Interview with Stephen Blackmoore, plus a Review and Giveaway of Broken Souls - August 5th, 2014
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
Guest Blog by Stephen Blackmoore - The Same River Twice - February 3, 2013
Please welcome Stephen Blackmoore to The Qwillery. Stephen is the author of City of the Lost (review here) and the upcoming Dead Things (Necromancer 1), which will be published on February 5, 2013 by DAW.
You can't go home again. None of us can.
There's a quote by Heraclitus on the ever changing nature of the universe. "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." But he said it in Greek so it probably sounded cooler.
We grow, we change and the world changes with us. We make choices for good or ill, we move forward and leave things, people, places behind. We deal with the consequences. Sometimes it's the other way around.
For all its urban fantasy trappings, that's what my novel DEAD THINGS is about. In it the protagonist, necromancer Eric Carter, a rare breed of mage in a world where magic is kept hidden from the "normals" as much as possible, left his life in Los Angeles behind to protect the people he loved. When he's forced to return the people he left have moved on without him.
It's an old story, but so often it feels like a cop out to me. The Prodigal Son returns and everyone celebrates his wasted life. He doesn't have to atone beyond, "Sorry. My bad." At least he's back in the fold, right? He's repented, returned into the traditions of his family where everybody wants him to be. He's learned the age old lesson: Don't step out of line. No harm, no foul. All is right with the world.
In real life all is not right in the world. Our choices leave a mark. There are ramifications to the things we do.
Eric Carter is not the Prodigal Son. No one celebrates his return. No one wants him back. Least of all himself. He's sure as shit not going to toe the line. His return causes more problems than it solves, casts a light on the things he's done, the person he's become. The damage he caused by leaving in the first place, the damage he causes by trying to fix it.
He's stuck with those choices, just like we all are.
And like all of us he has to struggle to figure out if maybe they were the right choices all along.
Dead Things
Dead Things
Necromancer 1
DAW, February 3, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
City of the Lost
Trade Paperback and eBook, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
About Stephen
Stephen Blackmoore is the author of the novels CITY OF THE LOST and DEAD THINGS and his short stories have appeared in publications such as PLOTS WITH GUNS, SPINETINGLER, THRILLING DETECTIVE, and SHOTS as well as the print anthologies DEADLY TREATS, DON'T READ THIS BOOK and UNCAGE ME. He is an editor for the print magazine NEEDLE: A MAGAZINE OF NOIR and the co-host of the bi-monthly Los Angeles literary event NOIR AT THE BAR (https://www.facebook.com/NoirAtTheBarLa). He has also written essays on Los Angeles politics and crime for the website LAVOICE.ORG (http://lavoice.org) and the true crime blog LA Noir (http://la-noir.blogspot.com).
Website : Blog : Twitter : Goodreads
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a signed copy of Dead Things from Stephen Blackmoore. US/CANADA ONLY
How: Answer The Qwillery's Question:
Please remember - if you don't answer the questions your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US or Canadian mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Sunday, February 10, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
The Same River Twice
You can't go home again. None of us can.
There's a quote by Heraclitus on the ever changing nature of the universe. "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." But he said it in Greek so it probably sounded cooler.
We grow, we change and the world changes with us. We make choices for good or ill, we move forward and leave things, people, places behind. We deal with the consequences. Sometimes it's the other way around.
For all its urban fantasy trappings, that's what my novel DEAD THINGS is about. In it the protagonist, necromancer Eric Carter, a rare breed of mage in a world where magic is kept hidden from the "normals" as much as possible, left his life in Los Angeles behind to protect the people he loved. When he's forced to return the people he left have moved on without him.
It's an old story, but so often it feels like a cop out to me. The Prodigal Son returns and everyone celebrates his wasted life. He doesn't have to atone beyond, "Sorry. My bad." At least he's back in the fold, right? He's repented, returned into the traditions of his family where everybody wants him to be. He's learned the age old lesson: Don't step out of line. No harm, no foul. All is right with the world.
In real life all is not right in the world. Our choices leave a mark. There are ramifications to the things we do.
Eric Carter is not the Prodigal Son. No one celebrates his return. No one wants him back. Least of all himself. He's sure as shit not going to toe the line. His return causes more problems than it solves, casts a light on the things he's done, the person he's become. The damage he caused by leaving in the first place, the damage he causes by trying to fix it.
He's stuck with those choices, just like we all are.
And like all of us he has to struggle to figure out if maybe they were the right choices all along.
Dead Things
Dead Things
Necromancer 1
DAW, February 3, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
Necromancer is such an ugly word, but it's a title Eric Carter is stuck with.
He sees ghosts, talks to the dead. He's turned it into a lucrative career putting troublesome spirits to rest, sometimes taking on even more dangerous things. For a fee, of course.
When he left LA fifteen years ago, he thought he'd never go back. Too many bad memories. Too many people trying to kill him.
But now his sister's been brutally murdered and Carter wants to find out why.
Was it the gangster looking to settle a score? The ghost of a mage he killed the night he left town? Maybe it's the patrion saint of violent death herself, Santa Muerte, who's taken an unusually keen interest in him.
Carter's going to find out who did it, and he's going to make them pay.
As long as they don't kill him first.
City of the Lost
City of the Lost
DAW Trade, January 3, 2012Trade Paperback and eBook, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
Joe Sunday’s dead.
He just hasn’t stopped moving yet.
Sunday’s a thug, an enforcer, a leg-breaker for hire. When his boss sends him to kill a mysterious new business partner, his target strikes back in ways Sunday could never have imagined. Murdered, brought back to a twisted half-life, Sunday finds himself stuck in the middle of a race to find an ancient stone with the power to grant immortality. With it, he might live forever. Without it, he’s just another rotting extra in a George Romero flick.
Everyone’s got a stake, from a psycho Nazi wizard and a razor-toothed midget, to a nympho-demon bartender, a too-powerful witch who just wants to help her homeless vampires, and the one woman who might have all the answers — if only Sunday can figure out what her angle is.
Before the week is out he’s going to find out just what lengths people will go to for immortality. And just how long somebody can hold a grudge.
About Stephen
Website : Blog : Twitter : Goodreads
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a signed copy of Dead Things from Stephen Blackmoore. US/CANADA ONLY
How: Answer The Qwillery's Question:
You have powers! What are they?
Please remember - if you don't answer the questions your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US or Canadian mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Sunday, February 10, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - January
As part of this year's Debut Author Challenge I thought it would be fun to choose a favorite cover from each month's debut novels. At the end of the year the 12 monthly winners will be pitted against each other to choose the 2012 Debut Novel Cover of the Year.
But I'm not going to choose the winning covers - you are. Welcome to the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars!
Here are your choices for January 2012:
But I'm not going to choose the winning covers - you are. Welcome to the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars!
Here are your choices for January 2012:
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
Interview with Stephen Blackmoore and Giveaway - January 6, 2012
Please welcome Stephen Blackmoore to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Stephen's debut novel, City of the Lost, was published on January 3, 2012.
TQ: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Stephen: Occasionally, I wear a fez. This one.
http://yfrog.com/nzxthkj
In fact, I'm wearing it right now.
TQ: Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
Stephen: Some writers hate the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" To which my answer is, "Daily peyote suppositories and naked wandering through the desert."
But this is the most dreaded question for me. I don't have an answer. There are too many.
Influences? There's Chandler's style and Hammett's plots. Hunter S. Thompson's bat country. There are writers who make me want to be a better writer, like Charlie Huston, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Rob Roberge, Ray Banks. There's Blade Runner and Robocop and Chinatown and L.A. Confidential (the movie - this is blasphemy but I hate Ellroy's books).
It goes on and on and tomorrow I'll have a different answer and it will be just as true as this one.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Stephen: I don't really believe there's a difference. At some point we're all making it up as we go. If you're a plotter then you're pantsing when you're plotting, which, come to think of it, sounds rude and scatological.
Whether you're writing down an outline, doing a storyboard or writing scenes full blown, it's the same process. It's all building up the story in one form or another. And however one does it, it's still going to require rewrites and multiple drafts.
I outline. I write full scenes. I write full scenes in my outlines and vice versa. I write without an outline. Or pants.
But that's an entirely different conversation.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Stephen: Doing it. There are so many distractions and excuses. Just getting off my ass and writing is the hardest thing. Video games, the internet, the day job, the hobo I have tied up on the roof. They're all attention sucks. You have to beat them with a shovel until they stop screaming.
Especially the hobo.
TQ: Describe City of the Lost in 140 characters or less.
Stephen: L.A. thug Joe Sunday is murdered and raised from the dead. Things go downhill from there.
TQ: What inspired you to write City of the Lost?
Stephen: The thought, "zombie noir" popped into my head one day and I couldn't shake it loose. Gave it up, went back to it, ditched it a few more times. Finally wrote a short story that turned into the book.
Though I love writing and reading straight crime fiction, I keep going back to genre mash-ups and noir and horror have always felt like a good fit for each other.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for City of the Lost?
Stephen: Not a lot, really. I mostly pull things in by osmosis more than I deliberately set out to research them. I've picked up a lot about L.A. for my true crime blog, L.A. Noir, where I talk about some of the more weird, funny, or just plain tragic crimes that go on here. I wanted to get that same sense of weirdness in the book.
TQ: Why did you set the novel in Los Angeles?
Stephen: Well, I live here and I know the place. That makes it easier. Setting it in a town I'd never been to or one that I just barely knew wasn't something I was really interested in.
But more, I love Los Angeles. It's such a beautifully screwed up town. It's full of contradictions and bulldozed history. It's beautiful illusions and ugly realities and sometimes the other way around. It's people just trying to lives their lives. It's every conceivable culture smeared across the landscape. It's enormous and tiny at the same time. You can see signs for Chinese fast food in Spanish. Whole blocks are given over to Hangeul. A Jewish deli with glowing neon is down the street from half a dozen Ethiopian restaurants with hand lettered signage.
It's cliches are so well known in popular culture that people think they know it. People know Hollywood, and the stereotypical glamour. They don't know about Sleepy Lagoon, the Watts Riots or Special Order 40. That the concrete channel called the L.A. river, empty most of the year, once put half the city under water and killed over a hundred people. That Dodger Stadium is built on stolen land.
I wanted to write something set among the more hidden parts of L.A. And then twist those bits around a little bit more.
TQ: Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?
Stephen: Joe was the hardest, hands down. The book is in first person so everything's from his point of view. Anything he doesn't know, the reader doesn't know, though they'll probably be faster on the uptake than he is on some things.
The biggest challenge with him is that I have a bigger vocabulary than he does. He's not much of a thinker and he doesn't have much in the way of formal education.
I got some copyedits at one point that suggested he use a particular word in place of another and, though I agreed with the copyeditor, the note I sent back was, "I don't think he would even know what that word means." That said, I didn't want to make him stupid. Just very linear.
As to easiest, I think that was probably the character of Samantha. Whenever she was in a scene it made things go a lot more smoothly. I was trying to get an easy sort of banter between her and Joe and every scene with them just popped. I like writing dialog and she's the sort of character that lends herself to that.
TQ: Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in City of the Lost?
Stephen: That's a tough one. There are so many.
It's probably when a character called The Bruja first shows up. She's a little less and a lot more than she seems to be.
TQ: What's next?
Stephen: My second novel, DEAD THINGS, is a follow-up to CITY OF THE LOST. I don't know when it will be out. Presumably some time next year.
I'm doing this series a little differently from most, in that the focus is on the world, rather than just a single character, so Joe Sunday doesn't make an appearance in this one.
Instead it's about a mage whose particular knack is communicating with the dead. He left L.A. years before because Bad Things happened. He comes back when he finds out his sister has been murdered and discovers that he might just be a pawn in a much bigger game.
Right now I'm working on a pitch for a possible future book in the series titled FIRE SEASON that follows a side character from CITY OF THE LOST as the protagonist. We'll see if the publisher goes for it.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Stephen: Thanks for having me.
About City of the Lost
Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
Read my 5 Qwill review of City of the Lost - here.
Read Stephen's Guest Blog - Our Lady of the Shadows - here.
About Stephen
Stephen Blackmoore is a pulp writer of little to no renown who once thought lighting things on fire was one of the best things a kid could do with his time. Until he discovered that eyebrows don't grow back very quickly.
His first novel, a dark urban fantasy titled CITY OF THE LOST will be coming out January 3rd, 2012 through DAW Books and will be available at all the fashionable bookstores. Hopefully some of the seedier ones, too. He would, after all, like to buy a copy.
His short stories and poetry have appeared in magazines like Plots With Guns, Needle, Spinetingler, and Thrilling Detective, as well as the anthologies UNCAGE ME and DEADLY TREATS.
Despite evidence to the contrary, he does not have rabies.
Stephen's Links
Website
Blog
Twitter
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a copy of City of the Lost from Stephen. US/Canda ONLY.
How: Leave a comment answering the following question:
Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.
There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US or Canadian mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday, January 13, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
TQ: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Stephen: Occasionally, I wear a fez. This one.
http://yfrog.com/nzxthkj
In fact, I'm wearing it right now.
TQ: Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
Stephen: Some writers hate the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" To which my answer is, "Daily peyote suppositories and naked wandering through the desert."
But this is the most dreaded question for me. I don't have an answer. There are too many.
Influences? There's Chandler's style and Hammett's plots. Hunter S. Thompson's bat country. There are writers who make me want to be a better writer, like Charlie Huston, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Rob Roberge, Ray Banks. There's Blade Runner and Robocop and Chinatown and L.A. Confidential (the movie - this is blasphemy but I hate Ellroy's books).
It goes on and on and tomorrow I'll have a different answer and it will be just as true as this one.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Stephen: I don't really believe there's a difference. At some point we're all making it up as we go. If you're a plotter then you're pantsing when you're plotting, which, come to think of it, sounds rude and scatological.
Whether you're writing down an outline, doing a storyboard or writing scenes full blown, it's the same process. It's all building up the story in one form or another. And however one does it, it's still going to require rewrites and multiple drafts.
I outline. I write full scenes. I write full scenes in my outlines and vice versa. I write without an outline. Or pants.
But that's an entirely different conversation.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Stephen: Doing it. There are so many distractions and excuses. Just getting off my ass and writing is the hardest thing. Video games, the internet, the day job, the hobo I have tied up on the roof. They're all attention sucks. You have to beat them with a shovel until they stop screaming.
Especially the hobo.
TQ: Describe City of the Lost in 140 characters or less.
Stephen: L.A. thug Joe Sunday is murdered and raised from the dead. Things go downhill from there.
TQ: What inspired you to write City of the Lost?
Stephen: The thought, "zombie noir" popped into my head one day and I couldn't shake it loose. Gave it up, went back to it, ditched it a few more times. Finally wrote a short story that turned into the book.
Though I love writing and reading straight crime fiction, I keep going back to genre mash-ups and noir and horror have always felt like a good fit for each other.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for City of the Lost?
Stephen: Not a lot, really. I mostly pull things in by osmosis more than I deliberately set out to research them. I've picked up a lot about L.A. for my true crime blog, L.A. Noir, where I talk about some of the more weird, funny, or just plain tragic crimes that go on here. I wanted to get that same sense of weirdness in the book.
TQ: Why did you set the novel in Los Angeles?
Stephen: Well, I live here and I know the place. That makes it easier. Setting it in a town I'd never been to or one that I just barely knew wasn't something I was really interested in.
But more, I love Los Angeles. It's such a beautifully screwed up town. It's full of contradictions and bulldozed history. It's beautiful illusions and ugly realities and sometimes the other way around. It's people just trying to lives their lives. It's every conceivable culture smeared across the landscape. It's enormous and tiny at the same time. You can see signs for Chinese fast food in Spanish. Whole blocks are given over to Hangeul. A Jewish deli with glowing neon is down the street from half a dozen Ethiopian restaurants with hand lettered signage.
It's cliches are so well known in popular culture that people think they know it. People know Hollywood, and the stereotypical glamour. They don't know about Sleepy Lagoon, the Watts Riots or Special Order 40. That the concrete channel called the L.A. river, empty most of the year, once put half the city under water and killed over a hundred people. That Dodger Stadium is built on stolen land.
I wanted to write something set among the more hidden parts of L.A. And then twist those bits around a little bit more.
TQ: Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?
Stephen: Joe was the hardest, hands down. The book is in first person so everything's from his point of view. Anything he doesn't know, the reader doesn't know, though they'll probably be faster on the uptake than he is on some things.
The biggest challenge with him is that I have a bigger vocabulary than he does. He's not much of a thinker and he doesn't have much in the way of formal education.
I got some copyedits at one point that suggested he use a particular word in place of another and, though I agreed with the copyeditor, the note I sent back was, "I don't think he would even know what that word means." That said, I didn't want to make him stupid. Just very linear.
As to easiest, I think that was probably the character of Samantha. Whenever she was in a scene it made things go a lot more smoothly. I was trying to get an easy sort of banter between her and Joe and every scene with them just popped. I like writing dialog and she's the sort of character that lends herself to that.
TQ: Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in City of the Lost?
Stephen: That's a tough one. There are so many.
It's probably when a character called The Bruja first shows up. She's a little less and a lot more than she seems to be.
TQ: What's next?
Stephen: My second novel, DEAD THINGS, is a follow-up to CITY OF THE LOST. I don't know when it will be out. Presumably some time next year.
I'm doing this series a little differently from most, in that the focus is on the world, rather than just a single character, so Joe Sunday doesn't make an appearance in this one.
Instead it's about a mage whose particular knack is communicating with the dead. He left L.A. years before because Bad Things happened. He comes back when he finds out his sister has been murdered and discovers that he might just be a pawn in a much bigger game.
Right now I'm working on a pitch for a possible future book in the series titled FIRE SEASON that follows a side character from CITY OF THE LOST as the protagonist. We'll see if the publisher goes for it.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Stephen: Thanks for having me.
About City of the Lost
City of the Lost
DAW Trade, January 3, 2012Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
Joe Sunday’s dead.
He just hasn’t stopped moving yet.
Sunday’s a thug, an enforcer, a leg-breaker for hire. When his boss sends him to kill a mysterious new business partner, his target strikes back in ways Sunday could never have imagined. Murdered, brought back to a twisted half-life, Sunday finds himself stuck in the middle of a race to find an ancient stone with the power to grant immortality. With it, he might live forever. Without it, he’s just another rotting extra in a George Romero flick.
Everyone’s got a stake, from a psycho Nazi wizard and a razor-toothed midget, to a nympho-demon bartender, a too-powerful witch who just wants to help her homeless vampires, and the one woman who might have all the answers — if only Sunday can figure out what her angle is.
Before the week is out he’s going to find out just what lengths people will go to for immortality. And just how long somebody can hold a grudge.
Read my 5 Qwill review of City of the Lost - here.
Read Stephen's Guest Blog - Our Lady of the Shadows - here.
About Stephen
His first novel, a dark urban fantasy titled CITY OF THE LOST will be coming out January 3rd, 2012 through DAW Books and will be available at all the fashionable bookstores. Hopefully some of the seedier ones, too. He would, after all, like to buy a copy.
His short stories and poetry have appeared in magazines like Plots With Guns, Needle, Spinetingler, and Thrilling Detective, as well as the anthologies UNCAGE ME and DEADLY TREATS.
Despite evidence to the contrary, he does not have rabies.
Stephen's Links
Website
Blog
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a copy of City of the Lost from Stephen. US/Canda ONLY.
How: Leave a comment answering the following question:
Favorite book, movie, comic, or TV show with zombies?
Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.
There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US or Canadian mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday, January 13, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
Release Day Review - City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore - 5 Qwills
City of the Lost
Author: Stephen Blackmoore
Format: Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Publisher: DAW (January 3, 2012)
Price: $15.00
Language: English
Genre: Noir / Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780756407025
Review Copy: eArc provided by Publisher
My thoughts:
Take a shot of noir, a shot of supernatural, a shot of mystery, add a dash of levity. Shake. Serve neat and you've got City of the Lost, Stephen Blackmoore's exciting debut novel.
I completely enjoyed City of the Lost. Joe Sunday, the 'hero' is a thug. No two ways about it. But he's a thug with a heart, more or less. When he gets caught up in supernatural shenanigans because of his boss, Simon, things really go sideways for him. He's turned into a sentient zombie...with an expiration date. He's got to figure out what's going on, who to trust, and how to save himself and Los Angeles at the same time.
I really like Joe. He's a bad guy who's easy to like, which continually amazed me. Despite his profession, he's got his own sense of honor. He'll often do the right thing... under the circumstances. Joe is a great noir anti-hero. You know, the bad guy who is also heroic.
While Joe is the central figure, Mr. Blackmoore does a great job fleshing out the rest of the cast of memorable characters in City of the Lost. It's quite a collection of characters too, some of whom I hope to see again in further novels. Stephen Blackmoore is particularly adept at writing dialog. He captures the back and forth conversational patter that I would expect to find in a noir-infused novel. It is a pleasure to read.
City of the Lost is fast-paced, sometimes gory (Joe is a zombie), sometimes amusing, and always well-written. It will keep you on your toes and you will enjoy being there. I suggest you set out a block of time for reading because once you start City of the Lost you are not going to want to put it down.
I give City of the Lost 5 Qwills.
Read Stephen Blackmoore's 2012 Debut Author Challenge Guest Blog - Our Lady of the Shadows - here. Look for an interview with Stephen later this week.
Author: Stephen Blackmoore
Format: Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Publisher: DAW (January 3, 2012)
Price: $15.00
Language: English
Genre: Noir / Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780756407025
Review Copy: eArc provided by Publisher
Joe Sunday has been a Los Angeles low-life for years, but his life gets a whole lot lower when he is killed by the rival of his crime boss-only to return as a zombie. His only hope is to find and steal a talisman that he learns can grant immortality. But, unfortunately for Joe, every other undead thug and crime boss in Los Angeles is looking for the same thing.
My thoughts:
Take a shot of noir, a shot of supernatural, a shot of mystery, add a dash of levity. Shake. Serve neat and you've got City of the Lost, Stephen Blackmoore's exciting debut novel.
I completely enjoyed City of the Lost. Joe Sunday, the 'hero' is a thug. No two ways about it. But he's a thug with a heart, more or less. When he gets caught up in supernatural shenanigans because of his boss, Simon, things really go sideways for him. He's turned into a sentient zombie...with an expiration date. He's got to figure out what's going on, who to trust, and how to save himself and Los Angeles at the same time.
I really like Joe. He's a bad guy who's easy to like, which continually amazed me. Despite his profession, he's got his own sense of honor. He'll often do the right thing... under the circumstances. Joe is a great noir anti-hero. You know, the bad guy who is also heroic.
While Joe is the central figure, Mr. Blackmoore does a great job fleshing out the rest of the cast of memorable characters in City of the Lost. It's quite a collection of characters too, some of whom I hope to see again in further novels. Stephen Blackmoore is particularly adept at writing dialog. He captures the back and forth conversational patter that I would expect to find in a noir-infused novel. It is a pleasure to read.
City of the Lost is fast-paced, sometimes gory (Joe is a zombie), sometimes amusing, and always well-written. It will keep you on your toes and you will enjoy being there. I suggest you set out a block of time for reading because once you start City of the Lost you are not going to want to put it down.
I give City of the Lost 5 Qwills.
Read Stephen Blackmoore's 2012 Debut Author Challenge Guest Blog - Our Lady of the Shadows - here. Look for an interview with Stephen later this week.
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
Guest Blog by Stephen Blackmoore - Our Lady of the Shadows - November 14, 2011
Please welcome Stephen Blackmoore to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challege guest posts. Stephen's debut novel. City of the Lost, will be published on January 3, 2012 by DAW.
O, Death
Won't you spare me over til another year
My mother came to my bed
Placed a cold towel upon my head
My head is warm my feet are cold
Death is a-movin upon my soul
-O Death (traditional Appalachian dirge)
In a gated strip mall in Los Angeles just south of Macarthur Park, tucked in between a Chinese fast food restaurant and a coin-op laundromat, sits a shrine to a thing that has many names. She's prayed to as a savior of the poor and downtrodden, as a spirit of vengeance, as a great leveler of the weak and the strong.
She is the patron saint of drug runners and murderers. Her image is tattooed on the chests of narcotrafficantes and offerings are made to her by desperate mothers on behalf of their gunshot children.
She is alternately Señora Blanca and Señora Negra. She is the Holy Girl, the Skinny Girl. She is Señora de las Sombras, Our Lady Of The Shadows.
She is Santa Muerte.
As a writer there's an allure to playing around with the paranormal. We get to raise demons and consort with vampires. We can mix it up with damn near anything and twist it to suit our needs. It's a spice that can be as light or heavy-handed as we like.
Romance has embraced the paranormal in all its blood-soaked (and sometimes sparkly) glory. It's done wonders for the Western like THE SIXTH GUN, and even the Post-Apocalyptic - if you haven't read Joe Lansdale's ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE CADILLAC DESERT WITH DEAD FOLKS you are missing out.
I write a lot of crime, hard-boiled and noir in particular. Paranormal noir is a favorite of mine. Richard Kadrey's SANDMAN SLIM and Charlie Huston's ALREADY DEAD are fantastic.
But what about the real thing? What happens when noir and the paranormal get mixed up in the real world?
That's when you get Santa Muerte.
Santa Muerte, Saint Death, appears as a skeleton in a wedding dress, a dark reflection of the Virgin of Guadalupe. She holds a scythe in one hand and either a pair of scales or a globe of the world in the other. She is Death, and death is everywhere.
Santa Muerte is a mash-up goddess that mixes up pre-Columbian religions with Catholicism. After all, conquered people don't give up their gods easy, and she's no exception. Originally she was (probably - there's some debate) Mictecacíhuatl, the Queen of Mictlan, the Aztec Land of The Dead.
Unlike the Virgin of Guadalupe (whose name originated from the Nahuatl word Coatlalopeuh, which sounds like Guadalupe but means Snake Stomper, or something), or many of the Voodoo Loa like Maman Brigitte (Saint Brigid), Santa Muerte has not been linked with another Catholic icon. Santa Muerte is Santa Muerte. Period.
She has, in fact, been actively denounced by the Catholic church. Makes sense. As church types go she's not exactly what you would call "on message".
That's where the noir bit comes in. See, she's the one you go to when you want things done that other saints aren't going to give you. A journey free of cops to drop off that load of meth across the border in Laredo. A safe stint in prison where you won't get shanked in the exercise yard. Vengeance on the man who shot your husband.
She doesn't offer salvation. She is Death and nothing more.
But at the same time there's a certain brutal honesty to her. She levels the playing field. The strong and the weak will both succumb. You, your friends, your family, and most importantly, your enemies will all die. What comes after, well, that's not her problem, that's yours.
She offers a message that her two million plus followers, people who are living with gunfights in the streets and decapitations at nightclubs, can relate to. A death goddess revered by the narcotrafficantes, who say their prayers while they cut off their victims' heads. She is a goddess for a modern, violent era, where life is cheaper than heroin.
I don't know about you but that sounds pretty goddamn noir to me.
About City of the Lost
Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
About Stephen
Stephen Blackmoore is a pulp writer of little to no renown who once thought lighting things on fire was one of the best things a kid could do with his time. Until he discovered that eyebrows don't grow back very quickly.
His first novel, a dark urban fantasy titled CITY OF THE LOST will be coming out January 3rd, 2012 through DAW Books and will be available at all the fashionable bookstores. Hopefully some of the seedier ones, too. He would, after all, like to buy a copy.
His short stories and poetry have appeared in magazines like Plots With Guns, Needle, Spinetingler, and Thrilling Detective, as well as the anthologies UNCAGE ME and DEADLY TREATS.
Despite evidence to the contrary, he does not have rabies.
Stephen's Links
Website
Blog
Twitter
Our Lady Of The Shadows
O, Death
Won't you spare me over til another year
My mother came to my bed
Placed a cold towel upon my head
My head is warm my feet are cold
Death is a-movin upon my soul
-O Death (traditional Appalachian dirge)
In a gated strip mall in Los Angeles just south of Macarthur Park, tucked in between a Chinese fast food restaurant and a coin-op laundromat, sits a shrine to a thing that has many names. She's prayed to as a savior of the poor and downtrodden, as a spirit of vengeance, as a great leveler of the weak and the strong.
She is the patron saint of drug runners and murderers. Her image is tattooed on the chests of narcotrafficantes and offerings are made to her by desperate mothers on behalf of their gunshot children.
She is alternately Señora Blanca and Señora Negra. She is the Holy Girl, the Skinny Girl. She is Señora de las Sombras, Our Lady Of The Shadows.
She is Santa Muerte.
As a writer there's an allure to playing around with the paranormal. We get to raise demons and consort with vampires. We can mix it up with damn near anything and twist it to suit our needs. It's a spice that can be as light or heavy-handed as we like.
Romance has embraced the paranormal in all its blood-soaked (and sometimes sparkly) glory. It's done wonders for the Western like THE SIXTH GUN, and even the Post-Apocalyptic - if you haven't read Joe Lansdale's ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE CADILLAC DESERT WITH DEAD FOLKS you are missing out.
I write a lot of crime, hard-boiled and noir in particular. Paranormal noir is a favorite of mine. Richard Kadrey's SANDMAN SLIM and Charlie Huston's ALREADY DEAD are fantastic.
But what about the real thing? What happens when noir and the paranormal get mixed up in the real world?
That's when you get Santa Muerte.
Santa Muerte, Saint Death, appears as a skeleton in a wedding dress, a dark reflection of the Virgin of Guadalupe. She holds a scythe in one hand and either a pair of scales or a globe of the world in the other. She is Death, and death is everywhere.
Santa Muerte is a mash-up goddess that mixes up pre-Columbian religions with Catholicism. After all, conquered people don't give up their gods easy, and she's no exception. Originally she was (probably - there's some debate) Mictecacíhuatl, the Queen of Mictlan, the Aztec Land of The Dead.
Unlike the Virgin of Guadalupe (whose name originated from the Nahuatl word Coatlalopeuh, which sounds like Guadalupe but means Snake Stomper, or something), or many of the Voodoo Loa like Maman Brigitte (Saint Brigid), Santa Muerte has not been linked with another Catholic icon. Santa Muerte is Santa Muerte. Period.
She has, in fact, been actively denounced by the Catholic church. Makes sense. As church types go she's not exactly what you would call "on message".
That's where the noir bit comes in. See, she's the one you go to when you want things done that other saints aren't going to give you. A journey free of cops to drop off that load of meth across the border in Laredo. A safe stint in prison where you won't get shanked in the exercise yard. Vengeance on the man who shot your husband.
She doesn't offer salvation. She is Death and nothing more.
But at the same time there's a certain brutal honesty to her. She levels the playing field. The strong and the weak will both succumb. You, your friends, your family, and most importantly, your enemies will all die. What comes after, well, that's not her problem, that's yours.
She offers a message that her two million plus followers, people who are living with gunfights in the streets and decapitations at nightclubs, can relate to. A death goddess revered by the narcotrafficantes, who say their prayers while they cut off their victims' heads. She is a goddess for a modern, violent era, where life is cheaper than heroin.
I don't know about you but that sounds pretty goddamn noir to me.
About City of the Lost
City of the Lost
DAW, January 3, 2012Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Cover and illustrations by Sean Philips
Joe Sunday’s dead.
He just hasn’t stopped moving yet.
Sunday’s a thug, an enforcer, a leg-breaker for hire. When his boss sends him to kill a mysterious new business partner, his target strikes back in ways Sunday could never have imagined. Murdered, brought back to a twisted half-life, Sunday finds himself stuck in the middle of a race to find an ancient stone with the power to grant immortality. With it, he might live forever. Without it, he’s just another rotting extra in a George Romero flick.
Everyone’s got a stake, from a psycho Nazi wizard and a razor-toothed midget, to a nympho-demon bartender, a too-powerful witch who just wants to help her homeless vampires, and the one woman who might have all the answers — if only Sunday can figure out what her angle is.
Before the week is out he’s going to find out just what lengths people will go to for immortality. And just how long somebody can hold a grudge.
About Stephen
His first novel, a dark urban fantasy titled CITY OF THE LOST will be coming out January 3rd, 2012 through DAW Books and will be available at all the fashionable bookstores. Hopefully some of the seedier ones, too. He would, after all, like to buy a copy.
His short stories and poetry have appeared in magazines like Plots With Guns, Needle, Spinetingler, and Thrilling Detective, as well as the anthologies UNCAGE ME and DEADLY TREATS.
Despite evidence to the contrary, he does not have rabies.
Stephen's Links
Website
Blog
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
2012 Debut Author Challenge Update - Cover - City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore
Here is the cover for Stephen Blackmoore's debut City of the Lost, which will be published in January 2012. The cover was created by comic artist Sean Philips.
City of the Lost
Author: Stephen Blackmoore
Format: Trade Paperback, 208 pages
Publisher: DAW Books (January 3, 2012)
Price: $15.00
Language: English
Genre: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780756407025
City of the Lost features illustrations by Sean Philips throughout!
Stephen's Links
Webstie
Blog
Twitter
City of the Lost
Author: Stephen Blackmoore
Format: Trade Paperback, 208 pages
Publisher: DAW Books (January 3, 2012)
Price: $15.00
Language: English
Genre: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780756407025
Joe Sunday’s dead.
He just hasn’t stopped moving yet.
Sunday’s a thug, an enforcer, a leg-breaker for hire. When his boss sends him to kill a mysterious new business partner, his target strikes back in ways Sunday could never have imagined. Murdered, brought back to a twisted half-life, Sunday finds himself stuck in the middle of a race to find an ancient stone with the power to grant immortality. With it, he might live forever. Without it, he’s just another rotting extra in a George Romero flick.
Everyone’s got a stake, from a psycho Nazi wizard and a razor-toothed midget, to a nympho-demon bartender, a too-powerful witch who just wants to help her homeless vampires, and the one woman who might have all the answers — if only Sunday can figure out what her angle is.
Before the week is out he’s going to find out just what lengths people will go to for immortality. And just how long somebody can hold a grudge.
City of the Lost features illustrations by Sean Philips throughout!
Stephen's Links
Webstie
Blog
Source: qwillery.blogspot.com
