Nick Kolakowski's Blog - Posts Tagged "fiction"
New Book Out!
Over the past few years, I’ve published several hardboiled tales of mayhem and murder in a handful of publications: Thuglit, Shotgun Honey, Crime Syndicate Magazine, etc. Now I’ve collected them together along with an all-new novella set in Brooklyn. “Somebody’s Trying to Kill Me” is now available in paperback and Kindle:
Here's the Amazon description:
"A bounty hunter tears through the underworld in search of a pair of stolen assault rifles. Somewhere in the Southwestern desert, a college dropout trades textbooks and keggers for ripping off mob dealers. Up in Harlem, a liquor-store owner gambles with his life during a high-stakes robbery, while down in Brooklyn, a penniless novelist finds himself tangled in a mystery involving tattooed freaks, damaged supermodels, and hipsters who can’t shoot straight.
"SOMEBODY’S TRYING TO KILL ME features seventeen adrenaline-charged noir thrillers, including the titular novella. Some of these dark tales have been published in Thuglit, Shotgun Honey, Crime Syndicate, and other crime-fiction magazines; more are all new; and every single one of them is guaranteed to keep you turning pages until dawn."
(And if you've read down this far, you'll learn that we're doing an Amazon giveaway tomorrow, because why not?)
Here's the Amazon description:
"A bounty hunter tears through the underworld in search of a pair of stolen assault rifles. Somewhere in the Southwestern desert, a college dropout trades textbooks and keggers for ripping off mob dealers. Up in Harlem, a liquor-store owner gambles with his life during a high-stakes robbery, while down in Brooklyn, a penniless novelist finds himself tangled in a mystery involving tattooed freaks, damaged supermodels, and hipsters who can’t shoot straight.
"SOMEBODY’S TRYING TO KILL ME features seventeen adrenaline-charged noir thrillers, including the titular novella. Some of these dark tales have been published in Thuglit, Shotgun Honey, Crime Syndicate, and other crime-fiction magazines; more are all new; and every single one of them is guaranteed to keep you turning pages until dawn."
(And if you've read down this far, you'll learn that we're doing an Amazon giveaway tomorrow, because why not?)
A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps
So the Amazon pre-order for my new noir novel, “A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps,” is live. Here’s the description:
Bill is a hustler’s hustler with a taste for the high life. He pulls off big scores for one of New York City’s more vicious gangs…until he suddenly grows a conscience. However, living the clean life takes a whole lot of money, and so Bill decides to steal a fortune from his employer before skipping town.
With a bag of cash in the trunk of his car, Bill heads west, ready for a new life. But all that money makes him a tempting target for some bad people he meets on the road—and if that wasn’t dangerous enough, some old friends are close behind him, and they intend to make a trophy of his head.
Pursued by crooked cops, dimwitted bouncers, and a wisecracking assassin in the midst of a midlife crisis, Bill will need to be a quick study in the way of the gun if he wants to survive his own getaway. Who knew that an honest attempt at redemption could rack up a body count like this?
‘A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps’ is a gonzo noir journey into obsession, violence, and the power of love.
Release date is May 12. Pre-order for the e-book version will go live before that.
Bill is a hustler’s hustler with a taste for the high life. He pulls off big scores for one of New York City’s more vicious gangs…until he suddenly grows a conscience. However, living the clean life takes a whole lot of money, and so Bill decides to steal a fortune from his employer before skipping town.
With a bag of cash in the trunk of his car, Bill heads west, ready for a new life. But all that money makes him a tempting target for some bad people he meets on the road—and if that wasn’t dangerous enough, some old friends are close behind him, and they intend to make a trophy of his head.
Pursued by crooked cops, dimwitted bouncers, and a wisecracking assassin in the midst of a midlife crisis, Bill will need to be a quick study in the way of the gun if he wants to survive his own getaway. Who knew that an honest attempt at redemption could rack up a body count like this?
‘A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps’ is a gonzo noir journey into obsession, violence, and the power of love.
Release date is May 12. Pre-order for the e-book version will go live before that.
Tech in Crime Fiction
Hey everybody!
Over at Crimespree Magazine, I wrote a (brief) blog post about the use of technology in crime fiction. Specifically, I talk about how tech can (and often does) serve as a MacGuffin (“We must find the USB drive with the incriminating photos on it!”), an effective Deus ex machina (“My hacking skills will let us escape this impossible situation!”), and, in the case of a lot of thrillers and mysteries, a horrifying or hilarious way to kill people.
So if you're looking for a little Friday reading, check it out:
http://crimespreemag.com/hackers-and-...
In that posting, I also included a YouTube clip that inspired one of the wilder sequences in "A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps."
Over at Crimespree Magazine, I wrote a (brief) blog post about the use of technology in crime fiction. Specifically, I talk about how tech can (and often does) serve as a MacGuffin (“We must find the USB drive with the incriminating photos on it!”), an effective Deus ex machina (“My hacking skills will let us escape this impossible situation!”), and, in the case of a lot of thrillers and mysteries, a horrifying or hilarious way to kill people.
So if you're looking for a little Friday reading, check it out:
http://crimespreemag.com/hackers-and-...
In that posting, I also included a YouTube clip that inspired one of the wilder sequences in "A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps."
Newsletter!
You know what humankind needs? Another newsletter. Seriously. Everyone's email inbox is far too empty these days.
Fortunately, I have a solution. I promise - pinky swear! - that I will only fire a newsletter into your inbox once a month, and that it will be filled with only the most delicious content and links. That means not only my stuff (articles, upcoming books, chapter excerpts, etc.) but also things I've found interesting (other folks' books, music, etc.).
Fortunately, I have a solution. I promise - pinky swear! - that I will only fire a newsletter into your inbox once a month, and that it will be filled with only the most delicious content and links. That means not only my stuff (articles, upcoming books, chapter excerpts, etc.) but also things I've found interesting (other folks' books, music, etc.).
Giveaway!
We have a Goodreads giveaway going for "A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps: five signed copies that'll go to lucky winners. Check it out.
MADAM TOMAHAWK is here!
Happy New Year, everyone! We're starting 2023 off with a bang with MADAM TOMAHAWK, the next book in the long-running "Grifter's Song" series from Down & Out Books. In this episode, our fabulous con artists, Sam and Rachel, accidentally end up giving a master class in how to hide a gruesomely dispatched body.
They've barely managed to clean off the blood when they're quickly embroiled in a power struggle with the shadowy elite of the nation’s capital. Can Sam and Rachel match wits with these hidden movers and shakers? Or will they find themselves crushed underfoot? MADAM TOMAHAWK is available on Kindle and KindleUnlimited, with a paperback edition (complete with other episodes) dropping later this year!
They've barely managed to clean off the blood when they're quickly embroiled in a power struggle with the shadowy elite of the nation’s capital. Can Sam and Rachel match wits with these hidden movers and shakers? Or will they find themselves crushed underfoot? MADAM TOMAHAWK is available on Kindle and KindleUnlimited, with a paperback edition (complete with other episodes) dropping later this year!
