Valentine’s Day Massacre Fundraiser

I know, I know, folks, I've been slacking over here at Day Labor, but between starting a new, much better day job, a vicious strain of the flu knocking both me and the tot on our asses, plus my own writing.....Well, you get the point, as usual I'm busy. But I do promise that through the month of February I'll be on a more or less regular schedule.

Alright, so enough of my rampant excuse making and onto what I'm here for today.

Every body knows what a big fan of Dennis Tafoya I am, right?

And most of you know that Cam and I published Tafoya's story, "How to Jail" in issue #3 of Crimefactory, right?

And you know there's a couple of talented film makers who want to make "How to Jail" into a kick ass short film, right?

The one down side of putting together an independent film is financing the freaking thing, and you have to do all kinds of tap dancing and shucking and jiving in order to put the cash together.

Well, the guys at Killing Joke Films have put together a little fundraising event to get "How to Jail" off the ground.

Check out the press release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul von Stoetzel (651) 491-5718, killingjoke13@gmail.com

Valentine’s Day Massacre Fundraiser event for the film “How to Jail” written by novelist Dennis Tafoya.

Killing Joke Films presents The Valentine’s Day Massacre Fundraiser for the short film “How to Jail,” which is scheduled to begin production on April 1^st in the Twin Cities. This event will include a raffle involving signed books and memorabilia from both author Dennis Tafoya the production of “How to Jail”. The event will also include a book signing with the author and a staged reading of “How to Jail.”

The short film “How to Jail” will feature Twin Cities actors Peter Christian Hansen and Ryan Parker Knox and will be directed by Paul von Stoetzel. The film will be produced by Killing Joke Films in conjuncture with Chris Buekers, and will be filmed by the Academy Award winning cinematographer Geoff George.

The adapted short story “How to Jail” by Dennis Tafoya was originally published in Crime Factory Magazine in March 2010. Tafoya has published two novels with St. Martin’s Minotaur. After a strong debut with Dope Thief in 2009, Tafoya followed up with Wolves of Fairmount Park, which has garnered critical acclaim. Tom Nolan of Wall Street Journal calls Tafoya’s sophomore effort “(A) mesmerizing and most impressive book... Tafoya is finding his own original voice, one that will make readers sit up and listen." Tafoya is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Liars Club, a Philadelphia-area writers group.

When:
February 18^th at 7:00 PM

Where:
The Black Forest Inn Banquet Room,

1 East 26th Street, Minneapolis MN 55404

Tickets:
Sliding scale $15-$25, tickets will be sold at the door.

If you can't make it to the fundraiser you can donate at BRUTE FORCE FILMS

Rawson's Top 5

Like most years since I turned 30, 2010 flew by for me. It was an exciting year, I met and interviewed more than a few of my idols, helped revive a magazine, and started writing reviews along with pumping out fiction. The other thing that set 2010 apart for me was that I read 80 novels this year. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a prestigious reader, but this year there didn't seem to be moment that went by when I didn't have my nose in a book.

I enjoyed most of them, but there were more than a few that left me shaking my head and performing a sky hook into the garbage can with them and even more that left me saying Meh. But there were some truly great reading moments with novels where time stopped moving and I was so absorbed by story that nothing existed outside of it. The following lists are the best of what I read this year.

Quick note, folks. I know I said I would be writing individual reviews for each of my picks, but time managed to sneak up on me and kick my ass. Plus I had a hell of a time narrowing down my choices and I liked so many different novels that I decided to include a top five of my non crime reads and five notable crime titles along with my top five.
Anyway, here we go


My top 5 Non-Crime novels of the year

Yes, I read a lot of non crime fiction. For every two crime titles I read, I dip my toes into another genre. With 2010, I found myself reading a boat load of Urban Fantasy and Apocalypse fiction. In case you didn't notice, there was tons of both.

5) Rut by Scott Phillips
Phillips told me about this book when I was conning--I mean arranging for him to contribute his 'Under the Influence' piece for issue #1 of Crimefactory. Phillips has been one of my favorite novelists for a number of years and I was chomping at the bit to read his take on science fiction. Rut is very much an apocalypse novel, but it's a realistic take on Armageddon, where the end of the human race is slow and drawn out over decades as opposed to a sudden blinding flash of death and chaos. And, of course, the book is hilarious.

4) The Stairway to Hell by Charlie Williams
When I received this novel, Russel Mclean commented on how brilliant he thought the book was. In fact, he called it 'genius'. And Russel, he was right, this is not only a brilliant read, but is Williams best novel to date. Normally I'm not a huge fan of novels about musicians or the pursuit of fame, but Stairway to Hell is so damn funny my predisposed prejudice towards the subject was completely shed. Highly recommended to fans of Neil Gaiman's more vicious novels.

3) Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Like I said of Victor Gischler, if there was a Kadrey fan club, I'd be the president. (Okay, vice-president, A.J. Hayes would probably be the president) I've put this book into the hands of more people this year than any other. And, yes, crime fiction fans will love it because along with being one of the best examples of Urban Fantasy released this year, it's also one hell of a hard-boiled read. Also on an only interesting to me note, Kadrey is the one author who I own entirely as e-books.

2) The Passage by Justin Cronin
This one got tons of ink this year, but there was a reason for it. The Passage is a fully realized, emotionally complex epic and outside of Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt novels, the Passage is one of the most original takes on the vampire novel I've ever read. It's also one of the most original takes on the Armageddon, where Cronin advances the remains of civilization not five or ten years into the future, but 80. Great read.

1) The Four Fingers of Death by Rick Moody
This was a bold move by a writer whose previous novels mostly dealt with the malaise of suburban America. Much like Rut, Moody portrays the end times as a slow burn, a culture ravaged by out of control consumerism, short attention spans, and bastardized politics has doomed us. This is a novel within a novel and both story lines are utterly compelling.

My Five Crime Fiction notables:

5) The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson
A slickly written, meticulously researched mystery with heavy noir elements. Davidson's first novel length effort is far from a perfect novel, but it is a highly enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to further entries in the Lily Moore series and where she takes her characters

4) Bad Juju and Other tales of Madness and Mayhem by Jonathan Woods
My favorite single author short story collection of the year. Woods is a master of the short form and each story in the collection is a insane nugget of desperation and over the top violence.

3) Broken Dreams by Nick Quantrill
What I like most about Quantrill's PI Joe Geraghty is that, yes, Geraghty's past life is fraught with tormented moments, but he is not over burdened by them. Geraghty has dealt with his pain and has moved on and is dealing with day-to-day life as opposed to letting it turn him into a self serving prick like most fictional PI's. Broken Dreams is a gripping, atmospheric read and like the Damage Done, it's not perfect, but it is highly readable

2) Print the Legend by Craig McDonald
My favorite ongoing series. Each entry in the Lassiter series keeps getting better and better. I can't wait for One True Sentence.

1) Requiems for the Departed edited by Gerard Brennan and Michael Stone
My favorite anthology of the year in a year over flowing with truly amazing anthologies.

I know this has been one long winded bastard of a post, but finally, here are my top five novels of the year.

My Top Five

5) Pike by Benjamin Whitmer
I commented on Facebook when I first started reading Pike that I felt like I needed to take a scalding hot bath every 50 pages or so. I still hold to this opinion. Pike is stripped down, working class noir. Each chapter is like a punch to the face and is one of the most carefully constructed novels of the year.

4) Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski
This genre bender is classic Swierczynski. Whip crack plotting, near nonstop action, and some of the most intelligent, personal writing of Philly's reigning king of pulp's career. One of the few novels I read multiple times this year.

3) Late Rain by Lynn Kostoff and Johnny Porno by Charlie Stella (tie)
Kostoff and Stella seem to be attached at the hip this year and with good reason. Both authors have produced the two best and, far from easily defined novels, of their careers. Yes, both are crime novels on the surface, but there's so much more going on in each of them. Both are tightly drawn character studies without an ounce of fat on either of them.

2) The Wolves of Fairmount Park by Dennis Tafoya
Tafoya's sophomore effort can be easily compared to the best of Richard Price and George Pelacanos. Tafoya skillfully handles this weighty, character driven tome with the deft skill of a far more experienced novelist. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Tafoya is the novelist to watch in the years to come.

1) The Cold Kiss by John Rector

The moment I cracked the ARC of the Cold Kiss open, I knew I would be including it on my ten best of list. Two hours later as I turned the last page, I knew it would be my number 1 pick. The Cold Kiss is a perfect balance of character, plot, and action. No, the plot of a young couple coming across a shit load of dirty cash and then being hunted down for it isn't the most original, but Rector manages to make it fresh by combining it with an intense locked room style mystery. By the way, if I was a betting man, I'd put money down that five years from now, Rector will be ranked as one of the most renowned thriller writers in the states. The Cold Kiss is an amazing, can not be missed novel

The Best of Whatever—Hilary Davidson

Top 10 of 2010

This was a strange year for my reading list. The more conferences I attended and writers I met, the more my TBR fiction pile grew. But I was preoccupied for months with writing a new novel, and don’t seem to be capable of reading other novels while I’m writing one. That meant I did read an extraordinary amount of short fiction this year, which is obvious when you look at my favorites… (listed in no particular order):

1. Thuglit Presents: Blood, Guts, & Whiskey, edited by Todd Robinson — Robinson is the person who gave so many crime writers working today their launch pad: Thuglit. This is the zine’s third anthology, and it’s a winner across the board with stories by Craig McDonald, Tom Piccirilli, Stuart Neville, Glenn Gray, Scott Wolven, and Derek Nikitas. (I have a short story in here, too — I’m one of those writers who owe everything to Todd, his partner-in-crime Allison, and Thuglit.)

2. Needle: A Magazine of Noir — I remember when Steve Weddle told me he had the idea to start a new print magazine. That was March 2010. By April, Needle had launched. In print, no less. Weddle, John Hornor, and their amazing team of editors work fast, yet brilliantly. This has become required reading.

3. Pariah by Dave Zeltserman — I was already a huge fan of Zeltserman’s work, but this novel convinced me that the man is the new Jim Thompson. Welcome to the heart of darkness.

4. 8 Pounds by Chris F. Holm — I’ve admired Holm’s short fiction for some time, and I’d read six of the eight stories in this collection at one time or another. Still, 8 Pounds felt like a shock to my system. There are threads of suspense and noir and horror that are woven through his stories, making them unusually powerful.

5. Borrowed Trouble by J.B. Kohl and Eric Beetner — I had the good fortune to get an advance read of this sequel to One Too Many Blows to the Head. Kohl and Beetner have vividly re-created 1941 Los Angeles, ripping apart the city’s glamorous façade to reveal the cold noir heart beneath. Look for it in February 2011.

6. Beat to a Pulp: Round One, edited by David Cranmer and Elaine Ash — Some of my favorite stories of the year are in here, including “Fangataufa” by Sophie Littlefield, “Killing Kate” by Ed Gorman, “Ghostscapes” by Patti Abbott, and “A Native Problem” by Chris F. Holm. (I have a story in this collection, too.)

7. Notes on a Scandal (What Was She Thinking?) by Zoe Heller — I loved the Cate Blanchett/Judi Dench film, but the novel is even better, not least because of its far darker conclusion. The tale of a schoolteacher who has a sexual affair with a teenage boy — and who is in turn preyed upon by another, older, teacher — makes for truly twisted noir.

8. Dope Thief by Dennis Tafoya — I bought this book in 2009 because Keith Rawson raved about it so much, but neglected to actually read it until I met Tafoya at a library event in New York. I’m actually glad I waited to read it, because I would have been tongue-tied when meeting him otherwise. Lyrical yet powerfully real, this is one book I recommend to everyone.

9. Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks — This novel had already won the Shamus and the Nero by the time I started reading it. Not going to make that mistake with Eyes of the Innocent, coming in February 2011.

10. Crimefactory — I love the fact that Keith Rawson, Cameron Ashley and Liam José pulled this magazine from the ashes and set it loose on the world again in 2010. It just gets bigger and better with every issue.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hilary Davidson's first novel, THE DAMAGE DONE, will be published by Forge in October 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Thuglit, Crimespree, Spinetingler, The Rose & Thorn, Crimefactory, Needle Magazine and Well Told Tales. Her first published story, "Anniversary," is in the anthology A PRISONERY OF MEMORY (Pegasus, 2008), and her "Son of So Many Tears" will be in Thuglit's upcoming anthology (Kensington, 2010). When she's not writing about murder and mayhem, she's on the road as a travel writer. Visit her online at www.hilarydavidson.com.

Rawson’s Best of Whatever #6: Wake Up Dead by Roger Smith

What set 2010 apart for me book wise was the stellar wave of sophomore novels which made it onto bookstore shelves. Dennis Tafoya's The Wolves of Fairmount Park (more on that one later) Stuart Nevile's heartbreaking Collusion and Roger Smith's Wake Up Dead. None of these author's suffered from the so-called "sophomore slump". In fact, their second novels were far more satisfying, complex pieces of writing. This, in particular, can be said about Smith's Wake Up Dead. Below is my original review of Wake Up Dead from Spinetingler Magazine, I hope you enjoy.

Review—Wake Up Dead by Roger Smith

Imagine the worst ghetto you’ve ever been in.

Imagine the poverty, strife, and outward hostility you experienced while you were there stranded in your broken down car, or because you got off on the wrong subway stop.

Now, what I want you to do is multiply that by a hundred.

No, screw a hundred, make it a thousand.

If you can even remotely picture this, you might have an idea about the world in which Roger Smith’s Cape Town, in his stellar sophomore novel, Wake Up Dead, exists.

Wake Up Dead is the Story of Roxy Palmer, an on the wrong side of thirty ex-runway model who has tumbled into the arms of one rich man after another until she lands in the gruff, alcoholic embrace of her husband, Joe. Joe is an arms dealer and freelance private security broker. After a charming evening dining with a central African cannibal/terrorist and his Russian whore, the couple is carjacked in the driveway of their home. Joe suffers a minor gunshot wound to the leg. However, as the thieves speed away in Joe’s former luxury automobile, his loving wife recovers the weapon Joe was shot with and decides to put an end to their lackluster five year marriage by blowing his brains out with plans of blaming it on the carjackers.

Enter Billy Africa.

Billy is a native of the ruthless slums of Cape Town, a former gangbanger and cop who worked for Joe’s private security firm. Billy returns to Cape Town after being injured—and subsequently fired—from a protection job in Bagdad. Billy dreads coming home because of the violent ghosts—including suffering a brutal attack where he was burned over 50% of his body and then buried alive and witnessing the murder of his mentor and partner by the same malicious animal, Piper—which haunt its streets. But Joe owes Billy money, thirty thousand dollars to be exact, for his nearly flawless service.

Roxy and Billy’s paths inevitably intertwine once the carjackers return to the scene of the crime after one of the speed freaks—Disco, who also happens to be the former “wife” of Billy Africa’s nemesis, Piper in Pollsmoor maximum-security prison—is brought in for a lineup and they get it into their tck-tck (South African slang for crystal Methane) addled skulls to blackmail the unrepentant widow with their knowledge that she was the one who murdered Joe.

Billy comes onto the scene after the two junkies kidnap Roxy off the street and bring her back to her and Joe’s home to terrorize her and steal whatever isn’t nailed down. Billy, of course, is looking for his money and after untying Roxy, quickly comes to the realization that Roxy killed Joe due to her reluctance to call in the police about the home invasion and in turn decides that it’s in his best interests to more or less blackmail Roxy in order to recover his earnings, but he also decides to act as her bodyguard in order to insure that he gets his money.

To further muddy the waters, the vicious Piper, has become obsessed with his former “wife” Disco and wants the pretty boy back at any cost, including breaking out of prison and leaving behind a long line of corpses in order to get him back inside of Pollsmoor at Piper’s side to spend the rest of their lives together.

As you can guess there’s a lot going on in Wake Up Dead (and a lot more that I’ve failed to mention.) and in lesser hands, this book might have been a hazy, lackluster mess of a novel. However, with his second effort, Smith has proven what a natural born storyteller he is. Smith takes the multiple strands of his broken, tragic characters and weaves them into a complex, cinematic tapestry, which keeps you turning pages at a machine gun fire pace. Smith’s prose is simple and straightforward. His sentences are clipped and unadorned, but yet have unique, poetic quality.

And yes, much has been said about the violence of Wake Up Dead, (and of his equally impressive debut, Mixed Blood.) and no question about it, the novel is a virtual bloodbath, but you never feel that it’s too gratuitous or simply inserted to shock the audience. I felt each dramatic episode was absolutely necessary in moving the plot towards its brutal, emotionally exhausting climax.

Wake Up Dead is an intense, visceral experience and the type of novel where you’ll almost want to immediately turn back to page one and experience the harder than nails ride all over again. And I for one whole heartedly believe that if Smith continues to write with this level of self assuredness and quality, that his work may very well stand as equal to such hard-boiled masters as Bruen and Ellroy.

The Best of Whatever—Jedidiah Ayres

My best of 2010 in no particular order:

Noir at the Bar. It was an amazing year for the tawdry little event that I host along with Scott Phillips. We were validated by the participation of Pinckney Benedict, Laura Benedict, Sean Doolittle, Derek Nikitas, Dennis Tafoya, Tim Lane, Matt Kindt and Jonathan Woods. We also got to see the first public readings of Matthew McBride, Chris La Tray, Dan O’Shea and (I think) Cameron Ashley. Don’t have any idea how 2011 could possibly top that.

People I know getting book deals. You guys make me sick. (You can find those guys HERE and HERE)

Great debuts: Jack Clark – Nobody’s Angel, Benjamin Whitmer – Pike, John Rector – The Cold Kiss

Knockout sophomore efforts: Dennis Tafoya – Wolves of Fairmount Park, Roger Smith – Wake Up Dead, Millard Kaufman – Misadventure, John Brandon – Citrus County.

“Discoveries” – Lynn Kostoff, Dave Zeltserman, Larry Brown, Thomas McGuane, Jim Nesbit

Good films from great books – Winter’s Bone, The Killer Inside Me, True Grit (it’s gonna be, I just know it)

Young punk upstarts online – Crimefactory, Muholland Books blog

And in print – Needle, Beat to a Pulp (yeah, in print)

Unconfirmed accounts of people reading my bullshit: William Gay, Chris Offutt, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Duvall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jedidiah Ayres recently made his big screen debut playing the part of Yogi Bear. He loooooooovess pic-i-nic baskets. He blogs at Hardboild Wonderland and B&N's Ransom Notes and his fiction has appeared in more publications than you can shake a dead cat at. (which makes the editors of Crimefactory Magazine green with envy.) He also penned the screenplay for the film Mosquito Kingdom