NON-FICTION
Columns
I've been very fortunate (and rather proud) to have been invited to contribute regular on-going columns on a subject I have a real fondness for -- crime and detective fiction -- for two very fine publications, Blue Murder,
and Mystery Scene,arguably the
mystery reader and writers bible.
Blue Murder, of course, is now sadly defunct, but fortunately I've also been invited to occasionally ramble on about music AND crime fiction for Crime Spree.
Lately, I've also been able to indulge in another passion of mine: bicycling. I served as the bicyclist columnist for the short-lived Valley Sports and, more recently, I've inked a contract to continue "The Bike Beat" column in the North County Sports, a quarterly San Diego Magazine.
The
Blue Murder Years (1998-2001)
 My column, which we never quite
got around to giving a title, appeared in every issue of Blue Murder,
the late, lamented web-based mystery magazine, starting with
Number 2. When editor David Firks invited me to contribute a
column, after reading my posts on Rara-Avis and DorothyL, I was
flabbergasted. Me? Write a column? But you know what? We had
a ball, and it was great while it lasted. |
- Where
Have All the P.I.'s Gone?
May 31, 1998, Blue Murder, No. 2
Digital
Column on the then-current state of television eyes. My very
first "professional" piece, it bounced back and forth
so many times it must have thought it was a tennis ball. David
Firks is one of the world's most patient editors.
.
- Summertime
and the Living Is Cheesy
July 31, 1998, Blue Murder, No. 3
Digital
Column on eyes so bad they're good.
.
- Graphic
Violence
September 30, 1998, Blue Murder, No. 4
Digital
Column on some favourite comic book eyes.
.
- Christmas
Gift Suggestions
November 1998, Blue Murder, No. 5-web site only
Digital
Column on gift suggestions for the hardboiled fan.
.
- Three
Good Whacks
January 1999, Blue Murder, No. 6-web site only
Digital
Column on three overlooked (IMHO) P.I. writers: Rob Kantner,
Gaylord Dold and Thomas H. Cook.
.
- Click
Me, Deadly
March 1999, Blue Murder, No. 7
Digital
Column on impact of internet on crime fiction.
.
- Down
These Mean Streets, But One Block Over
May 1999, Blue Murder, No. 8
Digital
Column on "Ten Great P.I. Flicks You May Have Missed."
.
- Down
These Mean Streets, But One Block Over
July 1999, Blue Murder, No. 9
Digital
Column on "Ten More Great P.I. Flicks You May Have Missed."
They liked the first one so much, I had to do it again.
.
- Private
Eye Radio
October 1999, Blue Murder, No. 10
Digital
Column on OTR, MP3 and the web.
.
- Heads!
It's Chinatown!
December 1999, Blue Murder, No. 11
Digital
Column on the greatest private eye movie of them all...maybe.
.
- Tails!
It's The Maltese Falcon!
February 2000, Blue Murder, No. 12
Digital
Column on the other greatest private eye movie of them all...
maybe. See? I can hedge with the best of them...
.
- The
New Pulp
June 2000, Blue Murder, No. 13
Digital
Read it! Believe it!
.
- They
Coulda Been Contenders
August 2000, Blue Murder, No. 14
Digital
The obscure TV eyes that got away...
.
- Trouble
Is Their Business
October/November2000, Blue Murder, No. 15; web site-only
Digital
The P.I. ain't dead yet...
.
- Calling
Out Around the World
December 2000/January 2001, Blue Murder, No. 16; web site
only
Digital
Hello, this is the world calling.
.
- Sometimes
It's Hard To Be a Woman...
February-March 2001, Blue Murder, No. 17
Digital
Some female eyes get no respect...
.
- The
P.I. Classified Ads
April-May 2001, Blue Murder, No. 18
Digital
Suitable for framing, or wrapping fish... one of my favourite
pieces, and also one of my most well-received.
.
- Is
There An Echo In Here?
June-July 2001, Blue Murder, No. 19
Digital
Some recent retro trends in the P.I. genre....
.
- Let's
Go To The Movies
August-September 2001, Blue Murder, No. 20
Digital
The greatest P.I. flicks of all time. Wanna argue? Alas, my final
column for, and the last issue of Blue Murder.
Mystery Scene (2003 --)
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 When
Mystery Scene's new editor Kate Stine first invited
me to contribute a regular column to Mystery Scene, I jumped
at the chance. I'd been reading Mystery Scene off and
on for years, and I'd come to regard it as the premier magazine
for those who read and write crime fiction, a sort of bible for
the biz.
My first "Eyewitness" column
appeared in the Winter 2003 issue, and it made its debut at the
2003 Left Coast Crime convention, which was D.L. and my
first "official" crime con.Since then, I've also been
asked to write several feature articles and reviews for them.
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Crime Spree (2005-06)
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When I first met the 'Spree editorial staff at the Toronto Bouchercon, it soon became apparent we all shared two equally strong passions: crime fiction AND music. And then inspiration struck. “Hey, how about a regular column that combined the two?” I asked.
“Yeah, how about it?” they answered back.
And so, this column was born. Each issue, I'll be prowling my record collection (and yours, hopefully) for songs from the world of pop, folk, country, rhythm, blues, soul, rock and who-knows-where, that somehow deal with our favorite subject: crime.
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- Crimes on .45
March 2005
In which I offer up for the readers' listening pleasure "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen, "Wrong 'em Boyo" by the Clash, "Cop Killer" by Ice-T,"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash and "Watching the Detectives" by Elvis Costello.
Also available on Rip This Joint.net.
- Crimes on .45
July 2005
I bang the drum for “I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun" by Cat Stevens, “Long Black Veil” by The Band, “38 Years Old” by The Tragically Hip, “Murder in the Red Barn” by John Hammond Jr. and Tom Waits and “James River Incident” by Steve Wynn.
Also available on Rip This Joint.net.
- Crimes on .45
January 2006
May I submit for your consideration my opinion on The Beatles' “Run For Your Life" as performed by Cowboy Junkies, “The Ballad of Charles Whitman” by Kinky Friedman, “Cocaine Blues” by George Thorogood, “Hustler's Ambition” by 50 Cent and “In State” by Kathleen Edwards.
Also available on Rip This Joint.net.
- Crimes on .45
May-June 2006
I perform hit-and-run autopsies on "Something Big" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Jeannie Needs a Shooter" by Warren Zevon, "Kidnapping an Heiress" by Black Box Recorder, "The Wound That Never Heals" by Jim White and "A Criminal Mind" by Gowan
Also available on Rip This Joint.net.
Valley Sports News & Review (2004)
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A monthly tabloid that celebrated amateur sports here in California's Antelope Valley, with a heavy slant towards youth. As founder and editor-in-chief Ed Cox says, "it's all about the kids."
I did a column, The
Bike Beat, about bicycling, covering recreational activities
and occasional sporting events, and all sorts of other good stuff.
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North County Sports (2007)
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North County Sports is a new quarterly published by The Boys and Girls Club of San Diegeito and edited by Bradley Cox that will celebrate amateur sports in the San Diego area.
I'll be reviving The Bike Beat there, and maybe tossing in a few other articles.
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