Let Us Now Praise Dudes
Today's men, we're not going to like the way we look; Damyanti Biswas plays "kiss, marry, kill;" book recs for your TBR; and We Need Diverse Books.
You’re not writing about AI stealing everyone’s work?
I’m actually not! I mean, that sucks, but I’ve talked enough about AI. Plus, my books weren’t on that list.
Were your feelings hurt?
Weirdly, a little? But that’s besides the point. I want to talk about dudes.
Dude?
I’ve recently read quite a few essays about the crisis in masculinity. The tl;dr is that today’s men are being demonized for being men and also the current generation of sissy boys aren’t being raised manly enough.
As a manly man, are you doing push-ups in between paragraphs as you write this?
On my knuckles, which are coated in blood, because I’m punching a cement block after every comma. It’s all super manly.
What does any of this have to do with writing? This is a writing newsletter, not some FEMINAZI SOCIALIST SCREED, COMRADE.
Funny you should ask! I was recently on a panel about writing violence and I espoused my views on, in particular, alpha male characters in crime fiction.
Not a fan?
Well, I wouldn’t say that. I like cartoonish violence. Give me all the Marvel and Star Wars and Mortal Kombats and, well, not the Expendables, but everything else.
But I find the traditional alpha male character in crime fiction so boring, and shallow, and unexamined - which isn’t a great thing for fiction. And while I can understand the very real need for violence at times (punch a Nazi!), I also prefer when writers deal with the honest ramifications of that violence. S.A. Cosby and Jordan Harper are two fantastic male writers who have done this very well with alpha characters.
They understand that a fight leaves scars on the participants and, sometimes, the witnesses. They show those scars. There’s rarely simple romance in that violence.
But isn’t there a danger that we’re producing weaklings? Does today’s generation even walk back and forth to school uphill through miles of snow?
Well, no, but mainly because previous generations are busily destroying miles of snow with climate change. And when those kids get to school, there’s always the off-chance they’ll die in a hail of gunfire. This is, of course, while they attend school in a country that recently escaped a coup in the middle of a global pandemic.
Honestly, I’d say that kids today are growing up pretty fucking tough. It’s not great.
But what about their lazy, self-centered attitudes? And their TikToks and pronouns? Good God, what if some boys saw the Barbie movie?
I had the experience of working in a community college, and the thing that impressed me most about kids today is how much more empathetic they are than my generation was, and how fearless and educated they are when it comes to social issues. I’ve always been of the opinion that, within the past century or so, American society has grown better and more progressive, legally and socially. And I think this is largely because every generation has improved on the last.
Our children will be better than we were, stronger and smarter and more courageous. In fact, they already are.
But are these boys going to be MASCULINE? Do they even know what that means?
You know, there’s an implication here that, within a concept of proper masculinity, there’s also a proper definition for femininity…which is a hugely problematic concept that many women have addressed far better than I ever could.
For my own tl;dr, I’d simply say that - as a friend of mine said - it’s never a good idea to demand that everyone firmly fit into your own idea of identity.
Wuss. Why do you hate men? That’s all I’m taking from this BTW.
Oh I love being a guy. Wouldn’t change a thing, except for the toe hair. All my toes have mohawks.
But we have to look at masculinity objectively and realize that, while straight men aren’t inherently evil, men are statistically the offenders in a majority of violent crimes, wars, sexual assaults, mass shootings, attempts to overthrow democracy, Arby’s, etc. As I said, that doesn’t mean we’re inherently evil…but it does mean that we’re not necessarily on the right path.
Questioning that path, and examining whether some of these traditional traits have gone buckwild, isn’t a bad thing. It’s a small, increasingly necessary step. That has nothing to do with being a good or bad man, and everything to do with being a better person. And an honest writer.
EA
I’m taking part in this year’s “We Need Diverse Books,” a wonderful initiative that auctions off prizes in support of combatting ever-expanding book bans, internship grants supporting underrepresented college students in the publishing industry, and professional development for diverse mid-level employees. For just $25, I’ll offer a critique of a query letter and a signed copy of No Home For Killers and an advanced copy of When She Left! Don’t need a query letter critiqued, but still want to support the auction? Bid for me and I’ll gladly critique something else of your choosing - manly men, AI, Cleveland, etc.! Learn more about the auction, and the prizes from other authors like Roxane Gay, Jacqueline Woodson, Jennifer Weiner, Elizabeth Gilbert, Andi Bartz, Celeste Ng, and more, HERE.
I greatly admire what Damyanti Biswas is doing - creating a rich world in her fiction, one that expands into both novels and short stories. Her Blue Mumbai books and short stories provide a look into Mumbai life that’s both fearless and insightful…and she doesn’t stop there. Damyanti also runs a helpful series of newsletters, uniquely targeted to both writers and readers, featuring writing tips, short fiction, reading recommendations and more. I was honored to have the opportunity to blurb her upcoming novel, The Blue Monsoon, and wrote the following:
Damyanti Biswas writes like a relentless detective, exploring and exposing the intricacies of Mumbai. The Blue Monsoon is reminiscent of The Wire in the way it seamlessly moves across sections of society, or in the way Biswas chronicles her resolute detectives, the strength of their families, or even the emotional complications of her dangerous criminals. This is more than an excellent crime novel, although it is that - this is a statement from a powerful writer as she firmly establishes her place in crime fiction. Readers will want more Blue Mumbai thrillers.
Want to learn more about Damyanti, and the characters of The Blue Monsoon? Check out her contribution to Kiss, Marry, and Kill below:
The Blue Monsoon: A ritual murder at a Mumbai temple exposes the city’s dark secrets and ravages the personal life of a detective in this sequel to The Blue Bar.
Amid incessant rains pounding down on Mumbai, Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is called to a shocking crime scene. A male body is found dismembered on the steps of a Kaali temple. Drawn into his flesh are symbols of a tantra cult. The desecration of a body at a Hindu place of worship puts the city on edge and divides Arnav’s priorities: stopping a fanatic from killing again and caring for his wife who’s struggling through a challenging pregnancy.
Then video footage of the murder is uploaded onto the account of a Bollywood social media influencer, triggering twists in the investigation Arnav didn’t see coming. Caste systems at war. A priest under suspicion. And an anonymous threat that puts his wife’s welfare at risk. When more bodies are found, the savagery of the city begins to surface—and Arnav fears that no one is safe from a bigger storm brewing.
Kiss: Sita Naik is the honest, brave and relentless second lead investigator in The Blue Monsoon. We’ve seen her before in the previous Blue Mumbai book, The Blue Bar, but she really comes into her own in this one. She’s a woman police officer in the predominantly male world of Mumbai police where her gender and caste are both real hindrances to any progress in her career, despite being a brilliant police officer. She’s in a bad marriage, and in painful, secret love with her married boss—a fact she barely acknowledges even to herself. You long for someone to kiss her, or at least I did as I wrote her. If she ever gets a book of her own, I’m going to make certain she gets her share of kisses.
Marry: Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput isn’t the best husband on paper—his job is more an obsession than a profession, and he keeps missing all the important moments in his own life in his unceasing hunt for killers.
That said, he does his best to protect those he loves—his family is very important to him-- those by blood, and those he has found. He’s willing to risk everything to keep them safe. Any free moment he can carve out of his chaotically busy professional life, he spends with his family, and does everything in his power to support his wife, cherish her, and make her laugh. It doesn’t hurt that he turns heads with his looks wherever he goes, and owns the grace and agility of a karate master.
Kill: The patriarchal Inspector Desai is the sort you might be tempted to kill, especially when he lectures you on how everyone has their place in this world, and must stick to it. He’s steeped in the privilege of his caste and gender, and lets his greed and bigotry dictate his professional decisions. There are others you'll be tempted to kill by the end of the book, but I'm not giving away any spoilers!
Thanks, Damyanti You can learn more about Damyanti and her work here.
All of these books were - in almost every case - published a month prior to this newsletter.
It Ends With Knight, Yasmin Angoe
Until his untimely death, Nena’s mentor was the backbone of the Tribe. With his leadership position unfilled and despite the Tribe’s newfound misgivings about her, Nena has stepped into a new role she never wanted. Politics is an entirely new venture for her, and now one of the Tribe’s own has been kidnapped, forcing her back to her origins as an assassin. But the only person qualified for such a rescue mission is Nena Knight—and a new team whose trust in her continues to waver.
Determined to harness the power of her former role to succeed in her new one, Nena must also face what she left behind. Old fears, resentments, and anger threaten the precarious hold Nena has on her new life as she realizes that the past—and the people from it—are never far behind.
Ed’s Note: I’ve been a fan of Yasmin’s writing since the first Nena Knight book, and I’m excited to see how she closes out the story for her utterly unique assassin. And, if you’re interested in learning more about the characters in this book, check out Yasmin’s Kiss, Marry, Kill.
Dark Ride, Lou Berney
Twenty-one-year-old Hardy “Hardly” Reed—good-natured, easygoing, usually stoned—is drifting through life. A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park, he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions. Then one day he notices two children, around six or seven, sitting all alone on a bench. Hardly checks if they’re okay and sees injuries on both children. Someone is hurting these kids. He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.
That should be the end of it. After all, Hardly's not even good at looking out for himself so the last thing he wants to do is look out for anyone else. But he's haunted by the two kids, his heart breaking for them. And the more research he does the less he trusts that Child Protective Services —understaffed and overworked—will do anything about it. That leaves…Hardly. He is probably the last person you’d ever want to count on. But those two kids have nobody else but him. Hardly has to do what's right and help them. But his commitment to saving these kids from further harm might end up getting the kids, and Hardly himself, killed.
Ed’s Note: Lou Berney is one of the most powerful writers today, in and out of crime fiction. I could go on and on about his writing, but I’ll just say this - there’s no safe bet that someone’s writing will be read and treasured for years to come. But, if you do want to make that bet, place your money on Lou Berney.
Fadeaway Joe, Hugh Lessig
Sixty-four-year-old Joe has known violence his entire life. For forty years, he’s worked as an enforcer for loan shark and close friend Maxie Smith, breaking more than a few bones along the way. When Maxie abruptly fires him, Joe isn’t sure where to lay the blame—on Maxie, the man he once considered his brother, or on the early-onset Alzheimer’s that made Maxie lose faith in him in the first place.
To keep his head above water, he begins to operate a food truck that’s barely getting by. Desperate to regain some purpose in his life, Joe makes a life-altering decision: he’s going to take down Maxie Smith by any means necessary, once and for all. However, his plan of revenge is sidelined when he meets twenty-two-year-old Paula Jessup, a wise-cracking amateur detective with a few scheming cards up her sleeve, who’s on the run from a trafficking ring she’s been investigating. The two form an unlikely bond: Paula needs some protection and Joe needs a purpose. With the stakes running high and the clock ticking down—will this gamble pay off?
Ed’s Note: I ran into Hugh at this year’s Bouchercon, and was so impressed with the concept of Fadeaway Joe, particularly given how the reviews of his book have mentioned his nuanced take on Alzheimer’s. I appreciate writers who manage to weave something serious into entertainment, without reducing the weight of that seriousness, and Lessig’s approach to this sounds promising.
Once These Hills, Chris McGinley
It’s 1898. Up on Black Boar Mountain in eastern Kentucky, life is quiet for the small settlement of farmers who work the land around their cabins. But when ten-year old Lydia King unearths an ancient, preserved body on the seep bog, a curse is let loose. At least that’s what some people believe.
They might be right.
Down in the valley, the Railroad uses convict labor to lay track, hell bent on timbering all of the hillside. Problem is, a trio of violent prisoners feel the work ain’t exactly to their liking. Behind their ring leader Burr Hollis, a predatory, sadistic man whose name inspires fear amongst the hardest of criminals, they take to the hills and leave a wake of their own hell up on Black Boar, as wide and deep as any timber cut.
In the years following, Lydia falls in love and marries a mountain boy, someone as skilled and at home in the woods as she. She discovers an intimate part of herself, and experiences both a physical and spiritual awakening that allows her to put the trauma behind her…or so she thinks. When Burr Hollis returns for a reckoning with her, she’ll need all of her huntress skills just to stay alive. But she won’t have much of a chance, unless she can reverse the curse of the bog body.
Ed’s Note: I read and blurbed McGinley’s debut collection of short stories, Coal Black, and was struck by his atmospheric prose, and I distinctly remember the way his stories hung in some uneasy place - close to revealing some inner truth, but not fully taking you there. As if the author was guiding you by hand to some abyss or hope, and then, as the late page turned, inviting you to look down or up. I’m really excited about his first full-length novel, given how that collection has remained with me.
The winner of this newsletter contest is ___suey___oore@gmail.com! Congrats, and you’ve won both novels and the short story collection in Damyanti Biswas’s Blue Mumbai stories. I’ll slide into your DMs (send you an email, so not exactly slide into your DMs) soon.
Until next time, much love and Happy Reading!