Published Works

Below is an incomplete bibliography of things I’ve written recently.

Novel

Red Planet Noir
By D.B. Grady
215 pp. Brown Street Press, Lexington. $14.99
ISBN: 9780964167438
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009941729
Release Date: December 2, 2009

Michael Sheppard was the best private eye in New Orleans, and then his wife left him. After finding solace in the bottle, he finds his career in the toilet. Nights at the casino pay the bills, until they don’t, and leg breakers start knocking at the door, and knocking out his teeth.

When a socialite on Mars offers him work, it’s a chance for a new start. Her name is Sofia Reed and her father is dead. The coroner says suicide, but Sofia suspects foul play. A leader of the Martian police state, her father had powerful enemies, and nobody on Mars will touch the case for fear of retribution. Michael Sheppard is her only hope.

Chased by cops and gangsters, his investigation takes him from stately mansions to smoke-filled speakeasies, from deserted ice colonies to mining towns on the asteroid belt.

All he wanted was a paycheck to clear some gambling debt. Now Michael is the key figure in a murder conspiracy that’s left a vacuum in the halls of power, with the labor union, mob and military vying for control of Mars.

Freelance (sorted by periodical)

Security Theater Hurts The Troops. The Atlantic. 17 Nov. 2009. Web.

Thanks in large part to the hapless, ineffective, counterproductive, and embarrassing work of the Transportation Security Agency, Americans have grown accustomed to “security theater.” The National Threat Advisory scheme at Homeland Security is equally nebulous, if not outright bewildering. Blue alerts? Yellow alerts? Orange alerts? Is there a difference, and which is the bad one? When does one duct tape his or her windows and parcel the cyanide tablets?

His Brother’s Keeper. The Atlantic. 29 Oct. 2009. Web.

On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother to Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, is on the Central Intelligence Agency payroll. While the explanations are not expressly damning (C.I.A. and U.S. Special Operations forces rent a compound from him, and often use him as an intermediary to communicate with the Taliban), it’s clear how the news will be received in the region. Theories that Afghanistan is a puppet state of the West are confirmed. Rumors that Hamid Karzai’s interests rest with American hegemony are bolstered. And it exacerbates a “crisis of confidence” in the Afghanistan government, as experienced by the Afghan people and described by General Stanley McChrystal in his Commander’s Initial Assessment. It is, by every measure, a catastrophe for the Karzai administration. And it comes a week before runoff elections strong-armed by the United States.

Obama’s FDR Moment. The Atlantic. 22 Sept. 2009. Web.

Public support for the war in Afghanistan stands at 39%. On the right, George Will wants us out, on the left, Senator Russ Feingold. Thomas Friedman is feeling “ambivalent,” and he’s not alone. This weekend, President Obama remarked that, “the first question is, are we doing the right thing?”

General Stanley McChrystal submitted his sixty-six-page Commander’s Initial Assessment of the war last month, after having offered a supplementary counterinsurgency guide to ISAF leaders days before that. The Obama administration is still “reviewing the document,” according to The Washington Post, as though Kremlinologists are required to catch the general’s nuance. At two pages a day, they should have an idea early next week. This is on top of ten months of daily intelligence briefings, and eight years of reported successes and failures. The administration is, by all appearances, stalling.

Still, only last month, the president reaffirmed his support for Afghanistan, calling it a “war of necessity.” The Afghans might not take refuge in these words; in April, he praised Poland and the Czech Republic for hosting our missile defense shield technology.

Afghanistan: The McChrystal Assessment. The Atlantic. 1 Sept. 2009. Web.

When the Afghan worker called to me, I was more curious than anxious.

It was just after one o’clock in the morning, and double-digits below zero. He stood in the doorway of the ramshackle kitchen like a schoolboy on the lookout, his demeanor more mischievous than malevolent. I always had a friendly relationship with the locals, and there was something inside that he very much wanted me to see.

When Patience is Policy. The Atlantic. 24 Aug. 2009. Web.

The next president of Afghanistan faces the twin perils of a galvanized Taliban and an international community fast losing patience. But if the Afghan state is to succeed, patience will be a key factor. Unlike Iraq, where the civilizational foundation for a stable republic existed before the first U.S. boot touched ground, Afghanistan is nation building in its purest form. Security is but one part of a campaign that touches on agriculture, economic affairs, political corruption, civil infrastructure, and social policy. Most daunting, the answer to the question of which issue must first be tackled is: all of them.

Afghanistan: The Long Ring Road Ahead. The Atlantic. 19 Aug. 2009. Web.

Democracy and stability in Afghanistan? These are lofty goals. There are few peoples so impoverished, few countries so war torn, and few collective psyches so beaten up. To meet an Afghan is to meet someone for whom a state of war has been permanent for most of his or her life; someone who has suffered the worst of imaginable human governance by way of the Taliban; someone who endures the harshest weather in the world’s most inhospitable terrain. The average Afghan is tough and proud and hardened in a Mad Max wasteland that oftentimes bears closer resemblance to the moon than any recognizable place on earth.

Twitter: Solidarity On The Cheap. The Atlantic. 12 Aug. 2009. Web.

When brave Iranian students took to the streets in protest of a crooked election, Twitter was there. Users colored their avatars in solidarity, and the site flowed as green as the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day. People who might otherwise have vaguely identified Tehran as a country we bombed post-9/11 were speaking authoritatively on Mir-Hossein Mousavi and the sympathies of the Grand Ayatollahs. Bored office clerks across America dependably–they might say heroically–reported movements of the Basij, echoed warnings of street barricades, and quoted the Quran (in Arabic script, natch) with the revolutionary tenacity of Samuel Adams, before he was just a beer.

It would be a challenge to find a single journal of record that didn’t call the uprising the Twitter Revolution. With that in mind, a note to would-be revolutionaries: next time, try Facebook.

Foot Care in the Field. Boys’ Life. Aug. 2009: 12. Print.

Foot injuries can turn a hiking adventure into a painful memory. So how can you care for your feet while outdoors?

There’s a Map for That. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 10 Dec. 2009: 15. Print.

Everybody hates AT&T. I always suspected, but it’s now been stamped with the Consumer Reports seal of disapproval. In its annual wireless customer satisfaction survey, Consumer Reports found AT&T scored dead last in quality and service in 19 of 26 cities, from a sampling of fifty thousand customers. Don’t trust Consumer Reports? JD Powers and Associates confirmed the findings. Don’t trust that shifty JD Powers fellow? The American Consumer Satisfaction Index also confirms.

Unsurprisingly, Verizon Wireless was the nation’s top service provider. But to be beaten by T-Mobile? By Sprint? For shame, AT&T. With the money you saved in providing a decent network or quality coverage, the least you could have done is bribe Consumer Reports for a third place finish.

A Gadget Gift Guide. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 25 Nov. 2009: 4. Print.

With the holidays come a snow flurry of decisions. Real tree or artificial? Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Do you invite Uncle Jimmy and his faithful bottle of Scotch? Football, or that Law and Order marathon? Wrapping paper or decorative bag? Should you include that gift receipt, or make the ingrates keep whatever present you’ve chosen?

Microsoft Windows 7: A Review. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 12 Nov. 2009: 4. Print.

It’s hard to believe that Microsoft Windows XP is eight years old. In computer years, that’s just slightly younger than the abacus. And though I was a reluctant convert, would come to adore its jellybean-explosion user interface and remarkable stability. When Windows Vista hit the market, however, it felt like a bad redesign of a classic muscle car.

The Mouse That Roared. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 29 Oct. 2009: 15. Print.

Anyone who works in an office or is otherwise shackled to a computer all day should demand three accommodations from his or her employer: a good chair, a good monitor, and a good mouse. The first two can get very expensive very quickly, and short of a doctor’s note – this works, by the way! – do not always meet with a stingy manager’s approval. But mouse devices are relatively inexpensive, and well worth the investment. (A good mouse is cheaper than a good carpal tunnel surgeon.)

But not all mice are created equal. If the choice is between a Logitech mouse and sawing off my own hand, my only real decision is Craftsman or Black and Decker.

Google Wave: Back to the Future. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 15 Oct. 2009: 9. Print.

Last week, Google released invitations for the first private beta of Google Wave. Described by the Mountain View company as “email, if it were invented today,” Wave is an ambitious attempt at real-time collaborative messaging with full multimedia integration. If ever there were a product with aspirations of completing a buzzword bingo card, this is it.

My expectations were high. It was clear from the earliest version of Gmail that web-based email had been fundamentally transformed. But to transform the very concept of email itself? If any company can do it, it is Google, with its elite stable of Computer Science PhDs and hippie culture of software dreamers.

Note to Google: keep dreaming.

There’s an App for That. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 1 Oct. 2009: 15. Print.

The iPhone is unique for many things. A glass screen, for example, with its facial-grease collection technology. (Never before have I realized how truly disgusting human skin is, which makes the iPhone both a biology class and a Wes Craven film.) Its reliance on AT&T, and their advanced call-dropping feature, which makes every conversation a race to the final “goodbyes.” Its compass application (available only in the new iPhone 3GS), which is useful for… something, I think.

Snow Leopard. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 17 Sept. 2009: 15. Print.

Earlier this month, Apple released Snow Leopard, the newest version of its Macintosh Operating System. For those who actually got dates in high school, an operating system is the software middleman between the computer and user. If you’ve got a PC, you’re probably running Microsoft Windows XP, or, if you did something particularly nasty in a past life, Windows Vista.

If that is the case, Snow Leopard might feel foreign to you. Maybe it’s the speed. Maybe it’s the lack of viruses and spyware. Maybe it’s the absence of blue screens and access boxes asking if you’re really, really sure you want to do something. On Snow Leopard, you don’t click the “Start” button to stop your computer.

One Ring to Rule Them All. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 3 Sept. 2009: 15. Print.

Google knows your search history. They’ve got your email. They know what sites you read, what’s on your calendar for next week and where you’re taking a vacation next month. They’re trying to get your word processing documents and are lobbying hard for your medical records. Have I mentioned the satellite imagery they’ve got of your house? Yeah, that’s not scary. Google is, after all, cuddly, with a colorful logo. And their motto is “Don’t be evil.” There is nothing suspicious about that.

Money Management Made Easy. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 20 Aug. 2009: 15. Print.

When I’m not grooming my polo ponies or watching the help tidy my yacht, I find it relaxing to examine my finances. Oh, there was a time when I was like you. No servants, no exotic sports car collection, no top hat. But then I discovered Mint, a free financial management website. At first glance, it might not appear much different than the online checking services offered by your personal bank. But astute first glances are what separate those of us who roll cigars with hundred dollar bills from those of you who roll cigarettes with strips of worn newspaper.

You’re Not Paranoid. They’re Out to Get You. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 6 Aug. 2009: 17. Print.

You probably have spyware on your computer. There’s a good chance you’ve got a virus or two. Your personal files are likely insecure, and your hard drive might be shared for the entire world to see. In real world terms, you’ve not only left your car unlocked, you’ve left the windows down, the doors open, the engine running, and a sign on the dashboard reading FREE CAR.

Which Computer Should I Buy? The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 23 July 2009: 15. Print.

“I’m thinking of buying a laptop computer. Which one do you recommend?” None. Seriously, think of the headaches that come with a computer. Viruses. Spyware. Twitter. Do you really want to do that to yourself? Wouldn’t you rather spend a thousand bucks on a nice cruise to the Bahamas? I’ve never seen a spiral notebook crash, or one of those big green ledger books blue-screen just after adding an entire quarter of sales figures.

Review of the Apple iPhone 3GS. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 9 July 2009: 35. Print.

When Apple unveiled the original iPhone in 2007, I was one of the thousands standing in line, eager to be among its first adopters. This type of thinking is why so much of my lunch money was stolen in grade school. In 2008, when Apple released its successor device, I was in a different line, at the hospital, selling plasma. The original iPhone cost $599 dollars, and I was still paying it off. But with my blood replenished and my contract up for renewal, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to the new iPhone 3GS. Wooed by the promise of unbridled digital horsepower and a video camera, I fished out my credit card and did my part to stimulate the economy.

Rekindling the Publishing Industry. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 25 June 2009: 28. Print.

The publishing industry is doomed. The publishing industry is saved. Those are the dissonant themes running throughout most coverage of the book business since the recession’s start. The naysayers have a strong argument. In 2009, publishers HarperCollins and Random House axed multiple imprints. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt cut entire divisions, and put an unprecedented freeze on manuscript acquisitions. Big box booksellers Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million have posted quarterly losses, and Borders faces bankruptcy. Independent bookstores have not fared much better, with reports every day of venerable locals closing their doors. Executives, editors, authors and dealers have found themselves on the business end of the sharpened blade of an overstretched industry in a failing economy.

Million Dollar Password. The Times of Southwest Louisiana. 14 May 2009: 18. Print.

When they come for your money, they won’t break into the bank. Online identity thieves are too smart for that. They’re gambling that you use the same password for every website. Why attempt a break-in on a guarded, highly encrypted financial site when they can steal your password from the fly-fishing forum you frequent?

Backup Now or Pay Later. The Times of Southwest Louisiana 30 Apr. 2009: 19. Print.

Data recovery is a big business, and when your computer crashes, you learn just how big it is. The cost of restoring lost documents, music and email can run into the thousands, and you can?t even write the technician a check, because your Quicken data is gone, too. For many computer users, backing up data falls on the same list as cleaning the garage and organizing the attic. In years past, this was understandable. Backups once required expensive software, arcane knowledge of directory structures and hours to spare for glacial file transfers. Today, however, there are online services and specialized hardware that automate the task with minimal user involvement. A few quick and inexpensive routines can save a fortune in data recovery when the worst happens.

Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Raymond Chandler. Pop Syndicate. 11 Nov. 2009. Web.

Seventy years ago, Raymond Chandler published The Big Sleep, his first novel, and the opening salvo in a bibliography that would eventually legitimize the hard boiled genre as a true literature. Though he’s been dead for some time, I thought it might be fun to interview him. Undeterred by his interred remains, I’ve rifled through his collected essays and correspondence, and have arranged them in Q and A format. Though he might not have much to say on the war, or health care reform, his thoughts on literature and the crime genre are as refreshing now as the day he put pen to paper.

Lead Poisoning: Trust Me, by Peter Leonard: A Review. Pop Syndicate. 19 Oct. 2009. Web.

I never want to be in a Peter Leonard novel. My tongue’s not sharp enough to keep pace with the dialogue and my mind’s not fast enough to keep pace with the heist. I’m not fast on the draw, and by the time I figured out whose back had best be stabbed, a dagger would jut from my own. All of this is to say I’m too trusting, and in a novel called Trust Me, that’s just asking for trouble.

Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Loretta Craig. Pop Syndicate. 10 Sept. 2009. Web.

When author Loretta Craig isn’t writing, she’s thinking about what she’s going to write next. Already author of six novels in three genres, she’s got plans for a young adult work and a historical romance, and she’s just getting warmed up.

Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Bonnie Kozek. Pop Syndicate. 10 Aug. 2009. Web.

Threshold, a debut novel by Bonnie Kozek, offers an unflinching view of Skid Row and life between the sidewalk cracks. The story follows Honey McGuiness, a hard-boiled, world-weary, reluctant hero who wants nothing more than quiet anonymity.

Lead Poisoning: An Interview with B.R. Stateham. Pop Syndicate. 16 July 2009. Web.

B.R. Stateham has been creating worlds since 1981. Author of acclaimed works of science fiction, fantasy, and hardboiled crime fiction, no genre is safe from his prolific pen, and no end is in sight. He was kind enough to speak with Book Addict about his career, his influences, and the state of the publishing industry.

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said: A Review. Pop Syndicate. 10 June 2009. Web.

Halcyon Company, best known Terminator Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, announced last month a film adaption of Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick. A twist on the classic amnesia story, the novel recounts not a man who’s forgotten his identity, but a world that’s forgotten a man. The narrative serves as a dissertation on the meaning of identity and reality, set in a near-future police state and written in the noir tradition of hardened cops and paranoid prey fueled by cheap booze and sentimentality.

Lead Poisoning: An Interview with Dennis Tafoya. Pop Syndicate. 11 May 2009. Web.

Crime writer Dennis Tafoya is garnering rave reviews for his debut novel, Dope Thief, published by Minotaur Books. He was kind enough to join Book Addict contributor D.B. Grady and share his insights on the genre and experiences in the industry.

Contests

The Whale. The Verb. Reading Writers, Aug. 2009. Web.