Tom Pitts
Tom Pitts (born September 26, 1966) is a Canadian-American author and former musician. He specializes in dark crime fiction, in which street life is a prominent theme. Like his friend and fellow author Joe Clifford, Pitts had to put a struggle with addiction behind him before emerging as a writer.
Early life
Pitts was born in Calgary, Alberta. He moved to San Francisco in the mid-1980s and became singer, songwriter, and one of two guitarists for Short Dogs Grow. This band, which took its name from the Tom Waits song "On the Nickel", had two albums released on Rough Trade Records.
During the 1990s, Pitts fell into the grip of drug addiction, yet it was also at this time that he began to write. His initial influence was the criminal activity he'd encountered personally, as well as true crime books — notably The Westies by T. J. English. Eventually, Joe Clifford invited Pitts to read as part of the series Clifford hosted in Oakland. The confidence Pitts gained from that outing encouraged him to continue writing.
Recognition
The 2017 novel by Pitts, American Static, has been recognized as follows:
* Authors on the Air: 2017 Crime Novel of the Year. The 11 authors nominated for Book of the Year, along with Pitts, also included Lori Wilde, Julie Ann Walker, and Jeff Abbott (Abbott's Blame was the winner).
* The Mysterious Book Report: one of the Best Books of 2017
* The New York Journal of Books
* The Big Thrill: The Magazine of the International Thriller Writers
In 2014, when Pitts' novel Hustle was first published, LitReactor recognized it and the author as notable examples of the Noir fiction tradition.
In discussing the 2015 novella by Pitts, Knuckleball, Fjords Review drew a comparison to Ian Rankin's use of Edinburgh with regard to how Pitts utilizes San Francisco, his longtime home, as a backdrop.
Among the notable crime fiction authors who are associated with Pitts' work: Ken Bruen, Owen Laukkanen, and T.J. English (cover copy); Les Edgerton (foreword to Hustle).
Bibliography
Pitts is the author of two novellas:
* Piggyback (republished in 2018, originally released in 2012): .
* Knuckleball (2015): .
Pitts has also written three novels:
* Hustle (republished in 2016, originally released in 2014): .
* American Static (2017): .
* 101 (to be released November 2018): .
Pitts has also had numerous short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, as well as online.
Additional literary activity
Pitts is also an acquisitions editor for Gutter Books. Previously, he was one of the chief editors for "Out of the Gutter Online" (a website for flash fiction affiliated with Gutter Books).
He also supports the writing community as the host of Skid Row Chatter, a live monthly broadcast on the Authors on the Air network. His guests have included Joe R. Lansdale and Max Allan Collins.
Early life
Pitts was born in Calgary, Alberta. He moved to San Francisco in the mid-1980s and became singer, songwriter, and one of two guitarists for Short Dogs Grow. This band, which took its name from the Tom Waits song "On the Nickel", had two albums released on Rough Trade Records.
During the 1990s, Pitts fell into the grip of drug addiction, yet it was also at this time that he began to write. His initial influence was the criminal activity he'd encountered personally, as well as true crime books — notably The Westies by T. J. English. Eventually, Joe Clifford invited Pitts to read as part of the series Clifford hosted in Oakland. The confidence Pitts gained from that outing encouraged him to continue writing.
Recognition
The 2017 novel by Pitts, American Static, has been recognized as follows:
* Authors on the Air: 2017 Crime Novel of the Year. The 11 authors nominated for Book of the Year, along with Pitts, also included Lori Wilde, Julie Ann Walker, and Jeff Abbott (Abbott's Blame was the winner).
* The Mysterious Book Report: one of the Best Books of 2017
* The New York Journal of Books
* The Big Thrill: The Magazine of the International Thriller Writers
In 2014, when Pitts' novel Hustle was first published, LitReactor recognized it and the author as notable examples of the Noir fiction tradition.
In discussing the 2015 novella by Pitts, Knuckleball, Fjords Review drew a comparison to Ian Rankin's use of Edinburgh with regard to how Pitts utilizes San Francisco, his longtime home, as a backdrop.
Among the notable crime fiction authors who are associated with Pitts' work: Ken Bruen, Owen Laukkanen, and T.J. English (cover copy); Les Edgerton (foreword to Hustle).
Bibliography
Pitts is the author of two novellas:
* Piggyback (republished in 2018, originally released in 2012): .
* Knuckleball (2015): .
Pitts has also written three novels:
* Hustle (republished in 2016, originally released in 2014): .
* American Static (2017): .
* 101 (to be released November 2018): .
Pitts has also had numerous short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, as well as online.
Additional literary activity
Pitts is also an acquisitions editor for Gutter Books. Previously, he was one of the chief editors for "Out of the Gutter Online" (a website for flash fiction affiliated with Gutter Books).
He also supports the writing community as the host of Skid Row Chatter, a live monthly broadcast on the Authors on the Air network. His guests have included Joe R. Lansdale and Max Allan Collins.
Comments