Saturday, December 22, 2012

Emerson LaSalle on the Dick Cavett Show


In 1970, William Holden had been scheduled to appear on the Dick Cavett Show but had to cancel at the last moment.  One of the show's assistant producers happened to know there was a science fiction convention in a hotel four blocks away.  He was dispatched immediately to fetch one of the writers and turned up forty-five minutes later with Emerson LaSalle.  Below is a short excerpt from that interview.

Cavett: But you do include quite a bit of sex in your novels, yes?

LaSalle: Yes.

Cavett: Why is that?

LaSalle: Why?

Cavett: Yes.

LaSalle: Do you ask other authors why?  Do you ask Gore Vidal why?

Cavett: But some might say there is a certain garishness to your work and the sex offers a sort of distraction form that and becomes a trick you rely on.

LaSalle:  It's a good trick.  Should I rely on a bad trick?

Cavett: Well --

LaSalle: Really that's like saying a gourmet bistro relies on the trick of fine food to lure in customers. "Gee, I hope our fine cuisine distracts from the fact our tablecloths are a bit off."

Cavett: That's a point.

LaSalle: You do approve of sex, don't you, Cavett?  Even enjoy it from time to time?

Cavett: Yes, but in your novels, characters always seem to be having sex with aliens.  We're not so broad-minded in the Cavett household.

LaSalle: Well, that's the difference then, isn't it?  Your so-called literary writers seem entirely too fascinated with what's happening in the household or the neighbor's household or whatever's going on down at the market.  I'm too ambitious for that.  I have a universe to conquer.


Emerson LaSalle's recently reissued novella There Are Alien's Behind Uranus, Mr. President is currentl available on Kindle.

Monday, December 17, 2012

New E-edition of Emerson LaSalle ready for your Kindle



Ladies and gentleman, I have been waiting a long time for my favorite pulp writer Emerson LaSalle to be in print again, and thanks to the magic of E-books, Big Fake Press has started the ball rolling with the novella THERE ARE ALIENS BEHIND URANUS, MR. PRESIDENT currently available on Kindle.  I eagerly purchased my own copy of the novella and read it all in one sitting last night.

So ... Huh ...

Even by LaSalle standards, the novella is full of gratuitous sex and violence, and while this is usually LaSalle's strength, this time it was almost like LaSalle wanted to hold you down and force feed you a particularly greasy piece of pork.

And yet ... I could not stop pressing the button on my Kindle that makes the story go to the next page.  I find that I am eagerly hoping for the next release the same way a junkie shamefully wants his next fix even though he knows it will kill him eventually.  What will the next LaSalle release be?  Vixen Shamus?  Gestapo Mars?  The Reluctant Enthusiast?

So I wrote to Big Fake Press and here is their reply:

              Please stop emailing us.  We're very busy.  Please .

But they did also mention that the short story "Harry Truman vs The Aliens" will be erased from Amazon after the free promotional period is over. (So try it while you can.)  The reason for this is that the short story acts as a prologue for There Are Aliens Behind Uranus, Mr. President and will be included from now on with that novella.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

THERE ARE ALIENS BEHIND URANUS, MR. PRESIDENT



Folks, I'm excited!

As many Blogpocalypse readers already know, I am a long time fan of pulp genius Emerson LaSalle.  His work is cheap and ridiculous and lurid and I just can't get enough.  I've now been informed by my contact at Big Fake Press that they are FINALLY re-releasing one of LaSalle's old novellas THERE ARE ALIENS BEHIND YOUR URANUS, MR. PRESIDENT after a lengthy legal battle with the LaSalle estate.  I'm not sure why they picked this particular novella for a new edition as it is especially terrible even by LaSalle standards, but any LaSalle is better than none!  The new edition hits Kindles THIS WEEK.

If you you want a FREE sneak peak, you can read "Harry Truman vs The Aliens" the short story which acts as a prologue for THERE ARE ALIENS BEHIND URANUS, MR. PRESIDENT. Again, it's free for your Kindle right here.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Saturday, November 24, 2012

This is long overdue ...


I've been remiss in thanking a couple of lovely people.  I met Marco Piva-Dittrich and Solveig Dittrich-Piva for the first time at the SugarPulp Festival in Padova, Italy a couple of years ago.  (In addition to being lovely, Marco is a great translator and handled SHOTGUN OPERA for the Italian market.)

Anyway ...

I was wandering around my house and lost my coffee cup.  It's not a big house, but I do this quite often. I set my cup on a shelf or something.  Sometimes I find it in 2 minutes ... other times a week later.

I tweeted (on Twitter) that I'd lost my coffee cup.  Some days later the mailman brought the cup you see pictured above.  (Ignore the Pokemon.)  Yes, Marco and Solveig were responsible.

A very nice surprise.  You two are tops!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Sunday, November 18, 2012

You know you want in on this ...




Script: Victor Gischler
Art: Maurizio Rosenzweig
Color: Moreno DiNisio

Monday, November 12, 2012

Comic Nooks


While I think you should certainly all support your local comic book shop, just a heads up that Nook has some good stuff for your nook if you prefer the Digital Version.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Friday, November 2, 2012

Get into the shadows!




Very SOON my run on THE SHADOW for Dynamite Entertainment begins, and if you're a fan of pulp fun, I hope you'll give it a chance.  If you a comic book retailer, then stock up!  If you're a reader, tell you local comic shop to reserve a copy for you today!

(Pictured is the cover for #10, but my run actually starts with #7.)

Thursday, November 1, 2012

You say you want some of my Halloween candy?




                                                         YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

One ring to rule them all ... and also capitalism!




Played the Lord of the Rings edition of Monopoly with my 9 year old son last night.  Good fun and good math practice for him.  I made him be the banker.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Who knows what evil lurks?!




Run to your local comic book shop and tell 'em to order up a big helping of THE SHADOW #7 which is the start of my run.  One of the things I like about writing The Shadow is that it's almsot like a fun different character with Lamont Cranston ... almost a James Bond type character.  A kick-assed masked hero AND a suave, martini-swilling smart ass.

Check out an interview HERE at CBR.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Projected path for Hurricane Isaac:






ISAAC ------------------------------------------------------------------> ME

Here comes Isaac!


I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  We're known as the city that's NOT New Orleans.  As far as the national media is concerned Hurricane Gustav which hit a few years ago was known as the storm that almost did a re-Katrina on The Big Easy.  I can still hear the cable news reporter saying "Looks like New Orleans dodged a bullet."

But that bullet went around New Orleans, came north and kicked the shit out of Baton Rouge.  My wife and son had already bugged out to her parents' house near Memphis.  I stayed behind with charcoal and shotgun shells to keep an eye on things.  It sucked.  I had no generator, so it was as close as I ever want to get to living in a post-apocalypse world.  The worst was trying to sleep at night, stewing in my own juices in the heat and humidity.  I lasted about 4 days before locking up the place and joining my family up north.

Now we brace for Isaac.  I hope I learned a little something for Gutav.  I have a generator now.  I went out into the pre-storm craziness Sunday & Monday for the following:

1. Matches
2. Charcoal
3. Gas for the generator
4. Gas for car
5. Batteries
6. Wine
7. Water
8. Plenty of food
9. Coffee
10. Camp coffee pot for use on camp fire or charcoal grill
11. Cake mix. (My son's birthday is tomorrow.)
12. A window unit air-conditioner

So.  We'll see.  We are hunkered down.  We have braced ourselves.  I hope it is anti-climactic.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Classy!



You can find the painting of this lovely lady hanging behind the bar at Bottom Feeder's Pub in an upcoming creator-owned project.  Stay tuned.

(Art by Tazio Bettin)

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Thursday, August 16, 2012

UH-OH ...

GRAYHAVEN COMICS: Phase Two


Hello, funny book readers!

I wanted to bring to your attention that the cool folks at GrayHaven Comics have some neato stuff in the works.  They also have a kickstarter going to help launch what they're calling PHASE II.  Artist Sam Tung and I have a cool book forthcoming with them called Titanium Star.  But set that aside for a moment and take a look at a lot of the other cool stuff these guys have going on. (I've included a sample below.) If something catches your eye, or you just like to support indy DYI comics in general, head over to the GrayHaven KICKSTARTER and check out the rewards.



Saturday, August 11, 2012

SUCCESS A GO-GO


So the Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse sequel was successfully funded through Kickstarter and in addition to thanking everyone involved, I wanted to pause for a moment to reflect on Kickstarter.

First, I want to say that I don' plan to make Kickstarter the routine way I decide to write a novel or not. I still believe in sitting down, writing your novel and taking your chances with it on the open market.  But since this was a sequel ... well ... my gut feeling was that it was a bit different of a situation which I've already explained on my Kickstarter page and in previous posts.  To boil it down, I wanted to go into this novel with confidence that there really were at the very least a handful of people that wanted this book.  Now I know.  Thanks.

But a novel isn't like a film project or a comic book project where you might need to hire artists or rent equipment, etc. It's just a dude sitting in front of his computer and typing, right?  And while the response to my Kickstarter project was overwhelmingly positive and supportive (I made my modest goal in 3 days) there were a few naysayers who thought it was "wrong" to use Kickstarter to fund a novel, one dude on twitter going as far as to call it "tacky."  Maybe.  But when you get down to brass tacks, the fact is nobody is forced to participate.  When you pledge your money to a Kickstarter campaign you're saying "I want this" and if you don't want it ... well, you don't pledge.  Isn't it really that simple?

But like I said, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and I will be attacking the novel with gusto.  GUSTO!  Going into a creative project with enthusiasm beats the hell out of going into it wondering if anyone really gives a steamy poop about what you're doing.

If you have Kickstarter thoughts or links to Kickstarter projects you think we need to pay attention to then by all means let's fill up the comment section.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Saturday, July 28, 2012

My Favorite Vicki Hendricks novel: Voluntary Madness


Guys, for another day or two Vicki's great noir novel Voluntary Madness is FREE ON KINDLE.  Get a copy. 

Here's what I originally wrote about it on Amazon:

Sexy, gritty and raw, yet at the same time intelligent and touching, VOLUNTARY MADNESS proves Vicki Hendricks is the queen of noir. The novel is the story of young Juliette and her relationships with the characters around her - especially her drunken, would-be novelist boyfriend Punch. Their plan is to defy the futility of the world by "living wild" in Key West, Florida for a year until their money runs out at which time they will unite in a spectacular, public double suicide. This is a hardboiled book, with vivid, tough prose and crime elements that build as the tale progresses, but the genius of the story is the novel's struggle to differentiate between art and life, and the conflict inherent when these terms become mutually exclusive. A quick and frank read with the ability to cull weak readers from literary herd.
 
I'm not sure how long it will be free, so hurry!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Friday, July 20, 2012

A DEATH IN MEXICO by Jonathan Woods



Since the last few blog posts have been mostly, "buy my stuff" I thought a nice change of pace would be to talk up somebody else. 

I recently pulled the trigger on a purchase I'd been putting off for a long time.  I bought a Kindle.  When it arrived, the first order of business was to fill it up with some books, and in my first wave of purchases I grabbed a copy of A Death in Mexico by Jonathan Woods.  I liked it a lot.  A new voice in crime fiction filtered through a bit of Hemingway and Graham Greene.  Great prose.  A gritty, hardboiled tale that was a perfect vacation read.

Do yourself a favor and GRAB A COPY.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

I want to sell you a book ... and also this other book.


Hello, Blogpocalypse readers!  If you've seen the previous blog post below, then you know I launched a Kickstarter campaign to test interest for a GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE sequel.  Although we had 45 days to reach our modest goal, the project was funded in less than four!  I am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and generosity.  It seems traditional that when a Kickstarter project reaches its goal quickly that a new "stretch" goal is then offered, and I've done just that.  If you click HERE you can find out how to back this project and receive Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse II: The Luxury Wars AND also get a third Go-Go book *if* we reach our new funding goal.

But while I do plan to write a sequel that will be totally accessible to new readers, I would guess that the most likely readers are those who read the first Go-Go novel.  So I propose the following: With 36 days left on the Kickstarter campaign, that's still PLENTY of time to order the original Go-Go-Girls of the Apocalypse, read it, and decide if you want to jump on the sequel band wagon.  If you've been on the fence about trying this bawdy, satirical, (often appalling) action-packed book, then maybe now is the time!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

KICKSTART MY HEART: A GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE SEQUEL


Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse II: The Luxury Wars is the title of the sequel to the original Go-Go published in 2008 by Simon & Schuster.  The only catch is ... I haven't written it yet.  Then why are you bothering us, Gischler?!?!    An explanation:

Soon after the Touchstone imprint of Simon & Schuster published Go-Go-Girls of the Apocalypse, I started getting requests from kind readers for a sequel.  I generally don't write sequels, but the requests just kept coming in.  Also ... I actually had an idea for a sequel which doesn't usually happen.  I eagerly pitched the idea to my publisher.

They shot me down.  "Sequels don't sell" they told me.  And when Go-Go wasn't an immediate best-seller they seemed to lose interest all together.  Conventional wisdom dictates that a different publisher won't mess with a sequel if they don't have the rights to the first book.  So writing a sequel simply wasn't in the cards.  But then the book was lucky enough to get a 2nd printing, and a 3rd, and a 4th.  It was optioned for film.  Translation rights sold.  And while the book still never got those J.K. Rowling numbers that all publishers hope for, the requests for a sequel still hit me on email and found me on Twitter, etc.  But alas, there was no home for such a sequel. (Single tear rolls down cheek.)

Two things have made me change my mind:  1. Kickstarter and 2. Kindle (and other e-readers.)

I can now skip the middle man and offer the sequel directly to readers, and Kickstarter affords me the opportunity to really test if there is a desire for a sequel at all. And although readers of the first book are the most obvious targets for a sequel, my plan is to write a novel which won't lose new readers.  The story is right there in my brain ready to go.  I just need to get my ass in the chair and start typing.

So here I am humbly asking you to do one (or both!) of two things.  1. Click HERE to support my kickstarter campaign. That tingle you feel is me zapping you with white hot karma.  2. Spread the word on your blog-o-thingy, Facebook or whatever.

Thanks.  No, really.  THANKS!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Free Hardboiled Fiction for your KINDLE


Okay, guys, my good pal Anthony Neil Smith is giving it away free today.  Check out some of these great free hardboiled novels for your kindle.  One is even co-written by me.

Today only!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Gischler fiction can get you laid!


Recently, I gave a short story away on my blog and the result was the following email from a UK reader:

Hello Victor
Could I have the free pdf of your short story, please?
Glad I found the link to this on Twitter. I bought Shotgun Opera in paperback over here in England a few years back and absolutely loved it.
And here's a story: I got chatting to a foxy chick in a coffee shop about books with great female characters. She wasn't enjoying the book she was reading and so I recommended Shotgun Opera, which I had just finished, and lent her my copy. A week later, she contacted me to return it (she loved the female assassin family) and we ended up spending a pretty fun weekend together.
So from now on, I think all your book covers should include the legend "This man's writing will get you laid"
All the best, keep up the great work.


Steve D


Never have I so accurately hit my target demographic.

Thanks, Steve!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Bring Money


Okay, I write for a living, so once in a while I feel obligated to sell you some junk.

If you have a kindle click here to check out Three on a Light, a collection of linked short stories about a shamus who takes cases involving werewolves, vampires and other things that go bump in the night.  Proceeds go to a worthy cause.  (My next vacation to Disney.)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Free Short Story! (Just ask!)


Back when the much-missed David Thompson was alive and running Busted Flush Press, he was cool enough to invite me to write a story for an anthology of "geezer noir" called Damn Near Dead.  Later, as a promotional tool (and just to be nice honestly) he provided me with a .pdf of my short story to give away for free.  Recently a Blogpocalypse reader reminded me of this story, and I thought it a good idea to offer it again.  For free.  No strings attached.  So if you'd like a copy of the story as a .pdf attachment, simply zap me an email: victor.gischler ["at" symbol] gmail.com.

Thanks again, David.  We miss you.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Excuse me, but we were right in the middle of a movie...



You know what I enjoy?  When we are smack dab in the middle of a film and suddenly, often seemingly for no reason, there is a song.  I like things that are arbitrary if done well ... a tough combination.  So below, in reverse order, are the top three songs that come out of nowhere in the middle of a movie.

3. "Raindrops Keep falling on My Head."  This makes the bottom of the list as it was not actually sung by the characters in the movie.  But it sure does come out of nowhere.  I mean, it's a western, right?  Can you imagine a sudden musical number in Unforgiven?  Try to picture John Wayne suddenly singing a song in The Searchers.  I have to think that on paper this looks like a bad bet, but it's a great scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

2. "Afternoon Delight" from Anchorman.  A great silly scene for a wonderfully silly movie.  Executed perfectly, the characters all fall right into the song as if it is the most natural thing in the world.  Quality funny.

1. The #1 song on the list is not the best song, and not the most well executed.  It makes the top of the list for the simple reason that it provides a surprisingly amusing moment in an otherwise tedious film.  You can experience it HERE.


Okay, that's an intentionally half-assed list I thought up in about four minutes.  Let me know what I missed.  Links appreciated.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Italy: Part 2


A chain of book stores owned and operated by the Lovat family provided two stops on our tour.  Al Guthrie and I signed books at their Trieste and Villorba locations.  Not only did they provide excellent hospitality in their wonderful book stores (see picture above) but they invited us into their home for lots and lots and lots of food and wine.  I was made to feel very welcome and moved by how gracious these nice folks were.  They served a traditional local dish consisting of hard boiled eggs and white asparagus the size of elephant tusks.  You mash the eggs and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.  Good stuff.

I should now pause to thank my Revolver editor Matteo Strukul.  Not only is he responsible for much of my success in Italy, but he's a hell of an author in his own right.  A great guy and a talented writer and my pal.

Next ... more gluttony ...


Sunday, June 3, 2012

ITALY: Part 1


Okay, I've been remiss about sharing highlights from my recent trip to Italy.  I will never be able to do it justice, but I at least want to bullet point a few things.  First, many thanks to my publisher Edizioni BD and their Revolver imprint.  They arranged for me to hit the Turin Book Fair and make a bunch of other stops with fellow crime scribe Allan Guthrie.   Al and I spent a lot of time in the back seat of our editor's car with a couple of boxes of books between us as we went ripping around Northern Italy to various events.

What I love about Italy is that they are very creative with their events.  Yes, they have good in-the-bookstore style events, but we also got to do events in restaurants which is the best idea ever because we get to drink wine and eat amazing food while meeting readers and talking about books.  The Corte Dei Leoni in Padova hosted one such event and it was a bit like coming home since I took most of my meals their on my last trip to Italy to attend the Sugar Pulp Festival.

Every single day was a new adventure.  Watch out for the Grappa.

More soon ...

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

PIMPING: The Yard


Alex Grecian is a sharp, clever guy, and when a sharp, clever guy writes a novel you should probably check it out.

Click HERE.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU ...



Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

Here's a damn poem


DOVER BEACH

The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the A gaean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

-- Matthew Arnold

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Soon I will be inside you, Italy!



Next week I head for the Turin book Fair and other stops as I drink red wine, eat pizza and sign books.

Will I come home?  That depends on how much fun I have.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

FREE FOR YOUR KINDLE, BABY!


So ... we do this once in a while.  Stir things up with a freebie.  As it happens it is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and CINCO DE MAYO!  And as we all know, good things come in threes.  So it is also FREE TO THE DEVIL, MY REGARDS DAY.  I co-wrote this with hard-boiled master chef Anthony Neil Smith and it was recently published in Italy where it's doing well.  Now it is free for kindle monkeys.  That's 99 cents YOU can save for meth!

This hardboiled novella is half hardboiled mystery, half goof on the private eye genre and  half writing exercise as two novelists try to mess each other up.

THAT'S THREE HALVES!

Get it RIGHT HERE for your tricorder .. uh ... Kindle.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wankers!


In case you haven't heard, I'm happy to announce I'll be writing the 5 issue Spike mini series for Dark Horse Comics.  Details  ... HERE.

My pretty professor wife got me into Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Spike is one of my favorite characters.  I feel pretty jazzed about the opportunity.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Buy this! (Or Hulk SMASH!!!)


A heads up that this is available now.  Run to your local comic shop and just throw a wad of money on the counter.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

National Emerson LaSalle Day!


In accordance with federal and state government mandates, today is National Emerson LaSalle Day, a holiday to celebrate the works of this nearly forgotten literary legend.

Happy Emerson LaSalle Day, everyone!

In celebration, the LaSalle short story "Harry Truman vs The Aliens" is FREE today on Kindle,  Just click HERE to get it.

FREE I TELLS YA!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Pulp Boy: FAIL


Hey, folks.  As you know, Jake Dickey the producer trying to pull the PULP BOY project together began a kickstarter campaign to raise the budget and make the film happen.  It didn't quite come off, but I want to thank him for his efforts.

And although the project wasn't funded, I do want to thank those of you who kicked in some green.  You guys rock.  Karma milkshakes for all.

Neil and I will now circle the wagons and figure what to do next - if anything - with out groovy screenplay.