Download My Guns + Tacos Novella Today!

I’ve been so pleased with the feedback I’m getting on my Guns + Tacos novella, Some Churros and El Burro—a part of the Guns + Tacos series created by Michael Bracken and Trey R. Barker.

Published by Down & Out Books, Guns + Tacos is a serialized group of novellas—each released monthly and each sharing the sketchy goings on of a taco truck in Chicago that sells illegal firearms along with its inedible street food.

So each story is titled things like: “Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer” and “Three Chalupas, Rice, Soda and a Kimber .45.”

In my story, Tomas “Chispa” Busch works for the notorious Sangre Cartel of Sinaloa. But as the cartel’s resident IT nerd and electronics consultant, his real passion is fixing things. After annoying one of the cartel bosses, the bookish Chispa is sent to Chicago to deal with a competitor in the MDMA market. His assignment: eliminate the competition within 24 hours, or join them—in a shallow grave.

Tucker Mitchell is a college student with big dreams in the world of big finance. And he’s gaining free-market street cred by selling the hottest brand of ecstasy in Chi-Town. One of the city’s Great and Good, he’s determined to stay on top of his game and maximize returns until graduation. Even if it means doing so with the help of a black-market gun.

A cross between Narcos and Revenge of the Nerds, this quirky Chicagoland story of fish-out-of-water explores what happens when people are taken out of their element and put to the test. Because when you don’t stay in your lane on the South Side of Chicago, you’ll need more than good insurance to cover your ass.

The Eyes of Texas Now Available for Pre-Order on Amazon!

The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods
By Michael Bracken, Trey R. Barker, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Sandra Murphy, Michael Pool, William Dylan Powell, Bev Vincent

Sweet! The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods is now available in Kindle format for pre-order on Amazon.

The book will feature stories from not only yours truly but also actual upstanding citizens such as Trey R. Barker, Chuck Brownman, Michael Chandos, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Richard Helms, Robert S. Levinson, Scott Montgomery, Sandra Murphy, Josh Pachter, Michael Pool, Graham Powell, Stephen D. Rogers, Mark Troy, and Bev Vincent.

So check it out, y’all.

Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods

I’m excited to share that The Eyes of Texas, a Down & Out Books anthology featuring seventeen original private eye stories set in Texas, has a scheduled release date of October 21st.

The book will feature stories from not only yours truly but also actual upstanding citizens such as Trey R. Barker, Chuck Brownman, Michael Chandos, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Richard Helms, Robert S. Levinson, Scott Montgomery, Sandra Murphy, Josh Pachter, Michael Pool, Graham Powell, Stephen D. Rogers, Mark Troy, and Bev Vincent.

You can pre-order it on the Down & Out Books website today in either trade paperback or eBook formats.

Guns + Tacos, Season One

I’m super excited to be a part of the Guns + Tacos project—the brainchild of Michael Bracken and Trey R. Barker. Published by Down & Out Books, Guns + Tacos is a series of six serialized novella-length episodes each released monthly, starting in July of this year. The franchise is getting a lot of buzz, and these two notorious troublemakers are already planning the next season.

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Here’s how Bracken and Barker describe the series, according to the official press release: “There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns + Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.”

Two subscription options are now available on the Down & Out Books website:

• A print subscription, which entitles you to receive all six digital episodes before their official publication date plus two print copies consisting of Episodes 1-3 and Episodes 4-6 plus an exclusive subscriber-only short story

• A digital subscription, which entitles you to receive
all six episodes before their official publication date
plus the exclusive short story.

Titles and authors for Season One:

Tacos de Cazuela con Smith & Wesson by Gary Phillips,
Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer by Michael Bracken,
A Gyro and a Glock by Frank Zafiro,
Three Chalupas, Rice, Soda and a Kimber .45 by Trey R. Barker,
Some Churros and El Burro by William Dylan Powell, and
A Beretta, Burritos and Bears by James A. Hearn.

Here’s a bit about my story, Some Churros and El Burro:

Tomas “Chispa” Busch works for the notorious Sangre Cartel of Sinaloa. But as the cartel’s resident IT and electronics nerd, his real passion is fixing things. After annoying one of the cartel bosses, the bookish Chispa is sent stateside to deal with a problem in the streets of Chicago. His assignment: eliminate a competitor within 24 hours, or join them—in a shallow grave. 

The Best American Mystery Stories 2018

Woohoo! I’m profoundly honored that my short story The Apex Predator, originally published in Switchblade Magazine, was included in The Best American Mystery Stories 2018.

Edited by publishing titan Otto Penzler, and guest edited by #1 New York Times best-selling author Louise Penny, this carefully curated annual brings readers some of the best mystery shorts published in a variety of publications throughout the year.

I’ve been a reader of this annual series for ages. So it was super-fun to be included this year, along with storytelling giants James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, T.C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates and others. Pick up a copy and, while you’re at it, check out Switchblade for some down-and-dirty fun.

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