Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Interquel

Over the weekend I traveled with Scott Phillips to a small town I used to live in to see Tom Franklin read from his latest, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Also attending the event was John Hornor Jacobs, all the way up from Little Rock and William Harrison, author of (Roller Ball Murder & Burton and Speke, the basis’s for Rollerball and Mountains of the Moon respectively). Good trip. Looking at doing a trip out to Mr. Franklin’s haunts in Mississippi soon for some writerly thing that may be happening. I’ve never been, but Rod Norman assures me it’s a swell place and it sounds like it probably is. Aside from the late Barry Hannah and some cat named Grisham, Franklin, Jack Pendarvis, John Brandon and William Boyle also call it home. Must be something in the water.

My first exposure to Franklin was in Murdaland magazine and this week Murdaland’s publisher, Cortright McMeel’s debut novel, Short was published and over at Ransom Notes, I’m giving it the once over. I made a comment in the piece about Short being an interquel, (middle chapter of a trilogy linking two previously unrelated books or films – thanks Jeff Bayer & Eric Snider – of the Movie BS podcast), between The Smartest Guys in the Room and Fight Club, and I’m curious to hear from anybody else with an opinion on the matter. Sometimes I pull this stuff outta my ass, sometimes I’m brilliant, but hell if I can tell the difference.

For some reason, I just go on accumulating books that I’m never going to be able to read. Someday the apocalypse will come and when electricity can’t be spared for television, I’ll have plenty of books to keep me occupied. In the last week I’ve added titles by Ken Bruen, Reed Farrel Coleman, Max Allan Collins, Tom Franklin, Chester Himes, Grant Jerkins, Terrill Lankford, Joe Lansdale, Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Maberry, Cormac McCarthy, Jim Nisbet, Chris Offutt, Robert Olmstead, Tom Piccirilli, Jason Pinter, Theresa Schwegel and Jason Starr to my shelves. I also picked up the new anthology, Damn Near Dead 2, edited by Bill Crider. Since I’m so strapped for shelf space, I’m giving away two books by Scott Phillips this week. Just leave a comment on this post and Friday I’ll draw two names.

And if you don’t “win” one, don’t worry. You can still get a free copy of his latest, Rut from The Concord Free Press if you make a request. They’ll even ship it to you gratis. All they ask is that you make a donation to a charitable cause in the amount of your choosing and they employ the honor system. But hurry, they’re running out.

13 comments:

Steve Weddle said...

JHJ wouldn't shut up about Murdaland. "Jed's got it. It's great. You should see it. Jed said blah blah blah."
So I ordered a copy from some bookstore in Lithuania.

jedidiah ayres said...

Murdaland is the standard I've measured everything by since 06.

Michelle said...

Great! Something else to buy. I have enough books to last me through eternity, but I am always ready for new reads. I have RUT so let someone else have my copy. After reading Tom Franklin and PIKE by Benjamin Whitmer, I am all about this southern noir thing. Hooked on it, no doubt. Maybe because I live down here. But, consider me addicted.

John Hornor said...

Two things: I think what's in the water down there is a chemical called William Faulkner.

Faulkner was from Oxford and the reason Ole Miss has a creative writing MFA, I believe. He's also my favorite writer, so when you make the trip to down, let me know, I'd like to join and go back to Rowan Oaks.

Second, why didn't I know William Harrison was there? Was he the old guy? Never read Roller Ball but Burton & Speke is one of my favorite books.

jedidiah ayres said...

Michelle - I'm giving away Scott's The Walkaway & Cottonwood, so consider yourself entered

JHJ - Faulkner. Yeah. Harrison was the dude with all the stories about... y'know.

Cullen Gallagher said...

Count me in for the Phillips drawing!

Cameron Ashley said...

Wait, wait, wait. You caught up with the dude who wrote fucking ROLLERBALL??? Jed, please, more on this man who gave us James Caan and laser guns in the same movie. ROLLERBALL is up there with fucking....man, I don't even know, but if you have his details, please tell him from me that he's a genius.

jedidiah ayres said...

Cam/JHJ - I got the distinct impression that he'd like to distance himself from the film except for financially of course. Embrace the cult would be my advice, but I don't think he needs it.

John Kenyon said...

Murdaland was awfully good. A real sharp looking journal... filled with great writing about ugly people and actions.

And count me in on the Phillips contest. Loved Ice Harvest and Rut, so I'm eager to get my hands on the rest.

Matthew McBride said...

I could use a copy of WALKAWAY to go with the rest of my Phillips collection.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Here I am.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the book suggestions - I'll add them to my giftmas list. I got an in with Santa.

jedidiah ayres said...

Congratulations - John H Jacobs & Patti Abbott were the winning names drawn. Now they get to fight over The Walkaway & Cottonwood