One Man's Opinion: THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME by DONALD RAY POLLOCK

The Devil All The Time is among the most profound books I’ve ever read.

It has a place among the American classics in terms of the scope of the book and the quality of the voice.  There are echoes of great writers of the past, something that is magnified to some extent by setting the story in the decades following the Second World War. 

Having read and admired his short story collection ‘Knockemstiff’, I’d been itching to see this on the UK shelves. 

It’s been a long time coming; the reasons for that are clear to see. The prose is lean and crafted so well that I imagine every single sentence has been given attention in the editing process.  The characters, even those whose appearances are brief, are terrifically drawn and capture all five of the senses.  The surroundings are vivid without being overstated. The plot begins like loose fibres which are twisted and bound together to form a rope of the highest quality.

The story strips the human race to the bone.  Exposes it for what it is - animals with the capacity to think and use language.  We meet obsessions relating to basic drive and self-preservation - sex, mortality, religion and murder. 

It reveals what happens behind closed doors, the private moments that so many are keen to keep hidden.

One of the key images in the book is that of Miller Jones.  He’s not seen for long.  Alvin Russell, who found him while serving in the South Pacific, stumbled into him on a patrol.  Jones had been skinned alive and fixed to a cross, was covered in flies and his heart was still beating visibly inside his chest.  Alvin Russell does the best he can.  Shoots Jones in the skull.  Hangs around for a while and exacts revenge on those who did the skinning.

It’s kind of Old Testament.  Hints at one of the book’s themes, the interpretation of religion to satisfy personal ends, yet also of the hope that lives within us all.  That beating heart is like the flickering of a candle flame.  Demonstrates just what we’ll try and survive in order to keep going.

There is darkness within the pages, no doubt about it.  Hardly a stone of depravity is left unturned.  All the same, the scenes are handled perfectly.  None of the situations or actions are shied away from, though none of them are revelled in either.  It might have been an easy way out to tangle us up in description and detail, yet he draws enough of a sketch for us to see the picture and leaves the colouring in to our own imaginations.  These scenes are not graphic or cold, but they hold all the more power for that. 

I’ve seen Mr Pollock compared to practically all of the [male] giants of American literature of the Twentieth Century.  I can’t add to the list without stepping out of my depth, though I’d be tempted to throw in some European influences also if I were to do so.  He clearly belongs to a very special group of authors indeed – those who can tell a story that isn’t going to be forgotten any time soon, those whose books will survive more than one generation and those with the ability to reach right into a reader’s mind and scratch words onto the inside of the skull lest they might try and forget – and the sooner he’s hailed as such in literary circles, the better.

True brilliance.

My Little Giveaway, Give-give-give-give-giveaway

Giveaways.  It's something that we're all doing in the kindle world. 

I wonder about it.  It's not that I think they're a bad thing, I just wonder if they achieve exactly what we'd like.

Over a 24 hour period, I gave away 132 copies of Beat On The Brat courtesy of the wonderful www.blastedheath.com and I'm delighted with that.

It fulfils part of my ambition in the sense that I want to be read.  If half of those who downloaded read the collection, that's amazing.

It pulled in a couple of wonderful reviews from a couple of rather good authors.
Here's one from Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising:

''Beat On The Brat' is a collection of muscular crime stories by the talented Nigel Bird. Each tale takes you into his characters' world, and each character is sharply drawn. Nigel Bird could cut tins with his dialogue. He shows the men and women who people his stories reach for props in a soiled world. The author writes tightly structured realistic narratives. He strips his characters' props away, while maintaining sympathy with an assured narrative voice. '

The second is from the US and is from Katherine Tomlinson (former editor of Dark Valentine and author of Toxic Reality) who says, amongst other things:

'This collection is perfect for a pre-holiday read because it doesn't require a huge time commitment. If you know Nigel Bird's work, you'll devour these stories like chocolate-covered cherries. If you don't know his work, this selection of his award-winning stories is a fine place to star. '

I love chocolate covered cherries.

I actually sold a couple of copies over the giveaway hours as well, which was most unexpected.

That's all very positive indeed and is plenty for me.  I think the reviews will help and the spreading of the knowledge through word of mouth (for I am confident that the word will be strong and good) will make a difference over time.

There was another ambition, too, if I'm honest. 

I guess I hoped for a bump in sales of my other titles.  As far as I can see, that hasn't happened at all. 
That's OK, but it's not the end of the rainbow.

I wonder why?

One of the things I did was put myself on one of the many giveaway threads at Goodreads.  Excellent thinking.  Go where the giving is good.

Within an hour I'd had four more additions to the thread via my email.  I checked them out and they weren't my cup of tea, so I didn't bite.  And that's just one small thread in one small forum on one particular site.

There must be thousands of presents coming out all the time, enough for us to fill our kindles two-fold.

The mission, surely, is for us as readers to fill our kindles with good stuff.  Work we want to read so we'll read it.  I think this links with Steve Weddle's thoughts on pricing over at Do Some Damage http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2011/11/ebooks-bought-never-read.html a short while ago. 
If everyone's giving stuff away, how can an author or publisher stand out from the crowd?

By writing great stories must be on the list.  By working to the extent of our skill and then improving on that the next time.  By getting hold of the best covers and the biggest social networks.  Through advertising?  Free sex with every copy?  Trips to the moon if you buy-one-get-two-free and clean windows of a mansion every day for a year?

There have to be limits to how this all pans out.  What the hell should they be?

I guess I'm asking for some help here.  Point me in the noble direction.  We are all prostitutes, but some sell their body more often than others.  I'm happy to do the selling as long as I'm putting it about in the right places.

Back to my giveaway.  I really enjoyed doing it.  I'll be doing it again soon.  I want to be read.  It's my first objective once my writing's as tight as that mouse's arse (that's stolen, by the way).
I also picked up on a release from one of my favourite writers which I'd somehow managed to miss  Dig Two Graves by Eric Beetner (probably trying too hard at my self-promotion to see what else was going on) and was sent a couple of new review copies which I can't wait to read at some point soon.  It also put me back into contact with friends I hadn't been in touch with for a while.  For all these reasons, it was a personal success.  I'm looking forward to that next time.  I'll keep you posted (naturally).

Dancing With Myself: CE LAWRENCE interviews CE LAWRENCE

Big news from me today is that you can get a free copy of 'Beat On The Brat (and other stories)' if you pop over to Blasted Heath.  It's a 24 hour offer that's not to be missed.

Just to remind you that the title story was nominated for Spinetingler's Best Online earlier this year and was the winner of the Watery Grave Invitational comptetion in 2010.  'Too Much Too Young' managed a place in this year's contest, 'Mind Your Step' appeared in Microw and 'Hoodwinked' (one of my favourites) was up at the excellent 'All Due Respect' in March.  There are a few other treats in there, too, so if you feel so inclined, pop over and get yourself a Friday Freebie treat.

Still unsure?  Here's what Heath Lowrance (author, 'The Bastard Hand) said:

'BEAT ON THE BRAT is Nigel Bird's second collection of stories, and it's nice to see that he lives up to the high standards he set with DIRTY OLD TOWN. What makes this collection work, aside from Bird's deft hand at pacing and creating believable, sympathetic characters, is the touching sense of humanity that shines through all of them. These are stories that make you feel pain, heartache, hope, fear. His characters really feel like real people, and reading BEAT ON THE BRAT connects you to them on a level that will startle you.'

And now, talking about her work, CE Lawrence.  Welcome to the dance.

Q: Why did you decide to tackle books about serial killers?



A: I’ve always been interested in hidden behavior, in people’s dark side, perhaps in part because in my family no one was supposed to have a dark side. These things were never talked about, so that made me even more curious. Also, I think most writers have a natural interest in psychology, in human behavior, and what can be more intriguing to a writer than extreme behavior? And it seems to me that serial killers are about as extreme as it gets.


Q: Is that why you wrote chapters from the killer’s perspective?


A: Yes. I think it would be very challenging but almost impossible to write a book in which the killer is the protagonist. It was done in American Psycho, of course, but not entirely successfully, I think. So I knew the killer couldn’t be the hero, but I wanted to explore his mind in some way, so I came up with idea of having very short chapters from his point of view. I’m not sure if I succeeded, but I wanted to try to “get inside the murderer,” in Chesterton’s famous phrase.


Q: Why create a protagonist who suffers from depression? Weren’t you afraid that would turn readers away?

A: I was actually given advice early on that I should stay away from having a “damaged” hero, that readers would want a kind of “super-hero” detective, but I believe that damaged heroes are the only interesting kind (a lot of so-called “super-heroes” are damaged, after all: Superman is an orphan and an alien on a strange planet, and Batman is a weirdo with a bat fetish.) Also, we’re all damaged by the time we reach adulthood, some more than others, of course – but I feel that suffering and loss are two of life’s constants, and that depression is a very real and understandable reaction to the shock of living, what Shakespeare so memorably called life’s “slings and arrows.” And I think a lot more people suffer or have suffered from various degrees of depression than we probably realize. And when I wrote the book I had recently been through my own bout of clinical depression.
Q: What kind of research did you do for this book?

A: I have a huge library of forensic books of all kinds, from “Dead Men Do Tell Tales” by Michael Baden to “Forensics of Fingerprints Analysis.” I spent a lot of nights reading and taking notes – and, of course, there are some wonderful shows on television – Forensic Files, American Justice, 48 Hours, and so on. You can get all kinds of plot ideas from those shows, which are about real crimes and real people. I’ve been studying forensic psychology for some time through books, and I also took a graduate course at John Jay College for Criminal Justice, taught by Dr. Lewis Schlesinger.

He was kind enough to let me audit the class, which was excellent, and also gave me his very informative and scholarly textbook, Sexual Homicide, which was one of the textbooks for that class. Interestingly, most of the students were women – and I found it interesting that they often sat there calmly eating their lunch as we passed around horrific crime scene photographs. The men in the class seemed more disturbed by it than the women did. The research I did for this book was nowhere near as challenging as the research I did for my physics play – for about a year I read physics books nonstop. It was really fun, but after a while, my head was spinning with quarks and muons and neutrinos!
Q: What was the most difficult thing about writing this book?


A: Plot. Plot, plot, plot . . . did I mention plot? Or, as Robert McKee would say, story. It was for this book and every other book I’ve ever written. I think any writer who claims that plots come easily to him/her is either a liar or a fool. It’s a bitch and a struggle and that saying about characters “writing their own stories” is pure nonsense. Oh, you can get away with that in a short story, sure, where you have only one event and one through line. But in a novel, where there are plots and subplots and multiple characters and 400 plus pages to fill with twists and surprises, you bloody well better put your plotting hat on and keep it on until your forehead bleeds, or you’re not doing your job. You have to keep coming up with ways to thicken the plot and twist it and turn the story and make it unexpected without making it feel contrived . . . that is never pretty and it’s never, ever easy.
You know the genre of movie where the hero has cornered the villain in a warehouse, and there are all these barrels around and the bad guy picks one up and throws it at the hero, and he ducks, and the villain throws another one and he jumps over it, and so on? Well, you have to keep throwing barrels at your hero. And then you have to find new ways for him to jump out of the way. Your arms get really tired, and your brain starts to hurt, and you really want to stop, but you have to keep throwing those barrels. You have to make choices that seem original and surprising but are in keeping with the logic of the story. I care a lot about writing style, and graceful prose, but all the pretty writing in the world won’t hide a soft spot in your story.
Q: Did you have any “Aha!” moments while working on this particular book?


A: Funny you should ask. I did, as a matter of fact. I had created a character and I wasn’t sure what to do with him. I wasn’t even sure how important he was going to be to the story. But I just kept turning him around in my head, looking at him from different angles. I think people (and characters) are kind of like jewels – they reflect light differently depending on what angle you’re viewing them from.
Then one day I took a “plot nap.”

I lie on the couch with a notebook next to me, close my eyes and see what pops up. And that character was sort of swimming around in my brain – then, suddenly, I knew why he was in the story. Those are the fun moments. The not so fun ones are where you sweat and strain and think until your brain hurts (one of my favorite Monty Python phrases) but still get no solutions.

I think sometimes that so-called “writer’s block” is when writers try to hard to figure out the answer right now – sometimes you have to let them come to you; you can’t always get there by chasing after inspiration. That’s why we have so many memorable breakthrough when we’re doing anything but writing. You have to do the work – or, as my friend Don Lipper says, Ass in the Chair – but you have to be open to inspiration hitting at the oddest times.


Q: Such as?
A: I once had a truly classic “Aha!” moment. I was resident at Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, and I had just started out on a jog from my cabin on a beautiful evening in mid-July. All of a sudden it hit me: I realized what the book needed was a major twist at the end, and I knew at that moment what the twist had to be. I had been working on this particular book for over two years, and I hadn’t seen it until that very moment. I remember the exact spot on Byrdcliffe Road where I was when it came to me – like a bolt out of the blue. But at the same time I realized that it was as though I had set the twist up all along; I didn’t have to change anything in the rest of the book. It was as if my unconscious mind had been setting it up the whole time; once I saw it, it seemed not only logical but inevitable. And yet it was invisible to me until that moment. As Geoffrey Rush says in Shakespeare in Love, “It’s a mystery.”


Q: Why do you think that is?

A: Well, my mind was relaxed. The very act of running always jolts something loose in my brain. I would get my best ideas while jogging or mountain climbing or riding my bike up there. Of course, I was engaged all day long in struggling with the problems of writing the book, so my brain was “primed,” as it were, to come up with solutions, but I was always struck by how those solutions would present themselves at the most unexpected time – in this case, I didn’t even know I was looking for a big twist at the end until it popped into my head. But the minute it did, there was no question about it: I recognized the rightness of it.
Q: How do you balance being a novelist and playwright? Is it hard moving back and forth?


A: Actually, I find it refreshing. I feel like some stories are just begging to be plays, while others really need the pages of a novel in order to be properly explored. And then others strike me as screenplays. For instance, I just finished a screenplay about magicians. The title is The Assistant.


Q: Doesn’t each form have its own challenges?

A: Absolutely. For example, transition in a screenplay is a whole different technique than transition in a novel, or even a play. But I find it stimulating to move between the different forms. In a novel you have so much space – you can gas on about this and that (within reason, of course), whereas a screenplay is like an epic poem – so condensed, so streamlined. It’s story in its most essential form. And you have to think visually, which is great discipline for someone like me. I think one of the greatest dangers to a writer, who by definition is someone who loves language, is to be “drunk with words.” Look out – danger, Will Robinson! That can lead to undisciplined, flaccid writing. Screenplay forces you out of that really quickly – you’re always looking how to condense, condense, condense. And when you’re writing a play you have to show everything through dialogue and character interaction – I think it helps you to write better scenes when you’re working in prose fiction. You try to make your dialogue character-specific and pithy, just as you would in writing a play.
Q: You write music, too, isn’t that right?
A: Yes. I was trained as a classical pianist and singer, and Anthony Moore, my boyfriend at the time, was a composer. (His great uncle was Douglas Moore, the opera composer). Tony had a show done at Yale School of Drama, and he taught me how to do music manuscript so I could help him transcribe songs. One day about a year later I decided to write a musical, a kind of Faustian tale, and I just sat down at my piano and wrote a song. I called him out at his house in Cutchogue and played it for him over the phone. There was this long silence and I thought he hated it, but then he said, “That’s really good. It’s really interesting.” And I knew it was something I could do.
I grew up playing the Great Composers, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc., so it never occurred to me until then that was something I could do. I thought they lived on a whole other plane of existence – which was only reinforced by my classical training. I never studied theory or anything like that, but when Tony said he liked my song, I knew it was something I could do. He is a very gifted composer, so I trusted his judgment. And the only thing I enjoy more than writing is writing music. It is an amazingly joyous and completely engaging, sensual thing to do. I’ve written four complete musicals and am working on a new one, 31 Bond Street, about a real life murder that took place in the 19th century on Bond Street in New York. It was the O.J. Simpson of its time – a media circus, and was referred to as The Crime of the Century. Jack Finney has written a very good nonfiction book about it called “Forgotten News: The Crime of the Century and Other Lost Stories.”
Q: You mentioned Shakespeare a couple of times. Anything special you’d like to say about him?
A: Oh, well, you know, he’s the Big Kahuna, isn’t he? What can you say . . . the man wrote the most exquisite poetry, dealt with The Big Questions in a way rarely equaled. My only consolation is that he wrote some real stinkers. The Merry Wives of Windsor is a wretched, boring play. Thank god.
Website: http://celawrence.com/

Dancing With Myself: VICTORIA WATSON interviews VICTORIA WATSON

Tell us how you got into writing.

When I was a teenager, I used to write tongue-in-cheek reserve match reports for a Newcastle United fanzine. After that, I got back into writing in 2008 when I became a reviewer for my local newspaper, reviewing plays and gigs. After realising how much I loved doing that, I enrolled for a Masters in Creative Writing at Northumbria University – the best money I ever spent.

Describe for our readers the genre(s) you write in and why they appeal to you as a writer.

I don’t tend to stick to one genre although most of my stories tend to have a twist in the tale and I have to admit my stories don’t tend to have happy endings. I’m interested in human life so I feel just writing in one genre isn’t representative of real life.

Where can we find your work? Where can you be found online?

I have three e-books published by the good folks at Trestle Press; ‘I Should Have Seen it Coming’ about a woman who loses her job and then pretends to be psychic to make a living. ‘Keeping Quiet’ is a retrospective piece where the main character looks back on her life, considering the mistakes she’s made in trying to keep everybody else happy. ‘Inside’ is my most recent release and that features a girl called Annie who is watching the destruction of a building that’s had a massive impact on her life. I also have a story featured in a charity anthology ‘Off the Record’.

How did you get involved in ‘Off theRecord’?

My friend Luca Veste asked if I would write a story for a charity anthology he was working on. I was thrilled to be invited to work on it as there were such awesome authors already involved. Also, the charities that are being helped as massively important to me as they support child literacy in the UK and USA.

Where did you get your idea for ‘Bye Bye Baby’?

The story came before the title and I was lucky that I could find a song title that was relevant.

What inspires you to write?

I have so many stories inside me that just appear from nowhere. I have to get them out, otherwise I don’t sleep. So basically, I write so that I can sleep.

Do you have time to read? If so, what are you reading at the moment?

At the moment, I’m reading ‘Theoretical Fishsticks’ by Sam Lang. I’ve just started it but I’m really enjoying it.

Do you have a favourite all-time read?

I love Roald Dahl so I guess that’s why I like to have twists in my stories. I’ve pretty much loved every story he’s ever written.

Which author(s) would you say have most influenced your writing?

Definitely Roald Dahl. I also love writers like Khaled Hosseini and Harper Lee who use their books to tackle social injustices. I like to read about different cultures and periods of time too.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

I have about three stories on my mind at the moment, it’s just difficult finding the time especially with Christmas approaching!

What are your hopes for the future?

I’d love to become a full-time writer. I also have plans to set up my own business.

What do you most like about writing? What do you dislike?

I love the experience of writing, I really like bringing characters to life. I really don’t enjoy the editing process though as I get sick of stories very quickly so by the time it gets released, I am no longer a fan as I’ve sickened myself of the story!

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

I am not the most disciplined person in the world, I often find myself playing Bejewelled when I should be writing. I’m not sure I have any strengths!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep writing, don’t give up – writing is a skill and so you will continue to get better if you keep going .

With A Little Help From My Friends

‘Elizabeth Fleming died only hours after she’d been born, or at least that’s what everyone thought.


It was only when a doctor went to check on her in the mortuary and noticed a flicker in Elizabeth’s eye that they tried once more to revive her.


From that day on, life was to be a struggle. Ever since then her life has been tough. The implications of Cerebral Palsy have been far-ranging. Reaching the milestones of life took longer than usual, surviving the school system, coping with the name-calling and the depression have all led to battles. They’ve also brought love and joy and inspiration.


This is the tale of a woman who drew upon the warmth and strength offered by her friends and family to become the popular lady she is today. Here, she shares that warmth and strength so that you, too, may draw comfort from it.’


Maybe it's the case that things come along when you really need them. Just maybe.


When I read the story of Elizabeth Fleming, I was really moved. Not only did it emphasise to me the need for us all to treat each other with respect, but it underlined how people in my chosen profession (teaching) can have a hugely powerful influence on children whether that's positive or negative.

Living with a disability isn't easy. This story emphasises that fact for me. It's often the small steps that are important here, a toe-by-toe journey into the world. And it seems that however hard a person tries to pick themselves up and battle with their own adversities, there'll always be those out there picking on easy targets and trying to keep them down. It’s why I decided to help her get it to this stage, so that others could benefit from her experience.


I really enjoyed this insight. It inspired me and made me consider my own grumbles with a deeper sense of perspective.

Elizabeth is a woman to admire and to learn from. Keep up the good work.

Available in the UK and the US for 86p and 99c.

$200 FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE / BATTLE

A MESSAGE FROM PABLO D'STAIR:

Hello,

Now, it is no secret that I have a rather passionate dislike for Flash Fiction Collections—the reasons for this are irrelevant and may not be “philosophically sound” as some have pointed out to me, but I don’t care. I really, really dislike Flash Fiction Collections.

In shooting off my mouth about this in some company where I probably oughtn’t to’ve, I made the claim (a very passionate claim) that I could write a better collection of flash fiction inside of 8 hours than any other writer could in any time limit. Further, I stated that these 8 hours did not have to be “isolated writing hours” but that, indeed, sniping the writing in during any consecutive 8 hour period during my day-to-day life I could produce a fully finished, edited and finalized Flash Fiction Collection of higher quality than any other writer—either a new collection or any collection already in existence, published or not.

So, challenge me. And I will put my money where my mouth is to the tune of $200—that is, if I do not win the challenge, I will pay the challenger or the author of the collection that defeats me (or any other party named) the sum of $200 US dollars. There is no risk to the challenger—if I win I have simply proven my point and will forever piss on Flash Fiction Collections from an even haughtier and more irritating platform than I currently do.

I propose a blind judging from 20 readers—I request no input on who the judges are (except they should be previously unfamiliar with whatever collection challenges me).

The Challenger may set any parameters, obstructions, rules etc. so that it can be assured that my collection is generated—from conception to full realization—inside the 8 hour time frame. It is a point of pride for me, so I will take whatever restrictions and hold myself to the letter (though I warn in advance, the more specific an obstruction is, the better I will be able to write).

Once a challenger has been selected, the final rules will be settled on and this will go down.

Come on. Let’s do this. And spread the word because I want my triumph to be known!

Cheers,

Pablo

My Top Christmas Gift Recommendation

If it's stocking fillers your looking for, this looks like the place to be. 

It's in a lovely tin which is easy to wrap.

It won't take much paper.

It's the perfect accompaniment to that ebook you're intending to give.

The stories are pucker, all five of them.

It's going to be a collector's item.

There's a beautifully designed inlay.

You get a memory stick to use when the books are uploaded.

It's only £12.99.

You'll be getting so much more than a Christmas kiss in return (though this isn't entirely guaranteed).

And it has the Blasted Heath logo to ensure the quality!