Monday Morning Interview: Me & Dee Dee

Monday morning. It's great, eh?

 Well, cheer up your no end by popping over HERE for an interview with me from noir genius, Dee Dee!

Or you can read it here at WHO IS AFRAID OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK?

The Stamp Of A Vamp at CAST MACABRE

My story THE STAMP OF A VAMP, which started out at Powder Burn Flash early last year and ended up as part of the HOWL  anthology, has been PODCAST at the brilliant CAST MACABRE. 

Have an earwig!

SHORT SHARP INTERVIEW: SIMON WOOD - International Man Of Mystery

SHORT SHARP INTERVIEW: SIMON  WOOD

Q1. Simon Wood sounds like a very cool secret agent. Have you ever fancied being a spy?

I have. I think a certain spyness fits my personality. I'm not one for rules that come with the military, but if you assign me an objective, I'll find a way of achieving it by hook or by crook. Besides it's a small family tradition. A great uncle worked for the secret service during WWII.

Q2. You have a dog called Royston, clearly named after the comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown. Which other comedians have influenced you?

Tons! My biggest comedy infleunces include: Eric Morecambe, Alan Davies, Billy Connelly, Jasper Carrott, Jack Dee, Jeff Green, Dave Allen, Leonard Rossiter, Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Rowan Atkinson, Bob Newhart, Alan Sherman, Eddie Izzard, Brian Regan, Peter Sellers, Bennie Hill, Barry Cryer, Willie Rushton, Lee Evans and Frank Skinner. The list is endless. And I'm not including great comedy writers.

Q3. Which TV series' would you like to have written for?

Doctor Who and Murder in Mind.

Q4. You're currently giving away the first few chapters of your new novel at Goodreads. Is that because you're so rich that you don't need to sell books anymore?

Far from it. This week, I'm posting the 1st 5 chapters from Terminated, but there's another 20 or so I'm not posting. Consider me a devious drug dealer. I let you get hooked for free, but make you pay to support your addicition.

Q5. You've recently been nominated for a Dagger Award. Is this only for people who support Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.?

I bloody hope not. No, it's an award put out by Crime Writers Association in the UK. The Oscars have a statuette. The CWA has a Dagger as its prize. Seems pretty apt for crime writers. The winner gets announced in July. I'm against some pretty stiff competition, but if I'm lucky I'll have to go scabbard shopping.

Q6: You have family in sunny Hartlepool yet you live far away in grim, gray California. Why is that?

My wife is to blame for that. She's a California girl. I love traveling and I met my wife when we were both in Costa Rica. When it came to the decision to which country to live in, it was easier to move to the US. That's the official answer. The real reason is that I don't drink tea and I was banished to the Americas by royal decree.

Q7.You've been called “ the 'Gary Oldman' of mystery fiction .” Are you that scary?

No, another author called me that because he thought there was a lot anarchy in my stories. A lot of my books deal with people lives coming apart over a single incident

Q8. If you're books were bands, who would they be?

Tricky, The Clash and Portishead

Q9. Which of your books would you recemmend to to someone unfamiliar with your work?

My books are all standalones so they don't have to be read in order. The latest is TERMINATED, so I'm eager for people to let me know what they think of that. That said, my readers usually point first time readers towards PAYING THE PIPER.

Q10. What's on the cards for 2010?

There's a new collection of short stories called ASKING FOR TROUBLE. It's due out August/September. We're waiting on the result on the Dagger Awards before finalizing a date. There's some more audio adaptations of my short stories due out later in the year. There are a couple more things, but they're far too vapoury to mention at the moment.

Ta for that, Simon!

BIO: Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. A longhaired dachshund and five cats dominate their lives. He's had over 150 stories and articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines anthologies, such as Seattle Noir, Thriller 2 and Woman’s World. He's a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest. He's the Anthony Award winning author of Working Stiffs, Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper and We All Fall Down. As Simon Janus, he's the author of The Scrubs and Road Rash. His latest thriller, Terminated, is out in mass paperback. Curious people can learn more at Simon Wood's website  HERE

His MY SPACE page is HERE

Fridays Forgotten Books: Ritual In The Dark by Colin Wilson

"Not since Dickens has a British fiction-writer dealt with murder in a book of such size and seriousness" - SUNDAY EXPRESS

Yes, well, I'm not too sure about that but Colin Wilson's Ritual In The Dark is a cracking read and certainly a very. very British book.

I first got 'into' Colin Wilson- as I did many writers, artists  and filmmakers- via music. 

In my later teens, one of my favourite bands was The Fall. The Fall's lead singer, okay dictator, was ,and remarkably still is, Mark E Smith. 

Like me, Mark E Smith was an over-read, working class, Northern lad with no higher education  and who had left school at sixteen, blessed and cursed with an over ripe imagination. 

The Fall, of course, were named after Alber Camus' best book but their previous name was The Outsiders, after  another Camus book - which I first heard of via The Cure's first single. But there was another The Outsider, I discovered after reading a  MES interview. And one that wasn't written by some namby-pamby Continental intellectual but by 'an over-read, working class, Northern lad with no higher education  and who had left school at sixteen, blessed and cursed with an over ripe imagination.'

And so I started to immerse myself deeply in the weird and frightening world of Colin Wilson.Of course, I avoided The Outsider for a long time -philosophy, that great waste of the tax payers' money- but I'd heard that he wrote dark crime stories,including one,The Killer, which is partly set in my home town of Hartlepool.

Hartlepool library, in fact, had lots of his books and you could usually find them in charity shops, which is where I found Ritual In The Dark.

So, 'Ritual' is that now over egged pudding, a serial killer story. A 'modern day' Jack The Ripper tale -which would be called a period piece now. It's  a kind of British Crime and Punishment which takes place in a sexually and socially repressed 1950's Britain and a vividly drawn Soho. Written in 1949 but published in 1960 it is distinctly  pre- The Beatles (pre -rebellious youth) and post WW2. 

It is also a distinctly British exploration of existential extremes featuring a murderer who kills as a creative act, a positive rebellion against the supposed unimportance of his existence. Bit a twat, then.

Post war angst in a world where 'we've never had it so good' isn't good enough.

Let's see what dark fiction Cameron's Britain can throw up!

 

More FORGOTTEN BOOKS can be found at HERE

 

Forgotten Music: Judy Nylon - Snatch

Forgotten Music: Judy Nylon - Snatch 

There's been a lot of booze under the bridge since then but I do remember going to Newcastle buying ALL I Want by SNATCH after hearing it on the John Peel show in 1978. And I loved it's glamorous  looking  embossed gold cover.

A little later I heard Kings Lead Hat/R.A.F by Eno & SNATCH , which I thought was well barmy!

They both stand up pretty well, I think, and R.A.F. certainly seems well ahead of it's time!

Okay, I'm  being lazy here but I'll just quote a SNATCH (SEE WHAT I DID THEN?!)  of what Wikipedia say about the legendary Judy Nylon:

'Judy Nylon is an American artist who moved to London in 1970. She was half of the punk act called Snatch, which also featured Patti Palladin... Nylon is responsible for inspiring the Brian Eno version of ambient music according to Brian Eno's liner notes (the back cover of his Discreet Music contains his version of how this happened).

... Also, for sound montage/cut-up techniques innovation (hers), see the Brian Eno track "R.A.F.", the B-side of Kings Lead Hat, which is by Eno and Snatch, and released on Polydor Records.'

Here is Judy Nylon's My Space page. 

And here is the SNATCH DICOGRAPHY

Have a listen!

.
More Forgotten Music can be found at Scott D. Parker's blog

Let Me Die A Woman by Alan Kelly

Let Me Die A Woman  

by 

Alan Kelly

Irish writer Alan Kelly's Let Me Die A Woman  is: 

An exploitation fairy story. 

A cinematic tale of revenge.

A rites of passage fable. 

A karate kicking, high kicking,  bovver boot kicking, sci-fi, horror, action movie cocktail of everything in the entire world - except the kitchen sink because kitchen sinks are far too drab and have no place HERE!

Can you imagine if Angela Carter's The Company Of Wolves was adapted for the screen by  John Carpenter and directed by John Waters and THEN turned into a novelisation by Christa Faust? No, neither can I and it probably wouldn't be anything like this lurid, vivid assault on the senses either but if you like the idea of  THAT then Mr Kelly's splendid debut is the book for you.

Let Me Die A Woman is another blisteringly brilliant and beautifully designed mini -novel brought to you by those mad mavericks at  PULP PRESS.

Requiems for the Departed: Irish Crime, Irish Myths; Irish Times Review

From The Irish Times  'A new crime book based on Irish myths and legends shows that the two genres are natural bedfellows, writes DECLAN BURKE 

STAR-CROSSED lovers on the lam. It could be Red and Mumsie in Geoffrey Homes’ Build My Gallows High; Doc and Carol in Jim Thompson’s The Getaway , maybe Bowie and Keechie in Edward Anderson’s Thieves Like Us, or any number of classic noir tales.But Diarmuid and Grainne? Requiems for the Departed: Irish Crime, Irish Myths is a compilation of contemporary short crime stories based on Irish myths and legends.“There are many parallels between contemporary crime tales and Irish mythology,” says Gerard Brennan, who is co-editor of the collection, along with Mike Stone.'

Read more about this cracking sounding book here

Radgepacket - Tales From The Inner Cities -Volume Five -Submissions OPEN!

Byker Books are open to submissions for  Radgepacket - Tales From The Inner Cities -Volume Five.

DEADLINE is 26 November 2010 so you've got donkeys.

Ed Byker Books also says 'We accept submissions for the 'Radgepacket Online' section of our site on an ongoing basis.'

More info here.

And you buy more Byker Books stuff here.

ANGER MANAGEMENT at POWDER BURN FLASH

I have a new story at Aldo Calcagno's great Powder Burn Flash called ANGER MANAGEMENT. Have a gander.

Guest Blogger: Fleur Bradley -Accidentally Noir

Accidentally Noir

By

Fleur Bradley

When Paul asked me to guest blog, I said, “Sure!” then immediately wondered what on earth I was going to talk about. I mostly write a YA—blog about all that on my own spot—but I did get my start writing (and still write on occasion) short crime fiction, or noir fiction, or something like that—whatever you want to call it.

So I thought I would share how I got my start, since it sort of suits the noir theme. If you ask most writers, they’ll tell you that they’ve always wanted to write, and even started in elementary school. “As soon as I could pick up a crayon.” Not me. I drew pictures with the crayons I was given, and then went on dreaming about being a doctor, an actress, an anthropologist (long story for another time), and a radio show host. Instead of all that, I became a wife, mom, and that’s when I started to write short stories. Just because I was afraid that if I didn’t, I might pick up scrapbooking. Or knitting, or something like that (which would have ended badly).

It took a few years, a few publication credits, and a look at the lineup of my writer friends to realize that I write noir. Pulp fiction—most of my writer people have a great knowledge and affinity for the pulps, which is always a bit intimidating, because I know so little. I just like dark. I’ve tried to write romance (honestly, because the pay is better), but someone usually winds up dead and the killer gets away, or something like that. I like it that way, and you can’t change who you are as a writer, I’m pretty sure. But I didn’t set out to write noir. Like my writing career (I use this term loosely) came by accident, so did my genre affinity. I’m the accidental noir writer.

It’s still a mystery to me where my love for dark writing came from, but there you are. I’ve gotten to know the genre much better, and find it interesting to see it become trendy now. Crime TV shows abound—even Scifi ones that play on the pulp theme, like Caprica. Dark is cool, though noir is misunderstood by so many. Sure, it’s dark, shocking at times. Gritty. The dialogue is sparse, the characters tough. But it’s not just that.

The secret to noir is that it uses this darkness to balance out an extreme sentimentality. For you to relate to a character’s pain, to feel it to your core, you have to work hard. Understand what your tough lead is feeling just by his one line of dialogue. And this is what I love about noir, and short fiction in particular. The story is all there, but you have to work to uncover it. The crime may be gruesome, the justice elusive, but the feelings run deeper than in any other genre.

With the trendiness of noir, it ticks me off when I see that whoever jumped the bandwagon didn’t get that. They think (like in Caprica for one example) it’s all about the violence, shoot-em-up and all that, add a few dames—but it’s not, actually. It’s about getting kicked in the teeth, and then still finding a reason to stand up. That’s what noir is about. So maybe I’m an accidental noir/pulp writer, but at least I know what this means.

It’s not about the darkness; it’s about the tiny bit light underneath. Or something like that.

Here's my bio:

Dozens of Fleur Bradley's short stories have appeared online and in print, in places like The Thrilling Detective, Shred of Evidence, Mysterical-E and Versal. She's recently completed a YA suspense called TIMEFIX, which her agent will soon be submitting to publishers. You can find out more on her blog YA Sleuth (http://yasleuth.blogspot.com/) and her website (www.fleurbradley.com).

Fleur lives in Colorado with her husband, two daughters, and way too many pets.

Dark Valentine Magazine - Flash Fiction Contest

Editor Katherine Tomlinson says 'I always enjoy photo story prompts, so we've put another one up at Dark Valentine. We're looking for flash (under 1000 words) inspired by the photo. Here's all the info.

We don't pay for the stories published on the site but Dark Valentine is a paying market for stories published in the magazine.

Our first issue will be available in mere weeks, but we're open for submissions to issue #2 now. Here's a link to our guidelines. Dark Valentine is looking for any sort of dark fiction--you pick the genre.'

New Fiction at PULP METAL MAGAZINE

Cracking stories from Jason Duke, u.v.ray, Chris Deal and more in the new PULP METAL MAGAZINE

Guest Blogger: Simon Marshall- Jones

Guest Blogger: Simon Marshall- Jones

So, here I am, a new writer, starting out and ready to jump head-first into the arena of story submissions, all-too frequent rejections (a summarily dismissive soulless email, more often than not these days) and the rare triumph of an acceptance. Quite presumptuous of me really, isn’t it? Me thinking that there are people out there who may like my work enough to want to read it, or even worse, thinking that I may garner myself some ‘fans’ who will avidly collect any and all instances of my work either in print or online. Factor into that the thousands of others out there who, like me, would love to turn what is essentially a hugely enjoyable and distracting hobby into a way of earning a little money. And then there’s the already well-established competition – those whose quality has elevated them above the general morass of verbiage that gets pumped out on a daily basis in this technologically-democratic, digital age.

So why did I start writing? Simply because of a profoundly saddening dream I had in that grey interregnum between the walls of sleep and wakefulness one morning – I woke up with the image of a feather resting on a pillow, accompanied by an unexpected, fathomless grief. That’s all it took to inspire me to start composing “Feathers”, my first ever short story (which, amazingly [and surprisingly], was accepted for publication on my very first submittal). A real ‘heart-on-sleeve’ job, as is the writer’s wont. I would like to think that it was an assured confidence that persuaded me to submit that story, but it would be closer to the truth to say that it was probably done in a moment of mental aberration: if I’d been in my ‘right’ mind I probably wouldn’t have answered the call for submissions.

Following on from that first successful submission, though, I was encouraged enough to send in more stories to other places, albeit with less success. However, unlike a few would-be writers I’ve come across, I was very much aware that being ‘noticed’ (whatever that means, when all is said and done) is a long hard slog, akin to climbing Everest without any prior mountaineering experience or with only the barest of equipment. Luckily, I am well-equipped with at least one essential quality: persistence. Plus I am more than happy to listen to advice from those who have already trodden the path (thanks to Messrs Duffy, Unsworth and McMahon especially on this).

And so, I’ve been scribbling furiously ever since, churning out contemporary fantasy/supernatural/ghostly/horror tales, with varying degrees of job satisfaction. However, getting inspiration and physically getting down to the writing is one thing: actually thinking that people would want to read what I’ve written is another. Which brings me to the point of this blog: is it simply a mild form of temporary insanity, or blindly self-assured chutzpah, or maybe just plain arrogance (or even a combination thereof), that animates people into sending out their efforts to editors, publishers and agents, and into a particularly difficult and sometimes cruel world?

I have read a lot in my time, and I can say with some assurance that my material is a great deal better than many a published piece I’ve encountered: conversely, I recognise that there are some authors whose work will always stand head and shoulders above mine. I guess I am trying to do is to find my place within the multi-layered strata that constitutes the hierarchy of the writing world. But I have never been convinced by the idea of self-publishing, a hangover possibly from what it used to be called – ‘vanity publishing’. Neither have I been persuaded by the concept of uploading my writings to a dedicated web-page, as has been suggested to me – probably out of a sense of horror at people possibly stealing my material and claiming it as their own discouraging me from adopting that route.

And so that leaves me with the only option (sensible or otherwise): arming myself with some links to publishers and established magazines and such-like, and just sending stories to all and sundry in the hope that someone will like them. The old principle of ‘hurl enough shit at a wall and some of it will eventually stick’, with an additional dash of hopeless optimism. I do have a modicum of self-belief, and I also believe that some of my stories will one day be anthologised in a book or two. And. like I pointed out above, I know that my stuff IS better than some that’s out there, so at least I have a sliver of a chance.

There’s also a part of me that’s mad enough to think I can compete with the ‘stars’ of the scene, too. It’s that latter aspect that prompted to think about why new writers even consider putting themselves through such a tough wringer – my life is pretty complicated enough as it is, without piling that on top. So why willingly embrace the spectre of editorial; and critical rejection?

Well, in my case, as much as I look forward to the possibility of being spoken of in the same breath as the names of some of my favourite writers, it’s all about the exploration of the worlds in my head. And these are MY stories: whether they’re read or approved of by others is irrelevant. Whether I get a single fan as a result, or a million, is also beside the point. I do this out of sheer enjoyment of loving to delve into the heart of the written word, of transcribing what I see and imagine in my head to the blank piece of virtual ‘paper’ in front of me. We, as a species, are fascinated by stories, and we spend every day sharing our stories with others. I, and those like me, are merely writing ours down and trying to extend our networks when we submit them to an editor’s scrutiny. I think it’s an extension of the ‘sitting round the campfire and telling tales’ urge of our long-ago ancestors – a way of reaching out and bringing people together in a form of social cohesion. Presumptuous yes, but entirely human – and I am only following a long and hallowed tradition.

Bio:

Simon Marshall-Jones, writer and artist: I was born in Wales in the early sixties, to parents who absolutely loved and cherished books - needless to say, MY love of books was instilled by such a positive influence. I attended art college, where I nurtured dreams of being the next HR Giger: that soon went by the wayside when I led a post-college life of decadence and hedonism as a member of the Eskimos, a bunch of ne’er-do-wells who hit the road regularly to get drunk at The Mission gigs and at festivals around the UK/Europe for a few years. I then went back to university in Plymouth, to study computer multimedia, the only reward for which was managing to have a stroke. Since then, I have had a much better time of it: I now have one wife, one stepson, seven cats, two dogs, two rabbits and two guinea-pigs, live in the East Midlands and don’t have enough tattoos. I also ran a small independent record label for a couple of years, FracturedSpaces.

Favourite authors include Clive Barker, China Mieville, Umberto Eco, Gene Wolfe, Robert Silverberg, Philip K. Dick. For non-fiction thrills, you’ll find me reading books on the cultural and social attitudes towards death and dying since the Middle Ages – in this respect, I would like to actually gain a degree in anthropology at some point. I write quiet, quirky supernatural/ghostly/horror/urban fantasy/speculative fiction (first story to be published in summer 2010 by Paraphilia Books), and also write CD reviews for a music webzine and book reviews for bookgeeks.co.uk and Horror Reanimated. 

Simon's Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=770249812

An Interview with Matthew Coleman by Jason Michel

'Spiritualism hashbeen bastardised over the centuries by the organised religions, being moulded into an oppressive control tool which has stunted, rather than freed man. '

Read more PULP METAL MAGAZINE  where Jason Michel interviews artist Matthew Coleman.

The War of Pulp Independence has been declared!

Uwaga!

A message from  PULP PRESS Godfather Danny Bowman.(aka Danny Hogan)

'Matt Louis of Out Of The Gutter magazine has thrown the gauntlet down and challenged the Brits to an all out pulp war!'

Read more about this SHOCKING writing contest  HERE. 

Guest Blogger: Author & ex -cop Johnny Russell.

Interview FIRST BLOOD author, Johnny Russell

What was the first book to interest you?

My mom didn’t believe in salesmen. I saw those guys get slammed on more than a few times. Not so when the encyclopedia salesman came around, man! Somehow she knew the knowledge her children needed was contained in those books.

When did you first start writing?

I’ve been writing every day of my life since I was elected editor of the high school newspaper. Most of the writing has been police reports. I may not look it, but I’ve have had a thirty year career as a San Diego Police Officer. In the interim I have published several articles in the SDPD and SDPOA publications.

Do you still read the encyclopedia?

Yes, the internet version. I read a statistic that says 12.9 million US Families are headed by a single parent, 80% of which are female who are at high risk of losing, or have already lost their child to the streets. While working with street gangs, I found these stats to be self-evident.

Is that when you wrote FIRST BLOOD?

I decided a major work of fiction needed to shock as well as edutain the masses and came up with the award winning novel FIRST BLOOD. It received its honors in the Fiction Unpublished 2008 Public Safety Writer's Association Writing Competition. ISBN 9780595503872, Amazon.

What’s the book about?

FIRST BLOOD starts in Texas in the late 1950’s. It centers around a mother of six who has a cheating husband. With the help of her BFF sister she moves out to California where she finds a job and the man of her dreams, all love but no marriage. In the interim her son turns into a street thug. The meticulous old Detective Lemoore is like the encyclopedia. He has spent many years compiling crime stats on single parent homes to bolster his prophecy. History holds his predictions to be true.

Who is your target group?

I wrote FIRST BLOOD for the single parents with wannabe children. If we are aware that through our children’s development that it’s walking, talking, and looking like a duck, without some intervention, it’s will end up where it’s heading.

Do you have any other ongoing projects?

Yes, I’m excited about two of my most current screenplays. The fantasy, action, adventure BRADLEY ASHE. Here’s the logline: To save the Earth three rookies must go head to head with deadly alien invaders, but only one holds the key to prevent world annihilation. The other is called PARENTAL GUIDANCE, which is an adaptation of  FIRST BLOOD.

Please enjoy the FIRST BLOOD teaser video and see the FIRST BLOOD Short Film (4mins.) Watch and vote.

Go to http://www.nextventertainment.com/web/mini-competition

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." Albert Einstein

Crime Always Pays - interview

Declan Burke is, as we all know, the real name of  Elvis Costello. He is also the author of the cracking crime novel The Big O and more ... he recently duffed me up at his gaff, CRIME ALWAYS PAYS so pop over and have a gander. 

And have  nose around while your their. It's choc full of interviews, reviews any any manner of carrying ons.

Something For The Weekend: The Unholy Trinity

 

JIMMY CALLAWAY

CAMERON ASHLEY

JOSH CONVERSE

...That's all Ye now and all Ye need to know ...

My Bloody Alibi by Dominic Milne

Revenge is tasty. Very tasty. 

In My Bloody Alibi by Dominic Milne, two tough cookies, Cass Hall and Marcella Gray, get out of Holloway Prison and head toward sleazy Soho bent on vengeance against the vermin that had plagued their lives.

This is another exhilarating ride from the people at Pulp Press and it really is a hell of a rush. A kick in the eye with a stiletto heel, indeed.

Milne shows a real talent for capturing the underbelly of Soho life and the cover, by Alex Young, is just gorgeous.

Here's how it opens :

'Soho was on fire.A flurry of gunshot spat out, pistol-whipping a yellow sky. A siren howled like a lone wolf in the distance.'

Cathy Unsworth of Bad Penny Blues fame calls it 'A fire of femme fatale fury unleashed on a Soho sinking in sin.'

Yep. Very tasty, indeed.

You can get MY BLOODY ALIBI -great title that,by the way- and all other PULP PRESS books - HERE at the PULP PRESS online shop.

 

RESEVOIR BLOGS

Just a quicky on a few crime writing blogs worth checking out:

The Saturday Boy - from Ray Banks. Recently dolled up and now  HERE

Lots Of Pulp - great pulp mag covers  HERE

Guns, Gams & Gumshoes - a blog and website run by REAL Private Investigators is HERE

Pamila Payne's Bella Vista Motel has had a spring clean and can be found HERE

Spinetingler - recently dolled up and an essential read. Writing from Brian Lindenmuth, Keith Rawson, Sandra Ruttan & the brilliant Nerd Of Noir can be found HERE.

And scary, dark fiction writer RICHARD GODWIN now has a tidy new gaff  HERE

Have a gander!

Jim Thompson’s Lunatic Hops Out of Stanley Kubrick’s Trunks at Last

In 1955  Stanley Kubrick commissioned  Jim Thompson to write the screenplay adaptation of Lionel White's novel Clean Break, filmed as The Killing. The result was a classic film.

Pop over to PULP METAL MAGAZINE for Los Angeles writer  Matt Dukes Jordan's  fantastic piece on their final collaboration.

The Beautiful & The Damned - Rat Scabies Interview at PULP METAL MAGAZINE

Over at   PULP METAL MAGAZINE   Barry Collins interviews Damned drummer Rat Scabies about his queat to find the Holy Grail! 





How good is that?! Pop over there to read the interview and have a listen to one of The Damned's best songs here.

Things To Do In Deptford When You're Dead at A TWIST OF NOIR

Things To Do In Deptford When You're Dead-which I wrote as part of Cormac Brown's FRIDAY FLASH FICTION  gig in April has found a home as my FIFTEENTH story for  the brilliant  A TWIST OF NOIR.

Thanks to Christopher Grant and Cormac, as always.