Pulp Factory Award Nomination - "Knights of the Silver Cross"

Yes, last year's "Knights of the Silver Cross" for ProSe Productions' 1950s Western Roundup has been nominated for a Pulp Factory Award!

You'll find the full press release via this Patreon post).

The public can vote for nominees until March 15th via this link. 

You'll find my "writer's commentary" via this link.

Thanks!

Where Stories Come From: "Publish or Perish" - MARTY QUADE

(Revised 03/04/2024)

(If you want more essays and other exclusive content, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor!)

I've always believed that most young men (or, more specifically, most young white men) tend to gravitate and get their philosophies from one of two authors: Ayn Rand or Raymond Chandler.

I'm grateful I chose the latter since I spent my college and graduate school years poring over hardboiled detective novels. It started with Robert B. Parker's Spenser, with his unconventional morality (see Early Autumn, Ceremony, A Savage Place, and Taming a Sea Horse for details). That led to Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, Jim Thompson, and Sara Paretsky...yes, I was a moody young man, wasn't I?

But all of them wrote about men with their own codes of honor, who could aim wisecracks as well as their guns...and I was hooked.

So when Ron Fortier of Airship 27 asked me to contribute to this anthology shortly after the publication of "The Magnificent Anderson" in Black Bat Mystery - Volume 3,  I jumped at the opportunity.  Thanks to a recent reading of The Pulp Jungle by Frank Gruber (motivated by one of my mother's coworkers who claimed to be the writer's daughter-in-law) that helped me develop my writing/work ethic...both spurred me to write a tale set in the pulp-writing industry.

(No, I didn't know about William Bogart's Hell on Friday, which is now in my to-read pile).

Shortly after being commissioned, I served on a panel for the DePaul Pop Culture Conference Celebration of Joss Whedon. Much of the "fuel" for the story came from a conversation with a fellow Chicago Nerd Social Club board member (who I thought was full of themselves at the time; we've since reconciled) and meeting a fellow CNSC member (who subconsciously served as the model for one of the lead characters).

As I explain in the essay that accompanies "Publish or Perish" in Marty Quade, Volume One, writing the story was not easy...but once I got the hang of it, prose came out almost lightning fast. It also helped that I could download and read various Quade stories (which  I've linked to in this sponsor-only Patreon update).

But it's one of the first stories where I "hit my stride" in terms of writing; there was a comfort level there (I had invented my own "hardboiled" character - a social worker who was a cop's son - in college), and I felt like I was "in my territory."

Honestly, I want to return to the world of Marty Quade...and I have a corker of an idea. The title alone tells the story...but one step at a time.

So please buy Marty Quade, Volume One...if only to justify Airship 27 commissioning Volume Two. You can find that and other things I've written via my Amazon author page. 

Become My Patreon Sponsor & Snag My Autograph (and Other Goodies)

As the above video states, you can get an autographed copy of Always Punch Nazis by sponsoring me on Patreon.

(Or you can order Always Punch Nazis via Etsy...but no autograph)

Hey, Look! I'm On Patreon (And Elsewhere on the Net!)

Now that I'm a semi-professional author (meaning that I still need a day job), I've decided to open up and start a Patreon page! If you're looking to join an exclusive community and get some great perks, please head over to http://www.patreon.com/gordondymowski and become a monthly sponsor!

Of course, I'm not a big shot like Scott Adams, the guy who created Dilbert. He's a bit touchy, especially when confronted on his statements. So learn how you, too, can get blocked on Twitter by Scott Adams of Dilbert (like I did!)

And yes, back again after too long a time, I've written a post for I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere focusing on a tale of Moriarity!

In a slightly related note, I'm proud that this blog post on male depression was named one of Chicago Now's Best Posts of June 2018

Finally, via Sean Taylor's blog, a conversation about plotting vs. pantsing when writing stories

Chicago Doctor Who Meetup's Now on Patreon!

As many of you know, I run the Chicago Doctor Who Meetup, which runs screenings, social events, and basically works to reach to Doctor Who fans throughout the city of Chicago.

But running the Meetup can be challenging, especially when many costs are out-of-pocket. Currently, we have been able to pay our Meetup fees through member donations, but with an increased demand for more Doctor Who-related events, we need more resources.

So I'm happy to announce that today, we're launching the Chicago Doctor Who Meetup Patreon page, located at

https://www.patreon.com/ChicagoDrWhoMeetup

We're fortunate enough to have a healthy following on our Facebook page, but an enthusiastic Facebook following does not necessarily translate into equally enthusiastic attendance. 

I'm reaching out to our members - obviously, they're our first customers, but I'm asking for your help, dear reader.

Please feel free to forward this post (and/or the Patreon link) via social media. Yes, it may not make sense to reach non-Chicago residents, but the more we can get exposure...the more likely we are to get sponsored via Patreon. 

So if you can help, please do...because I love running the Chicago Doctor Who Meetup, and want to be sure it stays running.