John Rector's Blog
November 13, 2020
Eddie Loves Animals
A couple months into quarantine I decided to write a few short stories, which is something I haven’t done in about twelve years. I wrote this particular story with ‘Noir @ the Bar’ in mind. If you don’t know what that is, N@tB is a “literary” event where a random group of crime writers get together at a bar in some pre-determined city and read their stories to each other (and anyone else who happens to be there) while drinking heavily. It’s always a good time, and I’ve done enough of them over the years to have a pretty good idea what type of story works best in this setting.
Hint: The more absurd, ridiculous, or funny the better.
Since another N@tB won’t be happening any time soon, I decided to send this one out into the real world and see what sober people thought of it. The story is called ‘Eddie Loves Animals’, and while I’m not sure it can be called funny, it is definitely absurd and probably a little ridiculous. And if Noir is characterized by fatalistic and cynical people living morally ambiguous lives, then this might be the most noir story I’ve ever written.
You can find it at TOUGH:
Short Stories, N@tB, and the Indie scene.
A couple months into quarantine, I decided to write a few short stories, which is something I haven’t done in about twelve years. I wrote this particular story with ‘Noir @ the Bar’ in mind. If you don’t know what that is, N@tB is a “literary” event where a random group of crime writers get together at a bar in some pre-determined city and read their stories to each other (and anyone else who happens to be there) while drinking heavily. It’s always a good time, and I’ve done enough of them over the years to have a pretty good idea what type of story works best in this setting.
Hint: The more absurd, ridiculous, or funny the better.
Since another N@tB won’t be happening any time soon, I decided to send this one out into the real world and see what sober people thought of it. The story is called ‘Eddie Loves Animals’, and while I’m not sure it can be called funny, it is definitely absurd and probably a little ridiculous. And if Noir is characterized by fatalistic and cynical people living morally ambiguous lives, then this might be the most noir story I’ve ever written.
You can find it at TOUGH:
A quick note on the indie scene: Almost every Crime or Horror writer I know got their start writing short stories and sending them to indie magazines and anthologies, both online and in print. These “for the love” markets are an essential training ground for a lot of writers who are trying to learn their craft and build a bio, and the people who run these magazines, and who take time out of their lives to wade through mountains of hopeful submissions, almost always do it on a shoestring budget while working full time, raising families, going to school, etc. And if I think back to the quality of stories I sent in when I first started out, it’s probably safe to say that most of what these editors have to read through and reject in order to find the good stuff is... not the best.
All of the old markets I published in when I started are long gone, but there’s a new (to me at least) crop of magazines out there that are still fighting the good fight and giving new writers places to publish their stories. Places like Pulp Modern, Rock and a Hard Place, Switchblade, Shotgun Honey, Hoosier Noir, Beat to a Pulp, Noir Nation, and several others, are all doing good work. TOUGH is one of the best of them, so if you decide to read my story, I ask that you take some time to explore the archive, and maybe look into some of the other places I listed. There are hidden gems in the indie scene that don’t get nearly enough attention, so if you come across something you like, leave a comment and let them know. I promise it’ll make their day.
Finally, thanks to Rusty and Tim at TOUGH for allowing me to lower the seriousness of their site for a little while.
Until next time…
JR
October 1, 2020
The Couple in Room 13
I've been sitting on this exciting news for a while, and I can finally share it because today is pub day.
Simon and Schuster UK, who published my first three novels, is reissuing my first book, Cold Kiss, with a new title and a gorgeous new cover. The book is being reissued in print, and it's available today in ASDA and independent book stores all over the UK. I'm thrilled about this news, and incredibly grateful to the team at S&S for breathing new life into this dark and snowy little tale.
This one is probably my favorite of all my books, so if you haven't read it yet, now is a great time.
JR
February 27, 2020
Broken
For a long time I've wanted to write a story set in the town where I grew up. Beaumont Cove isn't quite Manitou Springs (ocean instead of mountains), but it's close, and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the vibe of that strange little town. Broken is a slightly different book than the ones I've done before. It's not really a mystery, or a thriller, or a crime noir, but it does have elements of all three. Personally, I just think of it as a story, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Broken
Until next time,JR
April 24, 2017
The Ridge
It’s pub day…
I'm excited about this one.
I get excited about them all, but this one in particular because it's a little different for me. It's still a suspense novel, and still built on a hard-boiled/noir foundation, but The Ridge lurks closer to The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, and Tales from the Darkside realm than any of my previous books. It’s also my personal favorite, and I’m thrilled it’s finally out in the world.
I hope you dig it.
The Ridge
Stay tuned, there's more to come...
March 8, 2015
August 27, 2013
Out of the Black
Written in a spare, laconic style reminiscent of Elmore Leonard or Robert B. Parker, this fast-moving, bleak thriller driven by the economic realities of modern America will appeal to fans of suspense fiction from the grittier side of the mean streets.— Library Journal
Out of the Black
There's a lot of stuff coming in the next couple weeks, but here are a few early reviews and links.
Reviews:
Booklist
New York Journal of Books
Out of the Gutter
Spinetingler
Out of the Black
My Life in Stories
Kemper's Book Blog
A Bookworm's World
Interviews:
Lit Reactor
Shelf Awareness
The Reading Frenzy
I also did a live interview on KMTV's "The Morning Blend" earlier today.
KMTV: The Morning Blend
There are a couple radio interviews coming up. The first is this Saturday afternoon, August 31st, with Suspense Magazine at 1:20 CST. The next one is on Tuesday, September 3rd, at 9:25 am CST, and it's with Back Porch Writer.
Suspense Magazine
Back Porch Writer
There is a lot more coming up in the next several weeks, so please check back. I'm going to do my best to keep this page updated this time around. If you decide pick up a copy of Out of the Black, thank you very much. I hope you enjoy it.
And as always, thank you for reading.
January 22, 2012
Bestseller
In my defense, I’ve been working non-stop on the new book, and if all goes well it'll be released sometime in September 2012. I'm also hoping to have a new novella available sometime this summer.
The biggest news so far this year is that Already Gone officially became a national bestseller after hitting #8 on the Wall Street Journal’s Bestseller list in the US.
Wall Street Journal.
The book also reached #1 on Amazon earlier this month, and it hit #5 on the Heatseeker chart in the UK. So, it looks like 2012 is off to a great start.
There’s also a very nice review in The Los Angeles Review of Books this week.
L.A. Review of Books
And here's a radio interview I did last week for the Mulberry Lane Show.
Not much else to report. I’m still ironing out signings and convention appearances for the year, and I’ll be posting updates as things develop.
Until then, thanks for reading.
JR
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year
Simon and Schuster released Already Gone in the UK on December 8th, and the response has exceeded all my expectations. It hit the Heatseekers Chart the first week after the release, and climbed into the top five the second week. I have no idea where it is now, but with any luck the momentum is still going strong. I’ll post a new update when I hear more.
A lot of really good reviews have come in since my last update, and I’m flattered so many people are enjoying the book. Here are a couple of my favorites that popped up recently:
The Nerd of Noir @ Spinetingler Magazine
The Lincoln Journal Star
Milo's Rambles
I also did an interview with Ray Banks at his blog. You can read that one here:
The Saturday Boy
Several people have emailed asking about appearances and signed copies. Here’s what I’ve got set up so far:
Left Coast Crime (Sacramento, CA) in March.
Bouchercon (Cleveland, OH) in October.
Thrillerfest (NYC) in July.
Noircon (Philadelphia, PA) in November.
There are a couple tentative in-store signings in the works, but I'll post those when I know the final details. If you want a signed copy, but you don't think you'll make it to any of these stops, just email me here, and I’ll give you an address where you can send your books. We’ll figure it out.
That’s it for now, but since one of my 2012 resolutions is to update this blog more often, you should hear from me again soon. Until then, I want to say thank you to all the readers, reviewers, and friends who picked up copies of the books and helped me spread the word in 2011. I had a fantastic year, my best yet as a writer, and it wouldn’t have happened without everyone’s support.
And as always, thanks for reading.
JR
November 7, 2011
Still Rolling...
I've been busy working on the new book, so I haven't put together a signing schedule for Already Gone yet. If you'd like your copy signed and you don't want to wait, go ahead and email me at john@thecoldkiss.com, and I'll give you the information on where you can send your books.
In the meantime, I went on KMTV's The Morning Blend today to talk about the books, movie stuff, and writing in general. If you'd like to see how it turned out, here's a link:
The Morning Blend
I also did a interview with Suspense Radio last week. Here's that link:
Suspense Radio.
Here's another interview I did earlier this week. This one with Jedidiah Ayres over at the Barnes & Noble, Ransom Notes blog.
Ransom Notes
And finally, in case you haven't seen it, Duane Swierczynski wrote a great guest review of Already Gone for the Kindle Post blog.
The call is coming from Inside the house.
As always, thank you all for supporting the books.
