The Afterlife of Slim McCord First Review

'Having followed Jack Martin’s western writing career since the beginning I have to say this is his best book so far. The use of a mummified outlaw adding an unusual touch to this fast moving tale. 'Western Fiction Review

Check out the full review HERE

'Jack Martin also had me grinning when a reporter and dime novelist is discovered walking towards town. His name Gary Dobbs, which is Jack Martin’s real name. The fictional Dobbs will also have a small part to play in building the legend of McCord.'

Reviews are very important to a writer - it's a solitary profession and no writer is ever truly sure of their work so it's great when reviews justify all that hard work.

The Afterlife of Slim McCord is available at the end of this month.

The Afterlife of Slim McCord - Exclusive extract

Nov 30th - The Afterlife of Slim McCord-my newest western is out in hardcover  from Robert Hale's Black Horse Western imprint and is available for pre-order from Amazon, The Book Depository and Robert Hale's own website now. My previous titles have all been quick sellers and pre-ordering is the best way to be sure you'll get a copy on publication day which is now less than a week away.

It's an unusual western and I'm eager to see what my readers think of it. It's got all the traditional elements that have made my previous westerns so successful, but it's got a twist in that the main character is dead for most of the novel and the narrative doesn't rely on flashback scenes to propel the story. Now does it require ghostly goings on - confused? All will become clear when you read The Afterlife of Slim McCord.

Below is an exclusive extract

‘Shot in the back,’ the barker yelled. ‘Ain’t no lawman who could have taken Mad Slim McCord face on.’

‘You sure got that right,’ Clay Blackman offered a nickel but the barker held up his hands, palms forward.

‘No, no, old timer’ he shook his head vigorously. ‘Not me, give it to him.’

‘Him?’

‘Sure,’ the barker smiled. ‘Put it in his mouth. He’s the one you’re paying to see and it’s only right he takes your money.’

‘In his mouth?’

‘Sure, he’ll gobble it right up.’

Blackman frowned. It seemed a particularly gruesome thing to do but nevertheless he pushed the coin between his dead friend’s lips. He winced as his fingers brushed the dry, almost abrasive tongue.

Strange but McCord didn't even look dead, propped up as he was against a wooden frame, more like he was sleeping on his feet. The preservation was incredible, and the dead man’s skin, although cold and leathery, seemed to glow with vigour. His eyes of course were glass; Blackman knew that because Slim’s eyes had been a pale grey, rather than the vibrant blue that now stared sightlessly into an unfocused distance. One of the eyes had also been placed at an irregular angle, which gave Slim something of a cock-eyed appearance.

‘How’d he end up like this?’ Blackman wasn’t aware that he had given the thought a voice.

‘Well now,’ the barker rubbed his chin, as though considering his reply rather than going into a well-practised sales pitch. ‘Was a time Mad Slim McCord was one of the most feared man in the West. He terrorised the badlands and sent many a lawman to an early grave.’

Blackman smiled at that. As far as he knew Slim had never been much of a killer, he hadn’t liked killing, and would avoid doing so whenever it was possible. He tended to scare folks with a dazzling combination of skilful gunplay, which was often all it took. One time, Blackman remembered, Slim had shot a sheriff’s hat clean off his head and then plugged it twice more as it spun through the air. After that the lawman hadn’t been any trouble to them and they had been free to go about their unlawful business.

‘The fact that he lived as long as he did is testament to how successful a bandit he was,’ the barker continued. ‘But McCord’s luck ran out one day down in Santino when a lawman recognised him from an old wanted poster and shot him in the back. Just like that. No warning and a bullet in the back.’

‘Long way from Santino to here,’ Blackman said.  ‘How’d he end up here?’

‘You see no one claimed the body,’ the barker said. ‘And so the undertaker, figuring he could profit from such an infamous outlaw, decided to embalm the body in a preserving solution made of arsenic and strong spirits.’

‘And you bought him?’ Blackman looked the barker directly in the eyes.

The barker nodded, proudly.

‘He’s been dead close on seven years now and looks as if he could have been shot this very morning,’ the barker said. ‘The undertaker had to remove a lot of his innards you know, stuff him back up with sawdust and the like, but that’s a darn fine preservation job, darn fine.  American craftsmanship at its best.’

‘You bought the body to turn a profit?’ Blackman found that the most tasteless thing he had ever heard.

‘Sure did,’ the barker said. ‘And I charge a nickel a view. That’s what’s called the entrepreneurial spirit operating in a free market. God bless America.’

‘Guess he sure ain’t gonna’ choke on that nickel,’ Blackman said.

‘We're only here one week in Possum Creek,’ the barker said with a broad smile. ‘Be sure to tell all your friends.’

Immediately another man entered, holding his nickel out between a thumb and forefinger. There was a queue of at least fifty people outside the tent waiting for a chance to see the dead outlaw. Slim had never been that successful an outlaw, Blackman recalled and guessed that he was making more money dead than he ever had alive.

‘I hear he’s been preserved with a paint made of strong whisky,’ someone in the crowd said as Blackman pushed through and made his way to the saloon.

                                              *

The story continues in The Afterlife of Slim McCord by Jack Martin out this month but available for pre-order now.

Five days to go

This November enter the afterlife

OUT THIS MONTH

My fifth western for Robert Hale ltd and their Black Horse imprint.

Blackman and Tanner have seen it all, but nothing has prepared them for what they find in the town of Possum Creek: the mummified remains of notorious outlaw Slim McCord, in a travelling carny show. And Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career. The three men, thrown together again in the most unlikely way, must face this dangerous turn of events head on.

The Afterlife of Slim McCord - get it in all bookshops, or from Amazon or even from your local public library.

Bestselling Black Horse titles on Amazon 27th August 2013

My new western The Afterlife of Slim McCord is currently sitting at number one in the bestselling Black Horse titles on Amazon, and that's on pre-orders alone. The book won't be published until this November and readers wanting to ensure a hardcover on publication day should head over to Amazon and pre-order the book now.

Below are the current top five selling Black Horse Westerns on Amazon

1 - The Afterlife of Slim McCord by Jack Martin
2 - The Hughwayman by Owen G. Irons
3- The Commanche Fights Back by D. M. Harrison
4-A Rope for Iron Eyes by Rory Black
5- She Wore a Badge by Steve Hayes

“True friendship continues long after living is gone!”

Ageing not so bad men Blackman and Tanner thought they had seen it all, but nothing could have prepared them for what they would find in the town of Possum Creek.

Once they had ridden with the notorious outlaw Slim McCord and when they came upon his mummified remains in a travelling carny show, they find themselves thrown into an unlikely and dangerous series of events as they, together with their dead leader, head towards a destiny that seems preordained.

Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career, as the three men, together again, face all manner of danger and find that, as the bullets fly, it’s just like old times.

Afterlife Slim McCord - Exclusive extract

The Afterlife of Slim McCord-my newest western is out in hardcover this November from Robert Hale's Black Horse Western imprint and is available for pre-order from Amazon, The Book Depository and Robert Hales own website now. My previous titles have all been quick sellers and pre-ordering is the best way to be sure you'll get a copy on publication day.

It's my most out there western and I'm eager to see what my readers think of it. It's got all the traditional elements that have made my previous westerns so successful, but it's got a twist in that the main character is dead for most of the novel and the narrative doesn't rely on flashback scenes to propel the story.

Below is an exclusive extract7

‘Shot in the back,’ the barker yelled. ‘Ain’t no lawman who could have taken Mad Slim McCord face on.’

‘You sure got that right,’ Clay Blackman offered a nickel but the barker held up his hands, palms forward.

‘No, no, old timer’ he shook his head vigorously. ‘Not me, give it to him.’

‘Him?’

‘Sure,’ the barker smiled. ‘Put it in his mouth. He’s the one you’re paying to see and it’s only right he takes your money.’

‘In his mouth?’

‘Sure, he’ll gobble it right up.’

Blackman frowned. It seemed a particularly gruesome thing to do but nevertheless he pushed the coin between his dead friend’s lips. He winced as his fingers brushed the dry, almost abrasive tongue.

Strange but McCord didn’t even look dead, propped up as he was against a wooden frame, more like he was sleeping on his feet. The preservation was incredible, and the dead man’s skin, although cold and leathery, seemed to glow with vigour. His eyes of course were glass; Blackman knew that because Slim’s eyes had been a pale grey, rather than the vibrant blue that now stared sightlessly into an unfocused distance. One of the eyes had also been placed at an irregular angle, which gave Slim something of a cock-eyed appearance.

‘How’d he end up like this?’ Blackman wasn’t aware that he had given the thought a voice.

‘Well now,’ the barker rubbed his chin, as though considering his reply rather than going into a well-practised sales pitch. ‘Was a time Mad Slim McCord was one of the most feared man in the West. He terrorised the badlands and sent many a lawman to an early grave.’

Blackman smiled at that. As far as he knew Slim had never been much of a killer, he hadn’t liked killing, and would avoid doing so whenever it was possible. He tended to scare folks with a dazzling combination of skilful gunplay, which was often all it took. One time, Blackman remembered, Slim had shot a sheriff’s hat clean off his head and then plugged it twice more as it spun through the air. After that the lawman hadn’t been any trouble to them and they had been free to go about their unlawful business.

‘The fact that he lived as long as he did is testament to how successful a bandit he was,’ the barker continued. ‘But McCord’s luck ran out one day down in Santino when a lawman recognised him from an old wanted poster and shot him in the back. Just like that. No warning and a bullet in the back.’

‘Long way from Santino to here,’ Blackman said.  ‘How’d he end up here?’

‘You see no one claimed the body,’ the barker said. ‘And so the undertaker, figuring he could profit from such an infamous outlaw, decided to embalm the body in preserving solution made of arsenic and strong spirits.’

‘And you bought him?’ Blackman looked the barker directly in the eyes.

The barker nodded, proudly.

‘He’s been dead close on seven years now and looks as if he could have been shot this very morning,’ the barker said. ‘The undertaker had to remove a lot of his innards you know, stuff him back up with sawdust and the like, but that’s a darn fine preservation job, darn fine.  American craftsmanship at its best.’

‘You bought the body to turn a profit?’ Blackman found that the most tasteless thing he had ever heard.

‘Sure did,’ the barker said. ‘And I charge a nickel a view. That’s what’s called the entrepreneurial spirit operating in a free market. God bless America.’

‘Guess he sure ain’t gonna’ choke on that nickel,’ Blackman said.

‘We only here one week in Possum Creek,’ the barker said with a broad smile. ‘Be sure to tell all your friends.’

Immediately another man entered, holding his nickel out between a thumb and forefinger. There was a queue of at least fifty people outside the tent waiting for a chance to see the dead outlaw. Slim had never been that successful an outlaw, Blackman recalled and guessed that he was making more money dead than he ever had alive.

‘I hear he’s been preserved with a paint made of strong whisky,’ someone in the crowd said as Blackman pushed through and made his way to the saloon.

                                              *

The story continues in The Afterlife of Slim McCord by Jack Martin available for pre-order now. 

       

Stirrings from beyond the grave

Dead Man Covered

This is the cover design Robert Hale and Black Horse Westerns have selected for my next Jack Martin western, The Afterlife of Slim McCord which will be out later this year - November 30th in fact.

Hale use stock images for their Black Horse books which can mean that often the cover image doesn't represent any of the scenes in the actual book - thankfully this is not the case here. In fact the cover represents a flashback scene in which the titular character, Slim McCord is killed, shot in the back.

Yep, that's right Slim McCord the lead character in my new western is dead right from page one and remains so to the bitter sweet end - confused? All will become clear when the book hits the stores.

I'm truly excited about Slim McCord and I think that it follows the pattern set by my previous two westerns, Delta Rose and Wild Bill Williams in experimenting with the genre. I also think that Slim McCord is quite unique in that the lead character spends most of the book as a mummified corpse, a very active mummified corpse.

It's kind of the story of the end of the frontier as seen through the eyes of two aged outlaws and one dead one. I was thinking along those lines, or at least the lines of aging outlaws when I stumbled across the real life story of Elmer McCurdy, a badman who was indeed mummified and then shown as part of a traveling carny show.


The blurb (rough draft) reads:

“True friendship continues long after living is gone!”

Aging not so bad men Blackman and Tanner thought they had seen it all, but nothing could have prepared them for what they would find in the town of Possum Creek.

Once they had ridden with the notorious outlaw Slim McCord and when they come upon his mummified remains in a traveling carny show, they find themselves thrown into an unlikely and dangerous series of events as they, together with their dead leader, head towards a destiny that seems preordained.

Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career, as the three men, together again, face all manner of danger and find that, as the bullets fly, it’s just like old times.

And here's a snippet from the author's note that will accompany, The Afterlife of Slim McCord

In 1911 McCurdy was shot during a failed robbery and as no one claimed his body the undertaker embalmed the outlaw with arsenic based preservatives and put the corpse on show. From there the corpse ended up in various traveling shows before disappearing sometime in the 1930s. Incredibly in 1976 a prop man on the set of the TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man, rediscovered it. It had been thought to be a wax model, and used in a fun house set before a finger broke off, revealing it to be actual human remains.  Elmer McCurdy was eventually buried in 1977 in the Boot Hill section of Summit View Cemetery, Oklahoma with most of the cast and crew from The Six Million Dollar Man in attendance.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction - and there was something fine and dandy about that old corpse causing such a commotion in 1976,all those years after death - the police were called in and production on The Six Million Dollar man frozen until they identified the body. And that's how Slim McCord developed in my mind. I liked the idea of the old outlaw kicking up a storm long after death  - My story is set in the Old West and our mummified outlaw finds himself playing an active part in a bank robbery long after his own account has been closed. I like the concept - nothing's truly new and there have been many western novels that have used a parallel between aging characters and the end of the frontier to tone their story, but as far as I know there's never been one with a mummified outlaw at the heart of the story. 

Slim McCord - it's a larger than life story, with action, adventure, comedy and a dash of sentiment. Above all I think Slim McCord's got a lot of heart.

Those days were gone though and Blackman knew it. It was written in his face and he had a wrinkle for every fence that had been thrown up around previously open range. He could dream though, and in his dreams there were no fences, and enough pretty ladies to warm the coldest of nights. 

 

November confirmed for the very dead Slim McCord

Have heard from my publisher that my next Jack Martin western, The Afterlife of Slim McCord will be published this November - below I've reposted an article which tell of my inspiration for the story.

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Elmer McCurdy

It's early days yet, but I'd like to tell you a little bit about my fifth Black Horse title, which will be published this November. It's called The Afterlife of Slim McCord and uses an unusual premise - here's a very rough draft of the blurb:

“True friendship continues long after living is gone!”

Aging not so bad men Blackman and Tanner thought they had seen it all, but nothing could have prepared them for what they would find in the town of Possum Creek.

Once they had ridden with the notorious outlaw Slim McCord and when they come upon his mummified remains in a traveling carny show, they find themselves thrown into an unlikely and dangerous series of events as they, together with their dead leader, head towards a destiny that seems preordained.

Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career, as the three men, together again, face all manner of danger and find that, as the bullets fly, it’s just like old times.

It's kind of the story of the end of the frontier as seen through the eyes of two aged outlaws and one dead one. I was thinking along those lines, or at least the lines of aging outlaws when I stumbled across the real life story of Elmer McCurdy, a badman who was indeed mummified and then shown as part of a traveling carny show. 

Here's a snippet from the author's note that will accompany, The Afterlife of Slim McCord

In 1911 McCurdy was shot during a failed robbery and as no one claimed his body the undertaker embalmed the outlaw with arsenic based preservatives and put the corpse on show. From there the corpse ended up in various traveling shows before disappearing sometime in the 1930s. Incredibly in 1976 a prop man on the set of the TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man, rediscovered it. It had been thought to be a wax model, and used in a fun house set before a finger broke off, revealing it to be actual human remains.  Elmer McCurdy was eventually buried in 1977 in the Boot Hill section of Summit View Cemetery, Oklahoma with most of the cast and crew from The Six Million Dollar Man in attendance.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction - and there was something fine and dandy about that old corpse causing such a commotion in 1976,all those years after death - the police were called in and production on The Six Million Dollar man frozen until they identified the body. And that's how Slim McCord developed in my mind. I liked the idea of the old outlaw kicking up a storm long after death  - My story is set in the Old West and our mummified outlaw finds himself playing an active part in a bank robbery long after he's cashed in his chips. I like the concept - nothing's truly new and there have been many western novels that have used a parallel between aging characters and the end of the frontier to tone their story, but as far as I know there's never been one with a mummified outlaw at the heart of the story. And I'm mighty pleased with Slim McCord - it's a larger than life story, with action, adventure, comedy and a stirring of sentiment. Above all I think Slim McCord's got a lot of heart.

Those days were gone though and Blackman knew it. It was written in his face and he had a wrinkle for every fence that had been thrown up around previously open range. He could dream though, and in his dreams there were no fences, and enough pretty ladies to warm the coldest of nights. 

Anyway that's it, The Afterlife of Slim McCord and I'm sure I'll be making a big old fuss when publication day nears, but for now the taster above is all your getting.

This book is also dedicated to the memory of Elmer McCurdy and all those who rode the Wild West, both in life and death.

Will the Afterlife survive the end of the world.

I have just heard from my publisher that my fifth Black Horse Western title, The Afterlife of Slim McCord will be published in Nov 2013 - well as long as the Mayans were wrong about the world ending this time next week.

Death ain't what it used to be - Slim McCord

Those publishing lead times - Wild Bill Williams  was published last month and a few weeks ago I signed the contract for a book which will be my fifth Black Horse title for Robert Hale Ltd. Wild Bill was actually written more than fourteen months ago, and by the time it had gone through the publishing process I had completed another western,and no doubt I will have written another by the time this next one comes out. I've got a list of ideas for new western novels that could keep me writing long into my afterlife. (pun intended - read on)

Elmer McCurdy

It's early days yet, and I'm  working on a second Granny Smith novel, but I'd like to tell you a little bit about my fifth Black Horse title, which will be published sometime next year. It's called The Afterlife of Slim McCord and uses an unusual premise - here's a very rough draft of the blurb:

“True friendship continues long after living is gone!”

Aging not so bad men Blackman and Tanner thought they had seen it all, but nothing could have prepared them for what they would find in the town of Possum Creek.

Once they had ridden with the notorious outlaw Slim McCord and when they come upon his mummified remains in a traveling carny show, they find themselves thrown into an unlikely and dangerous series of events as they, together with their dead leader, head towards a destiny that seems preordained.

Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career, as the three men, together again, face all manner of danger and find that, as the bullets fly, it’s just like old times.

It's kind of the story of the end of the frontier as seen through the eyes of two aged outlaws and one dead one. I was thinking along those lines, or at least the lines of aging outlaws when I stumbled across the real life story of Elmer McCurdy, a badman who was indeed mummified and then shown as part of a traveling carny show. 

Here's a snippet from the author's note that will accompany, The Afterlife of Slim McCord

In 1911 McCurdy was shot during a failed robbery and as no one claimed his body the undertaker embalmed the outlaw with arsenic based preservatives and put the corpse on show. From there the corpse ended up in various traveling shows before disappearing sometime in the 1930s. Incredibly in 1976 a prop man on the set of the TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man, rediscovered it. It had been thought to be a wax model, and used in a fun house set before a finger broke off, revealing it to be actual human remains.  Elmer McCurdy was eventually buried in 1977 in the Boot Hill section of Summit View Cemetery, Oklahoma with most of the cast and crew from The Six Million Dollar Man in attendance.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction - and there was something fine and dandy about that old corpse causing such a commotion in 1976,all those years after death - the police were called in and production on The Six Million Dollar man frozen until they identified the body. And that's how Slim McCord developed in my mind. I liked the idea of the old outlaw kicking up a storm long after death  - My story is set in the Old West and our mummified outlaw finds himself playing an active part in a bank robbery long after he's cashed in his chips. I like the concept - nothing's truly new and there have been many western novels that have used a parallel between aging characters and the end of the frontier to tone their story, but as far as I know there's never been one with a mummified outlaw at the heart of the story. And I'm mighty pleased with Slim McCord - it's a larger than life story, with action, adventure, comedy and a stirring of sentiment. Above all I think Slim McCord's got a lot of heart.

Those days were gone though and Blackman knew it. It was written in his face and he had a wrinkle for every fence that had been thrown up around previously open range. He could dream though, and in his dreams there were no fences, and enough pretty ladies to warm the coldest of nights. 

Anyway that's it, The Afterlife of Slim McCord and I'm sure I'll be making a big old fuss when publication day nears, but for now the taster above is all your getting.

This book is also dedicated to the memory of Elmer McCurdy and all those who rode the Wild West, both in life and death.

The Afterlife of Slim McCord

Those publishing lead times - Wild Bill Williams  was published this month and only this morning I signed the contract for a book which will be my fifth Black Horse title for Robert Hale Ltd. Wild Bill was actually written more than fourteen months ago, and by the time it had gone through the publishing process I had completed another western,and no doubt I will have written another by the time this next one comes out. I've got a list of ideas for new western novels that could keep me writing long into my afterlife. (pun intended - read on)

Elmer McCurdy

It's early days yet, and I'm about to start work on a second Granny Smith novel, but I'd like to tell you a little bit about my fifth Black Horse title, which will be published sometime next year. It's called The Afterlife of Slim McCord and uses an unusual premise - here's a very rough draft of the blurb:

“True friendship continues long after living is gone!”

Aging not so bad men Blackman and Tanner thought they had seen it all, but nothing could have prepared them for what they would find in the town of Possum Creek.

Once they had ridden with the notorious outlaw Slim McCord and when they come upon his mummified remains in a traveling carny show, they find themselves thrown into an unlikely and dangerous series of events as they, together with their dead leader, head towards a destiny that seems preordained.

Slim McCord, long after his death, is now involved in the most lucrative bank robbery of his outlaw career, as the three men, together again, face all manner of danger and find that, as the bullets fly, it’s just like old times.

It's kind of the story of the end of the frontier as seen through the eyes of two aged outlaws and one dead one. I was thinking along those lines, or at least the lines of aging outlaws when I stumbled across the real life story of Elmer McCurdy, a badman who was indeed mummified and then shown as part of a traveling carny show. 

Here's a snippet from the author's note that will accompany, The Afterlife of Slim McCord

In 1911 McCurdy was shot during a failed robbery and as no one claimed his body the undertaker embalmed the outlaw with arsenic based preservatives and put the corpse on show. From there the corpse ended up in various traveling shows before disappearing sometime in the 1930s. Incredibly in 1976 a prop man on the set of the TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man, rediscovered it. It had been thought to be a wax model, and used in a fun house set before a finger broke off, revealing it to be actual human remains.  Elmer McCurdy was eventually buried in 1977 in the Boot Hill section of Summit View Cemetery, Oklahoma with most of the cast and crew from The Six Million Dollar Man in attendance.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction - and there was something fine and dandy about that old corpse causing such a commotion in 1976,all those years after death - the police were called in and production on The Six Million Dollar man frozen until they identified the body. And that's how Slim McCord developed in my mind. I liked the idea of the old outlaw kicking up a storm long after death  - My story is set in the Old West and our mummified outlaw finds himself playing an active part in a bank robbery long after he's cashed in his chips. I like the concept - nothing's truly new and there have been many western novels that have used a parallel between aging characters and the end of the frontier to tone their story, but as far as I know there's never been one with a mummified outlaw at the heart of the story. And I'm mighty pleased with Slim McCord - it's a larger than life story, with action, adventure, comedy and a stirring of sentiment. Above all I think Slim McCord's got a lot of heart.

Those days were gone though and Blackman knew it. It was written in his face and he had a wrinkle for every fence that had been thrown up around previously open range. He could dream though, and in his dreams there were no fences, and enough pretty ladies to warm the coldest of nights. 

Anyway that's it, The Afterlife of Slim McCord and I'm sure I'll be making a big old fuss when publication day nears, but for now the taster above is all your getting.

This book is also dedicated to the memory of Elmer McCurdy and all those who rode the Wild West, both in life and death.