Steve’s novels have been well-received critically. Edgar-winning bestseller Joe R. Lansdale praises Steve for writing “a hard-edged thriller for those who like their tales straight and sharp and full of dark surprise.” And this from Edgar Award winning author Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition: "Stephen Mertz is one of my favorite novelists...a wonderful writer." Author Paul Bishop recently wrote that, “Any book by Stephen Mertz is guaranteed to entertain.” Booklist called Night Wind, “fast-paced...a white-knuckle read,” and The Korean Intercept, “an adrenaline rush!” Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine labeled Stephen Mertz, “an action specialist."
Steve has traveled widely and is a U.S. Army veteran. He presently lives in the American Southwest, and he is always at work on a new book.
PRO FILE:
- Tell us about
your current book.
I’m proud of
this one. The King of Horror & Other
Stories is a complete collection of my short fiction, with an Introduction
by Evan Lewis and a new afterword by me. Oh, and one new story never before
published.
2. Can you give a sense of what you're working on now?
I keep coming back to a novel I can’t seem to finish about Jimi Hendrix.
I keep coming back to a novel I can’t seem to finish about Jimi Hendrix.
3. What is the greatest pleasure of a writing career?
Writing. Knowing writers. Reading.
Writing. Knowing writers. Reading.
4. What is the greatest DISpleasure?
Bad writing.
Bad writing.
5. If you have one piece of advice for the publishing world,
what is it?
This may surprise you but I don’t have any advice for them. This is probably the best time to be a writer since I broke in as a writer. The so-called legacy houses and agencies got what they deserved and, one hopes, are in the process of realigning with the new publishing paradigm, and the digital publishing world is an explosion of markets unseen since the birth of television and the paperback original. I’m old school enough to prefer “real” books as a reader, but my writing revenue these days comes from my e-publishers, Crossroads Press and Rough Edges Press. I’m writing what I want to write. People are reading what I’m writing, and seem to like it. Revenue is being generated. More of the same, please!
This may surprise you but I don’t have any advice for them. This is probably the best time to be a writer since I broke in as a writer. The so-called legacy houses and agencies got what they deserved and, one hopes, are in the process of realigning with the new publishing paradigm, and the digital publishing world is an explosion of markets unseen since the birth of television and the paperback original. I’m old school enough to prefer “real” books as a reader, but my writing revenue these days comes from my e-publishers, Crossroads Press and Rough Edges Press. I’m writing what I want to write. People are reading what I’m writing, and seem to like it. Revenue is being generated. More of the same, please!
6. Are there two or three forgotten mystery writers you'd like
to see
in print again?
There should be more Ennis Willie available! When it comes to hardboiled, he’s the best “unknown” there is.
in print again?
There should be more Ennis Willie available! When it comes to hardboiled, he’s the best “unknown” there is.
7. Tell us about selling your first novel. Most writers never
forget
that moment.
that moment.
Some Die Hard.
Just re-published by Rough Edges Press with a new afterword by me recounting
how I managed to finagle my money out of the original publisher (crooked
bastards) with the help of a mime and…well, heck, buy the book! It’s still the only locked room mystery I
ever heard of where a guy is murdered with a knife while flying alone in his
glider…
(from James Reasoner's great website Rough Edges)
"One of my favorite writers...a born storyteller...Enjoy!" – Max Allan Collins
"Stephen Mertz writes a hard-edged, fast-paced thriller for those who like their tales straight and sharp." — Joe R. Lansdale
For the past forty years, Stephen Mertz has been a bestselling author of thrillers and men's adventure novels, while also becoming known as one of the best mystery writers in the business. THE KING OF HORROR & OTHER STORIES, the complete collection of his short fiction, showcases the wide variety of his work, from Westerns and historicals to hardboiled private eye yarns to pure pulp adventure and razor-sharp suspense.
Featuring an introduction by Evan Lewis and an afterword by Stephen Mertz, the stories in this volume include:
The King of Horror
The Death Blues
Fragged
Talon's Gift
The Lizard Men of Blood River
The Busy Corpse
Take Two
The Basics of Murder
The Dark of Midnight
Last Stand
A Hit for the New Age
Relic
Rough Edges Press is proud to present THE KING OF HORROR & OTHER STORIES.
(from James Reasoner's great website Rough Edges)
Now Available: The King of Horror & Other Stories- Stephen Mertz
"One of my favorite writers...a born storyteller...Enjoy!" – Max Allan Collins
"Stephen Mertz writes a hard-edged, fast-paced thriller for those who like their tales straight and sharp." — Joe R. Lansdale
For the past forty years, Stephen Mertz has been a bestselling author of thrillers and men's adventure novels, while also becoming known as one of the best mystery writers in the business. THE KING OF HORROR & OTHER STORIES, the complete collection of his short fiction, showcases the wide variety of his work, from Westerns and historicals to hardboiled private eye yarns to pure pulp adventure and razor-sharp suspense.
Featuring an introduction by Evan Lewis and an afterword by Stephen Mertz, the stories in this volume include:
The King of Horror
The Death Blues
Fragged
Talon's Gift
The Lizard Men of Blood River
The Busy Corpse
Take Two
The Basics of Murder
The Dark of Midnight
Last Stand
A Hit for the New Age
Relic
Rough Edges Press is proud to present THE KING OF HORROR & OTHER STORIES.
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