Hey, waitaminute, whaddaya mean we forgot something? Yeah, yeah, the postbag is late again. What, you want perfection?

Oh, you do.

Well, this is pretty perfect for us. Look, we're here, we've got your letters. What more do you want.

Last month we got a letter in the postbag from Anthony Neil Smith. Mr Smith, for those of you who don't know, was the editor of Plots With Guns, one of the finest noir zines going. Sadly PWG is no more although Neil ain't standing still. There's a PWG anthology out, his debut novel from Pointblank Press (Psychosomatic) and now his second novel has been pick up by Two Dollar Radio. Here's a small excerpt from what Neil has to say about his novel:

What's it all about? Dig: "A novel soaked in sex, drugs, and tequila, The Drummer is a stiff cocktail of cock-grabbing hair metal and New Orleans noir. Follow the title character from his glory days kicking away at a drum set in the 80's band Savage Night, to his present predicament, on the run from some shadowy types--maybe the Feds, maybe not--plus his former bandmates trying to bring him out of hiding and on the road for a reunion tour."

And if that isn't enough to get you excited, goodness knows what is. The Drummer, by Anthony Neil Smith is available in May. Get a sneak peek at www.twodollarradio.com. But, hey, the man has more to say:

I'll be on the road this summer pushing this novel as hard as Spinal Tap pushed SMELL THE GLOVE, so grab the hairspray, ripped fishnets, and spandex and find me wherever the bus stops. It's also for a good cause. A portion of the sales will go to help with New Orleans rebuilding efforts. The Big Easy is my favorite city, like a second home to me, and it's the setting for THE DRUMMER.

Cheers, Mr Smith. We're wishing you the best of luck. And we'll be grabbing a copy of the novel come May. New Orleans, Rock N Roll and noir, what more could a person want?

These covers, man, they're fantastic. Where do you find them? Are they worth anything?

Charles

The classic covers, you mean? Yeah they are great. Mostly they're just found in second hand shops. Some are possibly worth a little but you can pick em up fairly cheap if you just rummage around. One of my favourite finds ever was this month's Lawrence Block cover which I found in Harrogate while I was down there last year. I also picked up last month's cover there, too; Richard Prather's Gat Heat. I hear rumours Hard Case may have picked up a Prather book and if they have, its good news for all fans of classic crime.

You do realise that Stuart MacBride's excellent interview with Jon Jordan is contributed to Pat Mullan? And that at the bottom of the page you're telling people that Kiss Her Goodbye will be released on 6th March. Which is odd, cos the book's already released and its not by MacBride. Do I win the prize?

Steve

Shite. We've gone and made the changes accordingly. We were aware of the KHG error but must have forgotten to fix it. And yes, you win the Crime Scene Scotland Invisible Prize (tm) as delivered by our invisible delivery service for your eagle eyes.

Doug, I can see now why you choose the stories you do. Just read the latest update on Shots - that's some bleak stuff right there.

Jim

DOUG SAYS: Cheers, Jim (hey - they've let me out of my box to answer a question!). Sarah Weinman, fiction editor at Shots, was great to work with; she obviously knows talent when she sees it. But seriously, thanks to all of you who sent in letters on the Shots story. It was great fun writing it, and hey, maybe I'm getting a taste for this writing gig.

That's it for this month, folks. Doug's got more exposure this issue than he ever normally gets so that should keep him happy for the next year. Till next time keep those letters coming in. Let's see who can win our famous award next time, huh?