Friday, April 29, 2011

Interview Mike Faricy- Get Your Free eBook Here

When you finish reading through the interview, be sure and leave a comment or drop one of us an email at the addresses at the end of the interview and we will send you instructions for getting your free eBook from Mike’s catalog. If you haven’t picked one out yet, take a peek over there at this link and be sure and let us know your selection. Okay, enjoy.

Baby Grand

FindersMerlotChow For Now

 

 

 

 

 

Mike FairicyMike Faricy , America's hottest new mystery writer hails from Minnesota and lives in Dublin, Ireland part of the year.Mike is currently working on his seventh cross-genre thriller, creating yet another suspenseful crime caper populated by unforgettable and often wacky characters working their way through twisting action-packed plots. he also plays the Bag Pipes, so ask him about that, maybe he’s on YouTube.………

I downloaded Mike’s Russian Roulette about a month ago and was so impressed I contacted him and got to chatting. I thought it would be fun to write a book review and tell all my friends and regular readers about it. It was such a fun novel, but also very well written, very well formatted, and the plot, the characters, the subject was all just so good. So, I did the review. And, we got chatting some more, me asking about where he came up with ideas, and who formatted, edited his books etc…well, one thing lead to another and we thought, we should just do an interview. Mike said, that sounds fun, and he had all these boxes of eBooks stacked up all over the house….okay, that parts a lie, he keeps them in a garage. But anyhow, I had to sit down and think up questions that readers – and myself –might want to know. And here is what we came up with. And neither of us was drinking…much, when we did this!

img067I absolutely loved Russian Roulette and Dev Haskell. Even though your books are “stand alones” any chance we’ll hear from Dev again?


Mike FairicyThe next Dev Haskell book, Mr. Softee, is at the editors as we speak, it will be available in June. Dev continues to learn, and relearn, some basic life lessons. You sort of want to sit down with the guy over a drink and ask, “at what point did this ever seem like a good idea?” But of course you’d have to pay for the drinks, and he probably wouldn’t listen anyway. It will be a stand alone book so you don’t have to read the Dev Haskell series in order.


img067Can’t wait to read Mr. Softee, Dev is a blast. Since you live in Dublin, Ireland part of the year, have you ever given a thought to an Irish novel?


Mike FairicyI have toyed with that, Rob, but I always end up with a lot of local ‘isms’ creeping in that just don’t feel right. I worked on an Irish Garda (cop) coming over to the states but I got bogged down in trivial things, then worked on the reverse, an American going over and got stuck the same way. Everything from language to location description seem to get wound a little too tight.

I’ve found that writing dialogue with any sort of accent or impairment can quickly become ponderous for the reader. Then there’s the whole slang thing. In Ireland if you want to really give someone the finger, you give them ‘two fingers’. What? As an American I immediately think ‘Why stop at two? Give them all four.’ Yeah, you can probably see my wife rolling her eyes right now. It’s still a thought in the back of my mind that continues to percolate but nothing shaking for the immediate future.


img067Here’s one that you probably get a lot, but what inspired you to become an author?


Mike FairicyWell, I’ve always been able to be economical with the truth. Then, some of my earliest memories are my folks reading to me, at three or four I was big on George the Pig, and Mike Mullins Steam Shovel, a love of books was always encouraged. Story telling was in my family, so reading and then creating my own tales seems to be natural. Plus, I’ve always seemed to have this knack to get into really screwy situations and someone is always asking me to tell about the time that…


img067Economical with the truth? I like that…okay, moving on, if you had to pick an author that served as a model or inspiration for your work, or one that you developed your ‘style’ from, who would it be?

 


Mike FairicyIt wouldn’t be just one. I love Michael Connelly’s sense of a story. Elmore Leonard’s stories all have that wonderful aspect of a ‘normal’ individual thrown into some situation, usually based on bad decisions. That really appeals, bad decisions make for interesting stories. Robert B. Parker is great on dialog. When you read his Jesse Stone novels, who else but Tom Selleck could play the part? I inhaled Parker’s Spencer novels. Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, Ed McBain, Carl Hiaasen, then out in left field, Stephen Ambrose. He wrote Band of Brothers along with a number of other historical works, just great reads. Patrick O’Brian, he wrote the Jack Aubrey, Master and Commander series. A reviewer referred to me as the Minnesota version of Carl Hiaasen, that was high praise. I love to read, a great night for me is putting the coffee on at about 10:00 then staying up until 3:00 to finish a good book.


img067I’ve asked you before whether you write and work from a formal outline and you said, “just one in your head”, yet your stories are so well put together, very tightly crafted, the plots are flawless, the characters are very well developed, the twists and turns are in all the right places and the flow of the story never misses a beat or seems to bog down, or even slow down. How do you accomplish this without a formal outline?


Mike FairicyFirst of all as I’m writing I tell myself over and over again that next time I’m going to have a formal outline. Of course that never works. You know, I just sit down and start tapping keys on the computer, things and characters sort of just come to life. I really get into the tale. It’s not uncommon for my wife to ask is there something wrong? I start telling her about this guy tunneling into a bank vault or a woman wandering around in the woods wearing a baby doll negligee. Like I always say, she’s extremely patient,… my wife, not the woman in the negligee.


img067You’ve told me that a lot of the characters that appear in your books are people you really know or are composites of people you know. Also a lot of the premise is drawn from real life events. I just have to know, where do you do your research? Is it news papers, Mad Magazine? The National Enquirer?


Mike FairicyI could never be accused of doing anything studious like research. Over the years I have known or run into a lot of folks who just make you shake your head. Guys climbing out of bedroom windows, pole dancers with a Masters degree, some folks in law enforcement, pals in the army, schemers, scammers, I seem to attract them. Plus my wife has a way of attracting goofballs, where ever we go. I mean for God’s sake, she married me.

We were in a city once and there was a little bar around the corner from our hotel. We stopped in for a night cap at maybe 10:30. It was a small place, ‘L’ shaped, with maybe six people in there. We sat in a booth in back and I spot a bunch of wooden pegs on the wall with maybe a dozen different women’s thongs hanging from the pegs. My wife decides it would be funny if I take her picture sitting in front of this, okay. I’m getting ready to take the shot and the owner, this guy about 6’4” comes storming around the corner, yelling at us. She jumps up and he sits down in the chair and slaps his knee, he just wanted to be in the picture. We laugh, he sends over drinks.

About five minutes later he brings a woman back, they sit in a booth four feet behind us, chatting. I look over a few minutes later and my first thought is, wasn’t that woman wearing clothes a moment ago? I said to my wife, “that guy is taking pictures of a woman with all her clothes off”. Of course turning around my wife responds, “Why do you always… oh my god!” then proceeds to down her drink in one giant swallow.

He continues to photograph this woman, she has her hands over her head, then holds two full handfuls out in presentation, after about a dozen more shots he gets up and walks away. She takes her time casually getting dressed, stops as she walks past and says in heavy accented English, “Thank you, very, very much.” The guy sends over another round of drinks. God, I mean what do you do? We drank the drinks. Then we returned the next three nights for a nightcap. For the record, he asked but no, he did not photograph my wife.

In Merlot, the Ditschler brothers, Mendel, Lucerne and Elvis, how could they possibly be anything but the way they are? I know guys like that, they wouldn’t think twice about slipping a Sig Sauer into their belt before taking the dog for a walk on a sunny day. And then of course they’ll always wonder why the cops are picking on them?

In Chow for Now, Dickie’s ex-wife, Rae Nell, is based on a woman I know. She comes up with scheme after scheme, none of which ever work. Imported honey from South America, antiques, oriental rugs, lingerie parties, home made wine tastings, I could go on and on. And yes her tattoo is the real deal.


img067

Can you tell us a little about your writing process and environment? I’ve talked with other authors who have a certain place they write; at a desk with photos arranged just so, cup of tea at hand, cat on the desk. What’s your creative ‘space’ and process like? Pen and paper, word processor, quiet room with Vivaldi on the Victorola, etc…?


 

Mike Fairicy

Nothing romantic like soft music. I’m very business like. I start tapping keys at my desk, take maybe a twenty minute lunch break, then back to work. I don’t answer the phone, don’t run errands. When I’m in Dublin my social contacts are all through my wife so once she leaves for work no one interrupts me and I have essentially the same process over there. I try to get at least ten pages written daily, sometimes its eight sometimes twelve. The following morning I edit those pages, then get another ten. Things develop along the way, twists and turns in the plot, characters, I’m constantly mulling stuff over in my mind, distracted. Like I said, my wife is very patient.


 

img067

Your protagonists tend to be quirky, smart assed guys. Any resemblance to their creator?


Mike Fairicy

Probably. I mean with life you have to laugh or you’d cry, right? I’ve always had sort of a self deprecating sense of humor. I was going into a pub once with my kids, all in their early twenties, it was the policy everyone gets carded, I get it. So there I am, to prove I’m twenty-one, I’m handing my drivers license to some bouncer kid I could have fathered. He thanks me, hands it back, says, “Excuse me sir, did you realize you license is expired?” Which sends my geniuses into convulsions, the old man has been tooling around town on an expired license for close to 90 days. By the way, the little rats stuck me with the tab…… again.

A lot of the scenes or situations I write really did happen, maybe not to me but I know the players. In Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick I have a woman from the Sheriff’s department ending up in bed with someone on the second date. One of my editors suggested a person in law enforcement just wouldn’t do that. I asked some St. Paul cop pals. They made me change it to the first date and threatened to cite me for a broken tail light if I didn’t.

I wrote a scene about a guy who hires an escort, he drinks way too much before her arrival. As soon as she arrives she drugs him, leaves scratches on his back and a bite mark on his thigh. On the way out the door she steals all his cash, about $300. No services ever exchanged. Three nights later, this knucklehead figures he must have had a great time and he hires her again. With the same result, only this time instead of $300 she steals about $500 and a flat screen TV as well. Everyone who read that said it was just too far fetched. Actually, it really happened, it was the only scene in the book that wasn’t fiction. Except in real life the woman stole a VCR instead of a flat screen. I knew the guy, later arrested for a body in the trunk of his car, by the way. And, I sort of knew the woman,… not professionally I hasten to add.


 

img067

All of your books are eBooks, did you ever try the “traditional” publishing route and how was that?

 


Mike Fairicy

I did try the traditional route. As a matter of fact I groveled for years at the doors of the publishing industry to get them to recognize my genius. They weren’t interested. I lead the league in rejection letters. I’ve got hundreds, literally, from all the big name publishing houses and agents and quite a few of the lesser known as well. Everyone who is anyone in the publishing industry has sent me multiple rejections. I got a rejection from a pretty big New York publisher, it was my query letter, returned unopened. The envelope was stamped crookedly across the front in this sort of reddish purple ink, ‘RETURN TO SENDER’. On the back of the unopened envelope was a hand written note that read, ‘this does not fit our needs at this time.’

Even I got the message at that point. The publishing industry has changed drastically with the advent of the eBook and continues to do so. I just don’t think a large portion of the people in the business have caught on, yet. That said, if I got a call from an agent or publisher I would love to talk to them, but I’d have to say even two years ago I would have had stars in my eyes, that’s not the case now. But, I’d still love to talk.


img067

Your books are some of the best eBooks in terms of formatting, very professionally edited, this goes back to the “outline” question, who does your editing and cover designs? They are very good.


Mike Fairicy

Thank you, in reverse order, the covers, and my website as well, are done by friends. They have an online catalog, theIrishrose.com. More importantly they have the computer programs, an advanced version of photo shop and skill set to do my covers, not to mention some pretty good ideas that save me from my random thoughts.

Last time you and I chatted about the cover for Russian Roulette I mentioned that’s my son’s back at the bar, his girlfriend’s hands hold the gun to his head. My pal shot the photo, had the cover done almost before I got home. We just work very well, because I listen to him, mostly.

For the actual editing I have twenty to thirty pairs of eyes read through my manuscript before it goes to my editor. I probably accept 85% of the suggestions made. When writing I get so close to the forest I just can’t see the trees. Plus, the little inconsistencies, this guy was on foot, where did the car suddenly come from? The woman was a long haired brunette, when did she get short hair? As you can imagine, everyone goes over it, its edited, I rework it, its reedited, eventually I approve it, and then once it’s uploaded and available, there, staring back in bold face type, dead center on page one, I’ve done something clever like misspell my name or email address.

One other thing, having a number of people read a manuscript reinforces some general tone. I had a woman tell me she liked my books but all the women in it seemed to be strippers or women jumping in and out of bed. I toned that aspect down and another woman wrote on the manuscript ‘I’ve just read 130 pages and this is all the sex I get? I’m not at all satisfied!’ I went back to women jumping in and out of bed, but if you read my work the women are always smarter than the men, just like real life.


img067

Did the wife walk in again? Is that why you said that? Do you read a lot of fiction? If so, who are your favorite authors and genres?

 


Mike Fairicy

I read a lot of fiction, most of it under the broad umbrella of crime, thriller, suspense. I have a tendency to inhale a particular author. I read all of their work, I really look forward to getting the next book, which is great with eBooks because I can do it anytime day or night or any place. That said, I still love to shop bookstores, love to talk to book sellers. As far as authors, certainly the names I mentioned earlier, plus William Kent Kruger, John Sanford, Randy Wayne White, John Locke, John Grisham, Ken Bruen, Cormac McCarthy, Vince Flynn.


img067

If you were to give one piece of advice to someone aspiring to be a successful author in today’s market, what would it be?

 


Mike Fairicy

Get to work. I love to write so it is really a labor of love. But there is a lot of labor in there. I’ve sometimes gone 100 maybe 150 pages and decide this just isn’t working, then deleted the whole bit.

The other thing is you have to be willing to accept criticism. I can tell myself great job, well done, go for it, all of that positive reinforcement. I really depend on feedback that says this just doesn’t work for me. Why do I care about this secondary character? That sort of thing.

A lawyer pal read a manuscript then met me for lunch with three pages, single spaced, of things he didn’t like or that he felt needed attention. He was worried it might affect our friendship so he bought lunch. I loved it, that was exactly the sort of thing I needed, not the lunch, but the critique. I probably adjusted 95% of the things he mentioned, everything from phraseology to a criminal sentencing guideline.


img067

Can you tell us what you are working on now, and when we might be able to read it?

 


Mike Fairicy

The next Devlin Haskell book, Mr. Softee, is at the editors, that will be available in June. I’m working on a series of short stories featuring a friend of Dev’s, Tony ‘Dog’ Colli. Then maybe another Dev Haskell in August. I’ve got someone I don’t know yet rattling around inside my head trying to get out so that will be happening as well.


img067

Well, keep me up to date, the new Character sounds fun! Any last tid-bit you’d like to share with the readers?

 


Mike Fairicy

Yeah, Thanks for making it this far in the interview as I ramble on, and on, and on. Please feel free to send me any comments at Mikefaricyauthor@gmail.com I do answer all emails. Also, I’ve really enjoyed this, Rob, and again thanks for the great review for Russian Roulette. How would it be if we offered a free download of Russian Roulette, or any other title for that matter, to all your readers? For those who haven’t read any of my books hopefully they’ll find it a great introduction and for those who have read some of my work, hopefully they won’t feel punished. Again, many, many thanks and all the best, happy reading and I hope you’ll invite me back.


img067

 Man, am I glad you said that! I’ve been luring them here all week with the promise of a free eBook from your catalog! You’re a life saver, man. I’ll give them the details below. I’d personally like to thank you, first for the great read. Russian Roulette was just a fun, fun read. very well done. Secondly, thanks for consenting to this first ever interview here on The Dirty Lowdown.  Hope we can do it again real soon, and I look forward to reading Mister Softee.


Okay, boys and girls, Here’s all you need to do to get your pick of Mikes catalog. If you haven’t been there yet, go to his web site here and choose one title that you’d like to read. Either leave a comment under this post with  an Open ID log in or your Google ID or other ID that will give us your email address. We’d really like to hear your comments, so feel free to do both but don’t leave you email address in the body of your comment.Your email address will of course be kept private. You can also send an email to me at The.Dirty.Lowdown@gmail.com or Mike at Mikefaricyauthor@gmail.com and make sure you let us know what format; Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, PDF or whatever your eReader or eReader app is. Between us we’ll make sure you get your book by a) sending it directly to you via email or b) we may have to email you a coupon to download it directly, for free, from Smashwords. If you have any problem opening the book on your device or app, drop me an email and I’ll walk you through it. Free tech support too! I hope to have everything mailed out to everyone by Monday night, but give me some time and if there are delays I’ll post the reason here at The Dirty Lowdown. If you don’t receive it real soon, drop me or Mike an email and we’ll fix you right up. Thanks a lot for tuning in, and be sure to get more of Mike’s books after this free sample! Again, Mike, thanks a lot and I’ll talk to you soon. Oh, and please follow this blog by either signing up for email updates, or follow on Facebook by clicking on the Networked Blogs badge up near the top and to the left. You can follow me on Twitter for updates as well, that ID is theDirtyLowdown. Enjoy your read.

Robert Carraher       

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Free Books! 1st Ever Author Interview–Mike Faricy

Update!

Mike and I have finished the interview and I am transcribing it as we, errr,transcribe. It’ll be posted at Noon Pacific time tomorrow and you can start Commenting, emailing either one of us and let us know which book from Mike’s catalog you’d like to receive. be sure to login with either a Google ID, or an Open ID with an email address so we can send you your book. Be sure to tell your friends. It’s going to be fun.

Mike Fairicy T MINUS 48 HOURS (or there abouts) AND COUNTING: “Good News! Just spoke to Mike, and his flight arrived from Ireland without incident and he Was Not  detained by Homeland Security, despite the Bag Pipes! So, all systems are go for the interview. Book Mark this page, stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook  so you don’t miss the interview. It promises to be entertaining and you get a FREE eBook when you leave a comment or drop either of us a line.”

Wanted to give all three regular readers a heads up. The Dirty Lowdown will be conducting our first ever author interview this weekend with author Mike Faricy. I reviewed Mike’s latest bizarrely entertaining crime novel, Russian Roulette about a week ago, and found it hugely entertaining. Mike is in transit from Dublin, Ireland to St. Paul, Minnesota as we speak, err…blog.Russian Roulette 

Here’s the pay off. Anyone who reads the interview this weekend and leaves a comment or contacts Mike through the blog will receive, gratis (that means free) their choice of an eBook from Mikes catalog. Your choice of formats. So, fire up your eReaders and leave a comment, preferably a nice one, pretend your mother might read it….What’s that? You don’t have an eReader? No worries. You can also download for the reasonable price of absolutely nothing an app for your PC, Mac or Smart Phone that will allow you to read almost any eBook on that device. You can get the Kindle App by clicking on this link on the right side of the page reached by following here. The Barnes & Noble app is here. So,if you have never tried an eBook, here’s your chance to try them for free. Mikes eBooks are flawlessly formatted and the cover art is great. he even has some entertaining stories about the covers he might just convey if you ask real nice and don’t say anything derogatory about his Bag Pipe playing. Bag Pipes? Yup, Mike’s been a soldier, a freelance journalist, a bartender, a seller of designer cakes, as well as owner of a painting and decorating company. On the off-chance that none of his paying jobs managed to offend you, he also play bagpipes in the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band.

Faricy img2

Mike is one of America's hottest new mystery writer. A Minnesota native Mike is currently working on his seventh cross-genre thriller, creating yet another suspenseful crime caper populated by unforgettable characters working their way through twisting action-packed plots. Storyteller Faricy builds webs of crime and murder that sorely test his protagonists' abilities and ingenuity. Their struggles attract all kinds of bad company, with nail-bitingly hazardous and darkly comic results.Faricy Img

Feel free to browse all of Mike's books, available electronically through Amazon.com , through BarnesandNoble.com , Smashwords.com, for download to your computer or other reading device, such as the Kindle or Nook. Mike splits his time between Dublin and St. Paul (the settings for many of his books). He is a reporter and columnist for local publications when not writing or researching novels. You can find articles, stories and Irish travel disasters to read in their entirety on the "Other Writings" page.

So, guys and gals, down load the appropriate app, make sure to charge up your eReader before the weekend, and go peruse Mikes catalog and pick out the title you want. Then, look for the interview this weekend in which I ask nary a question about books, but lots about Bag Pipe Music…just kidding. Oh, and leave a comment or drop one of us an email with your preferred title and format. We’ll provide contact info in the interview, so no jumping the gun.

The Dirty Lowdown

Friday, April 22, 2011

Help Locate! Missing 15 year Old

Amber Alert

Sharons GD

My friend , Sharon Jacobs is asking for help in locating her granddaughter

Headed from Caldwell, Idaho to possibly Calif. should put her on I84 headed west, then down the I5 Corridor. If you spot her, please call the police, email me rcarraher@live.com  , call 503-901-7528 or email Sharon directly at the address below.

My granddaughter, Olivia Rasmussen has run away from her Caldwell, Idaho home. We think she's traveling to California somehow. If you spot her, please call the police and/or email me at beachbrat12@cox.net
Thank you, Sharon Jacobs

 

Thanks for your help!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Russian Roulette–Mike Faricy

 

Russian Roulette

What a great read! Flaky characters that could have been  pulled right out of todays head lines. The dialogue drives this story up one way streets, and down dark alleys, only to reveal a short cut across a curb – if your not afraid to jump it. Then,  through the parking lot of an urban dive where a blond in painted on jeans leans against the hood of a car and smiles coyly as you skid to a stop.

Dev Haskel, The skirt chasing, wise-cracking, Minneapolis P.I. who has an office in every dive bar in town and can’t read the Caller I.D. on his cell phone is hired by the stunningly gorgeous and slightly slutty, Kerri. Kerri has hunted Dev down in The Spot Bar, where the breakfast special is a shot and a beer, to hire him to find her sister. Ever the professional, Dev grills his client for all the 411 she’s got. The sister is Nikki, an address in a seedy part of town, an old boy friend recently married and $500 in cash are his only leads.  After a late night strategy session, Dev wakes up with “…bite marks on my left nipple, scratches on my back, my beds a mess and the place reeks of stale, spicy perfume. My head is pounding and I just read a note that says she only took a hundred dollars out of the five she gave me out of “professional consideration”.

Okay, that should have read, Dev, drills his client…but the next day our Dev gets to work. Kerri provided him with a key, a phone bill and a photo of the sister, Nikki. Nude. On a beach with another girl and two hard case crooks who turn out to be recently decease owners of an “internet dating service” .In short order, it becomes apparent that Kerri, Nikki, and no one else in this case is exactly on the up and up. Dev is soon dodging bullets and car bombs and bad guys and trying to figure out why his own client has set him up to be killed when he actually hasn’t learn much of anything. Then through his buddy, Aaron, a local cop he learns of Russian Mob connections to at least some of the players. A prostitution ring and human trafficking all become part of the story. Enter the FBI and ICE and the rest of the Federal alphabet soup. The FBI is more interested in busting a money laundering bank for  PR and head lines, but the immigrations people seem genuinely interested in saving the women being exploited by Braco the Whacko.

Russian Roulette is very well written and flows so smoothly that it’ll draws you into the world of the irreverent Devlan HaskelMike Fairicy  and have you wondering who the next goof ball, goomba or stiletto wearing babe will be to meet him at a bar. You’ll be chuckling at midnight and trying to remember when the dives close in your neighborhood and just exactly what Jameson's Irish whiskey tastes like with a Bud Light chaser.Incidentally, this eBook is very well edited and designed, as well as being a great read.

Mike Faricy, is the author of six previous books, all available in eBook. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland. Mikes books are filled with the sort of oddballs and flakes we’re curious about but prefer to keep at a distance. Though the characters won’t be saving the world from terrorism, nuclear holocaust or coups to take over the government, he does present some oddly human issues that are just below the belt for  discussion topics in polite society.I highly recommend Mikes books, available at Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes and Nobel

Look for the author interview next week with Mike Faricy at The Dirty Lowdown

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Orbit Selling E-Book Novellas

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Orbit Books has launched a digital short fiction program, offering original stories from Orbit authors. The stories will be available at all major e-book retailers, currently only in the U.S., although other territories will be added in the future. Most of the e-books are priced at $1.99.

The launch list includes apocalyptic SF by Mira Grant, urban fantasy stories from Jaye Wells and Jennifer Rardin, and military SF from T.C. McCarthy. In June, Orbit will release Perfect Shadow, an original novella by bestselling author Brent Weeks, for $2.99.

Orbit publisher Tim Holman told PW, "Short fiction can be a great way to discover new authors. We suspect that the most likely audience in the first instance will be an author’s existing readership, but not in every case. Going forward, it will be really interesting to see if shorter forms of fiction become more popular among digital readers. Perhaps novellas will–for some readers at least–be more appealing than novels, and in turn perhaps there will be more novellas written and published."

Orbit launched in the U.K. in 1974 and launched its U.S. list in 2007. Last summer, the imprint indicated it would be selling short fiction on its site in the future. In 2009, it sold dollar e-books on its site.

Orbit Selling E-Book Novellas

Monday, April 11, 2011

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake

Aftershocks

In just over a week, a group of unpaid professional and citizen journalists who met on Twitter created a book to raise money for Japanese Red Cross earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. In addition to essays, artwork and photographs submitted by people around the world, including people who endured the disaster and journalists who covered it, 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake contains a piece by Yoko Ono, and work created specifically for the book by authors William Gibson, Barry Eisler and Jake Adelstein.

This from Barry Eislers blog, The Heart Of The Matter: imagesCAWJQG1S

For me, Tokyo was metropolitan love at first sight.
It was 1992, and the government sent me for a language homestay. I got off the Skyliner at Ueno Station from Narita and that was it, I was done for. I could try to tell you why -- the energy of the place, its strangeness, the feeling of method to the madness -- but really, you might as well try to explain your first crush, your first love, the attraction of a lifelong romance. Whatever you can explain in words won't quite be it. The real connection is always too deep, too elusive, too mysterious ever to be corralled by language. The words will never get it right.
Still, if you're in love and you're a writer, you have to try. You might even create a character, say, a half-Japanese, half-American assassin, to help you: images

Tokyo is so vast, and can be so cruelly impersonal, that the succor provided by its occasional oasis is sweeter than that of any other place I've known. There is the quiet of shrines like Hikawa, inducing a somber sort of reflection that for me has always been the same pitch as the reverberation of a temple chime; the solace of tiny nomiya, neighborhood watering holes, with only two or perhaps four seats facing a bar less than half the length of a door, presided over by an ageless mama-san, who can be soothing or stern, depending on the needs of her customer, an arrangement that dispenses more comfort and understanding than any psychiatrist’s couch;imagesCA01Z32U the strangely anonymous camaraderie of yatai and tachinomi, the outdoor eating stalls that serve beer in large mugs and grilled food on skewers, stalls that sprout like wild mushrooms on dark corners and in the shadows of elevated train tracks, the laughter of their patrons diffusing into the night air like little pockets of light against the darkness without.

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The Heart of the Matter: 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake

Please, buy a copy of the book, share on Facebook, like Quakebook on Facebook, post something about it on your blog, follow Quakebook on Twitter, tweet about it with the hashtag #Quakebook-- whatever you can do to help get out the word and help a nation and people that desperately need it. Thank you.

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The Dirty Lowdown For April

Hof Lib

April has a lot in store for us. First, I turn 29 again on the 24th. This has become a national event of epic proportions made even more exciting since this year the entire country and maybe the world has decided to hold a Robs Birthday Egg Hunt on the Sunday. I have no idea why “they” chose a Large Rabbit as a mascot… But, even more exciting , this week is National Library Week which runs from Sunday, April 10 through Saturday, April 16. It is a time to rediscover all that our nation’s libraries, librarians and library workers have to offer and how you can "Create Your Own Story @ Your Library." First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.Lib Books So, take a day and go visit a library. And be sure and take a child – get permission if the child isn’t yours!

 

npm2011_poster_540Also, April is National Poetry Month.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events. Check your local libraries and book sellers for events.

I open the month with a couple of IOU’s in the review column. I am thinking of Broke Laptopforwarding these to HP Customer Service since I blame my tardiness on them. I received a brand new laptop the end of January, which was a god send since I was supposed to have yet another spinal surgery which would make it uncomfortable to work at the desk. Well, a month later the thing died. It never worked properly from day one – the mouse would do odd things which I initially blamed on the poor circulation in my hands, the keyboard had ‘run-away’ keys and the wireless would go up and down with no rhyme or reason. It eventually needed replaced. HP Customer Service has gone down hill faster than Glen Beck’s ratings. It took forever to get it fixed. Anyway, I’ll be getting the reviews for the The Cultural Detective by Christopher G. Moore. and Complicit. by Nicci French up soon.Cultural detectiveComplicit, Nicci French

It also slowed me down since I spent a bit of time getting the new “Hardboiled/Noir/Crime Fiction blog on line. Be sure and check it out. Crimeways.

I am actively looking for some ‘partners in crime’ to contribute to the site, so if you have ever wanted to write a review of a book or a movie from the Hardboiled/Noir genre drop me a line: The.Dirty.Lowdown@gmail.comcrimeways banner4

What I will be reviewing this month are two very fun reads. The first is by my cousin, Vincent Carraher. My Cousin Vinnie has written a marvelous True Crime book detailing some of the more famous cases he worked on over the 40 plus year career he spent as a Defense Attorney’ Investigator.Lady Justice

The book details  eyewitness accounts of overzealous prosecutors and police in some of the most high profile cases in the midwest.

Next up will be a book from a new writer I just discovered.Mike Fairicy

 

 

Mike Faricy is America's hottest new  mystery writer. Minnesota native (and part time resident of Dublin, Ireland) Mike Faricy is currently working on his seventh cross-genre thriller, creating yet another suspenseful and zany crime caper populated by unforgettable characters working their way through twisting action-packed plots. Storyteller Faricy builds webs of crime and murder that sorely test his protagonists' abilities and ingenuity. Their struggles attract all kinds of bad company, with nail-bitingly hazardous and darkly comic results. Mike just sent me Russian Roulette. Russian RouletteBy the way, the cover photo is actually shot at the Spot Bar, a local ‘watering hole’ filled with early morning characters that didn’t stop in for a double latte with coconut and candied sprinklees,  to put it nicely. The guy is Mike’s son, that's his girlfriend holding the gun to his head. He’ll get used to that…“We shot it at 11:00 on a Sunday morning, the place full of day drinkers.” says Mike. Mike sent me the book from Smashwords on Sunday and I told him Sundays were always busy for me, trash man comes on Monday, horses and cats to take care of, etc.…well, damnit! I just had to peek, make sure the file was intact, you know (that’s my story and I am sticking to it!). Well, needless to say, I was immediately caught up in the book! What great mad cap characters in the vein of the best humorous hardboiled noir. I have a feeling I’ll be investing in a lot more shelf space – or Kindle Space (need to get a real Kindle now that the sun is coming out and I’ll be spending more time in the sun on the deck)– to populate with Mike’s books.

Last but not least for April, is my music selection. The past few months I have featured artists that were new, or relatively new; Adele who just absolutely blew me away! And Esperanza Spalding who not only plays a killer bass, but can sing like no ones business. This months artist is Earth, Wind and Fire

Earth, Wind and Fire is celebrating their 40th anniversary with an extensive world tour. Originally formed in 1971, the group has released 23 albums, selling over 90 million copies worldwide.

The band’s current lineup features three of the founding members including bassist Verdine White, whose on-stage persona and bass lines inspired an entire generation of bassists.

With a few international dates already under their belt, EWF has announced two solid months of U.S. concerts that span the whole country. More dates are expected. For more, visit Earth, Wind, and Fire’s website. If you get a chance to attend one of these show, you will not be disappointed!

And, that’s the…

The Dirty Lowdown for April