Rob D. Smith is pillar of the crime fiction community. A writer, a fellow editor at Rock and a Hard Place Press, and a cartoonist (his drawing of Godzilla smashing Tokyo and telling fellow writer Hector Acosta that Gundams are dumb, somehow all in the same image, sits in a place of prominence on my wall), Rob is a lot of things, but one of the descriptions I love most for Rob is "Friend."
Which is why I am so excited to present the cover of Rob's forthcoming novella, Good-Looking Ugly to everyone today.
I'm going to share the image in just a moment, but first, I wanted to let you all know what Good-Looking Ugly is about, and to encourage you to stick around. After I got this cover in my inbox, Rob and I texted back and forth, and we're sharing the conversation below.
So, first, the cover copy of Good-Looking Ugly:
Daniel Brown was born with the face only a mother could love and his mother couldn’t much stand to look at him either. This constant scrutiny of his looks brought out over-the-top physical acts of rage from Daniel bringing him into altercations with his family, school, and eventually the authorities. While attending court-ordered anger counseling sessions that are the only thing keeping him out of prison, his long-absent country cousin Jayla Durand meets him at his basement apartment in the city begging his favor.
She wants to rip off a cockfighting championship held at the Bluegrass Sportsman Club run by her ex-boyfriend Archie Mudd. She asks Daniel to harness his fury to help get her out from under the thumb of her abusive ex and the Kentucky Fried Mafia who run the club and all of the crooked law enforcement of Marion County. With a score close to a million dollars, she expects they could both upgrade their lives. Daniel agrees to his cousin’s half-ass caper so long as he returns in time to make his scheduled therapy session or face the judge for prison sentencing.
Jayla has held back some pertinent details involving the cockfighting heist such as their getaway driver Meg is her new girlfriend. His cousin’s biggest unrevealed reason is the real impetus causing her to risk the wrath of Bluegrass crime boss Johnny Mudd and his Kentucky Fried Mafia. Will Jayla’s secrets burn their heist plans down, will Daniel’s unchecked rage destroy that quicker, or are things about to get really ugly?
And now? The cover. Look at how excellent this is:
I don't know about you, but after that description and this cover, my finger is ready to click BUY immediately.
So where can you get this book? Read on to find out below!
Hey Rob, welcome to DSD! You know I'm a long time fan, and lucky enough to call you a friend, but, for those who don't know you, tell us a bit about who you are, what you write, your favorite pizza. You know, the relevant stuff everyone needs to know.
I'm a long-time genre writer from Louisville, KY. I've published over thirty stories in magazines and anthologies in print and online. Most of my fiction has been in the crime genre but I also like to write horror and dark speculative stories. I have a very active imagination that leads to tales that can't be expressed in the crime world alone. I tend to set my fiction in my region now. If not my city, at least my state or surrounding states. My early influences are Bugs Bunny cartoons, MASH television shows, and reading Stephen King novels when I was way too young.
My favorite pizza is thin-crust pepperoni and sausage but there is no such thing as bad pizza.
Truly the greatest of all toppings. See, I knew we were friends for a reason.
Okay, so tell us a bit about Good-Looking Ugly, whose wonderful cover we revealed just above.
Daniel Brown was born with the face only a mother could love, and his mother couldn’t stand to look at him either. He's dealing with the legal ramifications of the physical manifestation of his rage from lashing out at real or perceived insults when his country cousin Jayla shows up in the biggest city in Kentucky needing a favor. She wants Daniel to help her rob the World Cockfighting Championship held in Marion County, Kentucky. He hadn't seen her for over ten years but she was the only person to ever make him feel normal and joyous. He reluctantly agrees to help her even though he knows she's holding back some secrets like the championship is run by the Kentucky Fried Mafia.
This novel was inspired by two branches of the same tree. This quote is from a Boris Karloff character in a 1935 film called The Raven. This killer was driven to a life of violence by his unseemly appearance. “Ever since I was born, everybody looks at me and says, ‘You’re ugly.’ Makes me feel mean.” I twisted that together with the French term Jolie Laide which translates to “pretty-ugly” or “good-looking ugly”. A belief that even someone with a distinctive unattractive appearance by society’s norms can still be beautiful.
I wanted to explore the thought what if someone was good at something that was considered bad? At least by society's terms. Daniel is like a duck in water when it comes to violence and mayhem.
There are several fascinating concepts coming together in this book. Can you talk a bit more about Daniel? You’ve mentioned his violence and rage comes from his continuous dismissal by others. Do you seen him as conflicted by those violent impulses, or does Daniel understand who he is with little desire to change?
Daniel is definitely conflicted. When he falls into this state of anger, it is like a fugue. He doesn't feel in control of his actions. That he is taken for a ride and then deals with the aftermath. A human tornado. He does feel guilty but it's as if he feels more shame of being a touch proud of his abilities. Change should be welcome but he would certainly miss some aspects of letting his inhibitions loose. He has court-ordered therapy and while Dr. Rhiney's advice helps later on in the book Daniel realizes maybe this therapy can help harness his violent nature.
Good-Looking Ugly is set in Kentucky, which you’re obviously very familiar with. Can you tell us a bit about your home state and why you like setting stories there?
When someone hears Kentucky, they think of barefoot hillbillies and fried chicken. My state is more diverse than that. First off Eastern Kentuckians are some of the smartest most resilient people. That the people haven't had the resources that other areas have had and still find a way to survive if not thrive in the hollers is admirable. Central Kentucky is where thoroughbred horses and bourbon flourish. The limestone aquifers allow for strong bones in the horses and are the lifeblood of distilling our state liquor. Western Kentucky is picturesque with lots of lakes and Mammoth Cave. Kentucky is both Southern and Midwestern. A true gateway between the North and the South. All of this gives me plenty of stories to choose from. The myth is that Kentucky was called the Dark and Bloody Ground by the indigenous people of the region. Who wouldn't want to write about their state after a nickname like that?
Let's talk about this cover - it's a knock out. For those out there who are still grinding, working on their writing and trying to write a novel, can you talk a bit about what that meant, seeing that cover for the first time?
It was a kick to my eyeballs. Ron from Shotgun Honey does great covers and I was so pleased that what I expressed to him got woven into this cover design. I'm a fan of simple design that pops. Stephen Graham Jones's book cover for Mongrels is an example of what l like. The yellow-orange of my book will stand out on a shelf or online ordering. The blocky font conveys the roughness of my protagonist. The gamecock in flight will draw the reader to pick up my novel. This cover is a homerun and I'm so grateful.
Final question, Rob, and it's a two parter: First, when can we get our hands on Good-Looking Ugly? And second, what is next for Rob D. Smith?
The official release date for my novel is October 22nd. However, pre-orders should be going up shortly after this interview at Shotgun Honey. Make sure you're following me on socials to get the link when it drops.
The project I'm currently working on to submit to publishers is a short story collection of crime stories that have women as the protagonists or the central figure of the tale. The title is They Do Get Weary.
I'm also compiling notes for a horror novel featuring a disgraced firefighter and an exiled exorcist.
Oh, man, They Do Get Weary is such a fantastic title. Thank you so much for swinging by, Rob!
Thanks Paul. Love the Do Some Damage crew!
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There is is! Now you know how amazing Rob is, you know how exciting his book sounds, and you've seen how incredible the cover is. Make sure you order it as soon as the pre-order link drops!
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