lying partially on his side, blood pooling around his smashed head, most horrible sight of my life. I was stunned, stared, felt sick, couldn’t believe my friend and neighbor Tony lay crumpled there.
I couldn’t simply stand and gawk, nothing I could do for him, so continued to my appointment, don’t remember what or where. When I returned later, Tony was gone. The super had tried to clean up the blood, but a stain remained.
I had difficulty accepting that Tony actually committed suicide, and wondered what he thought as he dropped to the cement. Was he glad that soon his pain would end? Or did he think perhaps he shouldn’t have jumped, but it was too late? What terrible anguish passed through his mind during those final seconds? He had been raised Roman Catholic, and surely knew that Holy Mother Church considered suicide a sin. Did he fear the eternal fires of hell? Or prefer them to the hell he was living through on earth?
I don’t know what the moral of this story should be. Perhaps we should be more careful about who we sleep with, because they might be monsters beneath their sexy exteriors.
I’ll aways miss Tony because he was essentially good, unusually kind, remarkably insightful and intellectually stimulating most of the time. I hope the Catholic God took into consideration Tony’s essential goodness, because we don’t ask for our sex drives, which often are very difficult to manage. They probably cause us more grief than anything else, except the deaths of people we love.
So rest in peace, Tony, wherever you are. Sorry I didn’t visit you in the hospital, but you know how obsessive I can be about my novels-in-progress.
Often I don’t realize how much certain people mean to me - until they’re gone.
Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
A savage ambush...twenty men slaughtered in a brutal massacre...a fortune in gold stolen! This was a crime big enough and bold enough to bring the Outlaw Ranger to the wide-open settlement of Cemetery Butte, where a powerful mining tycoon rode roughshod over any who dared to oppose him. But even that atrocity doesn't prepare G.W. Braddock for the evil that awaits him, stretching bloody hands out of the past.
Gritty, compelling, and packed with action, the saga of the Outlaw Ranger continues in BLOOD AND GOLD, the third exciting installment in this series from bestselling author James Reasoner.
Blood and Gold (Outlaw...
Shop now on Kindle
Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
A savage ambush...twenty men slaughtered in a brutal massacre...a fortune in gold stolen! This was a crime big enough and bold enough to bring the Outlaw Ranger to the wide-open settlement of Cemetery Butte, where a powerful mining tycoon rode roughshod over any who dared to oppose him. But even that atrocity doesn't prepare G.W. Braddock for the evil that awaits him, stretching bloody hands out of the past.
Gritty, compelling, and packed with action, the saga of the Outlaw Ranger continues in BLOOD AND GOLD, the third exciting installment in this series from bestselling author James Reasoner.
Blood and Gold (Outlaw...
Shop now on Kindle
Forgiving Judas poetry by Tom Piccirilli
Reviewers are saying that these are Tom's most personal poems yet
dealing with mortality, the loss of longtime friends and the existential
traps everyday existence.
Why I write poetry by Tom PiccirilliPoetry is like writing 10 sentence short stories. They are self-contained screams of self-indulgence. When the writing is good its faster--much faster than prose--and sometimes you just need that speed to capture the essence of what you're trying to say. Metaphor isn't frowned against and rhyme and meter are easily sidestepped, if you so choose.
available exclusivey from crossroads press
January 29, 2015
Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
Now Available for Pre-Order: Outlaw Ranger #3: Blood and Gold - James Reasoner
A savage ambush...twenty men slaughtered in a brutal massacre...a fortune in gold stolen! This was a crime big enough and bold enough to bring the Outlaw Ranger to the wide-open settlement of Cemetery Butte, where a powerful mining tycoon rode roughshod over any who dared to oppose him. But even that atrocity doesn't prepare G.W. Braddock for the evil that awaits him, stretching bloody hands out of the past.
Gritty, compelling, and packed with action, the saga of the Outlaw Ranger continues in BLOOD AND GOLD, the third exciting installment in this series from bestselling author James Reasoner.
Blood and Gold (Outlaw...
Shop now
Tom Piccirilli's poetry
[image error] [image error]
Reviewers are saying that these are Tom's most personal poems yet
dealing with mortality, the loss of longtime friends and the existential
traps everyday existence.
Why I write poetry by Tom PiccirilliPoetry is like writing 10 sentence short stories. They are self-contained screams of self-indulgence. When the writing is good its faster--much faster than prose--and sometimes you just need that speed to capture the essence of what you're trying to say. Metaphor isn't frowned against and rhyme and meter are easily sidestepped, if you so choose.
available exclusivey from crossroads press
Book Bargain of the Day! THE COZY MYSTERY BUNDLE
Book Bargain of the Day!(lifted from Bill Criders blog)
THE COZY MYSTERY BUNDLE
Curated by Patricia Lee Macomber
I can think of no better cure for the winter blues than curling up with a good book. In that vein, here are fourteen great books by nine great authors. This Cozy Mystery Bundle offers a variety of books to appeal to a broad range of readers, each of them hand-picked by me. And as always, you decide the price you pay. And please keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.
Here there are happy characters and dark, humor and suspense. You can get a good dose of ah-ha moments and a few prickles of fear. The bundle includes my own book, Murder, Sometimes, the first book in the Jason Callahan supernatural mystery series. It also includes books by perennial favorites, Bill Crider and Ed Gorman, as well as some new and rising stars. There are two boxed sets included in this bundle, as well, bringing the total number of books to fourteen.
This bundle only runs for three weeks, so you'd better get 'em while they're hot. There is no better way to give the gift of reading to your friends, too. The first five books are available for the nominal price of $5 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) and for $14 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) you will receive the four bonus books. – Patricia Lee Macomber
The initial titles in the bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:
A Minor Case of Murder by Jeff MarkowitzDeadly Blessings by Julie HyzyThe Kewpie Killer by Falafel JonesLexy Baker Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set 1-4 by Leighann DobbsMurder, Sometimes by Patricia Lee MacomberIf you pay more than the bonus price of just $14, you'll get another four books:
One Dead Dean by Bill CriderThe McKinleys Mystery Series Boxed Set 1-3 by Carolyn ArnoldNew Improved Murder by Ed GormanDeath is a Cabaret by Deborah MorganThe bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!
It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We're currently featuring Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now.
Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you're you're getting fourteen total books (which includes two boxed sets)! StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com , Tweet us at @storybundle, Like us on Facebook, and Plus us on Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.
THE COZY MYSTERY BUNDLE
Curated by Patricia Lee Macomber
I can think of no better cure for the winter blues than curling up with a good book. In that vein, here are fourteen great books by nine great authors. This Cozy Mystery Bundle offers a variety of books to appeal to a broad range of readers, each of them hand-picked by me. And as always, you decide the price you pay. And please keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.
Here there are happy characters and dark, humor and suspense. You can get a good dose of ah-ha moments and a few prickles of fear. The bundle includes my own book, Murder, Sometimes, the first book in the Jason Callahan supernatural mystery series. It also includes books by perennial favorites, Bill Crider and Ed Gorman, as well as some new and rising stars. There are two boxed sets included in this bundle, as well, bringing the total number of books to fourteen.
This bundle only runs for three weeks, so you'd better get 'em while they're hot. There is no better way to give the gift of reading to your friends, too. The first five books are available for the nominal price of $5 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) and for $14 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) you will receive the four bonus books. – Patricia Lee Macomber
The initial titles in the bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:
A Minor Case of Murder by Jeff MarkowitzDeadly Blessings by Julie HyzyThe Kewpie Killer by Falafel JonesLexy Baker Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set 1-4 by Leighann DobbsMurder, Sometimes by Patricia Lee MacomberIf you pay more than the bonus price of just $14, you'll get another four books:
One Dead Dean by Bill CriderThe McKinleys Mystery Series Boxed Set 1-3 by Carolyn ArnoldNew Improved Murder by Ed GormanDeath is a Cabaret by Deborah MorganThe bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!
It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We're currently featuring Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now.
Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you're you're getting fourteen total books (which includes two boxed sets)! StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com , Tweet us at @storybundle, Like us on Facebook, and Plus us on Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.
LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS WITH BRAND NEW NOVEL!
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LAWRENCE BLOCK RETURNS WITH BRAND NEW NOVEL!
Hard Case Crime to Publish THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYES New York, NY; London, UK (January 28, 2015) – Lawrence Block, the acclaimed author of more than 100 novels including A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (recently adapted as a feature film starring Liam Neeson), will publish a brand new novel in 2015 through Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of vintage-style crime fiction from editor Charles Ardai and publisher Titan Books. THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYES tells the story of a former New York police officer, now working as a private eye in Florida, who gets drawn into the web of a local wife who’s looking for a hit man to help her become a widow. Block has described the book as “a down-and-dirty noir thriller, characterized by my Hollywood agent as ‘James M. Cain on Viagra.’ ”
The novel, which will be published in hardcover in September 2015, is Block’s eleventh with Hard Case Crime. The previous ten include Hard Case Crime’s very first book, GRIFTER’S GAME; the erotic suspense novel GETTING OFF; the bestselling movie tie-in edition of A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES; and the classic noir con-man novel THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART. For more than a decade, Block has consistently been one of Hard Case Crime’s most popular authors, in addition to being perhaps the most highly decorated crime writer alive. Among many other honors, Block has won the Edgar Allan Poe Award multiple times and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, the organization’s highest recognition (previous Grand Masters have included Agatha Christie, Graham Greene, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, and James M. Cain).
“Lawrence Block is, hands down, my favorite crime writer, and it is a privilege to publish his new novel,” said Charles Ardai. “This is a dark, violent, steamy, disturbing story about a pair of characters who will haunt you long after the book ends.”
About Hard Case Crime Called “the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade” by Neal Pollack in The Stranger, Hard Case Crime has been nominated for and/or won numerous honors since its inception including the Edgar, the Shamus, the Anthony, the Barry, and the Spinetingler Award. The series’ books have been adapted for television and film, with two features currently in development at Universal Pictures, a TV series based on Max Allan Collins’ Quarry novels in development by Cinemax, and the TV series Haven in its fifth season on SyFy. Recent Hard Case Crime titles include Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller, Joyland; James M. Cain’s lost final novel, The Cocktail Waitress; eight lost novels written by Michael Crichton under the pseudonym “John Lange”; and Brainquake, the final novel of writer/filmmaker Samuel New Novel by Lawrence Block 2 Fuller. Hard Case Crime is published through a collaboration between Winterfall LLC and Titan Publishing Group. www.hardcasecrime.com
About Titan Publishing Group Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981, comprising three divisions: Titan Books, Titan Magazines/Comics and Titan Merchandise. Titan Books, nominated as Independent Publisher of the Year 2011, has a rapidly growing fiction list encompassing original fiction and reissues, primarily in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk and crime. Recent crime and thriller acquisitions include Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins’ all-new Mike Hammer novels, the Matt Helm series by Donald Hamilton, and the entire backlist of the Queen of Spy Writers, Helen MacInnes. Titan Books also has an extensive line of media- and pop culture-related non-fiction, graphic novels, and art and music books. The company is based at offices in London, but operates worldwide, with sales and distribution in the U.S. and Canada being handled by Random House.
POSTED BY ED GORMAN AT 7:01 AM NO COMMENTS: LINKS TO THIS POST
January 28, 2015
Attention duffer sf fans: There's now a teleporter
German scientists invent teleporter that can ‘beam’ simple objects to another locationEd here: The first I ever heard of teleportation was in a mid-50s sf novel by Gordon Dickson. Now look. It's a start anyway.
THE GUARDIAN
23 JAN 2015 AT 10:04 ET FacebookTwitterMore
Scotty allows teleporting inanimate physical objects across distance (Screenshot)DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY!Teleportation has been the holy grail of transport for decades, ever since Mr Scott first beamed up Captain Kirk and his crew in the 1966 opening episode of Star Trek. Now the technology may have been cracked in real life … sort of.Scientists from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam have invented a real-life teleporter system that can scan in an object and “beam it” to another location.Not quite the dematerialisation and reconstruction of science fiction, the system relies on destructive scanning and 3D printing.An object at one end of the system is milled down layer-by-layer, creating a scan per layer which is then transmitted through an encrypted communication to a 3D printer. The printer then replicates the original object layer by layer, effectively teleporting an object from one place to another.“We present a simple self-contained appliance that allows relocating inanimate physical objects across distance,” said the six person team in a paper submitted for the Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction conference at Stanford University. “Users place an object into the sender unit, enter the address of a receiver unit, and press the relocate button.”The system dubbed “Scotty” in homage to the Enterprise’s much beleaguered chief engineer, differs from previous systems that merely copy physical object as its layer-by-layer deconstruction and encrypted transmission ensures that only one copy of the object exists at any one time, according to the scientists.Real-world applications are pretty short for this kind of destruction and reconstruction. But the encryption, transmission and 3D printing objects could be key for companies wishing to sell goods via home 3D printers, ensuring only one copy could be made per purchase – effectively digital rights management for 3D printed objects.Those looking to cut their commute by simply beaming into the office will have to wait at least another decade or two.• Hey, McFly! Hoverboard available on Kickstarter for $10,000
THE GUARDIAN
23 JAN 2015 AT 10:04 ET FacebookTwitterMore
Scotty allows teleporting inanimate physical objects across distance (Screenshot)DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY!Teleportation has been the holy grail of transport for decades, ever since Mr Scott first beamed up Captain Kirk and his crew in the 1966 opening episode of Star Trek. Now the technology may have been cracked in real life … sort of.Scientists from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam have invented a real-life teleporter system that can scan in an object and “beam it” to another location.Not quite the dematerialisation and reconstruction of science fiction, the system relies on destructive scanning and 3D printing.An object at one end of the system is milled down layer-by-layer, creating a scan per layer which is then transmitted through an encrypted communication to a 3D printer. The printer then replicates the original object layer by layer, effectively teleporting an object from one place to another.“We present a simple self-contained appliance that allows relocating inanimate physical objects across distance,” said the six person team in a paper submitted for the Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction conference at Stanford University. “Users place an object into the sender unit, enter the address of a receiver unit, and press the relocate button.”The system dubbed “Scotty” in homage to the Enterprise’s much beleaguered chief engineer, differs from previous systems that merely copy physical object as its layer-by-layer deconstruction and encrypted transmission ensures that only one copy of the object exists at any one time, according to the scientists.Real-world applications are pretty short for this kind of destruction and reconstruction. But the encryption, transmission and 3D printing objects could be key for companies wishing to sell goods via home 3D printers, ensuring only one copy could be made per purchase – effectively digital rights management for 3D printed objects.Those looking to cut their commute by simply beaming into the office will have to wait at least another decade or two.• Hey, McFly! Hoverboard available on Kickstarter for $10,000
January 25, 2015
CALL ME HAZARD by Frank Wynne (Brian Garfield)
Jason Hazard is a hard case. He isn’t a bad man, nor is he the type who looks for trouble, but nonetheless he is hard, silent, and (when he needs to be) violent. He is also a mystery—the people around him respect and admire him, but Hazard always holds back. When he left his successful mine, and the town of Stinking Springs, Arizona, he didn’t tell many why. He just left and there were a few who took exception to his absence.
Hazard is back in Stinking Springs, but he doesn’t find a warm welcome. There is a new mine owner in town. A man named Vic Olsen who has a long history with Jason—it goes back to their teenage years—and his major ambition in life is ruining Jason’s. The other major mine owners in town are all having trouble too. The place seems jinxed. There have been an abundance of cave-ins and payroll robberies, and most of the owners are contemplating selling out and moving on.
The foreman of the largest operation has gone missing and the local law—a tiny man named Owney Nash, who is owned by the new player—thinks Hazard did it. Hazard hasn’t seen the foreman since he left years earlier, but as he walks into Stinking Springs all hell breaks loose and he will need the few friends he has left in town to survive.
Call Me Hazard is an early example of Garfield’s work. His trademarks are all there—the tight and controlled suspense, the crisp dialogue and competent and literate writing—but it isn’t as sharp or developed as his later work. The story is larger than the space allowed. The plot is tricky and Garfield does well at packing it in to 126 pages, but it would have worked better with more room and run time.
With that said, Call Me Hazard is really entertaining. It is a traditional Western with everything from hired guns, to nefariously beautiful women, and cold-blooded murder. It even has a few humorous names, of which Hazard and Stinking Springs are only two. The lead is a stolid and quiet man who isn’t a hired gun or even a loner. He left Stinking Springs for a reason and everyone who knows why he left is more than glad to see him back.
There is one particular scene—the first major showdown between the protagonist and the villain—that is as suspenseful as any scene in a successful suspense novel, which is Brian Garfield’s calling card. His work, no matter the genre, is plotted to ratchet the suspense from scene-to-scene and Call Me Hazard is no different. It is early and a little too short, but it is all entertainment and a fine example of how good—even at the age of 27—Brian Garfield is.
This post originally went live August 26, 2009 in, with a few minor exceptions, the same form.
Libby Fischer Hellmann My brush with The Imitation Game
My brush with The Imitation Game
If you're like me, in addition to a reading addiction, you probably l
ove films. Maybe you've seen The Imitation Game?
(It got 8 Oscar nominations!)
Part of the film was shot at Bletchley Park, which is the UK’s
Government Code and Cypher School -- you know...
code-breaking and espionage, which is right in my wheel house.
I visited Bletchley Park over the holidays and wrote several blog
posts about it. If you want to start with the scenes in
The Imitation Game , head here. If you want to start
at the beginning and work your way through the series of
posts (6 of them), head here. Did you catch Second Sunday?
Last time I mentioned that I now have a radio show
called Second Sunday Crime.
My charming guest was award-winning author
William Kent Krueger. Once you get past the little hiccup
in the beginning -- still learning the ropes, don't you know --
I think you'll really enjoy it. You can catch the podcast here.
Mark your calendar for the next show on February 8 when
I interview British thriller author Zoe Sharp . She’s coming
across the pond to be the International Guest of Honor at the
Love is Murder Conference. Zoe writes about Charlie
Fox, an ex-military woman who now does “close protection.”
I highly recommend her thrillers.
Now 99 cents on Kindle and others An Image of Death On Sale Now!
An Image of Death On Sale Now!An Image of Death On Sale Now!
I always want you to be in the know when one of my
books goes on sale. This book holds a special place in
my heart because it's a crossover novel that has both
Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis. It's the third
(and my favorite) thriller in the Ellie Foreman series.
In it, a videotape showing the murder of a young
woman is dropped on Ellie’s doorstep one winter night.
She and Georgia end up looking into the crime,
and find out some things they probably wished
they didn’t know about the Russian Mafia, diamond dealing
, and the repercussions of the USSR’s collapse.
BTW, because of the characters,
you could call An Image of Death a prequel to Nobody’s Child.
Get this novel at the very special price (75% off!) of 99¢ here. LibbyPlease add my email address to your safe sender list so my emails don't get trapped in the netherworld of your spam box.Latest Articles from my blog
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Ed Gorman's Blog
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Ed Gorman isn't a Goodreads Author
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do have a blog,
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