Pulp Fiction: Interviewing Haven writer, Stephen King publisher Charles Ardai

I view Charles Ardai as one of the more charming writers I recently interviewed since joining CliqueClack TV. Admittedly, I found all the writers charming. However, it is only fitting that I publish an interview with one of Haven’s consulting producers/writers right after Halloween. It becomes more apt considering this marks my fiftieth post since joining CliqueClack in late spring and considering Ardai’s novel Fifty-to-One (2008) incorporated his imprint’s first fifty texts.

Although Carissa was unable to join us, Charles and I talked about how The Colorado Kid transitioned from the textual novel to the scripted page to the visual text before discussing his tributary pulp parody novel, Fifty-to-One. When I talked to Carissa the previous night, I mentioned my interest in people from schools/programs related to mine, who graduated within my decade range, who entered into the mainstream publishing medium, of which Charles is one. Yet, despite the multiple pies he has on the shelf, in the oven, and still in the mixer (including his editorial work, his television projects, and his managing director-ship), he makes himself accessible to most internet writers/reviewers/bloggers while remaining active on Twitter. Additionally, he seems self-aware by frequently reviewing and internalizing the on-line criticism of his texts and works. I have no doubt he will probably find, screen-scrape, and tweet this article 5 minutes before I e-mail it to him.

Charles in Charge
Charles conception of the Hard Case Crime imprint (with his partner Max Philips) brought readers The Colorado Kid which, in turn, provided viewers with Haven. While formerly published by romance distributor turned e-publisher Dorchester, Hard Case Crime is now distributed by the UK-based publisher, Titan Books. The imprint re-imagines, re-constructs, and re-publishes texts of the golden fictional “hard” mystery age. Its writer stable includes established figures, Mickey Spillane and Donald Westlake, as well as new contributors, Richard Aleas (you know who he is) and Ken Bruen.  Stephen King’s Colorado Kid contributes to their contemporary mystery canon by inspiring Haven and inspiring people who loved Haven to read the original text. However, due to a three-year print licensing agreement, it is currently only available electronically. Yet, the print copies still available are pretty pricey. Based on a Wednesday night survey, the used print copies on Amazon ranged from $59.95 to $263.17 while the copies on eBay ranged from $15 to $1500. Luckily, Haven exists for those who cannot find (or are unwilling to pay) for the print.

Clacked by An Nicholson
on Nov 02, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT