Below is an incomplete bibliography of things I’ve written recently.
Novel
Red Planet Noir
By D.B. Grady
WINNER: 2010 Indie Book Award for Science Fiction
215 pp. Brown Street Press, Lexington.
Paperback: $10.19
Kindle: $9.99
ISBN: 9780964167438
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009941729
Release Date: December 2, 2009
When the phone rang, I was half-drunk, half-dressed, half-asleep, and half expecting it to be the phone company reminding me that the bill was past due. I didn’t have any money because I didn’t have any clients, and I wouldn’t have any clients if they cut my line, which I had told them only last month and the month before that. They were becoming a nuisance.
So I pulled on a shirt that wasn’t very dirty, but smelled of Scotch and strippers, my signature cologne, and pressed the Answer button. A figure flickered on the telephone screen. The phone company only hired brunettes, because that’s what the owner liked to fool around with, and only hired men, for the same reason. She was neither, and carried her curves as if to prove the point.
“Mike speaking,” I said, fishing a lighter from my shirt pocket.
“Mike Sheppard, the private investigator?” she asked…
Everything you ever wanted to know about Red Planet Noir can be found here, including the first chapter, ordering information, autographed copies, high-resolution cover art, and reviews.
Freelance (sorted by periodical)
The Atlantic
(http://www.theatlantic.com/db-grady)
David Vitter: The Teflon John. The Atlantic. 26 Jul. 2010. Web.
It takes more than a little hubris for Sen. David Vitter to play the moral superiority card, but that’s exactly what he’s doing in the Louisiana Republican primary race against retired state Supreme Court Justice Chet Traylor. Vitter, better known nationally as “that senator who slept with all those prostitutes,” is beneficiary to revelations that Traylor is a homewrecker who stole a state representative’s wife, and, later, the same representative’s daughter-in-law.
Arizona Court Not Buying DOJ’s Argument. The Atlantic. 23 Jul. 2010. Web.
In Phoenix today, lawyers from the Justice Department argued against Arizona Senate Bill 1070, which authorizes police to question the immigration status of suspected persons. The Washington Post reports that the court is skeptical of the Obama administration’s argument that the law causes “irreparable harm.”
Arrest Bashir!. The Atlantic. 23 Jul. 2010. Web.
This week, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is in Chad for a regional summit, and human rights groups are pleading for his arrest. Bashir presided over the conflict in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people were killed and over 2.5 million displaced. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Gingrich Denounces Ground Zero Mosque. The Atlantic. 22 Jul. 2010. Web.
Yesterday evening, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announced on his website opposition to the Park51 community center — the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” According to Gingrich, “There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia. The time for double standards that allow Islamists to behave aggressively toward us while they demand our weakness and submission is over.”
Clinton Calls Out Burma. The Atlantic. 22 Jul. 2010. Web.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out this morning against the Burmese government, which is delaying elections announced for this year. Because the military junta has yet to announce a date, Secretary Clinton says, they risk “raising questions about their commitment to such elections.” One would, of course, think being a military junta would have raised an eyebrow in the first place.
Somalia’s Spreading Cancer. The Atlantic. 21 Jul. 2010. Web.
As it turns out, those three pirates snuffed by SEALs last year are not only bad guys in Somalia. Though it’s made few headlines of late, life in the post-apocalyptic African state has gone from bad to worse.
The Company He Keeps. The Atlantic. 21 Jul. 2010. Web.
Gallup reports that President Obama’s job approval average during his sixth quarter in office ranks on the bottom half of chief executives to date.
One Giant Creep for Mankind. The Atlantic. 21 Jul. 2010. Web.
Forty-one years ago today, Neil Armstrong cracked open the hatch of the Eagle lunar module and took one giant leap for mankind. Then mankind rolled up its sleeves, picked up a shovel, and dug in. That was quite enough adventure, thank you very much.
Give Petraeus Five Stars. The Atlantic. 7 Jul. 2010. Web.
It’s up to David Petraeus now. One can argue the merits and the import of a civilian-led military (and find no disagreement here). But if General Petraeus had collapsed during that Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last month and not gotten back up, the war would be over.
Killing the Horse Midstream. The Atlantic. 23 Jun. 2010. Web.
General Stanley McChrystal is the best in the world at what he does, so long as the world is not watching. As commander of JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, he oversaw and engaged in missions that put bullets into thousands of terrorists, including Al Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. As Michael Hastings reports in the now-infamous Rolling Stone profile that proved the general’s undoing, “He went out on dozens of nighttime raids during his time in Iraq, unprecedented for a top commander, and turned up on missions unannounced, with almost no entourage.” Hastings relates the sentiments of a British officer: “The fucking lads love Stan McChrystal. You’d be out in Somewhere, Iraq, and someone would take a knee beside you, and a corporal would be like ‘Who the fuck is that?’ And it’s fucking Stan McChrystal.”
Michael Yon’s War. The Atlantic. 1 Jun. 2010. Web.
It began with a bridge. On the morning of March 1, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated on Tarnak River Bridge near Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing multiple civilians and one American soldier. While the destruction of a single bridge might ordinarily pose a mere inconvenience to the U.S. war machine, in the oppressive terrain of Afghanistan it became a logistical chokepoint, halting ground-based operations for days.
War correspondent Michael Yon sought the answer to an uncomfortable question: who was responsible for the security of that bridge?
It’s Romney by a Hair. The Atlantic. 10 Apr. 2010. Web.
At a gathering headlined by GOP superstars Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich, it was Romney who took the crown jewel of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, and he didn’t even bother showing up.
Steele Stoic at SRLC. The Atlantic. 10 Apr. 2010. Web.
In a sober, soft-spoken speech largely focused on American greatness and Republican principles, he fired shots across the White House’s bow. He said that President Obama inspired America last year, but did so in the wrong way. That he offered hope without a roadmap, and change without clarifying. And having seen the changes in action, “America says no way. No how.”
Santorum Confronted. The Atlantic. 10 Apr. 2010. Web.
When your house is not in order — when you’re still smothering the flames of a scandal involving, of all things, a topless bondage club (complete with simulated lesbian sex acts!) — who better to open the last day of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference than David Vitter?
Palin Pokes, Prods POTUS. The Atlantic. 10 Apr. 2010. Web.
It was Tony Perkins who had the fateful pre-Sarah slot on Friday at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. The Family Research Council president delivered a forgettable speech by any measure, if any in the audience even bothered listening. He was like the warm-up act for the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. He could have unveiled the Unified Theory of Everything or heralded the Second Coming, and nobody would have noticed, because Sarah Palin was next.
Eye of the Newt. The Atlantic. 9 Apr. 2010. Web.
Gingrich compared the current situation in America to Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and Poland under the Soviet Union, and proposed the campaign slogan of “2+2=4.” It’s a very clever slogan–Orwell and Camus are no slouches–and possibly the most politically tenable prescription of the evening.
The Daughter of Darth. The Atlantic. 9 Apr. 2010. Web.
The good news is that J.C. Watts isn’t dead. The bad news is that a guy who considered voting Democratic in 2008 is addressing the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.
The Elephants Gather. The Atlantic. 8 Apr. 2010. Web.
Notably absent from the SRLC this year are Mitt Romney, nominally the presidential frontrunner, who has chosen instead to continue his ghostwriter’s book tour, and Tim Pawlenty, remaining behind to welcome soldiers home from the war.
Don’t Believe The Naysayers. The Atlantic. 2 Feb. 2010. Web.
When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Michael Mullen testify today on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, many will warn of certain disaster. Some will question whether military culture is prepared for open homosexuality in the ranks. Others will muse whether such social meddling threatens the war and the all-volunteer Army itself. But assuming President Obama is successful in leading the charge for a policy change, the only real question is what will it look like from a solder’s perspective. Contrary to naysayers, the United States military is institutionally prepared today – at this very moment – for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The Department of Defense has long established a robust Military Equal Opportunity program, which quite effectively protects service members from discrimination based on gender, race, religion or national origin.
Why Heads Should Roll. The Atlantic. 8 Jan. 2010. Web.
The White House Review of the Christmas Day terrorist attack reads like a game of Clue, in reverse. From the start, we knew the killer, we knew his location, and after sixty years of aircraft hijackings and Al Qaida’s record, we had a pretty good idea of the weapon of choice. We even had a motive and a witness.
Security Theater Hurts The Troops. The Atlantic. 17 Nov. 2009. Web.
Thanks in large part to the hapless, ineffective, counterproductive, and embarrassing work of the Transportation Security Agency, Americans have grown accustomed to “security theater.” The National Threat Advisory scheme at Homeland Security is equally nebulous, if not outright bewildering. Blue alerts? Yellow alerts? Orange alerts? Is there a difference, and which is the bad one? When does one duct tape his or her windows and parcel the cyanide tablets?
His Brother’s Keeper. The Atlantic. 29 Oct. 2009. Web.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother to Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, is on the Central Intelligence Agency payroll. While the explanations are not expressly damning (C.I.A. and U.S. Special Operations forces rent a compound from him, and often use him as an intermediary to communicate with the Taliban), it’s clear how the news will be received in the region. Theories that Afghanistan is a puppet state of the West are confirmed. Rumors that Hamid Karzai’s interests rest with American hegemony are bolstered. And it exacerbates a “crisis of confidence” in the Afghanistan government, as experienced by the Afghan people and described by General Stanley McChrystal in his Commander’s Initial Assessment. It is, by every measure, a catastrophe for the Karzai administration. And it comes a week before runoff elections strong-armed by the United States.
Obama’s FDR Moment. The Atlantic. 22 Sept. 2009. Web.
Public support for the war in Afghanistan stands at 39%. On the right, George Will wants us out, on the left, Senator Russ Feingold. Thomas Friedman is feeling “ambivalent,” and he’s not alone. This weekend, President Obama remarked that, “the first question is, are we doing the right thing?”
General Stanley McChrystal submitted his sixty-six-page Commander’s Initial Assessment of the war last month, after having offered a supplementary counterinsurgency guide to ISAF leaders days before that. The Obama administration is still “reviewing the document,” according to The Washington Post, as though Kremlinologists are required to catch the general’s nuance. At two pages a day, they should have an idea early next week. This is on top of ten months of daily intelligence briefings, and eight years of reported successes and failures. The administration is, by all appearances, stalling.
Still, only last month, the president reaffirmed his support for Afghanistan, calling it a “war of necessity.” The Afghans might not take refuge in these words; in April, he praised Poland and the Czech Republic for hosting our missile defense shield technology.
Afghanistan: The McChrystal Assessment. The Atlantic. 1 Sept. 2009. Web.
When the Afghan worker called to me, I was more curious than anxious.
It was just after one o’clock in the morning, and double-digits below zero. He stood in the doorway of the ramshackle kitchen like a schoolboy on the lookout, his demeanor more mischievous than malevolent. I always had a friendly relationship with the locals, and there was something inside that he very much wanted me to see.
When Patience is Policy. The Atlantic. 24 Aug. 2009. Web.
The next president of Afghanistan faces the twin perils of a galvanized Taliban and an international community fast losing patience. But if the Afghan state is to succeed, patience will be a key factor. Unlike Iraq, where the civilizational foundation for a stable republic existed before the first U.S. boot touched ground, Afghanistan is nation building in its purest form. Security is but one part of a campaign that touches on agriculture, economic affairs, political corruption, civil infrastructure, and social policy. Most daunting, the answer to the question of which issue must first be tackled is: all of them.
Afghanistan: The Long Ring Road Ahead. The Atlantic. 19 Aug. 2009. Web.
Democracy and stability in Afghanistan? These are lofty goals. There are few peoples so impoverished, few countries so war torn, and few collective psyches so beaten up. To meet an Afghan is to meet someone for whom a state of war has been permanent for most of his or her life; someone who has suffered the worst of imaginable human governance by way of the Taliban; someone who endures the harshest weather in the world’s most inhospitable terrain. The average Afghan is tough and proud and hardened in a Mad Max wasteland that oftentimes bears closer resemblance to the moon than any recognizable place on earth.
Twitter: Solidarity On The Cheap. The Atlantic. 12 Aug. 2009. Web.
When brave Iranian students took to the streets in protest of a crooked election, Twitter was there. Users colored their avatars in solidarity, and the site flowed as green as the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day. People who might otherwise have vaguely identified Tehran as a country we bombed post-9/11 were speaking authoritatively on Mir-Hossein Mousavi and the sympathies of the Grand Ayatollahs. Bored office clerks across America dependably–they might say heroically–reported movements of the Basij, echoed warnings of street barricades, and quoted the Quran (in Arabic script, natch) with the revolutionary tenacity of Samuel Adams, before he was just a beer.
It would be a challenge to find a single journal of record that didn’t call the uprising the Twitter Revolution. With that in mind, a note to would-be revolutionaries: next time, try Facebook.
Boys’ Life
Foot Care in the Field. Boys’ Life. Aug. 2009: 12. Print.
Foot injuries can turn a hiking adventure into a painful memory. So how can you care for your feet while outdoors?
The Times of Southwest Louisiana
There’s a Map for That. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 10 Dec. 2009: 15. Print.
Everybody hates AT&T. I always suspected, but it’s now been stamped with the Consumer Reports seal of disapproval. In its annual wireless customer satisfaction survey, Consumer Reports found AT&T scored dead last in quality and service in 19 of 26 cities, from a sampling of fifty thousand customers. Don’t trust Consumer Reports? JD Powers and Associates confirmed the findings. Don’t trust that shifty JD Powers fellow? The American Consumer Satisfaction Index also confirms.
Unsurprisingly, Verizon Wireless was the nation’s top service provider. But to be beaten by T-Mobile? By Sprint? For shame, AT&T. With the money you saved in providing a decent network or quality coverage, the least you could have done is bribe Consumer Reports for a third place finish.
A Gadget Gift Guide. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 25 Nov. 2009: 4. Print.
With the holidays come a snow flurry of decisions. Real tree or artificial? Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Do you invite Uncle Jimmy and his faithful bottle of Scotch? Football, or that Law and Order marathon? Wrapping paper or decorative bag? Should you include that gift receipt, or make the ingrates keep whatever present you’ve chosen?
Microsoft Windows 7: A Review. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 12 Nov. 2009: 4. Print.
It’s hard to believe that Microsoft Windows XP is eight years old. In computer years, that’s just slightly younger than the abacus. And though I was a reluctant convert, would come to adore its jellybean-explosion user interface and remarkable stability. When Windows Vista hit the market, however, it felt like a bad redesign of a classic muscle car.
The Mouse That Roared. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 29 Oct. 2009: 15. Print.
Anyone who works in an office or is otherwise shackled to a computer all day should demand three accommodations from his or her employer: a good chair, a good monitor, and a good mouse. The first two can get very expensive very quickly, and short of a doctor’s note – this works, by the way! – do not always meet with a stingy manager’s approval. But mouse devices are relatively inexpensive, and well worth the investment. (A good mouse is cheaper than a good carpal tunnel surgeon.)
But not all mice are created equal. If the choice is between a Logitech mouse and sawing off my own hand, my only real decision is Craftsman or Black and Decker.
Google Wave: Back to the Future. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 15 Oct. 2009: 9. Print.
Last week, Google released invitations for the first private beta of Google Wave. Described by the Mountain View company as “email, if it were invented today,” Wave is an ambitious attempt at real-time collaborative messaging with full multimedia integration. If ever there were a product with aspirations of completing a buzzword bingo card, this is it.
My expectations were high. It was clear from the earliest version of Gmail that web-based email had been fundamentally transformed. But to transform the very concept of email itself? If any company can do it, it is Google, with its elite stable of Computer Science PhDs and hippie culture of software dreamers.
Note to Google: keep dreaming.
There’s an App for That. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 1 Oct. 2009: 15. Print.
The iPhone is unique for many things. A glass screen, for example, with its facial-grease collection technology. (Never before have I realized how truly disgusting human skin is, which makes the iPhone both a biology class and a Wes Craven film.) Its reliance on AT&T, and their advanced call-dropping feature, which makes every conversation a race to the final “goodbyes.” Its compass application (available only in the new iPhone 3GS), which is useful for… something, I think.
Snow Leopard. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 17 Sept. 2009: 15. Print.
Earlier this month, Apple released Snow Leopard, the newest version of its Macintosh Operating System. For those who actually got dates in high school, an operating system is the software middleman between the computer and user. If you’ve got a PC, you’re probably running Microsoft Windows XP, or, if you did something particularly nasty in a past life, Windows Vista.
If that is the case, Snow Leopard might feel foreign to you. Maybe it’s the speed. Maybe it’s the lack of viruses and spyware. Maybe it’s the absence of blue screens and access boxes asking if you’re really, really sure you want to do something. On Snow Leopard, you don’t click the “Start” button to stop your computer.
One Ring to Rule Them All. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 3 Sept. 2009: 15. Print.
Google knows your search history. They’ve got your email. They know what sites you read, what’s on your calendar for next week and where you’re taking a vacation next month. They’re trying to get your word processing documents and are lobbying hard for your medical records. Have I mentioned the satellite imagery they’ve got of your house? Yeah, that’s not scary. Google is, after all, cuddly, with a colorful logo. And their motto is “Don’t be evil.” There is nothing suspicious about that.
Money Management Made Easy. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 20 Aug. 2009: 15. Print.
When I’m not grooming my polo ponies or watching the help tidy my yacht, I find it relaxing to examine my finances. Oh, there was a time when I was like you. No servants, no exotic sports car collection, no top hat. But then I discovered Mint, a free financial management website. At first glance, it might not appear much different than the online checking services offered by your personal bank. But astute first glances are what separate those of us who roll cigars with hundred dollar bills from those of you who roll cigarettes with strips of worn newspaper.
You’re Not Paranoid. They’re Out to Get You. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 6 Aug. 2009: 17. Print.
You probably have spyware on your computer. There’s a good chance you’ve got a virus or two. Your personal files are likely insecure, and your hard drive might be shared for the entire world to see. In real world terms, you’ve not only left your car unlocked, you’ve left the windows down, the doors open, the engine running, and a sign on the dashboard reading FREE CAR.
Which Computer Should I Buy? The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 23 July 2009: 15. Print.
“I’m thinking of buying a laptop computer. Which one do you recommend?” None. Seriously, think of the headaches that come with a computer. Viruses. Spyware. Twitter. Do you really want to do that to yourself? Wouldn’t you rather spend a thousand bucks on a nice cruise to the Bahamas? I’ve never seen a spiral notebook crash, or one of those big green ledger books blue-screen just after adding an entire quarter of sales figures.
Review of the Apple iPhone 3GS. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 9 July 2009: 35. Print.
When Apple unveiled the original iPhone in 2007, I was one of the thousands standing in line, eager to be among its first adopters. This type of thinking is why so much of my lunch money was stolen in grade school. In 2008, when Apple released its successor device, I was in a different line, at the hospital, selling plasma. The original iPhone cost $599 dollars, and I was still paying it off. But with my blood replenished and my contract up for renewal, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to the new iPhone 3GS. Wooed by the promise of unbridled digital horsepower and a video camera, I fished out my credit card and did my part to stimulate the economy.
Rekindling the Publishing Industry. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 25 June 2009: 28. Print.
The publishing industry is doomed. The publishing industry is saved. Those are the dissonant themes running throughout most coverage of the book business since the recession’s start. The naysayers have a strong argument. In 2009, publishers HarperCollins and Random House axed multiple imprints. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt cut entire divisions, and put an unprecedented freeze on manuscript acquisitions. Big box booksellers Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have posted quarterly losses, and Borders faces bankruptcy. Independent bookstores have not fared much better, with reports every day of venerable locals closing their doors. Executives, editors, authors and dealers have found themselves on the business end of the sharpened blade of an overstretched industry in a failing economy.
Million Dollar Password. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 14 May 2009: 18. Print.
When they come for your money, they won’t break into the bank. Online identity thieves are too smart for that. They’re gambling that you use the same password for every website. Why attempt a break-in on a guarded, highly encrypted financial site when they can steal your password from the fly-fishing forum you frequent?
Backup Now or Pay Later. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 30 Apr. 2009: 19. Print.
Data recovery is a big business, and when your computer crashes, you learn just how big it is. The cost of restoring lost documents, music and email can run into the thousands, and you can’t even write the technician a check, because your Quicken data is gone, too. For many computer users, backing up data falls on the same list as cleaning the garage and organizing the attic. In years past, this was understandable. Backups once required expensive software, arcane knowledge of directory structures and hours to spare for glacial file transfers. Today, however, there are online services and specialized hardware that automate the task with minimal user involvement. A few quick and inexpensive routines can save a fortune in data recovery when the worst happens.
Pop Syndicate
Ferrell’s Numb A Thrilling Debut. Pop Syndicate. 3 Aug. 2010. Web.
Released today by Harper Perennial, Numb is the debut novel of author Sean Ferrell. Previously known for his award-winning short stories, Ferrell turns his unblinking eye to long form, where readers will find a masterful work of transgressional fiction.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Bill Cameron. Pop Syndicate. 9 Jun. 2010. Web.
I stand firmly in the “trouble is interesting” camp of story-telling, so I see it as my sworn duty to make my characters as miserable as possible. As if the birth mark isn’t trouble enough, I’ve inflicted Skin with cancer, given him no end of relationship troubles, made him the brunt of scorn and indifference.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with David J. Williams. Pop Syndicate. 1 Jun. 2010. Web.
Wars of the future will be decided in space, but that’s going to mean something very different than the dogfights we saw in Star Wars. And as to cyberspace: look at how Russia shut down Georgia’s net in 2008. When major nations go all-out trying to do that, it’s going to be ugly…
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Debbi Mack. Pop Syndicate. 5 April. 2010. Web.
If you have a tie-in with an industry, hobby or other topic that comes up in your book, take advantage of that. Make connections with people and organizations sharing that interest. Look for speaking engagements with people who might like your work. You could even end up selling books at a conference, like I did. I signed up as an exhibitor at a conference of fraud examiners. Since identity theft is part of the story (and was discussed at the conference), I had a hook that grabbed their interest. I ended up selling 27 books over two days.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Kelli Stanley. Pop Syndicate. 3 Mar. 2010. Web.
Kelli Stanley knows noir. Her debut novel, Nox Dormienda, won the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award and was selected as a Writer’s Digest Notable Debut. Her latest novel, City of Dragons, was recently released to critical acclaim. The story follows Miranda Corbie, Private Eye, in 1940’s San Francisco. When a young Japanese numbers runner is murdered in Chinatown, Corbie is pulled into a web of deceit at the highest levels, and vows to find justice for the slain innocent.
Lead Poisoning: Snow Angels, by James Thompson: A Review. Pop Syndicate. 28 Jan. 2010. Web.
Snow Angels, by James Thompson is dark. It’s supposed to be; it’s noir. But set in Finish Lapland during Kaamos, it’s dark quite literally. Weeks pass without sunlight. People are morose. People are edgy. As Thompson writes, “That’s the way things are here in winter. A bunch of depressed hard drinkers freezing in an endless night. Kaamos is tough on everyone.” And as the story progresses, things get so dark the novel itself threatens to collapse into a black hole.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Raymond Chandler. Pop Syndicate. 11 Nov. 2009. Web.
Seventy years ago, Raymond Chandler published The Big Sleep, his first novel, and the opening salvo in a bibliography that would eventually legitimize the hard boiled genre as a true literature. Though he’s been dead for some time, I thought it might be fun to interview him. Undeterred by his interred remains, I’ve rifled through his collected essays and correspondence, and have arranged them in Q and A format. Though he might not have much to say on the war, or health care reform, his thoughts on literature and the crime genre are as refreshing now as the day he put pen to paper.
Lead Poisoning: Trust Me, by Peter Leonard: A Review. Pop Syndicate. 19 Oct. 2009. Web.
I never want to be in a Peter Leonard novel. My tongue’s not sharp enough to keep pace with the dialogue and my mind’s not fast enough to keep pace with the heist. I’m not fast on the draw, and by the time I figured out whose back had best be stabbed, a dagger would jut from my own. All of this is to say I’m too trusting, and in a novel called Trust Me, that’s just asking for trouble.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Loretta Craig. Pop Syndicate. 10 Sept. 2009. Web.
When author Loretta Craig isn’t writing, she’s thinking about what she’s going to write next. Already author of six novels in three genres, she’s got plans for a young adult work and a historical romance, and she’s just getting warmed up.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Bonnie Kozek. Pop Syndicate. 10 Aug. 2009. Web.
Threshold, a debut novel by Bonnie Kozek, offers an unflinching view of Skid Row and life between the sidewalk cracks. The story follows Honey McGuiness, a hard-boiled, world-weary, reluctant hero who wants nothing more than quiet anonymity.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with B.R. Stateham. Pop Syndicate. 16 July 2009. Web.
B.R. Stateham has been creating worlds since 1981. Author of acclaimed works of science fiction, fantasy, and hardboiled crime fiction, no genre is safe from his prolific pen, and no end is in sight. He was kind enough to speak with Book Addict about his career, his influences, and the state of the publishing industry.
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said: A Review. Pop Syndicate. 10 June 2009. Web.
Halcyon Company, best known Terminator Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, announced last month a film adaption of Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick. A twist on the classic amnesia story, the novel recounts not a man who’s forgotten his identity, but a world that’s forgotten a man. The narrative serves as a dissertation on the meaning of identity and reality, set in a near-future police state and written in the noir tradition of hardened cops and paranoid prey fueled by cheap booze and sentimentality.
Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Dennis Tafoya. Pop Syndicate. 11 May 2009. Web.
Crime writer Dennis Tafoya is garnering rave reviews for his debut novel, Dope Thief, published by Minotaur Books. He was kind enough to join Book Addict contributor D.B. Grady and share his insights on the genre and experiences in the industry.
AppConsumer
One Button. App Consumer. 18 Aug. 2010. Web.
When the Nintendo Entertainment System first arrived on the American continent, Atari, Inc. immediately recognized the threat and responded with a series of misguided commercials touting the 2600’s impressive library of video games on store shelves. The company redesigned the device’s housing, slimming its profile, and reminded consumers of its ease of use for grandma and grandson alike – one black joystick, one orange button – and so strummed the instrument of nostalgia. Though, for example, Pac-Man was a notorious failure by Atari developers, it could be argued that it was better than Nintendo’s lack of any Pac-Man at all.
Contests
Red Planet Noir. Indie Book Awards, 2010.
(Winner, Science Fiction)
The Whale. The Verb. Reading Writers, Aug. 2009. Web.
(Winner: Grand Prize, Dynamic Dialogue Contest)
Chapter One. Jubilee Jambalaya Writers’ Conference, 4 Apr. 2009.
(Runner Up, Short Fiction Contest)