Saturday, July 16, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
LibertiesPress.com: Absolute Zero Cool: Declan Burke: Books: 9781907593314 Absolute Zero Cool is the latest novel from Declan Burke, one of Ireland’s most innovative crime fiction writers. “A genuinely original take on noir, inventive and funny.” (John Banville)Absolute Zero Cool will be launched in The Gutter Bookshop, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 on Wednesday 10 August by John Connolly, all welcome!
Absolute Zero Cool is a post-modern take on the crime thriller genre. Adrift in the half-life limbo of an unpublished novel, hospital porter Billy needs to up the stakes. Euthanasia simply isn’t shocking anymore; would blowing up his hospital be enough to see Billy published, or be damned? What follows is a gripping tale that subverts the crime genre’s grand tradition of liberal sadism, a novel that both excites and disturbs in equal measure. Absolute Zero Cool is not only an example of Irish crime writing at its best; it is an innovative, self-reflexive piece that turns every convention of crime fiction on its head. Declan Burke’s latest book is an imaginative story that explores the human mind’s ability to both create and destroy, with equally devastating effects.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: The Wreckage: A Thriller (9780316126403): Michael Robotham: Books: "'One of the best novels to come out of the chaos of Iraq; a penetrating peek through the fog of war, and a high-octane thriller.' (Nelson Demille )'Fine and ambitious [with characters who are] wonderfully human--smart, determined, decent, and flawed. Thoroughly compelling.' (Booklist (starred review) )
'A high-voltage international thriller ... terrific suspense set against an exotic backdrop, The Wreckage is easily one of the summer's most unputdownable books.' (BookPage )"
Witch's House
Unusual Life: "Known formally as “The Spadena House,” but better known simply as “The Witch’s House,” this bizarre, whimsical creation was built in 1921 for a movie studio in Culver City. It was used in several silent films, and then moved to this pleasant residential neighborhood in Beverly Hills in 1926, where it is now a private home."
Photo at the link, which comes via Neatorama.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
KPRC Houston: "A Houston family has filed a lawsuit against a restaurant after they said a server set their child on fire."
Today's Sizzling Summer Read -- Summer of the Big Bachi
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read -- Summer of the Big Bachi: "by Naomi HiraharaMy first mystery novel, SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI, is probably the most challenging one in my mystery series featuring cranky gardener Mas Arai. From start to publication, it probably took me fifteen years. It’s a flawed book yet a very ambitious one. For all these reasons, it still remains my favorite.
Mas Arai (pronounced “awry,” as in things go “awry”) is an atomic-bomb survivor who has lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California for more than half a century. He lost his wife years ago. He is estranged from his daughter. Other than a beat-up Ford truck and a couple of good friends, he doesn’t have a lot going for him. But, of course, there’s more to Mas than meets the eye. He has a secret from his days in Hiroshima during World War II and, of course, that secret is now ready to unravel in Los Angeles 1999."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
A $330,000 home for $16? 'This is not a normal process' | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth: "A little-known Texas law and a foreclosure could have a man in Flower Mound living on Easy Street.
Flower Mound's Waterford Drive is lined with well-manicured $300,000 homes. So, when a new neighbor moved in without the usual sale, mortgage-paying homeowners had a few questions."
Flower Mound's Waterford Drive is lined with well-manicured $300,000 homes. So, when a new neighbor moved in without the usual sale, mortgage-paying homeowners had a few questions."
Jerry Ragovoy, R. I. P.
Jerry Ragovoy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Jordan 'Jerry' Ragovoy (September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011)[1][2] was an American songwriter and record producer.
His best-known composition 'Time Is on My Side' (written under the pseudonym of Norman Meade) was made famous by The Rolling Stones, although it had been recorded earlier by Kai Winding and Irma Thomas. Ragovoy also wrote 'Stay With Me', which was originally recorded by Lorraine Ellison, and was performed by Mary J. Blige at the 49th Grammy Awards."
His best-known composition 'Time Is on My Side' (written under the pseudonym of Norman Meade) was made famous by The Rolling Stones, although it had been recorded earlier by Kai Winding and Irma Thomas. Ragovoy also wrote 'Stay With Me', which was originally recorded by Lorraine Ellison, and was performed by Mary J. Blige at the 49th Grammy Awards."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Vindication!
2011: Year of the Hot Movie Scientist - Hollywood Prospectus Blog: "It’s time we gave credit where credit is due for this new golden age for preposterous PhDs. It was Denise Richards' groundbreaking performance as nuclear physicist (!) Christmas Jones (!!), in 1999’s bad Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, that really made Hollywood rethink who was qualified to portray Mensa members onscreen. No longer were we forced to hear monologues about gigawatts from actors who had conceivably heard of gigawatts! Truly, Denise Richards was the Jackie Robinson of cinema’s unfair IQ line, and she deserves our thanks."Hat tip to Vince Keenan.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Will the Persecution Never End?
Paris Hilton's brother Barron ordered to pay $4.9M to gas station attendant he struck drunk driving: "Paris Hilton's eldest brother must pay $4.9 million to a gas station attendant he struck with a Mercedes-Benz shortly before a drunken driving arrest in 2008, the victim's lawyer revealed Friday.
Barron Hilton, 21, has been ordered by a jury to pay $3 million for pain and suffering and $1.9 million for lost earnings, medical expenses and punitive damages, a civil judgment signed July 7 states."
Barron Hilton, 21, has been ordered by a jury to pay $3 million for pain and suffering and $1.9 million for lost earnings, medical expenses and punitive damages, a civil judgment signed July 7 states."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Swingin' in the Rain (A Soap Opera Mystery) eBook: Eileen Davidson: Kindle Store: "The storm's not the deadliest thing in town!Alexis Peterson finds herself not only drawn into another murder mystery but also into the dark and twisted world of couples that 'swing', in the fourth novel in the bestselling Soap Opera Mystery series by Eileen Davidson."
Also available in paperback.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Amateur Sleuth Novel
Amateur sleuth Yaakov German helps cops catch Levi Aron and solve murder of Leiby Kletzky: "An amateur sleuth armed with determination and intuition helped cops crack the murder of Leiby Kletzky by tracking his path to doom.
Yaakov German isn't a cop or a private detective. He's a property manager and father of 12 with a reputation as a do-gooder."
Yaakov German isn't a cop or a private detective. He's a property manager and father of 12 with a reputation as a do-gooder."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
And There's More, a Lot More
Houston Chronicle: "Creeping up to the front porch of a darkened house on the quiet, dim-lit street in West University, a young man begins to paint a giant penis on the front door.
The phallic roguery didn't end there. Nineteen-year-old William Tyler of Houston admits he painted another one on the side of the home on Arbuckle."
The phallic roguery didn't end there. Nineteen-year-old William Tyler of Houston admits he painted another one on the side of the home on Arbuckle."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
New study suggests Houston adding millionaires faster than any other city | abc13.com: "While the nation is dealing with its debt crisis, there's one area of the country that's growing millionaires -- Houston.
According to a study conducted by Capgemini and published in Forbes Magazine, Houston is the fastest growing millionaire city in the country."
According to a study conducted by Capgemini and published in Forbes Magazine, Houston is the fastest growing millionaire city in the country."
Sizzling Summer Read: VALLEY OF LIGHTS
Top Suspense Group: Sizzling Summer Read: VALLEY OF LIGHTS: "Valley of Lights is a fusion of crime and horror, a dance between predator and prey in which the story twists, the stakes increase, and the tables are repeatedly turned.
It grew out of time that I spent in Phoenix, Arizona, researching the city and the desert and going on ride-alongs with the Phoenix PD. I was working on a novel that I never actually got to write. That novel idea was ambitious and sprawling. It was everything I ever wanted to say. It was art. It would have been as boring as hell. Instead, I wrote this."
It grew out of time that I spent in Phoenix, Arizona, researching the city and the desert and going on ride-alongs with the Phoenix PD. I was working on a novel that I never actually got to write. That novel idea was ambitious and sprawling. It was everything I ever wanted to say. It was art. It would have been as boring as hell. Instead, I wrote this."
Two Things You Didn't Know about Me
1. I've read all the Harry Potter books.
2. I've never seen a Harry Potter movie.
Elderly? Suddenly I Feel Ancient.
Elderly Couple Charged with Conspiracy, Embezzlement: "The door bell at a waterfront home in Galveston went unanswered: Its owners no where to be found.
It's the home of 64-year-old Ronald Witt and his wife 52-year-old Anita. They've been charged with conspiracy and embezzlement."
It's the home of 64-year-old Ronald Witt and his wife 52-year-old Anita. They've been charged with conspiracy and embezzlement."
Forgotten Books: Murder Isn't Funny -- J. Harvey Bond
I suspect that J. Harvey Bond is about as forgotten as writers get. It probably won't help much when I tell you that his real name is Russ Winterbotham, though some of you SF readers might recall him vaguely. I do, because when I was at an impressionable age, he published a novel called The Space Egg in an issue of Amazing Stories. I read it and remembered the author's name, if nothing else about the story.That's not why I decided to read this book, however. I decided to read it because it's about the death of a comic-strip artist, and I thought it would be interesting for that reason alone. And I was right. There's a lot in the book about how comic strips were produced back in the '50s, about the syndication, about how the artist and the writer worked, and so on. The narrator is a newspaper reporter, so there's a good bit about newspapers, too. All of this will seem as foreign to a modern reader as if it were about drawing on cave walls or writing on stone tablets, but it was fun for me. Being an old guy, I can remember the way things used to be, and I have no trouble at all putting myself back in that time while I'm reading the book.
Bond's (or Winterbotham's) writing is nothing special, but it's smooth and professional. The plot involves not one, not two, but three beautiful women, and there are plenty of complications. Despite the latter, however, the killer was pretty easy to spot, even for me. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book, though. I always enjoy a brief return to those thrilling days of yesteryear when life was a bit different from the way it is now.
Winterbotham wrote one other Ace Double under the Bond name. Maybe I'll even read it one of these days.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
David Cranmer has a Giveaway!
The Education of a Pulp Writer: Let's Give Away...: "Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles"
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . . .
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — A Naperville man was jailed this week, after police said he slashed a friend’s face with a kitchen knife during an argument over a burned chicken dinner.
Voluntary Madness in a Dream
Top Suspense Group: Voluntary Madness in a Dream: "Voluntary Madness in a Dream
The mind is a wonderful thing, especially the subconscious. Knowing I had a blog to write, last night I dreamed that Top Suspense Group accidentally killed someone as the result of a publicity push.
Read the rest at the link!
The mind is a wonderful thing, especially the subconscious. Knowing I had a blog to write, last night I dreamed that Top Suspense Group accidentally killed someone as the result of a publicity push.
Read the rest at the link!
Life Imitates "Art"
kvue.com Austin: "Mark and Nona Fox have never seen the feral hogs on their ranch in Blanco County so out of control. They are tearing up the ground and stealing food from deer.Mark Fox said they have also started a war. Last week five feral hogs had stumbled into one of his pens when one of them attacked.
“He meant business,” Fox said. “He meant business.”"
Witch Got Your Tongue -- Livia J. Washburn
This is the first book in a new series by Livia Washburn. At least it had better be a series, considering the cliffhanger ending. I'd kind of like to know what happens next.Aren McAllister is the witch of the title, though she's had very little experience of being one. That's because she stutters, and witches who stutter can't cast spells. But, like Mel Tillis, she discovers that she can sing without stuttering and that spells can be sung. Complications, as you might expect, ensue, but probably not the kind of complications you're thinking of. As it turns out the stuttering isn't what Aren thought it was, and neither is anything else about her life.
If you want more, you'll have to read it yourself. It's very fast and funny, so it won't take you long, and you'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Don't Blame Texas for This
Eating Our Words: "'Deep In the Heart 'Attack' of Texas' is a new sandwich from Cer Te, a restaurant in Manhattan known for its sandwich options and their occasionally clever names: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Godfather. But this latest sandwich was designed by a customer of the restaurant, a man only known as 'Jeffrey,' and features enough calories to fell a steer."
Theodore Roszak, R. I. P.
Theodore Roszak - 'Counter Culture' author dies: "The counterculture was never a dim relic of the 1960s for Theodore Roszak. It was a vibrant, ever-evolving zeitgeist of thinking beyond every box in sight, of endlessly exploring the essence of humankind and its relationship with the Earth.
He passionately and constantly espoused that view through his many books, lectures and teachings as a history professor - and relatives say he was still writing right up until the day he died of cancer, on July 5 at his Berkeley home."
He passionately and constantly espoused that view through his many books, lectures and teachings as a history professor - and relatives say he was still writing right up until the day he died of cancer, on July 5 at his Berkeley home."
I still have a copy of MAKING OF A COUNTER CULTURE.
Charlaine Harris Update
Charlaine Harris To End Sookie Stackhouse Series - GalleyCat: "Paranormal novelist Charlaine Harris will be closing the coffin on her Southern Vampire series. Harris told PopcornBiz that she intends to end Sookie Stackhouse‘s story on book thirteen.
Harris explained: “I think it’ll be total closure. I don’t go back to things once I’ve finished them. That’s kind of what I do. I don’t want to write Sookie after I get stale. Yeah, I’ll miss them, I’m sure, because I have lived with them for quite a long time – 12 years now. And it did take two years to sell the first book. But I think writers like to do different things. At least this writer does.”"
Harris explained: “I think it’ll be total closure. I don’t go back to things once I’ve finished them. That’s kind of what I do. I don’t want to write Sookie after I get stale. Yeah, I’ll miss them, I’m sure, because I have lived with them for quite a long time – 12 years now. And it did take two years to sell the first book. But I think writers like to do different things. At least this writer does.”"
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Storm - A Novella eBook: Christopher Cook: Kindle Store: "How does a boy become a man in the Deep South?Not without a struggle.
This powerful novella of a young boy and his extended family in rural East Texas is reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner both in the psychological complexity of its storytelling and in the music of its language. There is the boy and the stoic grandfather he worships, the vivacious mother he loves, the emotionally distant unemployed father he both admires and aches for, and the two violent uncles (“half man and half beast”) he fears. In that conflicted setting, the boy wonders what it means to be a man, if he can ever become one, or even if he wants to. After an unexpected killing occurs, the undercurrent of suspense builds to a climactic ending that is both highly dramatic and emotionally charged."
Peru Update: Can the Khipus be Decoded?
Inca Paradox: Maybe the pre-Columbian civilization did have writing. - By Mark Adams - Slate Magazine: "Did the civilization behind Machu Picchu really fail to develop a written language?"
There Are Apps for Everything
Phone apps can let users outsmart the law - latimes.com: "There are phone and tablet apps that help you hack text messages, let you stalk co-workers and let you evade police after a night of drinking. Legal experts say the software is free speech protected by the 1st Amendment."
Roberts Blossom, R. I. P.
Roberts Blossom, Quirky Character Actor, Dies at 87 - NYTimes.com: "Roberts Blossom, a durable character actor who was known for playing cantankerous old coots, both comic and sinister, but who may be best remembered as the kindly next-door neighbor in the comedy “Home Alone,” died on Friday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 87."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Chupacabra Update
Chupacabra is that you? Texas couple snaps a picture of an animal that has believers in a fury
Photo at the link.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Facebook Use Lands Dallas Workers In Trouble CBS Dallas / Fort Worth: "Two dozen Dallas City Hall workers received reprimands or counseling after a recent probe showed they spent too much time on the social networking site."
JK Rowling Update
guardian.co.uk: "Start all the clocks and plug the telephone back in: JK Rowling has provided a shred of comfort to the millions of mourners lamenting the release of the final Harry Potter movie with the revelation that she has written 'quite a lot' of new material and has plans to publish it."
New Pulp Press Update
New Pulp Press is proud to announce that all of our books (save Jesus Angel Garcia's recent release badbadbad) are now available as ebooks. Get 'em where you want (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords etc. etc.). If you've been wanting to buy one of these books but already spent most of your money on a Justin Bieber signed fanzine, now is your chance to read a great crime novel for $3.00-$5.00. Not bad, eh?
Our books and authors have been praised by publications such as The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and New York Magazine, as well as superstar authors such as Megan Abbott, Michael Connelly, Allan Guthrie, Roger Smith, Vicki Hendricks, Tom Piccirilli, Duane Swierczynski, Christa Faust, Jason Starr, Sara Gran, and Ken Bruen. Don't be the last one on the New Pulp Press train! Go to New Pulp Press and click on the links, or head directly to Smashwords and buy the ebooks there.
Speaking of Jesus Angel Garcia, he's in the midst of an unprecedented (for a small press author) 32 city tour. You read that right: 32 damn cities. Check out the filthy details here. Go see him if he comes to your city, or simply buy his book, badbadbad. It's a hell of a read.
Also, keep your eyes out for our upcoming release, Crime Factory: The First Shift. It's a book of short stories including works by Ken Bruen, Dave Zeltserman, Roger Smith, Adrian McKinty, Dennis Tafoya, Craig McDonald, Leigh Redhead, and many, many more.
Thanks as always for your support of indy publishing. We couldn't do it without you. Well, we could, but it would involve embezzling money, and I don't want to go there unless absolutely necessary.
Best,
Jon Bassoff
New Pulp Press
I'll Just Have a Corny Dog, Please
Sacramento Bee: "New on the menu at this year's California State Fair will be the maggot melt – dried maggots and melted cheese on two slices of bread."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Dallas-Fort Worth Lifest...: "Here's a prescription your tyke doesn't get from a doctor every day -- or, probably, ever: 'Apply large paddle to bottom of child anytime he needs it.'
Courtney Capps, 27, of Burleson was flabbergasted when an emergency department physician at Huguley Memorial Medical Center wrote the dubious direction for her 5-year-old son earlier this year. She said the doctor also asked her son about his race, which seemed to have had nothing to do with an infection on his finger."
Courtney Capps, 27, of Burleson was flabbergasted when an emergency department physician at Huguley Memorial Medical Center wrote the dubious direction for her 5-year-old son earlier this year. She said the doctor also asked her son about his race, which seemed to have had nothing to do with an infection on his finger."
Sherwood Schwartz, R. I. P.
TMZ.com: "Sherwood Schwartz, the television genius who created 'The Brady Bunch' and 'Gilligan's Island' -- and wrote the theme songs for BOTH shows -- has died ... TMZ has learned."
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: HARVEST OF RUINS eBook: Sandra Ruttan, Allan Guthrie, Boden Steiner: Kindle Store: "Detective Sergeant Hunter McKenna is on trial, charged with negligent homicide after her investigation into the suspicious death of a local teenager led to more deaths and personal tragedy.Hunter faces accusations in the courtroom, and is tormented by her own guilt over personal choices she’s made. The community’s grief demands someone to blame, and Hunter can’t deny she’s haunted by regret.
As her partner, DS Noah Wilmott, continues to investigate, he wonders if the nightmares plaguing his partner are really Hunter’s subconscious, piecing things together, or something more, and when he follows a hunch it leads to answers that will stun a community."
Gator Update (Amusement Park Edition)
chicagotribune.com: "Police say an 11-year-old North Carolina boy was bitten on the hand by an alligator at a northern Indiana amusement park after a man invited nearby children to pet the 2-foot-long reptile."
Ted Bundy Update
Mail Online: "Before he was executed in 1989, Ted Bundy confessed to raping and killing at least 28 women. He claimed, however, his victims numbered more than 100.
With the help of DNA evidence not available decades ago, California investigators are now unravelling the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders of 1972-73.
And some expect the results will add another seven young women to Bundy's chilling list of victims."
With the help of DNA evidence not available decades ago, California investigators are now unravelling the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders of 1972-73.
And some expect the results will add another seven young women to Bundy's chilling list of victims."
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Cops: Woman complains of lack of love song, is hit: "Authorities say that when a Beaver County woman complained that her songwriter boyfriend had never written a song about her, he choked her and hit her in the face."
Rob Grill, R. I. P.
Lehigh Valley Music Blog: "Rob Grill, who for nearly 45 years was the voice of the 1960s band The Grass Roots and sang on such hits as “Midnight Confessions,” “Temptation Eyes” and “Live For Today,” died Monday just hours before the group was to take the stage at Musikfest Cafe at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks."
Sizzling Summer Reads
Top Suspense Group: Sizzling Summer Reads: "It's going to be a long, hot Top Suspense Summer! Here 12 masters of the genre will keep you on the edge of your beach towel with 12 sizzling summer reads guaranteed to get your pulse pounding."List at the link, plus a way to win a free book!
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Your Houston News: News: "Its luster as a “Boom Town” faded with the energy bust in the 1980s, but now, Houston is No. 5 on Forbes Magazine’s list of the next boom towns in the U.S. for a new kind of energy.
[. . . .]
Texas cities dominated the Top 10 in the survey, with Austin coming in first, San Antonio fourth and Dallas seventh."
Texas cities dominated the Top 10 in the survey, with Austin coming in first, San Antonio fourth and Dallas seventh."
Harry Potter Update
Seattle Times Newspaper: "A few facts and figures from the eight-movie 'Harry Potter' saga (courtesy of its studio, Warner Bros.)..."
Overlooked Films: War Paint
The Internet has opened up all kinds of possibilities for writers, as many of us are well aware. What we might be less aware of is that just as many writers are finding an outlet for their work on the 'net, so are filmmakers. One of these is Marcus Liberski, whose War Paint can be found here. Beautifully shot, it tells the story of a couple of people who are afraid. Afraid of what? You'll have to watch the film to find out. No dialogue. Just two people acting and reacting. I won't say more, except that I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Check it out.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Michael ‘Wurzel’ Burston, R. I. P.
| Long Island Press: "Motorhead guitarist Michael ‘Wurzel’ Burston strung his last chord Sunday, as he died at the age of 61, according to Entertainment Weekly. The guitarist passed away after suffering from heart disease.
Burston was a member of the British outfit between 1984 and 1996. He appeared on seven of the group’s albums, notably 1916 and March or Die. In his other music ventures, Burston released two solo albums. According to The Rolling Stone, he was working with his new band, Leader of Down."
Burston was a member of the British outfit between 1984 and 1996. He appeared on seven of the group’s albums, notably 1916 and March or Die. In his other music ventures, Burston released two solo albums. According to The Rolling Stone, he was working with his new band, Leader of Down."
Atlantis Update
Mail Online: "An ancient landscape long ago submerged beneath the North Atlantic Ocean has been discovered by scientists.
Researchers found the 56million-year-old lost terrain, which they have likened to the mythical lost city of Atlantis, by analysing data collected for oil companies using an advanced echo-sounding technique.
The 1.2mile-deep landscape is located in the North Atlantic west of the Orkney-Shetland Islands and has peaks that once belonged to mountains and eight major rivers."
Researchers found the 56million-year-old lost terrain, which they have likened to the mythical lost city of Atlantis, by analysing data collected for oil companies using an advanced echo-sounding technique.
The 1.2mile-deep landscape is located in the North Atlantic west of the Orkney-Shetland Islands and has peaks that once belonged to mountains and eight major rivers."
Hat tip to Todd Mason.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Rhinoceros Head Thriller
The Raw Story: "Museum curator Jean-Louis Pointal said it was the latest in a string of rhinoceros head thefts in recent months."
Amazon.com: Emperor Dad eBook: Henry Melton: Kindle Store
I've read this one. It's good stuff and a real bargain at 99 cents.Amazon.com: Emperor Dad eBook: Henry Melton: Kindle Store: "James Hill saw the theft of the British Crown Jewels live on CNN and had an uneasy suspicion that his father had invented teleportation. Nothing less could explain the theft and it made sense of his brilliant father's secretive new job. Bob Hill knew his discovery was likely to cause global disruption, and it was a development that couldn't be hidden away for long. To goad the nations into quickly finding ways to protect themselves, he'd decided to play-act a supervillian, right out of a James Bond movie, a self-proclaimed 'Emperor of Earth' holding the world hostage. And the nations did react, finding a way to poison him in his secret hideaway inside Mt. Rushmore. But no one counted on James hacking his way into the family computer and giving himself access to the technology. With Mom and Oriel Meirieu, the beautiful girl he'd met while popping over to visit Paris, they evade the FBI, INTERPOL and even black-ops agents, saving Bob's life and facing the question: What exactly is a legal claim to power?"
Harlan Ellison Update
Those Sexy Vintage Sleaze Books: "Word has it that Harlan Ellison has agreed to reprint his Paul Merchant Nightstand Sex Gang with a new title, Pulling a Train, containing new stories. The publisher is the new Kicks Books, from underground music zine Kicks Magazine, also a vintage record label, Norton Records, that reissues and produces new groovy, 50s-style retro bachelor pad garage tunes and co-run by vintage-collector, ex-Cramps drummer, Miriam Linna.
Kicks is also publishing a collection of “science fiction” poetry by Sun Ra. How cool is that? The line has a vintage look based on Signet and Avon books of the salad days."
Kicks is also publishing a collection of “science fiction” poetry by Sun Ra. How cool is that? The line has a vintage look based on Signet and Avon books of the salad days."
Sam Denoff, R. I. P.
Emmy-winning 'Dick Van Dyke Show' writer dies: "Emmy-winning writer Sam Denoff, who wrote for TV's 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and helped create the Marlo Thomas comedy 'That Girl,' has died in Los Angeles at 83.
Denoff's son Douglas tells the Los Angeles Times that his father, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Friday at home in Brentwood."
Denoff's son Douglas tells the Los Angeles Times that his father, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Friday at home in Brentwood."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
From PW Daily
Otto Penzler at Mysterious BookshopOn July 10, a group of 20+ thriller authors, fresh from Thrillerfest in the Grand Hyatt hotel, took a shuttle downtown to a book-signing party hosted by Otto Penzler at Mysterious Bookshop. The Tribeca specialty bookstore was crammed, shelf to shelf, with authors and fans. As Otto mounted a ladder to greet the authors and customers, Lynn Gross called out, Happy Birthday, Otto!, and the room spontaneously burst into song, in honor of this renowned bookstore owner and publishing icon.
Photo Credit: Steve Martini
And Stay off their Damn Lawns!
Seniors becoming computer cupids - UPI.com: "Operators of online dating services say more U.S. seniors are logging on as a way to meet people beyond the tried-and-true arenas of church and volunteer work.
'Online dating has really opened up the market for them,' Joe Tracy, publisher of Online Dating, told The Cincinnati Enquirer."
'Online dating has really opened up the market for them,' Joe Tracy, publisher of Online Dating, told The Cincinnati Enquirer."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
16-Pound Baby Born In Texas: "The average weight of a newborn baby is about 7 1/2 pounds, which is why it's shocking -- even in Texas -- that a woman has given birth to a 16-pound baby boy."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Google Strikes Again
Official Google Blog: The first Google eBooks-integrated e-reader: iriver Story HD: "Starting this coming Sunday, July 17, the iriver Story HD e-reader will be available for sale in Target stores nationwide and on Target.com. The iriver Story HD is the first e-reader integrated with the open Google eBooks platform, through which you can buy and read Google eBooks over Wi-Fi."
Good Question
BBC News: "New life expectancy figures show Americans some way behind countries like Canada, the UK and Australia. Why?"
Beatles Update
Monsters and Critics: "Organisers of London’s 2012 Olympics are reportedly trying to get the remaining Beatles to perform together"
Gator Update (Canary in a Coal Mine Edition)
TheState.com: "The alligators of South Carolina are the latest “canary in a coal mine” species. They are animal-sentinels that will help tell whether and how far the flood of pollutants, toxins and agricultural runoff in state waters are on their way toward adversely affecting humans."
Feeling Safer Now?
Yahoo! News: "Authorities are trying to determine how a stun gun got aboard a JetBlue plane that landed at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport.
The crew was cleaning up after the 10:20 p.m. flight arrived from Boston on Friday and found the stun gun tucked into the back of a seat."
The crew was cleaning up after the 10:20 p.m. flight arrived from Boston on Friday and found the stun gun tucked into the back of a seat."
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Martin Woodhouse, R. I. P.
The Guardian: "Martin Woodhouse, who has died aged 78, had what he called 'a grasshopper mind' which led him to leap from one interest to another. Trained as a doctor, he qualified but was not registered and never practised; instead, he began exploring the concept of artificial intelligence and created a logic machine at Cambridge. Another change in direction followed his service with the RAF, when he became a television screenwriter, penning episodes of the puppet show Supercar and The Avengers, among others."
I missed this earlier. I remember Tree Frog fondly.
Link via Thrilling Days of Yesteryear.
THE BIG THRILL:
THE BIG THRILL:: "During a gala banquet and celebration held on Saturday, July 9 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, the International Thriller Writers announced the winners of the 2011 Thriller Awards."
Winners at the link. Congrats to all.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Houston Chronicle: "The Houston Independent School District's procurement manager was soliciting a mail-order bride for a co-worker and committing another office prank while old inventory was piling up under his watch, according to HISD documents."
Just Normal All-American Kids
OrlandoSentinel.com: "The second boy offered to bring a 'torture kit' that he said he kept in the trunk of his car, deputies said. A search of the trunk revealed an ax, surgical cutting tools, a torch lighter, rope and scissors, a report states."
Archaeology Update
Incisor raiding: Viking marauders had patterns filed into their teeth | Science | guardian.co.uk: "The fashion for dental bling goes back 1,000 years, according to a new discovery by archaeologists. Long before contemporary trends for gold dental caps or teeth inlaid with diamonds became popular, young Viking warriors were having patterns filed into their teeth.
If their intention was to intimidate the enemy, they failed: the evidence has come from front teeth from a pit full of decapitated skeletons, found during roadworks in Dorset and now believed to be victims of a massacre of Viking invaders by local Britons."
If their intention was to intimidate the enemy, they failed: the evidence has come from front teeth from a pit full of decapitated skeletons, found during roadworks in Dorset and now believed to be victims of a massacre of Viking invaders by local Britons."
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