The 30 Best Graphic Novels Ever -- Recap

As we get ready for tomorrow's revelation of my choice for the number one graphic novel, let's take today to recap the previous 29 best-worthy books -- a little something old, something new, something mainstream, something you've probably never heard of...

30. The Lump
by Chris Wisnia
Published Salt Peter Press

29. Harpe
by Chad Crawford Kinkle and Adam Shaw
Published by Cave in Rock

28. Children of the Grave
by Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney
Published by IDW Publishing

27. Earth X
by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger
Published by Marvel Comics

26. Legion of Super-Heroes: The Greak Darkness Saga
by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Published by DC Comics

25. I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson, adapted by Steven Niles and Elman Brown
Published by IDW Publishing

24. Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith
Published by DC Comics

23. Batman: The Killing Joke
by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Published by DC Comics

22. The Infinity Gauntlet
by Jim Starlin, George Perez and Ron Lim
Published by Marvel Comics

21.Astro City: Life in the Big City
by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Published by Wildstorm

20. Punk Rock Jesus
by Sean Murphy
Published by Vertigo Comics

19. Minor Miracles
by Will Eisner
Published by DC Comics

18. Crisis on Infinite Earths
by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
Published by DC Comics

17. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
Published by Vertigo Comics

16. Fables: Legends in Exile
by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
Published by Vertigo Comics

15. Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
by Frank Miller
Published by Dark Horse Comics

14. The Crusades
by Steve Seagle and Kelley Jones
Published by Vertigo Comics

13. Blankets
by Craig Thompson
Published by Top Shelf Productions

12. The Building
by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton & Company

11. The Complete Bone
by Jeff Smith
Published by Cartoon Books

10. Maus
by Art Spiegelman
Published by Pantheon

9. V for Vendetta
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Published by Vertigo Comics

8. The Dark Knight Returns
by Frank Miller
Published by DC Comics

7. Sandman: A Doll's House
by Neil Gaiman and various artists
Published by Vertigo Comics

6. Watchmen
by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Published by DC Comics

5. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson
Published by Marvel Comics

4. A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories
by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton & Company

3. From Hell
by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Published by Top Shelf Productions

2. Squadron Supreme
by Mark Gruenwald and various artists
Published by Marvel Comics

And now, with so many great titles already accounted for, what, oh what could be #1? Find out tomorrow. Same Bat-Time. Same Bat-Station.

Gravedigger is here!

Pro Se Productions, a leader in Action Adventure and Genre Fiction, proudly announces the latest release from its first author centered imprint and one of the best Pulp writers today! Multiple award winning author Barry Reese has created yet another hero to add to his own modern Pulp Pantheon, which already includes such New Pulp standards as The Rook and Lazarus Gray. Reese Unlimited, an imprint of Pro Se, presents THE ADVENTURES OF GRAVEDIGGER VOLUME ONE, the latest entry into Pro Se's Sovereign City Project.

Her Life Began…The Day She Died.

The Adventures of Gravedigger introduces the latest masked warrior to inherit the mantle of Gravedigger. A lost soul who has returned from the grave to take up a mission of justice and vengeance, Gravedigger stalks the streets of Sovereign City assisted by her faithful agents and surprising familiar allies! She is the last defense against the criminals, madmen, and bizarre creatures that prowl in the shadows!

According to Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se, "Barry consistently brings his best to each new project. What makes GRAVEDIGGER more than just the next Reese Unlimited title, though, is the fact that it's a new tale he's telling, new to him and to us. Very few people instill personal excitement and passion for a concept into their work the way Barry does and it definitely carries over onto the written page."

"I wanted," Reese states, "to create something that would continue the theme of personal rebirth that populates a lot of my work but I also wanted to do something a little bit different from The Rook and Lazarus Gray. I think I accomplished both with Gravedigger. She and her allies were really near and dear to my heart… by the end of the book, I considered them all to be personal friends. I hope readers will react in the same way."

Gravedigger walks the streets of Sovereign City with Barry's Lazarus Gray and Derrick Ferguson's Fortune McCall, but brings a whole new flavor to that project. Hancock, the creator of Sovereign City explains. "Sovereign City is the best and worst of every large settlement of human beings you can imagine. In that sort of mix, there has to be heroes and villains will pop up. What Sovereign hasn't had is an equalizer of sorts, someone who, while definitely a hero by definition, is not cast in the traditional Sovereign City mold for such. Barry delivers that with Gravedigger in spades, which will be needed to bury the bodies she leaves behind."

Featuring a stunning cover by award winning Pulp Artist George Sellas and mind blowing interiors by renowned artist Will Meugniot. THE ADVENTURES OF GRAVEDIGGER is a stunning, horrifying new addition to Pulp! From Author Barry Reese, Edited by David White, with Format and Design by Sean Ali! THE ADVENTURES OF GRAVEDIGGER VOLUME ONE from Reese Unlimited and Pro Se Productions!

Available in print for $15.00 from Pro Se at https://www.createspace.com/4216431 and via Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/cnelfld ! Coming soon in digital format!

[Link] What Do I Think Goes Into Making Characters Interesting?

by Derrick Ferguson

Since I started this boulder rolling downhill with talking about how I create my characters I figured I’d keep right on going a talk for a bit about what I think goes into making characters interesting and how I do it. As always, feel free to steal any of this you think will help and anything you think is bullshit, keep it to yourself. Okay? Okay. Have a seat and we’ll jaw jack for a bit.

For me, a story begins and ends with character. If the characters aren't interesting and if what they're doing doesn't interest me I don't care how mind-blowing the ideas behind the story is. There are writers who can pull off an idea driven story and I've read many of those over the years but as a rule, those types of stories don't put the sugar in my coffee. I'm more drawn to character driven stories.

And the characters don't have to be likable  In fact, I'm more intrigued when a writer can present me with an unlikable character and during the course of the story I grow to sympathize with him or her. My DIAMONDBACK novel; “It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time” was partially an exercise to see if I could write a novel length story where 99% percent of the characters were backstabbing, unrepentant cold-blooded bastards (especially the lead character) and still make them compelling characters you wanted to know more about and find out what happens to them.

That's why most of the time when you start to read a story of mine, I'll open with the character doing whatever it is he does best. Dillon is a globetrotting adventurer so I'll usually start a story with him in the middle of an adventure. If I write a story where a murderer is the lead character, I'll start with him murdering somebody. For me, nothing gets you into a character faster than showing him or her doing whatever it is they do. And I can do that because before I sit down to write I know the lead character so well that a lot of the indecision about what they would do in a given situation is gone. And I sincerely believe you have to know your characters well before you sit down to write and you have to care about them one way or another because as a writer you're the first audience for your story and if it's not interesting and exciting to you then why should it excite or interest a reader?

Continue reading: http://dlferguson-bloodandink.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-do-i-think-goes-into-making.html?spref=fb

PRO SE OPENS SUBMISSIONS FOR NEW PULP EXPERIMENT!

Classic Pulp Fiction was known as a proving ground for not only up and coming writers, but also new takes on genre fiction and experimenting with the style of writing Pulp. New Pulp as a field and style is no different than its ancestor and one of the leading companies focused on pushing the boundaries of genre fiction, in both content and presentation, is Pro Se Productions! To that end, Pro Se announces today a daring new collection is now open for submissions! 

RAT-A-TAT!: Short Blasts of Pulp! Is a book that will spotlight extremely short pieces, popularly known as ‘flash fiction’ that, regardless of genre, will be Pulp in nature. Pieces accepted for this collection must be no shorter than 500 words, but no longer than 3,000 words. Also, the requirements are that these be complete stories, not scenes or excerpts from larger pieces. Also, the pieces must be heretofore unpublished. Each story will be read and reviewed and acceptance will be determined by the above standards as well as the determination of whether or not the story qualifies as Pulp. 

“Flash Fiction,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Pro Se Editor in Chief says, “is a neat style all its own and to apply that to Pulp will be interesting. The Classic Pulps, although not filled with them, ran shorts within the lengths we’ll have in this collection, so it’s not a new ground we’re breaking. But to take these short pieces, to challenge writers to tell complete tales in a smattering of words, and to then bind all the genres, all the writers, all the stories into one collection, that’s a new take on things, a bit of an experiment, and a risk that Pro Se is more than ready to take.” 

Hancock also stated that due to the fact there could potentially be nearly 100 authors in this collection, each contributor will get 1 print copy and 10 digital copies of the book, regardless of how many stories a writer submits. Hancock said that multiple submissions by individual writers are accepted, but the intent is to have as wide a variety of authors as the book will have of stories.

 

RAT-A-TAT! : Short Blasts of Pulp! Will be open for submissions until June 1st or until the word count of 60,000 words is met. Submissions must be COMPLETE stories, no proposals or queries. Send submissions to Morgan Minor, Pro Se Director of Corporate Operations at Tommyhancockpulp@yahoo.com. Direct any questions to that address as well. 

Reflecting on the Man of Gods -- Jeffrey Hewitt

While at Connooga this year, I met quite a few talented writers with whom I was not familiar. After getting to know them, I thought you should get to know them too. Jeff Hewitt was one of my neighbors in the dealer room, and an all-around swell guy with a spiffy haircut... and a gifted creator to boot.

Tell us about your latest work.

Currently I am working on my third novel and several short stories. The novel is titled Men of Gods. It is set in an alternate past in which the Black Plague was a form of magical biological warfare used on humans by fairies. As humans expanded in Europe, border clashes and finally outright war erupted between humans and fairies. The main focus of the novel is Father James, a priest from a small parish in a rural Germanic state. He joined a Crusade against the fairies. However, James finds that ministering to the men of the Crusade, and to their peasant victims, makes him question his faith. After one battle, he is called to burn a child that is a changeling, a fairy baby swapped with a human baby. As the pyre is set aflame, the priest is seized in a fit, climbs the pyre, and frees the child without injury. James explains that God sent him a vision, and he is to return the changeling to the fairies and retrieve its human counterpart. This angers one of the knights of the Crusade, whose zealotry is questionable in its veracity but not in its ferocity. The priest enlists an older knight as a guardian for their quest, and they set off into the wilds of northern Germany to return the child.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

I seem to deal with doubt as a theme. All three of my novels have a main character who is reluctant and doubtful of himself in some capacity. At 27, I think these protagonists have a lot in common with people of my generation. With the collapse of the economy and the sudden realization that a college degree means little nowadays, many of us are left adrift trying to find our way. That’s a major theme in my third book. I also like to write about gods and their relationship to us as mortal beings. My short story “The Passenger” deals a lot with the nature of belief and how humans have a powerful effect on the things around them. Lastly, I trend towards folk and monster heavy stories, because those are the types of stories I like to read.

What would be your dream project?

A collaboration on a book of creation stories with Neil Gaiman. He writes a helluva good folk tale, and I think either editing and laying out a book of creation stories from around the world, or just creating our own, would be a great project. In my first book I wrote a creation story about the fictional world of Aethero, where the book takes place, and I really enjoyed that experience. The stories that cultures tell about themselves and their origins are fascinating to me, and Gaiman writes those types of stories wonderfully. 

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

I’d probably re-do my first novel. It meanders and the pacing is off because I wrote it off the cuff instead of using an outline. There are weird asides and dead ends as I went back when I was done to try and wrap things up. At one point I believe one character was a day off of the timeline from everyone else, so I had to shoehorn in a scene or two to make sure everyone was on the same time frame. It just didn’t work all that well. With another novel under my belt and the experience of taking the time to outline, I think the story would be a lot stronger. I’d also hire an editor.

What inspires you to write?

Oh man, good writing does, of course. I love to read, and finishing a great novel or re-reading a favorite does wonders to inspire me. I also find that certain types of music will make me want to write, particularly folk and bluegrass. (I guess I’m a bit of a country boy at heart in that regard.) However, seeing masters at their craft will inspire me almost no matter what the content is. I’ve drawn inspiration from favorite books and authors as varied as modern sci-fi and fantasy to histories of the Napoleonic Wars. But I think it always boils down to this: a fascinating experience that touches the soul. That’s what writing is all about.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

If you could see a lot of my first drafts, especially when I first started working on novels, you’d see a lot of Britishisms and spelling. Many of the greats of writing are British, and  I read them extensively, and particularly genre fiction. Lloyd Alexander, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Iain M. Banks, and others have a strong influence on me. It’s not all drawn from across the pond, though. Stephen King’s short stories are a big inspiration for me. Say what you want about the man, he writes killer dialog and a fine short story. He captures the way people talk in Maine and it’s wonderful to read. His book On Writing is highly recommended. I learned a good deal about the craft from that book, and helpfully, he provides an example of a draft and a revision and explains why he made the changes he did. If you’re an aspiring writer you could do a lot worse than to read that book. It’s part autobiography and writer’s guide, and a great read all around.

Where would you rank writing on the “Is it art or is it a science continuum?” Why?

I’d say it’s equal parts. For instance, if you’re baking a cake, you can have all the parts. Eggs, milk, flour, butter, but if you don’t know how to put it together, what you’ve got is a mess that someone is going to have to clean up. Conversely, you can know how to bake a cake but if you don’t know the things that make it good, if you don’t have the ability to understand what makes a cake from a crappy bakery taste different than a cake made at home from scratch, it’s still no good.

So, I’d say it’s a strong mixture. While you can have a good story, compelling characters, exciting ideas, if you don’t know how to present them you don’t have a good story. Mastering the basics of the craft, understanding how to thread a plot and pace it, that makes the ingredients work together. What good is a compelling villain if his climactic scene is the first thing in the book? What’s left to write? You’ve got to be able to write a clear sentence and express a thought before you can blow the socks off your audience. Otherwise, your message, no matter how awesome, won’t make it through. Writing is communication, and you’ve got to know how to speak to the audience.

Any other projects you’d like to plug?

At this time I’ll be doing well to have Men of Gods ready for next year’s convention, and I’d hate to disappoint a potential audience, so I’ll say keep an eye on my website for tentative announcements about that project and others. I’ve got about half a dozen short stories out for consideration in various venues, and if any of them get accepted, you can bet I’ll be throwing that all over the Web.

Thanks for sharing your time with us, Jeff.

Thanks for the opportunity to reach your readers! I really enjoyed meeting you at ConNooga and look forward to meeting up with you at other events!

For more information, visit http://jeffhewitt.net/

The Only Creative Writing Manual You'll Ever Need

by D.A. Adams

This is the only creative writing manual you'll ever need.

Chapter One - Prewriting

Come up with the seed of an idea. Ponder on it; think about it; dream about it. Get to know your characters and listen to them. They'll tell you the story. Do some research to learn about the subjects you'll need to know to build your world. If you need an explanation as to why that's important, you have no business trying to write fiction. Also, read. A lot.

Build as much of an outline as you need to get started. Do what works for you. If you don't know yet, do something and see how it goes. If that doesn't work, scrap it and try something else. Keep all your notes; bookmark internet pages; scribble on napkins; text yourself. Have some kind of plan before you start writing.

Chapter Two - Writing

Find the self-discipline to write every day, at least four or five days a week. Set realistic weekly page goals and meet them. Always remember, if you create one page a day every day five days a week, at the end of the year, you'll have a complete rough draft. Two pages, and you can write two books a year. So stop making excuses and go write. Don't wait for next November. Start today. Try to write at the same time and place if you can. If that doesn't work for you, write when and where you can.

Don't worry about mistakes. You're going to make them. Lots of them. If you worry about mistakes you'll never finish anything. Just write. Allow yourself to take chances and fail. Write stupid crap; write incoherent nonsense; write long-winded, poetic sentences full of symbolism; write short, declarative sentences; write awful dialogue. Just write and don't think about it.

Listen to your characters and write what they tell you. Don't interrupt them; damn sure, don't contradict them; listen to them. They know the story better than you ever will. Trust them.

Chapter Three - Rewriting

Let someone read your rough draft and rip it to pieces. Some people prefer working one-on-one; others prefer writing groups. Do what works for you. Let them bleed all over it and put your ego in check. Your ego is stupid and selfish and doesn't care about your story. Look closely at the feedback; ponder it; weigh it. Fix what you agree with. Keep what you don't believe needs changing as long as it's not your stupid ego talking.

Find all of that crap and nonsense and terrible dialogue you let yourself write and fix it. Make it sound like you're telling the story to your best friend. Polish. Polish some more. Put it away for a few weeks and then polish even more. Care about the quality of what you created. Have some pride and passion about your work. Love it like a child.

Chapter Four - Publishing

Good luck. Don't get discouraged.

Chapter Five - Promoting

Pester the hell out of everyone you know to read your book. Repeat often. Be proud of what you've done. Make others want to read it. Or tell them it's not for them. Sometimes that works, too.

Chapter Six - Repeating

Repeat chapters one through five until your brain deteriorates too much to continue. Then, retire.

Epilogue

This is all you need to know. Don't waste $70,000 on graduate school. Read some good books instead. Especially nonfiction. Nonfiction will feed your brain better than fiction sometimes. If anyone tries to sell you a creative writing manual, ask them why they have to make a living selling creative writing manuals. If anyone tries to tell you they know the one correct way to write, slap the shit out of them and never listen to anything they say again. That person is either really stupid or a cult leader. Don't waste time on either. If your ego ever tells you you've learned all you need to know about writing, tell it to go to hell. Your ego is stupid.

=========================================================

D.A. Adams was born in Florida but was raised in East Tennessee. He received a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of Memphis in 1999 and has taught college English for over a decade. His first novel, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, was released in 2005 and has been described as a solid, honest work about camaraderie, bravery, and sacrifice, a very personal journey, more interested in the ways that a person is changed by life's events than in epic battles and high magic. In 2008, the sequel, Red Sky at Dawn, was released to the exaltation that this novel thunders along, at times with dizzying speed. The action is visceral and imaginative without being gratuitous. Book three, The Fall of Dorkhun, came out in 2011, followed by book four, Between Dark and Light, in 2012.

In terms of writing style, Adams exhibits an effortless narrative voice and a masterful balance between richly detailed descriptions and tightly worded minimalism. The pacing of his stories is breathtaking, with relentless action and captivating plot twists that keep readers riveted page after page. But his true talent as a writer lies in character development. Readers find themselves empathizing with, fearing for, and cheering on the characters as they overcome their personal shortcomings and grow as fully rendered individuals. Adams is also the father of two wonderful sons and, despite his professional accomplishments, maintains that they are his greatest achievement in life. He resides in East Tennessee.

Website  http://daadams.com/ 
Google+  https://plus.google.com/u/0/110672225013868056383/posts
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/authordaadams
Twitter  @biggunsalex

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #276 -- Worst Comic Book Movies

What are the bottom five super-hero movies based on comic book characters, the ones that should have never been made? (Thanks to Tyler Hicks for the question.)

Well, let's be honest, there are a lot of bad comic book movies out there, and many of them come from the 70s made for TV set. But to be fair, I'm not going to count those. I'm only going to include the ones that hit the theaters and were supposed to be something great.

And NO, HOWARD THE DUCK IS NOT ON MY LIST. I actually like that movie. Don't ask, and I won't tell. It's better that way. Trust me.

1. Superman IV -- What could have been a really cool Superman flick turns into pure camp and pure propaganda. And not good camp or good propaganda.

2. Superman III -- While I love Richard Prior in most of his flicks, particularly The Toy and Brewster's Millions, he ruins this turkey of a film.

3. Batman and Robin -- I won't waste your time with an explanation on this one.

4. Superman Returns -- This one is worse than the Green Lantern movie. I mean really, did the writers even know who the characters were?

5. Steel/Spawn (tie) -- How did they mess up these? The source material was awesome.

Why wasn't ____________________ on your list?

1. Catwoman -- Sure it wasn't about Catwoman, but if you start over from the title and tweak the dialog, you're got a watchable movie.

2. Green Lantern -- It had big green explosions. I wasn't really looking for much more than that.

3. Daredevil -- Ben Affleck isn't the greatest actor known to the industry, but this movie wasn't that bad. Slow at times, and the normally wonderful Jennifer Garner was out of place as Elektra, but not nearly as bad as people make it seem.

4. Howard the Duck -- Shut up. This movie is fun.

5. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -- Nothing like the book. I get that, but like Catwoman, if you stop thinking of it in terms of the source material, it's not so bad at all. Kinda fun, actually.

Sword and Laser Anthology Submission Guidelines

 

We’ve been talking about it forever but now it’s here.  The submission process for the first Sword and Laser anthology. If you’re writer in either the sword and or laser genre or somewhere close to being related, this is your chance to be involved.

Open Submissions for Writers (Starting March 1st)

Anybody can submit a story to the first Sword and Laser Anthology. We have two eligibility requirements: your story must be written in English, and you (or your legal guardian, if you’re a minor) must be willing and able to sign a contract if the story is accepted.

SUBMISSION PERIOD
Submissions will be accepted from March 1 – May 15, 2013. We expect to make our final selections by August 15, 2013.

PAYMENT
We pay $200 (US) upon acceptance.

LENGTH
We recommend a length of 1,500 – 7,500 words. We may choose to print shorter or longer stories in some cases, but this should be your target word count.

RIGHTS
If your submission is accepted we will buy the following rights:

• World anthology rights in English and translation

• Audio and ebook anthology rights

World anthology rights and audio/ebook anthology rights are specific to anthologies. These are non-exclusive licenses allowing us to use your story in an anthology only. Specifying “in translation” allows us to request that your work be included in any potential foreign editions as well.

You retain all other print rights. So you’re free to also sell your story to magazines, or websites, or podcasts, or as an individual short story (say, on Kindle), or in a collection of your own work, or even sell it to another anthology after our book has been out for a while. It’s your story, and you keep it, we just ask that we get to be first to print it.

Additionally, we expect to release a Creative Commons edition of the book. It’s not required but if you have strong feeling about it, please let us know upfront.

FORMATTING
We only accept email submissions. You can either paste your story into the body of your email message or send an attachment. For attachments, please use Microsoft Word (DOC), Rich Text Format (RTF), or Plain Text (TXT) formats only. Any word processor should be able to save a file as at least one of those formats.

HOW TO SUBMIT
Send your story to anthology at swordandlaser dot com. Please use the following subject line when submitting…

[SLANTH] STORY TITLE – Your Name

So if your name is Nick Scalzi and if your story is called “YOUNG MAN’S FIGHT” then the subject line of your email should read…

[SLANTH] YOUNG MAN’S FIGHT – Nick Scalzi

Please follow this format, so your submission does not get overlooked!

Next, in the body of your email, please include the following:

• Title: The title of your story

• Pen name: How you want your name to appear in print

• Word count: The count of the words.

• Real name: This is the name that will go on the contract. So no pseudonyms or nicknames

• Email address

• Phone number

• Short biography: This is your chance to tell us A LITTLE about yourself and your writing experience.

All of this information is REQUIRED. You cannot omit any part of this information. You can keep the bio very short of course, that’s up for interpretation but every other piece of information has to be there or your submission will be rejected.

In return we promise not to share any of your personal information with ANYBODY, and we will only use your contact information to tell you whether your story was accepted, and then once to tell you when the book is finished. We will always try to contact you via email first. We will only use the phone number if we need to get in touch with you and email doesn’t work.

If your story is accepted we’ll ask you to confirm all your information, and we’ll also give you a chance to write a new short biography for publication in the book.

Finally, we ask that each writer limit themselves to 3 submissions. We also require only previously unpublished work, and no simultaneous submissions. That means when you submit to us, you haven’t submitted the story to anyone else.

What Kinds of Stories We Want

Sword and Laser’s first anthology is intended to be a celebration of scifi and fantasy fiction.

What are we looking for in a story? Diversity.  Not helpful?  OK.  Here are some better guidelines.

• Interesting characters. They can be evil or nice or mean or stupid, but they should be worth spending time reading about.

•Original settings, point-of-view, and voice. Not necessarily within your story, although that’s important too. But we want lots of different kinds of stories in the anthology. Hard for you to manage when you’re not reading all the other stories, but suffice to say if you’ve seen a story like yours before, it’s less likely to get chosen.

• Unique experience. We’re not going to ask you to ‘write what you know’ and also expect stories about aliens and dragons... form most of you... but situations and reactions drawn from your unique experiences that expose us to something new, will definitely be a plus.

• Stuff happening. Believe it or not, some people write stories where nothing happens. Please don’t be one of those people. Have a central, compelling idea or conflict. We want exciting ideas and character growth.  At least a little.

• Love, laughs, fights, philosophy, insight are all also welcome.

• It needs to be in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. We define this pretty loosely of course. Not every story has to have spaceships or castles. We hope they don’t! But the farther you stray from the center of the sword or laser styles, the less likely we’ll want the story.

• That said, you’re not restricted in how you tell your tale. All styles, all settings, and all tones are welcome. Write the very best story you can, and do your best to surprise us with a new take on the genre!
Approaches to Avoid

As we mentioned above, the more your story is like a story that already exists, the less likely it will be good for the anthology. Here are some examples of really worn out tropes that should be avoided unless you’re clever enough to set them on their head or twist them enough to breathe new life into them. But you’d have to be darned clever, so best to just steer clear.

• It was all a dream. Especially a prophetic dream.

• The chosen one living in obscurity.

• WE are the aliens! Oh noes!

• The robots are rebelling against us. Or, can we trust the robots?

• This was the plot of that Movie/TV series you saw. Wizard asks to share in an adventure? Serial killer crowdsources his killings? Space cowboy leads intrepid gang against the Alliance? Fairy tales are real?  Done done and done.

One final note. The Sword and Laser anthology will be meant for adults. That means it might contain things that some people find disagreeable, disturbing, or offensive. We’re not making an “adult” book. It’s not the point to be shocking. But people curse and have sex and get violent  sometimes and we expect some characters in these stories might too.

That’s OK, but we will have a line and it’s the classic we know it when we see it. If you go over our line that doesn’t mean you or your story is bad, it’s just not right for our comfort zone.

Pretty much we’ll apply the community standards we’ve picked up from our audience. If we think your handling of a subject is likely to be considered disagreeable, disturbing, or offensive by most adults in our audience, then we will be less likely to accept it.

And that’s it! Sorry for all the warnings and such, but we want everybody to be clear as possible about what to expect. Now go have some fun writing!! Hope to hear from you soon!

To see the original posting: http://swordandlaser.com/anthology

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #2 -- Squadron Supreme

2. Squadron Supreme
by Mark Gruenwald and various artists
Published by Marvel Comics

I hear you screaming: "What?! How can you put Squadron Supreme in the list ahead of Watchmen? Are you freakin' crazy?"

No, I'm not. And I'll tell you why.

Both books manage to deconstruct the notion of super-hero teams. Both books manage to follow the "absolute power corrupts absolutely" maxim to its logical conclusion. Both books take the iconic super-hero tropes and types and treat them realistically.

But only one of the books manages to deconstruct its source material without having to reinvent it or distance itself from it.

And that book is Squadron Supreme. It looks and feels like the comics it is laying bare. It feels like the types of comics it is revealing as missing a "real" something. It quacks like the same duck it's aping and raping.

Watchmen, on the other hand, has to modernize the storytelling in order to tell its story. Not that there's anything wrong with modernizing it. Only, it takes far more skill to use the existing feel and style to turn it into something else entirely. (Or so I think.)

And that makes Squadron Supreme the superior book.

The New Adventures of Señorita Scorpion from Pulp Obscura and Pro Se Productions!

A fearless Avenger for Justice atop a blazing steed!  The explosive blast of six-guns filling the air, punctuated by the sharp crack of a whip!  A mask protecting the identity of someone fighting for Right in the Old West!  All the elements to make a fantastic Pulp story came together decades ago in tales crafted by a prolific Pulp Writer.  Now PULP OBSCURA, an imprint of Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press, proudly presents three new tales of this groundbreaking character from Pulp’s Golden Era!

Pulp Obscura’s THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SENORITA SCORPION, featuring Les Savage, Jr.’s Masked Mistress of the Range is now available, adding another stellar star to the lineup of classic, but often forgotten or underrated heroes now living again in Pro Se’s exciting imprint!

Created by Savage in 1944 for Action Stories, Senorita Scorpion is in fact Elegra Douglas, a young lady who became a legendary outlaw defending her family's land and legacy, the fabled Lost Santiago Mine. Beautiful and deadly. A crack shot. A Fast thinking, daring fighter who is ruthless to those who threaten the land and people under her protection!

“Senorita Scorpion,” stated Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is a wonderful character on several levels with so much potential.  Masked heroes in the Wild West have a special place in the heart of fans of all sorts, from Pulps to old time radio to television and beyond.  Senorita Scorpion fits right into the category.  Then add in the fact that not only is this a female lead character created at a time when that wasn’t done very often, but that she was written to be as strong and capable as the very men she stood against.   Les Savage, Jr. gave Pulp fiction a heroine that is just as relevant now as she was in the 1940s and we’re definitely glad to be a part of continuing her adventures!”

Nancy A. Hansen sends Senorita Scorpion into action to the ringing of THE BELLS OF ST. FERDINAND!   Andrea Judy demonstrates that some jail breaks simply need A WOMAN’S TOUCH! And Brad Mengel posts a fantastic bounty with WANTED: SENORITA SCORPION!  Three great writers bring a classic Pulp character galloping back to life in three daring tales of hard riding action and bold adventure!

From out of the Past comes New Tales of Classic Characters from PULP OBSCURA! With editing by Percival Constantine, an amazing cover by Mike Fyles and Format and Design by Sean Ali, ride alongside the mysterious blond bandit of the Old West in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SENORITA SCORPION!  Available from Pro Se! Coming soon in Ebook format!

Also, get two volumes the original adventures of Senorita Scorpion by Les Savage, Jr. reprinted in exquisite collectible editions from Altus Press at http://www.altuspress.com/projects/the-complete-adventures-of-senorita-scorpion-volume-1/ and http://www.altuspress.com/projects/the-complete-adventures-of-senorita-scorpion-volume-2/!

If interested in review copies, interviews or further information, please email Morgan Minor, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations at tommyhancockpulp@yahoo.com 

PRO SE DEBUTS HARD BOILED WESTERN OMNIBUS!

An untamed land of lawless men and deadly decisions.  Evil hides in the shadows of alleys and Good dies on blood soaked streets. Loose words lead to skinned sixguns and flying lead.  A land where a man has to be of a certain breed.  Tough, relentless, unforgiving.  A land where a man has to be…Savage.

Pro Se Productions, a leading publisher of Genre Fiction and New Pulp proudly presents SAVAGE NOIR: The Complete Adventures of Frank Savage.  Written by Greg Norgaard, SAVAGE NOIR is a hard boiled two fisted western.  This omnibus features the original two novels featuring Norgaard's raw, exciting protagonist-Frank Savage- as well as a never before published short story chronicling Savage's last adventure.

There is only one way to deal with murderous souls when killing is their modus operandi and revenge is on their mind. When the West was wild, one man knew this better than any other. His name was Frank Savage.

A SAVAGE RETRIBUTION – On a cross country stagecoach trip, Frank’s destiny causes him to cross paths with people from his past.  Unaware that they are being followed, Frank must come to terms with his old ways.  With the help of his friends, he will face his past and fight for their lives against a madman who will stop at nothing to get his savage retribution.

A SAVAGE DARKNESS –The violent story of four lawmen in search of a murderous group of psychopaths.  Frank leads his new found partners into Chicago’s dangerous underworld in order to destroy the killers who savagely murdered one man’s family.

AN AMERICAN SAVAGE- Never Before Published!  This trek takes Frank to England for his final mission- to stop a killer from continuing his rampage.  A killer that he should have disposed of when he had the chance.  It will not be a mistake Savage makes twice!

According to Paul Bishop (Fight Card), "Savage Noir is not your father's western.  Frank Savage is a flawed hero riding hell-bent for violence.  Nasty.  Brutish.  Twisted.  I loved every page." 

Gordon Dymowski (Zone 4/Blog THIS Pal) recommends, "If you like your Westerns a little wilder than most, you'll dig SAVAGE NOIR."

SAVAGE NOIR: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF FRANK SAVAGE by Greg Norgaard is currently available from Pro Se Productions at https://www.createspace.com/4190844 and at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!  Coming Soon to Kindle, Nook, and Other E-Readers!

For Interviews with the author or more information on Pro Se Productions, contact proseproductions@earthlink.net!

[Link] Do Amazon and Createspace rip off Indie publishers with failure to correctly report sales?

by John. R. Clark, Managing Editor at AgeView Press

When AgeView Press Indie pubbed the book FLYING SOLO in May of 2012, the author, Jeanette Vaughan immediately began tracking sales. She heard from excited friends and family who immediately emailed when ordering their copies. The first sales were off of Createspace’s e-store with the title ID number given to the author. Then, through Amazon, a week later, when the book went live on the site. Finally on Kindle, when the ebook format was completed.

Initially, things appeared kosher. People exclaiming that they had ordered the book, were showing up within a day or two on the electronic royalty reports with a reasaonable accuracy. But by June and July, sales descrepencies were noted by the author from customers claiming that they had purchased the book directly through Amazon, not an Amazon affiliate. Many of these sales were simply not listed.The author contacted Createspace customer support, who gave assurance that all sales were being accurately reported. FLYING SOLO was now also on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select as well as expanded distribution channels, which included Amazon affiliates in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Sales were being reported to the author from readers and bookclubs in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The first note of apparent discrepancy came when a dear friend of the author ordered three copies of the book from Amazon in June. These books were ordered all at the same time, from Amazon.com direct. Yet, that cluster of three sales was never posted as such.  Another instance in early July involved the same issue. Again, a customer ordered three copies, yet no sales were trackable through Amazons channels for three sale purchased on the same day.

Meantime, the author was making public appearnances, being featured on blogs and radio, and rounding with booksignings. During the months of June and July, no expanded distribution channel sales were posted on the royalty report, yet customers were emailing the author letting her know how much the book was being enjoyed overseas. More than 15 five star reviews for the novel were posted on Amazon.

What should have shown as a surge of sales, as the book peaked, never appeared on the royalty reports. The author was suspect. She contacted Ingram directly, only to be informed that they were not supposed to reveal information to an author directly. So, the Indie publisher, AgeView Press made the call. Ingram showed 16 copies of the book ordered through their system total since May. Those sales never showed on the June or July royalty report. The author filed formal complaints with Createspace customer service, but received only canned letters in response explaining that indeed there was an issue with reports in Expanded Distribution and it was being investigated. Advice to author? Please be patient.

By August, it was clear there were gross in accuracies. The 30 copies ordered from Barnes and Noble never showed up. Few if any sales were listed for August. Yet the author had confirmation of over 4,000 copies in distribution worldwide. The crowning blow came in September. A plan was devised. A friend, agreed to help with the investigation. She ordered a copy of FLYING SOLO on September 7th, taking screen shots of her order and confirmation of payment directly from Amazon. She printed out here receipt showing date and time of purchase. The book arrived on September 13, to San Jose, California. Photos were taken. The sale was complete. Copies of all screenshots and receipts were scanned and sent to the author. By September 20th, no sales were shown at all on Createspaces report. Phoning Createspace, the author was informed that no sales were showing for Amazon for the month for that title. It was time for outrage!  What had been suspected, had now been proven. Not once, but twice!

Continue reading: http://jeanettevaughan.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/do-amazon-and-createspace-rip-off-indie-publishers-with-failure-to-correctly-report-sales/

Heretical in Hindsight, The Work of Andrew Toy

Now it's time to introduce you to another gifted storyteller I met this year at Connoga -- Andrew Toy (talk about having a perfect last name for this line of work).

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

Think average family man meets Jurassic Park meets Hunger Games. Everyman Robbie Lake discovers a dark and imaginary world inside an ordinary cardboard box. The more he returns to it, the more addicted he becomes to his new world, apart from his wife, his kids, and every day stresses of life. It's Narnia for grownups!

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

Addiction and how it not only affects you, but those around you. The love of power, and our desire to be worshiped is there too. And of course, a little bit of love and selflessness is thrown in.

What would be your dream project?

I'm working on it now! But I can't reveal it yet. Or shall I say it? ...Aliens!

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

I self-published a book called Dreaming of Heaven several years back. It's pretty heretical in hindsight, really. I would redo it by actually studying the subject matter a bit more. But as of now, the house rule is that no one's allowed to mention that book. It's pretty embarrassing, actually.

What inspires you to write?

The fact that there is still a market out there for quality storytelling, and there are guys out there that make a living telling quality stories. i.e. the guys at Pixar. I watch any one of their movies and I'm pounding away at the computer screen for hours.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

Steinbeck, for one. He knows how to take an otherwise boring topic and spin it into something interesting and sometimes gripping. John Grisham writes like you're watching a movie. Louisa May Alcott, because she had a strong knack for developing characters. And right now, I'm reading one of my first Stephen King books, Under the Dome, and I just admire the sarcastic tone he takes on as the narrator - it makes it so much fun! But I'm also a fan of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien for two opposite reasons. Lewis could take a complicated story and make it simple. Tolkien could take a simple story and make it complex. I like when guys can do that.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

Writing is definitely an art! It has rules, but they're meant to be broken. Creating art of any kind involves the heart, and emotions. But that's not to underscore the fact that it takes brains to communicate those unseen forces intelligently and clearly. There's very little science in writing (or should be very little). Some of the coolest writing I've come across breaks all the rules that we were taught in high school.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

I'm shopping my literary novel around to publishers called I Am the Lion. It's about a bipolar widower who is incapable of raising his less-than-confidant daughter on his own. The Man in the Box went for suspense and adventure, but this one's going for tears-down-the-face.

Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action is looking for guest bloggers!

If you're a writer who likes to write (or talk) about writing as much as actually write, then I'm looking for you.

As you probably know, maintaining a writer's blog and keeping fresh, interesting, practical and helpful content constantly updated is no small chore -- and quite a time-consuming one. So... I need your help.

What I'm looking for are short articles on the craft or spirit of writing, reading, creating, and/or balancing the creative and everyday life. Articles that are genre-specific, such as "Writing Steampunk" or "Keeping Suspense in Romance" are perfectly acceptable and oh so welcome. Articles that ignore genre altogether such as "Falling in Love with Sounds -- The Poetry of Prose" are equally perfect for what I'm looking for.

If you've got a nugget you want to share, please email me at staylor104@aol.com and I'll add you to the schedule. Please be sure to include a bio and links to your web presence.

Thanks.

Zombie Lit and Me

Guess who is going to be speaking to Zombie Lit classes tomorrow at North Georgia's Gainesville Campus? 

This guy. 

Can't wait. 

I'll be reading my short story "Posthumous" from Daw/Penguin's Zombiesque anthology and talking about writing zombie stories and how when we write about zombies, we're usually writing about something else.

 

 

Look what's new! Dreams of Steam III -- Gadgets!

Steampunk teases your imagination with the fantastic and makes dreams a reality. Bizarre characters abound in a world driven by gadgets. Steam power combines with clockwork cleverness to take the history we think we know so well and add a huge twist of what if. These 15 incredible stories will take you back in time to where style, crazy inventions, and scandal ruled the headlines.

Featuring:
Gift of Light by Stephen Zimmer
Steampunk Alchemy by Jodi Adamson
The Survivor by M. B. Weston
Heart of Steel by Len Berry
A Steam Bunny Adventure by Sean Taylor
Time and the Wrinkled Prostitute by Brandon Black
The Brass Peregrine by David R. Tabb
The Last Frontier by H. David Blalock
The Constance of Memory by Stacy Tabb
When Edgar Speaks by Alexander S. Brown
The Tower by Laura H. Smith
Steaming Cherry by Tyree Campbell
The Clockwork Gin by Eden Royce
The Great Steamship Race by Rob Cerio
The Soul of the Sky Queen by Patricia M. Rose

Hard Cover
6 x 9
298 pages
ISBN 13:
978-1-937035-27-3
$29.95
 
Trade Paperback
6 x 9
298 pages
ISBN 13:
978-1-937035-26-6
$14.95

eBook
eISBN:
978-1-937035-28-05
$2.99

Buy online now at:
Amazon.com
Kindle
B&N.com

Blog Hop -- Better Late Than Never!

THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP
Welcome to the blog hop!

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way that readers can discover new authors, because with bookstores closing and publishers not promoting new authors as much, we need to find a way to introduce readers to authors they may not see in their local bookstore.

Here you have the chance to find many new authors. You’ll find information about me, my blog, and my books. But that’s not all! Also see links below to another author you might like to check out.

I’d like to thank fellow author Roland Mann for tagging me to participate. Click the links below to find out about his book, Buying Time.

www.rolandmann.me
www.facebook.com/rolandmannauthor
http://rolandmann.wordpress.com/projects/buyingtime/

In this particular hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered 10 questions where you get to learn about our current work in progress as well as some insights into our process, from characters and inspirations to plotting and cover decisions. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

What is the working title of your book?

Drought -- A Love Story

Where did the idea come from for the book?

From a dream, actually. That usually doesn't happen with me. I have no idea what precipitated that dream though. (Did you see what I did there? "Precipitated.")

Just an inspirational concept.
Not the actual cover.

What genre does your book fall under?

It'll be a genre I really haven't worked in yet, Young Adult Urban Fantasy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Wow. Normally this is a fun question, but I don't know a lot of teen actors, so I'm kind of at a loss here. But in the interest of completing this questionnaire, I did some research, and for the two main characters, Sam Evans and Rayna Doe, would be good fits for RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad and Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Once every 100 years, Rain and the other protective elements of nature, are allowed to become human in order to appreciate the  people and creatures they protect and destroy; only this time, Rain disappears, only to fall in love with a human boy.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Already got a few interested publishers.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I'm still working on it. I hope to be finished by later this year, since the Mayans didn't destroy the world before I could finish it.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

In tone, it's going to have a lot in common with Gaiman's Mirror Mask and American Gods, but filtered through a YA lens. In audience and plot, I expect to hear more comparisons to the Percy Jackson books, since it's about kids thrust into a supernatural world and forced to rise to the occasion to become heroes.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Two things really. One, the dream I mentioned earlier. And two, the need to write a longer form work (usually I do stories and novellas or graphic novels) that I might have some luck with at a larger publishing house.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I'm not a big fan of truly happy endings, and I believe we learn more through bittersweet resolutions. So if you're tired of seeing all the ribbons wrapped into bright shiny bows at the end of your YA stories, you might really dig Drought.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #275 -- Literary Tells

I got to thinking yesterday how, if I were to write something under a pseudonym, people who had read much of my work could probably figure out it was me pretty quickly.  The main reason is that I have what I think of as a couple of very obvious "tells"-- things I tend to do a lot when I write, that are like fingerprints identifying me.What are your writing fingerprints? --Van Allen Plexico (www.plexico.net) 

My, my, my poker face.
My, my poker face.

Ooh. I really, really like this question, and I've thought about this before (a lot, I'm embarrassed to say -- as one shouldn't think about his or her own "writing" as much as be actually writing instead, I feel).

Regardless, I think I have quite a few tells that would negate my "poker face" when writing:

1. Sentence fragments. I can't help myself. I love them. I particularly love them when I'm trying to speed up the physical action or the "action of thought." I do. Really do. A lot.

2. "Go to" dialog beats. I find that in my stories, people will sigh, clear their throats, look up, wrinkle their brows in thought, or sit down and cross their legs quite a bit. It's a minor thing, I guess, but it's something to break up the dialog and to make the characters do real life people stuff while they talk.

3. Hard and soft sound combinations. I love to string together hard K,D, and P sounds when I want the reading to intentionally slow down or when I want emphasize a piece of story, such as a punch or argument or internal realization. I also tend to string together soft S, Z, M, and N sounds when I want to speed up the read and give it an easy-going feel. 

But that's just what I've learned about me. Those of you who have read my work, what
do YOU think? What have YOU found to be common tells in my literary poker face?

The Best Graphic Novels Ever #3 -- From Hell

Looky, looky, folks. Today we break the top three!

3. From Hell
by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Published by Top Shelf Productions

Before I even begin, yes, I did like the movie. But no, it's not remotely like the book, nor it is as strong a piece of fiction as the book.

From Hell has all the classic Alan Moore trademarks and signatures: stories within stories within enigmas within even more stories; using panel layouts to signify singularly important moments in the script; historical rabbit trails and wild goose chases; rampant nods to counter-cultural high (and low) points; and bucketloads of just plain weirdness and wallowing in the filth.

It's filled with all the same stuff his readers look for in Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, but here he does it better.

In From Hell, you get what I consider to be the pure, unadulterated Alan Moore. This is Alan Moore off the leash, with no corporate handlers to box him in -- even a little (or just piss him off to the point that he screws up his own story to return the favor). This is Alan Moore seen through the eyes of a genius like Eddie Campbell. This is Alan Moore with liberal sprinklings of even more Alan Moore on top of an Alan Moore icing.

In short, this is Alan Moore before he lost his freakin' mind.

This book makes you think. Makes you wonder. Makes you go "hmmm..." in all the right ways.

BACKTALK-- PULPSTERS REACT TO RICK RUBY’S PULP ARK WIN!

Cover Art: Mark Wheatley

Bobby Nash & Sean Taylor

Rick Ruby, the titular character from The Ruby Files was named Best New Pulp Character at the 2013 Pulp Ark Awards. We thought we’d ask some of the creators and readers what makes Rick Ruby special to them.

“I love to say 'I told you so,' and in this case, I'm prouder to say that than I usually am. I knew Bobby and I had a winner in Rick Ruby, and I'm just thrilled to find that all the hard work and great talent who pooled together for the book paid off on the award circuit. I think Rick would be proud too, either that or just drunk. Your choice.”
--Sean Taylor, Rick Ruby co-creator

“When Sean Taylor and I started putting the pieces together on The Ruby Files, we knew we were on to something good. This project has been one helluva fun ride and I’m gratified to know that New Pulp and fans of detective fiction have embraced Rick Ruby. I also feel very fortunate that so many talented writers and artists are also signing on to join the fun. Bring on volume 2!”
--Bobby Nash, Rick Ruby co-creator

Art: Rob Moran

“Kudos to Sean and Bobby for brewing up one helluva noir shot, straight up.”
-- Rob Davis

“Well, Rick Ruby is just NOT the kind of guy who wins awards. But his creators are!”
--Mark Wheatley

“It's an honor to have been associated with one of the best-received New Pulp characters. Cheers to Rick Ruby, a new face in a classic tradition. Long may he shine.”
-- William Patrick Maynard

Back cover: Rob Davis

“Rick's a hardboiled detective of yesteryear for today's reader. To paraphrase the Beatles: He's got a chip on his shoulder that's bigger than his feet. This adds a great edge as he seems reluctant to take on cases rather than eager or desperate as classic P.I's looking to pay the bills. His demons move him forward as much as they hold him back and the result is captivating reading, and writing. Throw in a world that is as real and rich, at the outset, as any in the fictional landscape and you've got the whole package. My time in Ruby's world resulted in a tale that I'm immensely proud of and I'm thankful to have had the chance to stalk down Rick's dark alleys. And I hope to do so again.”
--Andrew Salmon

"From Sam Space to Mike Hammer, private eyes have always been super cool characters in American pulp fiction.  The fun of Rick Ruby is he plays to all the familiar scenarios from fast cars, booze, thugs and hot babes adding a new level of action all his own.  A truly original hero cast in the mold of the classic gumshoes that came before him."
--Ron Fortier

Art: Rob Moran

And a couple of friends of Ruby offered their thoughts as well:

"A gumshoe from the days when your best friends were usually yourself and the weapon in your holster. Someone you knew would have your back, even when you couldn't afford to pay him. That is Rick Ruby."
--Lee Houston, Junior

"Rubies are hard, red, and worth pocketing."
--I.A. Watson

About the Pulp Factory Awards:

Once a year the 109 members of the Yahoo Pulp Factory group, writers, artists, editors, publishers and fans, vote for the best Best Pulp Novel, Short Story, Cover Art and Interior Illustrations from the previous year.  These awards are revealed and trophies presented to the winners at the Windy City Pulp & Paper Convention.  This will be the fourth year they are handed out.

About the Pulp Ark Awards:

The Pulp Ark Awards began in 2011 with the first Annual Pulp Ark Convention and Conference.  The purpose of the Awards is to recognize the broad variety and creativity that makes up New Pulp today.

Art: Mark Wheatley

Here’s how The Ruby Files Vol. 1 fared in the nominations:

2013 PULP ARK WINNER - BEST NEW CHARACTER

2013 PULP ARK NOMINEE - BEST COLLECTION/ANTHOLOGY

2013 PULP ARK NOMINEE - BEST SHORT STORY - Die Giftig Lillie, Sean Taylor from The Ruby Files, Airship 27 Productions

2013 PULP ARK NOMINEE - BEST SHORT STORY - Tulsa Blackie’s Last Dive by William Patrick Maynard from The Ruby Files, Airship 27 Productions

2013 PULP ARK NOMINEE - BEST COVER ART

2013 PULP ARK NOMINEE - BEST INTERIOR ART

Art: Rob Moran

2013 PULP FACTORY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PULP SHORT STORY,
“CASE OF THE WAYWARD BROTHER” BY BOBBY NASH.

2013 PULP FACTORY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PULP SHORT STORY, “DIE GIFTIG LILIE” BY SEAN TAYLOR.

2013 PULP FACTORY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PULP SHORT STORY, “WOUNDS” BY ANDREW SALMON.

2013 PULP FACTORY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PULP COVER BY MARK WHEATLEY.

2013 PULP FACTORY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST PULP INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROB MORAN.

Keep watching this space for more on the exciting world of Rick Ruby and The Ruby Files.