Free Fiction: On Bad Behavior (a Noah Milano serial) part 1

It's been a while since you last read about him, but here's a new serial featuring Noah Milano, security specialist and son of a mobster.

ONE

In the old days I could afford an office. Those days were long gone. That’s why I was as happy as a 14-year old who found his dad’s stash of Playboys when I got a new client. Well, that analogy is pretty outdated with the internet now, I guess. Shit, who knew I’d ever feel old?

The lady sitting at my table at Starbucks was pretty good looking. Even for LA-standards. She was tall, with long dark hair, piercing blue eyes and a body that would make a model envious. She was drinking one of those fancy-ass mocha-cookie-dough-tutti-frutti coffees. I just had a regular black coffee.

“Doesn’t that coffee hurt your teeth? I can almost hear the dentist rubbing their hands in glee.” I said.

She smiled. “You don’t like these kind of coffees?”

“I wouldn’t dare to call it coffee.”

She laughed. “Maybe you’re right. And you’re joking to make me feel more at ease, aren’t you?”

“Me? No, I’m just a smartass all the time.” I tried to look as innocent as I could.

“Right. Well, thanks.”

“So, Miranda. What can I do for you?”

“It’s my husband. He’ll be out of jail tomorrow. And that worries me. You see, I testified against him to get him in there. He beat up my brother and abused me for years. I’m afraid he’s going to hurt me when he gets out.”

I couldn’t help but grit my teeth. “Shit. That sounds bad. So you need some protection?”

“Yes. I heard you’re the least expensive bodyguard in Los Angeles. I hope I can pay you.”

“I think I can charge my lowest rate for a case like yours. Say one dollar a day. Plus expenses. Which, if you make me coffee at your place will be a whole lot less.”

“A dollar a day?” She gave me an inquiring look, as if she wasn’t sure I was kidding her.

“I’ve got some good karma to earn,” I told her. “A case like yours might help. I’ll be there with you the day he gets out. After that I’ll see if I can do anything to keep him off your back. There’s a limit on how long I can pay my bills on karma alone, so I can’t be guarding your charming body forever.”

She blushed a little at that. I couldn’t believe a woman like that still knew how to blush. “How do you think you can reach that?”

“I can be very persuasive. If I sold girl scout cookies I’d be rolling in dough. And not the dough the cookies are made of. I meant money, you know?”

She laughed. I liked the way her eyes seemed to sparkle when she did. Miranda Shaw was definitely a very attractive woman.

“All right. But Max is a pretty savage guy. He used to be in the Marines. It took four cops to take him in.”

“Don’t worry about that. I can take pretty good care of myself.”

“Okay, thank you so much,” Miranda said.

“I’ll go get my stuff and will meet you at your place this evening, okay?”

“Yes. That would be good. Thanks.”

I shook her hand and left the Starbucks, thinking this would be a walk in the park. Just protecting a nice lady from some abusive asshole. Shit, would that turn out to be wrong.


TO BE CONTINUED

Interviewed at One Bite At A Time

If you didn't already, check out the interview awesome writer Dana King had with me at his blog here. We talk about my main character Noah Milano and the PI genre in general.

Blind to Sin (Matt Herrick / Jackson Donne) by Dave White

Dave White cites both Richard Stark and Robert B. Parker as his main influences for his latest novel. Considering those are very important influences to my own Noah Milano stories (like the new Serving Justice) I was already sure to like this book, not to mention the earlier entry in this series was awesome.
As much, or even more, of a heist story than a PI story the Stark influence is obvious. Though, it is not just the plot that shows that influence. Also the prose, especially in the Donne scenes has the same feel to it.
In this novel Jackson Donne is freed from prison together with the son of basketball coach / PI Matt Herrick. Herrick's dad, along with a group of criminals intends to steal from the Federal Reserve together with Matt and Jackson. With this money Matt's mother could be saved from cancer.
Unfortunately, everybody has a secret agenda and there's lots of double-crossing and not much honor among crooks.
Meanwhile Jackson Donne makes the journey from PI to psychopathic sidekick as he comes to the conclusion he needs to become more pro-active. I loved the muscular prose of those Donne scenes and loved the way Dave managed to AGAIN breathe some fresh air in the PI genre without using dinosaurs, zombies or paranormal stuff.

Finally the new Noah Milano novella is out!

Finally the new Noah Milano novella is out! Get it here.

FOR FANS OF ROBERT B. PARKER, ROBERT CRAIS AND GOOD OLD-FASHIONED PULP FICTION

When security specialist and son of LA's biggest mobster, Noah Milano, moonshines as a process server and manages to piss off a MMA fighter and stumble on a corpse. He's enlisted to prove a beautiful woman didn't killer her husband, the corpse Noah found. Caught in a dangerous web of deception where danger lurks around the corner and it can be very unclear who is friend and who is foe Noah Milano fights for redemption... And to serve justice

PRAISE BY OTHER AUTHORS:
"Noah Milano is all too human, which makes him more appealing." Les Roberts, author of the Milan Jacovich series.

''Noah Milano walks in the footsteps of the great P.I.'s, but leaves his own tracks.'' Robert J. Randisi, founder of PWA and The Shamus Award.

Jochem's deep and abiding love for classic pulp fiction comes through on every page, and his stories continue the time-honored tradition of the hardboiled American PI." Sean Chercover, author of Trigger City.

''The writing is fresh and vivid and lively, paying homage to the past while standing squarely in the present." James W. Hall, author of Silencer.

''Great pop sensibility with a nod to the classic L.A. PIs.'' David Levien, author 13 Million Dollar Pop.

Serving Justice - A Noah Milano flash fiction

Every now and then I start a novel but I decide to go in another direction. Still, the first chapter I was writing makes for a nice little short flash fiction tale that shows how tough our man Noah Milano is... So here it is...

Business was exceptionally slow. You’d think the crisis would make more people go out and steal or kidnap folks, resulting in a higher demand for a security specialist like myself. I had been forced to dabble in private investigations as a result before, but even that wasn’t really paying the bills these days. I guess that kind of work went to investigators with nicer offices or that didn’t have the reputation of being the son of a mobster following them around. Anyway, that’s why I was forced to add process serving to my services. Noah Milano, Security, Investigations and Process Serving. Soon I’d have to add housekeeping and gardening to the list.

I’d been sitting in my Dodge Charger for hours now, listening to the new Drowning Pool record and an audiobook by Michael Connelly. I’d eaten three donuts and downed three coffees. I hated peeing in empty bottles but also had a hard time staying awake without caffeine. I was just hoping my target would show up soon.

My target’s name was Julian Brooks, who makes his living as MMA fighter. That’s why it was hard for his agent to find someone willing to serve him. Personally, I’m not as intimidated by guys who break people’s bones in the ring. I’ve been honing my skills on the streets, where stuff gets a lot rougher than in the ring. My dad’s hitman / bodyguard Kane taught me to fight and I have been forced to keep up with my fighting skills ever since, either because of guys coming after me because of my father or during my work as a security specialist. You come after me with a gun, I get worried. You try to take me on with just your fists, I’m pretty sure I can get things under control. Of course, I was still hoping I would be able to serve Brooks without any fisticuffs.

I found out where Brooks’ girlfriend lives and I’d been parked across from her apartment waiting for Brooks to exit. I figured there wasn’t a better time to catch him unaware than in post-coital bliss.

And there he was. Big, muscular guy, shaved head, goatee, black leather jacket costing more than my entire wardrobe and lots of gold around his neck and fingers. Some of that gold came from deals he made with other agents, breaking his contract with the guy who hired me. That’s why he was being asked to appear in court. He walked out the door of his girl’s apartment and headed over to his Cadillac.

I got out of my car and walked over to him. “Julian Brooks?”

“I ain’t in the mood for no autographs, man,” he told me.

“That’s not what I’m here for,” I said and shoved the serving papers into his jacket pocket. “You’ve been served.”

“What? Asshole!” Brooks said and pushed me in the chest. I managed to stay on my feet, but it was one hell of a push.

“Sorry, man. Just doing my job,” I said.

“Yeah? I’m gonna take you apart for that, motherfucker!” Brooks yelled and his fist travelled to my face. Those rings on it were going to hurt if they hit me.

I blocked his fist with my left arm, kicking his knee as a follow-up. He was pretty quick though and twisted his knee enough for me to barely graze it.

His elbow hit me in the chest with dazzling speed. It was like getting hit by a truck. Then there was a foot against my chin before I could think of a counter. I had to admit, this guy was fast and sure as hell could fight.

I was beginning to think I shouldn’t have left my Glock in the car. That thought was confirmed with a fist to my breadbasket. I wheezed. I was starting to understand why this guy was such a successful MMA fighter. Still, if he was going to kick my ass to the hospital my mentor Kane was going to visit me and kick my ass again, angry because he taught me better than getting beat up by someone who fought as a sport.

“Fuck this!” was my battle cry as I spin-kicked him in the face. That got him woozy enough for me to grab his jacket and smash him into his Cadillac. He hit the closed door with his face and sank down on the concrete. He tried to get up but I opened the car door right in his face two times. Blood ran down the door. Brooks sat against the car with his eyes closed and his lights out.

That all got a hell of a lot uglier than I’d planned. And to think I had another document to serve. Luckily that sounded like an easier job.

I walked to my car, ignoring the people coming out of their homes or cars, daring to take a closer look now the fight was finished. I had to get out of there before someone called the cops. I’m not exactly the best of friends with LA’s finest. Something to do with them not liking the son of known mobster.

I wasn’t happy with what I saw in my rearview mirror. My chin was looking pretty bruised. Good thing Brooks’ other hits were in the gut and chest of course, if they had landed in my face it would have been even worse. I wouldn’t want to turn off the ladies. Well, I sure as hell got even with him.

I started the Dodge and drove off, making my way over to the next address on my list...

THE END

Hungry for more Noah Milano action, click this link....

Jeremiah Healy (1948-2014)

Like many other writers I was shocked to learn Jeremiah Healy passed away recently. I loved his work, having picked up the first John Francis Cuddy books because I had read most Spenser books and was looking for something similar. Of course, besides the Boston PI thing there's little they really had in common. The Cuddy books had their own style and Cuddy wasn't the superman Spenser was.
So sad that now both Robert B. Parker and Jeremiah Healy have passed away.
I will always be grateful for the blurb he provided for my Noah Milano books:
 "J. Vandersteen takes us back to the glory days of pulp fiction. And I mean the genre, NOT the movie. His Noah Milano character rings completely true as a tough, lone-wolf private."

That goes to show you what a wonderful man he was and how friendly he was to his fellow writers, always ready to help them along.


He will be missed by readers, writer and family.

THE NEWEST NOAH MILANO NOVELLA IS AVAILABLE NOW...

THE NEWEST NOAH MILANO NOVELLA IS AVAILABLE  NOW...

Noah Milano used to work for his mobster father but now tries to find redemption for his dark past working as a security specialist. Minnie is his best friend and works at the Medical Examiner's office. When an old friend of Minnie (a gossip columnist) is found dead at a club's toilet stall the cops think it was an overdose. Minnie is not so sure however and asks Noah to investigate. The investigation soon endangers Noah and Minnie's lives as they try to uncover Hollywood's dirtiest secrets.

PRAISE BY OTHER AUTHORS:
"Noah Milano is all too human, which makes him more appealing." Les Roberts, author of the Milan Jacovich series.

''Noah Milano walks in the footsteps of the great P.I.'s, but leaves his own tracks.'' Robert J. Randisi, founder of PWA and The Shamus Award.

Jochem's deep and abiding love for classic pulp fiction comes through on every page, and his stories continue the time-honored tradition of the hardboiled American PI." Sean Chercover, author of Trigger City.

''The writing is fresh and vivid and lively, paying homage to the past while standing squarely in the present." James W. Hall, author of Silencer.

''Great pop sensibility with a nod to the classic L.A. PIs.'' David Levien, author 13 Million Dollar Pop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I7QW66U

FREE PI FICTION

The Noah Milano stories have been praised by authors like Ace Atkins, Sean Chercover, David Levien and James W. Hall. PI-pulp fiction for Y2K and great for fans of Robert Crais and Robert B Parker. The latest novella can be found here for FREE http://goo.gl/duKRi6
 Please tell your friends!

COMING SOON: The Shamus Sampler

COMING SOON

An anthology full of exciting PI fiction written by popular names like Reed Farrel Coleman, Bill Crider, James Winter, Fred Zackel, J.L. Abramo, Keith Dixon and some newer names like Kit Rohrbacher, Peter DiChellis and others.
Of course there's a Noah Milano story in there as well.
It is edited by me and formatted by the talented Sean Dexter, who has a cool story in the anthology as well.
The Shamus Sampler will be available next week and will only cost you 99 cents.

Scoundrel available for FREE

For just a few days SCOUNDREL (A Noah Milano novelette) is free!
Check it out here http://www.amazon.com/Scoundrel-Noah-Milano-Novelette-ebook/dp/B009L5Q8Q0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371034212&sr=1-3

THE STORY
A pregnant woman hires ex-mob fixer and security specialist Noah Milano to track down the man who got her pregnant. When it turns out this man is quite the scoundrel Noah gets involved with Russian gangsters and a murder case.

PRAISE
''The writing is fresh and vivid and lively, paying homage to the past while standing squarely in the present." -James W. Hall, author of Silencer.

''Great pop sensibility with a nod to the classic L.A. PIs.'' - David Levien, author 13 Million Dollar Pop

'Noah Milano walks in the footsteps of the great P.I,.'s, but leaves his own tracks." - Robert J. Randisi, founder of PWA and The Shamus Award

"J. Vandersteen takes us back to the glory days of pulp fiction. And I mean the genre, NOT the movie. His Noah Milano character rings completely true as a tough, lone-wolf private." - Jeremiah Healy, author of TURNABOUT and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER

Guilt (A Noah Milano novella) for free!!!

Haven't read my fiction yet? The next four days offers a great opportunity for it. My newest novella, GUILT will be free for your Kindle.
Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Guilt-Noah-Milano-novella-ebook/dp/B00BC6F3Q2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360269851&sr=1-1
Don't be afraid to spread the word about it!

The story:
Years ago Noah Milano was the son and bodyguard of gangster boss Robert Milano. He was forced to shoot Lisa Waxman's father, turning her into an orphan, saddling him with a lifetime of guilt.
Now, Noah Milano has broken off all ties to his father and tries to make an honest living as a security specialist. He finds out Lisa's stepfather is accused of being one of the vilest, most sadistic serial killers of California. This is Noah's chance to find redemption. He swears to prove his innocence. It seems not everyone agrees with his quest, though. Soon not only Noah but his dearest friends are in mortal danger...
What makes this one extra cool is the short flashback in the first chapter to Noah's past and the fact this is the longest Noah Milano story since the novel White Knight Syndrome.

Guest post at Pulp Pusher

Check out my guest post at Pulp Pusher where I offer some background to my writing over here http://pulppusher.blogspot.nl/2013/03/guest-blog-jochem-vandersteen.html.

The Next Big Thing

A cool thing is happening around blogging crime writers, called The Next Big Thing. Each author tags five other authors to answer ten questions. Talented Hardboiled Collective member Bill Crider tagged me. So here are the questions and answers...

1. What is the working title of your next book?
My next book is called GUILT but might end up being called GUILTY because Jonathan Kellerman has a new novel coming out with the same name.
Im also working on a Mike Dalmas collection and some other stuff that's too early to talk about.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
All my Milano stories are about redemption and guilt in some way. I wanted to explore those feelings deeper and so I came up with a plot in which Noah tries to make amends for his deeds more directly than usual.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
It's a crime novella, specifically a hardboiled detective one.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Dane Cook would do a great job. He has the charm and attitude to pull it off.
When I first created Noah I envisioned him as Vince Young but I'm not sure he looks tough enough.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Security specialist and ex-mob fixer Noah Milano tries to save the stepfather of a young girl whose biological father he killed from death row.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It will be self-published and available for Kinlde via Amazon.com.

7. How long did it take you to write a first draft of the manuscript?
I'm still busy with it, but think it will take two months to finish. My last one, Scoundrel took me four months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Any book by Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais and early Dennis Lehane fit the mark.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Take a look at question 2. As always I've also been inspired by the great PI-writers that came before me.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
Readers might enjoy the fact this one will be longer than the last few Milano stories. Also, we finally meet Noah's dad.
For people who haven't read about Noah Milano yet they will enjoy the fancy martial arts moves, the fast-moving plot and the fact Noah's just one of the coolest investigators around.

In one week these great people will blogging in this project as well, I tagged them...

James Winter
Les Roberts
Dana King
Charles Colyott
Keith Dixon

New Noah Milano novelette is out now!

Behind a great cover by Big Kiss Productions lurks another great Noah Milano story....

FOR FANS OF ROBERT B. PARKER AND ROBERT CRAIS

A pregnant woman hires ex-mob fixer and security specialist Noah Milano to track down the man who got her pregnant. When it turns out this man is quite the scoundrel Noah gets involved with Russian gangsters and a murder case.

Praise by other authors:
''The writing is fresh and vivid and lively, paying homage to the past while standing squarely in the present." -James W. Hall, author of Silencer.

''Great pop sensibility with a nod to the classic L.A. PIs.'' - David Levien, author 13 Million Dollar Pop

'Noah Milano walks in the footsteps of the great P.I,.'s, but leaves his own tracks." - Robert J. Randisi, founder of PWA and The Shamus Award

"J. Vandersteen takes us back to the glory days of pulp fiction. And I mean the genre, NOT the movie. His Noah Milano character rings completely true as a tough, lone-wolf private." - Jeremiah Healy, author of TURNABOUT and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER

 

Buy it here.

Three blogs where I appear

To promote Redemption I've had the honor to be interviewed here and talk about hardboiled prose here.
Also, this blog is about relationships from publicists with blogs like mine.

Thanks for the support!

A note of thanks to everyone who had good things to say about Redemption and the people who invited me to guest blog. I appear here and here .

Available under a buck: Redemption (A Noah Milano novelette)

My new Noah Milano novelette is out now... I'm really happy with the cover and editing done by the fabulous Anne Tyler Duck... An excerpt of her husband's cool novel Triage is included in the novelette.
Here's the details about it...

REDEMPTION - a Noah Milano novelette
Twenty years ago he tortured and killed a young boy. Now he is out of prison, ready to find redemption confronting the victim's parents.
He hires Noah Milano, security specialist and son of LA's biggest mobster to protect him.
When the unexpected happens it's up to Noah Milano to do what he thinks is right and make sure justice is done.

Praise for Noah Milano and Jochem Vandersteen:

Jeremiah Healy, author of TURNABOUT and THE ONLY GOOD LAWYER: "J. Vandersteen takes us back to the glory days of pulp fiction. And I mean the genre, NOT the movie. His Noah Milano character rings completely true as a tough, lone-wolf private."

Wayne D. Dundee - author of the Joe Hannibal series: The difference is mainly in the character of Noah Milano himself, a man struggling both internally and externally to break free from his "Family" ties and to walk his own path toward what he deems Right and Just. This is good stuff. Read and enjoy."

Les Roberts, author of the Milan Jacovich series: "Noah Milano is all too human, which makes him more appealing."

"Terrific stuff.'' - Lori G. Armstrong, author of Snowblind

'Noah Milano walks in the footsteps of the great P.I,.'s, but leaves his own tracks." - Robert J. Randisi, founder of PWA and The Shamus Award

Jochem's deep and abiding love for classic pulp fiction comes through on every page, and his stories continue the time-honored tradition of the hardboiled American PI." -Sean Chercover, author of Trigger City.

''The writing is fresh and vivid and lively, paying homage to the past while standing squarely in the present." -James W. Hall, author of Silencer.

''Great pop sensibility with a nod to the classic L.A. PIs.'' - David Levien, author 13 Million Dollar Pop

It can be found here...

Silence Is Deadly Again!

My story Silence is Deadly featuring Noah Milano is reposted at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher.
One of my favorite authors, Wayne Dundee called it "Tight, tough stuff with a sad, tragic ending."
It's a bit darker than most Milano stories, but if you like hardboiled fiction you will like this one as well.
This story is also included in the Noah Milano collection, Tough As Leather, available here.

COMING SOON

New cover Alabaster-Skinned Mule

After some comments from readers I decided to change the cover to The Alabaster-Skinned Mule. What do you all think?

And don't forget, it offers a great Noah Milano story...
A pretty young girl is used as a mule, smuggling drugs for Mexican druglords. She gets rid of the drugs, but the druglords want it back, prepared to kill for it.
She hires Noah Milano, security specialist and ex-mob fixer to protect her. He ends up putting his dearest friendship and his very life on the line for her.