GRAVEN IMAGE for Kindle

Hey Kindle bods, you can now get my noir novella GRAVEN IMAGE for your device. Not only that, but it is FILTHY CHEAP. We are talking 86p in the UK and something similar in the US. Of course, the book is still available from Five Leaves Press as a beautiful paperback.

This is the one of which the Nerd of Noir declared:

"The Nerd urges you, dear reader, to get your hands on some Graven Image toot-fucking-sweet, to let Leon take you on a journey through both the dark alleys of his hometown and those of his diseased brain. Granted, Leon's gonna give you a laugh now and then, but mostly he's just making sure this intense crazy train never slows for a fucking second lest he get a horrifying moment to reflect."

Also, I'd be mighty grateful if those who have read it could consider doing some sort of Amazon review. Good or bad, so long as the thing looks like it is being read! And hey, you know I love you.

RIP Free the Mangel One

FREE THE MANGEL ONE, the Facebook group set up to rescue Royston blake from publishing oblivion and get his next adventure published, is due to be archived. Thank you to anyone who joined it. The book got published, and that is down to you. Here are the acknowledgements from the inside of the book, for those who haven't read it:

"Thanks go to the many people on Facebook who supported this series and helped to get this book published. All hail the power of social networking, even if it means that people are looking at screens instead of reading books. To Alex Carr who took a chance on something unusual and is responsible for this edition that you are holding. To all the bloggers, journalists and fans who publically stood up for Royston Blake when the chips were down for him. He will repay you in the next life... which is in Mangel. To John Williams and Peter Ayrton who are the ones who got this series going in the first place. It is fair to say that without them I would be on a park bench somewhere, drinking Brasso and shouting at passers-by. This paint stripper is much nicer - cheers for the tip, guys."

One Dead Hen at Amazon UK

One Dead Hen at Amazon US

A word to the (UK-based) wise

All of my Royston Blake books are £1.99 on Kindle right now, in the UK at least. I don't know how long this will last, but I wholeheartedly endorse that cheap price (and in fact encouraged it). If you like cheap prices for ebooks (and authors who encourage them), please try one of these. Some say they are about a delusional nightclub doorman who is not aware of his potty mouth, but I think they are about existence itself. And the sweary doorman.

I know a lot of people don't have a Kindle, but they are pushing them cheap at the moment and you might get one for Christmas. (Saying that, you might not - what do I know?) If you think you will, and you want to take advantage of the cheapo Royston Blake prices before they disappear, you can buy the ebook now and download it to your Kindle later. Piece of piss, as Blakey himself would say.

Not everybody loves Derek Raymond*

Meant to say thanks also to all the other Amazon (UK and US) reviewers of One Dead Hen and the other titles. Books live or die by those things. Although mostly they just fester. And if they die they are liable to spring back up, zombie-like.

Thankfully this has happened to Derek Raymond's "Factory" novels, which have just been reissued by Melville House. I searched high and low for I WAS DORA SUAREZ years ago, finally tracking down a first edition to a basement flat in Friern Barnet. Now you can click a button and they just send it to you! But be warned - that one is strong stuff. Brilliant strong stuff.

* ...but I do.

ODH reviews and Swearing 3

You wait weeks for a ONE DEAD HEN review, then three come at once! Ain't that the way. First up this one from Ray Banks:

Williams is one of those rare comic novelists who manages to be funny. And I'm not talking about that "smile because I recognise the humour in this situation" kind of funny - I'm talking about the "I just spat on someone because I wasn't expecting to laugh" funny. That's difficult to do unless your readership is the kind of person who thinks Lee Nelson is side-splitting.

My son thinks Lee Nelson is a comedy genius, actually. But he's nine. When I was nine I thought the same of Benny Hill. Come to think of it, I still do.

Then there's Luca Veste on his blog Guilty Conscience:

But that's the beauty of the Mangel novels, everything is unexpected. From the casual, accidental violence, to the liberal use of "offensive" (if you're a child) words. It's a fantastic example of quality storytelling.

And that is a fantastic example of book reviewing, if you ask me.

Last, but not least (does anyone ever say "Last, and very much least..."? Surely the last item in a list is sometimes the least? Not that I'm saying this one is) comes Keith B Walters on his blog Books and Writers:

It’s a crime novel, but it’s a hell of a lot more than that and I loved the voice in ONE DEAD HEN and will be sure to be tracking down the earlier Royston Blake books very soon.

I heartily applaud that intention.

And if you read my recent couple of posts about Swearing, you will understand how much I dig this Amazon review.

Many thanks to Ray, Luca, Keith and Sid.