Gloves Off is Out!

Here it is.  Darren Sant and Craig Douglas' Gloves Off.  A heaping together of nineteen of the roughest, toughest, most critter-like writers of hardboiled, noir, and horror to be assembled under one pup tent.

And yes, I've claimed my little spot of space underneath the tiny patch of canvas along with the others.  I've got a story in here entitled 'Cold.'
 
I've got to say that I'm very pleased to be associated with this assortment of bad asses.  There is some truly genuine talent in this gathering.  Talent like Richard Godwin, Graham Smith, Paul D. Brazil and Gareth Spark.  To be asked to contribute something of mine was a great honor.  To be even remotely ranked up there with the headliners featured in the anthology is kinda intoxicating.

Who knows?  I might turn out to be a genuine writer after all.

The bloke who came up with this nifty idea, Darren Sant, has an ezine called Near To The Knuckle.  Over the last two years I've hacked together some stories and bopped them electronically over to England for him to consider.  Surprisingly he's accepted every one I've sent. (either a terrible case of amensia overwhelms him every time one of my stories comes up for review and he thinks I'm someone else  . . . or maybe he just likes what I write.  The first option makes sense.  The second option would be nice too.)

Near To The Knuckle covers a wide spectrum of stories which, in one way or another, involves a bloody mess and a dead body stuffed in some one's closet somewhere.  Or maybe underneath a divan.  Or a street gutter.  Or . . . well, you get the picture.  Lots of writers show up with their unique prose and styles.  From all over the world.

That's one of the two things I've grown to enjoy with the coming of the Internet.  The first is this tremendously huge rebirth of writing short stories which seems to be directly attributable to the invention of the electronic age.  And secondly ezines popping up everywhere willing to pull in writers from all over the world to fill their pages with stories. 

It truly is a writing renaissance we're witnessing.

Go get you a copy of this anthology.  You won't regret it.  And then come back  and tell me what you thought of my story.

(Of course it is the best in the lot!  I wouldn't be a real writer if I didn't secretly believe that!)