Noir Fatale Mass Market Edition!

I received my author copies of the mass market edition of Noir Fatale, a national bestseller, in which my story, A String Of Pearls, appears! Thank you, Baen Books! The mass market joins the hardcover, ebook, and audio editions!

Here’s a little about Noir Fatale from Baen’s website:

NEW SCIENCE FICTION, URBAN FANTASY, AND MYSTERY STORIES WITH A NOIR THEME FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHORS LAURELL K. HAMILTON delivering an Anita Blake series story, LARRY CORREIA, penning a Grimnoir series adventure, an original Honor Harrington series tale from DAVID WEBER, AND MORE.

The silky note of a saxophone. The echoes of a woman’s high heels down a deserted asphalt street. Steam rising from city vents to cloud the street-lit air. A man with a gun. A dame with a problem . . .

NOIR.

From the pulpy pages of Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s and '30s, through the film noir era of the 1940s, to today, noir fiction has lured many a reader and movie-goer away from the light and into the dark underbelly of society. Names such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain; titles like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice . . . these have inhabited our collective consciousness for decades. Humanity, it seems, loves the dark. And within the dark, one figure stands out: that of the femme fatale.

Here then, Noir Fatale an anthology containing the full spectrum of noir fiction, each incorporating the compelling femme fatale character archetype. From straightforward hardboiled detective story to dark urban fantasy to the dirty secrets of futuristic science fiction—all with a hard, gritty feel.

As Raymond Chandler said, “Down these mean streets, a man must walk who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.” Because, as these stories prove, doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean you get the big bucks or the girl. But you do the right thing anyway.

Radio Interview: Joy on Paper

I was interviewed by the wonderful PatZi a couple of weeks ago. I met PatZi at Bouchercon in Dallas back in November and was invited to be a guest on her radio program. Her syndicated radio program, Joy on Paper, is for writers and those who dream of writing. She’s interviewed over 500 authors and VIPs of the publishing world. Some of the writers she’s interviewed are Lee Child, Sue Grafton, David Baldacci, Sara Paretsky, and Lawrence Block!

She’s an engaging host with great energy and was a joy to speak with on the radio. We had such a good time I ended up staying on air with PatZi for two segments.

Here are links to the Joy On Paper webpage as well as the interview!

Joy on Paper

Interview

Noir Fatale

Noir Fatale was released in early May and I’ve been looking forward to this anthology for a long time! I had the good fortune to be invited into this anthology. All those years of wearing hats, pocket squares, and loving film noir finally paid off!

The story I wrote for the anthology (the theme being femme fatales which, if not the main character of the story had to be present) is called A String Of Pearls. It’s about a woman carrying precious cargo on a train barreling into a world of trouble in a near future New Orleans.

The anthology is currently available in multiple formats: hardcover, ebook, and digital audio (it also appears the anthology will be available on CD in July). Links: Amazon Audible I’ve listened to the audio book and the narrators did such a wonderful job bringing these stories to life!

Here’s how the anthology was doing during it’s first couple of days!

From Baen’s website: NEW SCIENCE FICTION, URBAN FANTASY, AND MYSTERY STORIES WITH A NOIR THEME FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHORS LAURELL K. HAMILTON delivering an Anita Blake series story, LARRY CORREIA, penning a Grimnoir series adventure, an original Honor Harrington series tale from DAVID WEBER, AND MORE.

The silky note of a saxophone. The echoes of a woman’s high heels down a deserted asphalt street. Steam rising from city vents to cloud the street-lit air. A man with a gun. A dame with a problem . . .

NOIR.

From the pulpy pages of Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s and '30s, through the film noir era of the 1940s, to today, noir fiction has lured many a reader and movie-goer away from the light and into the dark underbelly of society. Names such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain; titles like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice . . . these have inhabited our collective consciousness for decades. Humanity, it seems, loves the dark. And within the dark, one figure stands out: that of the femme fatale.

Here then, Noir Fatale an anthology containing the full spectrum of noir fiction, each incorporating the compelling femme fatale character archetype. From straightforward hardboiled detective story to dark urban fantasy to the dirty secrets of futuristic science fiction—all with a hard, gritty feel.

As Raymond Chandler said, “Down these mean streets, a man must walk who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.” Because, as these stories prove, doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean you get the big bucks or the girl. But you do the right thing anyway.

All new stories by

Larry Correia
Kacey Ezell
Laurell K. Hamilton
David Weber
Sarah A. Hoyt
Robert Buettner
Alistair Kimble
Griffin Barber
Michael Massa
Christopher L. Smith and Michael Ferguson
Hinkley Correia
Patrick Tracy
Steve Diamond

Published: 5/7/2019

Cross-Genre Fiction And Skipping The Prologue

Right now I'm at Bouchercon, the annual crime/mystery convention, which is being held in Toronto this year. So why am I bringing up cross-genre fiction while I'm attending a mystery con?

So, I was chatting with David Morrell (his first novel was First Blood, and he's written so many great books!) after he signed a book for me, and he brought up how he likes to write in multiple genres as well as mixing genres in one book. And that got me thinking about how audiences used to a certain style from a writer would react to something different, or to multiple genres in one book.

So I thought Iron Angels, the book I co-wrote with Eric Flint.

Iron Angels is a cross-genre novel, but at its heart an FBI procedural which happens to contain elements of horror and the fantastic. And that means there may be portions of the book that may not appeal to certain readers. How can this be remedied? How would a reader who doesn't necessarily care for science fiction get into the book?

For mystery/crime readers:  skip the prologue in Iron Angels.

Yep. Go ahead and skip it. Why? It's aliens/demons speaking in a crazy made-up language. It's not a long prologue, but for that type of reader, they may get kicked out of the book before it even begins!

So...

Just go to Chapter 1--my knowledge of FBI procedure kicks in with the first sentence and continues for most of the book. Once you're hooked with the FBI ERT crime scene and investigative procedures, go back and read the prologue if you feel like it, but it isn't necessary to understand the plot.

Science fiction and (urban)fantasy readers, or those who enjoy horror can read the prologue and be happy. I do believe though, that anyone who has been curious about FBI procedure will learn a lot from the book even with the fantastic elements.

There may be sections in cross-genre novels that readers won't like, but I think if a story is entertaining enough, engaging enough with interesting characters, it won't matter as the reader will be pulled along regardless of the cross-genre content.

Just a few thoughts. And for the record--when I read I usually skip the prologue and then end up reading it later. I think most readers do that, right?

Gateway or: A Science Fiction Classic Invaded My Dreams

I first read Frederik Pohl's Gateway (novel published in 1977 from a 1976 serial) in the early 1990s when I was in the Navy. I did a lot of reading during my off duty hours and while on liberty, mostly the classics of science fiction and fantasy, with a smattering of mystery and horror. I was writing a lot back then, too, and looking back on that time in my life, I must have been trying to escape from the daily hazards my military duty posed as well as my personal life which was a mess at that time.

Gateway transported me from my life to a future earth, which I must admit, seemed bleak, but fascinated me. Other classic science fiction novels had socked me with sense of wonder, but Gateway invaded my dreams. The idea of a space station built within a hollowed out asteroid housing alien ships that took crews to unknown destinations captured my imagination. The risk of death mixed with the possibility of reward (perhaps not unlike when I was out on search and rescue missions in old Vietnam era helicopters) resonated with me. At that time in my life I would have jumped in one of those Heechee spaceships in a heartbeat.

I've read this book a half dozen times and the thrill never diminishes for me. To me, Gateway is up there with Foundation, Rendezvous With Rama, Ender's Game, Starship Troopers, Ringworld, and so on and so on. But I love Gateway, and it will always hold a special place in my heart not only because of the sense of wonder, but because it also transports me back to a time in my life I shouldn't forget.

I thought of this book again when I came across a thread on Facebook about the new generation of writers not reading the classics of science fiction. I'm of the opinion that the classics should be visited by today's writers--even if the ideas and the sensibilities seemed outdated. I'm sure many years from now when the readers of the future read our work they'll balk at our primitive mindsets and barbaric sensibilities. This doesn't only apply to books--I feel this way about music and film and television, and art as well.

Learn from the past, but enjoy the past--the passage of time doesn't and shouldn't diminish the quality or the enjoyment of the classics.

Bonus: Syfy may be making Gateway into a mini-series. Also, back around 1992 video games were made based on Gateway, which I played and enjoyed despite the clunky interface.