BLOOD ON BLOOD Exclusive Release!

Coming July 30/31st from Snubnose Press!

Snubnose Press will be releasing Blood on Blood, the hard boiled crime fiction novel by Jim Wilsky and Frank Zafiro exclusively on Barnes & Noble for the Nook on July 30/31st. The novel will be available exclusively on the Nook for a full month, after which it will be released for all other formats (Kindle, etc.).


Blood on Blood is a hard-edged crime novel set in Chicago. Two half brothers are summoned to their father's prison deathbed, where he tells them about some missing diamonds from a long ago heist. This sets them on a path of cooperation and competition as each tries to outdo the other and be the one to find the diamonds. Think the Hardy Boys meet Cain and Abel. Then throw in a mysterious blonde siren, and you've got Blood on Blood.


Shane Gericke, best-selling author of Torn Apart, said that "Blood on Blood is [so] hard-boiled I’m still sweating from the steam! A hell of a good story told by a pair of aces, guaranteed to jump-start your heart from the very first word. Add this to your reading list for sure!”


Earl Staggs, Derringer Award winner, said that "[i]f you like it mean and menacing, down and dirty, Blood on Blood is right up your dark alley.”


“Blood On Blood is an intense and truly addictive thriller that captures you immediately and holds you bound until the last page. A fast paced, absorbing crime novel, with characters who still linger darkly on the edge of my thoughts,” says Julia Madeleine, author of The Truth About Scarlet Rose.


We'll be announcing the release date for the paperback version of Blood on Blood soon!

Guest Post - Chris Rhatigan

Awhile back, Chris Rhatigan and I agreed to do a guest post exchange with each other. I've told him more than once that Frank and I would be the lopsided beneficiaries of this little arrangement - big time. I'm excited and appreciative to be putting up this guest post by Chris. Coming all the way from India, I might add. Thanks again Chris. - JW

What I’ve Learned About Editing

By Chris Rhatigan

There’s plenty of writing advice out there, but, for some reason, very little about editing. A less glamorous pursuit, I suppose. Or maybe people think it’s not hard. (They’re wrong.)

The first project I worked on was Pulp Ink, and the learning curve was steep. Luckily, I worked with the tireless and inventive Nigel Bird, which was an immense help. (I’d recommend this to anyone new to editing—work with other people, especially if it’s your first project.)

Since then I’ve taken over the zine All Due Respect and edited a second anthology, creatively titled Pulp Ink 2. While I’m proud of all this work, I think I’ve improved as an editor since that first go-round, and here’s some of what I’ve learned:

 

1) Don’t be afraid to edit.

This may sound blatantly obvious, but I found one of the most difficult aspects of editing was telling writers who I respected that I wanted to change their stories. It seemed disrespectful—yet if you can’t do this, you’re not an editor!

Most of the stories I choose for publication don’t need substantive changes, but some do. When an editor and a writer take the time to work on a story together, the results are generally superior.

2) Trust your instincts.

I try to read every story as if it were my own. I scrutinize the hell out of my stories—same goes for stories I publish. In both cases, I trust that little voice saying, “It’s not good enough!” Until that voice drives me nuts.

3) Know that there will be problems.

There’s going to be some issue along the way—a dissatisfied writer, formatting issues, legal stuff, blah blah blah. But almost all of these problems have a solution—and you’ll have to solve them. Ultimately, the editor is responsible for the final product.

4) Proofread, proofread, profread.

Ha!

But seriously, proofread a lot. You’ll be stunned how many obvious, embarrassing errors slip through the cracks.

5) Only accept the best.

 I believe I’m stealing this from Brian Lindenmuth.

Anyway, it’s going to be difficult to turn down work from friends or writers you respect. You will agonize over this. You will dread writing that rejection.

Tough shit. Whatever you publish reflects back on you. Do you send out bad (or even average) stories? Fuck no! Same goes for editing.

Chris Rhatigan is the editor of the zine All Due Respect, and the anthologies Pulp Ink and Pulp Ink 2. He also recently signed on with Full Dark City Press, which will publish crime fiction in ebook form. He blogs at Death by Killing.