Re: RARA-AVIS: Robert Skinner and the Explicator

Mari Hall (found.dead.in.texas@airmail.net)
Wed, 15 Apr 1998 15:12:18 -0500 Frank D wrote:
>
> Hi, Gang,
>
> A couple of days ago I asked about Robert Skinner's THE HARD-BOILED
> EXPLICATOR. Somebody (thank you) forwarded my message to Mr. Skinner and he
> responded to me. Below is the greater part of his message to me. Thanks
> also to Ed Duggan who answered my question.
>
> I should mention that I read BLOOD RED, SKIN DEEP by Mr. Skinner a couple of
> months ago and thought it was a terrific book. He has only one other novel,
> I believe. The setting is New Orleans and the time the 40s. I hope we can
> look forward to more novels from this writer.
>
> >>Dear Frank,
>
> A friend slipped me your message about The Hard-Boiled Explicator.
>
> It was the first book I did, and I sometimes look at it and am overwhelmed
> with embarrassment--I thought I knew what I was doing, but I had a lot to
> learn.. I queried Scarecrow many years ago to ask if they'd like to do an
> updated edition, but they passed (doubtless because you can only sell so
> many bibliographies--only libraries buy 'em).
>
> I imagine there must be some other, newer work that augments and
> updates that book--if not, I can't imagine why. Hammett, Chandler, and
> Macdonald will still be with us long after a lot of the others are dead
> and gone.
>
> Bob Skinner>>
>
> I thought I'd just pass this along. Mr. Skinner was nice enough to respond
> and I wanted to share that with all of you.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Frank D.
>

It was I; I am guilty--Bob is a friend of mine and since there was
nothing in the post (IMHO at least) that seemed 'insulting' I forwarded
it to him; his reply I failed to post here as he simply said "he's right
(it is dated)" I really didn't think anyone would mind; Bob wrote a book
about Chester Himes also (we discussed that on this group when we were
reading Himes) but he was very busy at the library so he could not
participate at the time, too bad. The Wesley Ferrell books (there are
two--CAT EYED TROUBLE is the second) have a picture of a light-skinned
black man in a fedora on the cover--Bob said they were sorting some
pictures at Xavier (originally an all-black university in New Orleans)
and he saw this (same kind of) picture and kept it in mind as it
inspired the character in his books.

-- 
whose DOROTHYL nom is Kate Warne the ex-Pinkerton in
The Woman With the Rose Tattoo by Mari Hall
See y'all at Bouchercon 29 in Philly Oct.1-4
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