“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”
~ Johannes Kepler, b. 27 December 1571
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565463340867/
Johannes Kepler (b. Dec 27): “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man…”
27 DecHenry Miller (b. Dec 26): “Forget the books you want to write…”
26 Dec
“Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.”
~ Henry Miller, b. 26 December 1891
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565463335029/
Annie Lennox (b. Dec 25): “Dying is easy, it’s living that scares me to death.”
25 Dec
“Dying is easy, it’s living that scares me to death.”
~ Annie Lennox, b. 25 December 1954
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565463332540/
Eddie Vedder (b. Dec 23): “The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself.”
25 Dec
“The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself.”
~ Eddie Vedder, b. 23 December 1964
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565463331803/
Ralph Fiennes (b. Dec 22): “As an actor, there’s a bit of you that wants to be looked at…”
25 Dec
“As an actor, there’s a bit of you that’s decided you want to be looked at and watched, but there’s a paradoxical bit that wants to run away.”
~ Ralph Fiennes, b. 22 December 1962
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565463331764/
Frank Zappa (b. Dec 21): “If you want to get laid, go to college…”
21 Dec
“If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.”
~ Frank Zappa, b. 21 December 1940
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565461273321/
The world’s most interesting astrologer: the Saturnalia
21 Dec
He is the world’s most interesting astrologer!
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See more original eCards at http://pinterest.com/alanannand/worlds-most-interesting-astrologer/
Keith Richards (b. Dec 18): “Rock and roll is music for the neck downwards.”
18 Dec
“Rock and roll is music for the neck downwards.”
~ Keith Richards, b. 18 December 1943
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/39406565461258327/
HARM’S WAY: This 99-cent book is terrible!
14 Dec
As a writer of mystery suspense, I try to be edgy. For the most part, it’s a juggling act – being the wild man I know myself to be versus the decent guy that my editor (wife) wants me to be.
All of my books cultivate an atmosphere of moral jeopardy, sex and violence. Most of the time, despite my editor, I manage to work in enough action, intrigue, mystery and suspense to keep readers flipping the pages, looking for more jeopardy, sex and violence.
Rarely do I get the kind of off-the-scale reaction I’ve secretly being craving, like this recent review on Barnes & Noble of my mystery/thriller HARM’S WAY:
“This book is terrible! It touched on every low-life, criminal thing in the world. Lying, cheating, stealing, kidnapping, rape, torture, murder, porn, snuff films, drugs, Mafia. I probably missed some, but if it’s bad, it was covered in this book.”
Okay, you had me with low-life.
Finally, someone has seen my inner wild man and damned him with faint praise. Well, maybe not so much praise as outright condemnation. But as some Hollywood agent said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Sadly, the condemnation of HARM’S WAY isn’t universal. Other B&N reviewers haven’t been quite so astute as the one above, and have mistakenly seen this book as an exciting and page-turning romp.
Some of them said: “Get comfortable, you’ll be up all night reading. Once you start you can’t put it down. Exciting, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fast-paced suspense, interesting, plenty of twists and turns. Highly recommended.”
To date, there’ve been 19 reviews on B&N, averaging 4.5 stars. Clearly, I’m doing something wrong here, because most people are completely missing the point – that I am a low-life crime writer who wants to corrupt readers.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harms-way-alan-annand/1106579631
Meanwhile, the crowd at Amazon and Apple are obviously reading the book backwards, because their reviews are also far too complimentary. On Amazon, 20 reviews average 4.0 stars, while at Apple, 46 reviews average 4.5.
One-liners from Amazon: “One of the best reads in a long time. Everything you want in a story: suspense, action, strong characters, sex, romance and a great storyline. All the twists and turns in the plot make it a page-turner you can’t put down. Hot action keeps you on the edge. A great mystery and detective book.”
http://www.amazon.com/Harms-Way-Alan-Annand-ebook/dp/B005LVXIA2
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/harms-way/id471751935
So the jury’s still out. But did I not plan and execute the narration of multiple heinous crimes? Did I not portray men and women in acts of degradation and violence purely for my own gratification? Did I not kill their children – Innocence, Grace and Hope?
Why don’t more readers hate this book? Am I not edgy?
Read HARM’S WAY and cast your vote.
HARM’S WAY by Alan Annand: Top 10 in hard-boiled mystery!
12 Dec
For the past three months, HARM’S WAY has been in Amazon’s Top Ten category for hard-boiled mystery thrillers.
Originally published by St.Martin’s Press in 1992 , I extensively rewrote this book for re-issue as an ebook in 2011.
Lee Harms, investigator-for-hire, is on the cusp of an on-and-off-again love affair with confidante and astrologer Celeste when fate serves up a witch’s brew of trouble.
Start with a broth of sexual intrigue, toss in a troubled redhead, stir in two kilos of cocaine, dissolve a few pages from a psychiatrist’s notebook, and bring to a boil the fury of a crime family whose son dies in a midnight bacchanal. Money ignites the fire under this cauldron, but sex, violence and the darker forces of human nature keep it bubbling.
As dangerous as it gets, Harms must rely on his own wits to out-maneuver crack-crazed thugs, libidinous porn stars, and a deranged young woman with a troubled past. But when criminals kidnap his own ten-year-old daughter, he plunges into their underworld to rescue her from harm’s way.
Upon its initial release, here were some of the reviews at the time:
“For Canadian writers setting hard-boiled stories in Canada, the closest thing yet to a US-style private eye is Montreal investigator Lee Harms in Harm’s Way by Alan Annand.” ~ Rara-Avis Reviews
“Harm’s Way is a solid P.I. thriller, a nastier-than-you’d-expect slab of pornography, cocaine, gangsters, incest, madness, torture and vengeance.” ~ Thrilling Detective
“Energy, superior punch-‘em out sequences, and humor.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
“Underneath the New Age trappings, divorced ex-cop Harms is plenty hard-boiled, using fists, guns and sheer wit to escape the many tight spots here.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly
In its latest reincarnation, HARM’S WAY has garnered 20 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.0 stars. http://www.amazon.com/Harms-Way-Alan-Annand-ebook/dp/B005LVXIA2
On Barnes & Noble, there are 18 reviews averaging 4.2 stars. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harms-way-alan-annand/1106579631
And on Apple iTunes, there are 46 reviews averaging 4.5 stars. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/harms-way/id471751935
More good news: just in time for Christmas, HARM’S WAY is now priced at only $0.99 for the ebook edition.
And for anyone who still enjoys a physical book (now just $7.65), see Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Harms-Way-Alan-Annand/dp/0986920622
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