Two Awesome Authors and the Irony of it All (Updated)

Hello, it's me. I just wanted to tell you that two awesome authors are offering their books for absolutely nothing this weekend on Amazon (of course).

One of them is Simon Swift, whose novel BLACK SHADOWS is awesome (and absolutely FREE on Amazon this weekend), as you can see from the review I wrote and posted on this here blog.

Yes, it has a new and even more awesome cover now, but the content is still brilliant as ever.

The other is Timothy Hallinan, who's so amazing I can't begin to say type enough nice things about him. I'm simply too gimpy overwhelmed to do it.

But, seriously? Edgar nominee? Macavity?

And, lest we forget ... can you say SHAKEN: STORIES FOR JAPAN?

But I digress.

I wanted to tell you about Tim Hallinan's free book this weekend, THE BONE POLISHER.

BTW, I've done a bit of cross-promotion with Timothy on one of my other blogs. It'll give you some idea of what the book is about and how awesome Tim is without me having to retype everything. I love the Internet! :)

And isn't it ironic that all this is about promoting authors who are offering free books through Amazon and helping a gimpy author with her Amazon book launch? Especially a gimpy author who supports indie booksellers.

But, hey -- it's only for a week, right? ;) And if I do well enough, I'm making a charitable donation to the Dalai Lama Mind & Life Institute. Will this qualify as good karma?

PS: I'll overlook the irony of this, if you will. Ahem!

UPDATE: Good grief, I've become so retarded overwhelmed, I completely missed this opportunity to promote my ebooks. Is that ironic or what?

Mystery Scene Magazine Review of 'The Professionals'

This post features a link to my Mystery Scene Magazine review of THE PROFESSIONALS by Owen Laukkanen, which you can read right here.

Basically, professionals show up and just do their freaking jobs.

Tell me about it, brother! :)

PS: Hello! Who's taking over the world? I don't think so. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

Mystery Scene Magazine Review of 'Living Proof'

For those of you who enjoy thrillers, this one's a doozy. You can read my Mystery Scene Magazine review of LIVING PROOF by Kira Peikoff right here.

I'm proud to say the review was even featured prominently in the online review section. :)

And the book was -- dare I say it? -- gripping. :)

Peace Love Forever, Singleton and Son Original , Hippie and Flash Art United

Peace Love ForeverSingleton and SonHippie Flash Art Original"Draped lazily over the bed in the Sunday Sun,I painted him a thousand colors,idled away the Sermon Times,inking endless linesup and down his arms,powerful wings across his back,spidering up his neck...untilI could read him like the Sunday Comics....My Tattooed Lover.."Artwork (C) Singleton and SingletonWords (c) Singleton

Literature and the Law

The law is a subject that provides plenty of inspiration for fiction writers. This article lists 10 literary lawyers we wish were real.

I'll quote from it. To wit:

Readers love their characters, and few are as diverse a group as the written lawyer. As some of the most diverse characters in the fictional tradition, the barrister can be a source of good or evil. And who doesn’t love a newcomer with a fresh edge? Major and minor, funny and classic, lawyers occupy a unique space in the charactered universe that requires loose definition to be called an archetype. From legal intrigue to a stalwart moral compass, it’s no wonder that we found 10 literary lawyers that we wish were real.

And guess who number one is?



That's a mighty tough act to follow. ;)

Still Alive and Kicking

I started this blog with the intention of posting book reviews with the occasional article in between, since I'm not able to post reviews fast enough to do them all the time.

Needless to say, I've become increasingly busy due to my workload, including preparations for the upcoming book launch for my next novel RIPTIDE. In fact, the Riptide Launch Party is already underway on Facebook, if you'd care to join in. All that plus the fact that I've become so gimpy retarded stupid overwhelmed that it's ridiculous.

So ... I've switched the focus of this blog a bit. I still write the occasional review, of course, as time and gimpiness allows. However, I've also become an ardent supporter of independent booksellers.

And, no, this isn't out of misguided pity. Healthy competition is a good thing, isn't it?

But you won't have that if there's only one book retailer/publisher, will you?

Which is why I was intrigued to read about a possible way to hit a huge online retailer/publisher where it hurts.

So ... I promise to just keep going, if you guys do, okay? :)

Sh*t Book Reviewers Say

Ah, book review cliches. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Or something.



I'll admit, I've probably succumbed to temptation and used words like "edgy," "gripping," "provocative," "compelling" and even "haunting" in my reviews.

However, I've never used the word "unputdownable," okay? Just sayin', in case you didn't already read about it here. :)