New Blasted Heath Releases coming soon -- like, this month!

Check out these lovely covers. Danny Boy was designed by JT Lindroos and the reissue of THE POINT by Kyle MacRae. And thanks to Allan Guthrie for the edits. Blurbs to follow for both novellas when I'm happier with them, but I'm more than willing to answer any questions here or anywhere else you want to track me down. So long as they're easy questions, like.

(Click the images for a closer look)

Both books will be available for your Kindle, PC, Tablet and/or Smartphone super-soon.

Cover Story

I'm really digging the similarity between these two covers...

Click here to buy WEE ROCKETS for £0.99!

Click here to download HILDA'S BIG DAY OUT for FREE!

An Interview - Nigel Bird

46 years. It's been a long journey. I've been a primary school teacher for almost half of them, moving from mainstream to exceptional needs to additional support needs. I'm most happy with and most proud of my own family. Second to them comes my involvement in writing and peripheral projects. I co-edited the Rue Bella magazine for 5 years or so and am mighty proud of that too. Recently I've been more involved with writing my own pieces. I've been lucky enough to find spaces for some of my work and I'm hoping that one day I'll write a novel that's worthy of publication. I've given up gambling, alcohol, smoking and any kind of unnatural highs over the past few years and am looking for a new compulsion - maybe I've found it in Twitter. Yep, 45 years. I haven't always known it, but I've been a very lucky man.

What are you writing at the minute?

Very unusually, I’m on a break. Really.

It’s the first time in at least seven years that I haven’t had something on the go. My novel is out with readers gathering helpful tips (feedback so far, so good) and as soon as my novella SMOKE was finished it was put out by Trestle Press.

When I realised I had no new ideas or work on the plate, I decided I’d take a month just to chill. A week in and my empty head is filling with thoughts I’d rather not be having, like metal weights collecting there and telling me to go for a swim (come on in the water’s fine), so I’ve come to conclusion that breaks are for bones and for poorly-matched couples.

Can you give us an idea of Nigel Bird’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I get up around 6:45 and check in with sales and emails. ‘Dirty Old Town’ continues to clock up a handful of sales a day, so it’s not quite as crazy as it seems. Lately I’ve been following ‘Into Thin Air’ in the Waterstone’s top 10 short story chart (it’s currently at number 7).

Work and family will keep me very busy from then until about 8pm.

Tea cleared away, packed lunches made for the next day, a token effort at housework done, I set to writing. I’ll be knackered and way past my best, but I force myself (starting’s the hard part, the rest falls into place).

An hour later, I stop and move on to the writing-related aspect of things – emails, blogs, Tweets, interviews, Sea Minor, cover-design, editing, Face-booking and the like. If I’m lucky, I’ll have something really exciting to work on such as Pulp Ink – that was a real buzz.

I might have time for a bit of TV then, but I’m a real believer in the importance of reading, so I try and read something (anything) before getting back on to the computer to much around (much the same as I did earlier) and then it will be time for bed.

Somewhere in that time, my wife and I say hello. At least I think we do.

Basically, writing has all my spare time and steals a little more of the rest than it should.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

As my life concentrates upon offering my children rich experiences of the world, that’s what I spend most of my time doing, mainly in the role of facilitator it has to be said. A big part of that is the experience of nature (sounds really naff) whether by the sea or on walks or making dens and pretending to cook things that are really leaves and berries and twigs.

I also spend a lot of time coming up with clever tricks which will allow me to sneak onto the computer (on far too regular a basis).

Solitude, reading and nature are important to me. Damn.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

If you want to write genre fiction, make sure you enjoy the genre. Read lots of the best available within that genre and plenty of work of the people who are freshening things up. Connect with people who write and read similar things and keep in touch. Above all, write to the best of your ability and then raise your ability.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

For the purposes of this question, I’m sticking to work I’ve read this year which is also pretty new.

Heath Lowrance did a fantastic job with ‘The Bastard Hand’ and ‘Dig Ten Graves’; Simon Logan produced ‘Katja From The Punk Band’ and it left me breathless; Eric Beetner and JB Kohl wrote something very special indeed in their collaboration, ‘One Too Many Blows To The Head’. Paul D Brazill and Darren Sant are Trojans at Trestle; Josh Stallings sets the page on fire and ‘The Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles’ by David Cranmer is very special indeed.

Each and every one of the contributors to Pulp Ink, the collection I edited with Chris ‘Death By Killing’ Rhatigan (a writer whose work I also love) gave me a buzz. Each and every contributor in there is a hot potato with salt and butter.

One writer in there who always excites me, whether it be poetry, micro, flash or short fiction is Bill (AJ) Hayes. The guy is ripe for the picking and I hope some publisher out there gets a sniff of him before I force him to act himself.

What are you reading right now?

I’ve just finished ‘Bucket Nut’ by Liza Cody. It’s a remarkable book in so many ways and I can’t believe I haven’t come to it earlier – it was released in 1994 (I think) and if I’d read it then, I think it would have changed my direction to crime fiction much earlier.

The amazing thing is that I felt I was reading something that had influenced my own work. I guess it must be that she had a big impact on other writers whom I love to read and I’ve benefited second or third-hand.

Plans for the future?

Plans and dreams are things I easily confuse.

My pleams are that I’ll be able to give up a day or two more of my teaching time in order to be able to work on my writing during the day. Being fresh and alert must improve output, and I really want to do little else but improve as a writer and to expand my readership as I do so.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I don’t think I could have, no.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s not a zap-pow moment or anything.

My worst writing experience is the novel ‘Orinoco Pony and his Dandelion Adventures’.

It’s a novel you won’t know because it will never make it. It will never make it because to do so, I’d have to change so much it would be a different story.

It soaked up all the emotional and physical reserves I had for over a year and the fact that some of my best friends were never to breathe life was devastating.

On the plus side, it did interest one of my favourite authors, Allan Guthrie, and without writing it that would never have happened.

Things were slightly better with my second attempt at a novel. I managed to salvage the novella ‘Smoke’ from it and managed to keep a little more of a distance between me and it as I set about it.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

What am I most excited about? No question – Blasted Heath’s launch in November. It’s going to be my favourite publisher, I just know it. And I can hardly wait.

Thank you, Nigel Bird!

Blasted Heath

My novel, WEE ROCKETS, has found a home. Blasted Heath, the ebook publishing house with an 'indie record label' vibe (to quote Anthony Neil Smith and Kyle MacRae), has adopted my little tale of Belfast spides/chavs/neds and, once nursed back to health following a lifetime of abuse and emotional trauma, will set the feral little beast on the general public in January 2012.

Ladies and gentlemen, the cover:




I love it, don't you?

Now, Blasted Heath is brought to you by Allan Guthrie and Kyle MacRae. Click here to visit the holding page for the site. You'll find an intro video and a timer that ticks off the seconds to the release of the five launch titles on the 1st November. We're talking books from Anthony Neil Smith, Ray Banks, Douglas Linsay, Gary Carson and Brian Pendreigh. It's gonna be epic. Bookmark that site now.

What's that? Yes, Al was my agent but to become part of this revolution, I had to opt out of our contract. A crying shame, as Al has been a terrific influence in my writing career, but we've put a lid on that aspect of our professional relationship to eliminate any potential conflict of interests that might arise from the new venture. Feck it, though. I'm delighted to be part of Blasted Heath and I look forward to the future.

Monday Night Tipple

I have a few good reasons for enjoying this glass of plonk (it's got ice in it 'cause I'm dead classy that way) on a Monday night. First off, I'm taking leave from the day-job tomorrow. Secondly, I've a pretty exciting trip to Dublin planned. I managed to blag my way into Declan Burke's excellent Down These Green Streets and it's getting the launch treatment down at the Gutter Bookshop, Temple Bar, at 6PM -- and they've not barred me yet (full details can be found at CAP). And thirdly, I got word today that my short story, Aul Yellah Belly, will be included in Maxim Jakubowski's Mammoth Book of Best British Crime Volume 9 (due to be published in Spring 2012).

Yes.

YES.

YES!

Not too shabby for a Monday.

I'll need to get my finger out from Wednesday, though. Danny from Pulp Press sent me a wee email today to let me know there's an edit coming my way. And as of last week I've got a shit-tonne of work to do on the novel-in-progress. You see, uber-agent, Allan Guthrie (happy birthday, Al!), has had a read and pointed out the bits that need a spit-shine as well as the chunks that need the chainsaw treatment.

But for right now... glug, glug, glug.

The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8

Thanks to Paul D. Brazill for the heads up on this. From the Constable and Robinson website:

Over 35 new short stories from the UK's leading crime writers. The must-have annual anthology for every crime fiction fan – the year’s top new British short stories selected by leading crime critic Maxim Jakubowski.

This great annual covers the full range of mystery fiction, from noir and hardboiled crime to ingenious puzzles and amateur sleuthing. Packed with top names such as: Ian Rankin (including a new Rebus), Alexander McCall Smith, David Hewson, Christopher Brookmyre, Simon Kernick, A.L. Kennedy, Louise Walsh, Kate Atkinson, Colin Bateman, Stuart McBride and Andrew Taylor.

The full list of contributors is as follows: Sheila Quigley, Nigel Bird, Jay Stringer, Paul D. Brazill, Adrian Magson, Colin Bateman, Gerard Brennan, Matthew J. Elliott, Andrew Taylor, Lin Anderson, Christopher Brookmyre, Ray Banks, Declan Burke, Liza Cody, Simon Kernick, Stuart MacBride, Allan Guthrie, Ian Rankin (two stories, including a new Rebus), Nick Quantrill, Edward Marston, Nicholas Royle, Zoe Sharp, Robert Barnard, Simon Brett, Peter Lovesey, A.L. Kennedy, Roz Southey, Phil Lovesey, David Hewson, Amy Myers, Marilyn Todd, Peter Turnbull, Keith McCarthy, Alexander McCall Smith, Stephen Booth, Denise Mina, Mick Herron, Kate Atkinson and Louise Welsh.

Flippin' heck, would you look at that list of talent? I have books on my shelf by Colin Bateman, Christopher Brookmyre, Ray Banks, Declan Burke, Allan Guthrie (who is also my agent) and Denise Mina. Why I haven't invested in an Ian Rankin or Stuart MacBride novel yet is as much a mystery to me as anybody else, but hey, I'm still a whipper-snapper. There's time to rectify this.

I've also read short stories by Paul D. Brazill, Nick Quantrill and most recently, Nigel Bird. Needless to say, I'm humbled by the company my tale now keeps.

According to the website, the collection will be released in April 2011 so I've plenty of time to get acquainted with some of the writers that I've yet to read. Must get on to that ASAP.

Sex, Dubs and Rock 'n' Roll

Thought I'd share the cover of an upcoming anthology one of my short stories has made it into. Purty, ain't it? Edited by Maxim Jakubowski, SITC: Dublin also features stories by Ken Bruen, Colin Bateman, Sean Black, Stella Duffy and others... Pretty good company, am I right?

The collection, I'm very reliably informed, is due back from the printers in a matter of weeks and is on schedule for a September release. It can already be pre-ordered now at Amazon, though...

And in other quite related news, I've also managed to blag my way into the Best British Crime antho (the 8th volume) that features crime fiction stories published in 2009. My story's a crazy little tale of Rock 'n' Roll excess. This collection is also edited by Maxim Jakubowski and the 7th volume had stories by Alexander McCall Smith, Colin Dexter, Christopher Fowler, Robert Barnard, Anne Perry, Peter Lovesey, Ken Bruen and Allan Guthrie. I'm more than a little excited about this sale. Can't wait to see the table of contents for this new one. I heard a rumour that Nick Quantrill has a story in it but that's all so far...

Tony Black

As he lives in Scotland, Requiems for the Departed contributor, Tony Black, won't be able to make the launch in Belfast tomorrow night. But check this out (well worth going to if you're in his neck of the woods):

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
ISSUED: 8-june-2010

Two of the country's leading crime writers are teaming up to pass their know-how on to the next wave of upcoming authors.

Edinburgh-based Tony Black and Allan Guthrie have had 10 novels published between them. Now they're getting together to present a unique workshop in the Scottish capital, called Writing Your Crime Novel - Seven Steps to Success.

Crime-writing is one of the most popular genres among readers in Britain and beyond, and it remains one of the very few growth areas in publishing. With many new writers eager to turn their hand to this area, the workshop is designed to help authors hone their skills by providing a unique insight in the creative process of planning and writing a crime novel. It covers such key areas as plot development, story structure and characterisation.

Tony says: "The potential market for crime writers is massive these days, but finding a pathway through it is more difficult than ever.

“Publishers are all looking for the next big thing - but are very specific about what they want. This course is aimed at pointing out just what it is they’re looking for, and how to go about delivering it."

Tony will host of the majority of the event, while Allan will present a section dealing with how to go about attracting the interest of a literary agent.

Tony says: "This is probably the most valuable insight you can afford a new writer as without an agent, there’s simply very little chance of being published."

Writing Your Crime Novel workshop takes place at the Royal Over-SeasClub, 100 Princes Street, Edinburgh, on Friday 16 July. For more details, go to http://www.theideasspace.co.uk/

And Tony is due to launch the fourth Gus Dury novel, Long Time Dead, at Blackwells Bookshop, Edinburgh, on the 1st July at 6pm.

Thumbs up from the Triumvirate

The BSC website has posted a top ten Mystery/Crime Fiction of 2009 list from the three wise-guy reviewers, Keith Rawson, The Nerd of Noir and Brian Lindenmuth -- the triple-pillar of new noir.

These boys know what they're talking about and I was very pleased to see a good Northern Irish representation. Stuart Neville's The Ghosts of Belfast (AKA The Twelve) and Adrian McKinty's Fifty Grand made the cut.

Also mentioned were three adopted sons of CSNI (ie, not Northern Irish writers, but with enough of an Irish connection to have been interviewed here in the past). Dave Zeltserman's Pariah, Jason Starr's Fake ID and Allan Guthrie's Slammer got their much deserved big-ups.

Jump over to BSC to see who placed where for whom (grammar?). I'll be referring to it for some reading recommendations in 2010. You should too.

US Slammer

Allan Guthrie's SLAMMER was very recently released in the US.

Here's the funky cover.

Looks like a Metallica album. In a good way.

The book's even better. Have a look at the review below (originally written in July after I read the UK version).

A Wee Review - Slammer by Allan Guthrie

I picked up Allan Guthrie’s Slammer expecting a multi-POV crime caper. Before then, my Guthrie experience consisted of the books featuring Gordon Pearce, a Scottish hard man with a violent past, present and, most likely, future. But what I got was something very different. Where books like Two-Way Split, Hardman and Kill Clock are gloriously action-packed and at times comic-bookish in their violent joy, Slammer is a more thought-provoking psychological thriller. Now, I loved the Pearce books, but this latest one... I think it has the potential to pull a whole new breed of fan to Guthrie’s work.

In Slammer we get to know Nick Glass, a young Scottish prison guard who just isn’t cut out for the job. His colleagues see him as a soft target for practical jokes and the prisoners see him as an easy touch. So much so that he gets bullied into a very awkward situation. But then he gets pushed too far. Thus the tagline; “And when Glass breaks he might just shatter...”

I’ve always been interested in prison based stories. Having studied books, movies and TV programmes like The Shawshank Redemption, Animal Factory and Oz, I consider myself quite well versed in the crime fiction subgenre that is the prison drama. And I was impressed by how real the prison scenes in Slammer came across. Now, in a CSNI interview Guthrie revealed that he’s not one for in-depth research, but for this novel he did pick the brains of an ex-prison guard by the name of Tom Laird who helped him add a little gritty reality to the novel. And these anecdotes obviously added quite a bit to the feel of the scenes. Right now, Slammer is at the top of my list of favourite prison stories, in any medium.

But the book does not survive on prison anecdotes alone. It’s so much more than that. Through the character of Nick Glass, Guthrie demonstrates a thorough understanding of the psychology of a man on the verge of a breakdown then goes deeper still when Glass is dipped even further into a mental abyss. It is a scarily believable decline. Unfortunately, there’s not much more I can say about the plot or the protagonist that won’t spoil some excellent twists and reveals. Just know that you’ve a lot of impressive stuff in store when you pick up Slammer. And existing Allan Guthrie fans needn’t worry. He hasn’t forgotten his roots either. He still manages to kill a small animal and dismember a character or two, just to keep it old school.

A Nifty Top Fifty

I’ve been keeping my eye on the BSC Review website that features reviews, interviews and articles from the likes of such crime fiction connoisseurs as Brian Lindenmuth, Sandra Ruttan, Keith Rawson and Gerald So. Earlier today, Lindenmuth’s Top Favourite 50 Novels of the Decade article caught my eye. I read it wondering if any of my favourites were in there, whether any of the unread books on my shelf would feature and to see if I could pick up a few recommendations (though God knows I don’t need to be spending cash on more books any time soon). Turns out a goodly portion of these books are CSNI favourites.

Adrian McKinty and Stuart Neville each got a mention, and Ken Bruen featured in the list twice.

Their entries went like this:

The Guards by Ken Bruen – This was the gateway book for most fans of Bruen’s work and introduced us to this original voice, great character and unique stylist.

American Skin by Ken Bruen – American Skin is Bruen’s masterpiece.

Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty – This book, along with Safer by Sean Doolittle, represents what commercial, popular fiction SHOULD be.

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville – Simply put, this is a great novel that will change you.

Some high praise indeed. And who’s to say what might be added to Lindenmuth’s favourites from this neck of the woods in 2010? I don’t think this surge in Irish crime fiction is going to die out any time soon.

Check out the rest of Brian Lindenmuth’s article for a year’s worth of highly recommended reading. As Allan Guthrie said on Twitter, “Brian recommends, I read.”

One To Watch Out For...

James M McGowan is a crime fiction writer from Galway. He claims Ken Bruen ran him out of town. I’m not sure how true that might be, but it’s such a lovely image, I just had to throw it out there.

He lived in Belfast for five years ‘when the going was tough’ and worked in Drogheda for a time, a County Louth town where one might meet a shady character or ten -- and McGowan met them. The Wee City seems to have gotten into his blood, as a lot of his fiction is very much rooted in Belfast. On that score alone, he’s all right by me.

His influences include, Jim Thompson, Ross Macdonald, David Pearce, Richard Stark and James Ellroy, so you can bet his work is blacker than tar. Another Norn Noir champion in the making.

He’s featured quite regularly on Powder Burn Flash and you can check out his writing in the following places:

http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/249http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/251http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/265http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/278http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/284http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/313http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/344http://www.powderburnflash.com/?q=node/346

They’re the perfect length for a quick Friday read. Get to clicking, guys.

His work has previously been published in Plots with Guns, Thuglit, Hard Luck Stories, Demolition and Mouth Full of Bullets.

He’s represented by Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates.

Get familiar with this dude now. He’s going places.

Ken Bruen’s Writing Evolution

I received Tower by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman recently (courtesy of Busted Flush Press). Since then, I’ve been thinking... I’ve read a fair number of Ken Bruen novels this year, both new and old, and I’ve found it a very interesting experience.

Thanks to Busted Flush Press you can read some of Bruen’s earliest work in a collection of novellas and short stories they’ve released titled A Fifth of Bruen. I read the opening piece in the collection not long after reading The Guards. Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities, as pointed out in the introduction by Allan Guthrie, is not a crime story, but the protagonist is almost an early version of Jack Taylor. Drunk, surly and difficult to get on with, but with a soul that springs deepest sympathy at the most surprising moments. And even with a cluttered mind like mine, you’ll spot a scene that has made its way into both texts. Some people might think of this as recycling. I prefer to think of it in fanboy terms -- like the books share a little overlap in the space-time continuum or something. Both Jack Taylor and Dillon, the protagonist from Funeral, visit a sick wino on his deathbed bearing the gift of socks. It’s a nice scene, brimming with righteous indignation and grief, and it adds a lot to the multidimensional characters from each story.

Another book that can be linked to The Guards via this space-time continuum thing is Dispatching Baudelaire. Mike Shaw, the turbulent accountant who provides the narrative for Dispatching Baudelaire, hints at a rocky relationship with his mother. Just like Jack Taylor. And both characters blame their mothers for the early death of their fathers. And both of their fathers had ten identical suits... Dispatching Baudelaire is a very different book than The Guards. The former is of a quirky American Psycho or Dexter mould whereas the latter is a hard-as-nails PI tale. But the little snippet of back-story works equally well in both novels.

Jack Taylor may be Bruen’s most popular character, but I think his genesis is an interesting one. If you haven’t read his early work, I’d say it’s definitely worth seeking out. It’s not too hard to find. Just look here. As well as the nerdy rush to be had at spotting space-time continuum overlaps (or recycled scenes), the reader will find that Bruen’s idiosyncratic way with prose has been constant (though refined) throughout the years. And let’s face it, the speed most of his fans burn through one of his novels? It’s good to know there’s a little more out there to keep you going until his next release.

An Interview - Tony Black

Tony Black is the author of the Edinburgh-set Gus Dury novels, GUTTED and PAYING FOR IT, both published by Preface/Random House. Marcel Berlins of The Times, said: “Tony Black is the latest in a seemingly unending stream of good Scottish crime writers … The dialogue fizzes and the whole is suffused with black humour. Celtic Noir is in rude health.”

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

I'm just at the early mapping out stage for the fourth Gus Dury novel, which is going to be called LONG TIME DEAD. I've just finished the third, LOSS, and I had a really good experience with that one, got some great reactions from editor and agent, so I'm on a bit of a high and raring to go again ...

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Tony Black’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Well, there's no two the same ... chaotic's the word. I like to try and get to the laptop in the morning but sometimes I don't quite make it. So long as I get those words down though, it's been a good day. I stick to fairly rigid word counts, 2k minimum, and if I fall behind I double it the next day. I can get a first-draft together pretty quickly if I'm really working it, but the proper graft comes in the rewriting, I take my time over that.

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Read. Study writing. Talk about writing. Quiz writers on writing. I'm shitting you ... I eat lots of take-away and bitch at the telly. Hang out. Y'know ... stuff.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the crime fiction scene?

If I knew the secret to cracking this racket, I'd have done it a lot sooner myself. At the outset it's like sticking your face in a fan ... wouldn't advise anyone to do that.

Q5. Which crime writers have impressed you this year?

Bruen, as ever, SANCTUARY is a ripper and ONCE WERE COPS is too good for words. The man is a genius. G-E-N-I-U-S. Russel D. McLean's THE GOOD SON kicks all kinds of ass. The reliable Ray Banks, soar-away talent that he is - loved GUN, haven't got to the new Inness yet but looking forward to it. And, Guthrie's SLAMMER is one of his best ever... but he'll top it, cos he's like that.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Would you believe, Leonard Cohen ... it's very dark. Like, you'd expect less, right?

Q7. Plans for the future?

I'm gonna take an extended trip to Oz, month or so, next year to map out a Melbourne-set thriller. Might go no further but I'll have a blast trying and I need some sun. Christ, I do ... much as I love Scotland, we don't see much of the big yellow fella in the sky.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Hmnnn ... probably loads, but what's the point looking back? I'm chuffed to bits with the editor I have and my publisher so I can't grumble.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It's not quite the 'wife loses manuscript on train' that Hemingway suffered but I have lost an entire first draft of a book before. I had the second and third drafts but losing the first fucked things up for me at the time ... the novel was never published but I don't think the two incidents are related. I was sore at the time.

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Don't do drugs, kids.

Thank you, Tony Black!

Depression Obsession

There's an interview with Declan Burke over at Rafe McGregor's blog. Dec makes some very insightful comments on a range of crime fiction and literary topics. But the following really caught my eye:

"Ireland has just fallen out of a boom into a depression, and I think that’s going to have a very interesting effect on the kinds of books that are written over the next few years. In fact, it’s already provided the backdrop to three terrific novels – Gene Kerrigan’s Dark Times in the City, Declan Hughes’ All the Dead Voices, and Alan Glynn’s forthcoming Winterland."

And as of today, I have all three of the above mentioned books on my shelf. Thanks to Gemma Lovett from Faber for sending me the Winterland proof. Alan Glynn's second novel has garnered serious kudos from the likes of Ken Bruen, Allan Guthrie and, of course, Declan Burke. Can't wait to get stuck in.

In fact, I think I'll read the triumvirate of Celtic Tiger death throes in quick succession. And here was me thinking I was done with the prozac thing after I got over my David Peace binge...

A Wee Review - Gutted by Tony Black

I read Tony Black’s Gutted amid a binge of Allan Guthrie novels. Both writers are Edinburgh based and both set their novels in and around Leith. Their work is very different in style and tone, but it’s undeniable that they each possess a huge talent for writing. Black has received high praise from Ken Bruen, and the protagonist of Gutted, Gus Dury, is reminiscent of Bruen’s recurring character, Jack Taylor. But again, differences in style and tone set the two characters apart. Dury is not the poor man’s Taylor. He’s a devastated and tragic hero whose strong moral compass is sometimes clouded by the ‘scoosh’ (cheap scotch).

From the opening sentences we immediately get the measure of Gus Dury. He hears screams in the woods and although he knows it’s a stupid thing to do, he hurls himself directly at the source. And when he discovers a bunch of youths torturing a dog tied to a tree, he lets rip on them, outnumbered or not. Unfortunately, he literally stumbles upon something downright gruesome during the scuffle. And being the man that he is, he allows the discovery to suck him in to an investigation that’ll fair put him through his paces.

Black brilliantly captures the damaged mind of a man who can’t see a life for himself without drink. Dury was once a great investigative journalist with a wife and a good life. But, as is so often the case, alcohol, that demanding mistress, stripped him of everything but a bar he inherited from a late friend. Yeah, an alcoholic with his own bar. Couldn’t be healthy. But his contacts from his former life are still at his disposal, all be it unwillingly in most cases. And so, he’s become something of a private investigator. But he’s more than that. He’s also a drunken social commentator. Dury is exasperated by the modern world of celebrity worship, trendy bars and reality TV. The fury of Dury is let loose more than once in Gutted and he rants his pants off on just about any topic he can think of. And if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself nodding along to this grizzled nutter’s diatribes.

Black has rejuvenated the often imitated drunken PI in his work. He’s also rejuvenated an interest in Edinburgh that I first worked up while reading Irvine Welsh’s work. We get an inner city tour as Dury travels the street in ‘jo-baxis’ (taxis), buses and on foot. And reconnecting with wonderful Leith slang-words like jakey, chibbing and schemie was a real treat. And in reading the slang and enjoying the moments of black humour, it struck me again and again how closely tied the Scottish are to the Northern Irish. I look forward to more work from this guy and his Scottish contemporaries.

You want something even more refreshing than a pint or two of the black stuff? Then give Tony Black’s stuff ago. And the morning after, your head will be clearer and you won’t smell as bad either.

Gutted will be released in June 2009.

Just Back

Been in Galway for a week without internet access, or even a computer. Just enjoyed my family, the weather, good food, some beer and some reading.

Read:

War of the Blue Roses by Garbhan Downey
Dispatching Baudelaire by Ken Bruen
The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen

And I started Slammer by Allan Guthrie.

Brilliant time!

I've emails and blogs to catch up on. After that, normal service? I hope.

A Triple Review – Two-Way Split, Hard Man and Kill Clock by Allan Guthrie

Went on a bit of an Edinburgh binge last month. I read three Allan Guthrie novels and Tony Black’s Gutted (more on that one in a future post) in quick succession. Before then, the only Edinburgh-based fiction I’d read was that penned by Irvine Welsh. That’s right, folks. I haven’t gotten around to Ian Rankin just yet. The Welsh stuff I’ve read (all but the latest three) I enjoyed a lot. But I also remember the mental investment they demanded. Irvine Welsh wrote in a Scottish accent, dropping killer lines like “Mon tae fuck!” in place of “Come on to fuck!” or “Let’s go!” Which was interesting, and helped draw you in to the rhythms of the Edinburgh accent, but at the same time, every single sentence was written in this manner, so it became something akin to reading Chaucer. You practically learned a new language, and sometimes stalled at lines that needed a bit of figuring out.

Allan Guthrie gives us a more accessible look at Edinburgh. Little snippets of slang pop up on the page, but usually in dialogue, and always in a context that makes it easy to decipher. I think Guthrie’s (and Tony Black’s – but as I say, I’ll get to that later) method suits me better. In my opinion, Welsh takes the ol’ sledgehammer-to-the-walnut approach in his prose. Guthrie chooses a more subtle route. And this means the reader’s energies can be focussed on the characters and story. Good thing too. Guthrie’s novels are rich in both.

Two-Way Split, Hard Man and Kill Clock make up the three works to date that feature the hard-as-nails Gordon Pearce. As a novella solely in Pearce’s POV, Kill Clock has the least characters, but the other two employ a shifting POV in which we get to know a large number of players. And as intricate as the other cast members may be, it’s the simplistic nature of Gordon Pearce that stands out in these books. Before his adventure in Two-Way Split, he spent ten years in jail for stabbing a drug dealer to death with a screwdriver. Why did he do it? His sister died of an overdose, and the dealer had provided the killer skag. And after serving his time, when Pearce’s mother is killed in a botched Post Office robbery, the formula remains unchanged. He gets to work on a plan to kill his mother’s killer.

Hard Man sees the Baxter family in desperate need of Pearce’s help. They need a bodyguard to protect the youngest Baxter from her psycho boyfriend. Unfortunately, Pearce isn’t interested. If the alleged hard man who’s annoying the Baxters has done nothing to Pearce, why should he get excited? Of course, everything changes when something he cares about is threatened. For Pearce, if it ain’t personal, it ain’t his problem.

Kill Clock features Pearce trying to beat the clock to help out an ex-girlfriend in need. As usual, he’s an unwilling participant in a violent scenario. He has a mission to complete before midnight, but being Pearce, he’s not going to try and outthink the situation. This straightforward protagonist doesn’t think around corners. He runs around them and blatters whoever’s on the other side. Funny thing about Kill Clock; Guthrie tips his hat to the 24 TV series by naming one of the characters Jack Bower. Somebody remarks that this is the guy’s real name. Pearce, deadpan, sees no reason why it shouldn’t be.

This leads me on to another unexpected element of Guthrie’s work. Mired as it is in violence, it’s quite surprising that at times it is also shockingly funny. Before reading Guthrie, I’d heard a lot about the violence, the darkness, the gritty rawness. Nobody really mentions the clever wit. And it’s a shame they don’t, because there are a number of readers out there who’d love this kind of thing who might just skim over it. I’m thinking of those who have enjoyed Colin Bateman at his darkest. Those fans seriously need to check out Guthrie’s work.

I can’t remember where I read it but if memory serves me, Guthrie once commented somewhere on the internet that Pearce has been through enough torture. He’s unlikely to feature in a future work. So it looks like I’ve read the complete set of Gordon Pearce books, then. It’s a bit of a shame, but like McKinty’s decision to retire Michael Forsythe, I can see the sense in it. Men like Pearce need to lay low or die. They can’t get away with anything else. Bloody trouble magnets, they are.

Slammer Yammer - An Interview With Allan Guthrie

Allan Guthrie writes crime fiction. He was born in Orkney, but has lived in Edinburgh for most of his adult life. He is married to Donna.

His first novel, Two-Way Split, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger and went on to win the 2007 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year. His second novel, Kiss Her Goodbye, was nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Gumshoe awards. He is also the author of the novels Hard Man and Savage Night, plus a novella, Kill Clock, for emergent adult readers.

Visit his website at http://www.allanguthrie.co.uk/.

SLAMMER, Guthrie’s latest novel, will be released this month.

I caught up with Allan Guthrie and bugged him with a few questions. Knowing how busy he is trying to sell other peoples’ novels as an agent at Jenny Brown Associates, as well as writing his own, I kept it pretty short.

Enjoy.

Gerard Brennan: As the title would suggest, SLAMMER is a novel set in prison. You’re a law-abiding citizen (that’s the rumour anyway), so I imagine you had quite a lot of research to do. How did you go about it?

Allan Guthrie: Who’s been spreading rumours about me? I deny everything! Law-abiding or not, I was lucky with SLAMMER. To a large extent, the research came first. I’d always fancied writing a prison novel. I even wrote one – of sorts – when I was a teenager. A pile of bollocks it was, too. But since I’ve been writing professionally, the idea of a prison novel’s always been at the back of my mind. And that’s where it stayed until, one afternoon at the day job, I got talking to an ex-prison officer who’d joined the company as a security guard, and that conversation (and several subsequent ones) provided a lot of the type of details I look for – you know, the kind of killer detail that convinces the reader you know what you’re talking about. Got me enthused about finally writing that prison novel – one that wasn’t a terrible pile of bollocks, that is. I still didn’t have a story, but that came to me later. I did a lot of background reading too: Jimmy Boyle, James Campbell, Erwin James, Malcolm Braly.

GB: It’s inevitable that a writer who’s honest with himself can find areas to improve with each novel written. I have it on good authority that you care about the craft of writing, so I reckon you fall into this ‘honest writer’ category. That said, what pleased you most about this novel with regards to the writing, characters and plot? No spoilers, though!

AG: That’s a tough question to answer. I tend to keep rewriting until I hit my deadline, otherwise I’d probably keep writing the same book forever. I rewrote TWO-WAY SPLIT for about four years and I’ve even rewritten it since it was published. And SAVAGE NIGHT went through over thirty drafts. So it’s probably true to say that I’m rarely that pleased with much of what I write. There’s certainly always room for improvement. But if I had to choose the aspect of SLAMMER that I think is the strongest, it would probably be the way the narrative unfolds. It’s a tricky story to tell, and Nicholas Glass is a tricky character to tell it. But I think I just about manage to handle all the trickiness okay.

GB: Will SLAMMER be a standalone novel, or can you see potential in it for a sequel or beyond?

AG: It’s a standalone.

GB: What are you working on right now?

AG: A thriller called BLOOD WILL OUT.

GB: I’m going slightly off topic here, but this is something CSNI readers will find interesting – You edited the Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman collaboration, TOWER, which is due out this year. Good fun?

AG: It’s always a pleasure to work on a quality book with great writers. And a great publisher too in David Thompson of Busted Flush. There’s a lot to learn from reading Bruen and Coleman up close, and they’re both absolute gentlemen to work with. Very much looking forward to TOWER hitting the shelves later this year.

GB: Given the choice of any writer in the world (but let’s say living), who would you most like to collaborate with?

AG: Garth Ennis. I’m late to the party, only recently discovered him, but he’s a writer I could learn a lot from. And he makes me laugh my arse off.

GB: If you had to give SLAMMER, the 25 word Hollywood pitch, how would it go?

AG: When a group of cons use outside help to threaten young prison officer Nicholas Glass’s wife and daughter, Glass agrees to help them with a ‘favour’. But, as their threats escalate, and one favour leads to another, Glass grows ever closer to breaking point...

GB: Thanks for taking the time, Allan!