Black and White by Wes Albers

Black and White, the debut novel by Wes Albers officially released today by ZOVA Books, is such a gripping story that I wanted to put on a uniform and ride patrol with John Hatch.  In this story, veteran San Diego cop Hatch struggles with breaking in both a wonder-boy new supervisor and a freshly minted rookie partner while keeping a lid on crime in the rough Mid-City area of America's Finest City. Albers leavens his story setting with authentic details drawn from more than two decades in law enforcement.

In John Hatch, Albers presents a complex protagonist with whom the reader heartily identifies.  In a grim story world short on positive role models, Hatch is one of the good guys.  His motives are noble even when his methods are questioned.

When Hatch and partner Stevie are the first arriving officers at the scene of a homicide, Hatch can't shake the feeling there's more to the crime than meets the eye.  Unwilling to settle for the easy answer to the question of whodunit, his investigating on patrol takes his partner and the reader deeper into the case.  Albers uses the followup after the crime to weave in true-to-life elements about street-level policing and challenges facing the thinning blue line of San Diego's finest in a way that deepens story tension.

The reader who signs up to ride along with Hatch gets a fascinating companion on an intense journey of suspense and action.  This novel rewards the reader looking for a thinking person's adrenaline rush.  Albers, who also serves as Director of the Southern California Writers' Conference, is a gifted story teller.  Without giving away the ending to the book, I can honestly say that when I go to sleep in San Diego tonight, I hope there's a cop like John Hatch keeping watch over my neighborhood.

This must-read work of contemporary fiction is now available in print and eBook format.

When My Tribe Gathers

The most common representation of the writer in popular culture is a solitary and miserable misanthrope locked in an airless upper room, facing a concrete wall, pounding on a keyboard in frustrated anguish.  That image probably has some grounding in fact, but it doesn’t bear much resemblance to any of the writers I know.   Especially not when I consider the writers who visit San Diego in February when my tribe gathers during the Southern California Writers’ Conference.   

The SCWC is first and foremost a joyous celebration of writers.  Whether the conferees arrive from nearby cities in California, winter-weary regions of the United States, or other continents around the globe, there is no doubt that when they step up to the registration desk at the Crowne Plaza San Diego they’ve entered a special world.  At this particular professional conference, words matter and imagination is prized.  For those of us who occasionally feel adrift in a Jersey Shore/American Idol-dominated pop culture, the long-weekend immersion into an enthusiastically biblio-centered community is heady stuff. 

And while there are agents, editors, and representatives of publishing to pitch to throughout the conference, the most personally enjoyable aspect to me is connecting with other working writers.  Hearing a young unpublished writer eagerly talk about a work-in-progress in a workshop or having a New York Times bestselling novelist (thank you, Gene Riehl)  invite me to lunch so I can talk with him about the motivation of one of my characters is not just priceless, but also part of the foundational DNA of the SCWC. 

This year’s Southern California Writers’ Conference takes place over the Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 17 – 20.  If you’re thinking about writing, if you’ve written something you’d like to publish, but aren’t sure what to do next, or if you’re looking for a chance to improve your craft and refine your manuscript, I urge you to consider this conference.  And if you join us this year, I look forward to offering a personal welcome.