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Defining Noir
15 Replies

Started this discussion. Last reply by Tom Barclay Oct 31, 2008.

The Most Riveting Movie Moment Ever
21 Replies

Started this discussion. Last reply by Sue Dawson Oct 5, 2008.

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Paul McGoran's Page

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Hometown:: Newport, RI (since 2000)

About Me:: I began writing crime fiction in late 2005 under the aegis of NaNoWriMo, which I have completed five times.

Noir is my preferred mode of self-expression, but some of my work is merely medium-boiled. I've created a part-time P.I. name of Stafford Boyle as a means of self-preservation, figuring that a pee eye is one of the few ways to get firmly established in the crime fiction trade. He's a lot like me: somewhat neurotic, awkward socially, smart but not bright - if that makes sense.

In addition to my first novel Made for Murder (New Pulp Press-August 2015), I've completed a sequel entitled The Breastplate of Faith and Love. A collection of my short fiction is called Paying for Pain(New Pulp Press-Dec. 2015). At present, I'm in the middle of my third novel, a Stafford Boyle mystery called Sooner or Later, Delicate Death.

I Am A:: Reader, Writer

Website:: http://www.paulmcgoran.com

Books And Authors I Like:: Lawrence Block, Richard Stark (Donald Westlake), Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane, Franz Kafka, Henry James

Movies And TV Shows I Like:: Born to Kill, The Maltese Falcon, The Band Wagon, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Dark Passage, In a Lonely Place, Chinatown, L.A. Confidential, The Rockford Files, MAD TV, Reno 911 (so sue me)

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Noir Fiction Anthology: four shorts and a novella

PAYING FOR PAIN by Paul McGoran. From New Pulp Press.

"A can't-put-it-down collection of noir mysteries that prove Paul McGoran a master of the genre. One could use it as a textbook on the subject of murder."…

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Posted on December 28, 2015 at 10:16am

A Cross-country Noir Epic: from Las Vegas to Frisco to Miami Beach to Newport

In Made for Murder, a lethal ex-con romances and marries a San Francisco socialite in a bold bid for prestige and power -- but forgets to suppress his killer instinct.…

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Posted on December 28, 2015 at 10:07am

Not at His Best in SERENADE, Cain Was Still Able

Serenade James M. Cain (1937)

As Serenade opens, protagonist Jack Sharp is banished from Paradise, subsisting in Mexico as a kind of operatic stumblebum. He lost both his golden voice and his European Eden when he deserted his muse over the sin of homosexuality. The agent of his temptation and fall was rich, charming Winston Hawes, his maestro and mentor in Paris.

In his Mexico hell, Jack nevertheless finds his Eve, a three-peso whore named Juana Montes, who… Continue

Posted on July 24, 2008 at 4:00pm

A Case of Movie Trumps Novel

Deadlier Than the Male (1942) by James Gunn.

James Gunn (no relation to the sci-fi writer) was a 21-year old senior at Stanford when he wrote Deadlier Than the Male as a creative writing assignment. It was his only novel. He spent the next twenty-some years in Hollywood as a writer for movies and television before dying in 1966.

Gunn’s pulp thriller caused quite a stir in 1942. But there is so much wrong with it – plotting by coincidence, impossible dialog,… Continue

Posted on July 21, 2008 at 8:30am

The Most Riveting Movie Moment Ever

I heard someone speak of this as the scene in The Great Dictator where Chaplin as Hitler makes sport with the globe of the world. And I’m sure you have an opinion, which I’m anxious to hear about. Mind you, I’m not looking for movie quotes like “Make my day” or “We’re in for a bumpy night.” What I’m after are those moments of cinematic action that seem to symbolize and say so much more than the constituent elements of the scene.

So what’s my candidate for the most riveting… Continue

Posted on July 14, 2008 at 10:14am

Comment Wall (14 comments)

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At 5:28am on August 1, 2008, Ed Lynskey said…: Hi Paul,

Sorry to respond to your comment so late. I'm still learning my way around. Per your question, Mundania is a small press out of Cincinnati. I think Bob Sanders is the main acquistion editor now. (You can probably find more current info. from their web site.) They seem to do more speculative fiction than mysteries on their list. Good luck!

At 2:44am on July 25, 2008, A. N. Smith said…: Oh yes yes yes! Those Gold Medals are the Holy Grail. I've got a copy of SWAMP BRAT here, and I'm always on the lookout for Whittingtons or John Faulkner.

Plus, the more recnt practioners: Larry Brown, Daniel Woodrell, James Crumley, etc etc (and even though he's British, I'd say Charlie Williams does a helluva job of writing UK rednecks...)

At 8:42am on July 21, 2008, Patricia Abbott said…: Paul-You can send it to me at aa2579@wayne.edu
And thanks!

At 9:30am on July 16, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…: I know, we editors have a reputation for being stuffy. But I developed my sense of humor as waitress (survival skill) before I was fortunate enough to find work as an editor.
Hang in there with your search for an agent or publisher!

At 7:08am on July 16, 2008, L.J. Sellers said…: Hi Paul
I've never seen Elmore Leonard and Franz Kafka in the same list, but they both have an appreciation for the absurd! Best wishes with your writing.

At 11:40pm on July 14, 2008, carole gill said…: yes, just went there!

At 11:29pm on July 14, 2008, Daniel Hatadi said…: Thanks, Paul. Glad you like these digs. :)

At 5:24pm on July 14, 2008, carole gill said…: thanks Paul!
yeah I redecorate every now and then.
Decided I just HAD to have the thing all black and white. and guess what?
the body background is from the opening scene in DOUBLE INDEMNITY! How 'bout that for a little nostalgia?
good about the discussion I was wondering about that.
and I'll check out that other thing you mentioned. great and thanks

At 11:59am on July 14, 2008, JackBludis said…: Paul,

Welcome to crimespace.

Thanks for quoting me. My actual definitions are Hardboiled=tough, Noir=screwed--basically in reference to the main characters. There are some pretty good definitions by others. In terms of noir, Eddie Muller, an expert on film noir, says, "Noir starts out bad for the lead character and get's worse." That's a paraphrase. Jim Doherty, the v.p. of the short mystery society says that noir is "Dark and sinister." I think that includes a little too much, like supernatural horror, but Jim is a great advocate for his position. Jim also says that hardboiled is "tough and colloqual," I buy that a little more easily.

Jim and I are friends, but we've had some knock 'em down and drag 'em outs over that.

As to my own work. My best work is "Shadow of the Dahlia," which is only available at MysteryLovesCompany.com. I have a new story, "Lap Dance" available at http://backalleywebzine.com/

Jack

At 6:42am on July 13, 2008, Patricia Abbott said…: Both would be great if you have the time. It can be as short or as long as you like. Some have just been a paragraph; others probably a page. I can use one of them July 25th and one on August 1. Should your time become limited, just do the one you prefer, the one that comes easier. I really appreciate it. I'm trying to keep it going until a piece in EQMM comes out. So people don't have to say, "huh?" Thanks again.