Books

"There was a time in my early twenties when I thought I could actually make a living as a poet. You can go ahead and laugh at that a bit if you’d like, because I am. But what can I say, I was young, I was high as a kite most of the time, and I was in love with the idea of creating art-for-art's sake. I'd figure how I would keep a roof over my head with poetry somehow." -- From the Introduction of All Those Hungry Mouths Much like the short stories of Keith Rawson, the poems in All Those Hungry Mouths is filled with the desperate and the lonely; with criminals and victims; with the saved and the ruined. But despite the darkness of each piece, there is a spark of familiarity where we see ourselves.

The Chaos We Know is the debut story collection from Keith Rawson featuring a mix of previously published stories and brand new stories for this collection. ADVANCED PRAISE FOR THE CHAOS WE KNOW "These aren't stories (The Chaos We Know), these are slivers of a blasted world which Rawson gleefully embeds in your mind, and which won’t be dislodged by bourbon, ritual scarification, or even the police procedural -- thank God. And thank God, too, for Rawson, who has the kind of talent to leave you mutilated and breathless." -- Benjamin Whitmer, author of Pike

Laughing at Dead Men is a brand new story collection from the dark mind of Keith Rawson. “Keith Rawson wields his spare prose like a wrecking ball, laying bare a world of whores, petty criminals, crooked cops and meth heads. These short, sharp portraits of users &losers are deranged snapshots from deep in the underbelly of contemporary America. No tired noir tropes here, this is tough, unsentimental & savagely funny dark fiction that charts its own course” --Roger Smith, author of Wake Up Dead and Dust Devils "Keith Rawson's last name gives you a hint. It's going to be raw, and it's going to get to you. Like stepping on a shard of glass, but in a good way. Rawson's stories always bowl me over with aggressive style and deep psychological fright" --Anthony Neil Smith, author of Yellow Medicine and Choke On Your Lies "Reading Keith Rawson’s short stories is like strolling through a minefield: you know you’re in for trouble, and there’s no going back. Powerful, twisted, fierce and profane, this is take-no-prisoners fiction." -Hilary Davidson, author of the Damage Done

They broke free from their work stations and ran giggling down the factory hallways, stopping only to write crude missives on the walls. Transcribed here for your amusement, the most original voices in crime fiction offer you 27 tales of revulsion, heartbreak, and violence. Welcome to The First Shift.

25 stories of crime fiction from authors from around the world, both new and established, conjuring up some of the darkest stories involving murder, corruption, and despair. Featuring 25 stories by: “A Boy Like Billy” by Patricia Abbott “Border Crossing” by Michael McGlade “Looking for the Death Trick” by Bracken MacLeod “Maybelle’s Last Stand” by Travis Richardson “Predators” by Marie S. Crosswell “Twenty to Life” by Frank Byrns “So Much Love” by Keith Rawson “Running Late” by Tess Makovesky “Last Supper” by Katanie Duarte “Danny” by Michael Bracken “The Plot” by Jedidiah Ayres “What Alva Wants” by Timothy Friend “Time Enough to Kill” by Kent Gowran “Copas” by Hector Acosta “Yellow Car Punch” by Nigel Bird “Love at First Fight” by Angel Luis Colón “Traps” by Owen Laukkanen “Down the Rickety Stairs” by Alan Orloff “Blackmailer’s Pep Talk” by Chris Rhatigan “With a Little bit of Luck” by Bill Baber “As Cute as a Speckled Pup Under a Red Wagon” by Tony Conaway “Chipping off the Old Block” by Nick Kolakowski “Young Turks and Old Wives” by Shane Simmons “The Hangover Cure” by Seth Lynch “Highway Six” by John L. Thompson

ADR heads to the Bayou with an excerpt from Steve Weddle's upcoming novel Broken Prayer and an interview with the Needle editor. More of the mean, gritty crime fiction we're known for from Keith Rawson, Paul D. Brazill, Angel Luis Colón, Garnett Elliott, Gabino Iglesias, and J.J. Sinisi.

Like some born killers, this pairing of crime stories and the songs of Bruce Springsteen is a natural one. Each of the accomplished authors in this unique anthology chose a Springsteen title as a starting point, and in the criminally inclined spirit of the Boss, drove headlong to wherever that inspiration called. The destinations are as wildly diverse and far-reaching as the songs that influenced them. Some arrive at hope and redemption; others end up smoking in a ditch. One thing’s for sure: you sign up for this ride, and Trouble in the Heartland will transport you somewhere unforgettable.

The best damn pulp fiction magazine in the world returns with its second issue! We've got zombies. We've got hitmen. We've got Santa Claus. We've got it all! Featuring pulp masters such as Greg Barth, Will Viharo, Eric Beetner and Mike McCrary as well as authors of Dark Corners past such as Warren Moore and Scott Grand, Dark Corners Vol.1 Issue 2 continues to prove why Dark Corners is your number one source for quarterly overstuffed pulp!

Established in 2011 and becoming a premier crime and noir fiction website, Shotgun Honey has brought together 29 authors from around the world to produce our first anthology, Shotgun Honey Presents: Both Barrels. Featuring stories from: Patti Abbot, Peter Farris, Trey R. Barker, Hector Acosta, Cameron Ashley, Ray Banks, Frank Bill, Nigel Bird, Jen Conley, Paul D. Brazill, Thomas Pluck, Garnett Elliott, Matthew C. Funk, Chris F. Holm, Glenn Gray, Naomi Johnson, Nik Korpon, Kieran Shea, Julia Madeleine, Joe Myers, Andrew Nette, Mike Oliveri, Dan O'Shea, Tom Pitts, Keith Rawson, Holley West, Frank Wheeler Jr., Jim Wilsky and Steve Weddle.

Needle Magazine is hardboiled, lean and mean. No silly reviews. No poetry. No advertising. Nothing but hard hitting stories. In your face and busting up your kiss-maker. Kapow.

Features the final installment of Ray Banks's WOLF TICKETS, as well as the previously unpublished "Sweet Amy" from Gil Brewer. Also includes new fiction from Michael Sheedy, Peter Morin, Michael Moreci, Alan Leverone, Nolan Knight, Gil Brewer, David James Keaton, Andrew Hook, Daniel Davis, Michael Oliveri, Stephen D. Rogers, Keith Rawson, Art Taylor, and Holly West. Needle Magazine is hardboiled, lean and mean. No silly reviews. No poetry. No advertising. Nothing but hard hitting stories. In your face and busting up your kiss-maker. Kapow.

If you thought standing in line at your local megastore was murder, then you haven't been to Megamart. These flash fiction tales of superstore madness and mayhem will make you think twice the next time you hear "clean up on aisle 13." This anthology contains works by: Patricia Abbott, Sophie Littlefield, Kieran Shea, Chad Eagleton, Ed Gorman, Cormac Brown, Fleur Bradley, Alan Griffiths, Laura Benedict, Garnett Elliot, Eric Beetner, Jack Bates, Bill Crider, Loren Eaton, John DuMond, John McFetridge, Toni McGeeCausey, Jeff Vande Zande, James Reasoner, Kyle Minor, Randy Rohn, Todd Mason, Bryon Quertermous, Sandra Scoppettone, Stephen D. Rogers, Steve Weddle, Evan Lewis, Daniel B. O'Shea, Sandra Seamans, Albert Tucher, Donna Moore, John Weagly, Keith Rawson, Gerald So, Dave Zeltserman, Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen, Jay Stringer, Anne Frasier, Kathleen A. Ryan, Eric Peterson, Chris Grabenstein and J.T. Ellison. DISCOUNT NOIR has been nominated for Outstanding Anthology in the 2011 Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

The parameters of the dare were simple. No rules, no quarter. Make him a hero. Make him a perp. Make him a throwaway reference. Whatever fired the writer's imagination...all amalgamated into an anthology unequaled and inspired by the most vexing juggernaut of modern American politics — Dick Cheney. Tearing out of wilderness comes D*CKED, satirical Deathmobile – dark, sleek, and muscled-out. Get ready to laugh and run for cover. You’re about to get D*CKED. "Old hands and new voices give a no-holds-barred effort and don’t let up until the job is done. The stories will hit you hard, knock you down, make you laugh, make you think. From provocative to hilarious to dark to devious, D*CKED delivers a hell of a ride.” Sophie Littlefield, author of A Bad Day For Pretty and A Bad Day For Scandal “A demented, sardonic take on America’s only memorable Vice President. This is the magnificent bastard writ large: Dick Cheney as profane éminence grise, as curmudgeonly killer and murderous memorist … as laconic lothario and quippy Machiavelli. … I loved this sucker “BIG TIME,” as DC himself would say.” Craig McDonald, author of One True Sentence and El Gavilan “Until I read D*CKED, I had no reason to be glad that Dick Cheney was born.” Kyle Minor, author of In the Devil’s Territory The D*CKED website: http://dicked.wordpress.com/ Authors: Patricia Abbott Cameron Ashley Jedidiah Ayres Greg Bardsley Eric Beetner Tony Black Ken Bruen Jimmy Callaway Rachel Canon Hilary Davidson Jason Duke Bill Fitzhugh Matthew C. Funk Harry Hunsicker Kieran Shea Nancy Lee Philcox (designer) Scott Phillips Keith Rawson Mark Richardson Al Riske Marcus Sakey Owen Smith (artist) Steve Weddle

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, then set your jaw and steel your stance, 'cause BEAT to a PULP: Round Two is here! It's all meat, no filler in this red-raw-and-oozing collection of twenty-nine tales of pure pulp action. You'll find aliens, gangsters, drifters, mountain men, private dicks, gun molls, loners, misfits, drunks, thugs, booze-hounds, and more, all brawling in the pages of Round Two. And that's just for starters. Seething with left-hooks, uppercuts, kidney shots, and gut-punches aplenty, this powerhouse compilation doles out the genres, from hardboiled crime, western, and noir to sci-fi, fantasy, literary, horror, and more. Round Two covers all-new ground with offerings from a gang of tried-and-true heavyweights and inspired up-and-comers, all savvy purveyors of pulp at the top of their game. Haymakers include a Hemingway pastiche by famed mystery author Bill Pronzini, a stunning Chandler homage by Hard Case Crime kingpin Charles Ardai, a post-war tale with a twist from James Reasoner, a zombie-horror nightmare by Bill Crider, and even more blows to the temple from such hotshots as Glenn Gray, Patricia Abbott, the legendary Vin Packer, and more, more, more! Feel up to it? Then climb back in the ring. BEAT to a PULP: Round Two is ready to rumble.

What makes a superhero? Someone with special powers ... Ordinary people doing good deeds ... Anyone with sophisticated technological gadgets and incredible agility? Superheroes can spring up from the most unexpected people in the most unusual places, and BEAT to a PULP: Superhero has gathered some of the best hardboiled and noir crime stories with a superhero bend. Billy Mitchell, the six-year-old "Red Avenger" in Kevin Burton Smith's tale, has an innocence and a special something that draws us to want to don a mask and tie a towel around our necks. Steve Weddle dissects the reality of a world in which super-powered "others" walk in the midst of normal people who tend to quote only parts of the Bible. And James Reasoner's story is set in a time not usually associated with superheroes -- the American Revolution -- yet Patrick Mainwaring finds the classic essence of a superhero. Other top contributors include Jake Hinkson, Garnett Elliott, Liam Jose, Sandra Seamans, Jerry Bloomfield, Thomas Pluck, Keith Rawson, Court Merrigan, Benoit Lelievre, and Chad Eagleton. If you like the work of Frank Miller or the recent Dark Knight films directed by Christopher Nolan, then you'll enjoy the grit of these thirteen tales in BEAT to a PULP: Superhero.

The third time’s a blood-splattered charm as BEAT to a PULP and nine of today’s hard-hitting, top writers stalk the depraved streets where no good deed goes unpunished, vengeance is the norm, and lady luck is a cold-hearted bitch that just left you for dead in a back alley. Raw-nerved, pure virtuosity seeps from the grunge-tainted keyboards of Patti Abbott, Fred Blosser, Hilary Davidson, Chris F. Holm, Sophie Littlefield, Andrew Nette, Keith Rawson, Kieran Shea, and Josh Stallings. Co-edited by David Cranmer, who brought you the 2012 winner of Spinetingler’s Anthology of the Year, this bold and riveting collection is a worthy continuation in the best-selling BTAP “Hardboiled” series.

The fourth and final issue of THE LINEUP: POEMS ON CRIME features work by Ken Bruen, Michael Casey, Reed Farrel Coleman, David Corbett, Mary Agnes Dalrymple, Mary Christine Delea, Jeanne Dickey, H. Palmer Hall, Paul Hostovsky, David Jordan, Laura LeHew, Thomas Michael McDade, Peter Meinke, Keith Rawson, Chad Rohrbacher, Stephen Jay Schwartz, Nancy Scott, Kieran Shea, J.D. Smith, J.J. Steinfeld, John Stickney, Caitlin Elizabeth Thomson, Randall Watson, Charles Harper Webb, Steve Weddle, and Germaine Welch.

Editor Gerald So collects the first year of fifty-two poems originally published on The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly website (2011-12). Featuring Nyla Alisia, R.A. Allen, Margaret Anderson, Michael A. Arnzen, Randall Avilez, Jack Bates, Alec Cizak, Robert Cooperman, Ray Daniel, Michael Chacko Daniels, Cassandra de Alba, C.J. Edwards, John M. Floyd, Kent Gowran, Bruce Harris, Clarinda Harriss, Chad Haskins, Kathleen Hellen, Kyle Hemmings, Paul Hostovsky, Peter Ivey, Dorothy James, Tonia Kalouria, Susan Kelley, Ian Khadan, Rauan Klassnik, Lola Koundakjian, Dennis Mahagin, Catfish McDaris, Trevor Nelson, Brett Peruzzi, Thomas Pluck, David S. Pointer, Kimberly Poitevin, William Dylan Powell, Charles Rammelkamp, Keith Rawson, Stephen D. Rogers, Nancy Scott, Jackie Sheeler, Hal Sirowitz, Duane Spurlock, Jay Stringer, and Ray Succre.