Disinterring Coffin for Cash - 2

This is the second article offering some illumination on several background inspirations for Coffin for Cash (published 2015 by Beat to a Pulp).

Here, we’ll look at The Lenore Casino owned by Baron Hans Von Kempelen.:

‘Long before they reached the entrance to the casino complex, Cash and Corman rode past dozens of white-painted wooden posts, all lined up neatly: “Setting out the lots for the baron’s town plan,” Corman explained.

            ‘Finally, an entrance arch of Doric columns declared “The Lenore Casino”. From here curved a wide drive bordered with sagebrush flowering yellow, red, pink and orange; mixed with these were sego lily and larkspur. The drive led to a long two-story building, its veranda graced with a series of Corinthian columns. A rooftop terrace commanded a view of the surrounding countryside, and above the entrance doors, rising from the center, was a latticework tower with a huge clock-face showing Roman numerals; a big metal pendulum swung below, partly visible through a long narrow window above the entrance.

            ‘They tethered the horses at hitching rail at the front steps.

            ‘A good distance away on their right was a marble edifice, with a life-size winged angel on top.

            ‘“That’s the baron’s little mausoleum,” Corman explained, his voice thick and laced with gravel. “It’s where his wife’s buried – minus her heart.”’ (Coffin for Cash, p70)

***

Kempelen’s casino was based on the Prussian nobleman Count James Pourtales’s Broadmoor Casino near Pikes Peak in central Colorado. There is no resemblance between the fictional baron and the real Count Pourtales.

 

Pourtales was smitten since he first met his cousin Berthe in Prussia. Apparently they married young in those days: he wed Berthe in 1866, when she was fourteen and he was about the same age!

On reaching maturity, he was anxious to find some good investments to build upon his inherited wealth in Europe and found himself in Colorado, where, in 1887 he bought a failing dairy farm – about 2,000 acres – called the Broadmoor, intending to make money by selling milk and butter to the nearby growing town of Colorado Springs. As that didn’t work out so well, he then decided to establish a resort town on that land, calling it Broadmoor City. He built a dam to create a lake and felt that nearby Cheyenne Mountain would be a big beautiful attraction.

Seeking to lure prospective buyers to purchase lots, he built a pleasure palace, the Broadmoor Casino upon the dam.

The casino was enormous and grand, some 244ft alongside an artificial lake stocked with trout.

There were thirty-two Corinthian columns and it had a rooftop terrace.

The double staircase led to a grand ballroom and concert hall, three dining rooms and a salon for the ladies, plus two game rooms. There was a resident orchestra and he had acquired a French chef.

He installed gaming rooms on the first floor but intended making his profit on the sale of liquor since nearby Colorado Springs was a dry town. Whiskey was only sold as medicine in drug stores; there might have been a lot of people needing medicine, we can imagine.

The opening was on July 1, 1891. By the Fourth of July more than 15,000 people had visited the resort. Unfortunately, there were not many buyers of plots and, some eighteen months later, Colorado’s silver mining was affected by the financial panic of ’93. Pourtales declared bankruptcy. Four years afterwards, in 1897, the Broadmoor Casino was destroyed in a fire which started in the kitchen; witnesses reported hearing the booming of barrels of wines and liquors stored in the cellars.

While visiting Italy in 1908 the count died unexpectedly, aged 54; Berthe pre-deceased him in 1905.

 Coffin for Cash

Cash Laramie has been in plenty of tight spots, but this – being buried alive – may be his last! 

It all started innocently enough, as a favor for his boss, accompanying a rich woman in her search for her brother. The trail leads to The Bells, a strange hotel run by a brother and sister team, which just happens to be adjacent to the funeral parlor and cemetery...

His friend Miles is nearby, intent on escorting a suspected murderer to Cheyenne for trial. Yet Miles discovers that his charge might be not guilty, after all, and lingers to ask questions. And those inquiries mean upsetting some people, which leads to an ambush, and a final reckoning at the outlandish casino complex constructed by a wealthy bigoted German baron.

Throw into the mix the attractive Berenice, a schizophrenic bank manager, irate miners, Chinese workers, a boisterous slot machine salesman, and a devious lawyer and you have another explosive adventure for the Outlaw Marshal.

Disinterring Coffin for Cash - 1

This is the first article offering some illumination on several background inspirations for the noir western Coffin for Cash (published 2015 by Beat to a Pulp).

When asked to write my second Cash Laramie novel, I decided to try something different by paying homage to Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).

I’d recently read an interesting biography of the author by Julian Symons, entitled The Tell-Tale Heart (my blog Review – The Tell-Tale Heart, February 6, 2016) so embarked on a fascinating plotting and writing journey involving many Poe references (related in my blog Dark Echoes, October 9, 2017).

Besides the references already itemized in the blogs mentioned, there were other links:

The bank manager, who appears to be schizophrenic, is called William Wilson. Poe’s 1839 short story ‘William Wilson’ concerns a doppelganger, a ‘double’;

Mr Usher Corman is a gun-for-hire. Of course his first name is taken from Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. And Corman is a nod to the legendary film director Roger Corman who produced and directed several Poe inspired movies, among them House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tomb of Ligeia and The Premature Burial.

Indeed, almost every chapter heading relates to a person in Poe’s life or a character or place in his writing: viz. Premature burial, Berenice, Raven, Wilmot, The Bells, Amontillado, the oval portrait, pendulum and pit, and tell-tale heart.

The back cover superbly echoes the theme with a raven on the branch of a dead tree.

Coffin for Cash

Cash Laramie has been in plenty of tight spots, but this – being buried alive – may be his last! 

It all started innocently enough, as a favor for his boss, accompanying a rich woman in her search for her brother. The trail leads to The Bells, a strange hotel run by a brother and sister team, which just happens to be adjacent to the funeral parlor and cemetery...

His friend Miles is nearby, intent on escorting a suspected murderer to Cheyenne for trial. Yet Miles discovers that his charge might be not guilty, after all, and lingers to ask questions. And those inquiries mean upsetting some people, which leads to an ambush, and a final reckoning at the outlandish casino complex constructed by a wealthy bigoted German baron.

Throw into the mix the attractive Berenice, a schizophrenic bank manager, irate miners, Chinese workers, a boisterous slot machine salesman, and a devious lawyer and you have another explosive adventure for the Outlaw Marshal.

Writing – Market – Lamplight

If you write horror, noir or dark fantasy fiction, then this quarterly literary magazine might be worth consideration. Lamplight is published in print and e-book formats. They do not accept stories with the following: vampires, zombies, werewolves, serial killers, hitmen, excessive gore or sex.

At the end of the year all the quarterlies are bound together in an annual collection. Volume 1 collection, for example, is a 450-page paperback!

 

 

They’re asking for non-exclusive, worldwide, serial rights to your work for both electronic and print. As they say, “We want to publish it, we don’t want to own it.”

Payment is a flat fee rather than a by word system. For short stories - $150 per story (2,000-7,000 words). For flash fiction - $50 (1,000 words or less). If your story’s in-between, they say to “send it over and we can talk”.

They will take reprints, provided you have the rights they’re asking for.

Simultaneous submissions are okay; just let them know if it gets accepted elsewhere.

Multiple submissions will not be accepted.

Please wait for 90 days before you query.

Submission time

“As Lamplight is a quarterly, there are some reading dates associated with it. While we take submissions year round, there are cut off dates for the individual issues. The cut off dates for each of the issues are listed below.

Spring – 15 January
Summer – 15 April
Fall – 15 July
Winter – 15 October” – So, you have a few days to hit this deadline!

Where to Submit

Submit on their website. They accept most file types as well. Please use manuscript format for your story (although headers and footers are not needed).

Website:

https://lamplightmagazine.submittable.com/submit

Good luck!

FFB – Alias Thomas A. Katt

A few years ago, when I was commissioning manuscripts for a publisher, I encountered this little fantasy gem, Alias Thomas A. Katt by Bob Stewart (2011, 2014).

Of the 190+ books I accepted during my tenure, I enthused over all or I wouldn’t have accepted them, yet of all those there were a good many that seemed just that little bit extra-special. It would be invidious to list all of them, but from time to time they may crop up in this regular feature. That’s one of the most satisfying aspects of being a commissioning editor – whether for a magazine or a book publisher – opening a submission that captures you from the first page.

Thomas is a detective noir with a twist. Cat lovers will love it, as will fans of crime fiction.

This book reached the end of its initial contract and has switched publisher. It’s an e-book and paperback, now with a new beguiling cover.

 

 

Alias Thomas A. Katt - the blurb:

When Mallory opens the cage at the animal rescue center I trot out, right into her heart. She names me Thomas, a natural enough moniker for a male cat. It is a pampered life until I enter the surreal world of “feline noir” which twists my fondest dream into my worst nightmare after switching bodies with my mistress’ boyfriend, Tom A. Katt.

My fondest dream? To have human interaction with Mallory, not limited to purring and mewing.

My worst nightmare? Mallory is now on the hit list of a killer…

The dilemma: To save her by learning to successfully masquerade as a human. My knowledge of the human world is limited to television, movies, and the books Mallory reads to me on rainy New Orleans afternoons. And, how do you use those pesky opposable digits, anyway?

The horns of the dilemma: There’s always a chance we’ll switch back, leaving Mallory in deadly peril.

Normally, I’d write a review for this feature. But I’d be biased, obviously. So here are some endorsements:

Faux saints, cats who inhabit human bodies and find they can’t dog paddle when in their human state, ace cops who are also mob enforcers… all are elements in Bob Stewart’s comic novel, Alias Thomas A. Katt, that I thought might make it difficult to suspend my disbelief, but those were minor obstacles to that goal. What really posed a problem for me is I’m a cat-hater, but, from the first page I was captivated. Any fears of not being able to suspend that famous disbelief went right out the window with the contents of the litter box. This is a book chock-full of rollicking escapades, impossible situations, and improbable characters in a plot that could have been designed by Timothy Leary while “researching” illegal substances (sound track by Dylan). It’s a really cool book! What we in the writing trade are speaking of when we throw around the words “original” and “imaginative.” I give it my highest rating: Four Fur Balls.

-  Les Edgerton, author of Hooked, Finding Your Voice, Monday’s Meal, The Death of Tarpons and The Rape.

Bob Stewart has created his own niche--feline noir--in this kitty caper. When Tom Katt, a police officer and romantic interest of the lovely Mallory, switches bodies with Mallory's real cat, Thomas, the tables are turned on the bad guys. Even though he's forced to work within the boundaries of an inferior human body, Thomas still has his feline smarts. Bad kitty! takes on new meaning in this fun romp that all cat lovers will find purr-fect.

- Carolyn Haines is the author of BONES OF A FEATHER, the 11th in the Sarah Booth Delaney Delta Mystery series. www.carolynhaines.com

"It's a given that cats and crime fiction have been cozy companions since the days of Edgar Allan Poe. Now, however, Bob Stewart adds a delightful new twist, taking the reader on a charming, fast-paced, and quite inventive ride..."

-- Carlton Stowers, two-time Edgar winner

Bob Stewart is the author of four published non-fiction books, and has reported news events for popular magazines (People, Time, Life, and Latina). He has authored two plays presented by the Aggie Players at Texas A&M University, and two scripts for series television while pursuing a career in journalism. He served as associate producer for Switched at Birth, a television mini-series based on the Kimberly Mays baby switch in Florida. It was nominated for an Emmy. He has been managing editor of The Bryan Daily Eagle, The Laredo Times, and the Marshall News-Messenger. For ten years, he wrote a daily television column for the San Antonio Light. Next, he pursued a career as a freelance reporter/writer/author. In 1998, he joined the staff of People Magazine as a correspondent, working out of his San Antonio home.

 

 

His non-fiction books are:
No Remorse (Pinnacle True Crime and a True Crime Book of the Month club selection) is the true story of Texas serial killer Kenneth McDuff who was convicted of murder, then paroled, when the Supreme Court struck down the death penalty, only to go on a killing spree. McDuff was executed in October, 1998.

Revenge Redeemed (Revell ) is the true story of a Kentucky couple whose only child was killed by a drunk driver in 1972. They rehabilitated the man who killed their son and today he lives next door to them.

Sacrifice: The Drug Cult Murder of Mark Kilroy (Word Inc.) with co-author Jim Kilroy is the bizarre true story about Mexican drug smugglers who murdered Jim’s son, a University of Texas pre-med student as a human sacrifice while the youth was in Mexico on spring break.

 
Man to Man: When the Woman You Love Has Breast Cancer (St. Martin’s Press and a Literary Guild Alternate Selection) with co-author Andy Murcia, the husband of entertainer Ann Jillian.

Bob has worked on a number of national stories for People, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, the murder of Tejano singer Selena, the TWA jet crash in New York, the murder of students at schools in Pearl, Miss., Jonesboro, Ark., and Columbine in Denver, Colo., the racially-motivated murder of James Byrd in Jasper, Tx., the execution of Karla Faye Tucker, and the kidnap/murder of Mark Kilroy in Matamoras, Mexico.

FFB - Spiderweb

Robert Bloch' Spiderweb was published in 1954; this book was one of a double offer from Hard Case Crime (2008), hence the bar-code on this image and the strapline ‘Two complete novels!’ The other Bloch novel was Shooting Star. Hard Case Crime brings to a modern audience old out-of-print classic crime novels plus new writing, with covers harking back to the golden age of pulp paperbacks.

Bloch’s novel is an enjoyable crime noir about Hollywood’s dark side. Eddie Haines is a washed-up radio jockey who can’t get airtime in LA. Then he’s befriended by Professor Otto Hermann who promises to make Eddie rich. All Eddie has to do is pretend to be a gifted self-help guru to the stars. It seems that Hermann has access to many secrets of the film stars and by using Eddie in his new guise of Judson Roberts, they can fleece unsuspecting pigeons. When Eddie meets Ellen and falls in love with her, he can’t get out of his deal with Hermann – because he too was being cunningly blackmailed…

Bloch gives away some of the conman’s secrets, which should be enlightening and educational. His characters use the psychological studies of the day to good effect to work subtle and convincing scams.

There are some great one-liners in this book. As the Professor explains about one film star hooked on astrology: ‘But she won’t so much as sleep with an assistant producer without consulting the stars.’

Bloch’s horror writing style is in evidence as well: ‘Poinsettias pressed myriad bleeding mouths to a garden wall.’

And he always likes to play with words – as evinced by some of his book and short story titles. Here, he goes all alliterative: ‘I eyed elkskin and surveyed suede.’

Of course he’s a master of the hardboiled style too; this is a great description: ‘She gave a look that would have made her a fortune as a glass cutter…’

Stephen King writes of Bloch, ‘Perhaps the finest psychological horror writer.’ [He’s keeping his options open, I guess, using ‘perhaps’.]

King’s writing pal Peter Straub says, ‘Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters.’

I wouldn’t disagree with either of these gentlemen. Bloch is worth reading.

Noir mix - Crime fiction and tattoos

Noir Nation 4 - International Crime Fiction is now out in Kindle; paperback due to follow.

Noir Nation is the only crime fiction journal in the world that combines international crime fiction and tattoos. It's content is often dark, hard-boiled, sometimes creepy, but because it embraces crime fiction in all its forms, readers can also find the occasional humorous story or cozy mystery.

Noir Nation No. 4 -- The Canada Issue -- has over 20 entries from some of the very best literary crime fiction writers in the international scene, among them Lauren Cahn, Marina Perezagua, Richard Godwin, Jonathan Sturak, Melodie Campbell, Bianca Bellova, Joseph Lepis, Neliza Drew, Rob Brunet, Nik Morton, Chloe Evans, Bruce H. Markuson, Jeffery Hess, Tony Haynes, Mike O’Reilly, Gerald Seagren, Edward McDermott, Ryan Priest, Peter Anderson, Al Cerda, Joseph Trigoboff, and Mary Agnes Fleming. (Official blurb)

This issue is dedicated to Kofi Awoonor (1935-2013), Ghanaian poet, who was murdered by terrorists in the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, September 2013. Men with guns may end lives, but they can't silence the words that live after the victims.

My story 'Sleep Well, My Darling' has gained the subtitle 'Buying a bed can land you in deep water' which appeals to me, I must admit, considering the noir subject...

The story begins:

Graham Turner first suspected his brother John’s death wasn’t accidental when he attended the funeral.

Each article, short story or poem is interspersed with colourful tattoo art.