Friday at NoirCon 2010

Not everyone is lucky enough to be hanging in Philadelphia this weekend, so pay attention to this space (and my Twitter feed at twitter.com/swierczy) for updates throughout the weeekend. First up: the notorious "noir and porn" panel at 9 a.m. Because there's nothing better than noir and porn for breakfast.

NoirCon, Pre and Post

NoirCon kicks off in Philadelphia this Thursday, and I couldn't be more excited. Bouchercon is always a blast, but there's something to be said for the smaller, more intimate cons.

If you're anywhere near Philadelphia... or could be!... it's not too late. You can still register and hang out with crime fiction superstars like Megan Abbott, Scott Phillips, George Pelecanos, Christa Faust, Daniel Woodrell and Reed Farrel Coleman (to name just a few). The program is action-packed. The conversation (and drinks) will be flowing. All this, and the City of Brotherly Love, too!

There are also two NoirCon-related, off-campus events I want to mention (and no registration required:

This Wednesday night, NoirCon Eve, Mike White will be signing his fantastic Impossibly Funky: A Cashiers Du Cinemart Collection, at Brickbat Books (7 p.m., 709 South Fourth Street, Philadelphia PA 19147). Packed with groovy film writing, Funky also includes some mighty fine pieces on David Goodis, James Ellroy and Richard Stark's Parker novels. Secret Dead Blog approves.

And then on Sunday afternoon, Philadelphia Noir editor Carlin Romano along with a whole gaggle of contributors, including yours truly, Dennis Tafoya, Meredith Anthony, Keith Gilman and Jim Zervanos, will be reading/signing/hanging at the Moonstone Arts Center (a.k.a. Robin's Books). The event starts at 2 p.m., right around the time your hangover will start to wear off.

If you're attending any part of NoirCon, sound off in the comments section. And if not, check this blog and my Twitter feed (twitter.com/swierczy) for updates straight from the underbelly of the con.

NoirCon 2: This Time, It's Personal

Prepare your children! Warn your spouses! From the laboratory of mad noir genius Dr. Louis Boxer comes the official word...

NoirCon 2010 – International Noir
November 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th

Johnny Temple – Recipient of the Jay and Deen Kogan Award for Excellence in Publishing
George Pelecanos – Recipient of the David L. Goodis Award

NoirCon 2010 Headquarters:
Society Hill Playhouse
507 South 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Website: www.NoirCon.com
Contact: info@noircon.com

Registration Information:
$180 (Award Banquet included) BEFORE December 31, 2009
$200 (Award Banquet included) AFTER January 1, 2010
$50 (Award Banquet for Spouse of Registrant)
$50 Last Call Panel – Sunday for Non-registrants
$160 per night at the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia

NoirCon Hotel:
Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia
237 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19107-5686
215-893-1600

“Years down the pike, the boast will be: 'NoirCon. I was there.’” --Ken Bruen

(Photo of the Alto Nido by the Bride.)

NoirCon Hangover: The Next NoirCon

Yesterday, NoirCon mastermind Lou Boxer sent out an email thank you to all participants, which included first word of the Philly con's sequel:

Your support and participation made NoirCon a very rewarding experience for me. On a selfish note, I cannot wait to do it again. The incredible warmth and congeniality that swept through Philadelphia this April will set a high bar for the next NoirCon (no pun intended!). I hope you will consider joining us for NoirCon 2010.

Lou also noted that the event raised close to two grand for Awassa Children's Project. Not bad for a room full of dark and gloomy noir types.

NoirCon Hangover: Free Redheads for the Asking

At NoirCon I ran into noir fiction lover Eric Campbell, who introduced himself and told me he dug my books. Which is always cool to hear. Then he continued: "But I ought to take you outside and beat the living crap out of you." Okay, maybe those weren't his exact words, but something along those lines. Then Eric explained: he was sore that the paperback edition of The Blonde included a short story sequel ("Redhead"), and he'd already shelled out for the hardcover edition.

I was happy to tell him that a .pdf of "Redhead" was his for the asking, as it is for everyone. All you have to do is drop me a short email (duane.swier AT verizon.net) with the subject line "Send me a Redhead," and give me some small indication that you've read The Blonde. No purchase required; I just want to make sure "Redhead" won't ruin the main novel for you. Offer lasts... pretty much forever. Or until an EMP blast wipes all .pdf copies from the face of the earth.

NoirCon Hangover: The Busted Flush Guy

David Thompson, owner of Busted Flush Press and assistant manager at Houston's Murder by the Book (Thursday, April 3, 2008).

NoirCon Hangover: Poe Boy and the Professor

Ed Pettit and Dan Wolkow, in the lobby of the Society Hill Playhouse (Thursday, April 3, 2008).

NoirCon Hangover: The Black Mask Boys

Shannon Clute and Richard Edwards, hosts of the podcasts "Behind the Black Mask: Mystery Writers Revealed" and "Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir," outside the Society Hill Playhouse (Thursday, April 3, 2008).

NoirCon Hangover: Georges Simenon

One of the highlights of NoirCon (this past weekend; no, I didn't blog about it this weekend; yes, I suck) was listening to Scott Phillips and Bill Boyle talk about Georges Simenon. For years I'd written ol' Georges off as the author of a detective series that looked a bit too stuffy for my tastes. Then Al Guthrie turned me on to his short "hard" (or "pure") novels, and the scales fell from eyes. Simenon's stuff can be as bleak as it gets, and that's what Scott and Bill discussed, as well as Simenon's amazing writing process and his love of simple language. I could have listened to those guys for hours, even though I was still suffering from a mind-crippling hangover at 2 p.m.

Coincidentally, Bruce Grossman over at Bookgasm mentioned a paperback called For Bond Lovers Only, a collection of James Bond/Ian Fleming essays, and it includes a piece about Fleming and Simenon. I read the "The Thriller Business" last night, and right in the middle is the best defense of the "short novel" I've ever heard. (This is Simenon talking.) Right on Georges! Anyway, For Bond Lovers Only is worth tracking down this piece alone.

"I have a theory about the novel. We do not write novels as they did in Dickens' time. For many reasons. First there is photography. We do not have to describe any more. Everybody has seen the Eiffel Tower. There are many problems we do not have to explain any more. What Balzac had to explain we do not have to. Now in every newspaper there are articles telling you almost everything. We do not have to write long novels any more. A novel ought to be read in one sitting. You would not go one day to see the first act of Hamlet and one week later the second. It is the same with the novel. This is why I choose to write short novels."

Right on Georges! Anyway, For Bond Lovers Only is worth tracking down this piece alone. The cheesecake shots of the Bond girls aren't bad, either.