SPY TUNES ~ ACTION REPLY!

SPY TUNES ~ ACTION REPLY!

THE CRIME LOUNGE DELIVERS ANOTHER GREAT LIBRARY ALBUM FROM THE FRENCH TELE MUSIC CATALOGUE. THIS IS A VERY COOL COLLECTION OF SURF INFUSED SPY TUNES SOUNDING RIGHT OUT OF THE ‘60s AND ‘70s BEFORE SURF MUSIC MORPHED INTO BEACH METAL.

THERE ARE SOME GREAT TRACKS IN THS COLLECTION WITH COOL RETRO NAMES, SUCH AS FROM UNCLE, SPEED BOATING, AND TOP SECRET AGENT . . .

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

FANTASY CORNER: THE HEROES

FANTASY CORNER: THE HEROES

JOE ABERCROMBIE

They say Black Dow’s killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they’ve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.

Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he’s far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it’s his own.

Prince Calder isn’t interested in honour, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he’ll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn’t have to fight for it himself.

Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him?

Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail…
Three men. One battle. No Heroes.

CHANDLER ~ QUOTE OF THE DAY!

CHANDLER ~ QUOTE OF THE DAY!

Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but production.

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #106!

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #106!

Join the BIG W every Friday evening as he continues to explore, with drink in hand, the Space-Age Pop Hi-Fi musical sounds of the 1950’s and the 1960’s in LIVING STEREO!

PLAYLIST:

• Music to Watch Girls By - Andy Williams
• The Girl From Ipanema - Walter Wanderley
• Let’s Get Away From It All - Della Reese
• A Taste Of Honey - Glenn Miller Orcherstra
• Promise Her Anything - Dean Martin
• Last Date - Floyd Cramer
• A Rockin’ Good Way - Dinah Washington
• Swingin’ On The Strip - Warren Barker
• It’s All Right With Me - Peggy Lee
• You Make Me Feel So Young - Frank Sinatra
• Watch Your Step - The John Barry Seven
• Hello, Young Lovers - Lena Horne
• The Andy Griffith Thene - Earle Hagen
• Cheek To Cheek - Steve & Eydie
• I Feel Fine - Ray Ellis
• The Yellow Rose Of Texas - Mitch Miller
• Come On-A My House - Rosemary Clooney
• Tzena, Tzena, Tzena - Mitch Miller
• C'est Magnifique - B Sharp Big Band
•Never Been In Love Before - Bobby Darin

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

CHANDLER ~ QUOTE OF THE DAY!

CHANDLER ~ QUOTE OF THE DAY!

From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away.

PULP NOW: THE SPIDER #1!

PULP NOW: THE SPIDER #1!

COMING THIS FALL FROM MOONSTONE BOOKS!

THE SPIDER, MASTER OF MEN #1

DEATH SIEGE OF THE FRANKENSTEIN LEGION

WRITTER: MARTIN POWELL
ILLUSTRATER: PABLO MARCOS
COVERS: DAN BRERETON

THE OTHER GUYS!

THE OTHER GUYS!

I got conned into seeing this film by turning up at the theater with friends to see another film, and going along to get along when everybody else decided to change films and go in to see The Other Guys.

First, we’d arrived late and the theatre was packed, forcing us to sit near the front – an almost guarantee I’m going to have a horrible film experience. Second, I’d almost rather have an eye put out than go and see a Will Ferrell film (his so called comedies anyway – his one straight film, Stranger Than Fiction, is outstanding). And third, the trailer for The Other Guys made it seem like a completely lame cop spoof.

I really, really, really wanted to hate this movie – but I just couldn’t.

While I didn’t laugh myself silly or anything, I did righteously chuckle my way through 80% of the scenes. Both Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg carry the film with some acting professionalism that was slyly impressive.

The Other Guys are Ferrell and Wahlberg, much-scorned desk jockeys in the New York Police Department. But when the city's two most celebrated cops, a pair of idiotic Lethal Weapon-type showboaters (Dwanye Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), are put out of commission (thankfully killed off), it's up to Ferrell and Wahlberg, the very unlikely heroes, to save the day – if, of course, they can keep from killing each other first.

The big plus of The Other Guys, is that in the midst of all the stupidity there is actually some sharp satire and irony scattered about, along with some devastating one-liners. This is a big surprise in a world filled with the infantile sex jokes, drinking jokes, and toilet humor excesses in the films of Judd Apatow and company, which currently pass as funny - but aren't.

Ferrell and Wahlberg have an unusual, but effective comic chemistry. The film craftily parodies buddy-cop movie clichés while going over the top to spoof the action spectacles gracing movie screens every summer. The Other Guys is also different in that it contains a surprisingly pointed and political subtext about the biggest crimes committed in New York – on Wall Street – a point brought home like a wrecking ball for anyone who sits through (and you should) the final credits.

I didn’t want my ticket money back at the end of the film as I expected. As a result, I give The Other Guys a careful thumbs up, which I will deny giving if anyone tells.

COCKTAIL NATION #136 ~ MORE TIKI JOES OCEAN!

COCKTAIL NATION #136 ~ MORE TIKI JOES OCEAN!

On the show this week, Koop tells us about a new show to hit Broadway. He’ll also talk to Andy Nazzal about the new Tiki Joes Ocean album, plus there’ll be the regular Ask Koop segment, which will tackle the issue of RSVP behaviour, plus a brand new segment as Koop heads into the Cocktail Nation Blogosphere and find some cool blogs to check out. There’s also the look at the world of swank, and a stack of lounge and exotica coming your way on the lounge music podcast.

PLAYLIST:

B Sharp Big Band ~ Frenesi
Stolen Idols ~ Black Orchid
Tiki Joes Ocean ~ UnderThe Midnight Sun
John Barry ~ Fancy Dance
SG Sound ~ Satellite Feed
SSS Unlimited ~ Robotheque
Bob Thompson ~ Sub Manhatten Blues
Billy May ~ Mannix
HB Radke ~ Sucker For Love
Martini Kings ~ Stardust
George Shearing ~ Mambo Inn
Armando Stella ~ Who's Sorry Now
Warren Covington and Tommy Dorsey Orch

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

PULP NOW: THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF BLACK MASK STORIES!

PULP NOW: THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF BLACK MASK STORIES!

EDITED BY OTTO PENZLER

COMING SEPTEMBER 21, 2010!

An unstoppable anthology of crime stories culled from Black Mask magazine the legendary publication that turned a pulp phenomenon into literary mainstream.

Black Mask was the apotheosis of noir. It was the magazine where the first hardboiled detective story, which was written by Carroll John Daly appeared. It was the slum in which such American literary titans like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler got their start, and it was the home of stories with titles like “Murder Is Bad Luck,” “Ten Carets of Lead,” and “Drop Dead Twice.” Collected here is best of the best, the hardest of the hardboiled, and the darkest of the dark of America’s finest crime fiction. This masterpiece collection represents a high watermark of America’s underbelly. Crime writing gets no better than this.

Featuring:

• Deadly Diamonds
• Dancing Rats
• A Prize Fighter Fighting for His Life
• A Parrot that Wouldn’t Talk

Including:

• Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon as it was originally published
• Lester Dent's Luck in print for the first time

Paperback: 1136 pages
Vintage Books
$25.00

THE CAT'S MEOW!

NEEDLE MAGAZINE STUFF!

NEEDLE MAGAZINE STUFF!

TO CHECK OUT COOL NEEDLE MAGAZINE T-SHIRTS, MUGS, AND OTHER STUFF CLICK HERE

NOIR NOW: NEEDLE MAGAZINE ~ SUMMER ISSUE!

NOIR NOW: NEEDLE MAGAZINE ~ SUMMER ISSUE!

NOW AVAILABLE!

A SNEAK PEEK AT WHO’S INSIDE:

David Cranmer is editor/publisher of BEAT to a PULP and regularly updates his blog The Education of a Pulp Writer http://davidcranmer.blogspot.com/ He lives in Maine with his wife.

Julie Summerell lives in North Carolina with her husband and children. “Under the Rug” was her first foray into Crime Fiction. You can find more of Julie at http://jasummerell.com where she’ll be happy to argue the merits of Eastern NC Barbecue over Western, that Han shot first, and why clowns are evil personified.

Nigel Bird is a Support For Learning teacher in a primary school near Edinburgh. Co-Producer of the Rue Bella magazine between 1998 and 2003, he has recently had work published by ‘The Reader’ and ‘Crimespree’ and was interviewed by Spinetingler for their ‘Conversations With The Bookless’ series earlier this year. He recently won the ‘Watery Grave Invitational’ contest over at ‘The Drowning Machine’ and hopes to complete a draft of his first novel by the end of 2010.

Sarah Weinman covers publishing for DailyFinance and writes crime fiction columns for the Barnes & Noble Review and the Los Angeles Times. Her fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and several anthologies. She blogs, more sporadically of late, at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind http://www.sarahweinman.com

Allan Leverone is a three-time Derringer Award Finalist for excellence in short mystery fiction whose work has been featured in Shroud Magazine, Twisted Dreams, Morpheus Tales, Mysterical-E and many others. He is a proud member of the International Thriller Writers, New England Horror Writers and the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and his debut novel, a thriller titled FINAL VECTOR, is due for release from Medallion Press in February, 2011. Please visit Allan on Facebook, Myspace or at www.allanleverone.com

Chris F. Holm wrote his first story at the age of six. It got him sent to the principal’s office. He’d like to think that right then is when he decided to become a writer. Since then, Chris’s stories have appeared in a slew of publications, including Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Beat to a Pulp, and Thuglit. He’s been a Derringer Award finalist and a Spinetingler Award winner, and he’s also written a novel or two, which are currently out on submission. You can visit Chris on the web at www.chrisfholm.com

Stephen Blackmoore writes stories about bad people doing bad things. His short stories and poetry have appeared in Plots With Guns, Spinetingler, Thrilling Detective, Shots, Demolition, Clean Sheets, Flashing In The Gutters and the anthology UNCAGE ME through Bleak House Books. His debut novel, CITY OF THE LOST, will be published by DAW books in 2012. You can find him online at http://la-noir.blogspot.com

Mike Sheeter is an ex-magazine editor and screenwriter. A refugee from Los Angeles, he now divides his time between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida, the home town of Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Ponzi, the inventor of the Ponzi scheme.

Ray Banks is the author of the Cal Innes series of books, as well as a bunch of short stories published all over the place and anthologised a couple of times. He’s currently working out what the fuck his next book’s going to be whilst broadcasting intermittent and possibly cryptic messages at his website www.thesaturdayboy.com

When not batting clean-up for the Dodgers, Nolan Knight concentrates on more strenuous feats, crafting lies on paper. Recent fabrications can be found in Thuglit, Out of the Gutter, Pulp Pusher, and Plots with Guns. He slangs at www.nolanknight.com

John Stickney was born, raised, worked and is still slowly dying in Cleveland, Ohio. Poetry, fiction, blah, blah, blah, but still in Cleveland.

Frank Bill is a southern Indiana writer with shorts in Plots With Guns, Thuglit, Beat to a Pulp, Talking River Review, Hardboiled, Darkest Before the Dawn, Crimefactory, and the defunct Pulppusher. Donnybrook, his first novel, begins the rounds with publishers in June.

FOR FURTHER INFO CLICK HERE

FANTASY CORNER: THE STABLE MASTER’S TALE!

FANTASY CORNER: THE STABLE MASTER’S TALE!

RACHEL SWIRSKY

FREE READING

PER A DRIBBLE OF INK . . .

The Stable Master’s Tale by Rachel Swirsky is a modern parable, with echos of the bite found in the works of The Brothers Grimm. Though there’re no animals in sight, Swirsky has a point to make, a moral to bring to light, and she does so in a grim, honest way that reveals both the light and the dark in humanity. We’re neither good, nor bad. Rather, we’re both at once.

Swirsky’s prose is suitable to the tone of the story, and the voice of her nameless narrator is lively, but never so overwhelming that it takes the focus away from the themes and plot of the novel. It’s a novel about both the relationship between a girl and a dragon, and the parallels in their respective imprisonments (her’s through choices she’s made, its through mutilation and literal captivity), and also explores the limits of the human propensity to allow greed and narrow-mindedness to lead to self-destruction. Swirsky never forgets the ultimate strength of the classic fables: though they’ve a lesson to tell, but they never forget that they’re supposed to be fun.

Like the best stories, The Stable Master’s Tale could potentially be read, and enjoyed, by young and old alike, It’s never bogged down by overwrought prose or too heavy moralism. Even with the themes removed, it’s a classic bed time tale.

TO READ HE STABLE MASTER’S TALE FOR FREE ON THE FANTASY MAGAZINE WEBSITE CLICK HERE

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: YELLOWTHREAD STREET!

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: YELLOWTHREAD STREET!

WILLIAM MARSHALL

Once described as one-part Ed McBain, one-part Suzie Wong, the Yellowthread Street mysteries by Australian author William Leonard Marshall, are in some ways an aquired taste. The novels are an odd combination of suspense, detection, broad humor, and really disturbing situations, which – for the most part – work better than than they should.

In each book in the series, the detectives of the Yellowthread Street police station, located in fictitious Hong Bay, Hong Kong, attempt to find the rational basis for inexplicable and seemingly bizarre crimes – some of which can make the reader decidedly twitchy.

Featuring DCI Harry Feiffer, who is European born but raised in Hong Kong; Senior Inspector Christopher O'Yee, who is half-Chinese, half-Caucasian American, and all neurotic; and the ever-bickering team of Inspectors Auden and Spencer, the Yellowthread Street police station resembles the police sit-com Barney Miller on steroids with lots of violence thrown in.

YELLOWTHREAD STREET

The Hong Bay district of Hong Kong is seediness writ large, a spectacularly chaotic warren of cut-rate brothels and betting shops and other less wholesome enterprises. Keeping the peace – sort of – are the cops of the Yellowthread Street Station, under the jaundiced eye of Detective Chief Inspector Harry Feiffer.

They're an intrepid (if foul-mouthed) bunch, but even their formidable skills are taxed by the Bay's latest series of little mishaps, which begins with a fellow near the fishmarket chopping up his wife with an axe. Meanwhile, notorious madam Hot Time Alice Ping and her leg-breaker, Osaka the Disemboweler, are plotting revenge on the Mongolian, a giggling, freelance extortionist whose glee at hacking off fingers and other non-essential bits is terrifying the neighborhood shopkeepers.

It all adds up to a breathless night, culminating in a frenzied three-way battle against Hong Kong's neon backdrop. And then there's the tourist from New Jersey who seems to have misplaced his wife . . .

In 1990, Yellowthread Street, became a short-lived British television series, a costly, on-location production attempting to emulate Miami Vice on the seemingly Triad-ridden streets of steamy Hong Kong. The critics reviled the show – as apparently did the viewers. Part of the problem was the style of the novels was impossible to capture, even with novel author Marshall scripting the episode entitled Spirit Runner.

YELLOWTHREAD STREET MYSTERIES:

Yellowthread Street (1975)
The Hatchet Man (1976)
Gelignite (1976)
Thin Air (1977)
Skulduggery (1979)
Sci-fi (1981)
Perfect End (1981)
War Machine (1982)
The Far Away Man (1984)
Roadshow (1985)
Head First (1986)
Frogmouth (1987)
Out of Nowhere (1988)
Inches (1994)
Nightmare Syndrome (1997)
To The End (1998)

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: THE GUNS OF AUGUST!

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: THE GUNS OF AUGUST!

C.O.B.R.A.S. AGENT DAVID FOSTER HAS POSTED A VERY COOL PIECE ON HIS PERMISSION TO KILL BLOG . . .

In The Guns of August, espionage authors Adrian Magson (Red Station), JJ Cooper (Deadly Trust) and Jeremy Duns (Free Country) are brought together for a virtual symposium on spy novels. From Permission To Kill’s hollowed out volcano, C.O.B.R.A.S. agent Foster has done an in-depth debrief on what makes a good spy novel and has had the authors analyse the changes, not just to spy stories, but publishing in general.

Covering everything from the Cold War to post September 11 terrorism – and from audiobook to eBooks and digital downloads – Adrian, Jeremy, and JJ provide unique insights into writing past and present, and share their thoughts on the state of the spy novel.

TO READ THE WHOLE FACINATING POST CLICK HERE

YIKES!

YIKES!

GAMMA WORLD OKLAHOMA

FROM STORYTELLER EXTRODINAIRE MEL ODOM . . .

Mutants, robots, a gigantic buffalo adventurer/scout who's partnered with a young girl who's not quite human and can turn her hands into weapons! And she rides a monstrous Mountain Boomer lizard! Can things get any better than this?

COMING IN FEBRUARY 2011!

LOUNGE CENTRAL: THE BROADWAY BIT ~ 1959!

LOUNGE CENTRAL: THE BROADWAY BIT ~ 1959!

MARTY PAICH

ANOTHER COOL DOWNLOAD FROM KELLY’S LOUNGE SOUNDZ . . .

Marty Paich takes on nine Broadway tunes from the '50s – but as always with his best work, the result is something quite far from its roots – an amazing batch of jazzy instrumentals that owes very little to the original conception of the tunes. Paich's got an incredible ear for arrangements here – one that manages to make an ensemble swing with even more dynamic modes than some of his '50s LA contemporaries, but never in ways that fall into some of the more hi-fi oriented tricks or gimmicks of the time.

TRACK LIST:

SIDE 1:
01) It's All Right With Me
02) I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
03) I've Never Been In Love Before
04) I Love Paris

SIDE 2:
01) Too Close For Comfort
02) Younger Than Springtime/Surrey With The Fringe On Top
03) If I Were A Bell
04) Lazy Afternoon
05) Just In Time

FOR THE FULL POST AND DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

BRONSON’S LOOSE!

BRONSON’S LOOSE!

PAUL TALBOT

In the summer of 1974 the movie Death Wish stunned audiences with its powerful story of an enraged businessman who hits the streets with a handgun to avenge the brutal violation of his wife and daughter. The film packed theaters with cheering moviegoers, became one of the highest-grossing and most controversial movies of the year, and turned star Charles Bronson into the hottest screen icon in the world.

Over the next twenty years, four increasingly-violent sequels delivered thrills to a growing legion of fans and solidified the legend of Charles Bronson.

Now, for the first time, Death Wish fanatics, Bronson cultists, and action movie lovers will discover fascinating information about the series. In exclusive comments, director Michael Winner, actor Kevyn Major Howard, novelist Brian Garfield, and many others reveal what it was like to work on the Death Wish movies with one of the most charismatic and elusive stars of all time.

Covering every aspect of all five movies (including unused casting suggestions, deleted scenes and alternate cuts) and loaded with rare advertising artwork, Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the “Death Wish” Films tells the compelling, untold story behind the most explosive action series in film history.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN HOLLYWOOD!

THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN HOLLYWOOD!

THIS WAS JUST TOO DELICIOUS AND HILARIOUS NOT TO PASS ON EVEN THOUGH BLOG BUDDY BILL CRIDER BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH . . .

THE BOING BOING WEBSITE HAS REVEALED THE SHOCKING NEWS – CHRISTOPHER NOLAND'S BLOCKBUSTER FILM INCEPTION IS A SCROOGE MCDUCK COMIC RIP OFF . . .

FOR THE FULL SCAM CLICK HERE

INSIDE JAZZ MAGAZINE ~ FREE DOWNLOAD!

INSIDE JAZZ MAGAZINE ~ FREE DOWNLOAD!

The August issue of Jazz Inside NY Magazine (64 pages), available free in print and as a downloadable digital edition is designed for jazz lovers worldwide - and features bassist Rufus Reid in a feature entitled "A Special Kind of Rich" discussing his new recording on Motema Music as well as providing insights into his activities and perspectives on education and passion for this music.

This issue also features the Bass Lovers Celebration - entitled Basses Loaded. You’ll get up close and personal and inside the music and the minds of Charnett Moffett, Orlando Le Fleming, Tim Ferguson, Jim Guttmann, Stephan Crump.

Additional artist interviews in the August issue of Jazz Inside’s monthly include pianist, composer and Jazzheads label founder Randy Klein, pianist Cheryl Hodge and guitarist Freddie Bryant.

In the column entitled, "Deeper Perspectives," Jazz Inside Magazine's August 2010 issue features the theme of Curiosity – gathering the perspectives of a number of artists on the quality and its role and impact in personal life and creative endeavors. The group includes Bob Mamet, John Escreet, David Budway, Matthew Shipp, Cheryl Hodge, Jim Pearce and Bobby Avey.

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

CAPER TOWN: IT TAKES A THIEF!

CAPER TOWN: IT TAKES A THIEF!

DEAN BRIERLY HAS A COOL POST OVER AT THE CINEMA RETRO BLOG TODAY ON THE RELEASE OF THE FIRST SEASON OF THE QUINTESSENTIAL CAPER SHOW, IT TAKES A THIEF, ON DVD – IN GERMANY . . .

TO READ THE FULL POST CLICK HERE

COMICS CORNER: THE ROB HANES ADVENTURES!

COMICS CORNER: THE ROB HANES ADVENTURES!

The first trade paperback compilation of Randy Reynaldo’s series, Rob Hanes Adventures, Vol. 0, is scheduled to be released in September 2010. The softcover trade paperback will retail for $15.99 and feature six complete adventures from 1994–96, and 140 black-and-white pages. All the stories have been digitally re-lettered for the new collection, replacing the hand-lettering of the original series. The trade is a great way for new readers to discover the series and for long-time fans to read the stories in a new, fresh and permanent bookshelf format.

In addition, publisher WCG debuted a new special full-color comic-book edition of Rob Hanes Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. The special edition marks the first time the series is available in full color in print. The edition features a cover price of $3.99 and 32 full-color pages.

PULP NOW!

PULP NOW!

ILLUSTRATOR: CLARK HULINGS . . .

A FAVORITE PIECE OF PULP ART . . .

NOIR NOW!

NOIR NOW!

ILLUSTRATOR: EDMOND GRAY . . .

THIS PIECE IS JUST SO COOL . . .

THE CAT'S MEOW!

I WILL DERIVE!

DISCO MATH GEEKS . . .

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: THE FILMS ARE NOT ENOUGH!

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: THE FILMS ARE NOT ENOUGH!

JAMES BOND IN WORLD AND POPULAR CULTURE: THE FILMS ARE NOT ENOUGH

EDITORS: ROBERT G. WEINER, B. LYNN WHITFIELD, JACK BECKER

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010

James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films are Not Enough provides the most comprehensive study of the James Bond phenomena ever published. The 40 original essays provide new insights, scholarship, and understanding to the world of James Bond. Topics include the Bond girl, Bond related video games, Ian Fleming’s relationship with the notorious Aleister Crowley and CIA director Alan Dulles.

Other articles include Fleming as a character in modern fiction, Bond Jr. comics, the post Fleming novels of James Gardner and Raymond Benson, Bond as an American Superhero, and studies on the music, dance, fashion, and architecture in Bond films.

Woody Allen and Peter Sellers as James Bond, are also considered as is Japanese imitation films from the 1960s, the Britishness of Bond, comparisons of Bond to Christian ideals, movie posters and much more.

Scholars from a wide variety of disciplines have contributed a unique collection of perspectives on the world of James Bond and its history. Despite the diversity of viewpoints, the unifying factor is the James Bond mythos.

James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films are Not Enough is a much needed contribution to Bond studies and shows how this cultural icon has changed the world.

CAPER TOWN: BRIDGER!

CAPER TOWN: BRIDGER!

JAMES PATRICK HUNT

Bridger is a disciplined professional and he has kept out of prison by sticking to a certain set of rules. Rule 1: never work with a partner. Rule 2: never, under any circumstances, work with the mob. But when Maggie Chan, his beautiful ex-girlfriend, comes along and talks him into stealing a four million-dollar coin collection, Bridger gets a little careless and forgets one of the most important rules: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Before the job barely begins, he is beaten unconscious and framed for the murder of a corrupt judge and his mistress.

Now he's on the run from the mob and the police. Someone has set him up. And Bridger's going to make sure that someone's going to pay for it.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

STRIP POKER!

STRIP POKER!

HERE’S THE WORD FROM PULP WRITER BILL RAETZ . . .

2010 will wrap up with a one-two punch of serious pulp fiction. Shortly after Sin City Spy becomes available, I will be releasing my first novella, Strip Poker!

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

ROUND ONE ~ BEAT TO A PULP ANTHOLOGY!

ROUND ONE ~ BEAT TO A PULP ANTHOLOGY!

IF THE COVER IS ANYTHING TO JUDGE BY THIS COLLECTION IS GOING TO PACK A PUNCH . . .

HERE’S THE WORD FROM EDITOR DAVID CRANMER ON BEAT TO A PULP’S FIRST ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION ~ ROUND ONE . . .

There is still one small design element to finish, but this is it – the cover to BEAT to a PULP: Round One. We couldn't be more excited about the outstanding artwork by James O'Barr and sensational cover design by John Bergin.

TO READ THE LATEST STORY ON BEAT TO A PULP CLICK HERE

TONE CHECK!

TONE CHECK!

In a recent poll conducted by the Unbiversity of Chicago, 80% of participants stated the tone in their email messages was clear. In reality, however, they were only right about 50% of the time. Now there is a new tool for more precise communication. It's called ToneCheck, and it's free.

TO CHECK IT OUT CLICK HERE