Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, & Detective Fiction

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 10, Writing Rat Face concludes. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

6/30/24 • 22:21

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 9, the penultimate episode of Writing Rat Face, Justin (and Rat Face) race toward the finish line.  Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

4/29/24 • 18:40

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 8 of Writing Rat Face, Justin emerges from the middlegame slog and finds himself (and Rat Face) moving toward the story climax. He uses chess analogies, examines a potential femme fatale,  discusses the problem of individuality, and comtemplates how a characters' dream world might grease the wheels of a stuck narrative.  Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

1/10/24 • 19:48

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 7 of Writing Rat Face, Justin shares a plot building technique that has helped him with story logic & flow.  Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

12/11/23 • 19:55

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 6 of Writing Rat Face, Justin continues to doggy-paddle through the middle part of the novel. He also continues to ask critical questions about his central character, Rat Face, which inevitably leads to questions about the author himself.  Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

11/27/23 • 20:29

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 5 of Writing Rat Face, Justin interrogates his central character, Rat Face, and comes away with a better understanding of Rat Face's emotional and philosophical journey. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

11/13/23 • 14:08

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 4 of Writing Rat Face, Justin hits the 13,000 word mark, confronts the question of setting, discusses the importance of internal consistency, and gets to know his central character's primary motivation -- who is Rat Face and what does he want? Justin also considers a twist that will raise the stakes for Rat Face and the readers. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

10/30/23 • 22:20

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft. Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends, and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. In Episode 3 of Writing Rat Face, Justin surpasses 8,000 words and begins to run into more questions than answers.  He discusses his thoughts on essential characters beyond the main character, his research process, and thoughts on writers block. He also shares two excerpts from week two of story writing. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

10/23/23 • 22:02

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft.  Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process as he writes 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends,  and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves.  In Episode 2 of Writing Rat Face, the writing is smooth sailing, but how long will the good winds last? Justin explains his thoughts on the city as character, rants briefly about art & labor, and shares two excerpts from week one of story writing.

10/12/23 • 21:29

Welcome to "Writing Rat Face," a Point Blank Limited Series on one writer's process of writing a 50,000 word novel first draft.  Rat Face is a post-apocalyptic crime novel set in a world ravaged by nuclear war and climate change. The main character, Rat Face, is a noir-ish hitman and delinquent looking to solve his father figure's murder before the Terror Squads find & liquidate him. In this series of 6 to 10 short episodes, Justin Bendell discusses his weekly process writing 50,000 words in three months, including  the day-to-day ups and downs, the challenges and dead-ends,  and the surprises along the way as his novel draft evolves. 

10/2/23 • 18:54

Welcome! In this episode we discuss the film version of The Third Man. For the full plot summary and commentary on the novella, check out episode 73. We riff on our reactions to the film with the written story fresh in our minds. What a masterpiece! Truely a joy to watch, even when you know what's going to happen.   ***Sorry this one took so long to publish. As we briefly discuss in the show, we have both got a lot going on this summer. Get in touch: pointblanknoir@gmail.com

8/3/23 • 40:13

Blankers! Last episode we discussed James Sallis's hardboiled, neo-noir classic Drive. This time we interrogate Nicholas Winding Refn's 2011 film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling. In what ways is the film better than the novel and vice versa? Hit play to find out! Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook Group #crimefiction #refn #gosling #jamessallis #drive #noir #neonoir

3/22/23 • 41:43

Get in and buckle up! In this episode, we cover Drive by James Sallis. It's a short work that speaks to the kind of crime fiction we love.  For the appropriate listening experience break out your classic car and crank the stereo. Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook Group #crimefiction #sallis #jamessallis #drive #noir

2/10/23 • 63:51

For Episode 70, we visit mid-century urban America with Iceberg Slim's Pimp.  This is a gritty memoir that sold millions of copies, yet remains under discussed in crime writing circles. We will talk about the good of this book, and we also dig into the problems we had with it. Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir and Detective Fiction

12/3/22 • 62:01

We finally get to Elmore Leonard! We asked for recommendations and received a lot of great suggestions from our listeners. Swag delivered with a tale of two robbers trying to make a buck. If they stick to the 10 rules, what can go wrong? Email the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir and Detective Fiction

9/20/22 • 58:12

With the book fresh in our minds we take a look at the classic film "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart. This is mostly a reaction episode looking at how the film diverged from the source material. Enjoy. Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find us on Facebook: Point Blank: Noir, Hardboiled, and Detective Fiction

8/23/22 • 38:11

Greed. Ambition. Gold Fever. Adventure. Join us for a discussion of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" by the mysterious author B. Traven. Three men down on their luck strike out to find gold in the mountains of Mexico. Will they find their fortunes? Probably not or else it would be a boring book. While this one isn't exactly crime fiction, we think it offers a lot of the hardboiled and noir elements that crime fiction fans will enjoy. Contact the show: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction

8/9/22 • 60:59

Bienvenido a Cuba! Grab a rum and join us for Adios Muchachos by Daniel Chavarria. Alicia is a woman looking for a rich man to help her escape. She's got a plan that involves a bicycle and seduction. What she doesn't plan for is a kidnapping.  We discuss this novel, provide some short reviews, and touch on the world of Cuban Noir. Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find us on Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction  

6/5/22 • 67:29

Hello, again, Point Blank Listeners! Sorry for the delay. I've been sick. Here's episode 65. We cover the bestselling, award-winning Razorblade Tears. S.A. Cosby delivers another powerful noir tale, and we get down into the grit to examine why this one is making all of the "best" lists. Justin provides a short review of the classic James M. Cain novel Mildred Pierce , and we discuss the noir film The Asphalt Jungle. Contact the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find Us on Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir and Detective Fiction

4/26/22 • 61:52

Blankers! This episode we discuss Margaret Millar's terrific noir classic Beast in View. This book's got it all: murder, threatening phone calls from bar telephones, a waterproof woman, domestic drama, gender politics, unreliable narrators, and a twist that will knock your socks off.  Want to get in touch with the show? Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pointblankpodcast/ $ Support: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Give us a review on iTunes.  

2/15/22 • 52:17

We are back! Sorry for the delay. We needed an extended holiday break. In this episode, we discuss Tartan/Scottish Noir through the lens of what is considered the first Tartan Noir Laidlaw. Laidlaw is a gritty detective novel taking place on the streets of Glasgow in the 1970s. William McIlvanney or Gus to his friends is considered the father of Scottish noir and gives us working-class fiction from a working-class town. Want to get in touch with the show? Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pointblankpodcast/ Give us a review on iTunes.  

1/19/22 • 58:48

Hey Blankers -  Kurt & I finally got around to recording Episode 62. This time we take a walk down the mean streets of Isola with Ed McBain's Cop Hater. The first novel in the acclaimed 87th Precinct series, Cop Hater (1956) set the blueprint for modern police procedurals. Does it hold up? Tune in & find out! Get in touch with the show: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com  Twitter: @pointblanknoir  Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction  Good Reads Point Blank page:  https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/747867-point-blank  Support the show:  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime  Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!  Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 

12/7/21 • 55:05

What in the world is eco-noir?  We attempt to answer that question by looking at a few texts that might be ecological noir. In the discussion, we mention: The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abby Animals by Will Staples Zodiac by Neal Stephenson The Glass Factory by Kenneth Wishnia Nature Noir by Jordan Fisher Smith Captiva by Randy Wayne White   If you'd like to get in touch with the show: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: Point Blank: Noir, Hardboiled, and Detective Fiction

10/13/21 • 60:47

Blankers!    Find your sun hat, stab that beach umbrella into the sand, and break out the Banana Boat -- this is Five Round Reviews: Summer Edition.   We have 13 short reviews for you--from Jim Harrison & Dorothy B. Hughes to David Heska Wanbli Weiden & Nick Kolakowski. (See the full list below.) Get in touch with the show: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com   Twitter: @pointblanknoir   Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction   Good Reads Point Blank page:  https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/747867-point-blank   Support the show:   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime   Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!   Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868   Books reviewed (full list) No Room at the Morgue by Jean Patrick Manchette The Prone Gunman by Jean Patrick Manchette   Timber Beasts: A Sage Adair Historical Mystery by S.L. Stoner   The Great Leader by Jim Harrison The Big Seven by Jim Harrison Paradise Palms: Red Menace Mob by Paul Haddad   The So Blue Marble by Dorothy B. Hughes   Maxine Unleashes Doomsday by Nick Kolakowski    Noir by Christopher Moore   White Tears by Hari Kunzru    Palm Springs Noir ed. by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: ARC    Someone to Watch Over Me by Dan Bronson   Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden 

8/17/21 • 60:22

Throw on your white blazer, power up the speed boat, and cut yourself a line. We're head to '80's  Miami for Charles Willeford's 'Miami Blues."  In what can only be described as a "weird and unsettling novel," we join Hoke Moseley, Frederick J. Frenger Jr, and Susan Waggoner for a bizarre tale of Floridian crime. Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pointblankpodcast

7/26/21 • 59:36

Blankers! Zip up your windbreakers and don’t forget change for the highway tolls — in Episode 58 we head to Chicago to wrap our heads around Chicago Noir. We talk about Chicago as a city for noir, and we look at crime fiction by Nelson Algren, Howard Browne, Frederic Brown, Sara Paretsky, Michael Harvey, Danny Gardner, Bob Hartley, & more. Italian beef, tavern cut pizza, Old Style, Malort, murder. You ready? Get in touch with the show: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Good Reads Point Blank page: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/747867-point-blank Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends! Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868

6/22/21 • 67:16

We promised an episode on The Expendable Man, but we just couldn't contain ourselves to one book by Dorothy B Hughes! We discuss these two masterpieces of crime fiction, sharing why we find Hughes' work so compelling.  We'd love to hear from you: Email: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Join Our Facebook Group: Here  

5/22/21 • 59:33

In Episode 57, we review the hell out of nearly a dozen books, + a couple films! We review: Run Man Run by Chester Himes Plan B by Chester Himes Darktown by Thomas Mullen The Man with the Getaway Face by Richard Stark If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley M. Ravenel's The Arrangement Champagne Cowboys by Leo W. Banks Freebooters : A Novel by Elleston Trevor Satan Takes the Helm by Calvin Clements The Shadow of What We Were by Luis Sepulveda Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find us on Facebook and join our Facebook group: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir and Detective Fiction Twitter: @pointblanknoir Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

4/28/21 • 55:04

Buckle your seat belts! This is going to be a wild ride!  We take a deep dive into "Blacktop Wasteland" by SA Cosby, a novel we both describe as a modern classic.  Cosby takes us on a journey through the rural hills of Virginia for an exhilarating, timely work that highlights everything modern noir crime fiction has to offer.    Get in touch with the show: pointblanknoir@gmail.com Find us on Facebook and join our Facebook group to discuss these books with other listeners. Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir and Detective Fiction

4/3/21 • 57:24

In Episode 45, we revisit to one of the masters of hardboiled detective crime fiction, Raymond Chandler, and his acclaimed second novel, Farewell, My Lovely. Damn, this book is boozy. (And racist!) But also rich with memorable secondary characters (Moose Malloy & Jessie Florian) & Marloweian one-liners. It's a classic example of hardboiled detective fiction that finds Chandler at his most Chandleresque. Get in touch with the show: Twitter: @pointblanknoir Facebook: Point Blank: Hardboiled, Noir, and Detective Fiction Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-blank-hardboiled-noir-detective-fiction/id1276038868 Website: www.pointblankpodcast.com Support the show: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pointblankcrime Don’t forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts and share the show with your friends!

3/8/21 • 54:21