WOAI: San Antonio News - It's Okay to Pray for a Spurs Victory: "It's Okay to Pray for a Spurs Victory
Posted By: Jim Forsyth
A lot of us are doing it, but is it okay.... to pray to God for a San Antonio Spurs' victory in tonight's game seven of the NBA Finals. And will God listen?
The Rev. Eddie Bernal, a prominent Catholic theologian and pastor of St. Benedict's Church on the city's east side, says, go for it.
'Yes, definitely,' he says.
'I think it'll be good for the city, I think it'll be something we need, I think a Spurs victory would be good for the country, because the Spurs are men of integrity, and a Spurs victory would send a message that the good guys can win,' Father Eddie told 1200 WOAI's Charity McCurdy.
Bernal says 'certainly' there are more important things going on in the world, but he says 'God loves us' whenever we pray, and he compares prayer to 'getting a call from a favorite grandson.'
But he says a Spurs victory would send a message that God would approve of.
'You don't have to be violent, you don't have to break rules, you don't have do all those kinds of things to win. I think God would be very happy about that.'
Bernal says he personally has been praying for a Spurs victory."
UPDATE: It appears to have worked.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Country Boys
Ed Gorman & Friends:: "Now we come to Dale Watson. This guy is so down-and-dirty honky tonk that it's like drinking beer in a blue collar tavern in 1948. He probably ain't ugly but you sure won't find him in GQ any time soon. His first record deal they wanted him to lose his Elvis sideburns, cover up his considerable number of tattos (which I could live without), record music by other writers (his being too 'negative') and (no surprise) wear a hat. He wouldn't do any of these things. One CD and he was out the door.
He's an artist. He's got a growing fan base in Europe, especially in the UK, where he's considered a major voice in real country music. He's so far down the food chain that he drives himself on the road in a beat up Chevrolet station wagon. A lot of his gigs are in the white equivalents of the black bars where B.B. King started out. 'You were always ready to throw yourself to the floor the minute you heard gunshots.' Watson even wrote a song about it."
Check out Ed Gorman's post on country music. Like me, Ed's a fan of what I think of as REAL country music. I grew up listening to Hank Williams, Ferlin Husky, Webb Pierce, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, the Lightcrust Doughboys and many others. I still love that music, and listen to it a lot.
By the time I was a teenager, Top 40 radio was in full swing, and there was no discrimination. A hit was a hit. So I could listen to KLIF and hear Stonewall Jackson, Frankie Avalon, and Tommy Dorsey's orchestra all played by the same DJ. Those were the days.
But I digress. I have to thank Ed for alerting me to Dale Watson. I belong to an on-demand Internet music service called Rhapsody (not a plug, just a comment), so I immediately checked to see if any of Watson's CDs were available. Sure enough, several of them. So I created a long Dale Watson playlist. Geez, the guy's channeling Merle Haggard for sure on "Honky Tonkers Don't Cry." I thought for a second I was back in 1966 or so. And while I like Tom T. Hall's version of "Fox on the Run" a lot, Watson's version puts Hall's in the shade. Watson's the real thing.
He's an artist. He's got a growing fan base in Europe, especially in the UK, where he's considered a major voice in real country music. He's so far down the food chain that he drives himself on the road in a beat up Chevrolet station wagon. A lot of his gigs are in the white equivalents of the black bars where B.B. King started out. 'You were always ready to throw yourself to the floor the minute you heard gunshots.' Watson even wrote a song about it."
Check out Ed Gorman's post on country music. Like me, Ed's a fan of what I think of as REAL country music. I grew up listening to Hank Williams, Ferlin Husky, Webb Pierce, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, the Lightcrust Doughboys and many others. I still love that music, and listen to it a lot.
By the time I was a teenager, Top 40 radio was in full swing, and there was no discrimination. A hit was a hit. So I could listen to KLIF and hear Stonewall Jackson, Frankie Avalon, and Tommy Dorsey's orchestra all played by the same DJ. Those were the days.
But I digress. I have to thank Ed for alerting me to Dale Watson. I belong to an on-demand Internet music service called Rhapsody (not a plug, just a comment), so I immediately checked to see if any of Watson's CDs were available. Sure enough, several of them. So I created a long Dale Watson playlist. Geez, the guy's channeling Merle Haggard for sure on "Honky Tonkers Don't Cry." I thought for a second I was back in 1966 or so. And while I like Tom T. Hall's version of "Fox on the Run" a lot, Watson's version puts Hall's in the shade. Watson's the real thing.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
The Blonde Died First -- Dana Chambers
You don't hear much about Dana Chambers these days. In fact, you don't hear anything at all, and Chambers isn't mentioned in any of the reference books I have handy. But in the 1940s, Chambers was a prolific and well-reviewed writer of medium-boiled mysteries. The Blonde Died First is narrated in the first person by Jim Steele, who's supposedly a successful script writer for radio, though we just have to take his word for it. There's nothing in the novel to prove it. Steele is a series character, and this isn't his first appearance. I gather that he was a pretty successful spy at one time since he has the Medal of Honor. But in this one, he's just a guy trying to solve a couple of murders, including that of the blonde of the title. (The title, by the way, is a clue.) Most of the book takes place on a cruise ship, and there's quite a bit of action, a complicated plot, and Steele's smooth narration to carry you along. Things get really kinky by the end of the book, surprisingly so, I thought, for a novel published in the '40s, but maybe I'm just naive. I have a couple of other books by Dana Chambers, and I guess it's time I read them.
Walter Scott's Lesbian Parade and Other Democrats Stories : Wonkette
Walter Scott's Lesbian Parade and Other Democrats Stories : Wonkette: "Walter Scott's Lesbian Parade"
I was altered to this Wonkette post by Ed Gorman. I think Tod Goldberg would be interested, in light of his running commentary on "Walter Scott" and his column. An example of Tod's recent attention to Scott can be found here.
I was altered to this Wonkette post by Ed Gorman. I think Tod Goldberg would be interested, in light of his running commentary on "Walter Scott" and his column. An example of Tod's recent attention to Scott can be found here.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Fancy Footwear
The Official Website for Rocketbuster Boots!
This is the site for those of you who want to dress western and who have plenty of spending cash.
This is the site for those of you who want to dress western and who have plenty of spending cash.
17-year-old CEO has clients on 5 continents
17-year-old CEO has clients on 5 continents: "17-year-old CEO has clients on 5 continents"
When I was 17, I was working at a freight line in the summers, unloading 40-foot trailers and doing pick-up and delivery.
When I was 17, I was working at a freight line in the summers, unloading 40-foot trailers and doing pick-up and delivery.
Custer Update
Warriors' act kept secret for decades - billingsgazette.com: "Warriors' act kept secret for decades
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
Nobody talked openly about the 'Suicide Boys'' until almost 90 years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
American Indian accounts written down immediately after the fight on June 25, 1876, or years later when the warriors were old men, do not mention four Cheyenne and about 20 Sioux warriors who vowed to fight to the death in the next battle with U.S. troops.
Maybe the suicide vow was too sacred to be shared with outsiders while the battle was still so fresh, speculated John Doerner, chief historian at Little Bighorn Battlefield."
Click the link for the rest of the article.
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
Nobody talked openly about the 'Suicide Boys'' until almost 90 years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
American Indian accounts written down immediately after the fight on June 25, 1876, or years later when the warriors were old men, do not mention four Cheyenne and about 20 Sioux warriors who vowed to fight to the death in the next battle with U.S. troops.
Maybe the suicide vow was too sacred to be shared with outsiders while the battle was still so fresh, speculated John Doerner, chief historian at Little Bighorn Battlefield."
Click the link for the rest of the article.
Matt Helm: The Movies and the Novels
Teleport City In-Flight Reading: "
FROM DONALD TO DEAN
Secret Agent Matt Helm in Print and On Screen"
Via Jaime Weinman's blog, here's a link to an interesting comparison of the Matt Helm movies with Dean Martin to the books by Donald Hamilton. Most people who like the books as much as I do aren't extremely fond of the movies. This is a long, interesting look at both.
FROM DONALD TO DEAN
Secret Agent Matt Helm in Print and On Screen"
Via Jaime Weinman's blog, here's a link to an interesting comparison of the Matt Helm movies with Dean Martin to the books by Donald Hamilton. Most people who like the books as much as I do aren't extremely fond of the movies. This is a long, interesting look at both.
Monday, June 20, 2005
What's the Kinkster's Position on this Important Issue?
MySA.com: Metro | State: "KERRVILLE — Entering the final leg of a $4 million building fund drive, Dietert Senior Center leaders are considering a non-traditional way to raise cash: a naked-biker calendar.
A graying local cyclist proposed the risqu?revue to close the $1 million shortfall that remains after nearly a year of selling pies, auctioning quilts, printing cookbooks and tapping residents and foundations.
'He suggested we take pictures of them on their bikes stripped, hiding the important parts, of course,' said Jacques Duhr, president of the center's board of directors.
'We just thought it was hilarious,' Duhr, 65, said. 'I wouldn't be opposed to it, to tell you the truth.'"
Kinky Friedman is a "kervert" (which is what he calls residents of Kerrville), and since he's running for governor, he should get in on this calendar deal. Is July taken?
A graying local cyclist proposed the risqu?revue to close the $1 million shortfall that remains after nearly a year of selling pies, auctioning quilts, printing cookbooks and tapping residents and foundations.
'He suggested we take pictures of them on their bikes stripped, hiding the important parts, of course,' said Jacques Duhr, president of the center's board of directors.
'We just thought it was hilarious,' Duhr, 65, said. 'I wouldn't be opposed to it, to tell you the truth.'"
Kinky Friedman is a "kervert" (which is what he calls residents of Kerrville), and since he's running for governor, he should get in on this calendar deal. Is July taken?
Everyone Says I Hate You.
A Writer's Life: How Hated Am I?
The fanfic debate rages on at Lee Goldberg's blog. He really roiled the waters when he started giving his negative opinions of fanfic, and some of the responses he's generated are pretty amazing.
Jim Winter, on the other hand, is not amused and would say that for blogging this item, I should be given a lobotomy.
The fanfic debate rages on at Lee Goldberg's blog. He really roiled the waters when he started giving his negative opinions of fanfic, and some of the responses he's generated are pretty amazing.
Jim Winter, on the other hand, is not amused and would say that for blogging this item, I should be given a lobotomy.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
The King and Other Stories -- Joe Lansdale
How do you tell when someone has truly become a wildly successful writer? I'd say that you've done it when someone publishes a collection of eighteen pieces of your flash fiction and sells if for forty bucks. (And I can almost guarantee the collection will sell out its small printing.) You can read this book pretty quickly, obviously. All the pieces are short, some a few pages, some a few lines. All of them are typical of Joe Lansdale's quirky sensibility: funny, bizarre, and just downright weird. And all of them are accompanied by wonderful b&w illustrations Glenn Chadbourne. Highly recommended for Lansdale fans and anybody else who has forty bucks to spare.
Going the Way of the 8-Track
BBC NEWS | Technology | Not long left for cassette tapes
Some 40 years after global cassette production began in earnest, sales are in terminal decline.
From its creation in the 1960s through to its peak of popularity in the 1980s, the cassette has been a part of music culture for 40 years.
But industry experts believe it does not have long left, at least in the West.
Some 40 years after global cassette production began in earnest, sales are in terminal decline.
From its creation in the 1960s through to its peak of popularity in the 1980s, the cassette has been a part of music culture for 40 years.
But industry experts believe it does not have long left, at least in the West.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Off to Houston
In an hour or so Judy and I will brave the Friday afternoon traffic and drive to the other side of Houston. Our destination is the Sofitel Hotel, where the MWA's Southwest Chapter is having its annual summer workshop. I don't often attend, but this year one of the speakers is Joe Lansdale. I figured it would be fun to see Joe again, and I'll probably pick up all kinds of writing tips that will allow me to become rich and famous. It's about time, is all I can say about that. We'll be back home tomorrow evening, and I'll post a report then if anything interesting happens.
Another Icon Gone
Lucy In The Sky - the real woman | Music | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (15-06-2005): "Lucy In The Sky - the real woman
By Beth Hale
June 15, 2005
WHEN the Beatles released Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, it was popularly assumed to be a barely concealed reference to LSD.
John Lennon denied a drugs link, claiming the true inspiration was a young girl called Lucy who appeared in a painting by his then four-year-old son, Julian.
Her identity was not revealed at the time but the story can now be told of the little girl who may have been the real Lucy in the Sky.
Lucy Richardson grew up to be a successful movie art director.
But this month she died at the age of 47 after a two-year battle with breast cancer."
Click the link for the rest of the story.
By Beth Hale
June 15, 2005
WHEN the Beatles released Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, it was popularly assumed to be a barely concealed reference to LSD.
John Lennon denied a drugs link, claiming the true inspiration was a young girl called Lucy who appeared in a painting by his then four-year-old son, Julian.
Her identity was not revealed at the time but the story can now be told of the little girl who may have been the real Lucy in the Sky.
Lucy Richardson grew up to be a successful movie art director.
But this month she died at the age of 47 after a two-year battle with breast cancer."
Click the link for the rest of the story.
Ray Banks Interview
Northcoast Exile: World's Crappiest Interview 2: Electric Boogaloo
In his continuing efforts to one-up Victor Gischler, Jim Winter presents his second "World's Crappiest Interview," this time with Ray Banks. Check it out.
In his continuing efforts to one-up Victor Gischler, Jim Winter presents his second "World's Crappiest Interview," this time with Ray Banks. Check it out.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
The Omnibus of Science Fiction -- Groff Conklin
A long, long time ago, when I was just a kid, I joined the Science Fiction Book Club. I believe the deal at that time was that you got three books for a dime or something like that. Anyway, one of my choices was The Omnibus of Science Fiction. It was a huge volume, and it's one of the few that remain on my shelves from those days. The jacket is tattered, and the pages are browning, but it's the very same book that arrived in the mail at my house on McKinney Street in Mexia, Texas.
That was a great day for me, and the stories in the book marked me in a way that's hard to explain. Some of them I remember to this day, including the one I read this evening, Ray Bradbury's "Kaleidoscope." I probably haven't read this story in around 50 years, but then I didn't have to. From the very first time I read it, it stuck in my head, and for a long time I could practically quote the last few paragraphs word for word.
As I read it again this evening, it affected me just as powerfully as it did in the 1950s. Maybe even more. I don't care if the science is bad. That didn't bother me then, and it doesn't bother me now. What matters is the story, and the effect of those fine closing paragraphs. Wow. Talk about your Sense of Wonder. For me this was (and is) what it's all about.
That was a great day for me, and the stories in the book marked me in a way that's hard to explain. Some of them I remember to this day, including the one I read this evening, Ray Bradbury's "Kaleidoscope." I probably haven't read this story in around 50 years, but then I didn't have to. From the very first time I read it, it stuck in my head, and for a long time I could practically quote the last few paragraphs word for word.
As I read it again this evening, it affected me just as powerfully as it did in the 1950s. Maybe even more. I don't care if the science is bad. That didn't bother me then, and it doesn't bother me now. What matters is the story, and the effect of those fine closing paragraphs. Wow. Talk about your Sense of Wonder. For me this was (and is) what it's all about.
The Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research
News Story - NCBuy: "Country singer Willie Nelson is making a name for himself in a new field - stem cell research.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is planning to establish the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research. An official announcement is planned later this week, a university official said."
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is planning to establish the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research. An official announcement is planned later this week, a university official said."
"Normal" Blogging to Resume Shortly
I'm slowly making my way through all the Blog Project stories. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they're all so well written and entertaining, considering the people involved. I'll get back to "normal" blogging (whatever that is) soon.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Raining Willie: a Story with no Moral
Sorry, folks, but I've had to delete this story after its being on-line for four years. It's going to be published in a book called Lone Star Noir, which I hope you'll read.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Who's Going to Tell Michael Crichton?
USATODAY.com - The debate's over: Globe is warming: "The debate's over: Globe is warming
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
Don't look now, but the ground has shifted on global warming. After decades of debate over whether the planet is heating and, if so, whose fault it is, divergent groups are joining hands with little fanfare to deal with a problem they say people can no longer avoid."
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
Don't look now, but the ground has shifted on global warming. After decades of debate over whether the planet is heating and, if so, whose fault it is, divergent groups are joining hands with little fanfare to deal with a problem they say people can no longer avoid."
Cops Just Wanna Have Fun
OregonLive.com: NewsFlash - City cleared in sex-prank suit: "PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal jury determined that the sexually charged antics of the Portland Police Bureau's elite tactical team did not create a hostile work environment for its first female member.
Officer Liani Reyna, 36, who joined the team in 1999, accused the police bureau of allowing the team's rituals to go unchecked for years, then retaliating against her when she complained. She asked the jury to award her damages in excess of $1 million.
During the two-week civil trial, the jury heard about the team's nude hot-tubbing, pornography-viewing, strip club outings and explicit skits in which team members simulated having sex and masturbating."
Officer Liani Reyna, 36, who joined the team in 1999, accused the police bureau of allowing the team's rituals to go unchecked for years, then retaliating against her when she complained. She asked the jury to award her damages in excess of $1 million.
During the two-week civil trial, the jury heard about the team's nude hot-tubbing, pornography-viewing, strip club outings and explicit skits in which team members simulated having sex and masturbating."
Bio-Pics
Jon Breen's recent post over at Ed Gorman and Friends got me to thinking about bio-pics. I wondered the same thing that Jon did about Max Baer: was he as bad as he was made out to be in the movie? His son (yeah, the guy who played Jethro on Beverly Hillbillies) doesn't seem to think so. He was pretty upset about the movie. I did a little checking on the 'net, and Baer, while he was known as the "Clown Prince of Boxing" and certainly did his share of womanizing, doesn't seem to have been nearly as cruel and mean-spirited as he was depicted in the movie.
But my question is, why do we care? When I was growing up, nobody even thought twice about whether a movie based on historical characters was accurate. Most of the time, movies about heroic figures like Lincoln were pretty reverential. Movies about outlaws and gunslingers were the same. A historical figure might have a dark side, but it would never be more than hinted out. Or the villainous characters might have been exaggerated in the opposite way. Nobody minded, as far as I know.
And now it matters. Why? What changed? I'm sure there's an answer. I just don't know what it is.
But my question is, why do we care? When I was growing up, nobody even thought twice about whether a movie based on historical characters was accurate. Most of the time, movies about heroic figures like Lincoln were pretty reverential. Movies about outlaws and gunslingers were the same. A historical figure might have a dark side, but it would never be more than hinted out. Or the villainous characters might have been exaggerated in the opposite way. Nobody minded, as far as I know.
And now it matters. Why? What changed? I'm sure there's an answer. I just don't know what it is.
World's Worst Interview: Charlie Stella Edition
Home of Hardboiled Writer Victor Gischler
Victor Gischler is at it again. Click the link to check it out.
Victor Gischler is at it again. Click the link to check it out.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Oprah's Book Club: A Summer of Faulkner
Oprah's Book Club: A Summer of Faulkner
By now just about everybody knows that Oprah is intent on getting people to read a few William Faulkner novels this summer. Is this a good thing?
I've read the three novels in question (As I Lay Dying, Light in August, The Sound and the Fury) more than once. I've probably read The Sound and the Fury ten or eleven times. I loved it the first time I read it, and I still think it's one of the best novels of the 20th century. I like the other two books almost as well. But I'm not sure they're for everybody. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not. For one thing, they're not easy reading. Faulkner's style can be a little off-putting to some people. (Like the students in my American lit classes.)
It's an interesting experiment, though. I'd really like to know how many people will actually read the books and how many will be out buying the Cliff's Notes.
To get back to my original question, I've decided that it is a good thing. If it puts Faulkner back on the bestseller list, it certainly can't be bad, can it?
By now just about everybody knows that Oprah is intent on getting people to read a few William Faulkner novels this summer. Is this a good thing?
I've read the three novels in question (As I Lay Dying, Light in August, The Sound and the Fury) more than once. I've probably read The Sound and the Fury ten or eleven times. I loved it the first time I read it, and I still think it's one of the best novels of the 20th century. I like the other two books almost as well. But I'm not sure they're for everybody. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're not. For one thing, they're not easy reading. Faulkner's style can be a little off-putting to some people. (Like the students in my American lit classes.)
It's an interesting experiment, though. I'd really like to know how many people will actually read the books and how many will be out buying the Cliff's Notes.
To get back to my original question, I've decided that it is a good thing. If it puts Faulkner back on the bestseller list, it certainly can't be bad, can it?
James Reasoner in the News!
Brownwood Bulletin
You never know who's gracing the covers of our nation's more obscure dailies if you don't check 'em out. Click the link to see James as he pontificates during the annual celebration of Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas. The photo will be up until around 3:00 p.m., June 14. And here's the link to the article that does with the photo.
You never know who's gracing the covers of our nation's more obscure dailies if you don't check 'em out. Click the link to see James as he pontificates during the annual celebration of Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas. The photo will be up until around 3:00 p.m., June 14. And here's the link to the article that does with the photo.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Howard Hughes
On our way back from the old hometown today, Judy and I decided to have a look at the Greenwood Cemetery, just a few blocks from downtown Houston. If you like to visit cemeteries (and hey, who doesn't?), this one is well worth a look. Beautiful trees, including one of the biggest oaks I've ever seen. Lots of flowers. And, of course, lots of graves, including the final resting place of Howard Hughes, Jr. There are some photos here in case you don't have time to make a visit yourself. Quite a few famous people are buried in Glenwood, including Anson Jones (1798-1858), first president of the Republic of Texas; Glen McCarthy (1907-1988), King of the Wildcatters and builder of the late lamented Shamrock Hotel; and Gene Tierney (1920-1991), Laura, married at one time to Oleg Cassini.
Friday, June 10, 2005
The Scarlet Pimpernel on the Air
While discussing Zorro with a friend the other day, I mentioned the Scarlet Pimpernel. And it occurred to me that I'd heard a Pimpernel radio show when I was a kid. "Nah," my friend said. "I don't think so." Naturally I had to check it out on the Internet. As it turns out, he was sort of right. There wasn't a radio show, as such, but was a serial version of the novel that was made in Britain and run in the U.S. by NBC in 1952-53. I'd have been eleven years old, and I'm sure that's what I heard. The question is, do I want to order the show now and listen to it again after all these years? Probably not.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Long, long ago
I'll be visiting my hometown this weekend, and I'll be meeting with some of my old (and that's the right word, believe me) friends from high school. The photo above is of the Mexia High School Slide Rule Club from many years back. I'm not telling you which one is me, but this was before I got the fabulous birth-control glasses that I was wearing in the wedding picture of a few posts back.
Macavity Noms Announced
Macavity Award Nominations 2005
(for works published in 2004)
The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International. Winners will be announced at Bouchercon in September 2005.
Best Novel
The Killing of the Tinkers, by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Cold Case, by Robin Burcell (Avon)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay (Doubleday)
High Country Fall, by Margaret Maron (Mysterious Press)
California Girl, by T. Jefferson Parker (HarperCollins)
Playing with Fire, by Peter Robinson (William Morrow)
Best First Novel
Uncommon Grounds, by Sandra Balzo (Five Star)
Summer of the Big Bachi, by Naomi Hirahara (Delta)
Whiskey Sour, by J A Konrath (Hyperion)
Dating Dead Men, by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)
Misdemeanor Man, by Dylan Schaffer (Bloomsbury)
Best Nonfiction
Famous American Crimes & Trials, Vol. 1, by Frankie Y Bailey & Steven Chermak, (Praeger Publishers)
Just the Facts: True Tales of Cops & Criminals, by Jim Doherty (Deadly Serious Press)
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories, edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W.Norton)
Latin American Mystery Writers: An A-to-Z Guide, by Darrell B. Lockhart (Greenwood Press)
Forensics for Dummies, by D.P. Lyle, MD (Wiley Publishing)
Best Short Story
"Viscery" by Sandra Balzo (EQMM, December 2004)
"The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (EQMM, March/April 2004)
The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers International. Winners will be announced at Bouchercon in September 2005.
Best Novel
The Killing of the Tinkers, by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Cold Case, by Robin Burcell (Avon)
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay (Doubleday)
High Country Fall, by Margaret Maron (Mysterious Press)
California Girl, by T. Jefferson Parker (HarperCollins)
Playing with Fire, by Peter Robinson (William Morrow)
Best First Novel
Uncommon Grounds, by Sandra Balzo (Five Star)
Summer of the Big Bachi, by Naomi Hirahara (Delta)
Whiskey Sour, by J A Konrath (Hyperion)
Dating Dead Men, by Harley Jane Kozak (Doubleday)
Misdemeanor Man, by Dylan Schaffer (Bloomsbury)
Best Nonfiction
Famous American Crimes & Trials, Vol. 1, by Frankie Y Bailey & Steven Chermak, (Praeger Publishers)
Just the Facts: True Tales of Cops & Criminals, by Jim Doherty (Deadly Serious Press)
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories, edited by Leslie S. Klinger (W.W.Norton)
Latin American Mystery Writers: An A-to-Z Guide, by Darrell B. Lockhart (Greenwood Press)
Forensics for Dummies, by D.P. Lyle, MD (Wiley Publishing)
Best Short Story
"Viscery" by Sandra Balzo (EQMM, December 2004)
"The Widow of Slane" by Terence Faherty (EQMM, March/April 2004)
"The Lady's Not for Dying" by Alana White (Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Winter 2004)
--
Janet A. Rudolph, Editor, Mystery Readers Journalhttp://www.mysteryreaders.org
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Today's Celebrity Lawsuit
CJ - Woman Claims She Inspired Stephen King's 'Misery': "Stephen King is the master of the macabre, and he often writes about scary women. One of his scariest was 'Annie Wilkes', the unforgettable sadistic nurse played by Kathy Bates in the 1990 movie, 'Misery.' Now in a federal lawsuit obtained by 'CJ', a freelance writer from New Jersey claims she's the real Annie."
This woman has a real thing about SK. Maybe she really is Annie.
This woman has a real thing about SK. Maybe she really is Annie.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
This Just in from Lynn Myers
Mickey Spillane had an accident at his home last Friday. He's home now after spending the weekend and most of yesterday in the hospital, and according to wife Jane Spillane, Mickey tripped over a cat and fell down the steps at his home in Murrells Inlet, SC. Prognosis is good, but he will be laid up indefinitely. If you would like to send Mickey a card (no flowers please) his address is:
Mickey Spillane
Box 265
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Mickey Spillane
Box 265
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Who Is George Kelley?
University at Buffalo Libraries - Lockwood - Kelley Collection
Some of you might be wondering about the philanthropist mentioned in the previous post. George Kelley is a longtime member of DAPA-Em, and a collector of old paperback books. Being smarter than most of us, George donated a big chunk of his collection to a university library. Amazingly, the library was happy to get the books, and there's a cool website devoted to the collection. You can search the "Gumshoes, Sleuths, and Snoopers" database, you can check out some cool covers, or you an read the "Introduction," which includes a photo of George himself. Just click the link above and have a look.
Some of you might be wondering about the philanthropist mentioned in the previous post. George Kelley is a longtime member of DAPA-Em, and a collector of old paperback books. Being smarter than most of us, George donated a big chunk of his collection to a university library. Amazingly, the library was happy to get the books, and there's a cool website devoted to the collection. You can search the "Gumshoes, Sleuths, and Snoopers" database, you can check out some cool covers, or you an read the "Introduction," which includes a photo of George himself. Just click the link above and have a look.
Monday, June 06, 2005
God Help Us All
Over at Jaime Weinman's blog I learned that the four Dean Martin-as-Matt-Helm movies are going to be released on DVD. As all fans of Matt Helm know, these movies bear absolutely no resemblance to the novels they're supposedly based on. They are, in fact, pretty awful. It's frightening to think that they're about to be released to an unsuspecting public. (The suspecting public will be careful to avoid them.)
Victor Gischler Needs this Book!
I’ve mentioned my affection for ABBA before. I’m a sucker for vocal harmony, and when you combine great harmonies with amazing pop-music hooks, I’m completely happy. So it was only right that I read (thanks to George Kelley) Bright Lights Dark Shadows: the Real Story of ABBA by Carl Magnus Palm. I thought the book might be just another puff piece, one of those celeb bios that doesn’t get down and dirty, but the “dark shadows” part of the title isn’t a misnomer. It’s not that the group was wild and crazy. No trashed hotels here, no mistreating of the roadies, no drunken orgies. (Dang. I was sorta hoping for drunken orgies.) But the book doesn’t play down the group’s problems and conflicts, and especially the problems some members had after the group broke up. It’s well written and easy to read (a good thing, considering its length), and it has a lot of b&w photos. I believe ABBA has been offered a billion dollars for a reunion tour. That’s right, a billion dollars. And they turned it down. Now that’s what I call integrity. Either that, or they’re completely nuts. One or the other. I report, you decide.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
WARREN NORWOOD R. I. P.
Star-Telegram | 06/05/2005 | WARREN NORWOOD | 1945-2005: "WARREN NORWOOD | 1945-2005
Novelist was a teacher and a musician
Star-Telegram
WEATHERFORD - Warren Norwood, a writer, writing teacher and musician, died of liver disease Friday morning. He was 59.
Mr. Norwood, a longtime employee of Craig's Music in Weatherford, wrote novels, mostly science fiction/fantasy, including Shudderchild, The Windhover Tapes Trilogy and True Jaguar.
Mr. Norwood taught courses at Weatherford College and what is now Tarrant County College about writing and selling fiction.
'What I remember most about Warren was his love of learning,' said Shannon Story, a former student. 'He was always learning new things and was eager to share his wealth of knowledge with everyone he met.'
Another student, Viqui Litman, said: 'He was a great teacher. He focused on the nuts and bolts of writing. He was a good critic and gave a straightforward reading.'
Mr. Norwood was born Aug. 21, 1945, in Philadelphia. His family moved to Fort Worth when he was 12, and he graduated from Arlington Heights High School in 1963.
While serving in the Army in Vietnam, he earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal.
He learned about Buddhism in Vietnam and continued to practice it, according to his family.
Mr. Norwood graduated from what is now the University of North Texas and was later named an Outstanding Alumnus by the philosophy and English departments."
This obit is posted on a registration-only site, so I'm excerpting a good bit of it here. I met Warren at the first AggieCon I ever attended, back in 1979. He was a great guy, always willing to help out other writers or others who wanted to be writers. For a while he stopped going to conventions, but I saw him again at ConDFW in 2004, and he was his usual jovial self and even remembered who I was, which sort of surprised me. He was at the convention again this year, but I was at LCC in El Paso and didn't go. I wish now, of course, that I could have seen him again.
Novelist was a teacher and a musician
Star-Telegram
WEATHERFORD - Warren Norwood, a writer, writing teacher and musician, died of liver disease Friday morning. He was 59.
Mr. Norwood, a longtime employee of Craig's Music in Weatherford, wrote novels, mostly science fiction/fantasy, including Shudderchild, The Windhover Tapes Trilogy and True Jaguar.
Mr. Norwood taught courses at Weatherford College and what is now Tarrant County College about writing and selling fiction.
'What I remember most about Warren was his love of learning,' said Shannon Story, a former student. 'He was always learning new things and was eager to share his wealth of knowledge with everyone he met.'
Another student, Viqui Litman, said: 'He was a great teacher. He focused on the nuts and bolts of writing. He was a good critic and gave a straightforward reading.'
Mr. Norwood was born Aug. 21, 1945, in Philadelphia. His family moved to Fort Worth when he was 12, and he graduated from Arlington Heights High School in 1963.
While serving in the Army in Vietnam, he earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal.
He learned about Buddhism in Vietnam and continued to practice it, according to his family.
Mr. Norwood graduated from what is now the University of North Texas and was later named an Outstanding Alumnus by the philosophy and English departments."
This obit is posted on a registration-only site, so I'm excerpting a good bit of it here. I met Warren at the first AggieCon I ever attended, back in 1979. He was a great guy, always willing to help out other writers or others who wanted to be writers. For a while he stopped going to conventions, but I saw him again at ConDFW in 2004, and he was his usual jovial self and even remembered who I was, which sort of surprised me. He was at the convention again this year, but I was at LCC in El Paso and didn't go. I wish now, of course, that I could have seen him again.
I not only deny the allegation. . .
. . . I also deny the alle-gator. (To paraphrase an old Amos 'n' Andy routine.) You may be asking yourself, "What allegation?" Well, it's the one made by Harry Hunsicker, recent recipient of a highly favorable review here for his fine first novel, Still River. The allegation appears on Victor Gischler's blog in one of his "World's Worst Interviews," and Harry, in response to a legitimate question about ABBA, alleges something about me and a groupie for K. C. and the Sunshine Band. Totally false. (Though I'm quite grateful that Harry didn't bring up that sordid episode with the Village People.)
Saturday, June 04, 2005
It Was 40 Years Ago Today . . .
. . . on June 4, 1965, that Judy Laverne Stutts and I were married in the Central Baptist Church in Thornton, Texas. Did I ever imagine then what it would be like to spend a lifetime with someone? Heck, no. I never thought past the next five minutes. Which, by the way, is about how long it seems since that picture was taken. I wonder if the next 40 years will go by as quickly?
Friday, June 03, 2005
Hard Case Crime Press Release
Probably you've all heard this before, but here it is again:
Award-Winning Authors
KEN BRUEN and JASON STARR
Team Up For Hard Case Crime
Authors of THE GUARDS and TWISTED CITY to Collaborate on BUST
New York (June 3, 2005) - Hard Case Crime announced today that
acclaimed crime writers Ken Bruen and Jason Starr will collaborate on
an original novel titled BUST, to be published in Spring 2006.
Ireland-based Bruen is the author of more than a dozen celebrated
novels, including THE GUARDS, THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS, and THE
MAGDALEN MARTYRS. New York City-based Starr has won raves for novels
such as HARD FEELINGS, TOUGH LUCK, and TWISTED CITY. Between them,
the two authors have been nominated for almost every major award in
the mystery field, including the Edgar, the Shamus, the Barry, the
Anthony, and the Macavity Awards. (THE GUARDS won the Shamus in 2003,
TOUGH LUCK won the Barry in 2004, and both men are again up for the
Anthony and Barry Awards this year.) BUST tells the story of sleazy
New York businessman Max Fisher, who hatches a plot to kill his wife
with the help of his Irish-American executive assistant and an ex-IRA
hit man of her acquaintance. Naturally, things go horribly wrong.
Launched in September 2004 by novelists and pulp mavens Charles Ardai
and Max Phillips, the Edgar Award-winning Hard Case Crime imprint
revives the storytelling and visual style of the great pulp
paperbacks of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The line features an exciting
mix of lost pulp masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed crime
writers of all time and gripping new novels from the next generation
of great hardboiled authors, all with new painted covers in the grand
pulp style. Authors range from current best-sellers such as Lawrence
Block, Max Allan Collins, Ed McBain, and Donald E. Westlake to Golden
Age stars like Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of "Perry Mason"),
Donald Hamilton (creator of "Matt Helm"), Wade Miller (author of
TOUCH OF EVIL), and Charles Williams (author of DEAD CALM). In
October 2005, Hard Case Crime will publish THE COLORADO KID, a new
book by Stephen King, who has said, "This is an exciting line and I'm
delighted to be part of it."
Since its debut, Hard Case Crime has been the subject of enthusiastic
coverage by a wide range of publications including The New York
Times, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report,
BusinessWeek, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Houston Chronicle, New York
magazine, the New York Post and Daily News, Salon, Publishers Weekly
and USA Weekend, as well as numerous other magazines, newspapers, and
online media outlets. In The Stranger, Neal Pollack wrote, "Hard Case
may be the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade."
The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Hard Case Crime is doing a wonderful
job.These modern `penny dreadfuls' are worth every dime." And
Publishers Weekly wrote, "They do write `em like they used to."
"Ken and I have been looking for an excuse to work together and the
chance to collaborate on an old-fashioned pulp crime novel for Hard
Case Crime was just too good to pass up," said Jason Starr. Ken Bruen
added, "We had a blast writing this book and have already started
talking about a sequel."
"BUST is a simply terrific book that will not only satisfy existing
fans of Ken's and Jason's work but should bring them legions of new
readers," said Charles Ardai, Hard Case Crime's editor. "These guys
are well versed in the pulp tradition and know how to tell the sort
of story that grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn't
let you go until the last. This is definitely a stay-up-all-night-to-
finish-it sort of book."
Award-Winning Authors
KEN BRUEN and JASON STARR
Team Up For Hard Case Crime
Authors of THE GUARDS and TWISTED CITY to Collaborate on BUST
New York (June 3, 2005) - Hard Case Crime announced today that
acclaimed crime writers Ken Bruen and Jason Starr will collaborate on
an original novel titled BUST, to be published in Spring 2006.
Ireland-based Bruen is the author of more than a dozen celebrated
novels, including THE GUARDS, THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS, and THE
MAGDALEN MARTYRS. New York City-based Starr has won raves for novels
such as HARD FEELINGS, TOUGH LUCK, and TWISTED CITY. Between them,
the two authors have been nominated for almost every major award in
the mystery field, including the Edgar, the Shamus, the Barry, the
Anthony, and the Macavity Awards. (THE GUARDS won the Shamus in 2003,
TOUGH LUCK won the Barry in 2004, and both men are again up for the
Anthony and Barry Awards this year.) BUST tells the story of sleazy
New York businessman Max Fisher, who hatches a plot to kill his wife
with the help of his Irish-American executive assistant and an ex-IRA
hit man of her acquaintance. Naturally, things go horribly wrong.
Launched in September 2004 by novelists and pulp mavens Charles Ardai
and Max Phillips, the Edgar Award-winning Hard Case Crime imprint
revives the storytelling and visual style of the great pulp
paperbacks of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The line features an exciting
mix of lost pulp masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed crime
writers of all time and gripping new novels from the next generation
of great hardboiled authors, all with new painted covers in the grand
pulp style. Authors range from current best-sellers such as Lawrence
Block, Max Allan Collins, Ed McBain, and Donald E. Westlake to Golden
Age stars like Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of "Perry Mason"),
Donald Hamilton (creator of "Matt Helm"), Wade Miller (author of
TOUCH OF EVIL), and Charles Williams (author of DEAD CALM). In
October 2005, Hard Case Crime will publish THE COLORADO KID, a new
book by Stephen King, who has said, "This is an exciting line and I'm
delighted to be part of it."
Since its debut, Hard Case Crime has been the subject of enthusiastic
coverage by a wide range of publications including The New York
Times, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report,
BusinessWeek, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Houston Chronicle, New York
magazine, the New York Post and Daily News, Salon, Publishers Weekly
and USA Weekend, as well as numerous other magazines, newspapers, and
online media outlets. In The Stranger, Neal Pollack wrote, "Hard Case
may be the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade."
The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Hard Case Crime is doing a wonderful
job.These modern `penny dreadfuls' are worth every dime." And
Publishers Weekly wrote, "They do write `em like they used to."
"Ken and I have been looking for an excuse to work together and the
chance to collaborate on an old-fashioned pulp crime novel for Hard
Case Crime was just too good to pass up," said Jason Starr. Ken Bruen
added, "We had a blast writing this book and have already started
talking about a sequel."
"BUST is a simply terrific book that will not only satisfy existing
fans of Ken's and Jason's work but should bring them legions of new
readers," said Charles Ardai, Hard Case Crime's editor. "These guys
are well versed in the pulp tradition and know how to tell the sort
of story that grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn't
let you go until the last. This is definitely a stay-up-all-night-to-
finish-it sort of book."
Zorro -- Isabel Allende
Never having read a book by Isabel Allende, I didn't know what to expect of her version of the Zorro story. But, being a Zorro fan, I wanted to read the book to see what Allende had to offer.
Not much, as it turns out. What we have here is a "prequel," sort of a "how Zorro became Zorro" story. Except that instead of being a prequel to the original tale by Johnston McCulley, this novel is a prequel to every Zorro movie you've ever seen, as we learn how Diego de la Vega became a wonderful magician, acrobat, swordsman, and so on. We find out how the fox became his totem animal and how he learned to hate injustice. Not to mention how he got so handy with a bullwhip. We even get a long section with Jean Lafitte when Diego is captured by pirates. So why wasn't I thrilled?
First of all, let me admit that I'm in a minority. Most reviewers and readers seem to love the book. Maybe I didn't like it because Allende is sort of the anti-Robert B. Parker. Parker tells his stories with tons of dialogue. Allende doesn't seem to like dialogue at all. As for me, I'm with Alice (of Wonderland fame), who, as I dimly recall, said something along these lines, "What good is a book without conversations in it?" Allende writes page after page after page with no conversations at all, and sometimes the page after page after page of writing is all one paragraph. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The paragraphs are fluidly written and easy enough to read. But isn't the primary rule of writing supposed to be "show, don't tell"? This book is 95% telling and 5% showing.
And then there's the narration. About 1/3 of the way through, the narrator suddenly intrudes in the first person, something that happens a couple more times. The narrator is playing coy with us for reasons we discover later. I have a feeling this is Allende's "literary" side, and it's supposed to be a cute little joke, but I wasn't impressed.
And the section with the pirates? Geez. This part of the book sounds like it was intended for some bodice-ripper with Lafitte on the cover, modeled of course by Fabio. Gimme a break.
What it comes down to, probably, is this: Given the choice between Allende's version and the original by McCulley (which I re-read a year or so ago), I'll take the old pulpster any time. Just another example of my low taste in literature.
Not much, as it turns out. What we have here is a "prequel," sort of a "how Zorro became Zorro" story. Except that instead of being a prequel to the original tale by Johnston McCulley, this novel is a prequel to every Zorro movie you've ever seen, as we learn how Diego de la Vega became a wonderful magician, acrobat, swordsman, and so on. We find out how the fox became his totem animal and how he learned to hate injustice. Not to mention how he got so handy with a bullwhip. We even get a long section with Jean Lafitte when Diego is captured by pirates. So why wasn't I thrilled?
First of all, let me admit that I'm in a minority. Most reviewers and readers seem to love the book. Maybe I didn't like it because Allende is sort of the anti-Robert B. Parker. Parker tells his stories with tons of dialogue. Allende doesn't seem to like dialogue at all. As for me, I'm with Alice (of Wonderland fame), who, as I dimly recall, said something along these lines, "What good is a book without conversations in it?" Allende writes page after page after page with no conversations at all, and sometimes the page after page after page of writing is all one paragraph. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The paragraphs are fluidly written and easy enough to read. But isn't the primary rule of writing supposed to be "show, don't tell"? This book is 95% telling and 5% showing.
And then there's the narration. About 1/3 of the way through, the narrator suddenly intrudes in the first person, something that happens a couple more times. The narrator is playing coy with us for reasons we discover later. I have a feeling this is Allende's "literary" side, and it's supposed to be a cute little joke, but I wasn't impressed.
And the section with the pirates? Geez. This part of the book sounds like it was intended for some bodice-ripper with Lafitte on the cover, modeled of course by Fabio. Gimme a break.
What it comes down to, probably, is this: Given the choice between Allende's version and the original by McCulley (which I re-read a year or so ago), I'll take the old pulpster any time. Just another example of my low taste in literature.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Sam Cook and the Soul Stirrers
For the last few days, a couple of albums by Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers have been in what MTV used to call "heavy rotation" on my computer. Most people of my age remember Cooke for such pop classics as "You Send Me," "Chain Gang," and lots of other hits. But before he got worldly, Cooke sang lead with a gospel group, and these recordings get down in my blood and bone the way only good gospel can get into someone who grew up in a little Methodist church in East Texas. I'd rather hear these songs than anything Cooke recorded after he became famous and started selling millions of records. You don't have to have grown up like I did to start shouting "Amen" and "Hallelujah" when you hear songs like these. At least I don't think you do.
Cooke's sad and mysterious death adds a little poignancy to listening to these songs. I think they're the best work Cooke ever did. Check 'em out if you can.
Cooke's sad and mysterious death adds a little poignancy to listening to these songs. I think they're the best work Cooke ever did. Check 'em out if you can.
Why Wasn't I in the Loop?
CMT.com: Seeking Vice President, CMT DUKES OF HAZZARD INSTITUTE: "The job responsibilities for the Vice President, CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute are:
* watch The Dukes of Hazzard every weeknight on CMT;
* know the words to The Dukes of Hazzard theme song, 'Good Ol' Boys,' written and performed on the series by the legendary Waylon Jennings;
* serve as media expert on The Dukes of Hazzard for the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute: must be available for TV, radio and newspaper interviews to share passion for The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;
* write the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute online blog for cmt.com;
* be passionate about The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;
* make appearances at special events such as Dukesfest 2005 in Bristol, Tenn., (June 4-5, 2005).
As you can see, Art Scott, E.O.T.U., wasn't joking, and neither was the NY POST. But why didn't anybody tell me about this job when there was still time to apply?
* watch The Dukes of Hazzard every weeknight on CMT;
* know the words to The Dukes of Hazzard theme song, 'Good Ol' Boys,' written and performed on the series by the legendary Waylon Jennings;
* serve as media expert on The Dukes of Hazzard for the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute: must be available for TV, radio and newspaper interviews to share passion for The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;
* write the CMT Dukes of Hazzard Institute online blog for cmt.com;
* be passionate about The Dukes of Hazzard on CMT;
* make appearances at special events such as Dukesfest 2005 in Bristol, Tenn., (June 4-5, 2005).
As you can see, Art Scott, E.O.T.U., wasn't joking, and neither was the NY POST. But why didn't anybody tell me about this job when there was still time to apply?
Cap'n Bob Wants this Job, Too!
This comes via Art Scott, E.O.T.U. I don't have a link, so we'll just have to trust him.
TV MAN'S HAZZARD-OUS DUTY
Meet the New Yorker with the world's easiest and best-paying job.
Christopher Nelson is getting $100,000 a year to sit in his East Village apartment and watch reruns of "The Dukes of Hazzard."
The Country Music Channel, which airs the backwoods brawls-and-babes show, hired Nelson, 28, to watch it daily and drum up interest with a "Dukes" blog featuring trivia, contests and interviews with the original stars.
His title is vice president of the "Dukes of Hazzard Institute" — the president being The General Lee, the orange 1969 Dodge Charger that Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke tooled around in.
"This is a great job and I can do it right from my home. Any job that's a pants-optional position is all right with me," said Nelson, a transplanted Texan who'd been doing temp work as he tried to kick-start a music and writing career. Bill Hoffmann
Trucker Bombs
‘Urine trouble,’ some states warn lazy truckers - Environment - MSNBC.com: "SEATTLE — Roadside litter comes in all shapes and sizes — from dirty diapers to syringes — but there's one category that out-grosses the rest: trucker bombs.
Most drivers whiz along the nation's highways largely oblivious to their roadside surroundings. But next time you are out there, take a closer look.
'As soon as you look for it you’ll see it,' says Megan Warfield, litter programs coordinator at Washington state's Department of Ecology. 'You just see them glistening in the sun. It’s just gross.'
They are trucker bombs, plastic jugs full of urine tossed by truckers, and even non-truckers, who refuse to make a proper potty stop to relieve themselves."
I particularly like the use of the word "whiz" in the sentence I emphasized above.
Most drivers whiz along the nation's highways largely oblivious to their roadside surroundings. But next time you are out there, take a closer look.
'As soon as you look for it you’ll see it,' says Megan Warfield, litter programs coordinator at Washington state's Department of Ecology. 'You just see them glistening in the sun. It’s just gross.'
They are trucker bombs, plastic jugs full of urine tossed by truckers, and even non-truckers, who refuse to make a proper potty stop to relieve themselves."
I particularly like the use of the word "whiz" in the sentence I emphasized above.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Cap'n Bob Wants this Job!
City pays for private investigator to get lap dances: "City pays for private investigator to get lap dances"
But a certain Sam Smooth probably already has a lock on it.
But a certain Sam Smooth probably already has a lock on it.
I Can Hardly Wait
The Books-to-Film Weekly Deals Report, Starring Sylvester Stallone, Leo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr. and Akiva Goldsman: "Sylvester Stallone does a one-two punch this month, with two head-scratching deals in place. First, the brawny boxer has just officially confirmed that that he has signed on to star in Rambo IV."
In the second piece of Sly news this week, the star will direct a biopic of a quieter, gentler sort: the life of Edgar Allan Poe, in a film titled not Rampoe, but, merely, Poe. Stallone is wooing Robert Downey Jr. to play the master of the macabre. The bio/drama will be produced and distributed by the same company behind Rambo IV, Nu Image/Millennium Films.
In the second piece of Sly news this week, the star will direct a biopic of a quieter, gentler sort: the life of Edgar Allan Poe, in a film titled not Rampoe, but, merely, Poe. Stallone is wooing Robert Downey Jr. to play the master of the macabre. The bio/drama will be produced and distributed by the same company behind Rambo IV, Nu Image/Millennium Films.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
New Noir Originals On-line Now
Allan Guthrie's Noir Originals Zine: Noir And Hardboiled Fiction
Al Guthrie's Noir Originals is an excellent example of what an e-zine can be. There are articles, stories, and interviews that all look interesting. Check it out.
Al Guthrie's Noir Originals is an excellent example of what an e-zine can be. There are articles, stories, and interviews that all look interesting. Check it out.
Brought In Dead -- Jack Higgins
I've had quite a bit to say about Jack Higgins in the past, here, here, and here. In the second of those linked posts, I said that a book called The Graveyard Shift reminded me of a good Gold Medal novel. I should have mentioned then that it was really Fawcett who brought Higgins to the U.S. market back in the 1970s, putting out a lot of his best work in paperback for the first time in this country.
Brought in Dead is another Berkley reprint of an early Higgins book in the same series as The Graveyard Shift and it also features a cop named Nick Miller. In this one Miller is working on the suicide of a young woman who seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to hide her identity before killing herself. He finds out who she was, and her father sets out to get revenge on the man who drove her to her death. This is another fast-moving and entertaining book, and as soon as I finished it, I went out and bought Hell is always Today, yet another Nick Miller novel. I don't know why Berkley has waited so long to publish this series, but I, for one, am glad they finally got around to it.
Brought in Dead is another Berkley reprint of an early Higgins book in the same series as The Graveyard Shift and it also features a cop named Nick Miller. In this one Miller is working on the suicide of a young woman who seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to hide her identity before killing herself. He finds out who she was, and her father sets out to get revenge on the man who drove her to her death. This is another fast-moving and entertaining book, and as soon as I finished it, I went out and bought Hell is always Today, yet another Nick Miller novel. I don't know why Berkley has waited so long to publish this series, but I, for one, am glad they finally got around to it.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Dashiell Hammett's The Fat Man
Judy and I had to make a long drive to a funeral on Saturday, so I stuck some Old Time Radio shows on CD into the car's changer. One of my favorite programs when I was a kid was The Fat Man, which starred J. Scott Smart as the title character. The Fat Man was a private detective named Brad Runyon, and he was hefty. The show opened with someone (sometimes a man, sometimes a woman) saying, "There he goes into that drugstore. He's stepping on the scales." (Sound of a penny dropping into slot.) "Weight: 237 pounds. Fortune: Danger. Whooooo is it?" Then J. Scott Smart says, "The Fat Man."
I've heard or read that some people aren't all that fond of J. Scott Smart's voice. I thought it was great, and The Fat Man was a show I never wanted to miss. I was thrilled in the early '50s when a movie version appeared, starring J. Scott Smart himself. I was right there in the Palace Theater in Mexia, Texas, to see it. I don't know if it was a big hit across the country, but it was a hit with me.
And I enjoyed the two shows we listened to. One was "The Black Angel," and the other was "Twice-Told Secret." Both of them would probably seem laughable to today's audiences, particularly in the way Brad Runyon manipulates the cops. He's always the one in charge, and they do what he tells them, legalities be damned. For me the highlight was listening to Smart's narration. I still love that voice. And I love the theme music, too. Hearing it was like being transported back to 1948 or so.
The Fat Man was supposedly created by Dashiell Hammett, but the degree of his involvement is questionable. Obviously the title was a play on Hammett's The Thin Man, but I don't know how much he had to do with the show beyond that. Except to collect his paycheck.
Who could have guessed, fifty or more years ago, that I'd be involved with Hammett in one way or another for most of the rest of my life? Certainly not me.
Memorial Day
On this Memorial Day, the inhabitants of Casa de Crider send a grateful thank-you to all those who serve (and to those who have served) in our armed forces. We remember the fallen.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
The Fools in Town are on our Side -- Ross Thomas
I've mentioned before how much I like the novels of Ross Thomas. Here, for example and also here. The other day I picked up a copy of The Fools in Town are on our Side and started thumbing through it, thinking I'd re-read a couple of paragraphs. One hundred pages later I knew I wasn't going to stop. If I hadn't already pledged my allegiance to Chinaman's Chance as my favorite book by Thomas, I might have to say that this one is. It's a close race.
The apparent ease with which Thomas writes makes me grind my teeth in envy (even though I know it couldn't possibly have been easy). When I read a book like The Fools . . . . I wonder why I even bother to try to write anything more ambitious than a grocery list. The book's main story is about how Lucifer C. (for Clarence) Dye corrupts a place called Shankertown, "but the local wits had long ago changed that to Chancre Town . . . ." That sentence tells us what one of Thomas's inspirations for the novel was, but it gives no clue to the way the story unfolds. Or the stories, since the main story is frequently interrupted by flashbacks to Lucifer Dye's past. Naturally these flashbacks are handled so smoothly that you'll hardly realize how well they're done unless you stop and think about it, which you most likely won't do on a first reading, thanks to the propulsive force of Thomas's narrative.
Ross Thomas has been dead for about ten years now. When he died, all his books were in print. Now only the cognoscenti even remember who he was. Or at least that's the way it seems to me in my darker moments. I hope it's not true. Thomas was a masterful writer, absoluetly one of the best.
The apparent ease with which Thomas writes makes me grind my teeth in envy (even though I know it couldn't possibly have been easy). When I read a book like The Fools . . . . I wonder why I even bother to try to write anything more ambitious than a grocery list. The book's main story is about how Lucifer C. (for Clarence) Dye corrupts a place called Shankertown, "but the local wits had long ago changed that to Chancre Town . . . ." That sentence tells us what one of Thomas's inspirations for the novel was, but it gives no clue to the way the story unfolds. Or the stories, since the main story is frequently interrupted by flashbacks to Lucifer Dye's past. Naturally these flashbacks are handled so smoothly that you'll hardly realize how well they're done unless you stop and think about it, which you most likely won't do on a first reading, thanks to the propulsive force of Thomas's narrative.
Ross Thomas has been dead for about ten years now. When he died, all his books were in print. Now only the cognoscenti even remember who he was. Or at least that's the way it seems to me in my darker moments. I hope it's not true. Thomas was a masterful writer, absoluetly one of the best.
Friday, May 27, 2005
My 15 Minutes (or maybe 15 seconds)
Bloggers Say the Darnedest Things By David Wallace-Wells: "'Maybe those hundreds of SF stories I read back in the '50s weren't so far off the mark, after all,' writes Texan and novelist Bill Crider, who joins most bloggers in being charmed but not convinced. At science and technology superblog Boing Boing, Ben Garvey provides some visual (and somewhat gruesome) counterevidence, while Cory Doctorow adds: 'To be clear -- the interesting thing about this story isn't the possibility that it's true. It clearly isn't. It's that there are doctors participating in a Big Lie regarding the ongoing tragedy of Chernobyl.'"
Thanks to Vince Keenan for the heads-up on this one.
Thanks to Vince Keenan for the heads-up on this one.
Vintage Gun Leather
Vintage Gun Leather
This is a site for fans of old western movies, or for those of you who've been looking for a holster for your antique firearm. Some wonderful stuff. Check it out.
This is a site for fans of old western movies, or for those of you who've been looking for a holster for your antique firearm. Some wonderful stuff. Check it out.
The All-Time Top 100 Voices in the Movies
filmcritic.com: The All-Time Top 100 Voices in the Movies
Yes, it's another of those annoying lists! I got the link from Ray Banks over at The Saturday Boy, so blame him.
Yes, it's another of those annoying lists! I got the link from Ray Banks over at The Saturday Boy, so blame him.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Cold Service -- Robert B. Parker
I've expressed my affection for the works of Robert B. Parker before, here and here. And also here. So it won't come as a surprise to regular readers of this blog that I enjoyed Cold Service, the latest in the Spenser series. I'm sure the title refers to the way revenge tastes best, and this is a revenge book. Remember the book in which Spenser gets all shot up and has to be nursed back to health so that he can get revenge and become himself again? Well, this time it's Hawk who's all shot up and who has to be nursed, etc. Naturally there's much discussion of how a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do and how if he doesn't do it he's not a man and so on. What did you expect? This is a Spenser novel, right? Anyway, it's also a "one man against municipal corruption" book, except that it's really two men, Hawk and Spenser. It's Parker's version of Hammett's Red Harvest.
I've decided that Parker is writing minimalist crime fiction. Cold Service is mostly dialogue (as are all Parker's novels these days). It's fast, it's efficient, it gets the job done. A lot of it is overly familiar (even I, as big a fan as there is, get a little tired of the stuff with Susan, not to mention the dog), but I still enjoyed just about every page of it. Whatever it is that Parker does, he does it extremely well. I'd love to be able to write that way.
I've decided that Parker is writing minimalist crime fiction. Cold Service is mostly dialogue (as are all Parker's novels these days). It's fast, it's efficient, it gets the job done. A lot of it is overly familiar (even I, as big a fan as there is, get a little tired of the stuff with Susan, not to mention the dog), but I still enjoyed just about every page of it. Whatever it is that Parker does, he does it extremely well. I'd love to be able to write that way.
Mutants!
The Sun Online - News: 'Mutant' children are best
THE Chernobyl nuclear disaster has spawned a generation of ‘mutant’ super-brainy children.
Kids growing up in areas damaged by radiation from the plant have a higher IQ and faster reaction times, say Russian doctors.
Maybe those hundreds of SF stories I read back in the '50s weren't so far off the mark, after all.
THE Chernobyl nuclear disaster has spawned a generation of ‘mutant’ super-brainy children.
Kids growing up in areas damaged by radiation from the plant have a higher IQ and faster reaction times, say Russian doctors.
Maybe those hundreds of SF stories I read back in the '50s weren't so far off the mark, after all.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
An Erotic Bakery?
Nooky's Erotic Bakery -Houston Bachelorette, Bachelor Party Cakes, party supplies, erotic edibles, Photo cakes
Thanks to Off the Kuff, I've discovered that Texas has an erotic bakery. That's right, an erotic bakery, and it's located only about 25 miles from where I'm sitting. In Tom DeLay's home district. Do you think there'll be controversy? Off the Kuff directs us to the hilarious lowdown, here. This is highly recommended reading. Check it out.
Thanks to Off the Kuff, I've discovered that Texas has an erotic bakery. That's right, an erotic bakery, and it's located only about 25 miles from where I'm sitting. In Tom DeLay's home district. Do you think there'll be controversy? Off the Kuff directs us to the hilarious lowdown, here. This is highly recommended reading. Check it out.
Still River -- Harry Hunsicker
Hey, Guys! Thinking about getting a testosterone shot? Why bother? Just read Harry Hunsicker's Still River. It's cheaper, less painful, and more fun.
There are a couple of p.i. novel titles that I really like and that I think would better describe this book, but they're both taken. One is Joe Lansdale and Lewis Shiner's Private-Eye Action as You Like It. The other is Let them Eat Bullets, from an old Gold Medal book by Howard Schoenfeld. Either title would fit Still River. This book never slows down to catch its breath. There are more firefights than on a bad day in Baghdad, not to mention martial arts, explosions, and hair dryers. In fact, if the U.S. gov would just send Lee Henry ("Call me Hank") Oswald to Iraq, he'd probably take out the insurgency in under a month. I believe Hunsicker has already signed on to write at least two more books in this series. By the time they're done, the population of Dallas, which is the setting, might be reduced to the size of Alvin's.
There are some good one-liners in the midst of all the carnage. Plus there are characters named Clairol and Poon. If you put copies of books by James Crumley and Dan Jenkins too close together on a library shelf and they mated to produce an illegitimate offspring, the result might be Still River. I suggest that you buy a copy today.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Excellent Career Move
Tonight - Star Wars star wants to try another career: "Star Wars star wants to try another career
May 24, 2005
Hayden Christensen is set to quit acting to become an architect. The Star Wars actor says he plans to swap the big screen for building design - because the movie industry doesn't excite him anymore.
He told Britain's The Sun newspaper: 'Maybe the new Star Wars will be my last movie. 'I don't find Hollywood interesting, so I'm thinking about studying architecture instead.'"
Considering Christensen's alleged "acting" in the Star Wars movies I've seen, I think this is his best bet.
May 24, 2005
Hayden Christensen is set to quit acting to become an architect. The Star Wars actor says he plans to swap the big screen for building design - because the movie industry doesn't excite him anymore.
He told Britain's The Sun newspaper: 'Maybe the new Star Wars will be my last movie. 'I don't find Hollywood interesting, so I'm thinking about studying architecture instead.'"
Considering Christensen's alleged "acting" in the Star Wars movies I've seen, I think this is his best bet.
Three to Conquer -- Eric Frank Russell
Back in the '50s there were a lot of books and movies like this one. Aliens were among us, and the scary thing was that they were nearly impossible to detect because they either assumed our forms, invaded our bodies, or attached themselves to us. They looked just like we did. My personal favorite has always been Robert Heinlein's The Puppet Masters, but I also like Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers. I like both movie versions of that one, too. Other movies on the same theme I like include It Came from Outer Space and Invaders from Mars. I'm sure there are plenty of others.
Three to Conquer was originally a serial in Astounding, and the title there was Call Him Dead. I read it first in the edition in the picture, half of an Ace Double. The invaders are from Venus, and apparently they're some kind of microbial parasites that can take over human beings, and the only person who can spot them is the world's only (as far as he knows) telepath, Wade Harper. Who, of course, just happens to be in the right place at the right time, at the very beginning of the invasion. The story moves fast, in a no-frills semi-hardboiled style (with a few Britishisms along the way, a little distracting since the story's set in the U.S.). There's nothing fancy about it, and someone should have made a low-budget black-and-white movie of it in the '50s, with Frank Lovejoy.
I liked Russell's work a lot when I was a kid. Wasp is my favorite of his books, and I remember several short stories ("Dear Devil," "Late Night Final") with affection. Most of the younger SF fans have probably never heard of him.
Monday, May 23, 2005
:: Kinky Friedman Official Site
:: Kinky Friedman Official Site ::
The Kinkster has a new website, and he has a blog. And he's hired a media consultant. This guy is serious about running for governor of Texas. Check it out.
The Kinkster has a new website, and he has a blog. And he's hired a media consultant. This guy is serious about running for governor of Texas. Check it out.
Want To Know What To Read? Storycode.com Will Do the Math: "Want To Know What To Read? Storycode.com Will Do the Math
May 20, 2005
By Rachel Deahl
The notion that taste is personal may have gone the way of eight tracks and Hammer pants. A number of new companies are pioneering a variation of the search engine, known as 'recommendation technology,' which would use hard data to essentially tell consumers what music, movies and clothing they will like . . . even if they don't know it yet themselves. While this software is already present in the book industry—anyone who's ever been startled by Amazon or B&N's seeming omniscience ('Geez, how'd they know I'd love Knitting to the Oldies?') can attest to this—some companies are now gearing up to bring it to readers in a more ambitious way"
You can check out Storycode here.
May 20, 2005
By Rachel Deahl
The notion that taste is personal may have gone the way of eight tracks and Hammer pants. A number of new companies are pioneering a variation of the search engine, known as 'recommendation technology,' which would use hard data to essentially tell consumers what music, movies and clothing they will like . . . even if they don't know it yet themselves. While this software is already present in the book industry—anyone who's ever been startled by Amazon or B&N's seeming omniscience ('Geez, how'd they know I'd love Knitting to the Oldies?') can attest to this—some companies are now gearing up to bring it to readers in a more ambitious way"
You can check out Storycode here.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Howard Morris, R.I.P.
news from me: "Howie died yesterday at the age of 85. It was not a surprise -- he'd been in poor health for some time -- but it still hit me like a stone lobbed through the window of the Mayberry Sheriff's Station by Ernest T."
I remember Morris best as Earnest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, and I still think that those episodes are classics, but I saw him earlier on comedy shows like Your Show of Shows. He was a very funny guy. The link above will give you a couple of links to watch if you have the time. Check 'em out.
I remember Morris best as Earnest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, and I still think that those episodes are classics, but I saw him earlier on comedy shows like Your Show of Shows. He was a very funny guy. The link above will give you a couple of links to watch if you have the time. Check 'em out.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Border Town Girl -- John D. MacDonald
Every now and then I get the urge to revist something by John D. MacDonald. (So does Ed Gorman. Check out his post about The Brass Cupcake here.) I wanted something short and snappy, so I picked Border Town Girl, which isn't a novel but a collection of two novellas, the title one and another called Linda. Border Town Girl was published originally in Dime Detective in 1950, and this book publication is one of the rare occasions where JDM seems to have wanted his pulp work reprinted. (The edition pictured is the first one from Popular Library; it was later reprinted by Gold Medal.) I think one reason must be that he liked the villain so much. His name is Christy, and he's the forerunner of all those really bad guys that populated the Travis McGee series. The only problem with the story is that the hero overcomes him so easily. If you've ever doubted that JDM was a fine writer even before he started writing for Gold Medal, have a look at Border Town Girl. A lot of his virtues are already on display, along with some of his typical weaknesses. I'm glad I had another look at this one. Now I need to try Linda.
Friday, May 20, 2005
Star Wars, Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Judy and I and our two kids, Angela and Allen, walked ito a movie theater in Brownwood, Texas, to see a new movie called Star Wars. We didn't know much about it. Judy and I had seen and loved George Lucas's American Graffiti, but that was all. However, I had high hopes. I'd been waiting for a really good SF movie ever since I'd been the age of Angela and Allen, which is when I'd seen Destination Moon, a movie that had impressed me no end. Since then I'd sat through any number of really, really bad SF movies (and, of course a few good ones), but nothing had captured my imagination like the first one. I thought about that while we sat there in the dark, and then the movie started. As soon as that big space ship started its slow crawl across the screen, a big grin plastered itself on my face, and it just got bigger as the movie went on. Wow. It's hard to explain now how much fun I had that day.
This afternoon Judy and I went to a mall to see the new Star Wars movie. It's been nearly 30 years since we saw that first one. I was a young guy then. I'm not now. When I think of all the things that have happened during the time that's gone by, my mind boggles. My parents got old and died. Judy had surgery to remove a brain tumor. Angela and Allen have long since graduated from college (and in Angela's case, law school as well). I wasn't even thinking about becoming a writer, but I've published 60 or 70 books since then. We moved from Brownwood to Alvin. There's plenty more, but you get the idea. It's been a long time. But finally the Star Wars saga is complete, as far as I'm concerned.
I can't really be critical about Revenge of the Sith. I know it has plenty of flaws, but I didn't mind them. For me the final half hour or so of the movie rendered them immaterial because as I sat there, I realized that the story was finally tying up all the loose ends and leading up to the point where I'd walked into that theater 30 years previously. Wow. For a minute there it was as if all the intervening years were wiped out. I was still that young guy with his wife and kids, a young guy with thick black hair and a spring in his step instead of an old gray-haired gink with a shuffle in his walk. The feeling didn't last long, but it was great while it did last. I don't care if Episodes I and II sucked. I owe George Lucas for that moment.
ERB -- A Libertarian View
Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned From Edgar Rice Burroughs by Bob Wallace
I loved the John Carter books of Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was a kid. For some reason I read them before I read the Tarzan books. Anyway, the link goes to an interesting commentary.
I loved the John Carter books of Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was a kid. For some reason I read them before I read the Tarzan books. Anyway, the link goes to an interesting commentary.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
So Maybe Johny Dollar is, Too
Filmmaker Claims Jim Morrison Is Alive In Oregon: "Filmmaker Claims Jim Morrison Is Alive In Oregon"
NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) – Here’s news that will light the fire of Jim Morrison fans: A filmmaker claims The Doors’ frontman is alive and raising horses on a ranch in southern Oregon.
Rodeo photographer Gerald Pitts insists Morrison didn’t die in July of 1971 and he has current photographs and film footage of the rocker to prove it.
I'm waiting for Morrison and Elvis to record a new CD together.
NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) – Here’s news that will light the fire of Jim Morrison fans: A filmmaker claims The Doors’ frontman is alive and raising horses on a ranch in southern Oregon.
Rodeo photographer Gerald Pitts insists Morrison didn’t die in July of 1971 and he has current photographs and film footage of the rocker to prove it.
I'm waiting for Morrison and Elvis to record a new CD together.
The Will to Kill -- Robert Bloch
Dan Stumpf suggested that I read one of Bloch's early crime novels, and this is the one I grabbed. It's very short, probably not more than 40,000 words, more like half of an Ace Double than a "real" book. I have no idea Don Wollheim decided to publish it as a single, but here it is.
Bloch liked Ripper tales. His story "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" is a classic, and he later wrote a novel called Night of the Ripper. This Ace book is from 1953, an early entry in the Ripper novel sweepstakes. There's a good bit of Ripper lore in it, but it's not really a serial killer story, though it appears to be at first. It's narrated by Tom Kendall, who has an annoying habit of waking up in rooms with dead women. Well, it happens twice. I'd call that a habit. He has another problem, as well. He's subject to blackouts, dating from his time in the Korean conflict. Naturally he's doesn't remember killing the women, but he thinks he might have.
However, we readers know better. Why? Because Kendall owns a little store where he sells stamps and used books. Would a guy like that kill anybody? The few scenes in the store with Kendall's customers are great. People in 1953 were collecting the same things they do now (Planet Stories, for example), but I'll bet they paid a lot less.
Although the book was published over 50 years ago, some it sounds right up to date. This passage for example: Some of them wear khaki, some of them wear blue shirts, and some of them wear the same beat-up old overcoat winter and summer both, rain or shine. Rain or shine, you find them on the sidewalks and on the concrete steps —the bugs that swarm out from underneath the stones of a big city. The red-rimmed eyes look at you, but seldom see. They're really gazing out of present time—at yesterday's dreams or tonight's bottle. The cracked lips move, because the winos like to talk. Sometimes they talk to each other, sometimes they talk to themselves, but most of the time they talk to people who aren't there:
people who haven't been there for years because they're dead, or divorced, or run away.
Oh, it's easy to be smug and smart and superior about the crum-bums—until you look in the mirror and wonder what a week without shaving would do to your face, and what would happen if your clothes got worn and you couldn't afford the price of a haircut. Almost anybody can look like a crum-bum after just a month. And all you need to make a start is just one little push. Lose the job, lose the house, lose the wife or the kids, or just plain lose your nerve—and then start looking for what you've lost in the bottom of a bottle. A month? You can turn into a crum-bum yourself in one minute, if the minute is bad enough. Sometimes, though, you don't go all the way.
This is a well-written mystery, lots of misdirection, good use of obvious suspects, and a surprising solution. Maybe it's a stretch, but it works pretty well. Not Bloch's most famous book, by a longshot, but a quick, entertaining story.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
I Report, You Decide
Kinky shopper KOed by vibrating knickers | The Register: "Kinky shopper KOed by vibrating knickers"
Since this is a family blog, I'll refrain from printing any excerpts. Those of you with filthy, curious minds can click the link.
Since this is a family blog, I'll refrain from printing any excerpts. Those of you with filthy, curious minds can click the link.
Frank Gorshin, R. I. P.
wnbc.com - Entertainment - Frank Gorshin, Impressionist And Actor, Dies At 72: "BURBANK, Calif. -- Actor Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 faces best known for his Emmy-nominated role as The Riddler on the old 'Batman' television series, has died. He was 72."
I'm probably the only one old enough to remember Frank Gorshin from his role in Where the Boys Are, the movie that made me fall in love with Paula Prentiss. He was on TV fairly often in those days, doing impressions, a lot of which I thought were on the money. And of course I remember him as The Riddler, but by that time I was already an Old Guy. But I digress. In Where the Boys Are he falls in love with the "mermaid," and I remeber vividly the scene in which he (and others) fall into the fish tank. So long, Frank.
I'm probably the only one old enough to remember Frank Gorshin from his role in Where the Boys Are, the movie that made me fall in love with Paula Prentiss. He was on TV fairly often in those days, doing impressions, a lot of which I thought were on the money. And of course I remember him as The Riddler, but by that time I was already an Old Guy. But I digress. In Where the Boys Are he falls in love with the "mermaid," and I remeber vividly the scene in which he (and others) fall into the fish tank. So long, Frank.
A Literary Fraud?
An imaginary “scandal” by Theodore Dalrymple: "If it were true that the balkanization of literature was justified by the supposition that only people who belonged to a certain category of people could truly understand, write about, interpret, and sympathize with the experiences of people in that same category, so that, for example, only women could write about women for women, and only blacks about blacks for blacks (the very careers of many academics now depending upon such a supposition), how was it possible that a Church of England vicar had been able, actually without much difficulty, to persuade a feminist publishing house that he wrote as a woman, and as a Muslim woman of Indian subcontinental origin at that?"
[snip]
He had already sent his stories about working-class boys to the BBC under another pseudonym, Tom Dale, while he sent the ones about the Muslim girls as Rahila Khan. The BBC had treated the two writers quite differently: kind and considerate to Rahila, brusque and even rude to Tom. He learned his lesson.
Pam Miller clued me in to this long but interesting article about what happened when a feminist press accepted a book of stories by a white male who was writing under a female pen name. PC run wild? Or something even worse? Check it out.
[snip]
He had already sent his stories about working-class boys to the BBC under another pseudonym, Tom Dale, while he sent the ones about the Muslim girls as Rahila Khan. The BBC had treated the two writers quite differently: kind and considerate to Rahila, brusque and even rude to Tom. He learned his lesson.
Pam Miller clued me in to this long but interesting article about what happened when a feminist press accepted a book of stories by a white male who was writing under a female pen name. PC run wild? Or something even worse? Check it out.
Johnny Dollar Lives?
Wistful Vistas: Johnny Dollar Lives?
This is great. A guy who played Johnny Dollar for a while is an investigator for the Fire Marshal's Office in Lubbock, Texas. Check it out.
This is great. A guy who played Johnny Dollar for a while is an investigator for the Fire Marshal's Office in Lubbock, Texas. Check it out.
Crime Scene Scotland
Crime Scene - a crime and mystery ezine - issue # 12, March/April 2005
The new issue is on-line. Check it out.
The new issue is on-line. Check it out.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Hundred-Dollar Girl -- William Campbell Gault
James Reasoner and I have discussed the fact that we can remember where we bought certain books, even though we bought them years and years ago. I remember buying The Hundred-Dollar Girl off a rack in Austin, Texas, very clearly. I could even describe the place, though it's long gone. This was the first William Campbell Gault book I bought, I believe, though it's the seventh book to feature Joe Puma. I'm not counting The Cana Diversion, and neither should you. I am counting Shakedown, half of an early Ace Double by "Roney Scott," but the Puma in that book isn't really the same guy who appears in the others. Five of the books were published by Fawcett Crest as paperback originals, and this one was published in hardcover by Dutton before being reprinted by Signet. The other night, for some reason, I decided I wanted to read it again after more than 40 years, so I got it down off the shelf. As you can see, it's still in pretty good shape.
The story has Puma investigating the murder of a boxer's manager. Gault was one of the best when it came to writing about sports, and this is a good story. The manager is murdered, and then there's another murder. Obviously they're connected, but just how is hard to figure. Puma sleeps with a couple of women, gets knocked around a lot (which is hard to figure, considering how big he is), eats well, and deals with goons, mobsters, cops, and women in his inimitable fashion. Puma has a quick temper, and it gets him in lots of trouble that a smoother operator might have avoided. But the temper (and the integrity) is part of what makes Puma such an interesting character. A lot of people perfer him to Gault's other p.i., Brock "The Rock" Callahan.
Gault won an Edgar, got good reviews, and had a lot of devoted readers (including me). But he never made much money from his mystery writing. So he left the mystery field and took to writing YA novels, many of which were highly successful, went through numerous printings, and which made him a lot more money than his mysteries ever did. I think I deserve a little credit for luring him back to mysteries because I did an interview with him for Billy Lee's Paperback Quarterly around 1979 or so. Then he was invited to the Bouchercon in Milwaukee and found out that he had a lot of fans who remembered him. He revived the Callahan series, and while the books weren't quite what they used to be, several of them came close to recapturing the old feel. If you haven't read any of Gault's books, it's time to check them out.
This Can't be a Good Sign
Yesterday I was in the Kroger supermarket here in scenic Alvin, Texas. Whenever I'm in Kroger, I go by the book rack to see what's there. Or, as in this case, to see what's not there. The westerns had disappeared. In the past, the Kroger book rack has always had ten or fifteen western novels. Not this time. Not one. I don't know if this is a temporary glitch, if it's something that's happened only in Alvin, or if it's something that's occurred throughout the chain. But it doesn't look good.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Southeast Texas Goes P.C.
HoustonChronicle.com - Officials to temper biting term: "Officials to temper biting term
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
THE Anahuac City Council has dealt with sensitive topics on occasion, and today's meeting could provide another opportunity.
Tammy McDaniel, the animal control officer in that Chambers County town, has suggested replacing the word 'bitch' in the city's animal control ordinance with 'female dog.'
'It's a term that's been around forever. Even kennel clubs use that word,' McDaniel said. 'But people don't like to hear it called out.'"
I just hope this doesn't affect the Gatorfest.
By CINDY HORSWELL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
THE Anahuac City Council has dealt with sensitive topics on occasion, and today's meeting could provide another opportunity.
Tammy McDaniel, the animal control officer in that Chambers County town, has suggested replacing the word 'bitch' in the city's animal control ordinance with 'female dog.'
'It's a term that's been around forever. Even kennel clubs use that word,' McDaniel said. 'But people don't like to hear it called out.'"
I just hope this doesn't affect the Gatorfest.
100 Greatest War Films (?)
channel4.com - 100 Greatest War Films vote from channel4.com/film
Here's another one of those lists that you're probably not going to agree with. Check it out.
Here's another one of those lists that you're probably not going to agree with. Check it out.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Allan Guthrie's Noir Originals Zine: Noir And Hardboiled Fiction
Allan Guthrie's Noir Originals Zine: Noir And Hardboiled Fiction
The new issue of Allan Guthrie's great e-zine is up and ready for your reading enjoyment. If you've visited it before, that should be all the encouragement you need. Check it out.
The new issue of Allan Guthrie's great e-zine is up and ready for your reading enjoyment. If you've visited it before, that should be all the encouragement you need. Check it out.
Yielding to Temptation
For a long time now I've been thinking about getting Time-Warner's new DVR cable box, but since the deal was that I had to unhook the old cable box and take it to the cable company office, I've been too lazy to do it. Of course I could have had the cable guy deliver and install the new box, but that would have cost me twenty bucks. I'm too cheap for that, and who wants to sit around waiting for the cable guy? Anyway, I finally gave in. Yesterday I took the old cable box in and installed a new one. And I'm happy with the change. The DVR is pretty cool. It will record and store thirty to fifty hours of TV (I have no idea why there's such a range there). I can record from the DVR's hard drive to tape if I want to. I can pause and rewind live TV. In other words, it's sort of like TiVo. I've had the new box less than a day, so I don't know all the tricks it can perform, but it's fun so far.
The Westerner
Ed Gorman mentions The Westerner in this blog post today. I was lucky enough to catch the show he described, and it's a good one. Besides Brian Keith (and the dog), it stars R. G. Armstrong (a favorite of mine) and Dub Taylor. I don't think there was ever a more hardboiled show on TV than The Westerner, but then if Sam Peckinpaugh was writing it, what would you expect. The next episode is May 21 on Encore's Western channel. You can read about it here. If you subscribe to cable and get the Encore channels, check it out.
End of an Era?
College Libraries Set Aside Books in a Digital Age - New York Times: "HOUSTON, May 13 - Students attending the University of Texas at Austin will find something missing from the undergraduate library this fall.
Books.
By mid-July, the university says, almost all of the library's 90,000 volumes will be dispersed to other university collections to clear space for a 24-hour electronic information commons, a fast-spreading phenomenon that is transforming research and study on campuses around the country."
I spent some happy hours in the Undergrad Library (most of them when I was a graduate student). And I'm so old that I can remember when there was another building on the plot of ground where the library now stands. Naturally this change seems kind of sad to me. I've become a dinosaur.
Books.
By mid-July, the university says, almost all of the library's 90,000 volumes will be dispersed to other university collections to clear space for a 24-hour electronic information commons, a fast-spreading phenomenon that is transforming research and study on campuses around the country."
I spent some happy hours in the Undergrad Library (most of them when I was a graduate student). And I'm so old that I can remember when there was another building on the plot of ground where the library now stands. Naturally this change seems kind of sad to me. I've become a dinosaur.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
The Fight in the Dog -- Wayne Dundee
Joe Hannibal is back. For those of you who are already familiar with Wayne Dundee's work, those four words should be enough to send you looking for his new novel (published by Five Star). You already know that Dundee's books are the real thing, blue-collar hardboiled p.i. stories the way you like 'em. If you're not familiar with Dundee's work, it's time you found out about it. The Fight in the Dog is one of the few hardboiled books about dog fighting (Ray Ring's The Arizona Kiss is another don't-miss example), a "sport" that brings out the worst in certain kinds of people. The story begins with a gruesome scene, a result of a reporter's investigation of some local dognappings, and things get nastier from there. Joe Hannibal is a tough guy, all right, and he always does what he says he'll do, but this time it's an uphill fight, what with dog fighters, motorcycle gangs, and dead bodies piling up. Dundee doesn't flinch from the rough stuff, and the novels builds to the wrenching climax involving a kind of super pit bull. Check it out.
The Night Stalker
A Writer's Life: The Night Stalker: "ABC has announced their fall schedule and one of the shows they picked up is Frank Spotnitz's new version of The Night Stalker."
I remember the original version of this series with great affection. I also remember that I once wrote a letter to a writer named Les Whitten, suggesting that he sue somebody for plagiarism because the series seemed to me to be a direct steal from his novel Progeny of the Adder. I got a reply from Whitten that said, in so many words, that it just wasn't worth the effort. I still think he was ripped off, though.
I remember the original version of this series with great affection. I also remember that I once wrote a letter to a writer named Les Whitten, suggesting that he sue somebody for plagiarism because the series seemed to me to be a direct steal from his novel Progeny of the Adder. I got a reply from Whitten that said, in so many words, that it just wasn't worth the effort. I still think he was ripped off, though.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Geeks Gone Wild
krautboy: "Women will get sterile just looking at you." - Charles De Mar
This link was sent to me my Jeff Meyerson. Click at your own risk.
This link was sent to me my Jeff Meyerson. Click at your own risk.
Today's Trivia
Question: What was the name of Donald Sutherland's character in the movie version of Day of the Locust?
Answer: Homer Simpson.
Answer: Homer Simpson.
You Like to Watch, Don't You?
The Saturday Boy: "It's Alive, It's Alive!"
A couple of minutes after I did the post on the self-replicating robots, I checked out Ray Banks' blog and saw that he was way ahead of me. He has a link to video that shows the robots self-replicating. I'd borrow the link, but what the heck. You can click on the one above, check out his blog, and then click on the link he provides.
When I saw his comment on my post below, I knew what I'd title this one.
A couple of minutes after I did the post on the self-replicating robots, I checked out Ray Banks' blog and saw that he was way ahead of me. He has a link to video that shows the robots self-replicating. I'd borrow the link, but what the heck. You can click on the one above, check out his blog, and then click on the link he provides.
When I saw his comment on my post below, I knew what I'd title this one.
Priscilla Presley Update
Here's a photo of Priscilla Presley on Letterman's show. My post about the haircut is here. Cap'n Bob says in his comment that P.P. is a Scientologist. Maybe she can read my thoughts.
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