The Master of the Noir

Max Allan Collins
I'm reading another outstanding book by Max Allan Collins. Two For the Money is the story of a life criminal named Nolan who needs to pull off one last heist before he can retire. The prose is crisp as burnt toast and gritty as coarse sandpaper. Max Allan Collins has wowed the public with his Road to Perdition and other stories. This man's writing resume is absolutely incredible. His son Nate runs a very cool website dedicated to his father - the master of the Noir: www.maxallancollins.com . Go there and see the massive amount of stellar writing Mr. Collins has cranked out. Two For the Money is another fantastic book published by Hard Case Crime. www.hardcasecrime.com . All their books are addictive.

Utica Writer's Club
I'm a member of the Utica Writer's Club. We meet monthly and read our work aloud where fellow members provide constructive criticism. I've met many talented writers through this word clatch. You can check out the club at www.theuticawritersclub.com .

Black Friday Signing
I want to thank the fantastic staff at the New Hartford, NY Barnes and Noble for hosting my Black Friday book signing. There was a huge amount of shoppers and I signed a stack of books and talked with many visitors about my mystery novel Daisy Daring and the Quest for the Loomis Gang Gold. I'm a people watcher so I enjoyed the characters coming and going. And people wonder where writers get their ideas.

WWW.DENNISWEBSTER.COM

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Birthday Gift
My wife and kids got me the best birthday gift in the entire world - the DVD box set of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. This series starred my all-time favorite Bruce Campbell. I've already watched the pilot and the first few episodes. The series is about the bounty hunter Brisco County, Jr. and his quest to capture the Bly gang. He gets help from his horse Comet, Socrates Poole and Lord Bowler. This was a serial western mixed with sci-fi. I love my box set more than words can say! As a matter of fact, I e-mailed Bruce Campbell and asked if he'd option the movie rights to my book and he was kind enough to answer me back. He said "no," but that's okay. Bruce still kicks ass!!!! My inspiration for the Daisy Daring quest series came from serial type shows like this and the Indiana Jones movies.

Slither

Slimy Movie
I rented the horror movie Slither and squirmed all the way through it. This is a throwback to movies I love like Critters, Night of the Creeps and The Stuff. This movie was great campy fun. The lesson learned is - don't touch something if you don't know what it is. In the movie Grant Grant (That's right his first and last name are the same) pokes an alien being with a stick and gets stung, thus creating the chain reaction that all the blood, guts and gore comes from.

Night Watch
Well I picked up the book Night Watch and I love it so far. The book takes place in Moscow and has vampires that are in a truce with the Night Watch but something bad is about to happen to disturb the truce and balance between the agents of light and dark. This was made into a movie that I'll rent when I'm done. I found this book when I was wandering the local Barnes and Noble. I find my best books this way. I wander around and read the back jacket looking for anything that interests me.

Noir Novel
I'm getting close to 20,000 words on my Noir novel. I'm a little slower than usual but should have the first draft done soon.

Daisy Daring Sequel?
I've had a ton of people asking me if there's going to be a sequel to my mystery novel Daisy Daring and the Quest for the Loomis Gang Gold. I've delivered the manuscript to my publisher and will keep my fingers crossed. In the sequel, Daisy goes on a quest with her daughter Buttercup in search of an ancient Iroquois Native American artifact. There's more thrills, spills and mayhem with a fight to the death on the Adirondack Railroad to scenes from the Battle of Oriskany. I will post as soon as I hear anything.

Black Friday Book Signing
I will be at the New Hartford, NY Barnes and Noble the day after Thanksgiving - Black Friday. That's November 24 at 9am. I hope to see you there!

Feast

The Last Project Greenlight
I rented and watched the DVD of Feast. This was the last of the Project Greenlight movies and they ended it on a high note. This splatterfest is gory, fun and makes you jump. This isn't high art and doesn't claim to be. The director, John Gulager, throws in some very cool sight gags. It reminds me of the Evil Dead series. It's about a group of bar patrons who are trapped and stalked by the hungry monsters. What are these creatures and where do they come from? Doesn't matter.

Rian Johnson
I was so impressed by the movie Brick that I went to the website of Rian Johnson, the writer/director, and downloaded a copy of the script. I printed it so I could read the cadence and better absorb the flow. A masterful piece of writing. I love when I read something and am blown away by it. Great writing, like the screenplay for Brick, is what inspires me to improve on my craft.

High School Noir

Brick
I watched the movie Brick last night and I was blown away. This movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson and he captured lightning in a bottle. I've never seen a teen movie as well written as this. It's like watching The Maltese Falcon for the first time. If you like Noir, you'll love this movie. Crisp dialogue and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end. Even the soundtrack keeps away from contemporary songs in place of creepy mood music. I read a lot of mysteries, including Noir crime novels from the best in the business from Sallis to Collins and Johnson has fired a cannon shot across the bow with this movie. Brick has to be watched closely with no interruption. You can't have someone chatting in your ear or you'll miss critical points to the plot. Frickin' Bravo!!!

Curb Your Enthusiasm
I finally subscribed to HBO and I can't get enough Larry David and his show Curb You Enthusiasm. I laugh so hard that I blow snot bubbles. Well worth the extra dough I'm forking over. I also love Entourage. I wish they had episodes on more often. I can't find anything as funny on regular network television.