PULP TRUMPS - ALLAN GUTHRIE

"The writers of PULP INK were raised on Tarantino, but then went and rebelled on him like all good children do at some point. Here's the future of pulp fiction, a slice of the good stuff from those surviving the brutal sandbox of modern crime fiction and emerging, scraped and bruised, to turn around and spit in its eye."

Anthony Neil Smith "Author of Yellow Medicine and Hogodoggin' "

Pulp Ink Codename:  Mr Rouge

Scrabble Value – 18

How hard’s the boil -   9

Scissors, Paper, Stone – stone

Footwear Danger – Brothel Creepers (4 points)

Secret Weapon -  Nail Gun (7 points)

Special Power –  Razor Sharp wit

Swear words – 9

Dancing With Myself: DAVE COUNTY interviews DAVE COUNTY

Debuts.  Don't you just love them?

Here are a couple of them which stand out for me.

When Two Way Split was released as Allan Guthrie's debut novel, I happened to be in the audience.  I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm awfully glad it did. 

There was something about the wording of the poster that caught my eye (Mr Guthrie would love that at Noir Originals where he has a whole section about the things eyes do in fiction) and I'd been listening to lots of Woody Guthrie at the time and so it made sense to get a ticket.

It was a brilliant hour.  He came across as such a great bloke and when he read from TWS he pretty much had me in his palm.

From that point on Allan was one of my favourite authors.  It wasn't just the event that caught my attention, but there was something about his style that I loved.  The book fizzes with characters almost literally to die for as a set of events unfold after a Post Office raid unfurl.  High octane stuff.  The usual pared style.  Great turns of phrase.  Dark humour.  And a bunch of crazies.

I've read all Allan's novels (and I can't say that about many) and have loved them all for different reasons.  Two Way Split remains one of my favourites and it's not just because of sentimental reasons. 


If you haven't read it, please do.  It's now available as an ebook and is a must for your electronic collection. You'll thank me in the end, honest.

The only thing I'd have changed, by the way, was the original cover.  Now that you can buy the book as another Kindle Bargain at 99p, even that's now top-notch. 

Talking about covers, how do you like the one at the head of this page? 

It's a beautiful thing, a piece of art put together by Boden Steiner for the second story in the mighty Speedloader.  If you read the story, you'll see just why this is so well put together, to say nothing of the use of colour, wording and subtlety.  I love it.  Boden was also the designer of the cover and I'm sure you'll agree that the guy's something special.

Someone else who is special is the other debutant I'd like to mention here.

Dave County's interview with himself is about to follow.  Just keep reading.

If you read my Speedloader review, you'll know how much I rated his piece. 

He takes a dark theme most people wouldn't dare to touch, takes us to the pit of its hell, then releases us with the craft and style of a very-practised hand.  This man will go far, I'm telling you. It's one of the stories you must read this year, for your own good.

Here's Dave, old WD himself.  A big Sea Minor welcome.

Q1. The press releases for Speedloader refer to you as a newcomer. When did you start writing?



A1. I'm honored to be included among the excellent authors in the Speedloader anthology. Every story is unique, every one captivating and a pleasure to read. I've enjoyed writing since drafting my first short story in high school four decades ago, but my first serious work was a fantasy novel based on a Dungeons and Dragons campaign that I'd played with my sons. The book took ten years to write. I was in love with it, but it didn't sell. So I wrote a few short stories, and another novel, none of which sold. By then I was hooked on writing; I couldn't stop, and I didn't know what was wrong with my creations, so in 2008 I went to a writing workshop. In ten days at the Writing Retreat Workshop I learned more than I'd figured out in ten years of trial and error. The following year I sold my first short story, "My Name is Priscilla" to Spinetingler magazine. Now I go to a writing workshop each year, and every month participate in writing critique groups. 'Newcomer' is the right word for me ... I'm still learning, and soaking it up like a sponge.


Q2. Both "Priscilla" and "Plastic Soldiers" are dark stories. Why did you choose the horror genre?


A2. Actually, most of my novels are Techno-Thrillers. But my short stories are dark, because horror's so good at packing emotional wallop into a small number of words. Danger puts every sense on alert, tenses every muscle in readiness for flight or fight ... the closer death stalks, the more passionately we want to live. Whether I'm reading horror, or writing it, my brain goes into overdrive. Time slows. Every detail takes on significance. Every puzzle piece frantically searched for a fit, every choice desperately analyzed for chance of survival. Horror makes me feel keenly, supremely, alive.

Q3. Who are your favorite authors?


A3. So many! Here are the top contenders: for horror, Steven King, Dean Koontz, and F. Paul Wilson. For SF, Orson Scott Card. And I grew up enthralled with Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Frank Herbert, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein .... and the list goes on....

Q4. What interests do you have outside of writing?


A4. Well, I am fond of driving my Miata with the top down, wind in my face, slicing through life with no barrier to attenuate the sounds and smells of the world. Grinning with the feel of the road and car embracing on sharp curves.


But, if it's raining or I can't afford gasoline, I play chess, listen to music, or cuddle with my wife. Not necessarily in that order.

Killing Mum by Allan Guthrie

Killing Mum by Allan Guthrie

One Man's Opinion

NOW AVAILABLE FROM:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Mum/dp/B004EYTBW6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297100497&sr=8-1

Every day we make hundreds of decisions. Some of them are good, some bad, many of them inconsequential.

The day I passed Waterstones on Princes Street, saw the poster for the launch of Allan Guthrie’s first novel and decided to go in and get a ticket, now that was a day on which I made an excellent decision.

He read and held a Q&A session where he had written his own questions. “What might you call an armed thief? Robin.” Stands to reason. It was a cool way to set it up and I knew immediately that I was watching someone special enter the world of published novelists. I’ve been a fan ever since. Maybe I’m not his biggest fan, I’m only five-eight and a half, but I can’t be far off.

I was lucky, too, to get the chance to see the launch event for Hard Man. The reading was accompanied by a jazz band, a trio I think, the rhythms blending and getting my adrenalin going. Pop, pop, pop, it was beatnik city and I loved every minute.

At Ronnie Scotts, many moons ago, I saw Slim Gaillard play. Thought I was cool as snow just for being there because the man had a mention in On The Road. It was a great night. Hard Man reminded me of that, as if just for a moment I had my finger on the pulse.

Good decisions all.

So...

...what would you do if you were given a contract to kill your mum? What if the two people who could have set up the contract were your mum and your wife?

When Carlos Morales found himself in that position, he wasn’t sure quite how to handle it.

He knows now.

It’s typical of Guthrie to put his characters through the mincer.

Imagine being in a tree. Someone beneath is throwing stones at you. The stones get bigger, the throws more accurate.

Climb the tree, right? Move yourself away from the thrower by heading into the places where the branches are flimsy and all the while you’re getting further from the ground.

The stones keep on coming.

Climb higher?

You have to do something. Inaction is not an option.

Carlos climbs higher and higher until he’s right at the top. The branches are as thin as straws up there, the drop's a hundred metres. It’s not looking good. All he can do is wait and see.

All I could do as a reader was hold on tight and get to the end. That’s no hardship. Not a word is wasted. The characters are real, where they live and how makes sense. They tell us about themselves not in what they say but in what they do, how they act, the way they move from one decision to another.

We get inside Carlos's head. It’s not always a good place to be, but it’s a wonderful way to follow the man’s logic and the rationale behind his twists and turns.

And boy, does Guthrie throw those rocks hard.

I’m trying to slow down when I read his work. I’m desperate to take it all in, get to the next page, the next chapter, over the next cliff-hanger. I realised a while ago that when he reads his own words the pace is key, revelling in the dialogue and the choice of words. I was able to savour ‘Killing Mum’ by taking my time.

We’ve seen some of these people and places before. There’s the tanning studio and the survivor of Savage Night (if you haven’t read it, I think it’s pretty much essential). I like the way Guthrie has created stories by using the familiar, even if there is no way any of the books could be called sequels. He has set up strong foundations and it’s good to build upon them once in a while.

‘Killing Mum’ is a pocket book from the Crime Express series. I don’t think there can be more than 20, 000 words in there. In that short space and time a complete world has been set up and a monumental chain of events has been completed. An amazing achievement.

I’m picking this as a short example, not because it’s the strongest moment, but because it tickled me. He makes me laugh, Mr Guthrie.

She took a sip of her drink, blinked slowly.

“Plumbing,” she said. “It’s never too late.”

“Cago en tu leche.”

She frowned, pouted her lips. “Something about milk?”

Something about shitting in it but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“I’m very fucking sorry I never became a plumber, Mama.”

As few ‘saids’ as can be got away with, no ‘ands’ wherever they aren't necessary. Even the word 'and' can interrupt the flow.

We learn, even from this, something of the relationship between Carlos and his mum and the shitting in the coffee? No way I was expecting that.

The only thing I can say against the book is that it leaves me with no new Guthrie to read until he gets his next work on the shelves. I can honestly say that I can’t wait to be able to get my hands on it.

Outstanding.