Some random thoughts about some recent books by Jordan Harper and Patrick Radden Keefe: open.substack.com/pub/thomastr...

Here is the full cover for ASTEROID SAVAGE, which comes out in June 2026. It’s a gritty futuristic sci-fi thriller. Think James Ellroy or The Wire in space. It’s dense and weird and sometimes violent. The first book of a trilogy.

June 2026…. www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTRY97XL

PIMP MODE ACTIVATED

Dark Neon & Dirt turns one today. An LA heist novel that’s also about refugees, romance, and war trauma. All existing & future author royalties will be donated to CHIRLA, a Los Angeles-based group advocating for immigrant rights, then the book goes out of print by end of July.

Just made my first great decision of 2026

Here's a 4-page comic strip I wrote a while back: thomastrangwriter.substack.com/p/fiction-on...

Meet Max — the cashier who became a TV icon, lost everything, & returned to the only place he ever felt real: a Shop-Smart checkout lane. A story about connection, collapse, & the strange holiness of ordinary life. And Max? Read about him at the Garage: literarygarage.com/artisan-reta... 🎸📚

THE ONE PERCENT don't care about us one bit. 16 stories from some of the best crime fiction writers out there. But don't take our word for it, listen to @muchadoaboutnil.bsky.social: bit.ly/4j31UMg

you will be visited by three spirits

well played Shane F, if indeed that is your real name

LETS GOOOOO

To my Aussie friends on here: I’ve just discovered Peter Coriss and his Luke Dunlop series specifically. I’m hooked. Love the seedy Sydney 1990s vibe. The vernacular is superb and has me feeling nostalgic.

Oxford

The weekend haul from Oxford

From my story in 'The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved' - one of my best in a solid anthology start to finish. www.rockandahardplacemag.com/the-one-perc...

LFG

There’s a game I play with the kid in the car where he reads the song titles on Spotify. He’s pretty good at it but sometimes I can get one over on him.

😎😎😎

Share your favorite black and white movie

Six months ago today, I published this book and it continues to find readers.

5 Small Pleasures 1. Elmore Leonard dialogue 2. Michael McDonald records 3. Coffee 4. Robert Williams paintings 5. Eddie Marsan in Miami Vice

Dipshits

I had a lot of fun talking with Offer. He is a gracious host and asked a lot of interesting questions, so I hope my answers were suitably constructive. Terlson, however, is an incorrigible gutter thug in need of severe help. open.spotify.com/episode/1ilY...

I’ll take it.

Friday finds at the local used bookstore

Rick James is back in rotation. He’s melanin Meatloaf: bombastic, funky, completely over the top. I’m absolutely here for it. youtu.be/LyrGXnpSlIE?...

Ok, hear me out. A Lord of the Rings remake, but with these two taking the One Ring to Mordor:

🔥 🔥 🔥

Hey you, stop piling in on Ocean Vuong and read this book about war trauma and the Vietnamese diaspora instead! Not endorsed by Oprah or Madonna! Romance murder and mayhem - with no overwritten nonsensical flowery prose - and that’s a fact, Jack ! shotgunhoney.com/books/catalo...

James Ellroy

A great series of author interviews that touches on different genres. Insightful questions and some really fascinating answers.

Justified

cinephiliabeyond.org/miami-vice/ There are days when I legitimately think this is the greatest film ever made. “We are at the delicate interface between ocean and air … liquid and gas … the event horizon where molecules evaporate. This interchange is ethereal.”

DARK NEON & DIRT www.amazon.com/Dark-Neon-Di... bookshop.org/p/books/dark...

Currently listening

I’ve finally got around to setting up my man cave bookshelf. All of my signed hardbacks, favourite paperbacks, plus various coffee table books. Now the shelves in the living room have space to be filled which is an added bonus.

A fantastic and kind review of Dark Neon & Dirt from a writer whose own novel kicked my ass hard when I read it.

Four months ago today, this book of mine was published. If you’re in the market for a fast talking crime novel with characters who are mad, bad, and dangerous to know, I’ve got you covered. shotgunhoney.com/books/catalo...

@cwblackwell.bsky.social let’s goooo

Absolute banger of a film

The Big Bearded Bookseller features a lot of really cool stuff - art, film, cooking. Too much to list here. He was also kind enough to have me on for a quick Q&A about the writing process, favourite bookshops, and the weird and inappropriate things I read as a kid.

Ocean’s Eleven remake but it’s about Billy Ocean leading Arsenal to the Champions League final.

Thank you Tony. Glad you enjoyed the ride!

This week I’ve read the new @blacktopkid.bsky.social novel KING OF ASHES, watched the 1977 release print of Star Wars on the big screen, then listened to the first Slick Rick album in 26 years. And it’s only Friday.

You've been kidnapped. The characters from the last TV show you watched are coming to rescue you. HELL YEAH

I’m on The Thriller Zone today talking about my novel #crimefiction open.spotify.com/episode/2C84...