Category Archives: Noir Con

Noir Con or bust guest post #4: “I Can’t Kill Him. He’s My Brother”

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Andrew Nette| Leave a comment

Fourth cab off the rank in my ‘Noir Con or bust’ series of guest posts is Baltimore writer Nik Korpon.

I’m looking forward to meeting this guy at Noir Con. Korpon’s got serious crime writing form. He’s one of those writers I’ve heard more about than I’ve actually read. But that’s changing. Earlier this year I read his knock out dystopian noir novella, By the Nails of the War Priest, and I’m half-way through his recently released short story collection, Bar Scars. Both are excellent. In the US I’m hoping to pick up a copy of his one novel that’s been published so far, Stay God.

I never thought of myself as a ‘theme’ writer. After I’d gotten over the delusion that I was saying Important Things About The Human Condition (like most new writers do, I think) I had no interest in commenting on anything other than the impact a good story can have and creative uses of a broken bottle. In my mind, I was writing about the people I saw as I wandered through Baltimore, only superimposing a more dramatic arc to their day. I was filling in blanks between the guy I saw at the laundromat, guardedly loading his clothes into the washer, and the woman with scratches on her forearms who was getting coffee at the 7-11 across the street.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Noir Con, Noir fiction, Snubnose Press

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Noir Con or bust guest post #3: Roachkiller

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Andrew Nette| 1 Comment

For my third ‘Noir Con or bust’ guest post I’m thrilled to welcome New York writer Richie Narvaez.

I don’t know what it’s like in the US, but in the Australian publishing scene the words ‘self published’ and ‘e-book’ generate pretty negative reactions, especially when they’re put together.

Roachkiller and Other Stories is both those things  and it’s an incredible read. The book first came to my attention when Eva Dolan, one of Crime Factory’s reviewers, submitted a glowing piece on it for the magazine. Now Eva has a nose for the good stuff, so straight after reading her review I jumped on line bought a copy. I wasn’t disappointed. Roachkiller is kick arse collection of noir short fiction, ranging from hard boiled crime pieces in the vein of Edwin Torres to the blackest dystopian tales. 

Your can check out Richie’s site here. You can buy Roachkiller on Amazon here. Seriously, read Richie’s post then by the book. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed either. 

About a decade ago, I was like a lot of writers: I talked about writing but I didn’t scribble a single story. Not a sentence, not a dependent clause, not a word. Then at some point I read a notice from Mississippi Review calling for postmodern noir stories.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Noir Con, Noir fiction

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Noir Con or bust guest post #1: Heath Lowrance

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Andrew Nette| 3 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I’d be asking several US writers and bloggers I dig to guest post on Pulp Curry in the lead-up to my visit to the US to attend Noir Con in Philadelphia in early November. It’s a way of giving regular Pulp Curry readers a little taste of the crime writing scene in the US.

First up is Heath Lowrance, whose latest book City of Heretics has just come out through  Snubnose Press, the same publisher as my debut novel Ghost Money.

City of Heretics is about an aging con named Crowe, just out of prison and back in Memphis, ready for some payback against the criminals who got him sent up. Before Crowe can enjoy his revenge he has to track down a brutal murderer cutting a swath through the city—ultimately leading Crowe to confront a bizarre secret society of serial killers masquerading as a Christian splinter-group. 

It’s not the first time Lowrance has appeared on Pulp Curry. I reviewed his debut novel The Bastard Hand on this site last year. Lowrance writes across a number of genres, including crime fiction and Westerns. He’s one of those writers who combine the knack for telling a good hard boiled with excellent writing.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Noir Con, Noir fiction, Snubnose Press, Ted Lewis

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Noir Con or bust

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Andrew Nette| 4 Comments

As if I don’t have enough going on crime fiction-wise at the moment, with my debut novel Ghost Money and the upcoming launch of Crime Factory’s all Australian crime antho, Hard Labour, I’ll be attending Noir Con in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, in early November.

Noir Con is a biennial three day festival of noir crime writing and culture. Philadelphia is a fitting host city, being the birth place of the influential noir writer David Goodis, author of Dark Passage, Street of No Return and Shoot the Piano Player, amongst many other novels.

The best way to get a feel for Noir Con is to check out the program, which you can find here along with an interview with the mastermind behind the event, Lou Boxer.

Among the writers attending I’m keen to see are Megan Abbott, Vicki Hendricks, Lawrence Block and Wallace Stroby. I’m also looking forward to checking out the authors I haven’t heard of, as well as meeting some of the people I’ve been communicating with for a while now on social media.

In the lead up to Noir Con I’ll be spending a week and a half in New York, a city I have never been too but always wanted to see.… Read more

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Posted in Crime fiction, Megan Abbott, Noir Con, Noir fiction

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