Something I thought distinguished his writing is that it had
a feel of
authenticity.
Instead of other people's recycled takes on the genre, you
could tell
Abshire had put some thought into how to go through a door
without getting
shot.
To me the HB genre works best when you think you are being
drawn into a
darker reality by someone who knows the territory.
I don't think it really matters what sort of experience the
writer has had.
It's more a matter of the voice they develop. But people with
first hand
experience, or the willingness to do research, sure can find
a lot of
gritty material out there waiting to be developed.
Of course, knowing what you're talking about, doesn't mean
you can write
well about it. I thought Abshire hit the mark in both
areas.
Fred
----
Down on Ponce a novel by Fred Willard
http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/~fwillard
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