Tag Archives: southern noir

Episode 143: Interview with Henry Wise, author of Holy City

May 29, 2024Author Interviewgrove atlantic, henry wise, holy city, southern crime, southern noirtopshelfatmerricklibrary

For this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Henry Wise. He sat down with me to talk about his terrific southern crime debut, Holy City. We talked about his poetry, the craft of writing, his book recommendations, and more. Henry, thank you so much for joining me.

Holy City is a captivating debut about a deputy sheriff who finds himself on the outs from his sheriff’s department over his unwillingness to look the other way when an innocent man is arrested for murder.

Henry Wise recommends: Broiler by Eli Cranor; Don’t Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins; Smoke Kings by Jahmal Mayfield; Lilith by Eric Rickstad; The Great State of West Florida by Ken Wascom; Sanctuary by William Faulkner; Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad.

Follow Henry Wise on Instagram: @buzzbuzzbang and on Twitter (X): @henrywise05

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Episode 133: Interview with Suzanne Crain Miller, author of Temperatures

October 12, 2023Author Interviewnorth carolina, southern crime, southern noir, suzanne crain miller, temperatures, winding road presstopshelfatmerricklibrary

I am so late to the Suzanne Crain Miller party, and boy am I thrilled to be here! I read Suzanne’s most recent novel, Temperatures, over the summer and to say I was riveted is an understatement. Temperatures is a Southern noir page-turning thriller set in the oppressive summer heat of rural North Carolina. Police officers Mitchum Cobb and Cyrus Hogue partner up to battle what the volatile south dishes out in the wake of 2020.

For this episode we talk about her amazing book Temperatures, how she develops her characters, how improv classes help her writing; what she’s working on next, and more! Thank you so much for joining me Suzanne!

Suzanne Crain Miller recommends: Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto; Invention of Sound and Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk; Hurt For Me and Walking Through Needles both by Heather Levy; Heartbroke by Chelsea Bieker; My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout; Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; Little Children and Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perotta; Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby; Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano; Lakeview Terrace: The Movie; True Detective: the HBO Series; Copycat: The Movie.

Get all your Suzanne Crain Miller titles right here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Episode 107: Interview with author Mark Westmoreland for A Violent Gospel and A Mourning Song

November 9, 2022Author Interviewa mourning song, a violent gospel, crime noir, Georgia, mark westmoreland, shotgun honey, southern fiction, southern gothic, southern noirtopshelfatmerricklibrary

These two books by Mark Westmoreland? They are absolutely terrific. Both A Violent Gospel and A Mourning Song feature the Dooley brothers and if you can, start with A Violent Gospel. After the events of A Violent Gospel left Mack Dooley at the bottom of a whiskey bottle, he’s a haunted man and he’s back in A Mourning Song, forced to face his demons.

For this episode, Mark Westmoreland talks about the origins of the Dooley brothers, his approach to writing villains, the book he’s working on next, and so much more. Thank you so much Mark! Follow Mark Westmoreland on Twitter and Instagram: @ItsMarkYall

Mark Westmoreland recommends: A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann; Hillbilly Hustle by Wesley Browne; Walking Through Needles by Heather Levy; It Dies With You by Scott Blackburn; The Past is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson; Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Episode 93: Interview with Peter Farris author of The Devil Himself

May 24, 2022Author InterviewArcade Crimewise, Crime, crime noir, Georgia, Peter Farris, southern noir, The Devil Himselftopshelfatmerricklibrary

“The Devil Himself thunders off the page with beautiful writing and a killer sense of place. It’s urgent, triumphant, and unflinching.” — William Boyle, author of Shoot the Moonlight Out and City of Margins

What a pleasure to sit down with the 2021 Le Prix Lire En Poche finalist, author Peter Farris. The Devil Himself is a gritty southern noir with themes of family, estrangement, and redemption; a riveting deep dive into the genre. First published in France with enormous critical acclaim and winning multiple literary awards, The Devil Himself will mark Peter Farris as a major crime writer in America as well.

We talk about the book, his other fantastic novel, Last Call for the Living, character development, French love for his books, rattlesnakes, and so much more. Thank you so much Peter!

Peter Farris recommends these authors: Pete Fromm; William Boyle; Sa ra Gran; and Eli Cranor.

Follow Peter Farris on Instagram at peter_farris and on Twitter @authorPJFarris

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Episode 87: Eli Cranor author of Don’t Know Tough

March 22, 2022Author InterviewArkansas, Author Interview, Book Discussion, book discussions, crime noir, debut, debut author, Don't Know Tough, Eli Cranor, Football, Friday Reads, noir, Peter Lovesey, Readers Advisory, Russellville, Soho Press, southern noir, Staff Picktopshelfatmerricklibrary

You may not know tough but author Eli Cranor sure does in his debut, DON’T KNOW TOUGH, a book that S.A. Cosby calls, “…a searing and stunningly poignant study in what makes us and what breaks us and ultimately what brings us to a place of peace. Eli Cranor is that rare writer who can make you gasp, cry and cheer often in the same paragraph.” There’s not a single a lie in that review.

Sarah Weinman, of the The New York Times Book Review and true-crime writer says, “Eli Cranor’s top-shelf debut, DON’T KNOW TOUGH, is Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes . . . There is a raw ferocity to Cranor’s prose, perfectly in keeping with the novel’s examination of curdling masculinity.” All I can say about DON’T KNOW TOUGH is, think Friday Night Lights with a much darker edge. Speaking of the edge? I was on the edge of my seat for this incredible debut. For this episode, we talk football, Arkansas, recording his own audiobook and more. Thank you Eli!

Eli Cranor recommends: Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland both by S.A.Cosby; Shoot the Moonlight Out and all of the novels by William Boyle; The Turnout and all of the novels by Megan Abbott; all the work by Ace Atkins; The Devil Himself by Peter Farris;