Blog Tour: The Black Song Inside by Carlyle Clark (spotlight, interview, giveaway)

The Black Song Inside
written by Carlyle Clark
published by Thomas & Mercer

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

About the book: Atticus Wynn and Rosemary Sanchez, newly engaged private investigators, have seen the dark and violent side of life. Nothing, though, has prepared them for an explosive murder investigation that threatens to tear their relationship apart as they struggle to solve a case that could leave them in prison or dead.

Atticus’s manipulative ex-girlfriend bursts back into their lives wielding a secret about Rosemary’s family that she exploits to force the couple into investigating the execution-style slaying of her lover. The case thrusts Atticus and Rosemary headlong into the world of human trafficking and drug smuggling, while rendering them pawns in Tijuana Cartel captain Armando Villanueva’s bloody bid to take over the cartel.

The Black Song Inside is a vivid crime thriller rife with murder and madness, melded with gallows humor and the heroism of two flawed and compelling protagonists who, if they can save themselves, may learn the nature of redemption and the ability to forgive.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. Because it’s fast, fun, and funny, with flawed protagonist you can root for and a terrifying villain.

Why did you did you decide to write The Black Song Inside? Unsurprisingly, I read a lot of books. Nearly all the humorous ones I come across fall into the “light” reading category. I rarely find novels that are “serious” but also have more than just a bit of token humor. That’s always bothered me because no matter what has happened to me, even while it was happening, I don’t have that switch that says, “This isn’t funny because this is a serious situation.” If something’s funny it’s funny, no matter what’s going on. I was robbed at gunpoint and found it amusing that the guy wanted the change from my center console. Consequently, I wanted to write a book that reflects that mentality, one that is darkly humorous with complex characters and protagonists with issues and a lot of tension and action. A serious book that’s funny.

You have had many different jobs over the years. Do any stand out for any particular reason, good or bad? Was your favorite watching concrete dry? Working overnight in the security business has to stand out as my favorite (except for being up all night) for what I learned about human nature and the sheer zaniness. One minute you’re being propositioned, the next minute cursed,  then hugged, and then people are squirting water at you, and then you walk up to tell a guy he can’t park there or he’ll be towed he laughs in your face and dares you to tow him and then he comes back to find his car towed and has the nerve to be surprised and then start crying because he doesn’t have the money to get his car out of the tow yard. You can’t make that up. As for watching concrete dry, which was also overnight security, it technically consisted of sitting in a bad part of town overnight making sure no prostitutes or homeless people stroll though it and actively thwarting that weird brand of people who take a perverse delight in ruining  things for the sake of ruining things and are, ironically, ALWAYS the most outraged if something of theirs is ruined. So I took a perverse delight in preventing their perverse delight.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? Yes, my wife Suki Michelle, and I are co-writing a Sword & Sorcery Fantasy called Red Destiny, which we hope to have completed by the end of January and then we’ll start the sequel to The Black Song Inside, which we plan to have done by the fall of 2014.

What is your favorite genre to read?  That’s tough because it really depends on my mood and what authors have new novels out that I want to read. I love my crime fiction but only a handful of authors. So I’ll answer by saying if I had to only stick to one genre it would be Fantasy because it is so wide ranging,  encompassing my other favorite genres which are “literary” and ”‘crime.”

Who is your favorite author? Even though I proclaimed Fantasy my favorite genre I’ll have to declare the Edgar Award Grandmaster of Crime James Lee Burke is my favorite author. His characterization, dialogue, and integration of description into the narrative are breathtaking. He is very, very successful but I’ll never understand why he isn’t John Grisham mega-author big.

In your opinion, what is one book that everyone should read? You mean besides The Black Song Inside? Just kidding. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry it’s hard to believe that a very simply written 110 page book can be breathtaking in it philosophical depth and emotional scope. Don’t read it in public unless you’re not embarrassed to be seen bawling your eyes out.

Tell us three things about yourself that cannot be found on the internet … at least not found easily. I can throw an egg over my head and catch it behind my back . . . sometimes. Like Jetboy, I can’t die yet because I haven’t seen The Jolson Story. Despite science I believe that if you flip a coin and it comes up heads five times in a row you have a better than fifty-fifty change the sixth will be tails.

 

About the author: Carlyle Clark was raised in Poway, a city just north of San Diego, but is now a proud Chicagolander working in the field of Corporate Security and writing crime and fantasy fiction. He has flailed ineffectually at performing the writer’s requisite myriad of random jobs: pizza deliverer, curb address painter, sweatshop laborer, day laborer, night laborer, security guard, campus police, Gallup pollster, medical courier, vehicle procurer, and signature-for-petitions-getter.

He is a married man with two cats and a dog. He is also a martial arts enthusiast and a CrossFit endurer who enjoys fishing, sports, movies, TV series with continuing storylines, and of course, reading. Most inconsequentially, he holds the unrecognized distinction of being one of the few people in the world who have been paid to watch concrete dry in the dark. Tragically, that is a true statement.

His latest book is the mystery thriller, The Black Song Inside.

Find Mr. Clark here: web, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Pump Up Your Book & Carlyle Clark are giving away a $100 Amazon Gift Card!

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive the Accelerate Your Power Grand Prize.
This giveaway begins December 2 and ends February 28.
Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, March 3, 2013.
Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway