Saturday, August 16, 2014
California
Cornerstone, which is where the photo I posted yesterday was taken, is a small collection of shops and art installations of all kinds. This shot is of a pond, which is a bit of peaceful art in itself. Judy and Angela took the opportunity to sit down and rest for a minute while we were walking through the grounds. You might notice that Judy's wearing a jacket and Angela has on a sweater. The weather in Sonoma in August is a lot different from the weather in Texas.
Book Signing
I'll be signing copies of the new book this afternoon in Houston at Murder by the Book. Drop by if you're in the vicinity. If you're not, they do mail order.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Jeremiah Healy, R. I. P.
Those of you on Facebook have already heard this terrible news. Jerry Healy took his own life yesterday, depression exacerbated by alcohol being the contributing factors. I've known him for a good many years, having met him at some convention or other. I made it a point to talk to him at every other convention we attended. He was a boisterous, generous guy, and Judy and I both got a kick out of him. This news makes both of us terribly sad, and our hearts go out to his family and friends.
Gator Update (Back-to-School Edition)
And Texas gators lead the way.
Alligator Captured at Texas School's Doorstep
Hat tip to Michael Bracken.
Annoying auto-start video alert.
Alligator Captured at Texas School's Doorstep
Hat tip to Michael Bracken.
Annoying auto-start video alert.
A Couple of Blog Posts of Interest (To Me, Anyway)
Here's one in which I apply the Page 69 Test to Half in Love with Artful Death.
And here's The Campaign for the American Reader.
And here's The Campaign for the American Reader.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: The Fyredrake's Prey eBook: James Reasoner: Kindle Store: Sir Gault the Red was once the fiercest knight in all Malachar, but that was before age and a life of peace reduced him to a shadow of the warrior he once was. Now his epic battles against the fyredrakes, the race of reptilian monsters that terrorized the countryside in times past, are just a memory...until an unexpected encounter prods him into a desperate attempt to recapture past glories. Keldrick is the last of his kind, a giant fyredrake whose flaming breath once blazed a path of destruction across the land. He wants only to reach the legendary northland where others like him may still be found...but his journey will also be one last rampage of fire, death, and devastation across the domain of the hated humans.
These two natural adversaries are fated to meet, but before they do both will be drawn into a web of deceit, ambition, and lust that will leave them questioning who are the real monsters, humans or fyredrakes!
THE FYREDRAKE'S PREY is a gritty fantasy saga packed with bloody action and unexpected heroism from New York Times bestselling author and legendary storyteller James Reasoner, a never before published 70,000 word novel available only from Rough Edges Press.
Mummification Update
Study concludes Egyptian mummification is 1,500 years older than was thought: It has long been known that the practice of mummification of the dead in ancient Egypt – fundamental to that civilization’s belief in eternal life – was old, but only now are researchers unwrapping the mystery of just how long ago it began.
California
Now that Judy and I have recuperated from our trip to California, I'll put a few photos on the blog. Judy did very well on the trip. We took it easy, and she had only one day when she was too tired to do anything. The hardest part of the trip was the flight home. Even that wasn't bad. It was what happened after we landed in Houston that was bad. I won't go into details, but I'll just say that it was more than an hour and a half after we touched down until we got to our car in the parking lot. If the airlines don't get you one way, they'll get you another. One reason the flights themselves weren't bad was that we were "pre-checked" for some reason. We didn't have to worry about the security lines. We went through a special "pre-check" line and didn't have to remove our shoes or jackets. It was almost like the old days (which I still miss).
The photo is of me standing in an art installation at Cornerstone, near Sonoma.
FFB: The Time Trap -- Henry Kuttner
I nabbed this when it was offered as a free eBook not long ago on Amazon. It was originally published in a 1938 issue of Marvel Science Stories, so naturally that's the cover I chose to use here. As you can see, the cover refers to "The Time Trap" as a complete novel, but it's really a novella. It's a lot of fun if you're in the mood for an old-fashioned SF romp full of color and action and spectacle, but if you're not in the mood for it, well, this isn't the story you're looking for.Kent Mason, an archaeologist, is separated from his expedition and lost in the desert when he stumbles across some ancient ruins that also show evidence of great scientific advancement. There's a lightning storm as he stands between two metal towers, and he finds himself hurled back in time. After that, anything goes, as Mason hooks up with a beautiful princess and a staunch ally to fight a villain from the far future. The battle rages across any number of timestreams, but luckily Mason speaks a lot of languages, and when he encounters the race of sentient plants, no problem. They use telepathy to communicate.
There's no doubt in my mind that Kuttner was drawing heavily on his reading of Wells (The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Time Machine). He might also have been channeling the 1932 movie version of Moreau (The Island of Lost Souls). His story has a lot more sex in it, though. There are three different beautiful women who strip down to the buff for him and try to entice him into sex. This stirred a memory in me, and so I did a quick search. Sure enough, the story was on Ed Gorman's great blog several years ago. It's well worth reading if you're interested in Kuttner, the pulps, the fate of Marvel Science Stories, or what the postal service thought about the publication of sexy stories in the late '30s. You can read it here, and I think you'll get a kick out of it if you don't know the story already.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
The Hour of Lead -- Bruce Holbert
The Hour of Lead is a novel of the west, but it's not a western. Its setting is the early 20th century, though that hardly matters. There's an occasional mention of world events, but they don't mean anything to the story. It's the people and the countryside (eastern Washington) that matter here.It's a dark story of tough times and tough people. It opens with a snow storm that makes the Polar Vortex look like a day in Cabo. Twin brothers Matt and Luke Lawson are caught in the storm. Their father leaves the house to look for them. Only Matt survives, and he develops a dark outlook on life. For a while he lives on the family farm with his mother, a schoolteacher, and her son. He engages in an odd courtship of a local girl who rejects him with a pistol shot. After that he commences to wander and eventually falls in with the Jarmes family. Years pass, and Matt is involved in many things, some of them quite unsavory. There's some startling violence. Eventually, after marrying and fathering a child, Matt turns back home, where his past catches up with him.
This might not sound like much in summary, but the book is beautifully written with several surprising turns of plot, and the moving conclusion allows at least a little bit of light to shine in. Not much, but some. The Hour of Lead isn't always cheerful reading, but it's a powerful addition to the literature of the west.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Eric Beetner Interview
ERIC BEETNER | writing pad: Eric Beetner, having published 10 crime novels and more than 60 short stories, is a veritable mystery expert. When he’s not dreaming up high-stakes, fast-paced scenarios for his characters, you can probably find him watching noir films.
A Little Night Murder: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery -- Nancy Martin
A Little Night Murder: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery: Nancy Martin: 9780451415271: Amazon.com: BooksThis is another of Judy's favorite series, and she says that I can report that she gives it her highest recommendation.
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Lauren Bacall, R. I. P.
EW.com: She looked so terrific and strong for such a long time that it was easy to imagine Lauren Bacall might just hang around forever. And who wouldn’t want her to, for the pleasure of hearing her firing off smart, unvarnished remarks about old Hollywood in that husky voice? But the end came at last on Tuesday, when the 89-year-old actress died from a stroke at her home, according to a report on TMZ. The Humphrey Bogart Estate followed with this tweet: “With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall.”
Hard Case Crime Update from Charles Ardai
Early reviews have cheered the return of Sam Fuller’s vivacious, heart-in-your-mouth storytelling (see below for some examples). Last week, at a Museum of Modern Art screening of a new documentary about Fuller’s extraordinary life (called “A Fuller Life,” natch), Fuller’s wife and daughter were joined in the audience by filmmakers such as Jonathan Demme, Jim Jarmusch, John Turturro, and James Toback. And that’s just the New York contingent – other filmmakers Fuller inspired include Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Win Wenders, and many, many more.And the man’s movies are as visceral and shocking and unforgettable now as when they were made: THE BIG RED ONE, SHOCK CORRIDOR, THE NAKED KISS, THE STEEL HELMET, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET…
We’ve had some big books at Hard Case Crime, but the publication of BRAINQUAKE in some ways tops ’em all. Fuller was a larger-than-life figure -- decorated D-Day veteran, liberator of the Falkenau concentration camp, teenage crime reporter in New York City, rail-rider with hoboes in the Depression, Hollywood wunderkind, fighter for racial equality, revered American icon overseas -- and having him join the Hard Case Crime family is a special privilege.
There’s a lot here to get excited about. I hope you’ll help us spread the word that this one-of-a-kind book by this one-of-a-kind man is at last coming to bookstores, 17 years after his death.
Archaeology Update
Telegraph: Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a vast tomb that they believe is connected with the reign of the warrior-king Alexander the Great, who conquered vast swathes of the ancient world between Greece and India.
Ed Nelson, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Ed Nelson, a prolific actor who became a familiar face to American television audiences over 40 years, notably as a star of the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place,” died on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. He was 85.
Queen of Hearts (A Royal Spyness Mystery) --Rhys Bowen
Queen of Hearts (A Royal Spyness Mystery): Rhys Bowen: 9780425260364: Amazon.com: BooksThis is one of Judy's current favorite series. She refuses to write reviews for the blog, but she's allowing me to say she highly recommends this one and all the books in the series.
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