KILLER by Dave Zeltserman

One of the things I like about Zeltserman's writing is how human his characters are. Like I mentioned in yesterday's review of Outsourced, the main character of Dan Wilson could be any one of us. He has the same problems, the same hard choices to make. And while I'm not, and probably never will be, a hit man for the mob, I found the character of Leonard March (Killer) to be a reflection of some of the things I see in the mirror everyday.

Leonard March is former hit man for the mob that cuts a deal by ratting out his boss. Instead of the life sentence he would have received, he barters information for a shorter sentence. Now fourteen years later, he's back on the streets, looking over his shoulder for the hit he expects is coming.

Zeltserman does a masterful job of making you feel for the guy. Sure, he's was once a vicious killer for the mob, but it wasn't like his victims were darling little angels. The men he killed were lower than scum, the filth of society. They were the kind of people I would kill. Child abusers. Rapists. Drug dealers. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now all he wants is to make a reconnection with his children, do an honest days work, and forget the past.

Unfortunately for Leonard, the past isn't going anywhere. It's in the papers and on the radio. It's on the faces in the street that recognize him as easily as Frankenstein's Monster. It's in the mirror.

What follows is a truly excellent dark noir story that blends the past with the present, suspense with emotional honesty. KILLER is a book by an author at the top of his game.

Bank Robbery Anyone???

Reading Dave Zeltserman's Outsourced has put me in the mood to read some high octane thrillers based around bank heists. Since I'm new to the whole crime genre game, I'm woefully ignorant of what's out there.

If you have read some good "stick'em up" books, let me know in the comments section below.

Later today I will be posting a review of Dave's Killer.

OUTSOURCED by Dave Zeltserman

What is it about robbing a bank that so fascinates us? Is it the thought of all that money just sitting there for the taking, ready and waiting to change your life forever? Is it thrill of the challenge? The danger?

We've all thought about. Probably every time you walk into a bank and are waiting in line for the next available teller. You see the security guard with his chin weighing down his chest, you mark the video cameras catching every detail to be replayed later for the cops. You see the the teller handing out a pile of hundreds to the balding man in plaid shorts and a Wiggles t-shirt, loading up his wallet for his family vacation.

Ten minutes. Five if you don't go for the safe. Three or less if you just hold up the tellers. A fast grab.


Just thinking about it gets my blood racing.

Just like Dave Zeltserman's Outsourced.

It's a book about four software engineers who come up with a brilliant plan to rob a bank. But as it states on the back of the book, "not even a systems analyst can foresee every eventuality, especially when the Russian Mafia is involved."

One of the best things about OUTSOURCED is how relevant it is. Dan Wilson is a computer expert. He designs security systems for banks. But like a lot of hard working Americans, he's finding his kind of expertise is being outsourced. Businesses and companies are seeking out the cheap alternatives overseas. It's the stuff of headlines for the last decade.

Creditors are calling. His wife's hours at the law firm where she works are being cut. Without some serious injection of cash in his life, Dan is going to have to sell his middle class home and move his kids away from the life they have always known.

OUTSOURCED isn't just relevant, it's hits close to home. Dan isn't a thug. He's not a career criminal. He's not a bad guy. He's you. He's me. An ordinary guy that lives check to check and knows that one miss-step could send his life crashing down around him. It's the state of hyper fear and stress most of us exist with day in and day out, worrying about the next MasterCard bill, the next property tax bill, the cost of hockey and swimming lessons going up and up and up!

Maybe that's the real reason we all think about it. Why we all wonder what it would be like to yell the words, "THIS IS A ROBBERY!!!"

OUTSOURCED is more than just a social commentary. It's full of pulse pounding suspense and action that builds to a blood drenched, blazing guns, finale and a scene that will tug at the heart strings of the most curmudgeonly among us.

Probably one of Dave Zeltserman's most accessible and commercial novels to date, OUTSOURCED is not to be missed.

DAVE ZELTSERMAN WEEK

Dave Zeltserman is an American writer who hails from the Boston area. He has penned over ten books to date, including his "man out of prison" trilogy of noir novels that include Small Crimes, Pariah and Killer.

Dave has won both the Shamus and Derringer awards for his novelette "Julius Katz" which you can read in Julius Katz Mysteries.

Last year Dave released The Caretaker of Lorne Field: A Novel to critical acclaim. CARETAKER was my number one read from 2010. If you have yet to read this psychological thriller you are doing yourself a disservice. THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD will get a paperback release this fall along with his latest hardback, A Killer's Essence: A Novel.

Dave has embraced the e-book craze that has swept the world and recently released Blood Crimes: Book One. If you like your vampires to kick ass and not kiss ass, then BLOOD CRIMES is just what you're looking for. This high octane action horror book is very high on my personal list of all time favourites.

If vampires aren't your thing, you could do a lot worse than Dying Memories. I'll be surprised if DYING MEMORIES doesn't make a lot of "best of" lists for 2011. This suspenseful thriller will take you back to the days of The Manchurian Candidate, Three Days of the Condor and even Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It has a distinct 1970's flavour to it that I think readers will dig.

Dave is also a founding member of the TOP SUSPENSE GROUP. TSG is a group of writers that promise to release only the very best in the genre. Their writers include Lee Goldberg, Ed Gorman, Harry Shannon and more! Recently TSG released a terrific anthology of stories, Top Suspense: 13 Classic Stories by 12 Masters of the Genre. It has garnered a lot of great reviews and is well worth the bargain price of .99 cents.

Dave has also caught the eye of Hollywood. There is the possibility we'll be seeing some of his novels up on the big screen in the not too distant future. I for one, can't wait.

I hope you'll join me this week in celebrating one my favourite writers. If you haven't read anything by him, I hope this week will nudge you towards giving him a shot. There will be book reviews, an interview with Dave and also a special guest blog post by Dave.

Check back later today for a review of Outsourced.
  

Two Things...

The first thing is, check out this awesome cover by Jeroen ten Berge for The Gilded Treachery by Steve Richer. That's sweet. Makes me want to read it. Here's the synopsis:

A young woman is kidnapped
A Civil War veteran is hired to deliver justice
A housewife is searching for her missing husband
What no one expected was the involvement of the richest men in the world...

Zeke Harland is a wounded Civil War vet who chose to fight for the Confederacy, not because of his ideals but simply to spite his father, a Union general. He is summoned by former president Andrew Johnson to rescue the mysterious Chastity Parsons who may have been kidnapped for being involved in state secrets.

Meanwhile, Mary Hollister searches for her husband who has gone missing. Being an Irish immigrant, no one is offering assistance. Or could it be no one wants the man to be found?

As Zeke scours the country with his teenage brother-in-law, they stumble upon a railroad conspiracy that could change the fate of the United States. From New Orleans to Atlanta and New York, they dodge murder attempts while seeking the truth.

The Gilded Treachery is a historical mystery thriller which never pauses. The adventure is based in part on true events and has 107,000 words.

THE GILDED TREACHERY doesn't fit into my usual reading trends but Berge's cover does it's job and makes me want to read it. With a massive word count and a price tag of only $2.99, you can't really go wrong.


Thing two...


Next week is DAVE ZELTSERMAN WEEK at THE MAN EATING BOOKWORM! Or as I like to call it, DZW. I got a few reviews of some of Dave's latest, plus an interview and a special guest post by the author himself!


Dave Zeltserman's books are a true favourite of mine and shouldn't be missed by anyone!

INTERVIEW - Roy Finch (Rated R!)

A few weeks ago Jeroen ten Berge emailed to tell me about a book he'd recently done cover work for. He said he thought the book by Roy Finch might be right up my alley. 


He was right. 


The Emperor of Glitter Gulch is funny as hell and a terrific read. Take Chris Rock, Andrew Dice Clay and John Grisham, get them drunk, stick'um in a room and make'um write a book. What you'll get is THE EMPEROR OF GLITTER GULCH. I think. 


Well, Roy was kind enough to answer a few questions for THE MAN EATING BOOKWORM. Check it out:


MEBW: Roy, why don't you tell all the Wormies a little about yourself?


RF: Well, I'm a former lawyer.  The accomplishment I'm most proud of is the fact that I have not left a movie theater during the showing of a movie to urinate since Return of the Jedi, a streak of 28 years and counting.  The closest calls were The Fugitive and Man on Fire, during which I believe I caused irreperable harm to my urinary system.  So I've got that going for me, which is nice.  I will now go and wrap my lips around the exhaust pipe of my Nissan Sentra.  Yes, I drive a Nissan Sentra.


MEBW: For the last week I've been going around calling everyone a "muppetfucker". A black eye and a busted lip later, I want to know where I can go to sue your damn ass?!


RF: The Courthouse on Smithe Street in Vancouver will accept your filing.  And I fully encourage more frivilous lawsuits.  In THE EMPEROR, I referenced a case about a man suing an RV dealer because he went off the road after he set the cruise control and wandered into the back to make himself a cappuccino.   This actually happened.


MEBW: Before I read your book, I never knew what a "glory hole" was, nor "snorkelling" for that matter. That's all I have to say on that. Feel free to comment.


RF: While I would like to claim a breadth of personal knowledge about all the weird (and let's face it, creepy) sexual antics in the book, I must admit that my sex life is much more staid.  However, I seem to have a radar for finding stories about weird sexual acts.  My superpower if you will (well, that and my ability to drink a bucket of soda during a movie and hold my urine).  The first I heard of snorkelling was when former New York Congressman Eric Massa was accused of the act by former shipmates in the Navy.  And we wonder why our elected officials have trouble balancing a budget.


MEBW: If they were to make THE EMPEROR OF GLITTER GULCH into a movie, who should play Leonard Orton? I see Ron Jeremy or Randy Quaid. Maybe Tom Cruise. He was pretty bad ass in A FEW GOOD MEN.


RF: I'm intrigued by the Randy Quaid possibility.  Ever since he showed up in Vancouver seeking political asylum because of the "Star Wackers" who were out to kill him he has my undivided attention.  Anyone who is that batshit crazy is okay in my books.


MEBW: Who wins a court battle between Tom Cruise in A FEW GOOD MEN and Tom Cruise in THE FIRM? 


RF: I think the Tom Cruise who berated Matt Lauer (“You’re glib, Matt.  You don’t know the history of psychiatry.  I do.  I’ve studied it.”  Like high school dropout Tom Cruise spent his days squirreled away pouring over tomes on psychiatry) wipes the floor with the both of them.  Speaking of batshit crazy.

Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder is the most dominant of all Tom Cruises.  "Great. Let me get this down. 100 million... Oh, wait! I got a better idea. Instead of a hundred million, how about I send you a hobo's dick cheese? Then, you kill him. Do your thing, skin the fucking bastard. Go to town, man. Go to town! In the mean time, and as usual, go fuck yourself."


MEBW: Does "the Hoff" really have a big schlong?


RF: Of course.  He's the Hoff.


MEBW: In your book the character of Judge "Crazy" Joe Wang has some pretty wild and unorthodox ways of making judgements. Was this character based on a real life Judge, or is he a complete fabrication?


RF: Unfortunately, a complete fabrication.  Although there was one unbalanced judge I appeared before who was so angry at me that he started haranguing me in open court and then burst into tears.  My record in court would have been much better if there was a Crazy Joe Wang.  I wasn't much of a litigator but I can do chin ups like a motherfucker.


MEBW: I said in my review of Emperor that there was a little something to offend everyone. Were there any scenes which your wrote that hit the cutting room floor because you thought it was too much?


RF: I subscribe to the Sasha Baron Cohen philosophy on offensive comedy.  Like candy in elementary school, if you're going to offend one person, make sure you brought enough for everyone.  There was one scene that I cut out thinking it was overly offensive, but names have been changed and it has now managed to make its way into my next book.


MEBW: Your next book is going to be called LOW HANGING FRUIT. I'm going to assume you're not referencing the apple tree in your backyard. What can you tell us about it?


RF: It's a coming of age story about a dyslexic melon farmer from Myanmar who dreams of one day becoming a concert pianist.  Actually no, it's not.  LOW HANGING FRUIT follows the lives of a chiropractor, a life coach and a real estate agent as they engage in depraved sex acts while the body count piles up in Reno, Nevada.  While this is a brand new set of characters, they are no less immoral or wanton than those in THE EMPEROR.  I hope to have it out on Amazon by July.


MEBW: Thanks for your time, muppetfucker! Hey, what are you doing with that croquet mallet? 


RF: My pleasure, Peter.  As an addicted reader myself, I love the site and the reviews.  It's not the croquet mallet you have to be worried about, it's the chloroform soaked rag.


Do yourself a favour folks and grab yourself The Emperor of Glitter Gulch by Roy Finch today!

ON THE PLAINS OF DECEPTION by Brendan DuBois

On the Plains of Deception by Brendan DuBois is a thoughtful exploration into the heart of mortality and loneliness. It's also a love letter to fantasists everywhere who dream of one day traveling to another world.

ON THE PLAINS OF DECEPTION is a very relevant story, given the apparent scrapping of NASA's space program. It's about two astronauts who become marooned on the red planet, with no hope of survival. What follows is a very atmospheric and thought provoking story as the two cope with their situation.

This is a story for dreamers, for those of you that loved the romantic space stories of Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein and for those that ever wondered what it would be like to travel out into the great unknown.

ON THE PLAINS OF DECEPTION is an expertly crafted story by a seasoned writer and at .99 cents, an absolute bargain. Highly, highly, recommended.

(Cover art by Jeroen ten Berge)

THE EMPEROR OF GLITTER GULTCH by Roy Finch

Every once in a while a book comes along that takes you by surprise. You go in with certain expectations, but within a few pages those expectations are shattered, blown away, and you find yourself completely immersed in a "must read".

The Emperor of Glitter Gulch by Roy Finch is just such a "must read". Not only that, but right now if I had to make out a Best Of list for 2011, THE EMPEROR OF GLITTER GULCH would rank as high as number one or two. And it has set the bar so high that I would doubt anything can touch it.

Who is this Roy Finch, you ask?

I honestly don't know, but if you check back here in a few days I'll have a little interview with the author. Maybe we can get some background on this hot rookie sensation!

EMPEROR is Finch's first novel, incredibly, and there is very little information available via the internet. What I can tell you is, he's a hell of a writer. And he's got a vicious sense of humour.

EMPEROR is not for those of you with delicate sensibilities, who may be easily offended. Because, quite frankly there is a little something in here to offend everyone! But if you have a good sense of humour this novel will have you laughing out loud and turning the pages at a breakneck pace.

The book is about a seven fingered lawyer named Leonard Orton who is pretty much the sleaziest man alive. If he isn't getting kicked out of scummy titty bars or being beat up by someone he's offended, stole from or cheated, he's getting plastered and watching porn on his office computer. Then an opportunity comes along that might provide Leonard a chance at redemption, a chance to make something of himself after years of being the butt of jokes in the Las Vegas legal community.

Can Leonard pull himself together long enough to build a case against one of Las Vegas' richest men?

Can he keep himself out of jail, the emergency room, or the psychiatric ward, long enough to get to court?

Either way, by the end of it all, I guarantee you will be laughing so hard you'll cry.

LAST REQUEST via SHOTGUN HONEY

I am very pleased to announce my flash fiction piece, LAST REQUEST, is posted on the terrific SHOTGUN HONEY website. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

Then, after you're done, you really should read the rest of Kent Gowran's terrific selections from some of the best in the business. You're missing out if you don't!

Special Guest Blog Post: J.E. MEDRICK

I have a special treat for you, Wormies. Check it out. That there is the wonderful J.E. Medrick lookin' at ya. I've given her the keys to the car and she's going to take us for a little ride down J.E. Medrick lane. It's a cool and interesting place I'm sure you'll dig.

So, without further adieu...J.E. Medrick! 

My Style

                 

I often get asked by people how I come up with so many stories.  Do I write long drafts?  Outlines?  Long character descriptions and backgrounds?  Why am I so creative?

                 

Maybe I'm a bad writer, but I don't do any of those things.  The truth is that when I have a story, almost everything I need explodes in my brain in an instant.  The biggest problem I have when writing is that I can't get everything out fast enough with the perfect words.  When I sit down to write, 95% of the time I know where the story starts, and ends.  It's just a matter of coloring in the lines.

            As for why I'm so creative...

                 

Sometimes I will let a story ferment in my brain for a few days before I start writing.  The biggest problem with this is that stories in my head get progressively louder.  If I don't write SOMETHING for about three days, I become a horrible insomniac.  Imagine a cul-de-sac.  Put a single car in this cul-de-sac and have him drive in circles.  He's nice and happy because no one is in his way and he can drive on into infinity.

                 

Now add a second car, only he's going slower than the first car.    Every time the first car has to pass the second car, he gets annoyed because his routine is broken.

                 

Now fill the cul-de-sac completely with cars, in both lanes.  Only, one of the cars has a woman in labor in it.  Now another car's kid is crying because it has to pee.  Somehow, the car in front of that car is backwards!  Nobody can move, everyone is running out of gas.  Horns are blaring, tempers are skyrocketing and the noise and tension is incredible.

                 

That's my head if I don't write.

                 

Stories pile up, ideas tumble all about and I can't get any peace because I have to know what happens!

                 

I'm working on probably my biggest project, ever.  In my life.  Especially voluntarily!  It's called the Icarus Helix series and it's about a bunch of kids who get injected with an experimental compound called laurosine.  The compound overwhelms and mutates the weakened half of their DNA pairs and about the time they hit puberty, they develop superpowers.

                 

The first episode, "Cheat" is about a telekinetic football player.  Episode 2, "Liar" features a girl who can tell if you're lying... and can hear your true thoughts.

                 

            The IH series has forced me to do some background work that I haven't had to do with my other pieces, before.  There is so much happening that I have an active timeline that changes color as I finish writing those ideas.  (Via Excel, not my head.)  After "Coward" releases, I have a very strong suspicion that I will need to start cataloguing the characters, because there are just so many!  Please don't let that deter you - each episode is meant to be stand-alone and is understandable in its self-containment.

                 

The plan is to release a new episode every month until the end of this year.  That will complete the first season of ten episodes.  I may take a break at the beginning of next year, before starting season 2, but I have so many ideas for this series that I can't imagine finishing it in only 120,000 words!  (Each episode is 20k, $.99, new episodes monthly.)

                 

I hope you all consider giving it a chance.  Thanks so much to Peter for having me around, and for giving my series a try!  Even having just one fan (especially so delightfully vocal!) really helps me lock down and slave away at my computer for hours :)  I don't have a huge following yet, but it's slowly growing.  People keep assuring me the crowds will come!  I just have to keep moving forward.  If you're in on the groundwork, like Peter, I might even remember your name.  Possibly forever and ever.  What other reasons could you want to give it a try?!  Please don't let my horrible car analogy drive you away... er... bad pun.  Honk honk!

Happy reading!

Contact Info:

Personal blog

Release blog

Contact E-mail: jemedrickbooks@gmail.com

Facebook Author Page

THICKER THAN BLOOD by Blake Crouch

It's Christmas in May, Wormies. Check this out.

Thicker Than Blood - The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Trilogy. You have to be completely nuts not to pick up this bad boy. It's got DESERT PLACES, LOCKED DOORS and BREAK YOU. Not only that but it as alternate endings to both full length novels that comprise nearly an entire novel of material alone! Plus, intros and afterwards and the short story "Ginsu Tony" (on which DESERT PLACES was based).

If you are a Blake Crouch fan this is a must buy. If you're not yet a Blake Crouch fan this is a must buy.

THE BOOGEYMAN MEN by Jeff Ambrose

Jeff Ambrose is a writer hailing from North Texas who writes in a variety of genres, including horror, fantasy, crime, mystery and science fiction. You can check out his blog here.

I had never heard of Ambrose until his story The Boogeyman Men came up on my Amazon.com recommendation list. I dug the cover and decided for 99 cents I would give it a shot.

I'm glad I did.

For starters the premise of THE BOOGEYMAN MEN sounds like something right out of King's Night Shift or Skeleton Crew.

Julie is at her wits end when it comes to her unruly thirteen year old son, Sam. He's a terror on a bad path, causing trouble everyday, everywhere. She's tried medication, doctors, and read all the books and nothing, nothing, works. Plain and simply, little Sam is a little as#ho*le.

Then one day a mysterious package arrives from The Boogeyman Men. Unorthodox, strange and mysterious, this is a treatment guaranteed to work.

Find out what happens when Julie sets the boogeyman loose.

Ambrose is a terrific up and coming writer, at least based on this 9,000 word story. THE BOOGEYMAN MEN provides some good chills and thrills. It's a perfect story for right before bedtime.

If I had one thing to criticize it would be some niggling editing oversights. Some double words and missed letters on the end of words. Nothing serious. They don't spoil the experience but I would have liked to see Ambrose display a clean copy because his writing deserves it.

LIAR by J.E. Medrick

A few weeks ago I reviewed little known author J.E. Medrick's Cheat (Icarus Helix #1). CHEAT impressed me with a cool premise and some pretty decent writing. It's geared more towards the YA or tween crowd, while still being accessible for those of us a little more up there in years.

Recently Medrick released episode two of the ICARUS HELIX series, Liar (Icarus Helix #2).

I liked CHEAT. I loved LIAR.

This one is about Ellen, a young woman who is developing a very exciting ability. She's able to hear people's thoughts when they are lying to her. Sounds great, doesn't it? But things get complicated and fast.

LIAR deals with a bunch of issues that face anyone who has ever gone to high school and felt the pressure to fit in and make friends. It touches on it all, from asking someone out on a first date, to fighting with ones BFF, even glazing the subject of bullying and self image. At the centre of it all is a shadowy character and an even more sinister genetics company.

It's not necessary to have read CHEAT to enjoy LIAR but I would certainly recommend that you do. It's sort of like watching a movie you have seen before but this time from a different character's point of view. Only better.

I think anyone who enjoyed the TWILIGHT series of books (yes, I enjoyed them!) will get a kick out of Medrick's burgeoning series of books. This is getting very addictive and I was disappointed when I got to the end of LIAR, realizing I would have to wait for episode three before I could have more.

In case you are wondering, episode three comes out next week and is called COWARD. It's got another terrific cover by the one and only Jeroen ten Berge.

I predict it won't be long before J.E. Medrick becomes very popular and gets a big following for these stories. Download them now and say you were there at the beginning.

THE DEAD MAN: HELL IN HEAVEN by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin

Enough of the Weatherman. Lets talk about The Dead Man!

Dead Man: Hell in Heaven (The Dead Man) is the third instalment of a terrific series of books that feature Matt Cahill, a man who by all accounts should be six feet under. Instead he's acquired a terrifying gift that allows him to see evil in people in the form of rotting flesh and horrible leaking sores.

Now Cahill is on an epic journey across the country battling evil and sinister forces doing the work of the enigmatic Mr. Dark.

In HELL IN HEAVEN Cahill finds himself in a town the world has left behind. The folks are simple in their ways, unaffected by modern society. They are also enslaved by a monstrous creature called the Lawgiver, which feeds off the flesh and blood of any who step out of line or gets in its way.

In my review of THE DEAD MAN: RING OF KNIVES I had one concern, the absence of Cahill's trusty axe. Though the story was exceptional, full of action and suspense, I couldn't help but remiss the lack of axe swinging fun. Well, all I can say is...THE AXE IS BACK!

If you haven't read THE DEAD MAN books you are certainly missing out on some terrific reads. If you've read the first two and haven't got around to book three yet, stop your procrastinating and download this sucker. You'll be glad that you did.

KILL THE WEATHERMAN

When thriller writer Dan O'Shea (Going Ballistic) threw down the flash fiction gauntlet, I couldn't resist. He's offering up a $5 donation to the American Red Cross (to aid those hit hard by the tornados) for each flash fiction piece written by anyone who registered on his blog this past week.

Dan's stipulations? Make it about rain, and keep it to a thousand words or less.

KILL THE WEATHERMAN was not my first attempt. Actually I worked on two other stories before knocking this one out late last night. The first story was good, I thought, but far too long (coming in with a rough draft of over three thousand words). The second story, I got about five hundred words in and stopped. Why? Because I loved the idea, but there was no way I was going be able to write it properly in a thousand words or less.

So...KILL THE WEATHERMAN. I hope you like it. I didn't have much time to play with it, tweak it, as I would have liked, but I think it turned out alright.

Please, let me know what you think, even if you think it sucks.

KILL THE WEATHERMAN

By

Peter Andrew Leonard

            “I don’t know what you want with me!”

            Phil Barry struggled against the ropes binding him to the chair, but it was useless. Whoever had done the job, had done it well.  He wasn’t going anywhere.

            Nervous sweat poured down his face, mingling with the blood from the cut above his eye. That eye was nearly swollen shut beneath an angry purple mass. His bottom lip was split down the middle, leaking blood over his chin, down his neck and staining the collar of his white Canali dress shirt.

            “Tell me, Phil, what is it you do for a living?” The voice came from behind grinding teeth and a black balaclava.

            Phil sighed, shoulders slumping, tears filling his eyes, “I’m the Weatherman for Channel One. That’s all, just a Weatherman.”

            “Just the Weatherman? Just the fucking Weatherman?” This was another voice, another balaclava covered face, the words spoken with incredulity.

            The one in the middle, the largest of Phil Barry’s captors, stood, and towered over Phil. The behemoth cracked knuckles and swung down with a vicious right, nailing Phil in the jaw. The slapping sound of fist against flesh echoed through the deserted warehouse.

         Phil saw stars, darkness.

            The behemoth cocked for another blow.

            “Oh, God, stop! Please!” Phil moaned spitting out a tooth.

“Hold up,” said the first. “Another shot like that and you’ll kill him.”

            The behemoth shrugged and sat down.

            The first captor got up and started doing slow circles around Phil. “Tell me something, Phil, what does the fourth day of June mean to you?”

            Phil swallowed, tasting blood, wracking his brain trying to think what in God’s name happened on June 4^th. Then it hit. “It's my wedding anniversary!"

            “What the fuck?” the second captor raged.

            “Want me to hit him again?” the behemoth asked.

            The first captor ignored the behemoth, “What about June 12^th, Phil? What about June 12?”

            Phil shook his head, “I…please, I don’t know. I really don’t know what you want!”

            “Shut up!” the second captor yelled.  “Act like a man, for God’s sake!”

            Phil exhaled, deflated, frightened. Tears rolled over his cheeks.

            “What about July 1^st? Does that ring a bell?”

            “No!”

            “July 24^th? August 7^th? September 1^st? Any of these ring a bell, Phil?”

            “No!”

            “They’re all dates you guaranteed it would rain!”

            Phil was unmoving for a minute, his mind catching up to what was said. He shook his head, “I don’t get it. So what?”

            The behemoth was out of the chair before the other two could say anything. The blow was a devastating one across the right side of Phil’s jaw. Blood and teeth splashed across the floor.

            “So what, Phil? There you sit, in your Canali shirt and Armani suit and all you can say is, so what? Is that a Rolex on your wrist?”

            “You’re living all right, aren’t you, Phil?” the second captor remarked sharply.

            The first captor grabbed Phil by the hair and yanked his head up. “And yet you make mistake after fucking mistake!”

            “Do you even know what a barometer is, Phil? Ever heard of that? What about a radiosonde? Ever heard of an anemometer? A psychrometer? Huh, Phil? They’re all tools a meteorologist uses, idiot!”

            Phil shook his sad, bloody head. “What do you want?”

            “But you’re not a fucking meteorologist are you, Phil Barry!” the second captor shouted accusingly.

            “Wha…what? That’s not true.” Phil’s words were slurred.

            “Who do you think we are, Phil, a bunch of amateurs? We did some digging on you, and guess who we found?”

            Phil was silent.

            “Does the name Elliot Singer mean anything to you?”

            It was barely audible but they all heard it, the sudden surprised intake of breath. All the proof they needed.

            “Son of a bitch,” muttered the behemoth.

            “Fucker!” the second captor snarled and pulled out a .38 Special, pressing the muzzle to Phil’s forehead. “You never even went to MIT! Singer hacked the files! You’re a fucking fraud!”

            “Screw you!” Phil spat.

            “What the fuck did you say?”

            Phil’s un-swollen eye went wide. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”

            The gun jerked suddenly. There was a loud bang and Phil Barry’s brains exploded out of the back of his head.

            There was a long moment of stunned silence as the three captors stared at the dead weatherman.

            “Jesus Christ, Mary!” said the first captor, pulling off the balaclava, long red hair tumbling out.

            “I didn’t mean to, Beth!” Mary said, “I just…it went off!” Mary pulled off her own balaclava, her blond hair falling down past her shoulders. Fear made her blue eyes bulge.

            “Oh...my...God!” said the behemoth.

             “Shit!”

            “I swear I didn’t mean to!”

            “Fuck!”

            The behemoth pulled off her balaclava. She had her black hair cut short. “We’re in so much trouble!”

            “Great!” Beth said, pacing back and forth. “I told you bringing the gun was a bad idea!”

            Mary grimaced, “I was just trying to scare him!”

            “Yeah, well, he’s dead now!”

            “I’m sorry!”

            Beth sighed, “Wellington Street Garden Club…murderers!”

            For a long time none of the women said anything. Beth paced. Mary bit her lip and Marge just gaped at the mess.

“At least we don’t have to worry about him fucking up the weather forecast anymore.” Mary said finally.

            Beth snorted. “True.”

            “This isn’t funny,” Marge whined.

            “Relax Marge, we’ll fix this.”

            Marge stared at her, fear twisting her expression.

            “Listen, if we’re going to win the Boston Garden Championship we had to get serious.  You want to win, don’t you? Sure, we didn’t want to kill him, but it’s done.”

            “Oh God!” Marge blubbered. “We killed the Weatherman!”

PARIS IS A BITCH by Barry Eisler

The first I heard of Barry Eisler was on J.A. Konrath's superb blog, Newbies Guild To Publishing. Konrath, one the Generals leading the independent publishing revolution, was breaking the story of how a best selling author was turning down an extremely lucrative contract to make a go of it on his own.

Best selling authors have e-books out all over the place but few of them are actually doing it independent of a big publishing house. This isn't just cutting out the middle man. This is cutting out the whole damn industry and risking a half mil contract to boot. That takes a bit of balls, if you'll pardon the expression.

After reading Paris Is A Bitch -- A Rain/Delilah Short Story, it's clear that Eisler understands what readers want, at least this one. PARIS IS A BITCH exemplifies exactly the kind of product I want to buy.

Let's start with the cover. They don't get much better. Eisler followed possibly the number one rule in the publishing industry: have a kick ass cover. Hiring Jeroen ten Berge to do the cover was a damn fine choice. This cover is practically guaranteeing you an action filled adrenaline rush of a story.

Next, I want the story to deliver what that awesome cover promises, which it does. PARIS IS A BITCH is a fast paced thriller with hard hitting action sequences and a terrific story. Despite having never read any of Eisler's novels I had no trouble slipping into his fictional world and going along for the ride.

Finally, it has extras! This is something I really dig about e-books. I don't know about you guys but when I finish watching a good movie I rented from Blockbuster I like to check out the extras, the behind the scenes look at the movie, the commentaries and deleted scenes. PARIS IS A BITCH comes with three chapters from Eisler's upcoming e-book, THE DETACHMENT. It also comes with an interesting article titled, PERSONAL SAFETY TIPS FROM ASSASSIN JOHN RAIN, which I enjoyed.

Great cover. Terrific story. Extras. 

That's what I want.

Barry Eisler just got himself a new reader and that's what this game is all about.

MENTAL SHRILLNESS by Todd Russell

Mental Shrillness is the debut story collection from author Todd Russell. Contained within are six short stories with themes that range from post traumatic stress disorder, adultery and experimental sex, all mixed together in a heady serving of hardcore horror.

Russell's collection has been on my mind since I read it a couple of weeks ago, and for various reasons. For starters, it encapsulates my biggest fear as a writer who will one day soon be testing the waters of independent publishing.

Ask any writer out there and they will tell you, as a self published writer you have one chance to enthral your readers. One chance to convince them of your writing skills. One chance to make a name for yourself.

But isn't that the same for actual published writers?

Yes, of course.

But the difference is, a published writer has a team of editors, cover designers, probably a cover blurb from an established writer, and the whole promotion engine of the publishing house behind their book.

The independent author isn't so lucky.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time then you know that I champion independent publishing. I love that you can surf Amazon.com for new or unheard of writers you may have otherwise never had the opportunity to discover. I think it's amazing a writer's career doesn't have to depend on what some latte drinking, New York City sophisticate, thinks of your little horror novel.

But that doesn't mean I think everyone should self-publish simply because they can.

With the seeming gold rush that is occurring with the advent of e-readers, many writers are slapping together cheap looking covers and dusting off old stories perhaps better left in the proverbial trunk.

Case in point...MENTAL SHRILLNESS.

I firmly believe that if you are serious about being an independent author you need to be serious about every facet involved in the publishing of your book. That includes a good cover. I wouldn't care if Stephen King's name was on the bottom of MENTAL SHRILLNESS, I wouldn't buy it. I wouldn't even look at the product description. For a reasonable sum of money (a few hundred dollars or less) you can find someone to put together a cover that doesn't scream amateur.

Secondly, if someone takes the chance on your book then you should be showcasing your very best writing. Reading the Author Notes from Todd Russell's collection I learned most of these stories were penned before the start of the new Millennium. If Russell is serious about his writing career then I'm sure he has continued to write since that time. I'm sure he has grown by leaps and bounds, having read a plethora of "How To" books and tips from established people in the business.

Why not showcase that talent here?

Instead the reader is presented with a series of adolescent writings that read like they were penned by a high school student (I know, because I've got a number of them in my own trunk and that's where they're staying).

Editing is also an important factor. MENTAL SHRILLNESS is far from being poorly edited but it bares mentioning if one is planning on releasing their own work out into the world. Have someone professionally edit your work. There are dozens upon dozens of places where you can pay someone a reasonable sum to go through your manuscript to fix errors that you may have overlooked. This is money that will pay you back tenfold in the long run.

Finally, when independently publishing your work, you need to be willing to expend a massive amount of time promoting your work. Here is one area where Todd Russell excels. He has set up a blog tour, developed contests, and has linked in with a ton of the social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, blogs and various other outlets in order to get his work out there. I only wish I could tell you to buy what he is selling. Unfortunately, I can't.

To visit the rest of the spots on Todd Russell's blog tour, and find out about the contests he is hosting click here.

If you have a question for Todd Russell, he'll be around today to answer questions and read your comments in the comments section below.