Nuyorican Obituary

Due out this June from Akashic Books: ”Brand-new stories by: Mistina Bates, Jean Rae Baxter, Lawrence Block, Joseph Bruchac, David Cole, Reed Farrel Coleman, O’Neil De Noux, A.A. Hedge Coke, Gerard Houarner, Liz Martinez, R. Narvaez, Kimberly Roppolo, Leonard Schonberg, and Melissa Yi. With a foreword by Richard B. Williams, president & CEO of the American Indian College Fund.” Edited by the wonderful Sarah Cortez and amazing Liz Martinez.

My story “In the Kitchen with Johnny Albino” from Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery is featured on the scholar and gentleman Seth Harwood’s crime short story podcast CrimeWAV. Very big thank you to Seth. I hope you all enjoy the show.

I had a great time reading with a couple of my Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery homeboys Carlos Hernandez and Sergio Troncoso for the Hudson Valley Writers Center in Sleepy Hollow, New York, on July 12. We went a-riding up there together. The actual reading was at Que Chula es Puebla, a charming Mexican restaurant with great guac and tacos al carbon. As well as gin and tonic. (Yeah, I wanted to drink margaritas before a reading, but then thought better of it. Maybe next time.) Thanks again to the lovely people at HVW for having us — and to Sergio, for arranging the whole thing, and for driving!

My story “Rough Night in Toronto” is now up at Plots with Guns. The editors of this normally noir site (in which, natch, every story involves a gun) this issue decided to venture into the future — 500 years into the future — to see what pistol-packing pieces of prose would be produced. Thanks to editor Anthony Neil Smith for giving my story a nod. “Rough Night” involves killer androids, terrorists, and a sap with a weapon. The title and a couple character names reference an old Dean Martin movie for no reason at all and without any impact at all on the plot or enjoyment of the story; that was just to help me get started on writing it. Having said that, I think it could be a movie on its own starring, ummm, anyone but Will Smith. But, Will, baby, if you’re interested, let’s have lunch. Let me know what you think.

I had the pleasure of reading from my story “In the Kitchen with Johnny Albino” from Hit List at the East Harlem Cafe, at Lex and 104th Street last night. I read with (left to right) Carlos Hernandez, Liz Martinez, and Sergio Troncoso. Great little place, terrific audience. The event was sponsored by the good people at La Casa Azul Bookstore. Buy their books! People actually bought books — so we must be doing something right. Thanks to everyone who showed. And to those of you who didn’t, you have been de-friended from my Facebook list. Cheers! I think you can see my haircut here. Photo supplied by Aurora Anaya-Cerda. Thanks, Aurora!

Huzzah! Yesterday I was interviewed by Victor Cruz (you know that face) and Gil-T (no relation to Mr. T, but possibly to Royal T?) on Urban Latino Radio, a very cool and hyper-fun (and intellectual-like) Internet-based radio show. Studio over in DUMBO, right by the water — lovely view. Anyway, you’ll be able to hear the interview via their podcast. I was there to chat about Hit List and the La Casa Azul-sponsored reading at the East Harlem Cafe. I think, among all the odd directions our conversation took, I got to mention those things. I was there along with Aurora Anaya-Cerda of La Casa Azul Bookstore and the talented  Sergio Troncoso, one of the other writers from the book. It was a lot of fun, reminded me of my old  days in college radio. But it smelled a lot better and I was sober. Thank, fellas!

Recent events have reminded how Big Brotherish all this new social networking technology is. A friend at work was vilified for honestly speaking her mind on Twitter. She didn’t lose her job, but she got the modern equivalent of the stocks. I’ve always known that corporations have more rights than people, but to see it in action is pretty damned scary.

In related news, after that I went onto Twitter just to see what damage I could do to my career and actually I was “followed” by a new Twitter-size literary magazine, Baby Trotsky, so I sent them a less-than-140-character story (character meaning letters and spaces, not protagonists), and, holy Winston Smith, it got published. Try and find it if you can. After all, everything is findable on the Interweb.

I will be signing copies of Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery at BookExpo America on Saturday, May 30, from 3:30-4:30 p.m., at the Javits Center. Maybe I will see you there. I’m at the point in my career where it would still be charming to have a stalker. Next year, I hope, not so much. So this would be the time.

Holy mama! I received a copy of the book featuring my first story in a book compilation, Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery. But I’m at work in my cubicle, so I will not be able to shout in joy about it till  end of day.

In related news, I will be reading from and signing copies of Hit List at La Casa Azul Bookstore, 1651 Lexington Avenue (at 104th Street), on Thursday, May 14, 6–8 p.m., with my List cohorts Steven Torres, Carlos Hernandez, and Sergio Troncoso.

Phil, I hope you’ve ordered your copy already!

I was flipping through Patrick Shawn Bagley’s Bitter Water blog when I came across a reference to myself! Who doesn’t love that kind of stuff? Apparently, The Best American Mystery Stories 2008 (Houghton Mifflin), edited by George Pelecanos, was released in December. While I am not included in the main anthology, my short story “Roachkiller,” which appeared in Murdaland (RIP!)(*sigh*), did make Pelecanos and series editor Otto Penzler’s list of Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2007, in the back, p. 423. Hey Ma, check it out! This is a very good thing! I went out right away–I mean, I went further online right away–and ordered a copy to doublecheck that I was not dreaming and that Patrick was not shortsheeting me. (FYI: Patrick is a fellow editor of The Lineup.) Thanks, Bagley, for catching that, and thanks also to Pelecanos and Penzler for the nod. Drinks for everyone!