As a small tribute to Aretha Franklin, this excerpt from Reach the Shining River, a novel by Kevin Stevens, writer and jazz connoisseur: "A full house was tough on the nerves but easier to gather and please. If you knew what you were doing, and Arlene did. Had known from the beginning when, eleven years … Continue reading A tribute to Aretha Franklin
A review of REACH THE SHINING RIVER by the winner of our Christmas Prize Draw
"'It was Wardell found the body.' Kansas City, 1935. Emmett Watson, a county prosecutor of Irish decent, is married to Fay, a high society woman, who is the daughter of one of the movers and shakers in the city, and unhappy in her marriage. At a closed-door meeting with his father-in-law, and other high rollers, Emmett is … Continue reading A review of REACH THE SHINING RIVER by the winner of our Christmas Prize Draw
Excerpt from Patricia Ketola’s “Dirty Pictures”
"On the day of the big event I walked through the hours until seven like I was living in zombie land. I started dressing around five, making sure I wore a disposable polyester dress that wouldn’t leave any fibers scattered around the murder site. It was a plain black number purchased at Walmart for fifteen … Continue reading Excerpt from Patricia Ketola’s “Dirty Pictures”
E-book rights to Kevin Stevens’ novel “Reach the Shining River” licensed to Endeavour Press
Following on from the success of "Francesca" by Donald Finnaeus Mayo, we are delighted to announce the new release of the Ebook edition of Kevin Stevens' novel "Reach the Shining River" by the UK's leading independent digital publisher, Endeavour Press. It is now available for order on Amazon here. Our own trade paperback is also … Continue reading E-book rights to Kevin Stevens’ novel “Reach the Shining River” licensed to Endeavour Press
REACH THE SHINING RIVER: “Lover man”, excerpt & soundtrack
Bill Call leaned over his coffee, peering at Arlene. “When was the last time you saw Eddie?” Without answering him or even excusing herself, Arlene rose and went to the bathroom. She locked the door, splashed water on her face, and sat on the toilet. On the back of the door was a framed photograph … Continue reading REACH THE SHINING RIVER: “Lover man”, excerpt & soundtrack
Writing, reading, music, and “far-awayness”. David Hogan interviews Colin O’Sullivan
David Hogan: You're in the long tradition of writers leaving Ireland in order to write about it. Is there something unique about the country that pushes you away while at the same time drawing you back? Colin O’Sullivan: The Irish have always been a migrant race as you know, for many reasons too long to … Continue reading Writing, reading, music, and “far-awayness”. David Hogan interviews Colin O’Sullivan
New cover art for REACH THE SHINING RIVER
Cover art: Keith Mallett Cover design: JT Lindroos We hope you would agree that this is a striking new cover for Kevin Stevens' novel REACH THE SHINING RIVER, with its soundtrack of jazz and blues. The lady on the cover is, of course, Arlene Gray, wonderfully described in this reader's review: "Arlene cleans hotel … Continue reading New cover art for REACH THE SHINING RIVER
Excerpt from Gifts: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Kevin Stevens
From “The Return of Eddie Sloan” by Kevin Stevens: “She checked on Wardell. He was fast asleep, dreaming of sugar plums. All the doors were locked. The backyard was deserted and the thin cover of fresh snow showed no footprints. In the parlor, the Christmas tree stood lightless and lonely, the angel on top askew. … Continue reading Excerpt from Gifts: Bittersweet Christmas Stories by Kevin Stevens
“Cities, Bars, and Crime” by Kevin Stevens
These days, big cities go out of their way to proclaim their cleanliness and safety. New York, LA, London, Paris…the city fathers of each note regularly how, compared with a few decades ago, their metropolises are much better to visit and live in. Crime rates have fallen. The cops are friendly. The streets are litter-free. What vice there is is socially acceptable or decidely unseedy. And who’d have it any other way?
Well, readers of crime fiction, perhaps. Crime novels and cities go together like guns and ammo. And traditionally, dirty, unsafe streets with heavy fog and crumbling neighborhoods not only create atmosphere but plot opportunities as well.
But fiction moves with the times. And these days noir is as much a state of mind as a physical phenomenon. The twenty-first century urban landscape is slick and anonymous, at least in the developed world, and writers now look to these characteristics – while not…
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“My Literary Neighborhood” by Kevin Stevens
There ought to be a room in every house to swear in. Mark Twain
I live near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass, in a “Harlow buidling.” These beautiful brick structures were designed by Hamilton Harlow in the early decades of the twentieth century and were designed to blend in with the features of Harvard University buildings – red brick, elegant ironwork, and leaded glass windows.
It’s a cool neighborhood. A really cool neighborhood for a writer, partly because so many famous authors lived nearby. Two doors up from my building is where William Dean Howells lived in the 1870s, when he was editor of the Atlantic Monthly.
There is a great story in Justin Kaplan’s biography of Mark Twain which details Twain’s visit to this house in April, 1876, and the ill-fated attempt of Howells and Twain to get to Concord by train for centennial celebrations presided over…
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