Get your Noir on for Gamut

Gam·ut

ˈɡamət/

noun

1. 1.

   the complete range or scope of something.
2. 2.

   online magazine, primarily of fiction, focusing on neo-noir, speculative stories with a literary bent.
3. 3.

   a kickstart project to help fund the magazine costs.
4. 
   

Richard Thomas, editor and genius behind Gamut, says the magazine will publish original and reprint fiction, poetry, columns and embrace every corner of dark fiction—fantasy, science fiction, horror, crime, mysteries, neo-noir, magical realism, transgressive, weird, Southern Gothic—you name it. The key difference is that Gamut isn't  doing anything “classic”; it must embrace the idea of neo-noir (which means “new-black”), at the intersection between genre and literary fiction.

The Kickstarter began on 2/1/16 with a goal a base goal of $52,00 and graduated stretch goals of up to $82,660 . If you want to know what that money's going for, check out the Kickstarter site.  If the project meets its fundraising goals, Gamut will launch on 1/1/17.

With a bargain basement $30+ pledge, you receive a full online membership for one year, which includes new fiction, reprints, columns, non-fiction, poetry, serials, art, and much more . This rate will never be offered again. Your subscription will also remain at this rate as long as you renew. Indefinitely.The regular rate will be $60 a year ($5 a month). So, really, get on over to the Kickstarter site and make your pledge. And if you're feeling flush, there are different levels of memberships with other gifts. Just like PBS and NPR, except darker.

Just so you know Richard Thomas is a man who knows his darkness. He's the author of

Three novels: Disintegration, Breaker, and Transubstantiate
Three short story collections: Tribulations (Crystal Lake), Staring Into the Abyss (Kraken Press), and Herniated Roots (Snubnose Press)
One novella: The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books).

He's published over 100 stories and received 5 Pushcart Prize nominations. He is also the editor of several anthologies: Exigencies and The New Black (Dark House Press), The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Black Lawrence Press), and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award).

In his spare time he's a columnist at LitReactor,  Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press, and teaches at LitReactor, the University of Iowa, StoryStudio Chicago, and in Transylvania (of course).

By the way, you can follow the Gamut Kickstart on Facebook.

If you're still not convinced you should support Gamut, check out this home video by Richard and his daughter.


So go on and pledge, you know you want to.

June Reads

Oh, the mood was dark. Deceit. Murder. Mutilation. Terrorism. Weird religion. Just a few of the cheerful themes in this month's reading list.

The Luckiest Girl Alive -- HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE.

Amazon sez: As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve. But Ani has a secret.

MM sez: Hard to find a review that doesn't compare this book to Gone Girl. Ultimately, though, this book is about redemption and making amends, something Gone Girl never addresses. Luckiest Girl is a brilliantly written book that introduces you to a cringe-worthy character with whom you can identify, no small feat. Ani FaNelli’s story shows that it is possible to take charge of your own life, no matter what. I highly recommend it.

Exigencies

Amazon sez: A anthology of neo-noir stories described as ". . .stories that will skulk across the footplate of literature for many years to come. Exigencies is the cloak thrown over the world, to show us that in darkness we can still find beauty, and will forever serve as a keepsake to great writing.”

MM sez: As with most anthologies, there's a certain unevenness to the stories. However, unlike most anthologies, I was NOT tempted to stop reading any of them. A friend of mine and I agreed that "Ceremony of the White Dog" was a hands-down winner. However, for your own peace of mind,I would not recommend reading "Wilderness" if you're flying out of a regional airport anytime soon.  And "Cat Calls" made me impatient for the release of Rebecca Jones-Howe's Vile Men anthology.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

Amazon sez: A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself. The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

MM sez: A novel with  a seventeen year old main character who has her hands chopped off by her father for refusing to marry a sixty year old cult leader is going to be intense, right? The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is Jonestown meets Orange is the New Black. Minnow Bly is a compelling and somewhat unreliable narrator of the bizarre events leading up to and following an incident in a cult compound. It is saved from being the train wreck that you can't avoid looking at by the redemption of Minnow that ultimately has nothing to do with religion and everything about Minnow's inner journey.

In the Skin of a Jihadist

Amazon sez: A young French journalist’s riveting and unprecedented look at how today’s most ruthless terrorists use social media and technology to reach disaffected youth—witnessed through the undercover investigation that led to her deep involvement with a key member of ISIS.

MM sez: I read this book as research for a novel I'm working on that has a terrorist as a major character. Plus, I admit to being intrigued by why so many young European girls are fleeing to Syria as brides. The author is a French journalist writing undercover for obvious reasons after Charlie Hebdo. For a journalist, Anna Erelle (whoever she might be) is not a great writer, nonetheless, this book was somewhat of a page turner, particularly in light of recent events. Oh, yes, I did get some insights into the jihadi mindset. Anna Erelle deserves kudos for her courage, and as one other reviewer said, "Don't try this at home, kids.

The Virgin of Small Plains

Amazon sez: Small Plains, Kansas, January 23, 1987: In the midst of a deadly blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger scours his father’s pasture, looking for helpless newborn calves. Then he makes a shocking discovery: the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl, her skin as white as the snow around her. Even dead, she is the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. It is a moment that will forever change his life and the lives of everyone around him. The mysterious dead girl–the “Virgin of Small Plains”–inspires local reverence. In the two decades following her death, strange miracles visit those who faithfully tend to her grave; some even believe that her spirit can cure deadly illnesses. Slowly, word of the legend spreads.

MM sez: My editor recommended this book for the brilliance with which the author constructed Deep Point of View. I liked it well enough, and I'm always interested in books that deal with mythology, no matter its source. There are some startling revelations and some plot twists that dyed- in-the-wool mystery readers might have caught, but I didn't. A most enjoyable read.

Daughter of Deep Silence

Amazon sez: In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

MM sez: When Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth came out in 2009, I was immediately drawn in despite my disdain for most zombie books. (OK, OK. I'm not that disdainful, but Forest was pretty darn good.)  So, I had rather high expectations for this book, and it didn't meet them. I liked the premise, and the book started off with a bang. After that, it became fairly predictable, and I saw the end coming about half-way through. The writing was serviceable, but this pretty much falls in the category of a beach or airport read for me.

Writers Retreat Workshop 2015: the "writing vacation that can change your life"

So to be honest, my initial reason for going to the Writers Retreat Workshop 2015 in San Antonio: my rather brilliant editor, Jason Sitzes, is the workshop director, and he suggested I attend. While he might disagree that I do everything he tells me to do, I always give his advice serious consideration.  There I am in the second row.

Some more honesty. This year, I've become a somewhat jaded conference/workshop attendee. I've been to a lot of them. I'm a little burned out. I've heard a lot of this stuff before, and (while I'm still not perfect -- just ask Jason) much of it just doesn't apply to me anymore. Still, my friend Ellan says any workshop/retreat/conference that offers one nugget of insight is worth its weight in gold. If so, the Writer's Retreat made me a wealthy woman.

Meeting and working with Richard Thomas author and editor of Dark House Press was an undiluted pleasure. I was skeptical when I  read his bio. After all, he's a neo-noir guy, and I write historical fantasy. How could he possibly help me? Right? OK. Wrong. Richard was one of  the most enthusiastic and helpful writers I met at this workshop and maybe anywhere. I was in his critique group and had a private critique on the new novel I've been mulling over. As with all new projects, I'm in a bit of a dither about where to start. After talking with Richard a couple of times, I think I'm straightened out or at least heading in the direction of straightened out. He was also amazingly encouraging about my new project. I liked working with him so much, we discussed him traveling downstate to do a workshop for the Quincy Writers' Guild. I'm working on finding the money to fund that. Richard was a very big nugget.

My second nugget was Carol Doughterty. Carol began in the Writer’s Retreat Workshop in the early 90’s and then changed her focus from writing fiction to writing as a Zen practice. She lived at and worked for the San Francisco Zen Center, was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest, and earned a Master of Divinity at Naropa University. Every morning, Carol led us in a meditation and then a writing exercise somewhat akin to the morning pages in the Artist's Way. I've done morning pages before with varying degrees of success; but with Carol's direction and exercises, I came to a major realization about a character who was well on his way to becoming a stereotype. I also got the germ of a couple of scenes from those sessions. Well, worth the price of admission. She's also a marvelous editor, as I found out in my 1:1 session with her. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I became so involved in talking with her, I left my beloved jeans jacket behind. It's a work of art I've been embellishing for about 10 years now, and I rarely let it out of my sight. She was that impressive.

There were many other nugget-worthy moments. Too many to mention them all, but here's a sampling. Les Edgerton's scene by scene analysis of Thelma and Louise. The night-owl sessions where things sometimes got a little weird. (How to write a damn good sex scene comes to mind; I'll never think of asparagus in the same way.) Indulging in our workshop tradition of raiding Walgreens for mini-bottles of wine with Ellan. Watching Letterman's retirement. Stumbling to my room and agreeing with a young acolyte that yes, this is somewhat like all those conversations in college in which we discovered the meaning of life. Meeting some interesting writers and reconnecting with old writer-friends. Feeling very well taken care by Gail Provost Stockwell who worried over my "workshop rash." Soaking up the atmosphere of the Oblate Retreat Center and finding its gift shop where I discovered the Virgin of Guadalupe that I've been searching for. May she inspire many afternoons of writing on my front porch.

And last but not least, Larry Brill, a writer and videographer, documented the day and a half Donald Maass spent at the retreat.



Registration is open for 2016. So if  you want to bump your writing to the next level, now is the time.