UPDATES

The following will be updated regularly with news relating to Murder Slim Press.
MSP's current titles include The Savage Kick; Mark SaFranko's Hating Olivia, Lounge Lizard and Loners; Seymour Shubin's The Hunch; and MSP's range of chapbooks.

July 2010: --- Thanks to all of you that have bought SAVAGE KICK #5 and GOD BLESS AMERICA so far. It's going well....
--- Nick Mamatas has reviewed GOD BLESS AMERICA here. While Rod Lott of Bookgasm reviews SAVAGE KICK #5 here.

June '10: --- Yes... they're finally ready to buy! After four proofs of the GBA cover to get the correct blue, and numerous changes to the colour section of SK#5.... both God Bless America and the triple sized Savage Kick #5 are available now. Mark SaFranko's God Bless America is the third Zajack novel and is the prequel to Hating Olivia. Weighing in at 278 pages, Max's early years still make for a lightning fast - and thought-provoking - read. SK#5 features the likes of Mark SaFranko, Joe R. Lansdale, Seymour Shubin, Ivan Brunetti, Steve Hussy and many more. Again, it's a big'un - 232 pages - and you'll enjoy every page.
--- Just putting the final touches to the new MurderSlim.com - hopefully it'll all by online in the next week or so. It's a huge redesign... with an extensive review section (books, films, comics) added into the mix. The focus is on confessional/"outsider" literature and films, and it'll be updated every few days with a new review.

May '10: --- Mark SaFranko has been interviewed by MSP's Steve Hussy for Beat The Dust. Mark turned some staid questions into some great, fascinating answers. Read the full interview here.

April '10: --- We've (finally) received God Bless America, Mark SaFranko's all-new third Max Zajack novel. The book will be released simultaneously with SK#5 and a redesigned, eye-popping Murder Slim Website. It's all coming very soon.
--- Confession d'un Loser - the French-language release of Lounge Lizard - has received another positive review in France. Sorry for the dubious Google translation, including the classic line: "Foaming bars, hungry thirties heat, Max will not shrink from any adventure to remember its history wasted - a sexual frenzy, which earned him many sorrows (telephone harassment, a charge of rape, disruption of the penis pubic hair, etcetera)." Here's the full version!
--- Mark SaFranko is mentioned in the latest article on 3am Magazine, entitled "Shoot To Kill".

March '10: --- Ujjwal Dey's Freedom Fiction has had a revamp. Go on, check it out.
--- We've finally received SK#5. Great stuff... it'll be available to buy soon.

February '10: --- The French language version of Lounge Lizard is being released on the 16th February by 13e Note Editions. It's under the new title Confessions d'un Loser. Here's the website.
--- Should (finally) receive copies of Savage Kick #5 in the middle of February. Stay tuned.

January '10: --- The Austrian filmmaker Michael A. Grimm (Slidin', Kuss mich, Prinzessin!) has now optioned the German film rights to Mark SaFranko's 1987 novel The Favor.

December '09: --- Prestige editions of SK#1 are now SOLD OUT. All 100 have gone. Many thanks to everyone who bought copies. I guess your copies of SK#1 are collector's items now....
--- Mark SaFranko's The Favor should be making it to movie screens. Very positive talks are going on with German director/actor Michael A. Grimm (Slidin') on a German language movie of SaFranko's first crime novel. Exciting news for the folks at MSP.
--- The Hunch has received another strong review... this time from Matthew Firth at Front and Centre. Scroll down F&C's review page... The Hunch is the second one down. The same page also has a review of Dan Fante's latest: 86'd.
--- Mark SaFranko and Dan Fante have appeared in a couple of short interviews for Beat The Dust. Here's the link.

November '09: --- Big changes on the way. A new Murder Slim website, Mark SaFranko's God Bless America and The Savage Kick #5. Keep checking this page and MurderSlim.com. It'll blow your socks off.
--- The Smart Set have reviewed the latest surge of outsider literature... with Dan and John Fante, and Bukowski all appearing on Harper Collins. Mark SaFranko will also be there soon. Good times. It's a very interesting article, and one that praises The Savage Kick too. Mamatas writes: "A few months ago I ordered, from the U.K., all four issues of a magazine called The Savage Kick. It's a very unusual literary journal... [in] that all the short stories in it are worth reading."

October '09: --- Ujjwal Dey - based in India - has an extensive interview with Mark SaFranko in the latest anthology of the Freedom Fiction Journal. It's another damn interesting interview. There's also a review of Hating Olivia in the same issue. Here's the link to the page. And, because Ujjwal is a great guy, here's the full interview for you to download.

September '09: --- Loose Canon #1 is soon to be released in Canada. It's a literary magazine edited by Zsolt and Zachary Alapi, and features Savage Kick writers Mark SaFranko, Dan Fante, Steve Hussy, Tony O'Neill, and JR Helton. Mark SaFranko is picked out for particular praise in Toro Magazine's review of Loose Canon, which hailed SaFranko as the "undisputed master of the bunch". The reviewer loves the cover too - created by MSP's own Hussy and Richard Watts. Fuck, this Toro guy has great taste!

August '09: --- Mark SaFranko's interview with Toro Magazine is now available. It makes for great reading... with inciteful words on the state of the publishing industry.
--- Another strong review for The Hunch - this time on Book Crossing. Have a look at it.

July '09: --- O.I.B. Magazine have reviewed Hating Olivia in their fourth issue. It's a good 'un. Read the full version here.
--- Rough Edges have given a very positive review of The Hunch... lauding it as "one of the best books so far this year". Read their review here.
--- Seymour Shubin's The Hunch is MSP's fourth book release and is NOW READY TO BUY via The Hunch Shop. There's The Hunch website to explore and, doubling your fun, is our Seymour Shubin Homepage.
--- Mark SaFranko's spoken word at Marianopolis College is available here.

June '09: --- The Hunch is almost here! This all-new Murder Slim Press book comes from crime author Seymour Shubin (Anyone's My Name, The Man From Yesterday). Mark SaFranko hails it as "a masterpiece of economy and suspense as well as being Kafkaesque in its dissection of human guilt. But it's also a masterpiece because it has something very rare -- a beating heart. And in the end, that's what makes it not just a crime novel, but a great novel." We'll open The Hunch's website soon, but in the meantime, here's The Hunch's cover for you to leer at.

May '09: --- Mark SaFranko had a very successful reading at Montreal's Marianapolis College, in an event organised by Zsolt Alapi. The podcast was initially banned but should be available soon with an "adult language" warning. Here's some snapshots from the event... 1, 2, 3, 4.
--- Putain d'Olivia was released in Canada on the 5th May 2009.
--- Putain d'Olivia sold 3,500 in its first month of release in France... and it's now close to a second printing. Vive la France!

April '09: --- Putain d'Olivia was reviewed by the aptly named Olivia de Lamberterie on national French TV's Tele-Matin. Click here for a still from the show.
--- 13th Note Press also have a website. If you speak fluent French, you'll love it. And, for the rest of us, the design is beautiful....
--- The French language version of Hating Olivia was released on the 1st of April 2009. Putain d'Olivia is available from all good French bookstories. Here's a snapshot of copies of Putain d'Olivia in one of those stores...
--- The Recession Session will take place on the 24th April at the Betsey Trotwood in London. It'll feature an exclusive video appearance by Mark SaFranko, as well as an appearance by burlesque dancer Cherri Shakewell. Here's the poster for the event.

March '09: --- The Canadian Toro Magazine includes an extensive feature on Mark SaFranko, Hating Olivia and Lounge Lizard. It makes for great reading. Check it out here.
---Mark SaFranko is in France in early March, promoting the release of Putain D'Olivia... the French translation of Hating Olivia. "Putain D'Olivia" roughly means "Fucking Olivia". The book will be released in French bookstores on April 1st, and is being advertised in national glossy magazines and newspapers. Here's the cover. And here's some promo material. Enjoy, French fans! They're big files... so be patient downloading.

February '09: --- The Mark SaFranko Pack #3 is available via the Loners shop. It contains a signed copy of Loners, the 44 page Life Change chapbook, two rare stories and three colour prints. There's only 20 copies... grab 'em while you can.

January '09: --- Zsolt Alapi has written a superb, detailed review of Loners for The Danforth Review. Alapi highlights the appeal of the book to fans of a wide range of literature: "Poe, Selby, Bukowski, Miller, Camus, Hammett, Celine... the list goes on." Read the full review here.
--- Crime author James Reasoner has reviewed Loners for his Rough Edges pages... and has interesting thoughts on the dark tone of the collection. Read his thoughts here.
--- MSP co-editor Steve Hussy is now appearing on Beat The Dust. It's the first (and last) time some of his writing will be available online. Check out Hussy's interview with Joe Ridgwell. In it, he squares up to Laura Hird, online writing, poetry and much more....

December '08: --- Mark SaFranko's Loners was released on the 1st December... and it's now IN STOCK AND READY TO BUY. Use the Loners shop and Ebay to buy your copy of the book.
--- The first review of Loners is up on The Beat. Click here for the full review. More reviews will follow over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for details.

November '08: --- Mark SaFranko's Loners website is up and running! Click on the link on the Loners shop page to pre-order your copy of the book. It comprises eight short stories by Mark SaFranko... and features eight pieces of art by Richard Watts and Steve Hussy.
--- Edgar Allen Poe Special Award-winner Seymour Shubin has been signed up to release his new novel - The Hunch - through Murder Slim Press.

October '08: --- Mark SaFranko's LONERS is coming soon! Barring any hiccups, the website for Loners will be opened on the 5th November 2008. We've set up fireworks' displays across the country to celebrate the event. In the meantime, here's the cover of Loners. Enjoy!

September '08: --- Negotations are ongoing with Seymour Shubin regarding Murder Slim Press publishing his new book The Hunch. We'll keep you posted.
--- Another story accepted into The Savage Kick #5. This ones the work of James P. Hanley. It's entitled "Deadly Spanking"... and it's a rollicking murder mystery set in the world of porno.
--- SK#5 will have a new look, but will still contain the same ballsy blasts of stories, articles and interviews.

August ’08: --- 13th Note Press have picked up the French language rights for both Hating Olivia and Lounge Lizard. They'll be released in 2009 and 2010. Get ready, French readers!
--- Mark SaFranko's first novel The Favor has received a very positive review in The Lounge Of The Lazy Mind... give it a read.
--- Well-respected veteran crime author Seymour Shubin (check out Witness To Myself on Hard Case Crime) will be providing the introduction to Loners.
--- Robert McGowan's "Worse Feeling There Is" has been accepted into Savage Kick #5. It's based on McGowan's experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War.

July ’08: --- Mark SaFranko’s new book Loners will be available in the next few months via Murder Slim Press. It’s a collection of eight stories from SaFranko, loosely themed around outsiders.
Mixing tales from first and third person perspectives, and tales in both the crime and confessional genre, it’ll appeal to fans of the Zajack novels as well as new readers.
Stay tuned for more details on this page...

June ’08: ---The buzz for both Hating Olivia and Lounge Lizard remains strong. A new review – with a good slant on the book – is available on Amazon. Check it out on their site, or through our Reviews page.

May '08: --- Mark SaFranko has taken over Beat The Dust for the whole of May. The site will feature art, music, and previously unavailable poems. There's also excerpts from a couple of SaFranko's plays and stories.
---Susan Tomaselli has interviewed Mark SaFranko for 3am Magazine’s Buzzwords.
---Dogmatika have reviewed Lounge Lizard. Click here for their review.

April '08: ---Zsolt Alapi's interview on The Danforth Review mentions Murder Slim Press and the SaFranko novels. Here's his thoughts.
---Rob Woodard highlights Mark SaFranko on the latest Burning Shore update.

March '08: ---The wait is over... and now there's two new books from MSP. First up is SK#4 - bigger and badder than ever. Second up is the Tommy Trantino chapbook: The Angel. Running at over 40 pages, it's the central tale of the long out of print classic: Lock The Lock. Click on the links to get to the SK shop, and grab your copies now.

February '08: ---The Danforth Review's interview with Mark SaFranko is out now and ready to read. SaFranko talks about Lounge Lizard and much more...
---Over a year in production, and SK#4 is finally here. The likely release date is the 1st March. Stay tuned, folks!

January '08: ---Zsolt Alapi's review of Lounge Lizard can be found by clicking here.
---Joseph Ridgwell's reviews of Lounge Lizard are available on The Guild of Outsider Writers and Bookmunch.

December '07: ---Lounge Lizard is out now! Buy it via the MSP Shop and Ebay.
---The Lounge Lizard Limited Edition Pack is also available. There'll only be twenty of these created. It also features the rare SaFranko story, "Flesh".

November '07: ---Lounge Lizard will be released on December 1st, 2007. It'll be available through Murder Slim, Ebay and Amazon Marketplace.
---There is now a Wikipedia entry for Mark SaFranko. It gives an overview or SaFranko's life and writing career.

October '07: ---The Mark SaFranko Homepage is now available on Murderslim.com. It features exclusive news, links and details on Mark SaFranko's career.

September '07: ---Lounge Lizard is with our printers... Lounge Lizard is pencilled in for an Pre-Christmas 2007 release. Here's the cover in low-res, good people.

August '07: ---Mark SaFranko's The Favor is NOW AVAILABLE AND READY TO SHIP. It's his first novel - a thriller - and was printed in 1987. Unless you scour Ebay for a few years, this will be your only opportunity to get the book. All copies bought through MSP are signed and numbered by Mark SaFranko.

July '07: --- Tommy Trantino's The Angel chapbook has been printed and will be released with SK#4 to tie in the Trantino interview. Here's a downloadable low-res .jpg of The Angel's cover.

June '07: ---Joe Matt is now on tour, check him out at ComicCon and other locations. This has led to a delay in the Joe Matt interview, shifting back SK#4 a couple of months.
--- Please note that SK e-mail submissions are still CLOSED (see May '06), unless you have bought Hating Olivia.

May '07: ---Still awaiting news from Harry Crews for SK#4. Conducting the interview with Joe Matt (Peepshow) this week.
---Mark SaFranko's Lounge Lizard is complete and being prepped for printing. LL features an introduction by Dan Fante. Stay tuned for artwork and more news.

April '07: ---SK#2 is NOW FULLY AVAILABLE AND READY TO SHIP. It comes in the new A5 book-sized format and features Joe R. Lansdale, Doug Stanhope, Tony O'Neill and more.
---Completed the Tommy Trantino interview for SK#4. Gunning for Harry Crews as the final writer in SK#4. So far, SK#4 includes: Dan Fante, Tony O'Neill, Joe R. Lansdale, Megan Hall and Steve Ely. SK's editors weigh in with an expose on submittors.

March '07: ---Savage Kick #3 has been reviewed by 3am Magazine. Here are their thoughts.
---SK#4 is coming together and will be ready to buy soon. SK#2 is a few weeks away from its re-release.

February '07: ---Savage Kick talked to 3am Magazine about our publishing house. It's the first interview we've done, and given the state of literary sites there won't be many more. Click here to read what we had to say.
---SK#1 is NOW FULLY AVAILABLE AND READY TO SHIP. It comes in the new A5 book-sized format and features Dan Fante, Mark SaFranko, Steve Hussy and more.

January '07: ---Tommy Trantino (Lock The Lock) will appear in SK#4, SK#6 and a MSP Chapbook "The Angel." Lock The Lock is one of the few great, lost classics of literature. If you can find a copy - and it's as rare as hen's teeth - buy it.
---Dogmatika has reviewed Steve Hussy's Steps. Here's the link.

December '06: ---Steve Ely's "Thought Crime" has been accepted into Savage Kick #4. So far the content will include Ely, Joe Matt, Dan Fante, Megan Hall, Tony O'Neill, and Richard White. SK#4 will be released in Spring 2007.
---Tony O'Neill's collection of short stories and poems Seizure Wet Dreams is available now.

November '06: ---SK#3 is now FULLY AVAILABLE TO BUY via the SK shop page, and our Ebay listings. It comes in a smaller A5 format but has more content than ever. As ever, it's limited to 100 copies, so grab yours soon...

October '06: ---We're figuring it won't be long until we make SK#3 ready to buy. 8 months in preparation and through a broken printing press, apathetic repairmen, and poverty - it's finally here. All previous SK buyers will be notified of the release. SK#3 includes Jim Goad, Mark SaFranko, Frank Baron, Steve Hussy and Joe Matt.
--- Please note that SK e-mail submissions are still CLOSED (see May '06), unless you have bought Hating Olivia.

September '06: ---Dan Fante will feature in Savage Kick #4 with three poems. Tony O'Neill will feature in Savage Kick #4 with a new story, "Marooned".

August '06: ---Over the next year, we'll be selling the overstock from the Murder Slim Music shop on Ebay... Click here for our Ebay shop. There's only one copy of each cd, so grab it when you can... there's a bunch of great rock 'n' roll, garage and punk from Norton, Crypt, Sympathy For The Music Industry, Alternative Tentacles and more.

July '06: ---We now have the first batch of Steps IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP. These are available via the Buy Now buttons in the Steps Shop page.

June '06: --- Henry Baum has reviewed Hating Olivia on his website, along with Digging The Vein. Click here for the reviews.
---Dan Fante's script for his play Don Giovanni is now available in paperback, via Burning Shore Press.

May '06: --- E-mail submissions for Savage Kick are now closed, except for those who have purchased Hating Olivia. The hope is that these submittors will understand the MSP style. HO buyers please read our guidelines thoroughly and then submit to the purchase address. ---Tony O'Neill (Digging The Vein) provides the introduction in the upcoming Steps. Here's the downloadable docfile. Steps will be released soon on MSP. Hussy wrote "Tara" in SK#1. Here's the sample for Steps. Right-click to download it. April '06: ---Frank Baron has been confirmed in SK#3 with "2 Days - 2 Nights". Right click and "save target as" to read the sample. ---Mark SaFranko has a new interview on laurahird.com. The site also features a review of Hating Olivia. March '06: ---Here's a a sample of the 12-page Jim Goad interview in SK#3. Goad [Shit Magnet, Answer ME!, Redneck Manifesto] will also feature with "Overture: Drowning In Shit". ---Mark SaFranko is the featured writer on Dogmatika. This includes two poems and a story Surkow's Fantasy. An interview with Mark SaFranko is now available on Scarecrow