As far as I know, this meme began with a
writer named Les Edgerton, who I don’t yet know. I was tagged for it by Richard
Godwin, the author of several well received works, including Apostle Rising and a short story
collection entitled Piquant: Tales of the
Mustard Man. I’ve read both and was stunned in each case at the originality
of the voice. Richard’s latest book is Mr.
Glamour, and I have my copy but have not yet had a chance to read it. I’m
looking forward to getting to it soon. Thanks, Richard, for inviting me to this
series. For consistency sake, when I get to the part about my own work below,
I’m going to use the same questions from the original post.
First, we were asked to pick four
writers to invite to this blog meme and that proved to be very difficult. I have a lot of comrades who are writers and
who are certainly worthy of consideration. After much debate, however, I
decided to focus on those whose output, or at least some of it, could be
described as noir fiction. This is in keeping with Richard’s picks for his
post. My four are David
Cranmer, Bernard Lee
DeLeo, Patti Abbott,
and Anonymous-9. Here’s a few words about them and why I
invited them to discuss their Next Big Thing.
David Cranmer is the creator and editor
for Beat to a
Pulp, which is the name of both an online magazine and of a publisher
that has helped revitalize noir fiction. David has put together several
important collections of noir stories in the Beat to a Pulp series, and, under the name Edward A. Grainger, has
written an influential series of hardboiled westerns about the characters Cash
Laramie and Gideon Miles. David has even invited other writers to play in his
world and some excellent stories have been generated by that invitation. You’d
be doing yourself a favor to check out David’s websites and his writing.
Bernard Lee DeLeo is a prolific writer
who has written a number of books that are available for the Nook and Kindle.
His general style combines high intensity action blended with a good sense of
humor. Here’s what I had to say about DeLeo’s Cold Blooded. “An assassin is given the task of killing a woman who
is under witness protection. Instead, something draws him to her emotionally,
and he takes on the task of protecting her and her tween-aged daughter from a
host of murderers. Who better to save someone from assassins than the coldest
blooded killer of them all. This is an exciting thriller, full of brutal
action, but not without a sense of humor. The assassin, Nick, is about the
baddest bad ass ever. Good characters, good story, good read.” Check Bernard’s stuff
out.
Patti Abbott is a versatile writer whose
best known work so far has fallen into the noir arena. I read her collection of
short story gems called Monkey Justice and reviewed it
both on Amazon and on Goodreads. However, her most recent story is a western,
which is up over at Beat to a
Pulp. One of Patti’s great strengths is her characters and you should
treat yourself to some of her writing.
Anonymous-9 lives in the non-writing
world under the name Elaine Ash. Several years ago her short story, “Hard
Bite,” single-handedly stretched the boundaries of modern noir fiction. Now, Hard Bite the novel is available. Elaine
is also a talented editor. Here’s what I said on Amazon about her first
collection of stories, which included “Hard Bite.” “A collection of noir/crime stories that
really push the borders of the genre forward. Many of these are award winning
or award nominated tales, and the awards are deserved. Definitely not the same
old, same old stuff. Full of fresh, if twisted, tales.”
Now for the section where I discuss my
latest work.
My latest published work is a novella
entitled Under the Ember Star. It was
published by Borgo Press, an imprint of Wildside, and included as one half of a
“Double,” with my book on one side and The
Battle for Eden by Mark E. Burgess on the other. Later, the two novellas
were published as separate ebooks.
Here’s a synopsis/teaser for Under the Ember Star:
Ginn Hollis was fourteen
when her father's mysterious death left her alone on the planet Kelmer. She's
grown up since then. Kelmer is a harsh world, an old world: its people are
ancient, its civilization long fallen and dimly dreaming under a brown dwarf
sun the natives call the Ember Star. But now, long dormant forces are beginning
to stir on Kelmer, forces that could destroy the planet forever...or bring it
back to life. One being stands at the center of the turmoil. His origins are
veiled, his destiny is unclear. Everyone wants a piece of him. Only Ginn Hollis
can protect him--if she can save herself first....
What is the hook? What’s this book
really about?
Under
the Ember Star
is, in many ways, a science fiction mystery. Who is the strange being who hires Ginn Hollis for protection? What
is the nature of those who make the planet Kelmer their home? Who are the
architects of the technology that allows life to survive on the planet’s
surface. Before the story ends, all these questions and more are answered, and
there’s a lot of action in the process.
Here are a couple of review excerpts:
“UNDER THE EMBER STAR by
Charles Allen Gramlich is a rousing science fiction tale of a streetwise young
woman named Ginn who was left to her own devices at a young age when her
archaeologist father was killed. She lives on Kelmer, a distant human colony
world, which features a native humanoid species, hostile terrain, an enigmatic
past, and a cooling sun that promises to slowly worsen the planet's climate.
Ginn is hired by an inscrutable member of the native species for a job that
will take her into Kelmer's wilderness, battling human and alien foes who seek
to stop their quest, in an effort to learn more about the planet's origins and
the involvement of a long-lost alien species. Gramlich's worldbuilding is
superb; Kemler never ceases to seem like a real place, and Gramlich's
construction of a relatively primitive alien culture in a tense but not
entirely antagonistic relationship with human colonists is some of the best
I've seen in years. This fast-moving, well-written adventure yarn is an
exceptional science fiction story.” -- From Andrew Byers.
“This
review is for Under the Ember Star (one half of this back-to-back paperback
double); it is also available via e-book as a stand alone novel. Charles
Gramlich is an accomplished author, and this tale fully demonstrates his
story-telling ability. The strong female lead character, Ginn Hollis, is an
orphaned human who has grown up on a distant colony world; part of the
population is human, and part is a resident alien species, ancient and
mysterious. The planet itself is old, full of brooding mystery as its sun
slowly cools in the twilight of its life. Ginn must take on the job of guiding
an alien client through the wilds of this world, overcoming obstacles both
human and inhuman to fulfill their quest. Gramlich's story moves with pace, but
combines the action with strong character development, set in a fleshed-out
world that has depth and solidity, making the reader feel like this is a real
place with real people and problems. The feel of the book reminds me a bit of
Leigh Brackett's work, and she is one of my favorite authors.
Great story; I highly recommend it.” --From “AuthorVet”
What inspired the book? Where did you
get your idea?
The inspiration for most of my writing
comes from the great stories I’ve heard and read over the years. Two particular
writers inspired Under the Ember Star. These were Leigh Brackett and C. L. Moore,
who both wrote of wonderful characters involved in furious action on strange
and alien worlds. Just as such writers gave me many hours of enjoyment, I hope
to do the same for a new generation of readers.
What genre is this book?
Under
the Ember Star
would be considered Science Fiction, particularly under the sub-label of Space
Opera. It’s not hard science fiction, but it’s definitely not a fantasy. I put
a lot of effort into getting the world and culture right. The science is there and
it’s important, but I put more emphasis on the characters and action.
Where and when can I read the book?
Under
the Ember Star
is available both in print, as part of a Wildside Double with Mark E. Burgess’s
The Battle for Eden, and as a
standalone ebook. It’s available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Wildside
itself, as well as at other online stores.
Wildside
Press Ebook
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