Plots with Guns #10

The latest issue of Plots with Guns, featuring my story "Bugs" is now online. Anthony Neil Smith has done a good job with this one. Not only are the stories of their usual caliber, but he's made the site look good. The pictures of me up there were taken by my colleague and buddy Janssen Robinson. The Glock was generously provided by zombie Charlton Heston. And this issue is dedicated to David Thompson of Busted Flush Press and Murder by the Book. RIP.

RIP David Thompson

I realize it's bad form to be late to a wake, but it wasn't until I checked my email this afternoon that I found out about the death of David Thompson, the publisher behind Busted Flush Press, and assistant manager of Murder by The Book in Houston. I never met David in person, but I've ordered books from Murder by the Book, and I had corresponded with him a few times about crime fiction matters. He always seemed like a nice guy, and, from reading about his life, it seemed like he had everything going his way, which makes his passing all the more depressing.

Thompson had just sold his own indie imprint, Busted Flush Press to Tyrus Books, another good indie publisher. David did a great job of bringing books he believed in back into print. He's been championing underrated writers like Reed Farrell Coleman for a long time, refusing to let Coleman's Moe Prager books go out of print. He was also a tastemaker in his position as a manager at Murder by The Book, and I have no doubt he introduced many readers to many great books over the years.

My heart goes out to his friends and family.

Tyrus and Busted Flush Press Merge

Tyrus Books has acquired Busted Flush Press. From the press release:


MADISON, WI— August 26, 2010 — Tyrus Books, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Busted Flush Press, LLC., in a move that brings together two of crime fiction’s most recognizable independent presses. “We’re very excited to add the Busted Flush brand to Tyrus Books. David Thompson is a dedicated and tireless advocate of crime fiction and I look forward to seeing the Busted Flush brand continue to grow,” said Benjamin LeRoy, Publisher and President of Tyrus Books.Thompson, Publisher of Busted Flush Press, will continue in his current role, selecting approximately twenty titles a year for publication. The combined companies will have approximately 45 books in print by the end of 2010 with another 20 titles scheduled for spring 2011.

I wonder if Thompson will continue to focus on reprints now that his press has been bought by Tyrus, or whether we'll see more new material.

The James Deans resissued

Busted Flush Press has reissued Reed Farrel Coleman's The James Deans, a novel that won Shamus, Barry and Anthony awards, received boatloads of critical praise and then disappeared without much notice by the wider world. The reissue alone is nice, but David Thompson has added some bang for the buck, including two short stories featuring Moe Prager, a foreward by Michael Connelly, an afterword by Coleman and an excerpt from the forthcoming Coleman/ Ken Bruen collaboration Tower. If you're going to reissue a book, this is how you do it.

Busted Flush Press Gets A Blog

David Thompson, owner of Busted Flush Press, has started a blog. There's only one entry at the moment, but I'm sure that will change soon.

Read Cranked by Bill Crider

Author Bill Crider rated an Edgard nomination for his contribution to Busted Flush Press's 2007 anthology Damn Near Dead. Now, BFP publisher David Thompson has posted Crider's story "Cranked" on the Web for all to read.

Publisher Profiles

David Poindexter of McAdam/Cage publishing and David Thompson of Busted Flush Press have both gotten some good press recently.