With six months to go until the release of SKYFALL, the Bond folk continue to build awareness with video blogs. This one features production designer Dennis Gassner with Dame Judy Denche.
SKYFALL lands in theaters on November 9th.
With six months to go until the release of SKYFALL, the Bond folk continue to build awareness with video blogs. This one features production designer Dennis Gassner with Dame Judy Denche.
SKYFALL lands in theaters on November 9th.
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
Starring Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Alison Brie, Chris Pratt, Rhys Ifans
This is the kind of movie you want to like. Two likable actors play the happy/unhappy couple. And there were moments when I did like it, but also many when I did not.
PLOT: After a year’s relationship, Tom (Segel), a chef, and Violet (Blunt), a newly-minted Ph.D. decide to marry. But their path to the altar turns out to be a circuitous one that takes them out of their comfort zone in San Francisco and deposits in the U.S. version of Siberia, Ann Arbor, Michigan where Violet has won a post-doc. Tom can find no better job than making sandwiches at a deli. Romantic entanglements ensue, some of them funny, but most of them not
Now as a resident of Michigan and a parent of two kids who attended the University of Michigan, the setting both attracted and repelled me. The movie gets almost nothing right about Ann Arbor except when they just turn a camera on it. The city has many excellent restaurants and a good chef would find work over the time spent here. Who would fund a long-term post-doc project on whether people with low self-esteem eat stale donut if offered? Well, okay, maybe they would. Several not so funny motifs are repeated over and over. A pink bunny suit was funny in A Christmas Story but that film knew seeing it once was enough. Here they pulled it out four times.
What the movie has going for it are two leads with charisma and chemistry, and two second bananas (Pratt and Brie) who steal every scene they are in. There are some good bits here but not enough to justify the two hours. It felt very long indeed. It you go expecting to see a film like THE BRIDESMAIDS, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, I LOVE YOU, MAN or THE HANGOVER prepare to be let down. The laugh quotient is slight. Only recommended if you love this type of film. In that case, you could do worse.
Patti
Be sure to stop by http://www.pattinase.blogspot.com/ to check out Forgotten Books every Friday as well as other thoughts, comments and reviews. A collection of her stories, Monkey Justice (Snubnose Press) can be found on Amazon.
In conjunction with the Friday Reads facebook page we are giving away copies of
Joe Lansdale’s EDGE OF DARK WATER (Mulholland)
Nick Santora’s FIFTEEN DIGITS (Mulholland)
SCOUNDRELS, edited by Gary Phillips ( Down and Out Books)
To be entered in the drawing shoot an email over to
Jon?@crimespreemag.com (remove the question mark)
And put CONTEST in the subject line.
Also please put your address in the body of the email
We will pick the winners on May 11th
When we do the drawing we will be sending an extra something for one
lucky winner to be picked from the comments section of the Friday Reads
face book page, so after you enter, go leave a comment!
FIFTEEN DIGITS
A GRITTY THRILLER SET IN THE WORLD OF POWERFUL NEW YORK LAW FIRMS, FROM NICK SANTORA, WRITER OF THE HIT CRIME DRAMAS THE SOPRANOS, LAW & ORDER, PRISON BREAK and BREAKOUT KINGS AND THE NATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SLIP & FALL.
Is it really insider trading if you’ve been an outsider your entire life?
Five men. Five walks of life. Every day they come together at the white shoe law firm Olmstead & Taft. But they’re not lawyers. They’re “Printers”: blue-collar guys consigned to the dark basement of the firm charged with copying, collating and delivering the mountains of paperwork that document millions of dollars of sensitive legal secrets.
Until the five are approached by an ambitious young attorney who teaches them what they have: insider information. Together they make a plan: take the classified documents that pass through their hands every day and use them to get rich. They create a joint account to deposit the spoils. An account with a safeguard-each one only knows one section of the access code.
Which means that for all five conspirators, there’s no way out. But as too much money piles up to go unnoticed, the Printers will discover there’s one thing even worse than being an outsider: being in too deep.
From Nick Santora’s website:
After the first screenplay I wrote won “Best Screenplay of The Competition” at the New York International Independent Film Festival, I was hired to write an episode of THE SOPRANOS. After that incredible experience, I decided to leave New York (where I was an attorney; Columbia class of 1996) and move to Los Angeles to try my hand at screenwriting full time.
Soon thereafter I was hired as a staff writer for the CBS drama THE GUARDIAN where I was fortunate enough to be promoted to Co-Producer within a year. From there I went on to write and Produce LAW & ORDER and write and Co-Executive Produce PRISON BREAK.
I also forayed into unscripted television, having Created and Executive Produced the hit reality show BEAUTY & THE GEEK. And I enjoy writing feature films. I was a credited writer on the Lions
Gate/Marvel feature THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE as well as THE LONGSHOTS starring Ice Cube – a film I also produced.
My career took an even more interesting turn when my first novel, SLIP &FALL, was published in 2008 and became a National Best Seller within its first week. My second novel, FIFTEEN DIGITS, will be released by renowned publisher Little, Brown on April 24, 2012.
I also recently completed SANDSTORM, an original comic book series that I created for DC Comics. Currently, the majority of my time is spent as Co-Creator/Writer/Executive Producer/Showrunner for the A&E series BREAKOUT KINGS, now in its second season.
A born and bred New Yorker, I find myself still adjusting to LA even after a decade out here. But I am thrilled to be able to share my crazy
life with my beautiful wife and our two wonderful daughters.
EDGE OF DARK WATER
Mark Twain meets classic Stephen King—a bold new direction for widely acclaimed Edgar Award winner Joe R. Lansdale.
May Lynn was once a pretty girl who dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. Now she’s dead, her body dredged up from the Sabine River.
Sue Ellen, May Lynn’s strong-willed teenage friend, sets out to dig up May Lynn’s body, burn it to ash, and take those ashes to Hollywood to spread around. If May Lynn can’t become a star, then at least her ashes will end up in the land of her dreams.
Along with her friends Terry and Jinx and her alcoholic mother, Sue Ellen steals a raft and heads downriver to carry May Lynn’s remains to Hollywood.
Only problem is, Sue Ellen has some stolen money that her enemies will do anything to get back. And what looks like a prime opportunity to escape from a worthless life will instead lead to disastrous consequences. In the end, Sue Ellen will learn a harsh lesson on just how hard growing up can really be.
Joe Lansdale’s site:
Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over thirty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in eighteen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Hotep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story “Incident On and Off a Mountain Road” was adapted to film for Showtime’s “Masters of Horror.” He is currently co-producing
several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
SCOUNDRELS
In Scoundrels, an all-original anthology featuring bestselling and Edgar and Shamus award-winning writers, you’ll read stories of desperate grifters, brokers hedging big bets for the big take, schemers working the long con for the sure money, used car salesman with golden dreams and rusted hopes, crooked lawyers and bent clients, one percenters hustling for that last half-percent, kind-hearted killers and the lonely hearted who tell themselves any lie as the double down for the long count.
Stories by: Reed Farrel Coleman, David Corbett, Tyler Dilts, Brendan DuBois, Seth Harwood, Darrell James, Gary Phillips, Travis Richardson, SJ Rozan, Kelli Stanley, Eric Stone, Bob Truluck, Lono Waiwaiole and Pamela Samuels Young.
Welcome to my website wherein you’ll find bits and pieces about my doings and reflections on the craft and business of mystery and crime writing, smoking cigars, current events, and oh yes, donuts. You’ve no doubt noted the rather large plaster donut that sits atop Randy’s Donuts, a structure that’s in keeping with the American tradition of having buildings as giant tamales, hot dogs, night owls for all-night diners, and so on. What urbanist Sam Hall Kaplan has labeled programmatic architecture, the building looks like what they sell or do.I enjoy telling stories in various mediums about various sorts of characters, and I try to show that on this site. You’ll also find out about upcoming projects, and if I get around to it, a few ramblings on whatever the hell’s on my mind now and then. So please take a few minutes to click on one of the interviews below or simply browse through the site and give me your feedback.
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (dir. David Lynch)
When this kind of fire starts, it is very hard to put out. The tender boughs of innocence burn first, and the wind rises, and then all goodness is in jeopardy.
I would have trouble compiling any list and not include something by our favorite Eagle Scout from Missoula, David Lynch. Wasn’t easy to pick just one film of his, either, as I just as well could be writing about his TV pilot-turned-feature Mulholland Drive, fugue noir Lost Highway or the incomparable Blue Velvet (all major favorites of mine). But I’ll never forget my first Lynch experience—Fire Walk With Me.
Just to date myself, I was in 6th grade when Twin Peaks mania swept the country, meaning I discovered Lynch’s work later than some and piecemeal depending on what was available first on VHS, then DVD. For whatever reason, Fire Walk With Me seemed to be the only Lynch title I could find at the time. And much to the dismay of Twin Peaks devotees, I watched this prequel before ever seeing the landmark first season. Don’t get me wrong, I love the television show and every year or so break out the box sets, black coffee and cherry pie for a marathon viewing. But there is something so dark and unsettling, so deviously absurd and perfectly Lynchian about Fire Walk With Me, as if all the director’s tics, fetishes and archetypes were let loose in what I consider his most misunderstood and underappreciated film. And down at the bottom of the rabbit hole we find a tragic (and deceptively simple) story of a young girl in trouble. The best kind.
4. Videodrome (dir. David Cronenberg)
It’s just torture and murder. No plot, no characters. Very, very realistic. I think it’s what’s next.
The first time I saw Videodrome was through the eerily distorted fuzz of a forbidden Cinemax signal, which is kind of fitting now that I think about it. I had snuck into the living room for another late night rendezvous with the hundred pound television, eleven years old, up way past my bedtime and probably praying one of those Shannon Tweed “movies” would be on. But I do remember the whip, and the elastic television screen, James Woods pulling the gun from his stomach and all that unusual dialogue. Despite the lousy reception I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen or change the channel.
I’ve since become a David Cronenberg fanatic and consider Videodrome his thinking man’s horror masterpiece. It’s an audacious film, and a brilliant commentary on the havoc sex, violence and television can wreak on our subconscious minds. We can only wonder what Max Renn might think of Facebook and Twitter.
And like a true disciple of the New Flesh, I can only hope our bodies will eventually mutate after a lifetime of #hashtags and status updates.
3. Shane (dir. George Stevens)
There’s no living with a killing. There’s no goin’ back from one. Right or wrong, it’s a brand… a brand sticks.
If there are two things my old man loves, it’s country music and westerns. Growing up I heard a lot of Jimmie Rodgers and Merle Haggard and if my Pops wasn’t watching the Braves, he was surfing for anything directed by John Ford or Sam Peckinpah.
Naturally as a rebellious know-nothing teenager I despised country music and westerns. In fact, the very first time I saw Shane was with my father, and I laughed and ridiculed what is his favorite picture of all time. I even had the nerve to mock Brandon De Wilde’s sorrowful pleas as his hero rides off the homestead at film’s end, presumably mortally wounded.
When the Paramount Pictures title card appeared my Dad shot me a look that let me know I was being a shithead.
Now a little older and wiser, I’ve since revisited Shane numerous times. Even referred to it as my “gateway” Western. It’s a simple, beautifully told story, with no shortage of subtext that gives the film a depth I never noticed the first time around. With each viewing I’ve fallen a little bit more in love.
And can’t help but smile…at all the country music records and westerns that fill the shelves in my office.
2. Creature From The Black Lagoon (dir. Jack Arnold)
The boys around here call it “The Black Lagoon”; a paradise. Only they say nobody has ever come back to prove it.
I’ve spent the past ten years feeding my inner monster kid. You know? Collecting bobble heads, t-shirts, action figures, lobby cards, plush toys and model kits. But of all the Mount Rushmore Universal icons it was the Gill Man I identified with most. Sure, Creature From The Black Lagoon is basically King Kong in the water, but how could you not dig the amazingly articulated suit (thanks to make-up artist Jack Kevan) and monster design courtesy the brilliant Millicent Patrick? Or the lovely Julie Adams, um, in a swimsuit? Or Ricou Browning’s stunt and swim work and the equally impressive underwater photography? Or the bombastic theme which serves as the ring tone on my cell?
Or how about when the Creature mirrors Kay as she backstrokes across his house, the poor fella falling in love right before our eyes?
As a writer that’s one reason I’ve come to identify with the Gill Man so much. He’s essentially a loner, content in his office, er, cavern lair and weary of intrusions or distractions. He’ll go to violent lengths to protect that sanctity.
But contrary to the Creature’s nature he wants the girl, too.
A lovesick monster? Sounds like every author I know.
1. Heat (dir. Michael Mann)
We want to hurt no one! We’re here for the bank’s money, not your money. Your money is insured by the federal government, you’re not gonna lose a dime!
And finally a crime movie! But to call Michael Mann’s masterwork merely a movie almost sounds like an insult. Heat is Wagnerian, Shakespearean, goddamn epic with a capital E and without a doubt the desert island flick. I’ve watched it hundreds of times, and much to the dismay of my drinking buddies, can recite the script verbatim if the mood strikes me.
From the fabulous Los Angeles exteriors to the jaw-dropping heist and downtown shootout, I could write fifty thousand words about my admiration for Heat. But I think what made such an impression on me, and eventually seeped into my first novel, was Mann’s depiction of criminal sociopaths as folks you could (despite knowing better) empathize with. We see that particularly with the character of Neil McCauley: an obsessive, disciplined mastermind with hopes and dreams that motivate him more than simply the rush of taking scores. It is one reason DeNiro’s character has fascinated me for so long, and been the carrot dangling in front of my keyboard as I strove to write about complicated outlaws.
There’s even a tip of the hat to Heat in my novel Last Call for the Living involving a Sig Sauer P220.
Catch it and I’ll buy you a beer.
Peter Farris
PETER FARRIS is a graduate of Yale University. He lives in Cobb County, Georgia. Last Call for the Living, his first novel, will be published by Forge on May 22nd.
Marvel Comics
Pub date: May 9th, 2012
Trade Paperback
By all accounts, Daken should be the worst character ever created. A very lazy attempt at a twist of a character, with a demeanor that begs you to hate him, Daken is just a bad concept. The problem is, everyone who’s written him has built him into one of the most engrossing and complex characters in the Marvel U.
The son of Wolverine, (from a part of his life he just recently gained the memory of) Daken is a morally ambiguous character with little to no repentance for his actions. He’s a walking ball of ambition seeking to make himself better and more powerful than anyone. After realizing his dad wasn’t the reason everything in his life sucked, he took off to Madipoor; the hub of criminal empires. Using a power his father doesn’t have, the ability to manipulate others with pheromones, he lied, manipulated and killed his way to the top and gained total control of the place. But he wanted more. He wants L.A. “Big Break” is him arriving in L.A. and learning how it works to take it down from the inside. One problem, he gets introduced to a new drug, which for someone with a healing factor shouldn’t be an issue. This drug, “Heat,” beats his healing factor. He can feel it. And when something that powerful works on someone with that type of ego it’s addicting. Simultaneously, FBI agent Donna Keil is working so hard on taking down Daken, in any other occupation she’d be considered a stalker. Daken would be staying off the radar, if not for every time he took a hit of Heat, there were grisly murders done by claws happening all over L.A.
When Daken got his own book a few years ago the writers took such an interest in fleshing out his story and his identity that he became a character one must watch. He is someone you would despise. He is a classic douche-bag, from his righteous attitude (that he can back-up) to his unjustified sense self-worth to his mohawk. But through it all you just need to root for him. You want him to take over Madipoor. You want him to become top dog of L.A. and use any means necessary. Which he will. He is one of the few male characters to use his sexuality as a way to get ahead. As a rare bisexual guy in comics he has no care about who he uses to get where he needs to be. It’s just another one of the great levels to Daken.
New writer of the series, Rob Williams, effortlessly transitions from Daniel Way and Marjorine Lui’s brilliant run. There is so much to adore about this book and one of the best is that you can actually jump on the series at this point. You know he’s Wolverine’s son and he’s probably the most talented jerk there is. You have all you need to know. It is highly recommended going back and reading his solo series books, but if you want a great taste of what Daken is, “Big Break” is a great way to break in to the book
-Jo Schmidt
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication date: Aug 10th, 2011
This is Rotella’s first novel and I’m pleased I finally read it. Yes, I did a dance with it at the library. I actually got it out like three times and each time would only get 50 pages in. I’d start thinking to myself, “This is good.” Then life stuff would happen and the book would get returned unfinished. I could tell from the little tastes I was having that if I could commit to reading it, I would be rewarded. I hit up my comrade/consigliere Jeremy Lynch and sure enough a copy was quickly in my mail box. Side note, if you want something done by me, send it to Jeremy first; I’m more likely to listen to him.
Rotella has an impressive resume for a first time novelist. He has spent over 20 years as an investigative journalist, mostly for the Los Angeles Times. On his beat he covered terrorism, organized crime, immigration and homeland security, mainly from Mexico along the border and in South America. I’ve heard over the years the adage, “write what you know.” That is sound advice and Rotella stuck to it.
The “triple crossing” the title refers to is an area in South America where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina meet and has become a crossroads for international crime, terrorism, and smuggling. After reading the book, I believe it could also refer to many of the characters and their motivations in the story.
Valentine Pescatore is a rookie border patrol agent working the area around San Diego and Tijuana known as “the line.” Valentine is young and reckless. His superiors have an eye on him due to the company he keeps. He likes to hang with a group of patrolmen with a reputation for questionable methods. Indictments are rumored to be coming down and Pescatore is smart enough to know something is about to happen. One night on the line, Valentine breaks the number 1 rule: He chases a suspect back over the border. I loved this particular sequence. If filmed correctly, would make a great action sequence for a film. This brings him onto the playing field of a seductive female federal agent who sees him being the perfect candidate to go undercover in a Mexican mafia/cartel family. Before you know it, everything goes wrong. Is Valentine in way over his head or has he gone rogue?
This is a solid effort for a 1st timer. The level of detail concerning the Mexican-American border could only have come from somebody who spent much time immersed in it. I also never knew anything about the triple crossing area of South America the book describes, which in my head is a vision of hell. I found this to be the most memorable aspect of the book for me. Most of the characters I found myself liking while I found two in particular totally clichéd. I won’t tell you who, either. The first half of the book was solid. The second was scattered to me. Rotella will improve with time. I am certain of it. While reading Triple Crossing, I was constantly reminded of the Don Winslow novel The Power Of The Dog. They both cover some of the same ground but veer off from each other at a certain point. I won’t tell you to rush out and read Triple Crossing but I also won’t tell you to skip over it should it cross your path. Rotella will become a force to be reckoned with, just give him time.
Dave Wahlman
Free Comic Book Day is a single day – the first Saturday in May each year – when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local shop for their participation and rules.
The way it works is that each comic book publisher creates special comics for the giveaway, then the stores that are participating buy them to give out to their customers. The nominal fee covers printing and shipping. The comics are a great cross section of what comics have to offer from almost every publisher with books directly aimed at kids and others for everyone. The whole idea is to get people reading comics.
We’ve gone out for the last 6 and had a ball. It is great fun to watch the little kids with free comics, getting impatient with Mom or Dad so they can go read. It is also really cool to see the stores packed full of people.
UPDATE:
I just got an advance look at the Archaia Entertainment giveaway. Holy Awesomeness Batman!!! This is the coolest giveaway ever, It’s a 9 x 6 hardcover with stories from Mouse Guard, Labyrinth, Return of The Dappermen, Rust, Cursed Pirate Girl and our new favorite COW BOY!!! If you miss out on this book you are CRAZY. It is a perfect way to introduce people to these great comics and it was put together with a lot of love for fans and future fans.
A lot of stores do events as a part of it so check near by stores to see if they have creators coming in to sign or do sketches. You can check here:
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/
Here’s some of the books being given away this year:
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/981
We are pleased as punch to announced a new feature! Tom Schreck will be writing about writing and being a working author. Tom is a swell guy with good hair and fine novels.
The One-Hour-A-Day Novelist
I love writing mysteries and thrillers and I’m proud to say that my fifth novel in five years comes out in July.
I have a 40-hour-a-week day job as the director of communications for a program for people with disabilities. I teach college two nights a week for three hours for two semesters a year. About once a month I travel to work as a professional boxing judge. Last year I wrote about ten freelance magazine articles and over 100 blogs.
People often say thing s like “How do you do it?”, “Where do you find the energy!” and “Boy, you’re swell!”
When I hear these things I like to shrug my shoulders, feign self-effacement and say something like:
“Aw shucks, it really is nothing. It’s no big deal.”
Then people tell me I’m far too modest.
I’m not modest. Ask my wife.
Writing a novel by devoting an hour a day is 100% doable. But—and this is a significant “but”—there’s a strategy to it that makes it possible.
This blog is about that strategy. If you’ve wanted to write but have always told yourself you’ll do it when you retire, go on sabbatical, when you get that four-month vacation and after the Powerball hits, this blog might help.
The keys to this process involve writing practices, discipline and psychological self-help. Let’s take a look at each of these.
Writing Practices
Maybe you’ve read every single book about writing. You’re an outliner or you just go with the flow–whatever. The problem is the ff’in book never seems to get written.
Many books on novel writing miss the boat because they’re written for people who have big chunks of the day to write. Writing in an hour a day takes a different practice. Some of that means skipping the mental warmups, knowing how to pick up and leave off and how to structure your plot so it lends itself to an hour a day.
Discipline
I’m not talking about G.-Gordon-Liddy-eat-a-rat to conquer your fear discipline. I’m talking more about Woody-Allen-90%-of-life-is-showing-up discipline. Gritting your teeth and forcing yourself to write sucks and it results in shitty writing.
Finding the balance of making yourself sit down and type and enjoying it is huge and it involves developing the right habits. We’ll talk about that here a lot.
Psychology
Writing isn’t exactly the same thing as Seal Team 6 when it comes to risk-taking but it is scary. Almost all of the fear in writing is ego driven and is centered around self- talk like “What if I suck eggs?” “What if people think I’m an ff’in jackass?” and “What if I write this and no one wants to rep it, publish it or read it?”
Those thoughts can be paralyzing. We’ll chat about ignoring them.
I must admit there’s a hesitancy to admitting I don’t spend 26 hours a day in my oak paneled office sipping some esoteric tea and smoking Cuban cigars while Hemingway’s muse vaporizes under the locked two-ton door to my den of brilliance.
It’s more romantic to think of the tortured writer with the bloody forehead concentrating harder than Lindsay Lohan at a spelling bee to eek out four words in an hour but, alas, that ain’t me.
This will be about a real writing process.
And how to do it in an hour a day.
Tom Schreck writes the Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries and his newest release THE VEGAS KNOCKOUT, will be available on May 15. Visit www.tomschreck.comand “like” his fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DuffyDombrowski for a chance to win a Kindle Fire.
With just months to go, the promotional build-up for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the 3rd and final film in Chris Nolan’s BATMAN trilogy, is really starting to get into gear.
Over all http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/, there are documents detailing charges against The Dark Knight by the Gotham police department. THE DARK KNIGHT had a tremendous amount of viral PR that did a hell of a job building the hype. Thus far, the PR for TDKR has been limited. But that appears to be changing.
This trailer looks less like one for a super hero film and more like one for a character-driven drama. With Nolan, I think the finished product will end up being both.
Every now and then there’s a Star Wars book with a title or idea that will strike interest in the most avid fans. “Boba Fett is Dead” has that perfect B-movie title featuring everyone’s favorite character in a mystery that he doesn’t even appear in.
We all know he’s not dead. Directly on the inside cover we learn this story takes place aprox. 10 years before the Battle of Yavin; that’s 10 years before “A New Hope” for us non-adept folks. But the book opens with a group mercenaries and Empire elite standing over Boba Fett’s lifeless body. That moment is being watched by an entire system. Everyone learns of the dead Fett. Not everyone is pleased about it, though. A young man sitting in his pub is quite distraught. Turns out, Fett saved his life many years before. We meet the only person in the solar system mourning the loss. Of course, there’s much more to Fett’s murder than it seems. One by one, the group of assassins get taken out but an unknown assailant. But when the Empire goes after the young pub owner as the key suspect it’s up to a renegade storm trooper to save him and solve the mystery.
This book is quite a trip. Fett is such a cool character you’re pulled into the story immediately. Writer Tom Taylor seems to be having a lot of fun with this book. It’s easy for any one to get into, Star Wars fan or not and sets up a great ride for the series. It’s Star Wars done noir style. The beautiful digital art by Chris Shalf adds so much to the book. A lot of care was put into the book by all creative ends and it shows. “Boba Fett is Dead” is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. Even the mild SW fans will be hotly anticipating the upcoming issues.
Jo
The Dark Poodle of the Apocalypse
It was in the deeps of time that the Dark Poodle of Apocalypse rose from her long slumber. Which is to say she was born in February 2001 outside the charming town of Hood River, Oregon. Little did the people of that sleepy hamlet realize the terror which was soon to emerge from their midst.
I would meet the Dark Poodle on a foray with a woman who was then my friend, though romantic inclinations were certainly in the picture. She announced she wanted a puppy, and by golly that puppy was going to a poodle.
Wait. What?
Seriously? A poodle? In my mind, I picture a creature more fuzz than flesh, with a teased bouffant the size of a tractor.
My suspicions were damped by the gleam of romance in my eyes and so we went forth into the hills northwest of Mount Hood. And there we met the Dark Poodle of the Apocalypse in her larval form. At that early stage, the depths of her mighty power was not yet fully apparent, but once we returned home her power began to assert itself. On its surface, overwhelming cuteness might seem harmless enough, but Her Royal Highness Nene, Cat of the Manor, recognized the Dark Poodle’s evil from the beginning. Through the searing power of her catly side-eye and a tail-swishing silent treatment, Nene communicated her displeasure.
Alas, the awesome spell of the Dark Poodle had already taken hold of us. Things would never be the same.
In the years hence, Her Unholiness has come to be known by many names. Dark Poodle is her title, but in the vernacular she is known as Jasmine. In the style of ancient Roman patricians, she bears a cognomen, Muffin, and can also be summoned by calling out to Doodle, or even Dipsy Doodle Poodle. Only the sturdiest of souls dares summon her thusly, for to do so is the bring down the wrath of the wiggling, and face licking, and even a leg bump with one of her multitudes of plushy victims.
There are few who can resist her terrible spell. Within moments of an encountered, most people are reduced to dribbling and fawning. Such is her power. I have long since given up trying to fight it. All I can do is accept the cold reality of my existence: I provide for her needs, and in return she sleeps on my legs while I watch Justified, or licks my face, or brings me her blue bunny.
Such is my doom.
Bill
Bill Cameron lives with his wife and a menagerie of critters in Portland, Oregon. His stories have appeared inSpinetingler, The Dunes Review, The Alsop Review. He is a member of Friends of Mystery and International Thriller Writers, and serves as Vice President of the Northwest Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. For more, head over to his site. He can also be found on Twitter.
If nothing else, Aaron Sorkin knows how to write nice sounding dialogue.
HBO has offered up a new trailer forTHE NEWSROOM, the upcoming Sorkin series that goes behind the scenes of a news program with the anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski) and their boss (Sam Waterston). Their goal is “a patriotic and quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements.” They do this despite conflict with Leona Lansing (Jane Fonda), the CEO of the cable news network’s parent company.
THE NEWSROOM begins it’s ten episode season on June 24th.
Ok, these are actually the winners of the Agatha Awards for books released in 2011.The winners were announced tonight at a banquet at Malice Domestic.
Best Novel:
THREE-DAY TOWN by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing)
Best First Novel:
LEARNING TO SWIM by Sara J. Henry (Crown)
Best Non-fiction:
BOOKS, CROOKS AND COUNSELORS: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure by Leslie Budewitz (Linden)
Best Short Story:
DISARMING by Dana Cameron, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine – June 2011
Best Children’s/Young Adult:
THE BLACK HEART CRYPT by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Best Historical Novel:
NAUGHTY IN NICE by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)
Congratulations to all of the winners!
MR. MURDER IS DEAD
By Victor Quinaz and Brent Schoonover
Publisher Archaia
Guns, nightclubs, dames, and over the top villains. This book offers them all in a perfect package. Gould Kane AKA The Spook is a retired
investigator. He’s paunchy. He’s worn down. He’s a drunk. In short, he’s a total wash up. When his old nemesis turns up dead, he can’t help but be drawn into the investigation both as suspect and detective.
The authors’ love of old comics and detective stories explode off of
every page. Memories of the Spook’s life are drawn as 30’s, 50’s, and
70’s comic strips, giving the scenes a beautiful sense of nostalgia
countered by the harsh, sharp reality of the art of the current day. The book is populated by villains like Mr. Murder, Bulldog, Timmy Tough, Book Smart, and Billy the Kidd. In the flashbacks, we see them as Dick Tracy-like stooges. When we see them in the modern day, they are as worn down and psychologically broken as The Spook himself. They aren’t just foils for a good guy to put away; they are people with real issues, real goals, and real loves.
This is a perfect murder mystery, propelled by the relationships that
The Spook has formed, both with his allies and his enemies over decades on the job. The plot is sharp and blazingly fast-paced. The art is beautiful and so richly stylized that you’ll find yourself lingering over pages long after you have finished reading them. The characters are real and occasionally heartbreaking renditions of the archetypal detective story roster.
This was one of the best comics I have read in a very long time. The
art, the characters, and the story all blend together into a perfect
book. It is dark, exciting, funny, and tragic. Once I opened it, it was utterly impossible to set aside until I had unraveled every plot forged in the dark alleys of Kane’s world. Mr. Murder may be dead, but I hope The Spook will live on in many more stories from this amazing duo!
-Bryan VanMeter
On April 5th, Vicki Doudera launched DEADLY OFFER, her third book in the Darby Farr series, in style. The event was held at the Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville, Maine.
When Darby Farr’s assistant, E.T., learns that his sister, Selena, has suddenly (and suspiciously) died in her hot tub, Darby and E.T. travel to Selena’s magnificent vineyard estate nestled in the heart of California wine country. There, Darby discovers that Selena was entertaining offers from three different prospective buyers—each one of whom is desperate to be the new owner of the winery. As a saboteur wreaks havoc on the property, Darby risks her life to crack the case and close the sale in a valley ripe with jealousy, greed, and danger.
DEADLY OFFERS has garnered favorable reviews from Kirkus and Criminal Element and has an average rating of 4.11 (out of 5) on Good Reads. The Library Journal called it a “fast, entertaining read with a diverse cast and appealing setting.”
In addition to family and friends, almost 150 attended the event, including bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. On hand were the fime folks of The Owl & Turtle Bookstore to handle sales.
With such a stylish shindig, I can’t help but wonder what will be in store for the next? I vote for a hot air balloon signing!
