Book Spotlight: SINthetic

I have a terrific book spotlight for you today, on the sci-fi crime novel SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas. Enjoy!

SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas

They look like us. Act like us. But they are not human. Created to perform the menial tasks real humans detest, Synths were designed with only a basic intelligence and minimal emotional response. It stands to reason that they have no rights. Like any technology, they are designed for human convenience. Disposable.

In the city of New Lyons, Detective Jason Campbell is investigating a vicious crime: a female body found mutilated and left in the streets. Once the victim is identified as a Synth, the crime is designated no more than the destruction of property, and Campbell is pulled from the case.

But when a mysterious stranger approaches Campbell and asks him to continue his investigation in secret, Campbell is dragged into a dark world of unimaginable corruption. One that leaves him questioning the true nature of humanity.

And what he discovers is only the beginning . . . 

Check out SINthetic at:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

About the Author

J.T. Nicholas is the author of the neo-noire science fiction series, The New Lyons Sequence.  The first novel in the New Lyons Sequence, SINthetic, is available now.

J.T. was born in Lexington, Virginia, though within six months he moved (or was moved, rather) to Stuttgart, Germany.  Thus began the long journey of the military brat, hopping from state to state and country to country until, at present, he has accumulated nearly thirty relocations.  This experience taught him that, regardless of where one found oneself, people were largely the same.

When not writing, J.T. spends his time practicing a variety of martial arts, playing games (video, tabletop, and otherwise), and reading everything he can get his hands on.

J.T. currently resides in Wilmington, North Carolina with his wife, a pair of indifferent cats, a couple of Australian Shepherd puppies that are in process of destroying everything that can fit into their mouths.

J.T. Nicholas' Amazon Page

Halloween Week: Book Spotlight for A Persistence of Geraniums and Other Worrying Tales

Welcome to Day Seven of my Halloween Week!

Today I showcase a delightful book of Edwardian style murder and tragedy with a spotlight for A Persistence of Geraniums and Other Worrying Tales by John Linwood Grant. Plus there's the Instafreebie Halloween Horror Group Giveaway. Enjoy!

A Persistence of Geraniums and Other Worrying Tales 

by John Linwood Grant

Illustrated by Paul Boswell

Enter a world where the psychic, the alienist and the assassin carry out their strange duties as quiet tragedies unfold around them. These are tales of murder, madness and the supernatural in an Edwardian England which is never quite what it seems. From rural Yorkshire to the heart of the City of London, death is on the air, and no one can sense it better than Mr Dry, the lethal Deptford Assassin...

A PERSISTENCE OF GERANIUMS AND OTHER WORRYING TALES is available in paperback.

(With a forthcoming ebook).

Amazon UK

Amazon US

“HIS HEART SHALL SPEAK NO MORE”

An extract from the collection ‘A Persistence of Geraniums and Other Worrying Tales.’

We spent some hours exploring the lower beach, popping anything to which we took a fancy into Emilia’s sacks, and the sea was coloured with the first pink tinges of sunset by the time we abandoned our beach-combing to return home. Even Philip seemed more animated than usual.

At Bitterns we washed, ate a cold collation (Isaiah was in Ipswich on business), and examined our finds. Most were akin to Emilia’s existing collection, but she had found a large tellin, the two halves of its shell spread in the manner of a perfect rose-coloured butterfly. Some of the urchin tests were broken, the material like fine porcelain. She discarded those as Philip went though his own sack.

‘Mrs Rawkins…’ He stared at the rounded object in his hand. It was crusted with sand, the crude shape of a heart and some three and a half inches across.

She took it from him gently, and frowned. Her hand-brush took the sand away, to reveal something which was clearly not an urchin.

‘Wood,’ she said, peering through an eyepiece she had been using to identify crustacea. ‘It appears to be a wooden carving.’

‘Of a heart urchin?’ he asked, though I thought that one would hardly need to make an effigy of these common animals.

‘No, of an actual heart I think, Philip. Quite a curio. A sailor’s carving, perhaps, from a dull voyage.’

She threw it back to him, and went about her work.

‘I shall keep it as a memento of this afternoon.’

He cradled it oddly in his hands, as if it were delicate, then slid it into his jacket pocket. I forbore from saying the cloth might stain – at least his attention had been dragged from his own unhappiness.

Isaiah returned not long after, and a pleasant late supper ensued, punctuated by Isaiah’s tales of dim-witted shipping agents and watered whisky. Emilia and I laughed or nodded as appropriate, used to his stories. Philip picked at his food, saying little but offering the occasional faint smile.

‘Emilia tells me you found a rather unusual “urchin”,’ said Isaiah, wiping his fingers on a napkin. ‘Might I have a look?’

My nephew took the carving out of his pocket, though at first he seemed reluctant to hand it over. Isaiah turned the object in his thick fingers, examining it.

‘Amazing what gets washed up around here. Emilia found, um, part of a figurehead once, half buried in the sands after a storm.’

‘A shipwreck?’ I asked.

‘Or an incompetent carpenter.’ Isaiah laughed. ‘This wooden thing, however, reminds me of something I once read, long ago. A local bit of, um, nonsense. You could try my library, young man.’

‘Thank you, Mr Rawkins.’ Philip took the carving back, slipping it into his pocket once more. I had to wonder why the boy was still carrying it around. There was something about it which was not to my taste…

Author Bio:

John Linwood Grant is a professional author/editor who lives in Yorkshire with a pack of lurchers and a beard. He writes dark historical horror and weird fiction, including the Mamma Lucy tales of 1920s hoodoo and the Last Edwardian series. With some thirty stories published, he is also editor of Occult Detective Quarterly, plus forthcoming anthologies. His 2017 collection 'A Persistence of Geraniums' – stories of Edwardian murder, madness and the supernatural – has been widely praised, whilst his popular website greydogtales.com explores weird fiction and weird art.

🎃

And here's the giveaway...

Over 30 Free Books and Stories in this horror giveaway!

Check it all out here!

Halloween Horror Giveaway!

And please return tomorrow for the last day and a look at the Twist Fairy Tale Anthology, Mirror and Thorns. 

Book Spotlight: Assassin Marked

Today I have another book spotlight, this time for the sci-fi/fantasy novel Assassin Marked by Michael C. Sahd. Enjoy!

Assassin Marked by Michael C. Sahd

Damian DuFonte, a professional assassin working for the Crime Syndicate, just can't seem to get past his need for revenge. So when the only woman he's ever loved asks him not to kill one of their bosses, her pleas fall on deaf ears. Although Victoria may be willing to forgive this transgression, the Syndicate certainly will not.

To prove Victoria's loyalty, the Syndicate tasks her with leading a group to hunt him down. Somewhere in the solar system, on the outs with his lover and on the run from trained killers, Damian is ... an Assassin Marked.

Assassin Marked is available at:

Amazon

Author Bio:

Michael C. Sahd grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. From a young age, he read voraciously, particularly in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. Shortly after becoming a teenager, he learned to play and enjoy fantasy games such as Dungeons and Dragons. At around the same time, he began writing stories and D&D campaigns of his own.

As an adult, Michael attended New Mexico University, studying in the fields of English and literature. During this time, he honed his writing skills and expanded his writing portfolio. Although he has completed numerous short stories, "Assassin Marked" marks his debut published work.

Currently, Michael lives with his wife and four children in a small town in Texas.

Interview With Author Thomas Keech

Today I have an interview for you, with talented author Thomas Keech, who stops by to chat writing and his latest crime thriller, Doc Doc Zeus: A Novel of White Coat Crime. Enjoy!

Interview With Thomas Keech

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I’m one of those people who always wanted to write – and do everything else too. I started a novel when I was ten in which “an eerie something” came out of the night fog and ran down a high school football player. I gave up because I couldn’t think of any suspects except the football coach (who was the only other character). I would have loved to have stopped writing and lived a normal life, but even as I worked as a juvenile counselor, Legal Aid lawyer and lobbyist, state administrative appeals judge and Assistant Attorney General representing my state’s medical board, I kept trying to write at night, on weekends and on vacations. I’m happy to report that I’m now retired and have been speeding up the writing process a lot in recent years.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book? 

Doc Doc Zeus: A Novel of White Coat Crime is the story of a narcissistic physician who sexually preys on his women patients, including sixteen-year-old Diane, even while being pursued by the medical board’s investigator.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?

My first success was with The Crawlspace Conspiracy, a novel about an old, poor, sick laborer whose dream house gets caught up in a struggle between two warring state politicians. Prey for Love was about two suburban teenagers from broken homes who get caught up in a web of suburban corruption. Hot Box in the Pizza District was about three twenty-year-old guys finding their way in life.

Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

I wrote this for two reasons. I wanted to dramatize the critical work of medical boards and the many obstacles they work against to bring miscreants to justice. Then I wanted to do something with the character of Diane. She was a minor character in Prey for Love, but I liked her so much I felt she deserved a novel of her own. And I couldn’t just leave her hanging out there, fourteen and pregnant, without finishing her story.

What did you hope to accomplish by publishing your book?

I hope people will read it and enjoy it. I hope they’ll understand a little more about how sexual predation by authority figures works and also appreciate that the medical boards are there to help, although sometimes in a slow and clunky way. I hope they like the character of Diane half as much as I do.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I read my first adult book, Our Virgin Island, when I was seven and bedridden for a week with poison oak. It was about a couple who bought a tiny island and tried to build a house on it. It wasn’t very exciting for a seven-year-old, but I knew I was into reading then. The writing bug came soon after that.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas originate? Do you have a certain writing routine?

When I’m in the middle of a novel I write for five to eight hours a day. My plots are always complex, and if something isn’t working out in the last chapter I’ll go back and change the whole thing, plot, characters, tone, whatever. And I’ll do it again and again. At the end of the process, I go back once more and try to take out every word that is not absolutely necessary. I’m not a great literary stylist, so I try to make believable characters and a plot that moves along.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

Read.

What’s your next project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?

No secrets will be revealed here. I try really hard not to write the same novel over and over again. I want everyone, including myself, to be surprised.

Thomas Keech is a retired Assistant Attorney General for the state of Maryland having represented the State Board of Physicians for sixteen years in its attempt to discipline doctors who were sexual predators, perpetrators of insurance fraud, violators of self-referral laws, and many other types of misbehavior. Currently, Keech is a contractual consultant to the Maryland State Board of Physicians, where he helps write regulations, coordinate with other boards and agencies, as well as participate in investigations. 

Learn more about Thomas Keech  on www.realnicebooks.com or by connecting with him on Facebook or Goodreads.

Book Spotlight: A Life Removed

Today I have another spotlight, this time for the crime thriller, A Life Removed by Jason Parent. Enjoy!

 A Life Removed by Jason Parent

Detectives Bruce Marklin and Jocelyn Beaudette have put plenty of criminals behind bars. But a new terror is stalking their city. The killer’s violent crimes are ritualistic but seemingly indiscriminate. As the death toll rises, the detectives must track a murderer without motive. The next kill could be anyone… maybe even one of their own.

Officer Aaron Pimental sees no hope for himself or humanity. His girlfriend is pulling away, and his best friend has found religion. When Aaron is thrust into the heart of the investigation, he must choose who he will become, the hero or the villain.

If Aaron doesn’t decide soon, the choice will be made for him.

A Life Removed is available on Amazon

Author Bio:

In his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he calls New England his home. The region offers an abundance of settings for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He currently resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with his cuddly corgi named Calypso.

In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it's harassing the witness; no one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists in a knot or takes somebody's head off - he misses the appeal). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.

Please visit the author on Facebook, on Twitter, or at his Website for information regarding upcoming events or releases, or if you have any questions or comments for him.

Interview With Author Tony Knighton

Today I have another great interview, this time with crime author Tony Knighton. He stops by to talk writing and his books, including his upcoming novel, Three Hours Past Midnight. Enjoy!

Interview With Author Tony Knighton

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I’m a lieutenant in the Philadelphia Fire Department. I’ve been on the job since 1985. I began writing in the early morning hours at home, and work when I could. As I got serious about writing, I took some courses at the Community College of Philadelphia.

My novella and story collection Happy Hour and Other Philadelphia Cruelties was published in 2015 by Crime Wave Press. My story “The Scavengers” is included in the anthologies Shocklines: Fresh Voices in Terror, published by Cemetery Dance, and Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume One, published by Comet Press. My story “Sunrise” is included in the anthology Equilibrium Overturned, published by Grey Matter Press. I have also published short fiction in Crime Factory, Static Movement Online and Dark Reveries. 

Could you tell us a little about your latest book?

I’m happy to. My latest is a novel titled Three Hours Past Midnight and will be published this spring by Crime Wave Press. In the first few pages the narrator and his partner burglarize the home of a wealthy, jailed Philadelphia politician. Shortly, the partner is dead and the goods missing. The narrator spends the rest of the night hunting for his money and the killer.  Along the way, he learns this was a job best left alone.

Why did you write this book?  What was your inspiration?

There’s a private home in Philadelphia, a mansion near Center City, that everyone mistakenly thinks belongs to a real-life, notorious, long-time state senator. I liked the idea of a crew breaking into the house and stealing something from him.  As Eryk Pruitt says, some people in this world need to be robbed.

Do you have a favorite character?  If so, why?

Yes, my narrator from Three Hours. I first wrote this character into a story titled “Mister Wonderful,” from my collection Happy Hour and Other Philadelphia Cruelties. That story opens with him strapped in the driver’s seat of a car that has come to rest upside down in a shallow, icy streambed.  He’s got a broken collarbone and he hears a siren go by on the roadway above him.  The story was great fun to write, and one of the few that I began with only a premise – no clear idea of what was going to happen.  By the end, I knew I wanted to do more with him. I like him because he’s smart and resourceful, but very human. He makes mistakes. I get bored reading stories that feature a superman or know-it-all.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Early on.  I didn’t get around to it for a long time. I think I was afraid to try. I got started during a prolonged bout with insomnia. I needed to do something quiet that felt productive.

Do you have a favorite author, or writing inspiration?

I have many favorites; it would be unfair for me to name only one so I’ll pick out a few: I love the Richard Stark books, Jim Thompson, Dashiell Hammett and James Ellroy.  Ray Banks is really good.  I have a special fondness for George V. Higgins’ The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

My inspiration to write came while reading books poorly written.  I’d think, “I could do better than this.”

How do you research books?

I find someone who knows what I need and ask them questions. I have a network of experts – cops, a few lawyers, people in the trades, etc. People like to talk about what they know or what they do.  Often, I’ve gotten more than I expected – bits of information that took me in directions I didn’t anticipate.  No one has ever told me they didn’t want to talk. I know a locksmith who thanked me for asking.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

It takes a while to develop any skill, so don’t be discouraged if your early pieces fail to live up to your expectations. Keep writing. Revision is essential. Your stuff will get better.

Are you working on another book?

Two. I’ve started another featuring my narrator. He returns to the locale of the short story “Mister Wonderful.”  I’m also finishing a book that I’d left idle a while ago, a story about a fire investigator, set during a four-day political convention. 

Thank you for this opportunity – it was great fun!

~*~

You can find out more about Tony Knighton and his books on his Amazon profile.

Interview with Author Benedict J. Jones

Today I have another interview, this time with multi-genre author, Benedict Jones. He stops by to chat about his books, and writing in the crime, horror and western genres. Enjoy!

Interview with Benedict J. Jones

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

Well, my name is Benedict J Jones and I’m a writer from London who works mainly in the genres of Crime, Horror, and the Western – often blending genres together. I’ve been published since 2008 and gradually worked my way up through various short story venues until Crime Wave Press published my novella “Skewered” and collected a fistful of my short fiction along with it in “Skewered: And Other London Cruelties”. Since then my Private Eye character, Charlie “Bars” Constantinou, has appeared in two novels from Crime Wave.

In amongst that I went back to my horror roots with a grind house novella from Dark Minds Press called “Slaughter Beach” and they also collected a bunch of my weird western tales in “Ride the Dark Country”.

When I’m not writing I work for a university assisting students all around the globe and try to travel and see as much of the world as I can. As well as that I read voraciously, watch an awful lot of films, and have an interest in martial arts.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

My latest book is the novel – “The Devil’s Brew” and sees the return of my character Charlie Bars who has appeared in a clutch of short stories, as well as the novella “Skewered”, and the novel “Pennies for Charon”.

Unlike the previous stories it takes Charlie out of his comfort zone of the Badlands of south east London and plants him in the bleak and beautiful countryside of Northumbria, the most remote and sparsely populated county in England. In part, it deals with the mental fallout of the violence that Charlie has previously inflicted, and been on the receiving end of. It’s the run up to Christmas and as the weather turns colder Charlie finds himself caught up in a case of ritual horse mutilation and becomes the protector of a family in peril. You can expect a mix of rural noir and British folk horror – a kind of “Get Carter” meets “The Wicker Man”.

Do you have a favourite character? If so, why?

I think it would have to be Charlie Bars as he is the character that I have spent the most time with – three published short stories, half-a-dozen unpublished ones, a novella, two published novels (and a third one that is close to being completed).

What probably draws me to him is the amount of myself that I initially poured into him but since then he seems to have taken on a life of his own. I often wonder if we were sitting next to each other in a pub having a beer would we strike up a conversation – and, oddly, whether or not he’d like me. I’m not sure he would.

A lot of people have commented that it is his inherent decency that draws people to him which always surprises me as even before the stories start he has done some very bad things. But deep down he is a very moral man, albeit one whose morals don’t quite match up with those of society in general.

You write in several genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why?

Writing across several genres and occasionally mashing them up usually means that whichever one I’m writing in becomes my favourite at that moment. Really, the reason I write across genres and in several is that while sometimes they bring the same things most of the time they allow me to explore different aspects of people. The viewpoint of a lot of my fiction tends to be the dark but each genre allows a different approach to the human condition.

For example the western often lets me take a more heroic approach with someone who will stride into the danger allowing me show evil defeated in some way. Whereas my crime and horror fiction often revels in the darkness of the human condition – and can allow me to bring in fantastical elements as well.

Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

The initial inspiration for “The Devil’s Brew” was a single scene that came to me of Charlie walking alone down a country lane, twelve-bore shotgun over his shoulder, just as the snow begins to fall. I didn’t have a clue how I was going to use the scene but it stayed with me and I gradually began to think of how I could build a story around it. In the mean time I started what I intended to be a standalone crime novel about a criminal fleeing from London to hide out in the North East and ending up trying to help a nearby family. That began to run out of steam and I realised that the character I had used for it simply wasn’t driving the narrative – in steps Charlie, as he has a habit of doing.

I had already got a lot of information regarding the area from my good friend and fellow author Anthony Watson. The landscape of that area of England was a huge inspiration for the story.

As well as that I went and re-watched a lot of folk horror films (“The Wicker Man”, “Robin Redbreast”) as well as “Straw Dogs” which I think played a big influence on certain parts of the book.

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your book?

I am always surprised about where a book goes once I start it. I normally have a few scenes in my head and usually have a point “A” to start from and a point “Z” I want to get to. What comes in between always surprises me!

In part that organic nature of the story is part of what brings me back to writing each time. I like the characters to grow and speak to me and, perhaps, diverge along paths that I hadn’t previously foreseen.

It’s extremely rare that I will plot a whole story out. I like to see where the words take me and what occurs to me as I write. This can sometimes be problematic and lead to stories stalling but on the whole I like it and I don’t think I could ever be one of those writers who plots every scene out before they start – but this is just what works for me, to each their own when it comes to the creative process.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

That I think has always been with me. I have always written since I was old enough to hold a pen, and always made up stories in my head. When I was about nineteen I realised the urge and wrote a novella. Which then went into an envelope and onto a shelf. But the bug had truly bitten and I sporadically wrote pieces of short fiction which, again, I didn’t do much with.

Then about eleven years ago I decided that this was what I wanted to do and I got stuck into it. I wrote constantly and gradually began to work earlier ideas into readable stories. A ‘zine called “One Eye Grey” picked up my short story “Goin’ Underground” and then I just built from there.

How do you research your books?

That is very dependent on what I am writing. A lot of my crime fiction comes from things I see and have heard rather than from traditional research. But even in that there are things I want to know more about and get right. For instance, when I wrote “Pennies for Charon” I needed to brush up on my Greek myths, for “The Devil’s Brew” I watched documentaries on dog fighting and had a friend who lives in Northumbria send me pictures from his walks in some of the remote spots.

When it comes to my Westerns I probably do a lot more “book” research. Mainly because I hate seeing anachronisms in films or reading them in stories. One of my worst moments was when a reader of one of my early western shorts contacted me to say he thought that the hero fired one more shot than he had available to him. I checked and, well, let’s just say when the stories were collected for republication he fired one less… Thanks for spotting that one Ross Warren!

What’s your next project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?

I am working with putting the final touches to the next Charlie Bars book. This one touches on the British political establishment and one of the dark scandals that has dogged it for years. It is my attempt to make sense of certain things that have come to light and wondered how the hell they could have been allowed to happen. Mix in some British gangsters, the shady world of post 9/11 espionage and Charlie is once again up to his neck in grief.

Apart from that I have returned to my horror roots and have a couple of short stories coming out in a pair of projects that look to be very exciting. I’m also still working away on a pair of longer length works set during the second world – so many things on the go and so little time.

You can find all of Benedict Jones' books on his Amazon page.

About the Author:

Benedict J. Jones is an author of crime, horror and western fiction from south east London. His work has been published in various anthologies and magazines. Since 2008, he has published almost thirty short stories. His books include, Skewered: And other London Cruelties, Pennies for Charon, and The Devil's Brew

Check out his website for further info: www.benedictjjones.webs.com or follow Benedict on twitter @benedictjjones.

Interview With Author Chris Roy

Today I have an interview with crime author Chris Roy. Enjoy.

Interview with Chris Roy

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I'll be 36 in June. As a kid growing up in Ocean Springs, Ms., I knew many freedoms. Some of them illegal.

I learned tools at a young age, repairing anything with wheels or an engine, and became a mechanic working at my uncle’s junkyards. At 17, I had to leave home and get my own place. I found a better job at a transmission shop. At 18, I attempted 12th grade for a second time, once more failing to earn my diploma. Not long after, in January, 2000, I was arrested.

Spent half my life in prison for a murder conviction. The appeal courts didn't care that it was a fistfight between a couple of teenagers. Nor did they care about the ineffective assistance of my public defender. I considered escaping, but wasn't committed to that idea until hurricane Katrina destroyed several homes in my family. My mom was living in a garage. Plans to leave, find work and help out were, on reflection, decisions of youth. I didn't realize that until after I was caught. The second time.

I've been on High Risk in the Mississippi Department of Corrections since 2005. Housed with Death Row - first in Unit 32 Supermax, now in Unit 29 maximum security - I've adapted to extreme inhumane conditions. Segregation in Parchman is desolate and deadly, a criminal finishing school for most, and a mind-eroding dungeon for all.

I maintain good mental health with punishing physical exercise. Over the years the discipline has allowed me to develop creativity, in art and fiction writing. I've been an advocate for prisoner rights, a GED tutor, and a mentor. Writing a series of short stories in 2007 changed my life, renewed the hope lost with the appeals and failed escapes. New Pulp Press signed me for two crime thriller trilogies. Book I of Shocking Circumstances was released in January, 2017.

Learning to write polished blog posts is my present focus. I'm used to hard boiled noir, and unused to writing about myself.

Overcoming the difficulties of self-marketing from Parchman, as an author convicted of murder, would be impossible without the help of my team of volunteer supporters. Over the last several months they have been working behind the scenes creating a website dedicated to raising awareness to the unjust circumstances of my murder conviction, with the ultimate goal of obtaining legal representation for another appeal. The site will also serve as the central hub for my writings and latest news, and can be found at www.unjustelement.com.

Most of the marketing for my novels will be done through their various social media platforms. I'll be available to write guest posts or do interviews with the Unjust group handling contacts.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

Book I of Shocking Circumstances introduces Clarice “Shocker” Ares, a boxing legend that chooses to retire and develop her family and businesses.

An incident involving drugs, a major Mexican cartel and corrupt police officers results in her imprisonment. Losing her family, home and businesses was only the beginning of a 40 year sentence. The easy part.

She decides being a convict wasn't for her, and becomes the Shocker once more, earning money in a prison fight ring to finance her escape.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?

In 2007, I wrote a dozen crime thriller shorts about two physically gifted scam artists, Razor and Blondie, that eventually became a collection titled, By Hook or Crook. A friend and I self published it on Amazon in 2012. Two trilogies followed. I’ve written several other shorts, mostly crime fiction, though a couple were dark fiction. Marsh Madness was published by Near to the Knuckle in January, 2017.

Of all the books you've written, do you have a favourite?

Book III of Shocking Circumstances. It opens with a scene based on my second escape in 2006. That part of the trilogy comes to mind whenever I think of sharing excerpts.

Do you have a favourite character? If so, why?

Shocker’s coach, Eddy. He is the kind of person that walks into a room—or gym—and people instinctively look to for direction. He’s an obstacles-are-challenges guy, able to make you feel like a ten foot tall champion of the world. His manner and profession (boxing trainer) are based on my old coach, Fred.

Fred taught boxing lessons that he also applied as life lessons, expanding the limits placed on myself as a kid dreaming no further than the mechanic shop. He literally taught me the definition of ambition, and that I had enough to share. And I often do, talking to younger convicts about their goals and using many of his motivational phrases as he did with me.

Why did you decide to write in the crime fiction genre?

I didn't decide on any particular genre. Never considered there were other choices, actually. I just knew I wanted to create a guy and his girlfriend that showed readers how to commit crimes—with smart, original style--and get away with them. I had plenty of material for those.

My personal experiences combined with crimes I've learned from others amount to a long list of reference material. After making an actual list I realized I could create an endless number of ways for my characters to do them without being caught. They were fun to write. Crook was written before I began studying fiction writing. Just picked up a pen and scribbled until my hand felt in danger of injury.

Creating the criminal acts. Writing out how to do a crime, as opposed to just thinking or talking about it, really lights up the innovative part of me. Thoughts aren't fully realized unless they are written out. Imagination suffers. And what is life without imagination?

Designing lives filled with crime is a creative outlet I enjoy even more than drawing or tattooing.

What did you hope to accomplish by publishing your book?

Freedom. Doing life in Parchman gives a guy a little free time. And there are only so many things to do in lockdown. Writing is one of them, and we can do that all we want. One day while brainstorming with friends, we talked about writing books, getting published, and using the royalties to get back in court.

That was little more than a fantasy back then. Signing six books with New Pulp Press has brought it closer to reality.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Now that I'm published? Marketing. Becoming mainstream would be like getting struck by lightning. Inside my cell. Cop shows and tough on crime ideals are an everyday bombardment. People will refuse to read my work after seeing my address in the bio. I want to do interviews like this so readers have a chance to learn something about me before judging the value of my novels.

What’s your next project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?

I just received word from New Pulp Press, asking if they can release Book I of the Sharp as a Razor trilogy while Shocking Circumstances finds its niche.

I said, Absolutely! I'm excited about crime fiction fans getting to know Shocker and Razor. They are very different characters. It's going to be fun learning what readers think.

Her Name is Mercie is a novella I'm working on. New character, new mayhem. Since finishing Razor, I've learned a few things from publishers that fit nicely in my writer's tool box. Some minor style changes that I played with in a few short stories before drafting Mercie.

Those are current and upcoming works. Sorry, I don't tell secrets.

About the Author:

Chris Roy was raised in South Mississippi, in the midst of ugly Gulf Coast beaches and spectacular muddy bayous.

Chris lived comfortably with the criminal ventures of his youth until a fistfight in 1999 ended tragically. Since January, 2000, he's been serving a life sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 

Nowadays he lives his life  crime vicariously, through the edgy, fast-paced stories he pens, hoping to entertain readers. When he isn't writing, he's reading, drawing or looking for prospects to train in boxing.

For more on his books, go here: http://www.newpulppress.com/bookpage/shockingcircumstances.html

For more on the author, go here: www.unjustelement.com

Interview With Crime Author Greg Barth

Today I have a interview for you, with author Greg Barth, who chats about writing crime noir, and his books. Enjoy!

Interview With Greg Barth

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

Sure. I’m Greg Barth, and I write in the crime noir genre. If I am known at all, it’s for the Selena series (Selena, Diesel Therapy, Suicide Lounge, Road Carnage, and the soon-to-be-released series finale, Everglade).

I have a thing for characters in desperate situations without good options. I don’t write the traditional thriller novel about someone who is the smartest person in the room, the person who is always right, and who never fails. My characters get in over their heads. My characters make mistakes. My characters get hurt. Sometimes seriously hurt.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

Road Carnage picks up Selena’s story in the bloody aftermath of Suicide Lounge. She is lying low, healing up, and trying to put her life back together. A new enemy comes into her life and threatens her freedom—an elusive young man who holds her fate in hand. This guy has connections to the nastiest criminals in the south. In a desperate attempt to protect herself and those she’s grown to love, Selena blazes a blistering, high-octane path through the southeast leaving blood-drenched carnage in her wake. This is the most visceral and violent entry in the series. Few get out alive. No one gets out unscathed.

Do you have a favourite character? If so, why?

Selena is my favorite character. When we first meet her, she’s an alcoholic, drug addicted, prostitute living careless and sloppy from one high to the next. She’s a stripper who cannot even start her car without proving she is sober to the ignition interlock device installed by the county.

When an act of petty theft places her in the crosshairs of a local crime syndicate, Selena is violently knocked over the brink. The only mistake her enemies made was leaving her alive—alive and hungry for revenge.

Why did you decide to write in the noir genre?

I like the high stakes. I like the very real threat that the protagonist just may not make it out alive. It gives the sense that no one is safe. I also like protagonists who aren’t perfect, have no good options, and make mistakes. Costly, often deadly mistakes.

Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration?

There were several pieces of inspiration. TV shows like the Sopranos and Breaking Bad taught me the unpredictability of the anti-hero. Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo evolved this into the anti-heroine. That one also showed me how a female protagonist can suffer violence and display an emotional range that male characters can’t get away with and still earn sympathy from readers. I was also reading a good bit of Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor series at the time. Jack, as you may know, is a heavy user of drugs and alcohol. I began to toy with the idea of whether you could pull off a character like that as a female. There’s also a touch of the old rape/revenge movie genre in Selena—think of movies like Death Wish and I Spit on your Grave. Those and a hundred other things inspired the character Selena.

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your book?

The thing that surprised me the most was learning that building a story and writing a story are two different actions. You must have a story to tell, and stories are made up of several defined components. How you write it (novel, comic, movie script, etc.) is just the medium for the story. I don’t consider myself a particularly gifted writer. I keep it simple. My technique is just going with the basics. I figure it takes an incredibly talented storyteller to tell a mediocre story in a compelling way; so, I make certain I have a strong story. If you have strong story, almost anyone can tell it.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas originate? Do you have a certain writing routine?

I write every day, but I don’t “write” every day. In other words, I’m always turning ideas over in my head, coming up with scenes, connecting them to other scenes; but I don’t sit down and peck away at the keyboard every day. I have a lengthy commute. I spend 70 miles in the car five days per week. During that time, I am listening to music and daydreaming scenes in my head. At night, I’ll jot them down on a digital corkboard. Once I have three or four strong scenes, scenes that can carry a book, I come up with the sequences that lead up to each scene. Once I have those, it’s time to write. The actual writing takes about two weeks to get the first draft. That’s because I already have the book in my head, I just have to get it down.

When I am actually writing (pecking away at the keyboard), I get quite manic. I can’t sleep much, and when I do I dream as my characters. I’m constantly waking, typing—it’s almost non-stop mania until I get the first draft done. Then comes the polish.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

The hardest part of the writing process is what comes after the book is published. Writing is a lonely, personal craft. I enjoy building the story, writing the story, and applying the first coat of polish. If writing is a solo effort, publishing is a team sport. There are a few rounds of edits during which you are working with a professional team. By the time the book is actually published, I’ve read the manuscript so many times I am too close to it to even know if it’s any good. Once it’s out, you are left waiting for reactions from your readers. Will they like it? Will they think it sucks? You never know. Someone once said, If you don’t want the thing you created to suffer criticism, then it’s better to not create anything to begin with. It’s always a little scary to have this thing you created out there for everyone’s reaction.

Do you have a favourite author, or writing inspiration?

Richard Stark is my favorite author. Stark is one of the pen names used by Donald E. Westlake, but I always think of him as Stark. His character, Parker, was my first introduction to a protagonist who is completely amoral. Parker was a shock to the system at the time and has been a steady supply of literary crack that I go back to time and again. That twenty-four-volume series is just perfect.

How do you research your books?

YouTube. You can learn anything on YouTube. How to fire any weapon? Check. How to smoke hash resin? Check. How to make baked spaghetti? It’s all on YouTube.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

If you aren’t rich, get a good day job. The best you can find—something professionally and financially fulfilling. You’re going to need it. Either that or a spouse who can support your family financially. There’s no comfortable living to be made in writing. I think of writing as a craft. A simple art. My grandparents used to make quilts. They were good at it. Every now and then they’d sell one or two. I think of my books like that—craft quilts—only I can sell these over and over. It’s fun. It’s fulfilling. It brings a lot of satisfaction. If you crack the code and find a way to make a comfortable living as a writer, then I’ll be asking you for advice.

About the Author:

Greg Barth is the author of Selena, Diesel Therapy, Suicide Lounge, Road Carnage, Bona Fide Jobs,Where Moth and Rust Corrupt, and Everglade. 

Greg cut his literary teeth by reading the Parker novels by Richard Stark. The Stark influence is evident in Barth's lean, compact  prose. As a fiction writer, he has a thing for amoral characters in bad situations; without good options, they proceed to make things worse for themselves. 

A devoted fan of noir fiction in all its forms, Greg is also the host of Noir on the Radio, an affiliate of the Authors on the Air Global Network. He lives and writes in Bowling Green, KY.

For more about the author and his works, visit his publisher’s website: All Due Respect

Or see what he has planned on his Amazon Author Page

Join host Greg Barth on Noir on the Radio and experience rare glimpses into the creative lives of authors of noir and crime fiction from around the globe. Call in and ask the him or the guest a question.

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