Review of Noir at the Bar Six

NOIR AT THE BAR [six] ==> CRIMEFACTORY EDITION

For those of you that don't know, writers Jedidiah Ayres and Scott Phillips have been putting on this little thing for a while now called, NOIR AT THE BAR, in downtown St. Louis - Home of Bouchercon 2011 - and I was fortunate to be there last Thursday, October 21st, for what I know was the coolest NOB to date.

Jedidiah was the MC and he did a damn fine job, adding bits of spontaneous humor with every introduction. If you don't know Jed, he's a funny guy. And tall. The kind of guy that can grow one hell of a good beard. Something that pisses off those of us who can only produce rough, shitty beards. But the fact that he is a kick ass writer allows me to overlook this. Even though his beard is much better than mine.

<== Jonathan Woods

Jonathan Woods, from Texas, opened things up as he read from his book, Bad Ju Ju. Two short cliffhangers that left you wanting more. He was a pretty cool cat. I had a chance to hang out with him, feel him out. His writing is a little different, his second story was crazy. But that's cool. I like crazy. Everybody likes crazy.

Cameron Ashley, one of the co-editor's of Crimefactory, made a stop on his world tour at our little corner of the globe - he's from Australia - Cam is a dynamite guy! First class. He's amazing, and I could write this whole post about his awesomeness. Loved the guy. Easy to open up to. Genuine. Plus, he talks funny. I wish I would've had more time to pick his Aussie brain.


Chris La Tray ==>

Then there's Chris La Tray, from Montana. Another one of my Internet pals, and a fellow writer like me. [Except, unlike me, he actually has a book coming out].

But seriously, THAT'S AWESOME for him, and I can't wait to get a copy and support him. I really liked Chris. Just like Cam, I felt I'd known him all my life. It didn't feel like the first time we'd all hung out.

La Tray read his piece for the upcoming Crimefactory SPECIAL EDITION called Kung Fu Factory, which I, myself, am proud to be a part of. It's a boxing piece and it kicks one thousands kinds of ass. It's a great story where you can really get inside the character, and the ending is spectacular.

Up next, Scott Phillips read an excerpt from his upcoming novel RUT. Scott is... fucking crazy! *shrugs shoulders * I guess those are the words I'm looking for. Of course, if you're reading this, I assume you already know. Well, Scott read from RUT, a book that looks and sounds crazy as hell. I'm told that it's absolutely hysterical. Which only makes sense given the fact that it was written by THIS GUY ==> http://youtu.be/Z3HZsmOKPi4



<== Dan O' Shea

And of course, last but not least, there's my good buddy Daniel O' Shea, who read a piece from the Discount Noir collection. The one that's currently available from Untreed Reads. http://bit.ly/aUKcxY I was especially happy to get to see both Dan and Chris read because it was their first public reading. I'm glad I was there to see them pop their cherries, so to speak. It wasn't that long ago that I read my own story for the first time at NOB 4, so I knew exactly how they felt. For the record, they killed it.

All in all, it was an amazing night. All of us in attendance, have been, or will be, published in Crimefactory. It was an honor to spend such an evening with these crazy bastards. Spending time with other like minded individuals who know how to party. The kind of tough guys that would have your back if shit got out of hand and you had to clear the room.

Me and Cam ==>

KNOW THIS

NOIR AT THE BAR has a reputation as a hot spot for original crime readings and many great writers have done business there. Malachi Stone, Frank Bill, and Anthony Neil Smith come to mind. Who knows, maybe one day you'll stand behind the microphone. So polish them readin' skills, grab your favorite shotgun, and keep your eyes open for the next edition of NOIR AT THE BAR.

Jonathan Woods, Me, Jedidiah Ayres, Chris La Tray, Dan O' Shea, Cameron Ashley, & Scott Phillips