The Mentalist's second season debuts Sept. 24. Check it out.

No news. Writing a lot, hope to have some stuff to announce in the near future. Here's what I'm pumping into my brain while the writing is coming out the other end. Put on some headphones and enjoy some music.

Sleep, "Dragonaut"

High on Fire, "Turk"

Electric Wizard, "Dunwich"

Ahab, "Old Thunder"

Working on The Mentalist is taking up all my time ... it's nerve-wracking and a ton of fun, and I'm learning every day from some of the best writers in the business. If all goes according to plan, my first episode should air in February.

I'm also using my newfound paycheck to buy books, books, books.

Currently reading: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell (fantastic) a book on Alexander the Great, I finally finshed Blood Merridian (worth it). Coming up, I've got the original Tarzan novel coming, and what the hell, I bought Moby Dick after becoming obsessed with Ahab's The Wretched Call of the Sea, which has to be the best funeral doom concept album about whaling.

         The second Thuglit anthology, Sex, Thugs, and Rock & Roll, is out in stores now. It features my short story "Like Riding a Moped" along with stories from folk like Justin Porter and Jed Ayres. I haven't picked up a copy yet, but it's sure to be the nastiest, bloodiest piece o'print in your local bookstore, so go out and buy a copy or six. Once again, massive thanks to Todd Robinson for including me once more in his thuggish fun.

In other news, I've started my teevee writing gig at The Mentalist, which so far appears to be the best job in the universe. We started at a sprint, so as predicted there's not going to be any new stories from me for a bit, but I've got a few half-done things that I hope to get into working shape when I get a breather. Stay tuned, go buy Thuglit and watch The Mentalist, Tuesday nights on CBS. And call your mother.

Currently reading: Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz and Let the Right One In by A Huge String of Swedish Letters.

The formidable Jedidiah Ayres, who is named like one of my characters, has posted a review of my unpublished novel Dirtnap Avenue on his blog Hardboiled Wonderland. Jed, who will be sharing the pages of Sex, Thugs and Rock & Roll with me this summer, seemed like the perfect person to review my novel about the criminal roots of St. Louis, catching many of my crime-nerd references:

His first novel, Dirtnap Avenue mines the same rich ground. Harper draws upon the sensationalized and mythologized elements of Missouri’s outlaw tradition and crime history from the James Younger Gang to Tom Egan and up to the Chain of Rocks Bridge murders and so does his protagonist, Jesse Priest, who sees himself as belonging to that tradition as a singular unfolding narrative and is seeking his place in it.

Thanks for the kind words, Jed.

Currently reading: The amazing In the Rogue Blood by John Carlos Blake.

I'm proud to announce that I'm the new staff writer on The Mentalist (Tuesdays on CBS, yo). I'm going to be working for Bruno Heller, who not only created the show but also created one of the all-time greats, HBO's Rome. I have no idea what's going to happen next in my life, but it should be fun.

The bad news is that all my other stuff is going to grind to a halt, at least for little while. But do stay tuned.

Currently reading: I just finished Dave Cullen's new book Columbine, which is quite good, and True Grit, which is even better. Next up is In the Rogue Blood by James Carlos Blake, or maybe The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell.

I've just had an interview published by Bookspot Central as part of their "Bookless" series of short story interviews. Go check it out, and thanks to Brian for selecting me.

In other news, I have a lot of other news that isn't quite news yet, so stay tuned for updates.

Currently reading: True Grit.

My short story "Red Hair and Black Leather" has been nominated by Bookspot Central as one of the best mystery stories on the web. Please vote early and vote often.

I've been working on some story ideas that revolve around the decadent lifestyles of the rich and famous lately. One thing that I like to do to waste time is to set up "soundtracks" for the world in which I'm writing. I've always been a fan of sleazy club music, so putting together this playlist was a lot of fun: you can almost hear razor blades scraping across mirrors and emotionless humping in the background.

"Sunglasses at Night" by TIGA

"Like Something From Porno" by Felix Da Housecat

"Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge

"Kittin is High" by Miss Kittin

"Runaway" by Ladytron

I've updated the fiction section. You'll find a slightly longer version of "I Wish They Never Named Him Mad Dog" than appeared in the now-defunct Demolition. While I feel the published version is tighter, I wanted to put this one on the site, as it makes more explicit the connection between good ol' Geat Mashburn and some of the other characters in my universe. Also new is a short play, The Accidental Torturer, which I intially wrote a few years back, but only recently got in good enough shape to share. And finally, enough time has passed since the publication of Out of the Gutter #5 to go ahead and throw "Just Look What the Bitch Made You Do" onto the site. It's a fun read.

I haven't done a Trash Culture update in a while, but in the meantime, enjoy the super-sludgey sounds of Electric Wizard