Mulholland Books: "A Donkey in the Grand National"
In which Your Humble Narrator argues that crime writers should stop being so insecure …
THE SATURDAY BOY
The Saturday Boy: being a selection of random broadcasts from the Ray Banks brainpan.
Warning: may contain salty language and scenes of an adult nature.
— @thesaturdayboy on Twitter.
"There's daring to spare here ..."
The tippling gadabout himself, Mr Vincent Keenan, waxes kindly about Your Humble Narrator’s last foray into noveldom.
“What concerned us most about The Newspaper was its lack of Wi-Fi. Information on the system was locked, while on other e-readers it was open, ubiquitous and current. Eventually, however, we found this advantage to be overstated, even misleading. Engineers using The Newspaper typically did so 30 to 60 minutes a day. Afterward, they went outside, formed relationships, and took in what life had to offer. Those using Wi-Fi-enabled e-readers tended to stay on the couch, scanning video sites for cats; eventually, downloading recipes for artichoke cheese dip they’ll never use.”
"The irony is, they are often considered normal and well-adjusted."
Landmark speech by the late Jimmy Reid in full at The Independent.
NEEDLE 2 - Get it while it’s hot!
Needle Magazine is hardboiled, lean and mean. No silly reviews. No poetry. No advertising. Nothing but hard hitting stories. In your face and busting up your kiss-maker. Kapow. Fiction from Ray Banks, Nolan Knight, John Stickney, Frank Bill, Julie Summerell, Nigel Bird, Sarah Weinman, Allan Leverone, Chris F. Holm, David Cranmer, Stephen Blackmoore, and Mike Sheeter.
Look at that line-up. If I wasn’t getting a contributor copy, I’d be buying it just like I did the first one (which was seriously one of the best collections I’ve read in a while). My story is “The Great Pretender”, it’s the first one in the mag, so you can get a sneaky peek and buy a copy right here.
“A rat race is for rats. We’re not rats. We’re human beings. Reject the insidious pressures in society that would blunt your critical faculties to all that is happening around you, that would caution silence in the face of injustice lest you jeopardise your chances of self promotion and self advancement. This is how it starts and, before you know where you are, you’re a fully paid up member of the rat pack. The price is too high. It entails the loss of your dignity and human spirit. Or as Christ puts it “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
Jimmy Reid (1932-2010), King of the Constructive Protest
CAN’T YOU DO ANYTHING NEAT?
(‘The Neat Job!’, Shock SuspenStories #1, 1952)
"The Eventful Writer" - Guest Blog at Do Some Damage
In which I whinge on about having to do a certain type of event.
