. . . who's helped put all three Rancho Diablo books on Amazon's bestselling Kindle westerns list!
Here's a link to mine. Here's one to Mel Odom's. And here's one to James Reasoner's. There'll be more to come!
Monday, August 01, 2011
Thanks to Everyone . . .
. . . who's helped put all three Rancho Diablo books on Amazon's bestselling Kindle westerns list!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Murder in Waikiki eBook: Fred Zackel, L. Zackel, J. Murphy, L. Zackel, J. Murphy: Kindle Store: "Murder comes to sun-drenched Waikiki Beach and it arrives with a van filled with tourists from the Mainland. Honolulu Homicide Detective Steve Ke’aloha Shaw is a little too attractive, a little too tall, broad-shouldered and muscular. Half-Hawaiian and an eight year veteran of the force with a file jammed with citations and solid convictions, Steve, along with his Samoan partner, seventeen year veteran Aaron Tusitala, track down a bloody murderer from the cliffs of Pali to the beach at Waikiki and through the hotels and exotic clubs of one of the most beautiful cities of the world. From the author of COCAINE AND BLUE EYES and CINDERELLA AFTER MIDNIGHT. Cover design by L. Zackel."
Will the Persecution Never End?
Lohan takes tumble while partying with Hiltons: "The 'Mean Girls' star, who was caught tripping and falling in New York recently, took another spill while out on the town with party pals Paris and Nicky Hilton in Malibu Friday night."
Orange You Glad to Know This?
Dirty Little Secret: Orange Juice Is Artificially Flavored to Taste Like Oranges: "So in order to have OJ actually taste like oranges, drink companies hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that make perfumes for Dior, to create these 'flavor packs' to make juice taste like, well, juice again."
The Vidocq Society
The Vidocq Society: Murder on the menu - Telegraph: "Nineteen years ago three men had the idea of a regular lunch club for crime experts that would try to solve some of the United States' most baffling homicides. The Vidocq Society has now been instrumental in solving hundreds of crimes. Adam Higginbotham meets the founding members."
Hasn't She Ever Seen any '50s Horror Movies?
CultureLab: Designing a mushroom death suit: "Artist and inventor Jae Rhim Lee has come up with an unusual way to confront our attitudes about death. At the TEDGlobal conference last week, she talked to New Scientist about the flesh-eating Infinity Mushroom she's trying to cultivate."
Saturday, July 30, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews: Previews from Penguin Winter 2012 Catalog: "Dust of the Damned by Peter BrandvoldOn sale January 3, 2012
A novel about werewolves, ghouls, and cowboys, all fighting for their piece of the
American frontier.
The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Now they’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls…
Armed with an arsenal of weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoulhunter Uriah Zane must stop the hordes of shapeshifting creatures pushing west. Together, Zane and Coffin must stop the werebeasts from attaining final dominion over the earth—with humans as their servants..."
Everybody's Gone Surifin' . . .
Agatha Christie's surfing secret revealed | Books | The Guardian: "Hercule Poirot never risked his little grey cells – nor his impeccably waxed moustache – by attempting to hang ten. Nor did Jane Marple ever strap a board to the roof of a Kombi and thunder out of St Mary Mead in search of the perfect tube.Their enigmatic creator, though, was something of a pioneering and diehard wave-rider. At a time when many of her contemporaries were chugging cocktails in Blighty, Agatha Christie was paddling out from beaches in Cape Town and Honolulu to earn her surfing stripes."
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Christopher 'Chip' Mayer, R. I. P.
The Hollywood Reporter: "Christopher “Chip” Mayer, a replacement player during an actors’ contract dispute on top-rated CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard in the 1980s, died July 23 in Sherman Oaks. He was 57.
Mayer and Byron Cherry stepped to sub for Tom Wopat and John Schneider at the start of the 1982-83 season when the stars held out for more money and merchandising royalties."
Mayer and Byron Cherry stepped to sub for Tom Wopat and John Schneider at the start of the 1982-83 season when the stars held out for more money and merchandising royalties."
Brooklyn Leads the Way
The Brooklyn Paper: "Cops have busted a group of oddball poachers in Prospect Park — a band of vagrants that was trapping and eating ducks, squirrels and pigeons."
PaperBack
Manning Coles (Adelaide Frances Oke Manning and Cyril Henry Coles), A Toast to Tomorrow, Bantam, 1947
Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Blood Dreams by Jack MacLane
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Blood Dreams by Jack MacLane: "I'm Bill Crider. Jack MacLane is my evil twin. He's usually chained up down in the basement, but back in the late 1980s he somehow got loose, got hold of a computer, and wrote some horror novels for Zebra Books. The family never thought much of Jack, even when he became a writer, but the funny thing is, he coulda been a contender.At least his editor at Zebra Books thought so. After Jack's first couple of novels, she was going to give Blood Dreams a big push. It's the story of a man named Hubert, who runs a used-book store in a small town. His hobby is killing people. He's very clever, so he's never been caught or even suspected. Not until a boy who has strange dreams, nightmares, really, and all of them about Hubert, comes along. Bad things ensue. And there are alligators!"
Here's The Plot for Your Next Da Vinci Code Thriller
News - International: "There are more than 700 curious tunnel networks in Bavaria, but their purpose remains a mystery. Were they built as graves for the souls of the dead, as ritual spaces or as hideaways from marauding bandits? Archeologists are now exploring the subterranean vaults to unravel their secrets."
Forty Fords
Forty Fords | Arts | National Post: "To celebrate Harrison Ford's 40th credited big-screen appearance in Cowboys & Aliens this weekend, Steve Murray takes a look back at everyone's favourite acting chameleon. Click the Fords to find out more."
Gene McDaniels, R. I. P.
GENE MACDANIELS PASSES AWAY | Cashbox Magazine Canada: "Gene McDaniels, who was most famous for the 1961 hit 'A Hundred Pounds Of Clay' and for writing the 1974 #1 hit 'Feel Like Makin' Love' for Roberta Flack, died today (July 29, 2011). He was 76."
Friday, July 29, 2011
And Yet Connie Francis Is Denied
Calif. taxidermist preserves Gaga's meat dress: "A California taxidermist has earned a rare place in pop history.
Sergio Vigalato (VIG'-uh-lot-oh) preserved Lady Gaga's now-famous raw-meat dress for display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland."
Sergio Vigalato (VIG'-uh-lot-oh) preserved Lady Gaga's now-famous raw-meat dress for display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Polly Platt, R. I. P.
latimes.com: "Polly Platt, the Oscar-nominated production designer of such films as 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Terms of Endearment' and producer of 'Broadcast News' and 'Say Anything,' has died. She was 72."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
A Jimmy Starr Omnibus: "Jimmy Starr wrote three novels about Hollywood and its odd denizens back in the 40s and ever since then they've languished in library limbo. So Ramble House rounded them up and presents them in one huge, 446-page brick just as they were introduced to our parents (or grandparents). You can tell they're from the 40s by the vast amounts of booze the characters drink, and the benzedrine tablets they pass around like chiclets. Those were the days.The star of the three potboilers is newspaperman Joe Medford. In THE CORPSE CAME C.O.D. he tackles the classic 'body-in-the-trunk' murder and in THREE SHORT BIERS he encounters the ghastly crime of midgeticide. Three of the little murders, in fact. They will prepare you for the third thriller, HEADS YOU LOSE, which challenges the works of Harry Stephen Keeler in the popular 'cut-off-the-head-then-sew-it-back-on' oeuvre. As one wag once put it: 'It's like Craig Rice meets The Thin Man meets The Front Page.'
There's an Afterword by editor Fender Tucker wherein he tells why this book is perhaps Ramble House's most-edited book."
The fact that I'm mentioned in the Afterword has nothing at all to do with my recommendation of this book. Trust me.
And in case you wonder, after reading the Afterword, I will confess that, like Fender Tucker, I always read the Afterword first.
George Kelley Take Note
National Post: "Extreme junkies take note: you’ll soon be able to take a hands-free walk along the outside of the CN Tower’s main pod — 356 metres up in the air.
EdgeWalk is billed as the highest full circle walk on a 1.5-metre ledge in the world."
EdgeWalk is billed as the highest full circle walk on a 1.5-metre ledge in the world."
How a Phone Number Can Change Your Life
Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog: "And with that they were into Paris Hilton's 30th birthday party, rubbing elbows with a small gaggle of celebrities."
Snappy and Reckless
LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS: "WOODY HAUT on why Richard Hallas deserves more respect."
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Blood Moon
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Blood Moon: "Judging by reader mail over the years Blood Moon is the most sinister of all my suspense novels.'Blood Moon has everything--prison drama, horror story, whodunit, psycho-thriller--all skillfully combined to lead you to a shock ending.' Scotland on Sunday.
I started working on the story after reading two unrelated news stories. One had to do with a strange series of murders in a rural community. The other was about a very rich young man who'd been found guilty of second degree murder for the death of his girl friend and was serving time in particularly violent prison. I wondered both about the nature of the murderer in the boonies and also how the young men, accustomed to a rather cushy life from all accounts, would survive behind bars. A story began to emerge."
Keep Off Her Grass!
WESH Orlando: "The 84-year-old mayor of Oak Hill in Volusia County said the pot plants that narcotics agents said they found in her yard did not belong to her."
Gollancz: 50 years of Science Fiction (SF) publishing
Gollancz: 50 years of Science Fiction (SF) publishing: "We’ve tallied up all of your votes and are proud to announce the Gollancz 50th Top 10 as chosen by you! The Top 10 titles have all been beautifully repackaged in cool retro editions that follow the classic Gollancz yellow jacket style."
Click the link for the leading vote-getters.
Ronald Searle: From Prisoner of War to Prolific Illustrator
AbeBooks: Ronald Searle: From Prisoner of War to Prolific Illustrator: "The influence of Ronald Searle as an illustrator, cartoonist and artist is far reaching. Born March 3, 1920, in Cambridge England, Searle is best know for his St Trinian's School cartoons and the Molesworth series but his early work as a war artist is just as important."
Forgotten Books: The Sixth Shotgun -- Louis L'Amour
I can remember the days, long ago, when vendors at Texas flea markets and some secondhand bookstores sold Louis L'Amour books at a premium. You could get other paperback books for a dime at a flea market, but a L'Amour book would set you back a buck, minimum. Then the Internet came along. L'Amour books had huge printings and reprintings, and suddenly they were everywhere. Sometimes on eBay a first printing of Hondo won't even get a bid.Anyhow, I suspect that while no Louis L'Amour book is really forgotten, some are less well-known than others. Besides, I was reading this one, and I needed something to talk about today.
This volume contains two L'Amour items, a short story and a novella, plus a lengthy intro by John Tuska, though you'd never know that from the cover, now would you? Do you think Leisure Books might have wanted people to think it was a novel? I wonder if they fooled anybody.
The intro is a reprint of Tuska's article in A Variable Harvest, published by McFarland in 1990. I didn't see it there, so I was glad to get it now, many years later. If you haven't read it, and if you have an interest in L'Amour, I recommend it highly. It confirms everything you've ever suspected about the lack of editing in L'Amour's later books, and it explains why L'Amour didn't want to acknowledge the Hopalong Cassidy novels he wrote. And a lot of other things, including the fact that L'Amour never renewed the copyrights on most of his stories. Great stuff.
The short story in the volume is "The Sixth Shotgun," a story that originally appeared in Ranch Romances. It's good L'Amour, with an outlaw hero who's really just a good old boy at heart, some romance, and a nice narrative movement. The ending will be obvious to just about everyone after a few pages, but it's still fun. I haven't read the novella, "The Rider of the Ruby Hills," but I'll get to it one of these days.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
TSA readying new behavior detection plan for airport checkpoints - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com: "The federal government is planning to introduce new behavior detection techniques at airport checkpoints as soon as next month, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said Thursday.
TSA already has 'behavior detection officers' at 161 airports nationwide looking for travelers exhibiting physiological or psychological signs that a traveler might be a terrorist. However, Pistole said TSA is preparing to move to an approach that employs more conversation with travelers—a method that has been employed with great success in Israel."
TSA already has 'behavior detection officers' at 161 airports nationwide looking for travelers exhibiting physiological or psychological signs that a traveler might be a terrorist. However, Pistole said TSA is preparing to move to an approach that employs more conversation with travelers—a method that has been employed with great success in Israel."
Doctor, My Eyes!
Local & Regional: "Sandy McMillin and her sister Karla Vogt went to Walmart on Sunday to buy sour cream, chips and coffee creamer.
The temperature that day hit 90 degrees, so McMillin threw on a turquoise bikini and a pair of shorts.
She said five minutes into her shopping trip while in the clothing aisle, a store employee told her to put on a shirt or leave, saying the swimsuit violated health codes.
'I was horrified,' McMillin told KVAL News. 'I am embarrassed.'"
The temperature that day hit 90 degrees, so McMillin threw on a turquoise bikini and a pair of shorts.
She said five minutes into her shopping trip while in the clothing aisle, a store employee told her to put on a shirt or leave, saying the swimsuit violated health codes.
'I was horrified,' McMillin told KVAL News. 'I am embarrassed.'"
Click the link for the pics. If you dare.
Hideki Irabu, R. I. P.
HardballTalk: "Former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu was found dead at his California home yesterday. The initial reports came from the Japanese paper, Asahi Shimbum, and his death has since been confirmed by the New York Yankees. Suicide by hanging is suspected."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
ajc.com: "A former star athlete who posed as a teenager to play high school basketball in West Texas was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after reaching a plea deal, a prosecutor said."
Hat tip to Art Scott.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
The Fangs of Suet Pudding: "Written in 1944 by 'Adams Farr' this slight tale of how a few Frenchmen fought against the invading German horde was promptly forgotten by readers until Chris Mikul, a booklover from Australia, found a copy and wrote about it in his new zine, Biblio Curioso. The tale is told by Loreley Vance, a young woman you won't be forgetting any time soon. Read Chris' excellent introduction to see why this book is such a treasure for anyone interested in crazy, forgotten books."If I haven't said it before, it's time to say it now. Ramble House publishes the kind of books you absolutely can't find anywhere else. The Fangs of Suet Pudding is a perfect example. It's amazing stuff, and it got my attention with this dialogue exchange on page 1:
"Who are you?" I whispered.
"A burglar," he hissed.
Well, there you are. And it just gets better. 'Nuff said.
Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Dying Memories
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read: Dying Memories: "Dying Memories opens with a woman shooting a man to death on a crowded street in Boston, claiming that this man raped and murdered her eleven-year old daughter. Except he didn't, because this woman never had a daughter. Another man stabs an MIT professor to death in front of a crowd in Harvard Square, insisting that he witnessed the professor running down his wife in the street. Except the MIT professor was three thousand miles away when the man's wife was killed."
And Keep Off His Lawn!
CNN.com Blogs: "Answer: The 71-year-old star of 'Jeopardy' who was forced to host the National Geographic World Championship on crutches Wednesday after he was injured chasing a burglar.
Who is Alex Trebek?"
Who is Alex Trebek?"
Croc Update (Chewing Edition)
mental_floss Blog: "Yes, it’s true. Despite their fearsome reputation, crocodiles can’t chew. But that’s not to say they won’t kill you—in fact, death by crocodile is probably more agonizing precisely because they’re unable to masticate."
Article includes link to graphic video.
Forgotten Music -- Connie Francis
Everybody knows that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sucks because everybody can name a favorite band (KISS, Chicago, etc.) or singer who's not in it. Let's talk about Connie Francis, the first female rock superstar. She's sold about a zillion records, but she's not in it. Not "street" enough for the Powers that Be, I guess. Too whitebread. Too nice. She's in my R 'n R Hall of Fame, though. Here's one of my favorites, a little country rocker:
And then there's this one, another one I like a lot:
I also think this one's fun:
Sure, Connie Francis sold a lot of ballads, but then so did the Platters. They're in there. Oh, well.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
I'm Sure We're All Excited
Showbiz Sp: "PARIS Hilton is “very excited” to have rekindled her friendship with Lindsay Lohan."
John Green To Sign 150,000 Copies of New Book
GalleyCat: "[. . .]YA writer John Green revealed the title for his new book (The Fault in Our Stars) and promised to sign every single one of the 150,000 books in the first print run.
Even though the manuscript is currently unfinished and the cover has yet to be finalized, the title hit #1 on the Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com bestseller list recently. Green said the publication date has been moved up from May 2012 to January 2012. The author will be video-recording himself throughout the entire signing process; the video will be available on the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel he shares with his brother, Hank Green."
Even though the manuscript is currently unfinished and the cover has yet to be finalized, the title hit #1 on the Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com bestseller list recently. Green said the publication date has been moved up from May 2012 to January 2012. The author will be video-recording himself throughout the entire signing process; the video will be available on the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel he shares with his brother, Hank Green."
The Courts Stand Up for Our Rights
Sacramento Bee: "The Connecticut Supreme Court says a former Greenwich man shouldn't have been charged with possessing a crocodile because police found the reptile during an illegal warrantless search of his home."
Today's Sizzling Summer Read - Motion To Kill by Joel Goldman
Top Suspense Group: Today's Sizzling Summer Read - Motion To Kill by Joel Goldman: "I wrote Motion To Kill when one of my then law partners complained about another partner. My advice was to write a murder mystery, kill the son-of-a-bitch off in the first chapter and spend the rest of the book figuring out who did it. I took my own advice, created the character Lou Mason and let him figure it out."
Now on Kindle!
Amazon.com: A Werewolf Named Wayne eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: "Al's new next-door neighbors have just arrived in a smoke-belching DeSoto convertible. They may travel in style, but there's more to them than meets their strangely eerie eyes. Things are going to get hairy as Al gets to know these new additions to the neighborhood. He's ready to face any challenges they bring--secret construction projects and cravings for canned dog food included. But first Al may have to answer a tough question: is it harder being friends with a werewolf, or a girl?Hermie, Al, and Carl from Bill Crider's first young adult novel A VAMPIRE NAMED FRED, are back in action for another adventure in A WEREWOLF NAMED WAYNE - published for the first time ever."
77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected -- Mike Nappa
This is a hard-nosed, practical book full of straight talk. Mike Nappa doesn't cut anybody any slack. If you don't believe me, look at reason #1: "Your writing is crap." Not convinced? How about reason #41: "Your title stinks." Or reason #29: "You stink at grammar and spelling." There are 74 other reasons like that, every one of them worth reading.Just about any writer can benefit from reading this book, not just because it's so frank but also because after giving you the reasons your book was rejected, Nappa offers some sound advice on what to do about the problem. Every one of the 77 reasons is followed by a section titled "What you can do about it," and those sections are as valuable as the reasons themselves.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in writing and publishing that writing.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
The Raw Story: "In old movies, the inmate usually got a hacksaw blade secreted into his cell baked in a cake.
But in Texas, it came in a soft taco.
Jail guard Alfred Casas, 31, was convicted on Tuesday of smuggling a saw blade to a double murder suspect in the Bexar County Jail by hiding it in a folded soft taco shell."
But in Texas, it came in a soft taco.
Jail guard Alfred Casas, 31, was convicted on Tuesday of smuggling a saw blade to a double murder suspect in the Bexar County Jail by hiding it in a folded soft taco shell."
Check It Out
I have short post on Criminal Element about the Edge series. Take a look so they'll get lots of hits and think I'm popular. Here's the link: Piccadilly Cowboys and the Edge of Violence
Have they Checked the Underpants Gnomes?
Where have the Big Galloots gone is question of the day at City Museum: "PANTY GATE: Kara Bowlin, a spokeswoman for Mayor Francis Slay, swears she does not have the World's Largest Men's Underpants in her possession, despite what others might be saying about her ... er, them.
The 'Big Galloot' brand underpants, all 8-feet of them, used to occupy some real estate in the City Museum. Museum manager Rick Erwin noticed Wednesday that they were missing from their spot on the wall outside of Beatnik Bob's and the Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem."
The 'Big Galloot' brand underpants, all 8-feet of them, used to occupy some real estate in the City Museum. Museum manager Rick Erwin noticed Wednesday that they were missing from their spot on the wall outside of Beatnik Bob's and the Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem."
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