Don't know why, but the more I look at this cover, the more enthralled I am by it:
Sure, part of the reason is because my name's on it, I ain't gonna lie. It could also be the nipples. But John Hornor Jacobs, the Creative Director at NEEDLE: a Magazine of Noir, designs some kick ass covers. I've been a fan for a long time.
The bastard can write, too. Seriously, SOUTHERN GODS might be my favorite novel of 2011. All that talent in one person doesn't seem quite fair.
But with NEEDLE, the hits don't stop there. Senior Editor Steve Weddle is kind of one of my heroes. Besides being an extraordinary writer himself, he's been the single most generous person I've encountered regarding my own writing (and believe me, I've benefitted from a lot of generous writers). I don't want to get all gooey and sentimental, but dang I owe this guy a lot of thanks.
Editors Stephen Blackmore, Daniel B. O'Shea, Matthew C. Funk, and Naomi Johnson have been simililarly generous, even if they might not know I think so. More than anything their writing and commitment to crime fiction challenges me to be a better writer. They're just that good.
The Fall 2011 issue of NEEDLE includes stories by: Michael Sheedy, Peter Morin, Michael Moreci, Alan Leverone, Nolan Knight, David James Keaton, Andrew Hook, Daniel Davis, Michael Oliveri, Stephen D. Rodgers, Keith Rawson, and Art Taylor.
If that weren't enough, NEEDLE Fall '11 features Part 3 of Ray Banks's novel, WOLF TICKETS (you can read Parts 1 & 2 in previous issues of NEEDLE). The icing on the cake is a never-before-published story by the late Gil Brewer called SWEET AMY.
My own story, ONCE A LOSER, is set in 1967 Philadelphia:
When Lenny Marston's gangster uncle dies and leaves him with nothing but a dying wish, will he fulfill it or take the money and run?
The Fall issue of NEEDLE is available for purchase here. Stop by and pick yourself up a few dozen copies. And don't forget the previous issues--every one of them is great.
But wait! Visit this link for Lulu coupon codes so you can buy even more copies of NEEDLE.
