THE RANGER by Ace Atkins

After six years away, Army Ranger Quinn Colson returns home to Jericho, Mississippi to attend his uncle's funeral. The townspeople believe his uncle, Sheriff Hampton Beckett, committed suicide, but Quinn doesn't accept it, feeling loyalty to a man who helped raise him.

I identified most strongly with the theme of coming home, being forced to revisit the past, reopen old wounds. In the process, Quinn finds himself opposed to the county's most prominent developer and the muscle hired to compel Quinn to sell land inherited from Hamp. The Ranger has the feel of a contemporary Western. Good and evil aren't black and white, giving the novel its complexity and surprise.

While I'm ready to embrace Quinn as a new series protagonist, I can't help addressing comparisons to Robert B. Parker's work. Atkins has been tabbed to continue Parker's Spenser series, but also The Ranger is dedicated to Parker's memory.

The novel does feature a moral protagonist and clipped dialogue, but if those were the only criteria, many more novels could be called Parkeresque. I'd say that Atkins and Parker share the eloquence to spin a fully realized tale without wasting a word. Atkins's style in The Ranger is markedly different in that he uses multiple third-person viewpoints, exploring Quinn and the people he meets. The book comes in at 334 pages, but at no point did I feel rushed or cheated.

Atkins's talent deserves continued recognition under his own name. I'm glad he'll be writing this new series in addition to taking on Spenser.

More from WE MIGHT HAVE

I originally intended the video below for my Amazon.com author page, a single poem that exemplifies the tone of We Might Have while complying with even the strictest rule against obscenity:



Ultimately, I found the size of Amazon's video screen small and decided any videos I post there should be about me in general, not any specific project.

Anyway, "Gotta Wonder" may be most resonant when paired with Frankie Avalon's 1959 hit, "Venus":

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

...asks Do Some Damage's Joelle Charbonneau.

I commented:

I haven't always wanted to write. My dream jobs as a child were, in no particular order: astronaut, oceanographer, soldier, and inventor. I realized I wanted to write at 13, when my school library published a classmate's book. Out of nowhere, I felt If he can do it, I can, and I've geared the rest of my life toward writing.

I write because writing is more active than reading. Reading, to me, is like watching sports. I enjoy watching, sure, but I prefer to get in the game.

I write because I feel I can express myself best in writing. Planning what to write and revising help test my logic before I spring it on people. If I didn't write anything, kept everything to myself, I'd go stir crazy.

Why a Poetry eBook?

As a fiction writer as well as a poet, I could have published a novel or short story as my first e-offering, pricing it at the popular 99 cents. I chose to publish poetry first because I care about poetry's presentation in a way few larger publishers do, including self-publishing giant Lulu. I'm not convinced e-readers will phase out books. Frankly, I hope they don't. My thinking is, as long as new media are there, poetry deserves a foothold just as prose does.

Poetry is inherently more challenging to e-publish than prose, but that's all the more reason to do it. I invite you to buy my book, We Might Have, and spread the word that, despite extra hurdles, poetry can translate well to an e-reader.

The Importance of Reviews

Dave White's original 99-cent eBook Witness To Death was recently reviewed by Carol Barrowman of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, after which the book's Amazon sales rank spiked 2,000%. It's quite a coup for Dave, whose early stories I edited for The Thrilling Detective Web Site.

Today at Do Some Damage, Dave asks how important reviews are to readers. I commented:

Reviews are important to me insofar as they address what interests me about a particular book. For instance, how did Jeffery Deaver's CARTE BLANCHE go about bringing James Bond into the present day? What did reviewers think of that?

Given the reviews I've read and what I like about Bond, I'm not sure I would like the changes Deaver made. It hasn't been enough to put me off buying the book entirely, but I have passed up CARTE BLANCHE a couple of times now in favor of books I knew I'd get into right away.

Reviews have a definite impact on sales, but an author has no control over whether he gets good or bad reviews. An author has the most control over how much effort goes into writing the book.

Congrats on the review, Dave. Keep writing.

Crimespree #42

Just received my subscriber copy of the May/June 2011 issue. My interview with Ace Atkins is on page 32. It took place April 29, two days after Atkins was announced as the author of new novels featuring Robert B. Parker's Spenser—the first to be published next year.

Noir at the Beach House: The Stories

Today, Do Some Damage's Steve Weddle is collecting the stories written for his Noir at the Beach House flash fiction challenge. The authors and those who commented on the original challenge post will be entered to win a copy of Duane Swierczynski's Fun and Games, the first in a rapid-fire trilogy from Mulholland Books.

Here are links to the stories, alphabetized by author's last name:

Eric Beetner, "Meltdown"
Fiona Johnson, "The Trip"
Keith Karabin, "Debt Takes a Holiday"
David James Keaton, "Is That My Sandwich In There?"
Don Lafferty, "The Fishing Trip"
Ray Adam Latiolais, "Busmen"
Benoit Lelievre, "The Night I Almost Got Married"
Thomas Pluck, "White People Problems"
Stephen D. Rogers, "Cape Noir"
Peter Rozovsky, "Down the Shore"
Kathleen A. Ryan, "Wanderlust"
Kieran Shea, 38° 59' 30" N / 74° 48' 54" W
Gerald So, "Playa Los Muertos"
Katherine Tomlinson, "Fourth of July"
Al Tucher, "Sharks"
Charlie Wade, "Are We Nearly There Yet?"

UPDATE (4:40 P.M.): Steve Weddle has announced Thomas Pluck as the winner chosen at random to receive Fun and Games. Congratulations.

Father's Day

If you gave my father a gift—wallet, watch, portable radio, clock—he would most likely put it away until his current one was beyond repair. He didn't show affection in the traditional ways, but I knew it was there. He was a pediatric surgeon who routinely answered the phone after one ring and went to work in the wee hours. I purposely slept light so as to hear any movement he made and be able to see him before he left.

My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1995. An operation gave him almost six years of life after that, and I didn't waste a second.

I'd like to thank the Academy

Always looking to broaden my experience of poetry, I've joined the Academy of American Poets as an Associate member. Of all the benefits, I'm especially going to make use of discounted/free admission to Academy events.

Paul Levine's FLESH & BONES Now an eBook for Charity

As a longtime fan of Paul Levine's writing, I'm glad to spread the word that, for the second year in a row, Paul is donating his royalties from the sale of a Jake Lassiter eBook to the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that pays for treatment of pediatric cancer patients at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.

Yesterday, Paul posted to the Top Suspense Group blog about how he became involved with the charity.

And here is a feature Paul wrote about his novel Flesh & Bones:

“PART CON MAN, PART PRIEST” – JAKE LASSITER REVEALS WHO HE IS

By Paul Levine

“They don’t call us sharks for our ability to swim.”

So says Jake Lassiter in “Flesh & Bones.” Or rather, he thinks it in interior dialogue, sometimes called interior monologue. It’s one way to reveal character and answer the reader’s question: Just who is this guy, anyway?

I’ll let Jake answer that question, but first I wanted you to know that the international bestseller “Flesh & Bones” is now an e-book priced for a short time at $0.99, with all proceeds going to Hershey Children’s Hospital for cancer treatment.

Now back to Jake: “A good lawyer is part con man, part priest—promising riches, threatening hell. The rainmakers are the best paid and have coined a remarkably candid phrase: We eat what we kill.”

The linebacker-turned-lawyer is a brew and burger guy in a paté and Chardonnay world. Noting the sign over the judge’s bench -- “We who labor here seek only the truth…” -- he adds his own footnote: “Subject to the truth being concealed by lying witnesses, distorted by sleazy lawyers, and excluded by inept judges.”

In “Flesh & Bones,” Jake’s client, model Chrissy Bernhardt, is accused of killing her father, claiming she had been raped by him as a child. Jake seethes at hearing this. Anger is not usually helpful in making important decisions, but with Jake, his fury helps form his legal strategy:

“The male animal. At the low end of the evolutionary scale, he lords his physical superiority over women, beating and raping. At the very bottom, this horned beast is the father who would rape his own child. For a moment, I felt like killing Harry Bernhardt myself. Which made me think...if I get the jury to feel the same way, maybe I can win this case.”

Complicating the murder trial, Jake falls for his client, while at the same time doubting her truthfulness. All of which creates an ethical dilemma:

“My ethical rules are simple. I won't lie to the court or let a client do it. But I've never been in this position before. How far would I go for a woman who mattered? Is there anything I wouldn't do to win?”

Is he defending an innocent woman or a guilty one? Is there such a thing as true justice? Rather than answer those questions – and spoil the book! – I’ll leave you with Jake’s final thoughts:

We seek justice in the courthouse, just as we seek holiness in a house of worship. Justice is an ideal, a vague concept we strive for but can barely define. Justice is the North Star, the burning bush, the holy virgin. It cannot be bought, sold, or mass produced. It is intangible and invisible, but if you are to spend your life in its pursuit, it is best to believe it exists, and that you can attain it.

“Flesh & Bones” and all the Jake Lassiter novels are available on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. More information on Paul Levine’s Website.

Noir at the Beach House: "Playa Los Muertos"

My entry in Steve Weddle/Do Some Damage's Noir at the Beach House fiction contest brings back Marine sniper-turned-photographer Tom Gregory, who previously appeared in the 2004 Shots UK story "Home", edited by Sarah Weinman, and in the 2007 story, "Have You Seen Savannah Frye?".

You can read this story as part of my ebook, First In, Last Out: Three Tom Gregory Stories, 99 cents for Kindle and Nook.

Still Crazy After All These Years

Here is most of the gang from the Golden Age of Hofstra's literary magazine Font, their spouses, and I at the wedding of Deshant Paul and Tracy Boni, May 28, at Brooklyn's Liberty Warehouse.

KUNG FU PANDA 2

My brother was off from work yesterday for a checkup, so we decided to catch the 5:30 P.M. showing of Kung Fu Panda 2 at the Regal Westbury Stadium 12. With a coupon from LivingSocial, two tickets cost us a total of $9.

My brother and I thought the original Kung Fu Panda was a great, complete story. We were prepared for the sequel to pale in comparison, but I have to say it held its own. Dragon Warrior Po (Jack Black) and the Furious Five must confront peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who intends to defeat kung fu and rule all China with the threat of gunpowder.

In an era when good movies no longer stand alone, Kung Fu Panda 2 could have been much worse. Aside from some pacing issues, it's a fine follow-up.

A Virtual Poetry Reading

Here's a video playlist of five poems from my 24-poem collection, We Might Have, available in Amazon's Kindle Store for $1.99:

Straight Up

I've just published a poetry e-book, and my only marketing strategy is to say if you enjoy this blog, if you know me, want to know me, or you enjoy my poetry, We Might Have is for you.

While poetry craves an audience, it cannot stray from its more intimate goal, reaching one reader. I created a poetry e-book to reach one reader with an e-reader. If you're interested, buy it. If you like it and want to tell others, review it. If you like it and just want to tell me, do that.

WE MIGHT HAVE

My collection of twenty-four poems on love and chance, We Might Have, is now available in Amazon's Kindle Store for $1.99. The collection includes work published in such reputable venues as Nerve Cowboy, Long Island Quarterly, Asinine Poetry, and Contemporary Rhyme.

Enjoy, comment, and review.

Bleed Me a River: A Domestic Violence Anthology

I'm proud to have two poems in a print anthology benefiting domestic violence shelters.

Edited by friend and Lineup contributor David S. Pointer, Bleed Me a River is a 128-page trade paperback featuring work by Antler, Gary Beck, Kimberly L. Becker, John D. Berry, Jolee Blackbear, Jennifer Hollie Bowles, Shirley Brazzo, Patricia Carragon, Alan Catlin, Dave Church, Cassandra Dallet, Sarah Daugherty, Doug Draime, Charles Firmage, Molly Gaudry, Cynthia M. Gregg, S.A. Griffin, Kenneth P. Gurney, Jessica Harman, Pamela Hirst, Stephanie Hiteshew, Karla Huston, Evie Ivy, Justin Jackley, Sharmagne Leland-St. John, Elleraine Lockie, Linda Parsons Marion, Catfish McDaris, Mike Meraz, Todd Moore, Wilda Morris, David Pointer, Rhonda C. Poynter, Charles Ries, Kimberly Roppollo, Cindy Rosmus, Kristen Rueden, Jennifer Rybolt, Georgia Santa-Maria, Rebecca Schumeda, Gerald So, Joe Speer, Lela Norcross Wakely, Klyd Watkins, Kelly Jean White, J.T. Whitehead, Elaine Whitman, and Neal Whitman. It sells for $10 + s & h.

Second Verse

In the six weeks since the announcement that Ace Atkins would continue Robert B. Parker's Spenser, members of my Parker discussion list, Spenser's Sneakers, have warmed to the idea. Most recently, we've wondered how Atkins will write Spenser's longtime love, Susan Silverman Ph.D.

Many fans equate Susan with Parker's widow, Joan, and Joan has said (jokingly?) she would speak with Atkins about making more of a distinction between them. That aside, even if Parker did base Susan on Joan, Atkins can't see Joan the same way.

This branched out to the observation that Susan once played a vital role in the series. A three-book separation resolved in Spenser and Hawk rescuing Susan from her conveniently villainous lover. In the twenty-five years since then, the breakup has hardly been mentioned, and many readers have grown indifferent to the static relationship.

If Atkins can introduce something over which Spenser and Susan meaningfully fight, readers may invest in the relationship again. The fight doesn't have to break them up or persist for more than one book; it just has to highlight how they differ and why they are together despite those differences.

Staycation

There is one week between the end of the broadcast TV season and the start of the summer cable season. I finished a season recap column for Mysterical-E on May 31, and with The Lineup reorganizing, I've taken easy the past week. Of course, for me, taking it easy includes assembling a Kindle collection of my own poems. The technical part was easy after two months learning how to code lines of poetry for e-editions of The Lineup (still in the works).

More on my collection when it becomes available for purchase tonight. I'll be back reviewing Burn Notice for Boomtron in two weeks.

I'm currently reading The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.

Announcement

The Lineup is currently reorganizing. Any poems submitted from March 1, 2011 through today are free to be submitted elsewhere. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (g_so AT yahoo DOT com).

Clips from An Evening of Criminally Good Verse

We were able to shoot video of almost all the poems read Tuesday night at NYC's Cornelia Street Cafe:



Thanks to everyone who participated and attended, and to the cafe management.