coming soon!
Blackness Ten Times Black
by Mark Rogers
PREORDER EBOOK HERE.
Papberback and Ebook Available September 15th!
A teenage girl in Tijuana goes on a dating app and is matched with her grandfather. The way she puts it, “He said he had money, but he doesn’t. And he said he was young, but he isn’t.”
A lonely barkeep bargains with broke macho drinkers, demanding an item of clothing as collateral for a shot of tequila. He nails these garments to the wall to create El Borracho. Then—into this lonely space—comes a female drunk desperate for connection.
In the story, “Marriage,” a bitter senora says to a young woman, “I’ll pay for your nose job if you marry my son.”
Blackness Ten Times Black contains stories of love lost and life lost. Of characters confounded by fate. As well as stories of the occasional and unexpected triumph of the human heart.
Praise for Mark Rogers and Blackness Ten Times Black
“These stories are sharp and dark and highly readable, as well as re-readable. There’s no higher praise than that.”
–Joe R. Lansdale, internationally bestselling author of the Hap and Leonard novels
“Mark Rogers’s Mexico tales are gritty, raw, and unsentimental. They’re full of booze-soaked melancholy and drenched in noir atmosphere. It has been a long while since a story collection has pulled me in so immediately and so completely. I was put in mind of reading Larry Brown and Barry Gifford for the first time. I won’t soon forget Rogers’s hardcase characters or the desperate, thrilling spaces they inhabit.”
–William Boyle, author of Saint of the Narrows Street and Heavy Sugar
“Over the past four decades, I’ve spent countless days exploring Baja California’s stark, gritty beauty. For me, it is a uniquely magical place that is difficult to put into words. Yet, Mark Rogers has crafted a beautiful collection of stories with characters so honest, and settings painted so true, I felt like I was there again, a part of it all. This is a truly exceptional collection.”
–JD Clapp, author of Poachers and Pills and Alterations
"Mark Roger's reticence is almost as powerful as his tight sentences and crisply grounded description. His plots draw you quickly into the sharp denouement. Blackness Times Ten Black is neo-noir gold."
–Arthur Nersesian, author of Shit Show
“These stories drop us into the heart of Baja, California. We breathe the sea, taste dust on our lips, hear the yelps of street dogs, and see shacks that pass as dwellings. Above all, we experience the pains, wounds, heartaches, and small joys of the people who live there. Rogers’ outstanding collection is an ode to a small part of the world and to our larger shared humanity.”
–François Bereaud, author of San Diego Stories and A Question of Family
Cowboy Jamboree Press
good grit lit.
Papberback and Ebook Available September 15th!
A teenage girl in Tijuana goes on a dating app and is matched with her grandfather. The way she puts it, “He said he had money, but he doesn’t. And he said he was young, but he isn’t.”
A lonely barkeep bargains with broke macho drinkers, demanding an item of clothing as collateral for a shot of tequila. He nails these garments to the wall to create El Borracho. Then—into this lonely space—comes a female drunk desperate for connection.
In the story, “Marriage,” a bitter senora says to a young woman, “I’ll pay for your nose job if you marry my son.”
Blackness Ten Times Black contains stories of love lost and life lost. Of characters confounded by fate. As well as stories of the occasional and unexpected triumph of the human heart.
Praise for Mark Rogers and Blackness Ten Times Black
“These stories are sharp and dark and highly readable, as well as re-readable. There’s no higher praise than that.”
–Joe R. Lansdale, internationally bestselling author of the Hap and Leonard novels
“Mark Rogers’s Mexico tales are gritty, raw, and unsentimental. They’re full of booze-soaked melancholy and drenched in noir atmosphere. It has been a long while since a story collection has pulled me in so immediately and so completely. I was put in mind of reading Larry Brown and Barry Gifford for the first time. I won’t soon forget Rogers’s hardcase characters or the desperate, thrilling spaces they inhabit.”
–William Boyle, author of Saint of the Narrows Street and Heavy Sugar
“Over the past four decades, I’ve spent countless days exploring Baja California’s stark, gritty beauty. For me, it is a uniquely magical place that is difficult to put into words. Yet, Mark Rogers has crafted a beautiful collection of stories with characters so honest, and settings painted so true, I felt like I was there again, a part of it all. This is a truly exceptional collection.”
–JD Clapp, author of Poachers and Pills and Alterations
"Mark Roger's reticence is almost as powerful as his tight sentences and crisply grounded description. His plots draw you quickly into the sharp denouement. Blackness Times Ten Black is neo-noir gold."
–Arthur Nersesian, author of Shit Show
“These stories drop us into the heart of Baja, California. We breathe the sea, taste dust on our lips, hear the yelps of street dogs, and see shacks that pass as dwellings. Above all, we experience the pains, wounds, heartaches, and small joys of the people who live there. Rogers’ outstanding collection is an ode to a small part of the world and to our larger shared humanity.”
–François Bereaud, author of San Diego Stories and A Question of Family
Cowboy Jamboree Press
good grit lit.