Wild Weather

Wrath of God?
Can somebody tell me what's up with the weather? I don't care where you live, the weather has been doing some mighty strange stuff. Today, we had another nasty thunderstorm in the Mohawk Valley. Within one week we had the hottest day on record and the most rainfall ever measured. It makes you wonder if its the wrath of God. All I can say is, something is fishy in river city.

Lemons Never Lie
I'm currently reading the book Lemons Never Lie by Richard Stark. This is one heckuva great book. Kudos to Hard Case Crime. I have yet to read anything but outstanding stories in their line. This book reads quick and goes down smooth. Anybody who writes realizes just how damn hard it is to write this way. I hear people all the time say, "I can write a book. How hard can it be?" Give it a try sometime and you'll see how friggin' hard it is.

Appearances
My appearances had come to a halt but now September is going to be a boom in me out and about. I enjoy interacting with people and understand my role in marketing my book. You can go to my website www.denniswebster.com and read where I'll be next.

Another Great Writing Book

Stephen King
I have many people ask me about tips on writing and tools to improve the craft. I have listed several before but I want to give you two that are a must. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a thin little book that packs a wallop. All professional writers have a copy of this long-time gem. The other is the fantastic On Writing by Stephen King. Mr. King cuts through the bullshit and gives you like it is. His words can be brutal but they're honest.

The Hills Have eyes
I rented this movie and it was gross, disturbing and yet I loved it. I must have some defect in my brain for I'm about to turn 40 yet I still love horror movies and juvenile humor. Burps, farts, the Three Stooges and Dumb and Dumber make me roar no matter how many times I hear them, see them, smell them or deliver them. Anyhow, if you like sick and gross movies than get this radioactive delight.

Why Am I Here?
Sometimes I wonder what the heck life is all about and why we're on this spinning chunk of rock? I'm not seeking a iconoclast figure, wearing a red robe, sitting on mountaintop, pretzel in a lotus position. It makes you wonder if we're in some ant farm of some alien child who's bored and ready to shake.

Two Strange Websites

Hitler Cats
If you'd like to see cats that look like Hitler go to www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com . I find all kinds of strange websites while surfing the net.

Fat Chicks in Party Hats
This has to be the meanest website ever. www.fatchicksinpartyhats.com . This guy has the worst grammar in the world. At least he posts the hate mail.

I do not endorse these websites. I'm just putting them up because the internet is a place of free speech yet we get some of the damnest bizzare things out there. That's probably why they call it cyberSPACE.

Family Reunion
Well the Webster clan got together for reminiscence, hot dogs, salads, water balloon tossing and just plain fun. These kinds of events are what life is all about. All to often you only see relatives at weddings or funerals - in between chicken dances and tears you don't get to see everyone. It's important to keep the stories of a family alive so that generations will never be lost. I had my cousin Evie write up some stories and put together a family tree so the Webster's will never forget where they came from. All these wacky-doodle Webster's sprung from the seed of one Harry Webster via Leeds, England. Fun was had by all!!!!

Rob Thrasher Links

Whoops!!!
My apologies to the techno-wizard Rob Thrasher. I messed up 2 of the links. To see what Rob is up to go to www.cybervillage.com/blog and www.activsoftware.com . Rob is a super-genius with all things software.

Graphic Novel
If you go to my website www.denniswebster.com you'll see a thumbnail of a man's head. Click on this to see the hitman in my graphic novel project. Zeno "Madcap" Carlissimo. This is a rough sketch and not the finished product. I'm the writer of this project with the illustration and coloring being done by ultra-talented Craig Rippon. Craig used to work for DC and Marvel Comics. The ink and lettering will be done by the legendary Bill Anderson. Bill has inked such titles as X-Men, Spider Man, Silver Surfer and Elvira. I have a kick-ass team!!! I'm going to release the artwork, panels and cover design as a work in progress. The title will be listed as well.

Loomis Gang Country Tour

Book Signing
Well I was at the Loomis Gang country tour in Waterville, NY for a book signing and I had a fantastic time. A large crowd was there to view the historical artifacts and take a guided tour of the stomping grounds of the most notorious gang in the history of the US of A. I signed books, talked with people about the Loomis Gang and interacted with the wonderful workers at the historical society. Waterville is a beautiful little slice of Americana. The big thrill for me was meeting the documentary filmmaker Brian Peter Falk. He was the writer, director and editor of The Loomis Gang a best-selling documentary on the gang. Overall it was a fantastic time!!

Hard Case Crime

Awesome Noir Books
I have become addicted to the entire line of books from Hard Case Crime. These are gem paperbacks of pulp fiction. All are noir crime novels that pack a huge punch. So far I've picked up Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips, The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, Two For the Money by Max Allen Collins, Lemons Never Lie by Richard Stark and the current book I'm reading: Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block. No fluff a nutter in these books - nothing but straight up hard-boiled crime novels with the coolest cover art I've ever seen. I wasn't alive in the 50's yet everyone is raving these books as a return to the good old days of crime writing. You can check out the entire line at www.hardcasecrime.com . Entertainment Weekly just listed Hard Case Crime as the book publisher of the year and I can see why.