Albert Tucher
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Mr. Moderator!
June 11th, 2016 13:42 by Albert Tucher
A few weeks ago my friend Trisha Vanderhoof popped up with a request. She wanted me to moderate a panel discussion of plot twists and red herrings in mystery/crime fiction. My panelists were to be Jeffrey Somers, Michael Daigle, and Michael Ransom, none of whom I had met. The venue was the Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library, and it all happened last Saturday, June 4.
I said yes and immediately went into a frenzy of preparation and flat-out nerves. I had participated in panels before, but I had never been responsible for keeping the discussion relevant and interesting. I had to fill two hours, which was a longer period than any panel I had ever experienced.
In the end it went well. My authors were all articulate and eager to listen to each other as well as offer their own insights. The hosts were pleased, and Trisha warned me that she will ask me again.
Gulp.
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Selena!
May 2nd, 2016 14:38 by Albert Tucher
I just wore my index finger out swiping through the ebook edition of Selena, by Greg Barth (All Due Respect Books), and I'm doing further damage to my digit with the sequel, Diesel Therapy. Selena is five feet and a hundred pounds of kick-assery and attitude. She's also a prostitute, which is what piqued my interest in the first place. The plotting creaks a bit, and some motivations are a bit doubtful, but the page-turner test is the important thing, and these books pass with room to spare.
As I read, I reflected on what I have learned in writing about my prostitute character, Diana Andrews. Women in this business run the gamut. Some are outlaws through and through, while others are utterly conventional except for the one thing they do to pay the bills. Selena is way out on the outlaw fringe, while Diana would stay closer to the other extreme, if people would only let her. Both characters are completely plausible, and that's why I love them both.
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Coutinho is back!
March 1st, 2016 23:32 by Albert Tucher
In A Shortage Of Things To say Coutinho has an unwelcome and possibly deadly high school reunion.
The story draws on a morning I spent at Ka Lae (South Point), the lower tip of the Big Island of Hawaii, which lies even further to the south than Key West. I watched the local fishermen and knew that I had to work their angling techniques into a story.
Online in Spinetingler Magazine here.
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Coutinho! (And Agnes, of course)
February 17th, 2016 00:18 by Albert Tucher
Major news: my novella The Place of Refuge, will soon be published by One Eye Press. Here's the elevator pitch:
Detective Errol Coutinho of the Hawaii County Police has a serial killer of prostitutes to catch and a shortage of leads to pursue. Officer Jessie Hokoana of the Honolulu P.D. has an undercover assignment that tests her loyalties and leads her to the brink of death. When their cases collide in the rain forest of the Big Island, family ties will turn deadly, and there may be no pu'uhonua--no place of refuge--for anyone.
Also appearing in the story is Agnes Rodrigues, Coutinho's frequent adversary.
No pub date as yet. For now, visit the One Eye Press site for great noir crime fiction here
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Agnes is back.
December 11th, 2015 17:51 by Albert Tucher
Criminal defense attorney Agnes Rodrigues is in a jam on the Big Island. She is caught between her drug kingpin client, his righthand man, and the Hawaii County Police. The story is LUXURY TO DIE FOR, and it appears in Issue Two of BETTY FEDORA
Four of the authors in this issue also appeared in Issue One. We know a winner when we see one!
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Noir at the Bar
September 17th, 2015 22:37 by Albert Tucher
I think I have mentioned these events before. Crime writers gather at a bar and read from their works. In between, we drink. In fact, we drink during readings as well.
On Sunday evening of Labor Day weekend I attended such an event at the Shade Bar on W. 3rd Street in Manhattan. Organizer Todd Robinson had an idea for a twist. This time, writers read from each other's writings. That gave all participants the option of going for maximum embarrassment. Rob Hart took particular advantage of the option, leaving Jen Conley needing a drink after her stint.
I sat at the bar next to a totally charming couple from Glasgow, who wandered in and ended up staying for the entire program. We had great fun discussing, among other topics, the great Scottish crime TV show Taggart, which I have missed since it wrapped up.
Noir at the Bars (or is it Noirs at the Bar?) have been popping up all over the country. I can think of worse plans for my retirement than following them from coast to coast and Mexico to Canada.
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Agnes Rodrigues in her first starring role.
September 4th, 2015 14:43 by Albert Tucher
As I have mentioned previously, Agnes is a criminal defense attorney character on the Big Island of Hawaii, and Detective Errol Coutinho's frequent adversary. Coutinho, in turn, is a supporting character in my unpublished Diana Andrews novels. That makes Agnes a supporting supporting character.
With me so far?
She also carries two stories of her own. One of them will appear in Issue Two of the great new crime magazine Betty Fedora. In Luxury To Die For Agnes swims the extra mile for her client.
I hope that's intriguing enough for now. I'll post the details when the issue becomes available.
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So that's where Diana has been.
July 28th, 2015 13:34 by Albert Tucher
She had gone off the grid for a while, but the tough chick will out:
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I love it when this happens
May 5th, 2015 13:03 by Albert Tucher
I have a Diana story called The Zen of Mickey D's, in which Diana discovers that the "college call girl" is not just urban folklore. The story runs 11,000 words, which is an awkward length (most magazines have a word limit of around 5,000 words).
Now comes a call from 18th Wall for an anthology to be titled All the Petty Myths. Not only do they want stories that use urban myths, but their word range is 3,000 to 15,000. Highly unusual, and most welcome.
Of course, they still have to like the story.
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"The magazine of kickass women."
March 23rd, 2015 16:33 by Albert Tucher
That's Betty Fedora, the first issue of which is just out. Diana appears in Cheeks, which shows that her post-hooking career is if anything more stressful. The issue also includes stories by some high-flying crime writers. I especially look forward to anything by Patti Abbott.
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