Some huge names have written stories in conjunction with the release of a new video game. (Oates, Lansdale, Block) Frustratingly this collection will only be for sale as an ebook collection. That aside however, they have done quite a nice job creating pulp-style covers, it's a neat way to reach a new audience and it means new stories for us!
Rockstar Video Games' logo
"In honor of L.A. Noire, Rockstar Games and Mulholland Books have teamed up to create a collection of short stories that celebrate detective fiction and the genre's contemporary masters. Readers will enjoy eight original short fiction stories, many of which revisit the characters and cases in the game, providing a new spin to tell the tales of emotionally torn protagonists, depraved schemers and ill-fated victims.
With original short fiction selections by Lawrence Block, Duane Swierczynski, Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Santlofer, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Megan Abbott, and Andrew Vachss, these stories expand upon the world of L.A. Noire.
Below you can read our latest full story, "Hell of an Affair" by Duane Swierczynski, as well as our first full story, "What's In A Name" by Jonathan Santlofer. Both are available as either a downloadable PDF or via our online reader. Look for more works from the collection to be released here leading up to and through the release of L.A. Noire on May 17th.
On June 6th, look for the release of the complete L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories to be available at all major eBook retailers. Residents of the US and Canada can pre-order their copies now for $0.99 (coming soon for the UK and Australia)."
More details can be found at rockstargames.com(link). You can download and read Duane Swierczynski's short story here and Megan Abbott's here. I recommend just heading over to the site though, for navigation's sake.
"San Diego Noir" is the latest in the Akashic Books locality-based series. For those of you unfamiliar with the set, they are a collection of short stories tied to a particular city or geographic area. Often they are edited by authors associated with the places in the title. The latest installment consists of stories by some nationally well-known writers and some local and first-time authors. This fits the usual pattern in the series. Maryelizabeth Hart, an indie bookseller, has done a wonderful job in gathering a strong collection of crime stories. They range from tales of San Diego during World War 2 to the present and all its issues. The better known authors(Jeff Parker, Don Winslow, Luis Alberto Urrea, et al) deliver strong stories as expected. However, the stories by writers, I at least, do not know, give us equally compelling tales. The art of the short story and its popularity has waned over the years. Akashic, in this series, numbering over 45 volumes and counting, has done a lot to keep the genre alive. Without divulging too much(Don't you hate it when reviews lay out the entire plot of books?) I found the following especially effective. T. Jefferson Parker pens a classic noir with a Hollywood, by way of San Diego, twist.
Maryelizabeth Hart will be signing
at The Poisoned Pen with husband,
fellow author and co-owner of
The Mysterious Galaxy, Jeff Mariotte.
Jeff Mariotte
Jeffrey Mariotte presents us with a nasty noir dilemma. Martha Lawrence gives us a very clever story with a delightful Southern California mystical angle. Don Winslow(presently riding the success of his novel "Satori") is one of my favorite authors and he comes through big time here. His story takes place in 1945 but is just as timely in its subject then as it is now. Gar Anthony Haywood drops us into the wicked fun of San Diego's Comic-Con: Bad things ensue. Gabriel Barillas shows us San Diego from the perspective of the illegals in a heart-breaker of a story. The great Luis Alberto Urrea take Junior Garcia back to the "hood" and even incorporates a trip to Arizona and its controversial stand on immigration. Eight more tales round out the collection, even a kind of vampire noir, and they all portray San Diego from unique perspectives. If you enjoy short stories, noir-crime, or have visited San Diego this a good opportunity to see the city from some very different angles. While Hart's book is a standout I would be remiss in not mentioning our own addition to the series. "Phoenix Noir"($16), edited by the Poisoned Pen's own bookseller to the world, Patrick Millikin, has a truly star-studded roster ofauthors. In fact the aforementioned Luis Alberto Urrea's story won the Edgar award as the best of the year. While I am sure that readers of the Poisoned Pen blog already own this volume, for any who do not, now is your chance. It has great stories that exploit all areas of our valley by terrific writers. Buy it or order it and Patrick will gladly sign and personalize it for you. And finally remember: Buying books at the Poisoned Pen is good for the soul. -Steve Schwartz
To browse the Noir editions from Akashic which The Poisoned Pen has on hand, click here.
We've been in touch with Mr. Sallis a bit about coming to sign at the store. It won't be for several months, but Jim has asked if he can bring his band to entertain attendees...stay tuned!
Mystery writer on bad reviews and the fate of characters
by Randy Cordova - May. 5, 2011 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic
Earlene Fowler was working a regular nine-to-five job when she decided to take a class in writing at a California communitycollege. Next thing you know, she is a published author with a popular mystery series featuring museum curator Benni Harper.
The series' latest offering, "Spider Web," is out this month, and Fowler will visit the Poisoned Pen to sign autographs and meet with her fans. She called from her home in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Question: This is the 15th book in this series. Does that surprise you?
Answer: When I wrote the first book, I didn't even know it was going to get published. I never thought about writing a second, third or fourth one, much less a 15th.
Q: And you got published in an unusual way.
A: I walked into a junior-college classroom, and the teacher read it. She took it to her agent, and within three weeks I had a book contract. I hit the ground runningback in 1992.
Q: How many people come up to you and say, "I want your life"?
A: (Laughing) I do get, "You're a writer. How exciting!" I've often wished somebody would do a reality show on writers, because you would be so bored. I have a laptop, then I sit on the sofa, then I go to the bathroom, then I look in the refrigerator. If it's really exciting, the mail comes. I'm not complaining, but that's basically your life.
Q: How did your husband respond to the change in your life?
A: He's used to it, but I think it was hard that all of a sudden I had somewhat of a public persona. He's an engineer and lives this normal life, so it's different.
Q: He must hate it if you get bad reviews.
A: Oh, he doesn't read them. And you're so tempted when you're up late at night to get on Amazon and read what they're saying. But it's best not to give (negative) people energy. And when you work with the public, you know that people get upset about something else and take it out on you.
Q: Some of the critiques get so personal.
A: I have this one lady, and she read my second book and she absolutely hated it. OK, that's fine. But I have 15 books in the series, and she has continued to read each one and leave negative comments. (Laughing) I want to e-mail her: "You hated the books back in 1994; now please stop reading."
Q: Is there an outline of where the books are going?
A: I don't outline; that's one of those things with writers: Either you outline or you don't. I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the book. I think the disadvantage is there is a lot to keep track off, and if you have an outline, that would be easier. But it also leaves it more spontaneous.
Q: So you don't know where Benni is going to end up?
A: Well, I did something very unusual. Back on my sixth book, my sales were not doing very well. My publisher didn't say they were going to drop me, but they weren't answering my phone calls, either. There's so many series where you read the books, then they're dropped and you never know what happens to the people. So in "Mariner's Compass," I put a prologue where the narrator is 75 and she talks about what has happened in her life. I wanted to tell readers everything ends up OK with these characters.
Q: What did your editor think?
A: I really had to fight with my editor about it. I thought it belonged in there, but nobody had ever done that before. And that ended up being the book I won the Agatha Award (for mystery and crime writers) for.
Q: When you write, do you have an actress in mind for Benni?
A: I did early on. When I started, my character was 34 and I was 37. She's now 38, and I'm 56. I would have thought Holly Hunter, but just like me, Holly Hunter's now too old.
Earlene will be signing at The Poisoned Pen this coming Sunday, May 8 at 1pm with author Carolyn Hart. To find out more about it, visit the event page at www.poisonedpen.com
With original short fiction selections by Lawrence Block, Duane Swierczynski, Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Santlofer, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Megan Abbott, and Andrew Vachss, these stories expand upon the world of L.A. Noire.
