Thomas Pluck's Blog, page 31

Denny the Dent: 5 Tales of Street Justice

Out now and headed your way…

“I’m not smart, but I listen good.“

“When God judges me, I’ll beat his ass for making this hateful world.”

Denny “the Dent” Forrest is six foot five, three-fifty, and born with a dent in the side of his head that makes everyone he meets think he is just big and stupid. He can lift a truck off a trapped child… or twist a man’s head clean off with his bare hands. In these five tales of urban noir, the baddest men on the streets of Newark just won’t let Denny and his friends be. He may not know a lot, but he knows right from wrong… and how to make wrong right with his two big hands.

“I fell in love with Denny, scars and all.” –Pankhearst Review

The first five Denny the Dent stories are collected in Denny the Dent: 5 Tales of Street Justice

Legacy of Brutality: Denny just wants to pump iron at the gym. When a trainer’s boyfriend thinks she’s sweet on big Denny, he starts all sorts of trouble.

Rain Dog: On a run through Newark’s Weequahic park, there’s no telling what you’ll find. Denny finds trouble, and ends it the only way he knows how.

Junkyard Dog: When Denny’s scrap hauling buddy’s pitbull puppy is taken by a dogfighting ring, he must save it before it’s tore up and taught to live on pain, just like Denny was.

Garbage Man: In his biggest adventure yet, Denny fights gangbangers and cops to save do-gooder neighbors from themselves.

Train: A woman from Denny’s past shakes his world, and he learns there are some things you can never set right.

Available for:

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle (all other countries)

Barnes & Noble Nook

Kobo e-readers (soon)

 

Tagged: Conrad Teves, Denny the Dent, newark

Don Kenn’s Sticky Note Nightmares

These are Post-It Monsters. Or Sticky Monsters, after the trademark dispute. John Kenn draws them on sticky notes. Someday I will own one of these tiny monstrosities. He is boundlessly creative, and I adore his Ed Gorey and Gahan Wilson-inspired nightmares. Click the image to go to his website and see many more.

Tagged: Don Kenn, Edward Gorey, Gahan Wilson, John Kenn Mortensen

Interview at MysteryPeople

I was interviewed by the one and only Scott Montgomery, bookseller extraordinaire, for MysteryPeople.

We talk pulp novels, martial arts, World War II, favorite authors, and gumbo…

Tagged: Blade of Dishonor, Interviews, MysteryPeople, Scott Montgomery

Belly Up to the Bar with Holly West, author of Mistress of Fortune

Welcome to Sally MacLennane’s, my virtual pub. It’s cozy but there’s always room for one more, and the spacious cellar contains every libation imaginable, along with crates filled with treasures undreamed of, a couple of lime pits we don’t talk about, and an obese mouse-chaser named CatLoaf. Take any seat you like, except that one on the end, with the scally cap on it. Fellow everyone called Church, short for Church-on-Fire, always took that seat. Until one night he raised a pint to toast and keeled right over on his back, curled up like a sprayed cockroach. We call it the Death Seat, and leave it empty in his honor. Not saying you’ll get a visit from Mr. D if you sit in it, but Caesar the bartender is liable to wallop you one with the billy club he keeps under the register…

Our guest of honor today is Holly West, author of MISTRESS OF FORTUNE. She’s had stories published in Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Shotgun Honey, and in the Feeding Kate charity anthology. She also writes about crime fiction at Do Some Damage. Let’s get the blurbery out of the way:

Lady Isabel Wilde, a mistress to King Charles II, has a secret: she makes her living disguised as Mistress Ruby, a fortune-teller who caters to London’s elite. It’s a dangerous life among the charlatans, rogues and swindlers who lurk in the city’s dark corners, and when a magistrate comes to her seeking advice about a plot to kill the king, both her worlds collide in a tale of lust, political intrigue, and brutal murder.

Welcome to Belly up to the Bar, Holly. I’m having a Sazerac, made with Whistle Pig rye. What can I get you?

 

 

 

3 oz Whistle Pig Rye whiskey
½ oz simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
½ oz absinthe
Coat the glass with absinthe, pour out the excess. Shake first four ingredients in a shaker and strain into glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

I’ll take a Belvedere martini, straight up, with a twist.

 

 

 

 

2 oz Belvedere Unfiltered
¼ oz Vya dry vermouth
Stir over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist

Historical mystery usually isn’t the kind of book I pick up, but I had a hard time putting this one down. It’s a hardboiled story, and puts us in the muddy ruts of the London streets more often than the gilded rooms of the royal court. And you know your 17th century England damn well. I felt immediately drawn into Isabel’s world. What drove you to write a story during this particular time?

 

 

First of all, I like that you call Mistress of Fortune “hardboiled.” I was absolutely going for that tone. As for writing a historical in the first place, when I was a teenager, I read a romance called Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor. It was published in 1944 and portrays Restoration London (circa 1660-66) so vividly that it transfixed me. I’m not saying it’s the best novel ever written (it was, however, a huge bestseller at the time), but when you’re fifteen and dreaming of being a writer, books like that stay with you. From then on I studied Stuart London voraciously, collecting reference books, reading everything I could about the time period. Funny enough, I’m not all that interested in English history in general, but I’m fairly obsessed with Restoration England and King Charles II in particular. You never forget your first love, I guess.

 

You have a gift for character. My grandfather swam over from Ireland, and I’ve always had a bit of a chip of my shoulder against the British Empire. And yet I loved your portrayal of King Charles. He was incredibly human, and you made him very sympathetic with how precariously the crown was balanced on his balding head. But it was Isabel and her partner in crime Sam who captivated most. Tell us of her background, how she came to be a king’s mistress and where the inspiration for her came from.

 

Why thank you, sir! I appreciate the compliment. I’ve had a crush on King Charles II since I was fifteen years old, so by the time I started writing him at age 40, he was a pretty well formed in my mind. He was always destined to be a character in one of my novels, but coming up with Isabel Wilde was a bit more difficult. At first, all I knew was one thing—she’d be Charles’s mistress. Then I learned about Aphra Behn, a successful female playwright of the time (it’s no accident that Lucian, Isabel’s brother, is himself a playwright). Behn worked as a spy for England during her youth and as a result of her service to the Crown, incurred a large debt that Parliament subsequently refused to pay. She spent a period of time in debtor’s prison. I incorporated these details into Isabel Wilde’s back story and used them to explain her unusual choice of profession; determined never to return to prison and unwilling to take on the more typical roles—wife, prostitute, chambermaid—available to women at the time, she convinces a notorious London astrologer to teach her the soothsaying trade.

 

I think some readers overlook historical fiction because they forget that we’re actually living in the most peaceful of eras, as disturbing as that can be to believe. Human history is a blood trail from the Lascaux caves to the mechanized slaughter of the 20th century. What was your approach to writing a historical mystery?

 

The one thing I tried to keep in mind when I was writing Mistress of Fortune was that these characters, despite living 350+ years ago, were human. I think the tendency (at least it’s my tendency) when reading/writing historicals is to kind of skim over the fact that people had the same hopes, fears, ambitions, et cetera, that contemporary humans have. Their sensibilities might have been a bit rougher (for example, their attitudes toward capital punishment or their willingness to display the pickled heads of their enemies on stakes at the entrance of the city wall) but by and large, they were much more like us than not. And I tried to infuse this into my characters, their essential humanness.

 

Mmm… pickled heads. Would you settle for an egg, from the jar? No, don’t. It’s been there since before we were born! You have a strong voice writing as Lady Wilde, and one all your own. But who would you say are your influences?

 

Kathleen Winsor and Philippa Gregory for historical fiction. David Liss for historical crime fiction. For mysteries & crime fiction in general, Lawrence Block, Sue Grafton and Tana French (there are so many more, but these are some of the biggest). I love true crime and hope to write one some day. In this, Erik Larson and Truman Capote are my biggest influences. Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk and The Secret History by Donna Tartt are two of the best novels I’ve ever read, and finally, I’ve got to give props to Judy Blume because her books inspired me to want to write in the first place.

 

Judy is a favorite of mine, too. And of course Lawrence Block, who sat in that booth for an interview, himself. Tana French simply stuns me with her stories. And you’re the second friend to recommend The Secret History, so it’s now on my list. You had my mouth watering with the descriptions of spiced ales and roasted oysters. We’ve had some great meals at mystery conventions, but what would you choose as your death row meal?

I’d choose a medium-spiced lamb korma (a risky choice, I know, given that I’m in prison) with garlic naan and a large Taj Mahal beer.

 

 

 

 

I love vindaloo myself, but my wife is a regular korma chameleon. They’d hang me for that joke in Stuart-era London, wouldn’t they? You have a background as a jewelry designer, like Lady Wilde’s brother Adam. Can you see yourself writing craft cozies around that particular subject? (No slight meant, you’re sitting in a bar that will feature in a “cozy” of sorts.) If not, what’s next on your plate?

 

 

I’ve no plan to write cozies on any subject, although the goldsmithing trade is the focus of my next book, Mistress of Lies. That said, if a good idea cropped up, I’d try my hand at a cozy, why not? Mistress of Lies is scheduled to be published by Carina Press in Fall 2014. I’m also working on another historical crime novel, this one set in post-WWII Philadelphia and featuring a large, Irish-American family.

I look forward to them both. Thank you for dropping by, Holly. MISTRESS OF FORTUNE will be released by Carina Press on February 3rd. Readers can pre-order it for Kindle, Nook, and for Kobo via many independent bookstores.

Tagged: Holly West, Interviews, Mistress of Fortune, mystery

Urban Renewal – the return of Cross and Crew!

Urban Renewal – the return of Cross and Crew!

Characters that pop off the page, but behave like a real outlaw family in the ice cold criminal heart of Chicago, this is modern pulp at its best. Princess was born in a cage and never starts a fight… but ends one with a one-man war. Buddha is as laser-accurate with a pistol as he is behind the wheel of their armored street rod. Rhino is a walking man mountain, Ace an assassin with a sawed-off so short it might as well be a hand grenade… Tiger, as beautiful and deadly as the beast whose name she takes, and Cross, a walking set of crosshairs that you never want to find aimed at you. They’re carving themselves a home, and anyone who gets in their way is landfill…

And Andrew Vachss donated his new author photo to PROTECT, so they get paid for the licensing. A great idea to keep revenue streaming to a great cause.

Tagged: Andrew Vachss, Cross and Crew

The view from my writing desk this morning.

True Detective, episode two: “Seeing Things.”

True Detective, episode two: “Seeing Things.”

I’m greatly enjoying the new HBO series True Detective, by Southern gothic / crime writer Nic Pizzolatto. Here’s my take on episode two, which airs tomorrow. I also picked up Nic’s short story collection Between Here and the Yellow Sea, after the opening story, “Ghost Birds,” grabbed me. His novel Galveston sounds like a winner as well.

Tagged: Criminal Element, Louisiana, Noir, Television, True Detective

My story “Gumbo Weather” at Crime Fiction Friday

“The daily sun shower speckled the windshield with diamonds.”

My story “Gumbo Weather” is featured in Crime Fiction Friday at MysteryPeople.

This is the first Jay Desmarteaux story, and I am working on a final round of edits of his first novel. The story first appeared in Needle: A Magazine of Noir, and is also available in Steel Heart: Ten Tales of Crime & Suspense, along with another Jay story, “Kamikaze Death Burgers at the Ghost Town Cafe.”

Steel Heart: 10 Tales of Crime and Suspense  is available at the following e-book retailers: Kobo, through Watchung Booksellers or BookPeople; Amazon for Kindle; Barnes & Noble for Nook; Smashwords, in many formats, including to read online, and Apple iPad.

Tagged: Crime Fiction Friday, Jay Desmarteaux, MysteryPeople, Needle: A Magazine of Noir

Goodbye, CatLoaf

My not-so-little arm warmer succumbed to kidney disease yesterday. When we adopted him from an acquaintance, she said his name was Shadow. We called him CatLoaf. We quickly surmised that he was called ‘Shadow’  not for his dark fur but for his preferred loafing spot, behind you in direct opposition to the sun. When he wasn’t desperately attempting to sneak underfoot, he would sit on the couch behind your head and give you a scalp massage whether you wanted it or not, find devious ways to climb on the table and sit on your hand or stuff his entire head into a drinking glass like a feline Jerry Lewis, or knead the pillow by your head and purr in your ear.

CatLoaf needed to be within three feet of a human at all times, but not touched by one. He was a feline electron, negatively charged, in a rigid orbit around you. Petting was okay, sometimes. Holding was forbidden. He never achieved his dream of living inside our refrigerator, sleeping on Firecracker’s keyboard, or climbing on top of my head while I used the toilet, but he never quit trying. His last days were spent loafing, getting stroked, and eating treats and drinking tuna water when he could keep it down.

He was a friendly cat who would approach any stranger without an inkling of fear, only an expression of deep curiosity and comradeship. He would let you pet him, and when he had enough, he would tell you in his way, which was by nipping the tender skin between your fingers. The only things he ever ran from were his nemesis and nap buddy Charlie Crookedpaw, our rescued Siamese, and his own droppings, which when caught in the fur of his prodigious hindquarters must have felt like the very jaws of death snapping at his empty scrotum. I have wrestled 300lb athletes to submission, but was not able to hold CatLoaf still for more than a few moments during his prime. He would rather die than give you control. And he was of course, black as your soul.

He was a companion that grew on you, and stepped on you, sat on you, leaned on you, sneezed on you, and occasionally hawked hairballs on your shoes, bed, and clothing, but over the years he became a beloved part of our lives, and we will miss him terribly. But not his breath. No, not his breath, which fellow cat-lover H.P. Lovecraft would tenderly describe as more wretchedly unwholesome than the fetid emissions of Azathoth’s hindmost parts.

Goodbye, sweet CatLoaf. We made you happy for a time, and you returned the favor.

Tagged: CatLoaf, Cats, death, H.P. Lovecraft, Photos

Bury *this* Hatchet

When I mention Bury the Hatchet- my work in progress- this is the hatchet I’m talking about. Peter Lagana made these in the ’60s and hoped to get the military to make them standard issue, and they were tested with Green Berets and other units. He sold 4000 to soldiers overseas and deploying to Vietnam, as a multi-use fighting weapon, utility hatchet, and entrenchment tool.

Tagged: Bury the Hatchet, Vietnam War