Joe Lansdale

Joe Lansdale is an East Texas writer with an imagination beyond belief, and he's a friend.  I got to meet Joe the first time back in 1992 and have read many of his books.  I love his crime stuff, and I think most mystery readers will, but they're edgy and sarcastic and guilty pleasures.

He's going to be one of the writers for the new Muholland Books imprint from Little, Brown and Company.  Today he released a guest post on that blog that I enjoyed immensely.  Joe and I both come from small-town and modest roots, so we can lock into each other's stories with a word or a look because we've both been there.

Go.  Enjoy.  Pick up one of Joe's books if you've a mind to.  The Hap and Leonard blue collar detective/suspense novels are my favorites, but he's done some award-winning writing all the way around.

One of his latest efforts is "Dread Island," a novella in Classics Mutilated that gives a Cthulu twist to Huck Finn.

And I'm eagerly awaiting the new Hap and Leonard novel coming out in March.

A New Tarzan of the Apes?

I've missed Tarzan.  Grew up with him in my formative years and spent summers climbing through trees to be just like him.  You know, back in the old days when kids actually went outside and imagined adventures instead of renting them for video games.

Now it looks like they're redoing the old series for young adults.  I've got mixed feelings about the concept but I'll probably pick it up and read it.  I felt the same way about the Disney Tarzan but I checked my reluctance at the door and went in and enjoyed the movie, and the sequel.

Still, I can't imagine a fiesty fourteen year old Jane Porter who's basically a nerd.  And I knew all I needed to know of Tarzan's younger years through

FREE! for Kindles

So I'm kind of gobsmacked over the whole idea.  But if I had the opportunity to write Tarzan, I'd jump at it.  There's something about the idea of a jungle lord that is just immensely appealing to me.  Hanging in trees, swatting down bad guys, discovering lost cities as old as time.  Ah, that was the life.

I grew up on the old Whitman classics of the Tarzan reprints.

And the Sunday Comics drawn by Russ Manning.



And as you notice from the link above, several of the early Tarzan novels are all free for the Kindle.  Go.  Enjoy.  Those stories, though dated and politically incorrect by today's standards, are some of the good old stuff.

Thanks and a hat tip to Bill Crider and his blog.

For the Nook!

Shooter's Cross

It took a week of waiting to see everything come through, but the following ebooks are now available for the Nook at Barnes and Noble.  Click the titles below the covers to go there.

The Affair of the Wooden Boy

Night of the Necromancer!

I'm really stoked about this.  Two of my college students at the University of Oklahoma wrote their first book.  It's eighty thousand words of action and zombie mayhem.  It starts, appropriately enough, during Dead Week at college and opens into a night of sheer terror for our college age heroes.

Kyle West and Jelani Sims worked on this project for two years and have delivered a thrillfest of action, gore, and horror in a choose-your-own-adventure format.  They feel it can be read alone, or in a group aloud as the group votes to make choices.

Suckerpunch

I took a break last night to go see THE GREEN HORNET.  Within ten minutes, I checked my brain and my taste for nostalgia.  Seth Rogen's version of the radio/pulp hero was pretty offensive to a purist, but probably okay for the twenty-something beer crowd unfamiliar with the radio and television show.  My 13 year old liked it for the most part, and I thought the car was way cool.  However, I was really disappointed.  In a time when superhero movies are getting really cool, this happens.  TRUE GRIT came on like gangbusters and THE GREEN HORNET seems to be floundering.

In the meantime, I saw a trailer for what is either going to be one of the coolest movies this year or one of the biggest duds.  I saw the 3-D cardboard cutout in the theater lobby and was blown away.  Then the trailer sealed the deal.  On March 25, I'm there.



It's got lumbering mechs with assault weapons.  Girls with guns.

I mean, how cool does this look?

Looking for Reviewers

I'm offering at least 10 free ecopies of this novella to interested reviewers.  I had a blast writing it and am looking forward to doing more stories.

The copies are readable on computer and should download easily onto Kindles.

If you'd like one, please email me here.

Fight Card

I met Paul Bishop through the internet and similar interests.  That seems to happen a lot these days.  Paul is a kindred spirit in the world of storytelling.  We happen to be about the same age and grew up on the same kinds of fiction and heroes.

After thirty-four years with the LAPD, Paul is currently heading up the Mission Division Special Assaults Unit, focusing on sex crimes, which is a tough beat.  He's twice been named Detective of the Year.  He's one of the good guys.

After a few emails and a phone call, we came up with FIGHT CARD, an idea for some ebook-based properties dealing with 1950s boxing stories.  You can get more information here, and watch as we develop the backstory and the characters, if you like, at this site.

As for the cover above, I found it on Paul's other block, Knuckles and Gloves, and fell in love with it.  Yeah, that's gonna leave a mark!

We're hoping to have our first story out by summer.  It'll be under the name Jack Tunney and will be up on Kindle and Nook.

GAMMA WORLD: SOONER DEAD Is Out There!

Just got my copies of this puppy and I'm giving away five FREE copies to bloggers willing to review it on their sites and on Amazon.

Send me your email address and your blogsite listing here to enter the drawing.

BTW, the big lizard our hero is riding is named Daisy, and her buffalo mentor is named Stampede.

New James Bond Book Title Released!

The title and cover for the new James Bond novel by Jeffrey Deaver just broke a few hours ago.  Notice the watermark on this image.  I got it from MI6.  Of course, this isn't the real British spy agency, but I thought it was cool just the same.

This isn't going to be the James Bond we've known for so many years.  This is going to be a new, younger Bond, a man who was blooded in recent wars and went on into spycraft.  It's going to release in May and you can pre-order now.

I'm seriously stoked and happy to see this coming.  Thankfully, news of a new James Bond movie getting inked just got released as well.

Thanks to Paul Bishop for the head's up.

More info at Carte Blanche.

Ken Bruen Serial Novel Coming This Week!

Muholland Books is a new mystery/suspense imprint from publisher Little, Brown and Company.  Starting last year, the imprint starting nabbing all the best writers of those genres they could.  The list is impressive and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it.  I'm especially looking forward to the new Lawrence Block book coming out later this year.

Starting this week, though, Muholland is doing something really gutsy:  Offering a serial novel in weekly installments starting January 19.  Black Lens has been written by Ken Bruen, a bestselling author of noir and hardboiled fiction.

Here's the link.



Ken Bruen



The Muholland site also offers free weekly short stories, which I did not know about until today, but will be checking out now.  One of the true bonuses is the fact that you can subscribe to the short stories and get them delivered!  I subscribed immediately.

Here's the link for that.

They have archives, so I've got a lot of reading to do, and I'm looking forward to the first installment of Black Lens.

L. A. Noire Coming in Spring 2011

Although saving the world as a DC superhero is intensely interesting to me (as soon as I get to devote myself to that!), another game has hit my radar and I'm really looking forward to it.

This one is from Rockstar Games, known for their immersive atmospheres and big storytelling.  It's set in 1940s L. A. and my little pulp heart is just beside itself waiting to get a heater in my hand and start rattling doorknobs to chase down the bad guys.

The game looks like it offers a cinematic buffet of styles and angles, from black and white to full color.



There's a lot of attention to detail and I've read that the modeling efforts (character as well as environment) were intensive.  It shows.

This game is supposed to blur the line between movies and games, until the experience of playing/viewing reaches a whole new level.  From the looks of things, the potential is definitely there.

I love the attention to detail.  Look at how the shadows fall across the ground in this scene.

There's gonna be a lot of violent action in this one, folks, and you even have to tell the website that you're of age to view adult material.



I love the oppressive feel of the shadows and the alleys.  In the end, you're gonna be up against some really bad people, and only your skills will keep you alive.

I can't wait.

Most Beautiful Game I've Ever Seen!

I just picked up DC Online yesterday.  It came out on Tuesday.  This game has been heavily hyped for two years.  I saw the first trailers at ComicCon and couldn't wait.

Now I'm still waiting.  I have a deadline to hit and can't play.  I saw the opening cut scenes of the game and they absolutely took my breath away.  Nothing is ever going to match this game for a long, long time in sheer beauty.

And there's the whole length and breadth of the DC Comics Universe to throw at players.  52 big worlds!

My son isn't having to wait, and he's got a 3-day weekend.  He's off saving the world.

He frequently informing me about the coolness factors of the game, about all the heroes he's seeing.

He kills me (just a little bit) with each update.  *sigh*  I should have been a kid now.



Another Superhero Movie I Can't Wait To See!

I've waited all my life to see these movies, and now my kids are looking forward to them as well.

And here's a link to a YouTube video containing still from the movie.  Chris Evans has gotten really cut these days.  I figure more "movie magic" was used to make him look like the anemic Steve Rogers.  :)



The Cape Premiere

I like heroes.  I especially like heroes with cool costumes and cool powers.  Chandler and I watched the season premiere of The Cape and had a good time.  We weren't blown away because the story was predictable, but it followed story logic in an endearing way.  Also, the scene pacing was frenetic.  We were catapulted from the frying pan into the fire within minutes, and the bad things just kept coming.

Chandler likes the cape fighting style, which I have to admit is pretty cool.  Personally, I enjoy watching Keith David chewing up the scenery as Max Merlini.  The carnival background is pretty neat and is a hoot.

Saying the series is over the top is a big understatement.  It's pure comic book with angst and drang.  But it's a lot of fun, too.  We're going to keep watching and rooting for the good guy.



Outstanding Cover

Absolutely one of the most stunning covers I've seen on a comic in a long time.  I'm really enjoying Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey (again), and the Ed Benes artwork inside is amazing.



A Cash Laramie Western Short Story -- FREE!

Pulpster David Cranmer is writing Westerns under the name Edward A. Grainger.  He has a new Cash Laramie short story up at The Tainted Archive.

David has a natural feel for the Western story.  Go and enjoy.  Did I mention that it was FREE?

You can get it here!

Lights Out Premieres Tonight

FX has started coming out with some hard-hitting male-oriented television shows lately.  I'm anxiously awaiting the return of JUSTIFIED.  Chandler and I love the show, and I think we'll probably watch this one as well.  Everybody loves an underdog.



This one is about an ex-boxer who runs a gym and ends up getting squeezed back into the ring to put the gloves on.  Can't wait.

New Kindle Property Is Live At Amazon!

Mina and James Stark operate a discreet inquiry service in an alternate version of Victorian London equipped with supernatural creatures and steampunk science.  The intrepid duo takes on werewolves, witches, mad scientists, and murderers in a world filled with magic and wonder.

I had a blast doing this one and am looking forward to doing more.

The cover is by my buddy Keith Birdsong.

Get your copy for $1.99 HERE!

"War Is What I Do."

All-out action hero Joe Pike is back in another blistering adventure, and I can't wait.  I've had this one ordered for months, folks, and I've gotten a few of my college students intrerested in the character.  Joe Pike is one of the coolest tough guys to ever leap from the pages of a novel.

This is the third book in the series, but I recommend picking up the first two books and reading them before this one, and even picking up the Elvis Cole series as well.  Pike is one of those iconic characters that will leave an impression on every reader.

Sandman Slim Is A Guy's Urban Fantasy!

Urban fantasy tends to be for women readers. There’s always a romance or sex somewhere around the corner. Guys can read these books and enjoy them. Sometimes we get a bad rap because guys are accused of focusing on sex.

That’s just not true, folks. When I set down to read a book by one of my favorite authors (Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, Lee Child), I’m waiting on the violence. I know at some point the wheels are going to come off and my hero is gonna go Neanderthal. I gotta admit, I can’t wait, and I usually turn those pages with a big smile on my face. My thirteen year old loves his Deadpool comics for the same reason. It’s hardwired into our genetics. That, and a love for snappy patter, a cutting remark, and blistering sarcasm.

We’re guys. We can’t help ourselves. Civility and a calm demeanor are simply borrowed clothes. We’re at our best when we get to run au naturel. We want to see the bad guys pay a price for their sins, and we want that payment to be in a terrific beatdown while screaming trash in their bloody ears.

Ahem.

Okay, lemme check myself. I was rolling with the guy moment. This week Green Hornet comes out and I just finished reading Richard Kadrey’s first Sandman Slim novel. Got the second one loaded up on my Kindle, so I’m gonna find a weekend soon to sit down and read that one as well.

In the meantime, I’m glad to discover there are still writers out there that write for people with the Y chromosome. Genetically, the Y may be one of the less useful chromosomes, but we still have our needs. Richard Kadrey is my newest favorite writer, and Sandman Slim is now one of my favorite heroes.

If you haven’t find his books yet and you own one of those much-maligned Y chromosomes, do yourself a favor and find these books. You’ll thank me.

The Cape Premieres Tonight!

Looking forward to this one tonight.  Looks like a lot of fun.  Batman by way of carnival theatrics.

Young Justice Premieres Tonight! Get Your Cape!

Chandler and I watched the early premiere in November last year and enjoyed the characters quite a bit.  They're not exactly the same guys in the comics because this takes place on an alternate Earth, and the differences look like they're going to be exciting to follow.

Shameless Huckster

Since everyone seems to have gotten a Kindle for the holidays, I figured I'd be shameless enough to point out that I have a few Kindle properties out there myself.  Here's a supernatural boxing story set in the 1950s that I really enjoyed writing.

And here's the link to Amazon!  99 cents, folks.  How can you go wrong?  :)

A Pop-Up Genghis?

While driving to Minnesota for the holidays, Sherry, Chandler, and I listened to Books 3 and 4 of the Ranger's Apprentice series (a collection of fantastic books, BTW).  The author, John Flanagan, is basically rewriteing the world during the Middle Ages or thereabouts.  He's renamed the countries but borrowed heavily from the histories of those nations, as well as the wars and conflicts.

In Book 4, The Battle for Skandia, Flanagan introduces his version of the Mongols invading his version of the Vikings.  Chandler has gotten intensely interested in history and understanding how all the various peoples fit together at various times.  I love that because I majored in history and English, and I love the excursions into the past.

While we were talking, I mentioned that I believed Flanagan had named his "Mongols" after Genghis Khan, whose real name was Temujin.  The "Mongols" in the book are the Temujai.  See how that works?

Anyway, I relayed some of the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols, and Chandler threw in Atilla the Hun for good measure, wondering how all of the stories interwove.  Unfortunately they were about 800 years apart, but made a good argument about how history tends to repeat itself.

Chandler wasn't satisfied with my answers.  He never is.  I'm probably more knowledgeable than a lot of parents about stuff like this, but he thinks I should know more.  I, in turn, think he should read to gain some of this knowledge for him.  So I offered to request some Genghis Khan books for him from the local library (which has saved me hours and hours of explaining things to him, and which I end up getting humiliated because he soon knows more than I do).

We went to get the books yesterday.  The library works fast.  I told him they were young readers, so he could read quickly and gain a lot of background knowledge that he can use to add more details to later if he so wishes.  It's how I do research for my writing.

He was concerned.  "They're not those books that you pull a tab on, right?  I'm not gonna pull a tab and Genghis Khan will jump up waving a sword, right?"

I cracked up.  Driving while talking to Chandler is dangerous.  The boy has a wicked sense of humor and a wild imagination.  After I recovered, I explained that, no, these were not pop-up books.  I respected him more than that and knew he wanted more information than those books would give him.

But we couldn't leave it alone.  We drove to the library, got the books, and continued on to Subway.  Along the way, we kept imagining things a pop-up Genghis would say.  "My dogs will feast on your bones!"  "Submit or I will take your head!"  Not the kind of thing the average pop-up book reader would expect!  :)



A Library At My Fingertips!

I have to admit:  I was a foot-dragger.  One of those dinosaurs who said I'd NEVER get an ebook reader.  I love how books feel and smell and are so portable.  I scoffed at people who raved about Kindles and their kin.  I pointed out how costly it was to drop an ereader in water, spill a drink on it, or leave it behind somewhere.

Then two things happened:  Books got skimpy on gutters, making it necessary to almost break the spine of a paperback to read everything, and I abhor books with broken spines, and second, I buy a LOT of books, which means it's hard to find one when I start looking.  Lately I've even had to start boxing them up, which I also despise.  I just don't have the room for them.  My love for and interest in the written word has just flat overwhelmed me.

So I hedged my bets and asked my wife to get me a Kindle for Christmas.  I'm hard to buy for and she hates it.  If I want something, I go get it.  If I don't get it, I don't want it.  I wasn't sure about the Kindle, but I thought I'd like it for Christmas.

That was in October.  Then, after I'd decided I wanted it, waiting till Christmas got hard.  Man, I was so happy when I unwrapped it Christmas morning!

I love reading on the Kindle.  I flip through pages faster than ever, and I'm a quick reader.  I've read six books on it so far and have totally enjoyed the experience.  I bought a cover for it, so I'm not so worried about it now, and Kindle versions of paperbacks are generally a dollar cheaper than the print versions.  Now I never have to worry about the spines breaking, struggling with the reading experience, page wear, or finding the books.

I don't know why I didn't get one of these long ago.  Dedicated readers gain a lot in the way of organization and readability.  After putting in a long day at the computer, I find that the reading experience on the Kindle is still different enough to make me feel like I'm away from work.  I'm having a blast!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve has changed a lot in my house over the last few years.  I'm going through my second adulthood it appears, putting away childish excitement and dealing with the day-to-day.  Evidently the rest of the world is doing the same.  I'm seeing all kinds of post Christmas sales, store hours opening on Christmas, and the local McDonalds is open all day on Christmas.  Weird.  I remember when the whole town used to shut down for Christmas, except for 7-11.  Now it's like the holiday is hardly a speedbump on the way to the end of the year.

As the father of five kids, Christmas Eve always promise a special kind of mischief all its own.  Kids remained underfoot while my wife and I baked and tried to finish wrapping presents in secret, and struggled not to go crazy.

Then my four oldest kids grew up and moved away.  My 13 year old gets excited about Christmas these days, something he didn't do when he was younger, to the chagrin of his siblings.  They could wake him up on Christmas morning and he'd just go back to sleep.  They got aggravated because I always held that no one could open presents until everyone was opening presents.  Then we all opened them in order and celebrated what was received.

This year my mom passed away and we don't have the Christmas journey to make that was always a standard, weather permitting.

Over the years, the promise and wonder of Christmas has seemed to have gotten more tarnished than ever.  I've never been a big Christmas person.  The season has always gotten on my nerves because there are tense people everywhere.  It took me years to figure that out.  I didn't know why I didn't enjoy Christmas the way other people did, but I never have.  Still don't.  I tend to pick up on emotional energy from people around me, which is why I seldom get around in groups and only do so when I'm teaching or doing presentations.  Being around others exhaust me.  It's a wonder I survived a houseful of kids, but now I understand why I'd come home worn out from teaching, coaching, and conventions.

All those things I do out of love, but they take a toll on me.

Today Sherry is watching two of the grandkids while trying to bake.  Needless to say, she'll be exhausted by end of day.  Chandler is playing WOW, hoping to level up enough today to become a Death Knight.

And I'm working, thinking about Christmases past.  When my brothers and I were small, we all had to sleep in the same bed on Christmas Eve.  We got very little sleep but the excitement of the day always tired us out.  My older kids were like that too.  Chandler has reminded us over the last few days how many days were left to Christmas.  He's excited, but that hasn't deterred him from killing orcs or goblins or trolls or whatever it is he's battling.

Tomorrow we'll be joining one of my boys at his house for Christmas supper.  Lately we've been able to get together as a family again.  All of us were together for my birthday, and nearly all of us were together for oldest Matt's birthday.  Sherry and I have got to build an addition onto the house so we can fit all of us into the house for family nights.

For me, the togetherness is best of all.  So maybe some things haven't changed.