The Abysmal Brutes: Recent Episodes
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We attempt to uncover the secrets of pop culture storytelling by beating it over the head with a blunt instrument.
Welcome to our short fiction review we’re calling Space and Grit. We’re talking about two different genres of fiction in this episode. One with roots in bleak crime fiction. The other soars through the realm of the fantastic.
Chris McGinley a writer out of Lexington, KY spins yarns mostly dealing with eastern Kentucky Appalachian culture dealing with the despair of modern troubles. These are hardscrabble kinfolk searching their worst natures for a semblance of self-worth. Some bad-tempered lawmen, conniving thieves, and the footfalls of supernatural haint mixing about the hills and holler makes for a gritty collection of crime stories in Chris McGinley’s “Coal Black”.
Coal Black by Chris McGinley
All Worlds Wayfarer IX is the Summer Issue of this stellar speculative fiction magazine. Fifteen wonderful tales of imaginative fiction. A few stories stood out for us. “Ballad of the Monsoon Seas” by Avra Margariti whose pirate Captain Kyran seeks a blessing from a priestess. An inventive playing with the storytelling form in “The Parking Level” by Victoria K. Martin. A space opera story of a Commander seeking a rare Ghost Particle that links with his past in “Ghosted” by W. E. Wertenberger.* “The Jogger” by Jenny Maloney was one of the best short stories Rob read all year. It plays with immortality and to say anything about it would give the fun of discovery away. This issue is packed with far-reaching tales well worth the price of admission.
*Full Disclosure- That Wertenberger is indeed the co-host of the Abysmal Brutes. Blatant self-promotion. So blatant.
http://www.allworldswayfarer.com/
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “This Town”
The Abysmal Brutes wrap up our Submission Experiment Project X. Bill and Rob both submitted one of their short stories to the same magazine hoping to make it in the same issue. We toyed around with different genres and finally settled on science fiction. Bill’s story was “The Three Egg Revolution” and Rob submitted “Born Under the Unceasing Eye”. The struggle was real. Listen to the episode to find out what magazine we selected and what results we had from our efforts.
Music: “Back to Me” Matt Mitchell Project
Are you looking for thrilling short fiction to read? That pulpy goodness that makes your pulse race? Then look no further than your nearest portal to the internet. There is a multitude of genres to read online. Westerns, crime, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi all at your fingertips and most often for free. Bill and Rob highlight a few of their favorite online fiction magazines. And please support these magazines if you can by reading the stories, purchasing merchandise, or backing their Patreon accounts. This is a labor of love for most magazines. If you love good fiction, you need to back it up with a little spiritual or financial bankrolling.
Music: “Glad You’re Gone” Matt Mitchell Project
Magazines mentioned in the episode:
https://frontiertales.com/
http://www.toughcrime.com/
https://www.swordsandsorcerymagazine.com/index.html
https://www.shotgunhoney.com/
https://fudokimagazine.com/
https://www.bristolnoir.co.uk/
One dream of ours is to have stories in the same publication together. In this episode, the Abysmal Brutes have a little debate, a tete-a-tete that will lead to a series of further episodes called the Submission Experiment. Bill and I will present some potential short fiction markets that we think we can both publish in. Out of this list of magazines or anthologies, we will choose one. This choice will remain secret and be our Project X. After our decision, in future episodes we will let you in on our process. From gathering ideas, to actually writing our stories following with submitting them to the publication. Finally, the last episode in this series will hopefully be about both of our acceptance into the same magazine.
*Recorded at an outdoor location that may or may not be a lost bird sanctuary.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Top of the World”
Flash Fiction! Ah-ah It'll save every one of us
Flash Fiction! Ah-ah It's a miracle
Flash Fiction! Ah-ah Prose of the impossible*
The Abysmal Brutes give some tips on writing flash fiction. There are a lot of flash fiction markets out there. A lot of opportunities to test yourself. You may have a short time to tell a tale but take your reader on a journey. It’s best to limit your characters. You can’t write Ocean’s Eleven instead lean more towards Ocean One. Flash fiction doesn’t require a huge investment of time to write but it does require your entire focus. And the last tip is just common sense. Read a lot of flash fiction. There are great online flash fiction publishers out there to enjoy.
*Hat tip to Queen from the 1980 space opera film Flash Gordon.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Back to Me”
Are you afraid to explore the themes hidden in your fiction? Do you question your place as a writer? Welcome to the everyday life of the Abysmal Brutes. In this episode, we examine where we are at this moment as writers, do a little autopsy on our writing pattern and style then commiserate about the results. Bill is not of fan of holding a mirror up to his stories. Rob wonders if he should write in different genres or focus on a singular voice that carries over to all genres. If you have questions about your own writing identity, maybe laughing at the lad’s foibles will make you appreciate your own writing process. Come join us.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Glad You’re Gone”
The town of Copper Canyon is ripe for the picking and cold, methodical Parker has just the gang and plans to get away with all the loot. The Abysmal Brutes take an eye to a classic crime novel “The Score” by Richard Stark. Richard Stark aka Donald Westlake created one of the most iconic ruthless criminals in all of fiction. Bill admires Parker as someone who takes his profession seriously. Rob marvels at the pragmatic use of structure in a Parker novel. The guys take on all aspects of Parker and his associates attempt to pull off the heist of an entire town.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Top of the World”
The Abysmal Brutes take a look at how short fiction magazines cultivate readers. Is it better to offer free content? Or should readers pay for the fiction they want? How do we support all the magazines and anthologies that come out every month? Even if we bought everything we could afford, how can we read all of these great works of fiction? There are a lot of questions to mull over in building a lasting readership. We don’t have all the answers. We’re just a couple of Pop Culture loving bums doing our best to support creators in this age of non-stop story streaming venues.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "Life in Stereo"
"Slow Bear" by Anthony Neil Smith is full of dark humor and vile characters. Some trying to do the right thing. Whatever that means to them. Take ex-rez cop Micah “Slow Bear” Cross, the one time he attempted to be a hero he got his damn arm shot off. Hell if he’ll play the hero again. The Abysmal Brutes review Anthony Neil Smith’s wonderfully noir novella from Fahrenheit 13. Rob digs all the effed up characters and cinematic action. Bill wishes he could write hard-boiled prose so smoothly. We want more tales of Slow Bear to read and so will you after reading “Slow Bear”
Music: This Town by Matt Mitchell Project
https://www.anthonyneilsmith.com/
https://fahrenheit-press.myshopify.com/
Do you like unapologetic fiction about stolen memories, cyber- augmented guns for hire, synthetic Femme Fatales, super soldier war vets, cyborg bad betties, and finders of lost souls? Switchblade Magazine launched a special TechNoir issue that pumps fresh neon blood into the dystopian cyberpunk genre. Editor Scotch Rutherford torqued his creative engine to make TechNoir a giant double magazine as well with an assist from brother publication Pulp Modern. These Blade Runner-esque magazines get the Abysmal Brutes seal of approval. Rob rallies everyone to support risk-taking independent and small press publications. Bill applauds the quality of fiction and the beauty of the magazine design. Check out this episode for a spoiler-free review of Switchblade Magazine TechNoir.
http://www.switchblademag.com/
http://pulp-modern.blogspot.com/
Sitting in your email inbox is the thirty-sixth rejection for “King Kang Lives!” You sent it to every short story magazine and anthology the submission database offered. Some have received the story twice after a couple of rewrites. What the Hell is wrong with them? What the Hell is wrong with your story? Is it time to put it in the Trunk with the other rejects? The Abysmal Brutes mull these questions over in their latest episode. All you need is one magazine, one editor, one reader to believe in your story.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Top of the World”
You’re not that funny and no one cares how many fur babies you have. In this episode, the Abysmal Brutes take on their most controversial subject yet…the author's bio. That little author bio at the end of the story that identifies you to the reader can be illuminating or render you a laughing stock. And that is something completely in your control. Slow down and treat your bio with as much respect as you do your other writing craft. Self-deprecation can be good but in small doses. Less is more in the Abysmal Brutes' humble opinion.
Special Alert: If you correctly count how many times Rob yawns in this episode and email it to email@theabysmalbrutes.com , we will send you a prestigious No-Prize*
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “This Town”
*the Abysmal Brutes have no authority to present the so mentioned No-Prize as Marvel Comic’s lawyers have so succinctly warned us in multiple letters.
When someone asks you what you do at a party, what do you tell them? Do you tell them you are a writer or do you tell them you sell widgets for the Acme Corporation? The Abysmal Brutes converse on establishing your self-identity as a writer. We reveal how other writers established their identities. Rob jabbers on about “Creative Quest” by Questlove and “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Bill compares his identity to a hollow chocolate Easter bunny. But he's no nihilist dammit! How do you want to be known as a writer? Only you have the answer but the Abysmal Brutes provide some guiding questions.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “Life in Stereo”
“I don't know why Hollywood is fascinated by my book when they never care to film it as I wrote it,” said Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend. With the giant thud that was the ending of Game of Thrones on HBO fresh in our minds, the Abysmal Brutes thought it would be interesting to explore what happened. Is the novel, novella, short story or comic book inherently incompatible with film or TV? Alan Moore, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and many others have had their work adapted to the cinematic medium. Where the creators as happy as the audience? Bill and Rob jibber jabber about all perspectives on their latest episode.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "Top of the World"
The Abysmal Brutes are back with a vengeance! Life issues caused us to take a longer than wanted hiatus. As we always say life intrudes but you have to make the time to write. This episode we catch up on what we have been reading and writing since our break. We rap about mystery series, value of research and literate tough guys. Writers name-dropped are Ken Bruen, Robert Crais, Larry Correia, S.A. Cosby, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Gabino Iglesias, Ed Brubaker, Laird Barron, Hampton Fancher and Joe R. Lansdale. Rob and Bill share their recent writing success. Bill published “Shakedown in Deadtown” at Close 2 the Bone. Rob got his sci-fi yarn “Sundown” accepted for Switchblade Magazine’s upcoming Tech Noir issue. So go forth faithful listeners and make the time to claw, bleed and create.
Produced by Phyllis Jean Wertenberger
Music: Matt Mitchell Project “This Town”
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/?p=5099
https://twitter.com/SwitchbladeMag
Bang! Does your big fight scene explode off the page? Pow! Or is it boring and drawn out like a bad Saturday Night Live skit? Zing! This show’s topic comes from an article on the Do Some Damage group blog called “Your Fight Scene Sucks, Fight Me!” by David Nemeth. Rob and Bill examine the premise of this article and whether fight scenes suck or are just poorly written. We hit on Don Pendelton’s “The Executioner” novels, sword and sorcery tales, Laird Barron, Frank Bill, Joe Abercrombie, Sam Hawken, Nicola Griffith and Charlie Huston. No punches are pulled on this episode of the Abysmal Brutes!
http://www.dosomedamage.com/2018/09/your-fight-scene-sucks-fight-me.html
https://unlawfulacts.net/
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "Top Of The World"
Lyrical violence is the currency of the two books reviewed on this episode of The Abysmal Brutes. Frank Bill’s prose in “The Savage” is of the dirt but of the heaven too. In “Blood Standard” by Laird Barron, a new kind of private detective Isaiah Coleridge attempts labours on par with any mythological hero. Both authors stretched their muscles to write something further from their previous fiction. Bill and Rob found both efforts a success and believe you will too. So come listen to us mix metaphors as we review these gritty novels. And beware, spoilers ahead.
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "This Town"
It’s July. We are half way through 2018 and The Abysmal Brutes are looking back at what they’ve dug so far. On the TV front, shows like The Terror and Legion. Authors Sam Wiebe, William Boyle, Kristen Lepionka, Laird Barron, Jonathan Ames and Caitlin R. Kiernan released excellent fiction this year. The cinematic front brought You Were Never Really Here, Annihilation, Red Sparrow, Quiet Place and Black Sparrow. Of course Bill throws an anachronistic curve ball by including older pop culture consumed this year. He wouldn't be Bill if he didn't. And there may or may not be an Abysmal Brutes Festival on the horizon.
https://lairdbarron.wordpress.com/
https://williammichaelboyle.com/
Caitlin R Kiernan
http://www.kristenlepionka.com/books/
Pop Culture storytelling is in a deficit right now. Blockbuster movies are bust. Television shows make dark, unrelenting melodramas. And can there be a novel without the title “A Girl in the…”? Have we heard, read and seen every story there is? Has the expressive voice of the creator been muted by studio or publisher bottom lines? Half of the Abysmal Brutes believes there is no ceiling on wondrous tales now and to come. The other half doubts the current path of cinema, television and other storytelling mediums. Is it us? Is it you? Or does everything just suck?
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "This Town"
George Savile, a British statesman and writer from the 1600’s wrote, “A man may dwell so long upon a thought that it may take him prisoner.” Our obsessions can hold us captive or set us free. Why not use writing as the key to your freedom? Allow your thrilling thoughts to ignite your fiction. Rob and Bill explore their own intrusive passions in creating characters and fictional landscapes. Hell, they even quibble on what is an obsession. Perhaps one of the Abysmal Brutes compulsions is to argue over the trivial. Join us this episode to find out!
Music: Matt Mitchell Project "This Town"