A.B.PATTERSON - Blog

COPS WRITING CRIME - Another 3 members join The Squad!

14/11/2018

Many thanks to Phil Stewart over in Canada who has again sent me some suggestions for new members for The Squad, and as a result 2 more Canadian cousins are joining us today.
And many thanks to C.W.Blackwell from the USA for getting in touch. He also joins The Squad - one of our handful of authors who work, or have worked, inherently with law enforcement agencies, although are not sworn officers. If you've read the preamble on my project page, you'll know that I have a little flexibility on this issue of defining "cops" - it's all about having experienced the milieu, and so being able to bring that raw realism to the page.

This now takes us to 137 in number, with our 3 new members.
That's 137 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!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Brent Pilkey - Pilkey is a veteran, and still serving, officer with the Toronto Police in Canada. He has a number of crime fiction novels already to his name.
2. C.W.Blackwell - Blackwell is a serving crime analyst with a Sheriff's department in California, USA. He writes short fiction across genres, including crime fiction.
3. Dwayne Clayden - Clayden served as an officer with the Calgary Police in Canada. He then expanded his emergency service experience by working with the Fire Department and the paramedics.

Our Squad now consists of:

62 American
39 British
9 Australian
9 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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

"XXX Shamus" - what a debauched PI adventure, and what fun!

13/11/2018

Wow, I've got a broad mind when it comes to putting sex into my crime writing, but Red Hammond makes me seem meek and mild.
Apparently this book has been banned previously by some retailers, which would be a good enough recommendation for me - I hate censorship.
Anyway, if you're inclined towards sensibilities on sexual matters, this is not a recommended read for you.
However, for connoisseurs of the hard-boiled PI genre, this is a great PI romp with lashings of sex; I was going to say "thrown in", but "poured over the top until inundated" would be more accurate.
I thoroughly enjoyed the debauched journey of PI Hopper Garland. He trawls all the lowlife haunts you can imagine. It's a hoot.
Cheers,
ABP

Harry's Quest is imminent! PI Harry Kenmare set to return in December 2018!

13/11/2018

The manuscript for Harry's Quest finally headed off yesterday for typesetting and then printing. Oh, what a feeling of relief to send the novel away for its final stage of creation.
I'm sure many of my fellow authors, especially those who self-publish, share my bittersweet feelings towards the editing and proofreading stages. I think you do get to a point where you just have to say, "Bugger it, it's going as it is now, because I can't stand the thought of reading through it all again!"
I'm hoping that the 110,000 words I sent off yesterday are pretty schmicko by now - any remaining errors are entirely my responsibility.
Of course, I still have to go through the typeset version when that's ready, and then it's the waiting for the printers and then the van to arrive with all the boxes. I still remember the sheer thrill of opening the first box when Harry's World arrived back in 2015, and pulling out that first copy, and realising that, hey, I'm a published crime writer! Well, hanging out for that feeling again in early December when a thousand copies of Harry's Quest arrive.
And then it's back into the other half of being a self-published author - marketing, profile building, and selling.
So, folks, the paperback version will be available in early December (barring any calamities at the printers), and the ebook and print-on-demand versions will be available probably a little before that.
I'll be posting regularly.
Cheers,
ABP

Cops Writing Crime - Another British member joins the Squad!

4/11/2018

I've been letting this great project lie idle for a few weeks, due to other commitments (the necessities of life and having to earn a living!). But a little research the other day revealed a new candidate for our Squad.

This now takes us to 134 in number, with another British cousin joining The Squad!
That's 134 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!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Steve Parker - Parker spent 20 years in the Metropolitan Police in London. He's already got two crime fiction novels to his name.

Our Squad now consists of:

61 American
39 British
9 Australian
7 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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

"Switchblade - Issue Sixx" - The excellence of this anthology simply accelerates every issue!

2/10/2018

It's always utter bliss when the post delivery arrives with the next issue of Switchblade. And despite the issues with Amazon and Australia, I can still get my fix, just slightly delayed from the way it used to be. But this is a magazine anthology that is worth pursuing to the ends of the Earth.
William R. Soldan’s dark, urban poetry starts this volume off, setting the scene perfectly for the hard-boiled and noir tales to follow. As always with Switchblade, I really, really enjoyed every piece I read here; it’s another stellar collection of the hard-boiled and noir talent out there.
Three pieces of flash fiction follow the Soldan poem.
“Down Payment” by George Garnet: You’re never too young to protect your mummy, even with only a water pistol.
“Hooked” by Aidan Thorn: Grief and craving for intimacy are not a good state of mind when the world is full of predators.
“On The Way Home” by Rex Weiner: A twisted tale with very twisted humour. And this gem of a line: “The sun is setting over the hills like final judgment in some forgotten language.” Superb!
Then we’re into the 11 excellent short stories.
“Cold Comfort” by John Bosworth: Well, it does take all sorts to make the world go round. And this is prostitution on a whole new level, or not so new, depending on how you look at it!
“The Vice Aisle” by Mike Payne: Yeah, mix swingers' parties, drug supply, and child support – what could possibly go wrong?
“Dead Men Tell Tales” by Jim Thomsen: Lovely twist here, and if you’re into hiring a contract killer, then you really need to understand that nobody can be trusted. But rich, arrogant people will still behave the way they do. Loved this line: “He nodded to the couch, a horror of bright flowers and burnt orange that looked like it had died and gone to hell in 1974.”
“The Usher” by E.F. Sweetman: This was my personal favourite. Aside from the great writing, this piece is the epitome of the missing young female traveller tale. Mix those Scandinavian girls with twisted predators in a foreign country, and it’s gruesome. The skill of Sweetman here is to leave that haunting chill with you well after the read. Seriously loved this piece. And it haunts, it really does.
“Chowda” by Travis Richardson: Fish soup has never been high on my list, but even less so now, and even if it is cooked by family. Because not all families live on Walton mountain, that’s for sure.
“Implement of Destruction” by Rusty Barnes: The great twist here is the feisty girlfriend you didn’t see coming. And it’s a new take on a golden shower, oh yes. Add in the dog’s tongue…just read it, you’ll understand exactly what I mean. This is my second favourite piece here.
“Lost Girl” by Scot Carpenter: PIs take pretty well most jobs that come their way. So does this PI. And his torture techniques are inventive! He does also have an unconventional way of wrapping a case up.
“Road Rage” by Danny Sophabmisay: This is the gutter of life at its darkest best. This girl should have tried harder with Narcotics Anonymous, but then we wouldn't have this great story. Mix drugs, cash and Disney characters. Yeah, a hell of a ride. And this line sets the scene perfectly: “All she wanted was a hit of crack – just one little rock to unwind after a long shift at The Foamy Beaver.” Love it!
“The Bargain” by Tom Barlow: Buyer beware, what more can I say? But drugs and cash are powerful motivators. Throw in a blow job and guns, and it’s a hoot.
“The Magician’s Left Hand” by Tais Teng: Over to Holland for a contract killer who needs to have a better recollection of his clients and targets, but this one is a real professional.
“Violet” by Evelyn Deshane: Transgender porn shop worker fantasizing about female porn star in a porno snuff movie – of course, this is looking good. Throw in a filmic re-enactment, and this is a great story to round out the volume.
The Switchblade editor, Scotch Rutherford, has quickly established himself and his magazine anthology as a leader in the hard-boiled and noir crime writing space. Every issue of Switchblade so far has been an immense treat, and the quality just keeps getting better. If you are a fan of this sub-genre of crime, then I cannot recommend Switchblade enough – it is, quite simply, mandatory reading for connoisseurs of noir.
Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - 2 new members for The Squad! One British, one Canadian.

27/9/2018

Many thanks to Ian Patrick (already a Squad member) for suggesting the first new member today, plus I found one more new member in my own research.

This now takes us to 133 in number, with another British cousin and another Canadian cousin joining The Squad!
That's 133 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!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Neil Lancaster - Lancaster spent 25 years in the Metropolitan Police in London. He's about to publish his first crime novel.
2. Desmond P. Ryan - Ryan served for about 30 years with the police in Canada, I believe in Toronto. He has just published his debut crime novel.

Our Squad now consists of:

61 American
38 British
9 Australian
7 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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 - An Anthology Project - Call out for interest.

26/9/2018

"A Blue Anthology - Cops Writing Crime" (Working Title only)

If you follow my blogs and tweets, you'll know about my project "Cops Writing Crime". Starting last year, 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 (26 Sept. 2018), I've collected 131 members for The Squad, from all over the world. I'm not aware of any similar project, 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, 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 both print and digital versions, and I will send all contributors a copy or two.
If you're not in The Squad, but think you should be, then drop me a line.

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).

Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - Another American member joins The Squad!

26/9/2018

Many thanks to Phil Stewart for emailing me with a suggestion for another member to join our Squad.

This now takes us to 131 in number, with another American cousin joining The Squad!
That's 131 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!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Sean Lynch - Lynch served as a police officer in the San Francisco Bay area for nearly 30 years. He has written numerous crime novels since then.

Our Squad now consists of:

61 American
37 British
9 Australian
6 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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

"Between Juárez and El Paso" - a great hard-boiled read by Alec Cizak.

20/9/2018

I'll confess up front that I am already a rusted-on fan of Alec Cizak's work - if you follow my blogs, you'll probably have read my reviews of others of his books.
This novella is one of the Drifter Detective series with a common protagonist, but produced by different authors. This strikes me as an interesting approach, one which I haven't encountered before in my reading (and I haven't read any of the other authors).
However, this offering from Mr Cizak is outstanding. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Whilst at first feeling quite different on a number of levels from his other work I've read, at the same time it's a classic hard-boiled tale, with a tough and cynical PI, Jack Laramie. The setting is not long after WW2, which Laramie and his client, Shel Eastman, served in together, the effects of that awful experience lingering in their minds and infecting their lives and choices. As always, no spoilers from me, but the tale is gripping and dark. The tough PI works the case, but with dark, tragic events - not unusual for Mr Cizak's work. Plus, as I always love with his work, the social commentary is rich, incisive and damning.
If you like hard-boiled and noir, then I highly recommend this book. And its slightly alternative slant on the hard-boiled genre is a delicious surprise.
Cheers,
ABP

Gender equality in Parliament - here's a radical, and yet simple, solution!

18/9/2018

In the last few weeks, we've seen in Australia a rising debate about the numbers of women in a male-dominated Parliament. And not forgetting, of course, the reported issues of bullying, intimidation and misogyny. Sounds like a truly toxic work environment, to be frank.
Now, I am all in favour of gender equality in our Parliaments, although I'm not under any illusion that suddenly politics will become awash in integrity and decency. I elaborate on that post further below.
This is a reissue of a blog I put out last year on this subject. Given the current interest in the subject, I offer my radical, yet simple, solution again. It would actually be damned easy to have a 50-50 gender split in our Parliament.
Cheers, ABP

June 2017 Blog:
If you follow my blog (as spasmodic as it can be - sorry, working on that!) then you'll know that every now and then I digress away from writing and books, and I have a rant about something in society that gives me the shits. Today is one of those days. Not that I thought of this today, it was on the weekend, but I'm finding the time this evening to blog.

Now, plenty of people have called for gender equality in our Parliaments. And I am so on board with that one. The thoughts I was having the other day, and I've no idea why (but then I often have zero idea why my brain heads off in various directions at times), concerned the issue of bunches of mainly men sitting around (which accurately describes all of our Parliaments in Australia) and making all sorts of laws about how women can, or more often, cannot have control over their own bodies. Let's mention abortion, sex work, tax on tampons, equal pay...and the list could continue. I won't even get started on how religions treat women, since I'm going to confine myself to Parliaments.

Now, whether or not women getting into positions of political power leads to any discernible changes to the way we're governed is probably another subject. I've seen plenty of women in positions of power in government agencies, and they're just as ego- and power-driven as their male counterparts. And quite a few of the women we currently have in our Federal Parliament seem quite indistinguishable in terms of humanity and compassion from their male colleagues (there are, of course, exceptions to this). Then again, there is an argument to say that these women become like this because they have to compete against the overwhelming male contingent. Anyway, this is not my point, as interesting a debate as it is. Maybe in a future blog...

As an aside, I have a personal friend, Fiona Patten, who is a Victorian MP. Fiona epitomizes the huge value that great, committed women can add to politics - 50% Parliamentarians of her humanity and ability, we wouldn't even recognize the place. I dream...

My research online this week: Here in Australia, at a Federal level, our Parliament (both houses) is 32% female. Our Canadian cousins manage 29%, and our New Zealand neighbours come in at 31%. The world average apparently is 23%. Over in Rwanda, they manage 64% - GO Rwanda! Who would have thought? Bolivia achieves 53% (outstanding), and Cuba cruises in at 49% (great effort, have a cigar!).

So, how could we achieve gender equality in the Australian Parliament? My solution is radical, but so bloody simple. I'm going to put it in terms of the House of Representatives (for overseas readers, this is our lower house, where government is formed), but the principle could be applied universally.
Now, our House of Reps has 150 seats, so 150 constituencies across Australia elect 150 MPs. And in the House, currently, 29% of those MPs are female. Now, we occasionally hear ideas about quotas and the like. The problem with that is that you may end up getting an MP to meet an artificial quota, rather than electors voting for the candidate they perceive to be the best for the job, in their eyes. And the latter is what democracy is supposed to be about, notwithstanding the corruption of democracy by the political party system - again, maybe a future blog...

So my radical but simple idea is as follows:
We don't want more MPs, so keep it at 150. However, merge the current constituencies into 75, and have 2 MPs elected from each, 1 male and 1 female. So whichever constituency you live in, you front up on polling day and are given 2 ballot papers - 1 to elect your male MP and 1 to elect your female MP. Et voila! Gender equality in Parliament - 75 male MPs and 75 female MPs. And all elected by the people, not pushed up via quota systems. Sure, the party political system will try to control this too, but, hey, at least there will be gender equality in our Parliaments. It has to be worth a try?!!!

Food for thought, my friends

Cheers,
ABP.

Thrilled to be delivering another Westwords workshop for young people!

14/9/2018

I'm delighted to be doing a crime writing workshop for young people again, as a guest for the wonderful Westwords program - a program to encourage creative writing interest and skills in young people around western Sydney.
Last year, I delivered crime writing workshops on behalf of Westwords for some young guys at Granville Boys High School. I certainly enjoyed the experience - something completely new for me. And I hope the lads found the chats equally as enjoyable - they sure had plenty of questions about my cop background with my crime writing!
And so I was thrilled to be invited to deliver another workshop which will happen next week. And a rather larger group this time!
I'll be spending 2 hours chatting crime writing with about 90 year 11 students at Arthur Phillip High School in Parramatta.
Think I'll need to be on my game for this class! So, we'll be chatting over the crime genre, getting into more detail around the hard-boiled school (of course!), and doing some short writing exercises. And I'll even be sharing a couple of bits of Harry's World with them - at least some bits which are okay for a not-quite-adult audience! If you've read Harry, then you know exactly what I mean.
Again, it's great to be encouraging an interest in writing, especially crime, with young people.
Cheers,
ABP
And here's the link to the Westwords website: www.westwords.com.au

COPS WRITING CRIME - 2 new members of The Squad!

8/9/2018

I've found two new members for The Squad. This now takes us to 130 in number, with a new British cousin and a new American cousin joining The Squad!
That's 130 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!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Colin Campbell - Campbell served with the West Yorkshire Police for 30 years. He has written numerous crime novels since then.
2. Laura Burke - Burke joins our handful of PIs turned crime fiction writers. She worked for 20 years as a PI in the USA. She has written numerous novels across genres, with plenty of crime fiction in the mix.

Our Squad now consists of:

60 American
37 British
9 Australian
6 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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 - A new British cousin for The Squad.

22/8/2018

And my research project continues!!!
I've found a new member for The Squad. This now takes us to 128 in number, with a new British cousin joining The Squad!
That's 128 cops and ex-cops who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Alan Craig - Craig served with the Scottish Police, I believe in the Fife area. He's just published his debut crime novel.

Our Squad now consists of:

59 American
36 British
9 Australian
6 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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

"I-5" - A compelling and insightful crime story of sexual slavery.

13/8/2018

This was my first encounter with the work of Summer Brenner. I took an interest when I happened upon this title as it involved crime and sex, two of my favourite story themes. It also involves sex trafficking, an area I did some work in in my final months in the police back in the day, so I always like to read about vice matters.
The level of insight which Brenner achieves in her work here must surely have come from some direct interviewing of girls caught up in the revolting and cruel world of sexual slavery. The characterization of the lead girl, Anya, is as absolutely compelling as it is tragic. And the insight into other personalities in the cast is equally perceptive, not that you're likely to have much empathy for most of the others.
My only reservation reading this was the present tense narrative, a writing style that I always find somewhat annoying, but that's just my personal taste. Here, it certainly didn't detract a jot from what was a riveting read with twists and turns aplenty. As always, no spoilers in my reviews, but you won't see the ending before it hits you.
But aside from the solid, tight plot, which keeps you entertained, for me it was the poignancy of the characters, especially Anya, and the clear understanding of the psychologies in the sexual slavery world, that made this a truly memorable read.
Cheers,
ABP

COPS WRITING CRIME - another Canadian cousin joins The Squad!

11/8/2018

Many thanks to Phil from Canada who looked at this project and then very kindly emailed me with a new member to add - fantastic! And if you go through our Squad of Cops Writing Crime (crime fiction only) and can think of any others, please let me know.
So Phil's nomination now takes us to 127 in number, with a new Canadian cousin joining The Squad!
That's 127 cops and ex-cops who have taken to writing crime fiction. You won't get more realistic crime tales than those from this Squad!

So, we have joining us today:
1. Sean Slater - (a pseudonym) - Slater is still a serving officer with the Vancouver Police and he has already written a range of crime novels.

Our Squad now consists of:

59 American
35 British
9 Australian
6 Canadian
4 New Zealanders
3 Finnish
2 Dutch
2 Swedish
1 French
1 Bahamian
1 Norwegian
1 Italian
1 Czech
1 Russian
1 Hungarian

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