Pineda's Devil's Tango. Hammond's KOP Killer. Garcia's Mr. Sumac.

2 new books & 1 new story

1. Cecile Pineda's reflective journalism.

I previously reviewed Pineda's incredible work, Redoubt, here. Now comes word about her most recent book:

Wings Press is proud to announce the publication of
Devil's Tango
How I Learned the Fukushima Step by Step
by Cecile Pineda

ISBN: 978-0-916727-99-4 • $16.95 • Paperback, 236 pages.
Ebook editions available. Contact Wings Press, San Antonio, Tex.

From the publisher: Coming out on 3 11 12—the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster—Devil’s Tango is a whirlwind tour of the nuclear industry, seen through the lens of the industrial and planetary crisis still unfolding in Japan. As much personal reflection as investigative journalism, Pineda’s searing denunciation of the nuclear industry lays bare the connection between nuclear warfare and nuclear energy; it traces the evolution of the author’s own consciousness, while recording day-by-day the worsening developments that continue to unfold at Fukushima Daiichi. Often poetic in tone, philosophical in scope, Pineda’s reflections are peppered with comic monologues, day-to-day reportage, meditations, occasional flights of fancy, a monoplay and a Grand Guignol.

"Profound, quirky, laugh-out-loud funny at times, and utterly terrifying"—From the Foreword, by Jacqueline Cabasso, Exec. Dir., Western States Legal Found.

"Cecile Pineda’s astonishing anatomy of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster…echoes the best work of Rachel Carson, Marilyn Robinson, and Helen Caldicott. It is a work of a conscience truly in touch with, and deeply concerned with, humanity."—John Nichols

About the author: Cecile Pineda was born in Harlem, the daughter of a scholarly Mexican father, and a Swiss-French mother. Her novels have been critically acclaimed, with Face winning the Californian Commonwealth Club’s Gold Medal—a record for first fiction—the Sue Kaufman Prize, and a National Book Award Nomination. Her picaresque novel, The Love Queen of the Amazon, written with a NEA Fiction Fellowship, was named a Notable Book of the Year by The NY Times. Other novels include Frieze, Fishlight, Bardo99, and Redoubt, a meditation on gender.

For more info, go here.

2. Advance Praise for KOP Killer.

Another author--a gringo this time--I previously reviewed was Warren Hammond. I say "gringo," because I used him as an example of how to culturally appropriate the latino culture/people without the usual claptrap of piñatas and borachos. Thinking he likely did as well in his third of the KOP series, here's info on the latest:

"Raw. Visceral. Compelling. As unforgettable as a stabbing."
—Mario Acevedo, author of X-Rated Bloodsuckers

 "Warren Hammond’s KOP is a futuristic techno thriller in a Bogart overcoat. A beautiful first novel, straight out of the dark streets of noir, but kissed with futuristic neon and chrome. Very original and entertaining, and yet somehow pleasingly familiar."
—Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Award-winning author of The Bottoms

"Hammond holds nothing back; Mozambe is brutal and ruthless as he pursues both a serial killer and his personal objectives. The fast-moving story line is complemented by a complex lead and perfectly lean prose."
—Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)

For more info, go here.

Denver reading: Sunday, June 10, 3:00 pm -- Warren Hammond will read from and sign KOP Killer; Broadway Book Mall, 200 S. Broadway, 303-744-2665.

3. Mr. Sumac – a story about a weed's magic realism.

Out soon is AQC's 2012 journal, Kingdom Freaks & Other Divine Wonders. When I heard the title/theme, I thought I had the perfect story, although I don't know if the editor finally liked mine as a freak or a wonder. You don't have to buy the journal to see whether my Mr. Sumac story or the others are worth the read, because you can go to the AQC site for a FREE preview of the journal. There's no price yet on the issue, but it's 332 pp.

To preview the preview of my story: Mr. Sumac is a much less intense (except for the ending) or significant (except for the ending) tale than Pineda's or Hammond's work. However, if you love gardening, hate your old-people neighbors with their old-people quirks, but still want to believe in the hidden natural wonders in your own backyard, check it out.

Since I need to buy a copy to send to mi amá, I'm hoping she'll make it past the avant garde cover to enjoy what her son did. It's all in the prose, qué no? For info on my other stories, go here.

Es todo, hoy,
RudyG