A.B.PATTERSON - Blog

COPS WRITING CRIME - Another 4 members join The Squad.

6/6/2020

Another 4 colleagues - all Americans - join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 234.

That's 234 cops and ex-cops (and some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. Johnny Barnes - served with the Rochester PD in New York State, and worked as a PI.
2. Richard Calvert - served with the Miami-Dade PD in Florida.
3. John J. Delamer - served with the NYPD.
4. Patrick W. Picciarelli - also served with the NYPD.

Our Squad now consists of:

138 American
47 British
12 Canadian
12 Australian
4 New Zealander
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian
1 Spaniard
1 Pakistani
1 Irish
1 Chinese
1 Brazilian
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - Anthology Project Update.

5/6/2020

I'm very excited about this project, which I think will be unique in the annals of crime fiction anthologies.
My call out to members of The Squad, crime fiction writers who are ex-cops, law enforcement, or PIs (and some still serving), has already resulted in over 30 interested authors for the project.
I've got interested Squad members from the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan.
So, the project blurb has been dispatched, and hopefully pens and keyboards are getting worked up for some fine new crime stories.
The initial deadline for submissions is the end of September this year, so realistically I should be publishing the anthology around the end of the year.
The working title is: A Blue Anthology: Cops Writing Crime.
I think this is going to be a great collection of realistic crime fiction. Watch this space.
Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - Another 5 members join The Squad!

3/6/2020

Another 5 colleagues - 1 Brit, 3 Americans, and our first Brazilian (sadly deceased recently) - join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 230.

That's 230 cops and ex-cops (and some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. James Ellson - served with the police in the UK in both London and Manchester.
2. Rubem Fonseca - recently deceased - our first Brazilian member and he served for a long time with the police in Rio de Janeiro.
3. Misha Jordan - served with the police in the USA, and I believe Florida (Tallahassee PD?).
4. Anthony Zeoli - served with the New York Port Authority PD.
5. Jerry C. Scott - served with the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Our Squad now consists of:

134 American
47 British
12 Canadian
12 Australian
4 New Zealander
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian
1 Spaniard
1 Pakistani
1 Irish
1 Chinese
1 Brazilian
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

Special Deal - 2 for 1 on the Harry books in Australia!

31/5/2020

DOUBLE TROUBLE - SPECIAL DEAL on the Harry novels! 🕵️‍♀️😎
You like your crime fiction hard, dark and sexy? Then come and meet PI Harry Kenmare. But be warned, these are not stories for the fainthearted, my friends.
2 for the price of 1, posted anywhere in Australia.
That's just $30, incl. postage, for both Harry's World and Harry's Quest, signed by me and with some Harry bookmarks thrown in.🕵️‍♀️
Deal good until 15 June 2020. Contact me via email.
And apologies to overseas readers, but the postage costs mean I can only offer this deal in Australia.
Cheers, ABP

A.B.Patterson LIVE READING - Thrilling Detective - Noir at the Bar

23/5/2020

Absolutely thrilled to be reading live tomorrow (Australian time) on the Thrilling Detective website's first Noir at the Bar - virtual, of course. More's the pity, I'd love to be back in California reading in person. Still, hopefully next year. If you read my blogs, you'll have seen me talk about the excellent website, The Thrilling Detective, run by Kevin Burton Smith in California. If you are into private eye crime fiction, you MUST get familiar with this site: it is the holy grail for our genre.

So, if you fancy some live reading from crime writers, including me reading some Harry, here's the blurb:

Next up is our first-ever THRILLING DETECTIVE NOIR AT THE BAR, set for Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 5:00 PM PST, which hopefully means most North Americans can participate. If this is a big problem, let me know. And if there’s a big global uprising, I may hold a more international one next time (but hey, we’ve got an Australian!). It should last about two hours, and will feature past and current contributors to the site, reading from old and new works of private eye fiction. Scheduled to appear are Thrilling Detective’s former fiction editors Victoria Esposito and Gerald So, and readings from Ron Miller, Mark Troy, A.B. Patterson, Mark Best, Josh Lanyon, David Avallone (reading from the Nooniverse), Victoria Esposito (reading for Gerald So), and Graham Powell. So far…
Come for the readings, stay for the schmoozing!

Yep, no prizes for guessing, I'm the Australian component. And honoured to be in the line up.

So, my local Aussie fans, it's 10 a.m. Sunday morning, 24 May, on the Australian east coast (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, and Canberra), 8 a.m. for Perth and the west coast, and 9.30 a.m. for Adelaide and Darwin, and anyone else in the middle bits).

The link you need: (https://thrillingdetective.wordpress.com/2020/04/08/the-thrilling-detective-zoom/)

Cheers,
ABP

Cops Writing Crime - update on the anthology project

12/5/2020

The Cops Writing Crime anthology project hit a slight pause as our lives got rearranged for us, but I'm now trying to get it back on track.

I've had a great response from Squad members I've reached out to (those I know on Twitter, basically) and there are potentially 34 interested authors, so far.
Now that is a goer, as a proposition. I've had interest shown from the USA (18), the UK (8), Australia (3), New Zealand (2), Canada (2), and Pakistan (1). If even half of the interested authors produce contributions that work for the anthology, then we have a book, my friends.

Anyway, early days yet, but this project has promise and I'm going to drive it hard. The project blurb will be going out to all the interested authors over the next couple of days.

And if you're a Squad member, or think you should be, and you'd like to join this project, please reach out and we can chat.

Stay safe everyone.

Cheers,
ABP

ANZAC DAY 2020 - Lest We Forget.

25/4/2020

On this isolated Anzac Day when we as Australians and New Zealanders can't do anything together to commemorate our veterans, my tribute is to dedicate a blog to both my grandfathers, who fought for the Australian Army in the World Wars.

My paternal grandfather was Gordon Reginald Patterson and he went to the Western Front in 1917. He turned 18 six days before he enlisted. Private Patterson then joined the Australian Infantry in the trenches in northern France and Belgium for all the horrors that entailed. He came back to Australia in 1919. He died when my father was only 6 years old. His photo is below, and I can see my father in his face.

My maternal grandfather was George Harwood Smith and he went to the second World War in 1941, as a 39 year old. He served with the Australian Army Motor Transport in Indonesia. When the Allied forces in Java surrendered to the Japanese in 1942, Private Smith went into the infamous Japanese POW camp at Changi in Singapore, where he remained a prisoner until the end of the war. Alas, I don't have any photos of Grandfather Smith in uniform.

I can't begin to even imagine the horrors my grandfathers endured. But I can be forever grateful for what we now enjoy, thanks to the sacrifice of them and millions of other Allied service personnel.

Rest in peace, my grandfathers, and lest we forget.

Cheers,
ABP

Poppy image attribution: http://www.freepik.com">Designed by macrovector / Freepik

Private Gordon Reginald Patterson

COPS WRITING CRIME - 10 more American cousins join The Squad.

29/3/2020

Another 10 colleagues - all American cousins this time - join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 225.

That's 225 cops and ex-cops (and some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. Kevin Hughes - served with the Dane County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin.
2. Jeff Kaye - served with the Reno PD in Nevada.
3. Peter Mars - served with the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office in Maine.
4. Harold K. Lloyd - served with the Philadelphia PD.
5. John Mackie - served with the NYPD.
6. David Hunter - served with Knox County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee.
7. Joseph Niehaus - served with the Kettering PD in Ohio.
8. Kent Perry - served with the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon.
9. John Madinger - served with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and the Hawaii Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.
10. Dan Marcou - served with the La Crosse PD in Wisconsin.

Our Squad now consists of:

131 American
46 British
12 Canadian
12 Australian
4 New Zealander
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian
1 Spaniard
1 Pakistani
1 Irish
1 Chinese
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

EXCITED! - Part 2: Interior images for my new book - the PI Harry Kenmare short stories.

11/3/2020

Harry Kenmare, PI - At Your Service

I blogged a while ago to announce my next publication project - the collection of Harry Kenmare short stories. The manuscript is still being polished up (final edits), so actual publication is probably 2 months away yet, allowing for printing time.
However, I am HUGELY EXCITED to have just received the final artwork for the interior images, and the cover (see previous blog).

I have been inspired by the anthology magazines I read and their penchant for including artwork/images between, or to head up, stories. Great examples are Pulp Modern, Switchblade, and Econoclash Review.

So when I was conceptualizing putting together my collection, I started thinking about maybe including artwork.
Long story short, I perused Pulp Modern long and hard and, suitably inspired, went seeking out the services of Ran Scott over in the US.
And, hey presto, I now have eight superbly dark and gritty images to go into my new book. Each story gets its own image (Ran read them all before he started drawing) and there's an image to go with Harry's own introduction in the book.
Anyway, at left are two samples (all eight will go on my website shortly): the Harry introduction image, and the one that accompanies the story "A Sex Kitten for a Cabinet Meeting".
I love Ran's work and I am thrilled to have his work incorporated into my new book.

Stay tuned for the book launch.

Cheers,
ABP

EXCITED! - Part 1: Cover for my new book - the PI Harry Kenmare short stories.

11/3/2020

Harry Kenmare, PI - At Your Service

I blogged a while ago to announce my next publication project - the collection of Harry Kenmare short stories. The manuscript is still being polished up (final edits), so actual publication is probably 2 months away yet, allowing for printing time.
However, I am HUGELY EXCITED to have just received the final artwork for the cover, and the interior images (see next blog).
So the superb cover work you see to the left has been done by a US designer, J.T. Lindroos. I saw some of his work on the covers of two of Alec Cizak's novels (Breaking Glass and Down on the Street), which have been two of my outstanding crime noir reads in recent times (see my book review blogs).
Anyway, I touched base with JT, and now here is the stellar result of his craft. I am so thrilled with the cover work, and it sets the tone for the Harry stories beautifully. Aside from a gorgeous woman and the jacarandas (if you've read the Harry novels this makes sense - the jacarandas, not the woman, that's obvious!), those of you local to Sydney may well recognize, on the back cover, my local watering hole, the Glebe Hotel (formerly the Australian Youth Hotel), renamed in the books as the Emerald Bar - Harry's local watering hole.
So, there are seven hard-core stories in the collection, and the back cover blurb says it all. If you love Harry, you're in for a serious treat with this lot. Three of the stories have appeared in the sizzlingly dark US magazine, Switchblade, and the other four are previously unpublished, although I did read from one of them in LA last year at the Switchblade authors' evening in June.
Stay tuned for the book launch.

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - Seven more members join The Squad.

6/3/2020

Another 7 colleagues - 5 American cousins, 1 British cousin and 1 "International" cousin - join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 215.

That's 215 cops and ex-cops (and some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. J.B. Stevens - a serving officer whose agency cannot be disclosed, so listed as "international". His first crime fiction novel is imminent (2020).
2. Thomas J. Keevers - served with the Chicago PD and has written a number of crime fiction novels.
3. Jason Allison - served with the NYPD and his first crime fiction novel is imminent (2020).
4. Dan Mahoney - served with the NYPD and has written a number of crime fiction novels.
5. Evan Baldock - served with the London Metropolitan Police. His first crime fiction novel is imminent (2020).
6. Ted Knuckey - served with the San Bernadino PD in California and has written a number of crime fiction novels.
7. Bob Weir - served with the NYPD and has written a number of crime fiction novels.

Our Squad now consists of:

121 American
46 British
12 Canadian
12 Australian
4 New Zealander
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian
1 Spaniard
1 Pakistani
1 Irish
1 Chinese
2 "International" (listed as this due to current serving officer requirements)

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

Cops Writing Crime - Anthology Project

16/2/2020

Into 2020 and it's going to be a big year in this author house!

So, an update on a project I mentioned a bit over a year ago, but which I now want to fire up.

"Anthology in Blue: Cops Writing Crime" (working title only, but it could stick?)

If you follow my blogs and tweets, you'll know about my project "Cops Writing Crime". Starting in 2017, I set out to collect all the crime fiction authors I could find who had served (or are still serving in some cases) as police officers or related law enforcement roles. I've also included a handful of PIs. My interest in this category of crime writer, apart from being one myself, is the sheer realism that I've found in any crime fiction I've read from ex-cops.
Check out The Squad - Also: Cops Writing Crime

As at today (16 February 2020), I've collected 208 members for The Squad, from all over the world (and I've still got a few dozen more names to research). I'm not aware of any similar project on this scale, let alone an anthology dedicated to this cohort of crime fiction writers. Well, I'm going to change that and have a lot of fun in the process.

I'll firm up all the parameters in due course, but I'm keen to hear from members of The Squad who would potentially be interested in contributing.
I won't be able to pay you (this'll be a love project!), but it's an opportunity to have some fresh short story work published in what I think will be a unique collection. I'm intending original print paperback, print-on-demand, and digital versions, and I will send all contributors a couple of original paperback copies.

I'm also keen to have another author (or two) who could be an official co-editor with me (I'm happy to shoulder the work, but a source for second opinions and reality checks would be invaluable).

Looking forward to hearing from you sisters and brothers!

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 6 new members join The Squad.

8/2/2020

Another 6 colleagues - 4 American cousins, 1 British cousin and 1 Australian cousin - join The Squad today, bringing its numbers to 208.

That's 208 cops and ex-cops (and some PIs) who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

We have joining us today:
1. Jim Malloy - served with the San Diego PD. Several crime novels to his name.
2. James R. Kelly - served with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. One crime novel to his name.
3. Gary C. Lovett - served with the Atlanta PD. One crime novel to his name.
4. Earl Kratzer (deceased 2017) - served with the Cleveland PD. One crime novel to his name.
5. Matt Hilton - served with the Cumbria Police in the UK. Numerous crime novels to his name.
6. Liam Saville - served with the NSW Police in Australia. Several military crime novels to his name.

Our Squad now consists of:

116 American
45 British
12 Canadian
12 Australian
5 New Zealander
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian
1 Spaniard
1 Pakistani
1 Irish
1 Chinese

I'll keep adding more as I come across them, and if you know of any others please feel free to drop me a line.

Check out The Squad:
Also: Cops Writing Crime

And please remember, my list is only for CRIME FICTION - not all the true crime and/or memoir writing by cops and ex-cops that's out there (as good as so much of that is).

Cheers,
ABP

Bouchercon 2020 - A.B.Patterson will be taking his Aussie hard-boiled noir to the main event!

26/1/2020

Ever since I published my first crime novel back in 2015, I have been looking at the online publicity each year for Bouchercon in the US, and wishing like hell I was going to it. Bouchercon is the leading get together for the crime mystery genre, and its website says thus:
The World Mystery Convention is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author.
Well, yesterday I made the decision, took the plunge, and registered for Bouchercon 2020.
In July last year I enjoyed a tremendous author trip to California, I loved the US, and I loved the amazing collegiate feel the crime writing community has over there. You are a great bunch, guys, and thank you so much for welcoming me in.
So, come October, I'll be heading back. Firstly for Bouchercon in Sacramento, but also hoping to be able to join in some crime author evenings in LA again.
And, of course, I'll be making a whole host of new author friends at the conference.
Roll on October!
Cheers,
ABP

PI Harry Kenmare heads for the town of Kenmare in County Kerry!

24/1/2020

Copyright: Above photo from County of Kerry Library website.

PI Harry Kenmare - possibly one of the hardest living private eyes you'll come across in the realms of hard-boiled crime fiction. And he's my main man - a flawed hero who loves women, booze, and tobacco. He loves justice and hates political correctness. And he's no fan of the Establishment. I'm liking him already!

If you've been at any of my public talks as an author, then you may have heard the question asked as to how Harry's name came about - it's been asked a few times.
I chose "Harry" for a good strong first name, and I think it suits this type of detective character well.
As for his surname, "Kenmare", we have to look to Ireland and my own heritage. I have a number of Irish lines in my ancestry. Five generations ago, Mr Patterson came from Belfast to the then colony of New South Wales. But generationally my closest Irish link, and my Irish citizenship source, was a great-grandma who hailed from Kenmare in County Kerry (see the map).
So it occurred to me in a flash one day late last year that Kenmare probably had a town library and how fitting would it be for the Harry Kenmare novels to be right there in the town for the Kenmare residents to enjoy (depending on reading tastes, of course!)
I made contact with the County Kerry Library Service and indeed the good folk at Kenmare Library (pictured at left) were keen for Harry to join their collection.
So today a parcel left Sydney headed for Kenmare with my donated copies to entertain any crime fiction fans in Kenmare.
And since a trip around the Emerald Isle is high on my priority list, at some stage soon I'll hopefully be able to give an author talk to the town of Kenmare.
Cheers,
ABP