Links To Recent Interviews/Q&As/Newsletters, etc.

Eric Flint and I participated in a couple of interviews as well as a Reddit AMA in September supporting the September 5th release of Iron Angels--the urban fantasy detective novel we co-wrote.

The Baen Free Radio Hour, September 15, 2017: Podcast-- Eric Flint and Alistair Kimble discuss their new urban fantasy novel Iron Angels, in which a team of FBI agents are hot on the trail of a mysterious cult that performs human sacrifices, a second cult that opposes the first, and an ancient evil from another dimension; and part seventeen of the complete audiobook serialization of Liaden Universe® novel Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

Reddit Author AMA, September 28, 2017: Eric Flint is a NY Times bestseller and former labor union activist. Alistair Kimble is an FBI Special Agent and prior enlisted U.S. Navy Aircrewman. Somehow they managed to write Iron Angels together. Ask us anything!

MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape, September 14, 2017: Online interview of Alistair Kimble on Iron Angels and co-writing with Eric Flint.

Baen Books Monthly Newsletter for September: Baen's monthly newsletter mentioning Iron Angels.

Iron Angels is available in most places books and ebooks are sold. Below are some links to purchase unsigned and signed copies of Iron Angels.  

Links for purchasing unsigned copies of Iron Angels.

Signed copies of Iron Angels:
The Missing Volume (signed by Eric Flint & Alistair Kimble)
The BookBar (signed by Alistair Kimble)

Some Modern Crime Novels & Writers

I attempted to write this the other day, and failed--well, the computer failed me and I failed me by not saving more often. Oh, well. Here we go again:

Here are some modern crime novels & writers I've enjoyed reading and learning from. Modern, as defined by me is anything from 1970 to the present. Why 1970? I was born that year and therefore that is modern. You're welcome to your definition of course, but that's mine!

Two things made me think of writing this post, the first being the recent release of Iron Angels, the urban fantasy detective novel I co-wrote with Eric Flint. To me, Iron Angels is more police procedural, more specifically FBI procedural than fantasy, science fiction, or horror (there are elements of these genres in Iron Angels). Why do I think this? Well, the novel is an FBI investigation which leads them into the fantastic elements with real science blended in as well as some horror. Thinking about that led me to think about the novels I've read over the years that influenced me, the writers as well and what I could learn from them.

The other reason for this post are conversations I've had with James Ellroy--for the uninitiated, that's the Ellroy who wrote L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia, among other classic crime fiction! He hosts a monthly showing of a noir film at the Alamo Drafthouse and later, hangs out in the bar and chit-chats with people. The conversation usually comes around to influences and some of the great crime writers of the past.

These are in no particular order for me, but are all modern writers and novels that influenced me in the crime/mystery genre:

James Ellroy - you might as well begin with L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia. His writing is sparse at times, stark and bitter and engaging! His characters are real. You'd think these stories really took place--there's no one like Ellroy.

James Lee Burke - fully realized characters populate lush settings. His prose is beautiful, but the stories are all about crime. You could try The Neon Rain, the first Dave Robicheaux book.

Kris Nelscott - also known as Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Kris writes in nearly all the genres, but her Smokey Dalton series is outstanding historical crime fiction. I've attended multiple writing workshops taught be her, and she's the one who got me back into crime fiction.

Elmore Leonard - if you want crazy characters in crazy situations spouting off crazy dialogue give  Elmore Leonard a try. I believe one of Leonard's writing tips was: leave out the boring parts--and he certainly followed his own advice. No boring parts at all!

Lawrence Block - he's written so many cool series, like the Keller and Scudder series, but for fun capers try the Bernie Rhodenbarr series where something always goes awry with his burglaries. 

Michael Connelly - I enjoy the Harry Bosch series, and if you want some procedure and detective read those books (there are a lot of them!), but his stand-alone novels, such as Void Moon are pretty good, too.

Stuart Neville - dark, conflicted characters some who seek redemption and some who do not. Start with Ghosts of Belfast, and you'll want to read all of his work.

Those are some crime novels and novelists that I enjoy--there are so many more, but I want to post lists of books and writers from other genres that have informed my writing and influenced me.

It? If You Want Clowns...

Try Killer Klowns From Outer Space! I was hanging out at a friend's place back in the late '80s and we stumbled upon Killer Klowns one day while flipping through the channels and we couldn't stop watching.

Why? Well, the film was crazy. It was funny. It was scary. It was goofy. The Klowns in this film are wait for it...from outer space! They travel around in a spaceship that looks like a giant circus tent! Arnold thought the Predator was one ugly mother&*!$%@, but these Klowns are hideous. My very first night at Dragon Con this year I saw three people dressed up as these things and it was awesome!

Some spoilers here, but do you care? The movie has been around since the '80s.

So, why did the klowns land on earth? Well, they want to capture humans and put them in giant cotton candy cocoons, let them ferment, and drink them with a giant krazy straw of course! Duh! They terrorize a small town with popcorn guns and they twist balloons into dogs that come to life and have this little howl. The movie is bad, but it's a blast.

There are some creepy parts, some sinister and gory parts, but mostly it's just a fun horror film with ugly clowns running around. The Chiodo brothers are responsible for this flick--they are the ones behind the marionettes in Team America: World Police.

If you just want to turn off your brain and have a few laughs after seeing It, give Killer Klowns From Outer Space a try. I don't promise an award winning film, just a fun one even if it has clowns in it, and most people I know hate clowns. 

Live Albums?

Maybe I've just aged myself, but the word album means different things to different people and age groups.

For me an album is a slab of wax, a piece of vinyl, or extended to the music itself, a grouping of songs or pieces put together as to make a whole. Albums were released by artists as a whole (sure, there'd be singles from the album) with each track placed specifically on the album.

Live music isn't any different. When putting together a live show for an album or a concert, the band tries to arrange the songs in a pleasing order. They hook you with a great opener and pull you under so you won't stop listening. Some live albums capture the crowd's energy, while others strive to provide a crystal clear sound. There are a few that manage to do both.  I tend to like raw performances, ones with warts and all--that's what I like about some of the Sinatra recordings, he's putting on a show, cracking jokes, changing words, forgetting words at times, but making it awesome! I'm so happy they didn't screw around with those to get rid of those things.

Here is just a sampling of live albums that I enjoy in no particular order.

Frank Sinatra, Sinatra At The Sands, 1966 -- Perhaps my top Sinatra live album. He's with the Count Basie Orchestra, conducted by Quincy Jones. A great selection of tunes and great banter throughout.

Rush - Exit...Stage Left, 1981 -- While I love all of Rush's live albums this one hit at the right time for me as I'd just discovered Moving Pictures and to hear them recreate live what they're able to put on album was amazing. I also loved the live video released not long after.

Iron Maiden, Live After Death, 1985 -- Iron Maiden wasn't on my radar until this album was released. I was fifteen and that album cover demanded attention. Hearing Bruce Dickinson wail away while the guitars played in harmony with the bass lines thundering and galloping along with the drums was overwhelming and I was a fan from the opening. They lead with a stirring recording of Winston Churchill, ending with, "...we shall never surrender" and they rip into Aces High, it still gives me chills.

Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains The Same, 1976 -- what can I say about this one that hasn't already been said or written? Well, I love this one for how raw it is, and sure they may overindulge on a few tunes, but I'm sure heroine and alcohol had nothing to do with that--I mean Jimmy Page and John Bonham would never partake of the stuff, right?  I prefer this over the strange live video, though I'll watch that from time-to-time.

Judas Priest, Unleashed In The East, 1979 -- I threw this one on here for a couple of reasons, one, back in high school (this is the mid-80s) there were a few people who thought I resembled Rob Halford. The first album I owned by Priest was Defenders of the Faith, but I quickly went back to their older stuff and this live album--though some people don't like how they overdubbed in the studio to present a cleaner and more upfront sound with I'm guessing fewer mistakes as well, I like this album a lot. Rob Halford hits some crazy high notes and the music is heavy! Priest was not only heavy metal back then, but their heavy by today's standards.

Here are a few more I like, some mentioned during a Facebook exchange:

Pink Floyd, Pulse, 1995 
Kiss, Alive II, 1977
Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive!, 1976
Triumph, Stages, 1985
The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands, released in 2001, but from a show performed in 1963
Ozzy Osbourne, Tribute, 1987

I could list many, many more--there's Genesis, Peter Gabriel, The Who, and so on and so on...

Name some of your favorites!

Fan Of Genre Since 1975

I was five years old in March of '75. Yes, I've been a fan since then, only I didn't come to that conclusion until recently. I'd always thought '77 was the year I became I fan. Do I need to spell out what franchise debuted in 1977? Didn't think so.

What made me think of writing this was an author interview I participated in over on the mylifemybooksmyescape blog. I brought up Kolchak: The Night Stalker as one of the influences for the novel Iron Angels, which I co-wrote with the wonderful Eric Flint.

The more obvious influence was The X-Files, but to anyone who reads Iron Angels that should be somewhat obvious. Kolchak, for the uninitiated, stars Darren McGavin (you know, the dad from A Christmas Story) as a reporter who finds himself embroiled in the fantastic and unbelievable. The show only aired for one season (there were also two TV movies that aired earlier that were highly rated) but this show was cited as an inspiration for The X-Files. I remember my great-grandmother babysitting me watching Kolchak while sipping a Pabst Blue Ribbon. The show scared me to death (there are plenty of horror elements), but it stuck with me.

Two more shows I remember from my childhood are Quincy and Columbo. Both of those are genre, too--you didn't think I only meant science fiction/fantasy/horror, did you?

The shows all have something in common, solving a mystery. Investigating. It doesn't matter if it's fantastic or based more on what we believe is reality, what obviously stuck with me was the mystery.

Let's take it even further! Another show I adored as a child was Scooby Doo. More mystery! More monsters! More investigation! Scooby Doo was my absolute favorite cartoon back then, and I still enjoy it--which is why I bought the full DVD collection housed in The Mystery Machine! And now I'm reading Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero.

What brought Scooby Doo back around to me was when I came across the most awesome cosplay at Dragon Con (annual multi-media convention held in Atlanta with around 80,000 attendees!). Not only did they have the Scooby Doo gang there, but the monsters was almost every episode! It was like I was in the cartoon!

When I got a little older, I used to watch all the classic mystery films and suspense films such as those from Hitchcock, which also influenced me and my choice of career. These are all genre, and I love to watch and read across the different genres.

Now that I'm looking back at my formative years, prodded by these recent rediscoveries I mentioned above, I think it's safe to say that genre, and in particular anything that involved mysteries and investigation led me to my career in law enforcement.

I could go on and on about television and film that influenced me, but for now, this is a good start! Thank you Granny for introducing me to genre (and horrible beer).