Alistair Kimble's Blog, page 2

Links To Recent Interviews/Q&As/Newsletters, etc.

Eric Flint and I participated in a couple of interviews as well as a Reddit AMA in September supporting the September 5th release of Iron Angels--the urban fantasy detective novel we co-wrote.

The Baen Free Radio Hour, September 15, 2017: Podcast-- Eric Flint and Alistair Kimble discuss their new urban fantasy novel Iron Angels, in which a team of FBI agents are hot on the trail of a mysterious cult that performs human sacrifices, a second cult that opposes the first, and an ancient evil from...

Some Modern Crime Novels & Writers

I attempted to write this the other day, and failed--well, the computer failed me and I failed me by not saving more often. Oh, well. Here we go again:

Here are some modern crime novels & writers I've enjoyed reading and learning from. Modern, as defined by me is anything from 1970 to the present. Why 1970? I was born that year and therefore that is modern. You're welcome to your definition of course, but that's mine!

Two things made me think of writing this post, the first being the recent rel...

It? If You Want Clowns...

Try Killer Klowns From Outer Space! I was hanging out at a friend's place back in the late '80s and we stumbled upon Killer Klowns one day while flipping through the channels and we couldn't stop watching.

Why? Well, the film was crazy. It was funny. It was scary. It was goofy. The Klowns in this film are wait for it...from outer space! They travel around in a spaceship that looks like a giant circus tent! Arnold thought the Predator was one ugly mother&*!$%@, but these Klowns are hideous. M...

Live Albums?

Maybe I've just aged myself, but the word album means different things to different people and age groups.

For me an album is a slab of wax, a piece of vinyl, or extended to the music itself, a grouping of songs or pieces put together as to make a whole. Albums were released by artists as a whole (sure, there'd be singles from the album) with each track placed specifically on the album.

Live music isn't any different. When putting together a live show for an album or a concert, the band tries t...

Fan Of Genre Since 1975

I was five years old in March of '75. Yes, I've been a fan since then, only I didn't come to that conclusion until recently. I'd always thought '77 was the year I became I fan. Do I need to spell out what franchise debuted in 1977? Didn't think so.

What made me think of writing this was an author interview I participated in over on the mylifemybooksmyescape blog. I brought up Kolchak: The Night Stalker as one of the influences for the novel Iron Angels, which I co-wrote with the wonderful Eric...

Islay Scotch Whisky

It has come to my attention that I drink a decent amount (better than an indecent amount I'm told) of scotch. I do not live on scotch alone, oh no, I do imbibe other liquids. Yes, yes, water, of course--and a lot of it--I learned my lesson when I was stationed in the Mojave Desert back in my Navy days (yes, the Navy in the desert) when all I drank was soft drinks. Yuck.  I also enjoy champagne (as much as I enjoy scotch, actually), and wine, and gin, and bourbon, and even whiskey with an e on...

Publishers Weekly Top 10 SF, Fantasy & Horror for Fall of 2017

Iron Angels, the urban fantasy/police procedural I wrote with Eric Flint has been chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of its top 10 picks for fall 2017 in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror category! Iron Angels will be released as a hardcover on 9/5/2017 from Baen Books.

Here is a link to the web-based article:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/74069-fall-2017-announcements-sf-fantasy-horror.html

In the digital and print editions of Publish...

My 2017 Concert Schedule Won't Help My Tinnitus

I'm attending quite a few concerts in 2017. Most people probably figure me for loving Sinatra and big band style music (and they'd be right), however, I have pretty broad tastes when it comes to music.

Tinnitus: I do have a constant high-pitched tone in both ears (probably from being around jet aircraft in the Navy on a daily basis for years, playing in loud bands throughout my life, and attending a large number of concerts), and as such, a few years ago I began wearing musician-grade decibel...

Until Dawn - Interactive Horror for PS4

You know, I don't often write about video games. In fact, I don't think I've ever posted about one on my website, until now, and I'm writing about Until Dawn from Supermassive Games. I hate to write this, but for those with other platforms, it's a PlayStation 4 exclusive that was released back in August of 2015.

When I began writing fiction seriously again around a decade or so ago, the time I allotted for gaming (video, RPG, tabletop, board, etc.) dwindled to nearly zero. Every once in awhil...

I Required A Break

I took a break. Mostly from social media. Not entirely, but from active participation, which to be fair wasn't super active to begin with. I've lurked on social media giving the occasional thumbs-up and so forth, but quite honestly, since my post on enjoying life in the age of social media back in June, I haven't felt the urge to engage much online.

I took a break for many reasons:

I wanted to enjoy the rest of my summer (which I did) and then enjoyed a prolonged fall, a rarity up in the mounta...