FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOB STEWART

Hi folks,

I just heard from Dr. Bob Stewart III, Bob's son, as to the funeral arrangements and other details.

Services are Friday morning, November 14 at the mausoleum chapel. Viewing at 9:00 am and service at 10:00 am. 

Services will be at:

New Klein Chapel-Mausoleum
& 50 Acre Memorial Park
F.M. 2920, Klein Texas, 77379
(281)320-2674

Flowers are definitely appropriate and appreciated. Or a plant that can live on his memory!

Delivery address is

Klein Funeral Home
16131 Champion Forest Drive
Klein, Texas 77379
(281)320-2674

If one is interested, contributions in Bob Stewart's name will be gladly accepted by the American Diabetes Association for charity.

Thanks, everyone.

Blue skies,
Les

P.S. If anyone has any photos of Bob, his son, Dr. Bob III would greatly appreciate them. Just send them to me and I'll make sure he gets them and who they're from. Thank youl

My dear friend Bob Stewart has passed on--sad, sad day.

Hi folks,

One of my dearest friends, writer Bob Stewart, passed away last Thursday. I’ve spent the past two days struggling with how I could best pay my respects to him and keep finding myself without the right words. So, instead of writing some kind of effort at great prose, I thought I’d just talk about what he meant to me.

Author Grant Blackwood and Bob at the WRW event at the Purple Sage Dude Ranch (I was taking the picture)

There are people we meet along the way that make an immense impression on us. People that are truly bigger than life. Such a person was Bob. A hugely gifted writer, he befriended me several years ago and we became instant friends on the spot. A fellow Texan, it was immediately evident when you first spoke to Bob that he was a man who had a heart as big as his home state. And, although possessed of a huge talent, he was totally without an ego. I can’t even begin to list his accomplishments—he wrote bestselling true crime books, wonderful novels, even wrote award-winning scripts for the television show that was a staple of my childhood—Gunsmoke. He wrote for national magazines such as People, Time, Life and Latina. There wasn’t a single thing he couldn’t do and do well in the writing world. He even invented a new genre—“feline noir.” At is passing, he had just finished cowriting a new novel with our mutual friend, Carl Brush, titled The Yellow Rose of Texas.

This past spring, I was asked to be a presenter at two Texas events, the DFW Writer’s Conference and the nine-day retreat at the Purple Sage Dude Ranch outside of San Antonio, presented by Writers Retreat Workshop, with whom I’ve worked before, led by Jason Sitze and Gail Provost (widow of Gary Provost who began the retreats). I asked if Bob could join me in presenting and both directors gladly agreed. We spent the days in between at Bob’s home in San Antonio. Later, I found out that he had planned to sell the house months previously, but decided not to until after I left Texas so we could stay there and hang out together. I only found that out by accident when a neighbor of Bob’s told me what he’d done. Typical of Bob, when he did something for someone he never sought out any credit.

We had an absolutely wonderful time. I went through a really bad bout with my health. Texas was at the height of their allergy season and that, plus the intense heat, sapped all of my energy. When I got back home, my doctor told me if he’d seen me there he would have immediately put me into the hospital. I lost over 20 pounds in a week and could barely walk. Bob got me through it. Although suffering himself from diabetes and heart problems, he wouldn’t let me lift even my luggage, would drop me off at the entrances of places we went to and found parking places and walked back rather than allow me to. I didn’t really know how bad of shape he was in himself, as he never complained with a single word, but just went out of his way to assist me.

At the DFW Conference, Bob was a huge hit with his own presentations with a completely-filled up meeting room. After the conference, we went to his home and just hung out, telling each other war stories. Mostly, Bob talked about his late wife Martha, his son Bob III, his daughter-in-law Kim and his grandkids, and his current girlfriend Dixie. He wasn’t a guy to ever talk about himself, but I learned so much about Bob just from listening to him talk about his family. And his religion. He was an intensely religious, God-fearing man and he gave testimony to that faith in his every utterance as well as his very example of how he lived his life. Myself, I don’t know if I believe in the same God as Bob did, but if He exists as Bob firmly believed He did, Bob’s in a good place and where he deserves to be.

We talked often on the phone before my Texas trip and about every week thereafter. And then, he didn’t call for a few days. Now I know why. He’d passed away in his hotel room doing what he loved doing—attending a writer’s conference in Massachusetts. A mutual writer friend of ours, Scott Morales, emailed me that he had passed away. I called up Carl to see if he’d heard anything and he hadn’t either. We eventually were able to get in touch with Bob’s son, Bob III, and found out that it sadly was true.

That was one of the darkest days of my life. But, I started remembering Bob’s indomitable spirit and knew what he’d say to me if he saw me grieving for him—I could hear his booming laugh as he’d grin at me and tell me to get off my butt and start writing. That he was fine and in the home he’d planned all of his life to be in when his days ended and to simply celebrate life. After all, that’s what he’d done all of his life—celebrated being alive and on earth and at work in the grandest calling of all—being a writer.

So, here’s to you, old friend—you may be temporarily gone from the physical plane, but you’re alive in our memories—your family and your many, many friends--and always will be. You made the world a much, much better place because of your presence and I’m a very lucky man to have been blessed to have known you as my friend.

Rest in peace—you’ve earned it.

Blue skies,

Les

Me sitting on a rock, Mr. Spender, and... Bob! At the dude ranch just before we went in to chow down.

Review of Bob' Stewart's thriller, FIRST BORN

Hi folks,

Today, it's my genuine pleasure to talk about my good friend Bob Stewart's newest thriller, recently released, titled FIRST BORN. Below is the review I posted in Amazon and Goodreads. 

  

Five stars *****

Bob Stewart made a national name for himself with his bestselling true crime books such as NO REMORSE. He’s doing the same thing these days with his thrillers.

Stewart delivers one of the most chilling murderers in contemporary fiction with the introduction in FIRST BORN of Percy Kilbourne, known to most as “No Mercy Percy” Kilbourne, who misspells his own last name as “Kill Born” to reflect what he sees and owns as his evil destiny. What Stewart has done here is nothing short of remarkable. He has turned the plot of Pygmalion upside down and created a character who began as the white-trash rapist in Deliverance and is transformed during his stint in prison into a smooth, cultured, educated, sophisticated guy who can charm preachers and old ladies out of their socks, while creating a personal apocalypse for those he has vowed vengeance against. Sent to prison by a jury bent on ridding society of a murderer, even when presented evidence that legally he should be set free, No Mercy Percy gets set free by the same lawyer who served as jury foreman for his conviction… and sets out to destroy the lives of all who sat in judgment on him.

Over and over again, while reading this novel, I kept thinking of Robert DeNiro’s portrayal of Max Cady in the remake of Cape Fear. I’ve always thought of that performance as the best depiction of the single scariest villain in any movie or book—much more frightening even than Hannibal Lector. Well, Stewart’s No Mercy Percy is the guy who could take down Max Cady. He’d have him for breakfast. To steal a line from one of my own stories that seems apt: Wherever this guy was became the bad part of town.

This is one scary guy. You’ve got to read this book. And then, send letters to DeNiro’s agent. This is a role that was made for him.

That's the review. And you can take this to the bank--this is indeed, one scary dude!

I'm kind of worried now. Later this summer, Bob is picking me up along with our mutual friend, Carl Brush, and we're driving on to the Writer's Retreat Workshop in Minnesota where I'll be presenting and they'll be... drinking? Now I wonder if I should be in a car with a guy who can dream up people like No Mercy Percy... 

I'm pretty sure I won't be dozing off...

Get his book. It's a winner.

Blue skies,

Les

THE BITCH is coming! Promise...

Hi folks,

I know at least some of you are awaiting publication of my psychological thriller, THE BITCH, and I just wanted to give you an update on it.

The holdup is due entirely to the publisher, Eddie Vega. Lest you think I just threw Eddie under the bus, allow me to explain.

The whole problem is, Eddie's a perfectionist. Definitely a guy who's out of touch with modern life! Who in contemporary publishing does what this guy does! And, what is it he does, exactly?

Well, if you’ve read many ebooks, you’ve no doubt encountered a number of glitches in at least some of them. Paragraphs separated by space breaks, ala Lorrie Moore… but not on purpose as her work is. Those little wing-dings that mysteriously appear, such as the little blank boxes that sometimes show up. Paragraphs that aren’t indented. Spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, lines split mysteriously in places that don’t make sense. Dozens of other glitches.

Those who’ve published ebooks are well aware of them. The best publishers try to eliminate as many as possible. They appear because of the conversion programs available. What goes into the wood-chipper of a conversion program isn’t necessarily what comes out. While the best publishers do their best to clean up and eliminate conversion errors, there are some who could care less. Just slap it up on Amazon and fuggetaboutit. Some of these publishers just don’t give a damn. Slap it through the program and get it out there…

Not Eddie, nor Cort McMeel, the publishers of Bare Knuckles Press and Noir Nation International Crime Magazine. These guys are just plain anal. They have this ridiculous notion that what the buyer sees on his/her Kindle or Nook or other e-reader should be nothing less than perfect and that nothing on the page detract from the reading experience.

Here’s an encapsulated history of the editing of this book. First, I went through at least three major edits and rewrites of the entire manuscript under the guidance and tutelage of Cort and Eddie. Several dozen additional minor rewrites. This was before it was sent out for the ebook conversion process.

Eddie worked with the artists and technical wizards of the brilliant firm of Hurricanes and Butterflies in Prague, both for the cover and for the conversion to ebook format. He spent literally weeks just on the cover. Not to mention spending a boatload of money on it! This wasn’t some cover art from Jim Bob at the local graphic shop. He wanted the perfect cover. And got it, at least in my opinion. Oh—and that’s another thing. While most publishers I’ve worked with have been very gracious in soliciting my opinion about the cover on my books, not all do so. These guys really care that the author likes his cover.

For the past month, Eddie has had the three of us—him, Cort and me--going over and over the converted manuscript. Three times we’ve gone over and over a new version. Each time, we found and ferreted out conversion errors and my own errors.

Eddie and Cort have literally been working on manuscripts for BKP for 20-hour days, seven days a week. For months and months. They only publish books they’re passionate about and they’ve treated my manuscript with more respect and loving care than I’ve ever experienced with any other publisher, including several of the Big Six legacy publishers.

I’ve had to turn my phone off at night to get any sleep. Eddie is a vampire and if I didn’t turn off my phone, I’d be sure to get a call from him at three in the ayem. He often works through the night and I think he thinks the rest of us are doing the same.

The thing is, both Eddie and Cort feel this is a great book. And, they treat it with that kind of respect. Whether it is or not, I imagine readers will let us know. I’m very happy with it—especially after these guys helped me make it much “gooder” than it was when I submitted it to them.

I wish all my writer friends will get to experience a publishing experience akin to mine with Bare Knuckles Press with their own publishers! It’s the kind of experience that renews my faith in publishers—the kind that used to exist in larger numbers. Who aren’t concerned about the money first and foremost, but more in delivering what they feel to be worthwhile literature to the world.

So, I’m not throwing Eddie under the bus at all. Mostly, I love the respect and care he’s given my work, even if it gets the release date moved up some.

At this moment, we’re hoping it’ll be available in a day or so. In the meantime, I just wanted those of you who’ve been asking me when they can get a copy to know what’s going on. It’s all good.

I also wanted to share with you what some folks have said about THE BITCH in the blurbs they’ve generously given to me. As you can see by their names, these are people most of us know from their own, superb work. It means a lot to me what they had to say.

BLURBS

THE BITCH is the kind of raw crime fiction that’s right up my alley, like sandpaper for the brain. Edgerton has got the chops. Mad chops. Gonna make us all ashamed of our puny efforts one day.

 —Anthony Neil Smith, bestselling author of All the Young Warriors, Choke on Your Lies, Psychomatic, Hogdoggin’, Yellow Medicine, The Drummer, To the Devil, My Regards, Devil Red (Hap and Leonard) and others.

The Bitch is a vicious barnstormer of a novel, a noir rollercoaster that won’t let you unbuckle until that final three-word smackdown. Les Edgerton is Eddie Bunker’s pulpy cousin and Eugene Izzi’s soul brother, and with a spiritual family like that, you can’t go wrong. Pick it up immediately.

—Ray Banks, internationally bestselling author of Dead Money, Beast of Burden, The Big Blind. Saturday’s Child, Donkey Punch, No More Heroes and others.

Les Edgerton doesn’t pussyfoot around. He writes about real people drowning in desperation in THE BITCH. He’s got a story to tell you so get ready; it’s coming at you fast. Get ready…

 —Linwood Barclay, international bestselling author of Never Look Away, Clouded Vision, The Last Resort, Fear the Worst, Too Close to Home, No Time for Goodbye, The Accident and others.

Les Edgerton’s brilliantly hardboiled THE BITCH is the tense and hard hitting story of Jake Bishop, a reformed ex-con whose dark past drags him back into a life of crime like an umbilical cord tied tight around his neck.

 —Paul D. Brazill, author of 13 Shots of Noir.

I liked THE BITCH so much that I wanted to publish it. But we lost out and Bare Knuckles Press got a hell of a book. The Bitch is a dark crime fiction story that never once pulls a punch or ducks behind some bullshit like “happy endings” or “closure.” The Bitch isn’t afraid to stay dark until the very end.

 —Brian Lindenmuth, editor/publisher of Snubnose Press and Spinetingler Magazine.

From its opening sentence to its last, THE BITCH is an engrossing journey into some very dark places. Les Edgerton writes like a poet with a mean streak, and his prose goes down easy and smooth like good liquor as it carves up your insides.

—Henry Perez, author of Mourn the Living and Killing Red.

Imagine, if you will, Les Edgerton, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler sipping straight whiskey while swapping lies in the back booth of the Linebacker bar as the “noir” legends welcome Edgerton into the brotherhood of broken dreams. With THE BITCH, Edgerton earns his way into this special literary brotherhood. No, The Bitch isn’t a wild woman, but prison slang for “ha-BITCH-ual criminal.” This is a taut tale of double-cross, death, diamonds and destruction as Jake Bishop fights to protect all he holds dear—his freedom, his pregnant wife, and his teen-age brother—by holding The Bitch at bay when trapped into one last job. Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe could learn a thing or two from this hairdresser.

—Bob Stewart, author of Remorse (Pinnacle) a True Crime Book of the Month selection, Hidden Evil, and others.

 Les Edgerton. I just read his newest hard-boiled effort, THE BITCH, and I realized I didn’t once breathe through the entire thing. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but it is one of the most fun, dangerous, if not pyromaniac literary performances of the past year (word up is that parts of it are taken from Les’s own life. Holy crap, this guy shouldn’t be alive!). Like Les’s previous bestselling nonfiction effort on writing, HOOKED, this novel is a sure bet.

—Vincent Zandri author of The Remains, The Innocent, Moonlight Falls and The Concrete Pearl.

Every crime novelist remembers how his breath was literally taken away when he first started to read the early novels of Elmore Leonard. Les Edgerton has used the time he served in prison well. Years from now many future crime writers will also remember discovering him. His first crime novel, but not his first published book, THE BITCH is a realistic crime noir kind of novel that reminds me of Unknown Man 89, La Brava, Stick, and The Killer Inside Me (Jim Thompson).

 —Joseph Trigoboff, author of The Bone Orchard and The Shooting Gallery.

And then, there’s this!

Paul D. Brazill and Luca Veste both named THE BITCH on their lists of top novels of 2011.

It just doesn’t get any better than this. At least not for me! Watch this space for the announcement of its availability.

Blue skies,

Les

THREE NEW NOVELS YOU GOTTA READ!

Hi folks,

I’m posting reviews I just wrote on a few of my friends’ work and thought I’d share them here. The first is a noir crime novel by Allan Guthrie titled SLAMMER and it’s a beaut! Allan told me he was worried I’d find something wrong with it since it was set in prison and… well, you know… I spent time in prison. He shouldn’t have worried in the least. It’s pitch-perfect and if I didn’t know better, I’d guess he was in the cell next to me in J-Block. It’s that accurate. It’s set in a Scottish prison but there doesn’t seem to be much of an appreciable difference between the two. Mr. Guthrie is renowned as one of the best crime and noir writers extant and it was both a privilege and an honor to review his brilliant work.

The second book featured here is by my good friend Bob Stewart. Bob and I keep dancing around the possibility of co-writing a book together but I’m kind of afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold up my end to match his considerable writing chops. Bob has written some truly fantastic books. For a long time, he wrote true crime and his NO REMORSE is one of the best true crime nonfiction books I’ve ever read. He’s switching to fiction these days and his fiction chops are every bit as good as his nonfiction ones. He’s been busy these days as this is his second novel released just this year. Check out the synopsis and my review of HIDDEN EVIL following the one for Allan Guthrie.

The third is by gritty Irish crime writer, JJ Toner, which features a truly memorable protagonist, DI Ben Jordan in a wonderful read where you’ll need to buckle up or suffer possible whiplash at the twists and turns it makes. You'll want to read ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPECIAL.

I hope this works—having both an Irish and a Scottish writer here together… Bob may have to referee…

SLAMMER

By

Allan Guthrie

Review by Les Edgerton

This is going to sound odd, but the whole time I was reading Allan Guthrie’s brilliant novel, Slammer, I kept thinking about a writer I’d read back in the eighties, James Kelman. I couldn’t figure out why Kelman kept cropping up at the edge of my brain as I turned the pages, so I went and found a copy of Kelman’s How Late It Was, How Late, and reread it, trying to figure out where the connection was.

I thought at first it was the subject matter—both books deal with prison, albeit one centers on a guy in prison and the other (Guthrie’s) has a protagonist who is a guard, or as we call ‘em here in the States, a hack.

But, that wasn’t it. It really bothered me. Then, I thought perhaps it was that both were Scottish. Now, I felt I was getting closer to uncovering the connection my mind was making.

And then, it dawned on me. It was the world-view of both writers—their cadence of their expression. I knew then why I had joined two writers of different eras together. It was the same visceral feeling I got when I first read James Lee Burke and Joe R. Lansdale and Anthony Neil Smith and Harry Crews—the feeling that I was reading the spiritual descendents of William Faulkner.

It was a geographical thing—no—more—it was a geographically political thing. While Mssrs. Burke and Lansdale and Smith and Crews all employ particular voices and all are different from Faulkner’s (as well as similar), there is an undercurrent in all that make them related. I was seeing the same thing in Guthrie and Kelman. It’s a cultural thing I suspect. I wish I could articulate it better than I am here and I may well be far off-base, but I feel what I feel.

Stories are more than a plot and characters doing interesting things. The very best of our literature goes beyond that and allows the reader to see inside an intelligent mind. That’s what happens with Guthrie’s books. We see that dark place within that only the very best of writers ever get to and it’s the definition of honesty many seek but most grow weak when approaching and end up settling for an approximation of truth. Guthrie gets it.

What all the writers I’ve named here have in common is a dark view of existence. One that I share in my own outlook on life. Which is why I’m so attracted to this sort of writer more than any other.

As an ex-con, I’m leery of novels set in prisons. The vast majority get it wrong. It becomes clear immediately that their knowledge of prisons comes from TV and bad movies. When I encounter terms like “shiv” and the like, I quickly put the book in the “send to the used-book sale” pile. Slammer is the real deal. When I was reading it, my hands began to sweat and I had to put it down often and take a walk outside and smoke a cigarette or two. I’ve been out of prison for decades now and for the first twenty years experienced nightmares. They’ve been absent for many years now, but they came back while reading this book.

And that’s all right. I’ll forgive Mr. Guthrie for this. I may have gotten back the nightmares for a time, but I also received something very important. Genuine and raw feeling. And that’s worth a lot.

He gets it exactly right. When I was in the joint, our biggest source for drugs was always the hacks. Either directly or by their complicity. For an apt example, there were two brothers—one inside the walls and one outside—and on visiting days the free brother would visit. They had to plan their visits for when a certain guard was on duty. On those visits, the brothers wore identical shoes, and at some point during the visit, they’d simply switch shoes. Each had hollowed-out heels. In the inmate’s would be the “green” (real money) he’d collected for the previous week’s drugs, while his brother’s kicks held smack. If a righteous hack had been on duty, they wouldn’t have been able to make the switch. The thing is, without guards, a lot less drugs would find their way to prison populations and that’s exactly what Guthrie’s guards are doing.

Right on point.

Alexis-Charles-Henri Clerel de Toqueville said something to the effect that nations are judged by the quality of their prisons. From Kelman to Guthrie, I think I have a pretty good idea of Scotland.

Get this book!

http://www.amazon.com/Slammer-Allan-Guthrie/dp/0151012954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318430794&sr=1-1

And here’s the skinny on Bob Stewart’s new book:

HIDDEN EVIL

Synopsis:

After a drug-addled teenager turns the annual Battle of Flowers Parade into a bloodbath, Majorette Cindi Neff - photographed blood covered and screaming beside the body of a dead classmate - becomes the media symbol of the tragedy, and the object of cult leader Juan Otero's obsession.

Soon after his burial, the gravesite of Cindi's dead classmate is violated and Deputy Sheriff Nancy Neff, an expert in Afro-Caribbean religions, is called to the scene. Minister Luke Oeding, a representative for the bereaved family, joins Nancy in the investigation into this unimaginable crime.

In a deadly chess match of good versus evil, they plunge into the world of the South Texas drug cult and come face to face with Palo Mayombe, the darkest of the hidden religions. When Cindi Neff is kidnapped, Nancy and Luke race to save her from the clutches of the malevolent cult before she is sacrificed in an Easter Sunday Palo Mayombe ritual.

Les Edgerton says:

"Bob Stewart's new novel, HIDDEN EVIL, is ripped directly from today's headlines about drug smuggling on the Texas border. This puts a face to the horrors that we seem to see daily on the evening news. Deeply-disturbed characters, facing what they see as a black future, turn to drugs and the occult and what follows…human sacrifice. It's a tale that begins with a Columbine-style massacre and ends on Easter Sunday in a classic battle between good and evil. I don't read vampire or werewolf novels simply because I don't believe they exist and it's a bit difficult to conjure up any kind of delicious fear by pretend monsters, but these folks are real and quite possibly living on my block… so, yeah… it pushed my fear button. After I read it, I slept with the nightlight on for a week. Get this book. It's truly scary and it's damned fine writing and story-telling."

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Evil-ebook/dp/B005TUFB3C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318270780&sr=1-1

And finally, here’s my review on JJ Toner’s new book, ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPECIAL

St. Patrick’s Day Special

by JJ Toner

Review by Les Edgerton

Secure your seat belt before embarking on this ride! Just a warning to expect twists and turns aplenty on JJ Toner’s wild crime ride. I’d say that this was a page-turner and if I was just reading to be entertained that would be true. But, I’m also a writer and I had to keep stopping to make notes on his techniques that I plan to steal for my own writing! I’ll leave it to others to deliver the plot points—I’ll just say that the tension never leaves the page and Ben Jordan doesn’t spiral down into the abyss—he plunges into it head-first. And, lest you think all is grim on the Toner landscape, the black humor he employs at just the right moment lightens the read with delicious and perfect pitch. Get this book and then keep your eyes open for his next one!

http://www.amazon.com/Patricks-Day-Special-Jordan-ebook/dp/B005JPEGKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318270932&sr=1-1 

Enjoy!

Blue skies,

Les

P.S. Sorry for not being able to provide the Amazon widget thingy but for some reason I can't get it to work and can't locate a ten-year-old to show me how to fix it, but if you just click on the links, it'll take you to each book on Amazon.