It’s been a little busy in the day job department, as some of you may know. Writing-wise, I’m deep into revisions for the second Pete Fernandez book, DOWN THE DARKEST STREET, making it really nice to see that SILENT CITY is still on the radar, and getting some mentions!
Over at 13th Dimension – a great comic site you should all check out – my pal (and talented writer) Justin Gray name-checked SILENT CITY as part of the site’s regular “What I’m Reading” feature. And, I’m in great company – Chuck Wendig’s BLACKBIRDS also gets a plug.
As if that wasn’t enough, Jedidiah Ayres – writer of one of my favorite new books in recent memory, PECKERWOOD (go buy it!), mentioned SILENT CITY as one of the small press books on his radar. Thanks, sir!
If you follow me on Twitter, it’s no secret that I’ve become fairly obsessed with HBO’s True Detective. The show merits a post unto itself, but in the meantime I’ll talk about the music: one of my favorite elements is the excellent soundtrack T-Bone Burnett has put together (this Spotify playlist is the best compilation of the show’s songs I’ve found). This reminded me that I cobbled together a soundtrack for SILENT CITY timed to release. As I finish up DOWN THE DARKEST STREET I’ve been tinkering with something similar for that book, but it’s nowhere near ready to be shared. In the meantime, feel free to give the SC one a listen. Or do one better and watch True Detective – you won’t regret it.
In the “What I’m Reading” department: BIG MARIA by Johnny Shaw – a hardboiled story that features a group of down-on-their-luck losers trying to find a lost treasure that reminds me of early Don Winslow. I also powered through the first two Martin Beck books – ROSEANNA and THE MAN WHO WENT UP IN SMOKE. Both were quick reads and extremely well done. Reading them felt a bit like dusting off a classic album – Revolver or Let It Bleed, for example – for the first time. Truly essential. Also in the mix: THE GUARDS by Ken Bruen and the aforementioned BLACKBIRDS.