Howdy, friends –
Just a heads up that I have a brand new short story – all about Quinn’s famous stuntman dad – in the Austin Noir short story collection due out May 2, 2023. This will be my sixth story for the long running series for Akashic. I’ve written stories for New Orleans Noir, New Orleans Noir – the Classics, Mississippi Noir, Alabama Noir and Tampa Bay Noir. I’m always honored to add to this critically acclaimed and award winning series.
From the editors’ introduction: “You’ve probably heard of Austin. You may have been here for South by Southwest. Your best friend may have recently relocated here from California. You might have thought about moving here yourself, then decided it wasn’t worth it to live in Texas. You may have moved to Austin decades ago. You may even have been born and raised in Austin, and now you’re on the outskirts of San Antonio or (god forbid) Waco because you can’t afford to buy a house anywhere else. Or you may be living in a shiny new building downtown, watching the final stages of a sleepy town’s transformation into modern metropolis. One thing you’ll hear from almost any Austin resident: it was better when they got here . . .
My story “Stunts” features Jason Colson making a celebrity appearance at a downtown Austin bar while a notorious local loan shark shows up for what Colson owes him. I’ve always wanted to write a novel about Jason’s heyday back in the ’70s and this was a fun side project to show exactly what’s been going on with Quinn’s family now they’ve left Tibbehah County. Hope you come along for the ride! – Ace