GUMBO YA-YA

Hi folks,

I'm still glowing from the Best Thriller Award from the Preditors and Editors poll! Again, thank you, each and every one who voted and got your pals to vote--what you did for me was the real award.

And... it doesn't stop. I was just informed by Brian Lindenmuth, my editor at Snubnose Press, that my short story collection, GUMBO YA-YA, will be released within the next couple of weeks. He told me I could show y'all the cover... which I LOVE!

Here it tis...

I love it!

Watch for it--I'll be announcing it the instant it becomes available.

The title came about in the same manner as did the title for my first collection MONDAY'S MEAL. There are a couple of requirements traditionally for short story collections. One, at least half should have been previously published in prestigious literary magazines. This collection satisfies that requirement as all but a couple were published in such venues as High Plains Literary Review, Houghton-Mifflin's Best American Mystery Stories, Murdaland Magazine, The Analecta, Blue Moon Literary and Art Review Magazine, Imaginary Friends Anthology, Flatmancrooked, Aethlon, Noir Nation International Crime Magazine, On The Record anthology, and an essay in it was published in Circle K Magazine. A couple of the stories were nominated for the Pushcart Award and Edgar Allan Poe (short story category) Awards. So, that requirement was satisfied. Although, increasingly, collections aren't requiring prior publication as much these days.

Two,  short story collections are traditionally supposed to be centered around a theme.


Which was a problem with MONDAY'S MEAL and I faced the same problem with this one. There just isn't a theme in either collection. And publishers decided a long time ago that readers wanted to know what the stories were about. They didn’t feel readers would buy otherwise. If the reader was into crime or noir, they wanted the stories in a collection to be about… crime or noir. If they wanted to read tales about romance, they wanted to know that’s what they were buying. If they wanted horror… well, you get the picture. The problem was in MONDAY’S MEAL was that the stories included in it were kind of all over the map. No “theme” involved. Just stories. So I came up with what I felt was the perfect solution. I titled it MONDAY’S MEAL.

In the South, where I grew up, Monday was traditionally washday. In my youth (back when dinosaurs first went on the endangered list) Monday was the day when the wife took care of her brood of children, did the week’s wash, cleaned the house, did a host of other chores, and still prepared a hearty meal for supper. Because of time constraints, that was the day most women prepared a stew or, where I lived, on the Texas Gulf Coast, a gumbo. It was the perfect meal for Mondays, because the woman could run in whenever she had a spare moment or two, throw in an ingredient, and go back out and hang out another load on the clothesline and yell at the kids for fighting amongst themselves. What happened was a lot of ingredients went into it—ingredients that, upon first glance, looked unrelated and even questionable as to how they’d work together—but in the end, when she ladled it out to her husband and kids, turned out to be a delicious combination.

And that was how and why that collection came up with its name.

I faced the same problem with this collection. Stories without a theme. This time, the answer came to me much quicker. I grew up in a bar and seafood restaurant in Freeport, Texas. My grandmother, who owned the business, had a wood stove she reserved for one dish only. Gumbo. Only Yankees cook gumbo on electric or gas stoves. True Southerners use wood stoves. And Grandma Louise Vincent was, if anything, a “true Southerner.” In fact, she wouldn’t serve a Yankee in her establishment. Kick ‘em right out. Some who were booted threatened to go to the law as their civil rights were being violated and she told them to go right ahead. It wasn’t a problem for her as the county sheriff was a daily customer… And didn't care much for Yankees either...

She had a real problem when her daughter—my mother—married a Yankee, but that’s another story…

Anyway, nowadays if you go into a restaurant that serves gumbo, it’ll reflect a theme, same as short story collections. “Shrimp” gumbo. “Okra” gumbo. “Crab” gumbo. “Crawfish” gumbo. (Or, as we called it, “Mudbug Gumbo.”) Whatever. In our restaurant, Grandma Vincent made the same kind of gumbo most oldtimers made. A concoction we called “Gumbo Ya-Ya.” It had different ingredients in it, depending on the season and depending on the availability of ingredients. Ingredients, that when considered separately, didn’t always appear to be compatible. But… they were. Once cooked together, the meal ended up absolutely delicious.

My own favorite ingredient—in season—was crab eggs. I absolutely love the orange, gummy texture and flavor of crab eggs. Probably an ingredient that Yankees would turn their delicate noses up at…
Anyway, that’s how this collection of stories got its name. Thought you might be interested in the genesis of the title.

And, I really hope you like the stories in it! There’s a bit of a bonus. Besides the stories, there is an essay I’m very proud of, titled “Censorship and Why I Love Charles Bukowski.” This essay has a history. I wrote it as my graduating address for my MFA degree at Vermont College and delivered it to the single largest crowd at graduation in their history, according to Pam Painter, well-known author and one of my advisors, who’d been on the faculty since the program began. It was later published in Circle K Magazine. In it, I rail against what was a new phenomenon at the time—a concept called “political correctness.” At the time, I saw it as one of the biggest threats against freedom of speech ever propagated. Today, more than 15 years later I see it as… the same thing.

There’s also a bit from a memoir I’m still writing on that I think folks will enjoy. It’s centered around my son Mike and me when he was a little guy and I was coaching his youth baseball league team.

Anyway, I’m pumped up that Snubnose Press has seen fit to publish this work. Just a few years ago, it had become increasingly difficult to get a collection published. Most publishers wouldn’t touch ‘em for a simple reason. Sales usually didn’t justify the publishing expense. Thanks to ebooks, that’s changing. And, that’s a good thing, in my mind.

I hope you’ll agree.

Blue skies,
Les

P.S. Here's a hint for Yankees attempting to cook their first gumbo. Well, two hints. First... you make a roue. Many otherwise good cooks can't make a roue. My mother can't and she's a born and bred Southerner. I'm proud to say that I make a great roue! Second, and most importantly--never put your spices in until just before it's done cooking. Otherwise, all the flavor "cooks up" and you'll be left with a tasteless, bland meal. Just sayin'...

And, if you can glom onto crab eggs, throw 'em in...

WE WON!

Hi folks,

This is one of the happiest posts I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing! It looks like… drum roll, please…

WE’VE WON THE PREDITORS and EDITORS POLL FOR BEST THRILLER OF 2011!!! THE WINNER IS…. THE BITCH!!!

You can see the results here: http://critters.org/predpoll/tally_novelthrill.ht

Who do I start thanking? To be honest, the list is too long and this site will crash if I were even able to name everybody who voted or worked on my behalf to secure votes. There were people literally working to get more votes and keep my novel in first place right up until the very end at midnight last night!

But, even though there’s no way I can possibly name each individual, I do want to give a particular shoutout to one group of people. My online novel writing class. Two nights ago when, after being in first place for nine days, it slipped to second, I notified one group that night before I went to bed--my class—the Boot Camp for Writers group. When I woke the next morning and went in to check where it was at… we were back in first place!

You guys rock and I love you!

As I do everybody else who took the time and the trouble to not only vote for THE BITCH, but asked friends and relatives to do so as well. I cannot begin to tell you how much your efforts on my behalf have meant to me. I will say this—even if I had lost, I would have felt like the biggest winner in the world for what you did for me.

In fact, before I checked the standings this morning, I thought about all the people who had given up their time and went to the trouble they did and I realized then that, win or lose, I had won. Finding out THE BITCH had ended up the winner in the poll was just icing on the cake. I’m ecstatic it won, but I’m much more happy at what y’all did for me. I haven’t the words to say that can adequately express my appreciation so I’ll just say… THANK YOU.

There were literally dozens of other writers who helped me out with their tweets and mentions on Facebook and on their blogs—I owe you folks! For people who think about and write about noir and murder and crime all day, there’s an awful lot of love among this group. I’m glad we’re all in the same foxhole with each other and have each others' backs.

One guy in particular I need to single out. Anthony Neil Smith. Neil and I both had novels in this horserace and he threw his support to me. What kind of tough, brilliant writer does that? The kind that not only writes with grace, but practices it in his daily life.

THE BITCH is also gathering all kinds of rave reviews which is so gratifying. I feel this is the best book I’ve ever written, but as we all know as writers, the success of a writer’s effort is never really known until the readers have been heard from. And, the reviews and comments have been simply fantastic. Thank you, each and every one! I’m so glad you liked it. This is the real payment for the effort we as writers expend.

You can go here http://www.amazon.com/The-Bitch-ebook/dp/B006P2NLHG/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324588756&sr=1-1 to see those reviews.

I also owe a couple of people an enormous debt. My publishers at Bare Knuckle Press, Cort McMeel and Eddie Vega. If it weren’t for them and their belief in this novel, none of this would have been possible. Thanks, guys!

I’m going to go collapse in a hot tub and savor this. At my age, champagne and riotous nights are a thing of the past, but I guarantee you I’m going to enjoy that tub!

I love you folks.

Blue skies,

Les

Preview

FAMED CHEF GORDON RAMSEY HOLDS THE BEST WRITING CLASSES EVER!

Hi folks,

Did I surprise you with the title of today’s post? I imagine so! After all, I suspect most who read this and are writers weren’t aware that Scotland’s Chef Gordon Ramsey taught writing. Most probably believe he’s involved in great cooking, right?

Well, he does, but the lessons and more importantly—the philosophy—he teaches on his shows are spot on for writers who want to be the best they can be.

Every single morning I have his shows on the BBC channel on. I’d rather watch them than read most writer’s how-to books or go to writer’s conventions and workshops. I learn everything I need to know about writing from this man.

Watch him as he turns around a failing or struggling restaurant. Begin with a mindset—that everything he imparts about cooking be considered as him talking about writing.

The principles he espouses for being a great chef or restaurateur are exactly the same principles required for a writer to not only be published but to be respected as a good or even great writer.

He never bullshits. He never sugarcoats his take on the chef’s performance and output. Never. He doesn’t tolerate laziness. He doesn’t tolerate stupidity when the person he’s critiquing clearly isn’t stupid but is just performing stupidly. Which is only… laziness.

He doesn’t tolerate alibis. He doesn’t tolerate assigning blame to others. He insists the person man up and face his own faults and correct them. He has no patience for those who feel they’re “entitled” to success. He insists that the only way to gain success is to earn it by their performance.

He doesn’t tolerate those who believe their failures are caused by others, or by fate or bad luck.

He knows that if you think you’re doing someone a kindness by not being honest with their effort, you’re delivering the greatest unkindness of all.

He doesn’t mollycoddle anyone—ever.

Look at how he approaches each person he tries to help. First, he’s brutally honest with them. If their product is shit, he lets them know it’s shit.

He doesn’t tell them to be something they’re not or that they’re incapable of being. He doesn’t tell a chef who’s great at cooking steaks to begin cooking French cuisine. He simply tells them to begin cooking steaks well. To build on what they already have mastered and have ignored.

Look at those who blame their patrons for not being successful. He doesn’t have much use for those folks. Kind of like the writer blaming the agents and editors for their lack of success. He has the same kind of patience (none) for that attitude that I do with my own students. It’s bullshit. If the writer is putting out quality work, do they really believe that agents and editors are not rushing to represent them because they have something personal against the writer? That’s so ludicrous it’s beyond funny. Any and all agents and editors want to find quality work. It’s what pays their bills, allows them to live in nice places, eat in great restaurants. If the work is shit, or even “average” who can work with that? The answer is obvious: nobody. Nobody can work with crap, any more than a chef can work with inferior ingredients or shoddy cooking techniques.

I see writers all the time ranting against the “injustice” of the publishing industry and system. It’s always somebody else’s fault that Superstar Agent isn’t interested in their work. It’s always the Big Shot Editor’s fault that their work is rejected. It’s never their fault. It’s never that the product is crap. Those writers’ egos can’t seem to accept that what they put out is lousy. They’re just convinced that the only thing keeping them from being published is that their “genius” isn’t being recognized. Okay…

But, just like Ramsey’s clients, that’s almost always the cause of writers’ failure. The ones who won’t admit that to themselves or look for excuses for their lack of success in others, will never make it. That’s just the truth. Sadly, far too many have self-deluded themselves into looking anywhere but the right place for the answers to their failure. The right place to look is in the mirror. If a writer can’t do that, he or she will never be successful. If that writer who rants about the “unfairness” of it all spent half the time they do on railing about life’s inequities on working to become a better writer… they would.

The way Gordon Ramsey approaches his clients is exactly the way I approach my students and clients. With the truth. If the work is shit, they need to know it’s shit. You can’t change manure into roses if you don’t know it’s crap. Once you realize your work isn’t good, that’s the beginning of wisdom. That’s when the work has a chance of getting better. Of becoming publishable.

My classes aren't labeled "Lots of Praise and Handholding for Wannabe Writers." They called "Les Edgerton's Boot Camp for Writers." There's a reason for that. We're interested in turning out publishable writers, not much interested in stroking egos.

Take a look at Ramsey’s show. Substitute the word writer for chef. Look at what he’s telling each failing chef. Imagine he’s telling you the same things as a writer. They all apply.

Here’s an apt example. I have a writer who’s been taking my classes for a year and a half. In her first class, she didn’t get beyond the first five pages of her beginning… FOR NINE WEEKS. Nine weeks. To come up with a proper novel beginning, one that began where it should, with the inciting incident. Others have taken many weeks to do so (my students call it “inciting incident hell.”). They’re right. It is hell. But, this student didn’t give up. She never blamed others. She just kept working… and working… and working. And, after nine weeks, she was given the okay to move past her first five pages. Today, a year and a half later, just this week I recommended her to an agent and a publisher. I’m pretty sure both will take her novel on. Even if they don’t, someone else will. She’s written a brilliant novel. Has it been hard? Absolutely! Anything worth doing requires work and hard work.

Could she have written a novel in a year and a half without going through “inciting incident hell” first? Sure. Would it have been publishable? I doubt it. I’m pretty sure she’d agree with that. It's the lessons she learned in achieving a great beginning that she understands allowed her to write every page after that well.

Finishing a novel is sometimes overrated. A chef can finish cooking a steak, but does that mean it’s a great steak and will bring the diner back? The only thing that matters is that the work be excellent. Nobody pays for “half good.” No matter how cheaply you price it.

Has it been worth it to her? You’ll have to ask her, but I’m pretty sure she’d answer in the affirmative and loudly so. And, I suspect she, like many others who’ve taken my classes and survived, would voice the same kinds of sentiments that Chef Ramsey’s clients who succeed do.

The point is, watch Chef Ramsey’s show as he works to transform attitudes. What he says is spot on what any decent teacher will tell you about your writing. Try to listen instead of waiting until they’re done talking to tell them why publishing is unfair to their genius…

Sorry if this offends some. Actually, I’m not sorry. Any writing—even a blog—that everyone likes and agrees with is… crapola writing. All writing should affect the reader’s emotions—positive or negative. Doesn’t much matter. If this post offends some people and it angers them enough to go out and prove me wrong, then it’s valuable. If it re-energizes some writers into redoubling their efforts at quality writing, it’s valuable. If it causes some writers to look into the mirror and admit their lack of success is due only to the person staring back at them and they make the decision to change what they’re doing, it’s valuable.

How can you tell if you have enough talent to succeed as a writer? That's easy. The same way Chef Ramsey can tell if the chef he's working with can rise from his failures. If he can cook a single dish that's excellent, he has the chops to be a good or great chef. Same thing with writers. If you can write a single paragraph or single sentence that's excellent, you have the chops to be a good or great writer. What's needed is the same for Chef Ramsey's students--all of the entrees need to be equally good. If you can write a great sentence, you have the ability you need to succeed. The thing is, you have to do the hard work to bring all of your sentences up to the same quality. That's called... hard work.

Personally, I want every single person writing to succeed. I just know some won’t. I also know why they won’t. The sad thing is, they don’t.

Watch Chef Ramsey and take in the lessons. You’ll be glad you did.

Blue skies,

Les

P.S. For those who aren't pissed at what I said, and you're reading this on the 10th, I can still use your vote as per the posting just before this one. Thank you.

NEED YOUR HELP!

Hi folks,

For nine days, my new novel, THE BITCH has been #1 in the Preditors and Editors Thriller Category Awards. With the last day of voting today, every day I watched the standings nervously, especially as other novels moved up. There’s no way of knowing if I had a big lead or a tiny one, but it was still there.

Until last night. Last night, I took my wife Mary out for her birthday dinner, along with our son Mike and his girlfriend Chelsea. When we got home, I did as always and checked the list.

THE BITCH had slipped to second place…

I went to bed as low as I’ve been in a long time. So close…

But, my students at the online class I teach got together and began asking their friends and family to vote (it’s one vote per email address so you can’t stuff the ballot box, which is a good thing). I know it was because of their effort as they were the only ones I notified before I went to bed. I’d planned today to post this on the blog and FB and see if we could make a comeback.

My class people are the folks I want to be in the foxhole with!

I know many of you have been there with me as well. I can’t begin to tell you how much your loyalty means to me!

Well, this ayem I got up and checked the standings… and we’re back in first place! I know it’s tenuous and may not hold—the person in second is undoubtedly rallying his troops and doing everything he can to pass me again. So I’m making one more plea for your help.

If you haven’t voted yet or if you have friends or relatives you don’t mind asking for their vote, here’s what you do.

Go to the P&E polling site at http://critters.org/predpoll/novelthrill.shtml

Scroll down until you see The Bitch by Les Edgerton and click on the box at it. Scroll down further and enter your name and email address. Scroll down more and enter the two security words and then submit your vote. You’ll get an email then from them and in it is a link you just click on and it takes you back to their site and informs you your vote has counted.

That’s it.

Voting ends today—not sure what time it ends—so if you can take a few minutes to help me out it would be hugely… and I mean HUGELY appreciated!

Now. I’m going to go to a dark room, pull a blanket over my head and not come out until midnight. The suspense is killing me!

Thank you, each and every one of you who did me this immense favor. I owe ya!

Blue skies,

Les

CLASS FILLED--THANK YOU!

Hi folks,

Thanks to your tremendous response, we've filled all the available spots in the upcoming Boot Camp for Writers class. If anyone is interested in auditing, those spots are unlimited and still available. If interested in auditing, please email me at butchedgerton@comcast.net.

I appreciate the rapid responses. If anyone is interested in the next class (in about 20 weeks) just let me know and I'll put you on the list and contact you at that time to see if you're still interested.

And, please vote for THE BITCH on the Preditors and Editors thriller awards. Four days left in the voting and so far I'm still in first place but who knows what the other contenders are up to! Just go to http://critters.org/predpoll/novelthrill.shtml and click on my novel. And... THANKS!

Also, Thomas Pluck just posted a terrific review (from my point-of-view!) of THE BITCH on his blog. Check it out at

http://www.pluckyoutoo.com/2012/01/review-bitch.html

And, finally, my publisher, Bare Knuckles Press, has its website up and running. Check it out at:

www.bareknucklespress.com

Blue skies,
Les

SPOTS OPEN IN MY ONLINE WRITING CLASS

Hi folks,

My next online novel-writing class is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 22, and we have two spots left if anyone's interested. It's conducted in a workshop structure where classmates send ten pages of their novel in each week and each member of the class comments on each other's work and I do also. The energy in class is contagious and each writer is extremely dedicated. Kind of intense--in fact, it's labeled "Les Edgerton's Boot Camp Class" and it is. This isn't a class for anyone who just wants praise--actually, all praise has to be earned. It's a class for people who have thick skins and only want to end up with a publishable novel and not have their egos stroked. Those who decide to join us will soon experience an incredible synergy not often obtained in such classes.

Several who will be taking the coming class have been with me for several classes--although there are a few who entered the class for the first time last session and we have some newcomers this time. The folks there are very supportive of new classmates and it's a genuinely giving atmosphere.

The class takes 16 weeks and usually we'll "hit the wall" a bit sometime during the term and take a week off. The fee is #350 (nonrefundable) and it can be paid prior to class, or it can also be paid in three installments of #125 each for a total of #375 for those paying in installments.

Several in the class have told me they'll be posting information about their experiences in the comments section here. If interested, please let me know asap. We only have two slots remaining and experience shows they'll fill fast. Please email me at butchedgerton@comcast.net.

If anyone is interested in auditing the class, the fee for auditing is #100. Auditors will have complete access to everything we do in class but won't have their work critiqued or contribute to the discussion. We can allow as many auditors as are interested.

Several of the writers in the last class are very close to finishing their novels and each one is very publishable. In fact, one writer is within just a few days of having her novel read by my agent and others and a publisher. She's applying the final polish to it and out the door it goes! Several others will finish theirs during the next class and will be sending it out.

Hope to see you in class!

Blue skies,
Les

P.S. On another note, my novel THE BITCH is still in first place in the Preditors and Editors thriller category, but voting is still going on and will be until the 10th. A couple of folks are moving up fast, so if you haven't voted, I'd really appreciate it. Just go to http://critters.org/predpoll/novelthrill.shtml and click on my novel. And... THANKS!

Paul D Brazill's You Would Say That, Wouldn't You?: Short Sharp Interview: Les Edgerton

I'm over at noir master Paul D. Brazill's blog today, lying to him... It was fun!

Paul D Brazill's You Would Say That, Wouldn't You?: Short Sharp Interview: Les Edgerton