Noir@Bar, tragedies and film news

Hi folks,

It’s been kind of a bad and good week! Last Saturday, as my wife Mary and I climbed into the car to drive down to Indianapolis where I was one of the participants at the Noir @ The Bar, C.J. Edwards was hosting, Mary got a call that her father was dying. We headed over to the hospice and he was basically in a coma. Kind of déjà vu, as her mother had just passed away about three weeks ago and the scene was much the same. She got to tell him she loved him and we talked about staying and I could cancel the reading, but there was no way to know how long he’d last so we decided to go on down. Just as we got to Indy a couple of hours later, she got the phone call that informed her he’d expired.

Mary didn’t want to tell anyone there as she didn’t want to deal with folks coming up and giving her their sympathy—she appreciates it, but just didn’t want to deal with it then. Plus, she’s just the best... and toughest person I've ever known.

Anyway, we had a blast at the reading. Saw some old friends and met some new ones. If anyone’s interested, the folks from the famous Booked Podcast were there—Livius Nedin and Robb Olson—and they recorded all of us reading. You can access it at their site at: http://www.bookedpodcast.com/ They’re providing in four episodes and I’d listen to them all. A great lineup of noir writers!

We got some great pub that morning. On the Indy TV news, they announced the top three events for the weekend. We were named #2 behind #1 the Tiny Tots event with Tom Petty, the Pixies, and the Grateful Dead, and ahead of the state finals for the high school marching bands. We should have been #1, but then it WAS the Grateful Dead, so...

Here’s photos of all of us except for the host, C.J. (Chris) Edwards. I have a theory why he didn’t have a picture—he’s a cop and I think he’s undercover and he knows a lot of my criminal friends visit here so he didn’t want them to know what he looks like…  Chris put together a wonderful event and I hope he makes it an annual get-together. We read in the awesome club, the Fountain Square Brewery and were in the actual brewery behind the bar. Tried to find a tap but were forced to go out to the bar and buy our drinks...

Top to bottom: Clayton Lindemuth, David James Keaton, James Ward Kirk, Jed Ayres, moi, and Scott Phillips. (Missing is our host, C.J. Edwards)

Next Saturday, I’ll be driving back down to Indy. I’m delivering my workshop on Thelma & Louise at Marion College for the Writer’s Center of Indiana. Hope to see a few of my friends from here there.

When I got back home, I got a great email from my German publisher, Frank Nowatzke of Pulpmaster, who’s submitting my black comedy crime novel THE GENUINE, IMITATION, PLASTIC KIDNAPPING that he’s publishing, to the Books at Berlinale, the Berlin-based filmfest. Here’s some info about them from the letter they send out to selected participants:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to send you the Call for Book Submissions for “Books at Berlinale”, a joint initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Frankfurt Book Fair. During the 64^th Berlin International Film Festival (February 6-16, 2014) within the framework of the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the 9^th edition of “Books at Berlinale” will take place in order to further strengthen the network between the film and the book industries. The submission deadline is November 25, 2013.

Out of all submissions, ten books will be selected. During the “Books at Berlinale” breakfast networking event these pre-selected novels will be pitched to an audience of around 80 - 100 internationally established producers.

The book presentation will be moderated and the respective rights holders (publishers/literary agents) will be introduced to the audience. The presentation is followed by a casual breakfast during which contacts to interested producers can be established. Each publisher/agent has their own table and can be approached directly by the producers.

The 10 selected books will also be published in the “Books at Berlinale” catalogue handed out to all attending producers.

If you wish to have your novel considered for “Books at Berlinale” at the Berlinale Co-Production Market please send us the attached submission form by Monday, November 25, 2013.

You should be the film rights holder of the novel. Your book proposal should be either a best-selling or brandnew, yet to be published novel with great potential for screen adaptation. Please bear in mind when deciding which book to submit that the international producers attending the Berlinale Co-Production Market mainly work in the independent arthouse sector. Their average budgets for realising a film range from 1-8 million Euros. An English translation or a sample translation of the novel should exist for the selection, and also in order to be handed out by you to interested producers upon request.

If you are not sure which book to submit, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime to discuss your suggestions! We’ll be glad to help (+49-30-25920-517 or books@berlinale.de) in order to find the right one.

The selection for “Books at Berlinale” will be made shortly before Christmas. The “Books at Berlinale” presentation will take place on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, in the morning, during the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

If your book is selected, you are very welcome to participate in the Berlinale Co-Production Market already on February 9 and 10, 2014.

Some general information about the Berlinale Co-Production Market:

The Berlinale Co-Production Market takes place as part of the Berlin International Film Festival from February 9-11, 2014 in the Berlin House of Representatives. It is a 2 1/2-day event for producers, film financiers, broadcasting representatives, distributors and sales agents who work in the field of international co-productions. Film producers are given a platform here to find co-production partners and financiers for their selected film projects. In 2013, more than 450 industry professionals from around the world attended the Berlinale Co-Production Market of which “Books at Berlinale” is a special part. 

I’m just pleased and happy that Frank feels this book has a good chance of being selected and then filmed! Cross your fingers for me, willya?! Last year, he submitted a book he published by Rick DeMarinis and here’s what he said about that:  “Last year we had no luck with Rick DeMarinis on account of the fixed setting in the southwest but they were at least impressed by the quality of the story. You never know. Maybe somebody shows up who works with the Coen brothers.”

That echoes my own thoughts. I’ve always thought this book would be a good fit with the Coen’s… hope they’re there! Hi Joel! Hi Ethan! I'll work for beer...

Frank’s purchased the German publishing rights to this book for Pulpmaster along with THE RAPIST and THE BITCH, both published by New Pulp Press in the U.S.. We’re looking for a U.S. publisher for KIDNAPPED and am pretty sure we have one and will be announcing it shortly.

All in all, this has been a draining weekend! I’m ready for a dose of boring now!

Blue skies,

Les

NOIR @ BAR IN INDY on Saturday, November 16!

Hi folks,

It's getting closer! I'm really excited about reading at the Noir @ the Bar in Indy, Saturday, November 16. It's gonna be wild!

The award-winning Booked Podcast dudes are going to be there as well, to record the event and conduct interviews.

Hope to see lots of you there!

Blue skies,
Les

NOIR@BAR IN INDY on November 16!

Hi folks,

Just received this from CJ Edwards who is arranging and hosting a Noir@Bar event in Indianapolis where myself and a bunch of noir writer friends will be appearing to read our work and hang out with friends and pop a top or three. I’m really excited about this event and hope to see a lot of friends, not only reading but in the audience. If you haven’t been to a Noir@the Bar happening yet, you’re in for a truly fantastic treat. Not your mother’s poetry reading…

A special treat is that Jed Ayres and Scott Phillips who started all this Noir @ the Bar business from St. Louis will be reading!

(Noir @ the Bar in St. Louis participants)

The confirmed line up for Noir @ The Bar Indianapolis is:

Scott Phillips

Daniel O'Shea

Les Edgerton

Jed Ayres

David James Keaton 

James Ward Kirk

CJ Edwards

Word is that the famous (or infamous) Booked Podcast folks will be there to record the festivities and conduct interviews with the participants.

 

And there may be several other noir notables joining us to read—keep tuned in for announcements!

CJ says: This will be on Saturday Nov. 16 at 7pm and will most likely be at the Fountain Square Brewery at 1301 Barth Ave. This may change if we can't find enough chairs. I have been told that the Brewery doesn't have chairs...Any changes to the location will be made known ASAP.




Be there or… you know…

Blue skies,
Les

P.S. And yes... there will be drinking... What we refer to, technically, as LOTS OF DRINKING...

MY NEXT BIG THING--THE RAPIST

Hi folks,

I met C.L. Phillips, mystery author of FIRST MISTAKE at Bouchercon and she graciously invited me to participate in a blog promotion where authors discuss their Next Big Thing. You can find her post here. And, thanks, Cindy!

But before we get to my next big thing, I’d like to throw a big shout out to Carl Brush, Maegan Beaumont, Jed Ayres and Richard Godwin, all of whom I hope will be participating in the blog chain with their own stuff next week. Meet these extremely talented writers! 

Carl Brush is an old friend and colleague. He’s written several historical thrillers, the latest of which is titled THE SECOND VENDETTA and is a novel I recommend highly. His novels are set in and around San Francisco and Carl is a meticulous scholar so you’ll know the environment of his characters is perfectly accurate. More—his novels are all page-turners!

Maegan Beaumont started out as a student of mine when I was teaching at Phoenix College and is now the program director of my ongoing novel-writing class and a few months ago she signed a two-book deal with Midnight Ink Books with an option for a third. She writes thrillers with a female badass protagonist who Jack Reacher wouldn’t want to mess with! You can preorder her first novel in the series, CARVED IN DARKNESS by clicking this link. Just be sure that all the doors and windows are locked before you begin reading it… Just sayin’…

Jed Ayres is a guy who writes some of the most brilliant noir this side of the ocean. He’s also the founder and co-host, along with bestselling novelist, Scott Phillips, of the prestigious “Noir at The Bar” events in St. Louis and has edited two anthologies containing work from the best noir writers in the U.S. And now, he’s published his own long-awaited collection of stories, titled… ready?... A F*CKLOAD OF SHORTS. Don’t let the title mislead you… it’s more down and dirty and nasty than that… Keep it locked up if you have kids…

Richard Godwin is an absolute genius and his dark thrillers are bestsellers in the UK and should be breaking out in the U.S. soon as well. He runs the well-known interview called “A Chin Wag at the Slaughterhouse” which I was privileged to appear in—best interviewer in the business, on a level with the Paris Review class of interviewers. His latest thriller is titled MR GLAMOUR one of my picks for Best Novel of the Year. It’s got a twist at the end that will blow you away. If you’re in the UK, you can find it by clicking this link.

Tune in to their blogs and you should see their own “Next Big Thing” sometime next week, I hope!

And now, mine….

Meet THE RAPIST, a rollicking romp through the world and somewhat twisted mind of protagonist Truman Ferris Pinter who awaits his execution on death row for the crimes of rape and murder. Some serious moments also…Scheduled for release April, 2013 from New Pulp Press.

Okay. I’ll admit it. I lied in the above description. The thing is, this isn’t a high-concept book that one can describe with a one-sentence, TV Guide logline. In fact, to describe it kind of gives it away so I’m opting to provide pre-pub reviews by some authors I respect highly to give you a bit of an idea what it’s all about. 

One Several Sentence Synopsis Review

Meet Truman Ferris Pinter, condemned prisoner #49028, a snarling, wicked, silver-tongued misanthrope – a black hole of a man who sucks you in with the human gravity of his self-deception, then distorts your beliefs with the super-logic of his epiphanies. Oh, it’s all there – gut-grabbing lust, sex, hate and violence, deeply disturbing comments about our insane world – but The Rapist by Les Edgerton is much more than a new classic of Modern Noir. Against all odds, master wordsmith Edgerton has created the most mesmerizing and disturbing narrator since Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, an intense, strange, well-spoken villain whose story and sexual perceptions will frighten many more men than women. The Rapist is not who -- or what -- you think.

Jack Getze, Fiction Editor, Spinetingler Magazine

The Story

Again, I’m relying on a review.

So, I’m reading Les Edgerton’s The Rapist. The title has already made me uneasy.

Five pages in and I can hardly breathe.

Ten and I’m nauseous.

For the next 50, I’m a mixture of all of the above, but most of all, angry.

I feel like ringing my feminist friends and confessing: Sisters, I’m reading something you will kill me for reading.

I feel like ringing my ex colleagues - parole officers and psychologists who work with sex offenders in Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow - and asking them if they think it’s helpful to publish an honest and explicit transcript which shows the cognitive distortions of a callous, grandiose, articulate sex offender; one which illustrates his inability to have a relationship with a woman and his complete lack of empathy?

I’m thinking I don’t know what I should be thinking.

Will it turn sex offenders on?

Should we listen to this guy?

Is it possible to separate the person from the offence, and to empathise with him as he waits to die?

I don’t ring anyone.

I read on.

And the breathlessness, nausea, anger and confusion increase all the way to the end, at which point all I know is that the book is genius.

Helen Fitzgerald, author, Dead Lovely, Bloody Women, The Devil’s Staircase, Donor and others.

What is the hook? What’s this book really about?

‘I live in a small, dark realm which I fill out’. Jean Genet’s words in “Miracle Of the Rose”. And like Genet, Edgerton writes with lyricism and a sense of history of things that disturb, balancing through his superb style themes that may otherwise unsettle the narrative. Edgerton’s brilliant archaeological dig into the motivations of a rapist is an unflinching look at the darker recesses of the human psyche. There is nothing gratuitous here and it takes a command to achieve a narrative pull in such territory. It reminded me of John Burnside’s “The Locust Room” but it’s better written. Edgerton voices the demonic forces at work within his narrator’s head. He embeds the story with the protagonist’s need for redemption set against the backdrop of his life. "The Rapist" is confessional, poetic, unrelenting, and as real as the newspaper lying before you. It challenges the assumption that fictions need to censor the things people read every day in what is deemed factual. It is told in a style that situates it among the classics of transgressive fictions.

Richard Godwin, Apostle Rising, Mr Glamour

…and…

Les Edgerton has written, in The Rapist, something that . . . that . . . well, defies explanation. Don't get me wrong; the writing is extremely powerful. The imagery is wonderful and startlingly clear. The emotions are vivid and visceral. Emotions that grab you physically and rattle your teeth violently the further you dip into his tale. But the question is . . . how do you define it?

Nihilistic existentialism comes to mind as a basis for understanding. The realization that nothing . . . nothing . . . is real or meaningful. But somehow the definition falls flat. There is, ultimately, a purpose for what happens to the character. Better yet; there is a deep, almost Freudian, mystery that grabs you and makes your imagination soar with the possibilities in understanding what is happening.

I wouldn't say that, after you finishing reading The Rapist, you're going to have a feeling of satisfaction. In fact I strongly suggest you're going to feel as if you've just walked out of a House of Mirrors. You certainly will be confused, shocked, and puzzled.

But you will realize that you've just read something amazingly original. Truly, magnificently, original.

B.R. Stateham, author of A Taste of Old Revenge, Tough Guys: The Homicide Cases of Turner Hahn and Frank Morales and others

What inspired the book? Where did you get your idea?

From reading Charles Bukowski’s short story, “The Fiend.” The bravest fiction I’ve ever read, bar none. I wanted to achieve what he accomplished there. In my mind, I have, but that will be determined by the readers. I was also inspired by my own time in prison and from a guy in a cell next to mine who was in for rape and who turned out to have been bumrapped and eventually declared innocent.

What genre is this book?

Literary. Existential. Noir. Philosophical. Who knows?

Where and when can I read the book?

In April of 2013 from New Pulp Press at all the usual online outlets, although the publisher, Jon Bassoff is aiming for an earlier release. You’ll be able to purchase it as an ebook and as a paperback.

Thanks, folks. Hope you glom onto a copy when it comes out. It’s easily the best thing I’ve ever written and it was exhausting to write. I don’t think I’ll ever have again the energy it took to write this book. I think it would literally kill me.

Blue skies,

Les