Richmond Noir (24 page)

H
OWARD
O
WEN
is the author of eight novels. He and his wife Karen live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where both are editors at the
Free Lance-Star
. Owen’s first novel,
Littlejohn
, was nominated for the Abbey Award (American Booksellers Association) and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award. His novels
Turn Signal
and
Rock of Ages
were Book Sense selections. Owen, who lived in Richmond for twenty-nine years, has just finished his ninth novel.

C
ONRAD
A
SHLEY
P
ERSONS
was born in Savannah, Georgia. He attended the University of Virginia before living in New York, London, and Tokyo. He currently resides with his wife in Brooklyn, where he is finishing his first novel,
A Honeymoon
.

H
ERMINE
P
INSON
has published three poetry collections:
Ashe
,
Mama Yetta and Other Poems
, and
Dolores Is Blue/Dolorez Is Blues
. She also released a CD,
Changing the Changes in Poetry & Song
, in special collaboration with Yusef Komunyakaa and Estella Conwill Majozo. She teaches creative writing, as well as American and African American literature, at the College of William & Mary.

D
AVID
L. R
OBBINS
was born in Richmond and received his undergraduate and Juris Doctorate degrees from the College of William & Mary, where he recently taught as writer-in-residence. He has published nine novels, the most recent of which,
Broken Jewel
, is set in the Philippines during World War II. Robbins is the founder of the James River Writers nonprofit literary group. This is his first published short story.

T
OM
R
OBBINS
is the best-selling author of ten books of fiction and numerous articles for national magazines. His novels have been published in twenty-two languages and several have been optioned by Hollywood. An honors graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and a former copy editor for the
Richmond Times-Dispatch
, Robbins has resided for many years in the Seattle area. His latest work,
B Is for Beer
, is a children’s book.

P
IR
R
OTHENBERG
wrote and taught in Richmond, Virginia from 2003 to 2008. He currently resides in Buffalo, New York. His work has appeared in
Harpur Palate
.

M
EAGAN
J. S
AUNDERS
grew up in a family of five. She spent the first years of her life on Richmond’s Southside before moving to Beaverdam, Virginia, a rural community on the outskirts of Hanover County. She received her B.A. in English and History from the College of William & Mary.

A
NNE
T
HOMAS
S
OFFEE
is the author of
Snake Hips: Belly Dancing and How I Found True Love
and
Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City
. She currently writes for
Richmond Magazine
and lives in Southside Richmond with her family, just up the pike from Rudd’s Trailer Park.

Also available from the Akashic Books Noir Series

D.C. NOIR

edited by George Pelecanos

316 pages, trade paperback original, $15.95

Brand-new stories by:
George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, David Slater, James Grady, Kenji Jasper, Jim Beane, Ruben Castaneda, Robert Wisdom, James Patton, Norman Kelley, Jennifer Howard, Jim Fusilli, Richard Currey, Robert Andrews, Quintin Peterson, and Lester Irby.

“[T]he tome offers a startling glimpse into the cityscape’s darkest corners … fans of the genre will find solid writing, palpable tension, and surprise endings.”

—Washington Post

D.C. NOIR 2: THE CLASSICS

edited by George Pelecanos

330 pages, trade paperback, $15.95

Classic stories from:
Edward P. Jones, Langston Hughes, Marita Golden, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Julian Mayfield, Elizabeth Hand, Richard Wright, James Grady, Ward Just, George Pelecanos, Jean Toomer, Rhozier “Roach” Brown, Ross Thomas, Julian Mazor, Larry Neal, and Benjamin M. Schutz.

“Rather than traveling the same mean streets as the first
D.C. Noir
, this new anthology of sixteen works draws on more than a century of published writings … Dark as many of these stories are, there’s light in them yet, and it’s the layering of the two that helps the collection to dazzle.”

—Washington Post

BALTIMORE NOIR

edited by Laura Lippman

252 pages, a trade paperback original, $14.95

Brand-new stories by:
David Simon, Laura Lippman, Tim Cockey, Rob Hiaasen, Robert Ward, Sujata Massey, Jack Bludis, Rafael Alvarez, Marcia Talley, Joseph Wallace, Lisa Respers France, Charlie Stella, Sarah Weinman, Dan Fesperman, Jim Fusilli, and Ben Neihart.

“Mystery fans should relish this taste of Baltimore’s seamier side, the eighth volume in Akashic’s series showcasing dark tales of crime and place. Editor Lippman offers both a fine introduction and the lead story, which is one of the anthology’s best … Baltimore is a diverse city, and the stories reflect everything from its old row houses and suburban mansions to its beloved Orioles and harbor areas.”

BOSTON NOIR

edited by Dennis Lehane

240 pages, trade paperback original, $15.95

Brand-new stories by:
Dennis Lehane, Stewart O’Nan, Patricia Powell, John Dufresne, Lynne Heitman, Don Lee, Russ Aborn, Itabari Njeri, Jim Fusilli, Brendan DuBois, and Dana Cameron.

“In the best of the eleven stories in this outstanding entry in Akashic’s noir series, characters, plot, and setting feed off each other like flames and an arsonist’s accelerant … [T]his anthology shows that noir can thrive where Raymond Chandler has never set foot.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

BROOKLYN NOIR

edited by Tim McLoughlin

350 pages, trade paperback original, $15.95

*Winner of Shamus Award, Anthony Award, Robert L. Fish Memorial Award; finalist for Edgar Award, Pushcart Prize.

Brand-new stories by:
Pete Hamill, Arthur Nersesian, Ellen Miller, Nelson George, Nicole Blackman, Sidney Offit, Ken Bruen, and others.

“
Brooklyn Noir
is such a stunningly perfect combination that you can’t believe you haven’t read an anthology like this before. But trust me—you haven’t … The writing is flat-out superb, filled with lines that will sing in your head for a long time to come.”

—Laura Lippman, winner of the Edgar, Agatha, and Shamus awards

NEW ORLEANS NOIR

edited by Julie Smith

300 pages, trade paperback original, $15.95

Brand-new stories by:
Ace Atkins, Laura Lippman, Patty Friedmann, Barbara Hambly, Tim McLoughlin, Olympia Vernon, Jervey Tervalon, Christine Wiltz, Greg Herren, Julie Smith, and others.

“The excellent twelfth entry in Akashic’s city-specific noir series illustrates the diversity of the chosen locale with eighteen previously unpublished short stories from authors both well known and emerging.”—
Publishers Weekly