Derrick Ferguson | John F. Allen Author

TODAY’S BLACK SPECULATIVE FICTION MONTH SPOTLIGHT IS DERRICK FERGUSON!

I’m always told by other writers whose opinions I respect highly that I need to have a proper bio handy so that folks can ‘connect’ with me. They say that in this brave new world we find ourselves in that the rules have changed for writers. We have to make ourselves “accessible” to the readers and “open up.” We have to show we’re “vulnerable.”
I dunno about all that. I actually have a hard time believing that anybody would want to know anything about my day-to-day activities which are actually pretty mundane and boring. I do pretty much the same things a lot of you guys do. I shop and go to the movies/dinner with my wife. I play games on my Xbox. I watch movies on Netflix. I read books and graphic novels. I go out with the fellas for an occasional night of telling lies and doing the six-ounce curl. The most interesting thing about me you can find is in my books as the one thing I have over most folks is that I’ve trained my imagination to tell highly entertaining stories. Okay, that was the part where I relate to you. Now here comes the boring stuff…

My name is Derrick Ferguson and I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where I have lived for most of my still young life. I’ve married for 30 years this past March 12th to the wonderful Patricia Cabbagestalk-Ferguson who lets me get away with far more than is good for me. Both my parents are still living, Thank God. My mother Corine Ferguson resides here in Brooklyn, NY while my father has returned to his hometown of Bennettsville, SC. My sister Jan lives in Long Island while my sister Valarie lives here in Brooklyn with her domestic partner.
My interests include but are not limited to: radio/audio drama, Classic Pulp from the 30’s/40’s/50’s and New Pulp being written today, Marvel/DC fan fiction, Star Trek in particular and all Science Fiction in general, animation, television, movies, cooking, loooooong road trips and casual gaming on the Xbox 360.
Running a close second with writing as an obsession is my love of movies. I’m currently the co-host of the Better In The Dark podcast where my partner Thomas Deja and I rant and rave about movies on a bi-weekly basis. If you’re interested then by all mean go on over to http://www.betterinthedarksite.com/ and you’ll find over a hundred episodes where we do so. We also welcome suggestions on movies we should be talking about and guest hosts.
I’m also a rotating co-host of the PULPED! podcast along with Tommy Hancock, Ron Fortier and Barry Reese where we interview writers of the New Pulp Movement as well as discuss the various themes, topics, ebb and flow of what New Pulp is and why you should be reading it.

Bounce on over here for a listen: http://pulped.libsyn.com/

I currently have three blogs where you can keep up with my work:

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BLOOD & INK: http://dlferguson-bloodandink.blogspot.com/ is where you can find any and all information about most of my work that has already seen print and in the works. I also occasionally will throw up a book review. I also have my “Kickin’ The Willy Bobo” series where I interview other writers and creative folks.

DILLON: http://derrickferguson1.wordpress.com/ this is the blog that features my signature character, Dillon. I won’t go into details about him here. That’s what the blog is for. Bounce over there and check it out. But trust me when I say you’ll be glad you did.

THE FERGUSON THEATER: http://derricklferguson.wordpress.com/ The last time I checked I had over 400 movies reviews there. This blog started out with me posting movie reviews on my Live Journal (remember LJ?) mainly because I got tired of people asking me my opinion on movies. So I figured that if I just posted reviews, it would take care of that problem. The reviews outgrew LJ and eventually I had more than enough to justify a blog of their own. Please feel free to check it out and if you have a suggestion for a movie I should review, by all means, please let me know.

Okay, that covers the basics. Now that you know where to find me, anything else you want to know, just ask. You can contact me through my Facebook page or by email: DerrickFerguson@gmail.com is my preferred one but if there’s something you need a response to right away then email me at DerrickFerguson1@aol.com

Okay, I think that’s enough for now. We have a whole week to talk and get acquainted so I suggest you guys take advantage of it. Thank you for your kind attention and may God Bless you in all your creative endeavors and bless your families as well because He knows that they truly need it. Talk to you later.

Derrick’s story “Dillon and the Alchemist’s Coffee” appears in the Pro Se Productions anthology, Black Pulp!

Black Pulp is a collection of stories that features characters of African origin, or descent, in stories that run the gamut of genre fiction. The concept was developed by noted crime novelist Gary Phillips.

BE SURE TO HELP CELEBRATE BLACK SPECULATIVE FICTION MONTH BY CHECKING OUT THE WORK(S) OF THIS WONDERFUL WRITER & REMEMBER TBIYTC!!!

WHY THIS FICTION FORMAT IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN A BIG WAY!

From the time I was a child I’ve loved Pulp Fiction. No, not the movie (although I enjoyed that as well), I’m talking about the Pulp Fiction genre! Whether it was in the form of Men’s Action/Adventure novels such as: Don Pendleton’s Executioner series (featuring Mack Bolan), Nick Carter, The Destroyer Series (featuring Nemo Williams) or magazines such as: Eerie, EC Comics, Savage Sword of Conan, Tomb of Dracula or Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.

Of course the ORIGINAL Pulp fiction icons like Doc Savage, The Shadow, Tarzan, etc…started it all! I discovered them a short time later and fell in love with them as well!

Some of my earliest reading experiences were with the above mentioned books and magazines, something that has had a definite impact and influence on my writing. I grew up in an era before the internet and when video games weren’t a standard fixtures in homes around the world. My friends and I would read comic books, adventure novels and then reenact those bold scenes outside in the backyard or at a nearby park. We fashioned weapons from sticks and boards, or any other materials we could get our hands on. Our greatest asset was our imaginations!

This is precisely why Pulp Fiction is making a comeback in a BIG way!

Reading those stories of whirlwind excitement, death defying feats and bold adventure sparked our imaginations like other forms of fiction never could. We could get lost in becoming our favorite heroes and escape to distant lands and exotic locales, be surrounded by beautiful women (or handsome men according to your fancy). You could make all of the troubles in your life melt away as you slipped into another world and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime!

With the dazzling special effects in movies and video games, it becomes easier than ever to escape reality. The problem is that unlike reading, movies and video games can only give you the visual and the audio. Those formats fail to engage your senses and ease you into another world where you can become the hero in your mind’s eye. The viewer or player, respectively, is relying upon the imagination/vision of the directors, writers and/or animators to do the heavy lifting for them, thus depriving them of developing their own imagination muscles.

Bearers of the Pulp Torch are bound and determined to carry on the traditions of their fore-bearers and bring to readers the imaginative and pulse pounding adventures that have all but gotten swallowed up in movies and video games.

Authors and Artists such as:

Derrick Ferguson

Adam Shaw

Tommy Hancock

Kimberly Richardson

Rob Davis

Nancy A. Hansen

Fuller Bumpers

Lee Houston Jr.

Ron Fortier

Andrea Judy

& Charles R. Saunders to name but a few.

They are the voices of The New Pulp Era!

Rising from the ashes of Pulp Fiction, they are spearheading a Pulp Renaissance. Through modern innovations such as the internet, Print on Demand, and a steady growing interest, Pulp is re-surging more and more each passing year. This movement consists of quite a number of writers, artists and publishers who have dedicated themselves to creating GREAT Pulp Fiction!

Their work is as diverse as the American Culture and yet readily recognizable, innovative, but not just a fresh coat of paint on previous stories. These works are bold, original and surreal, though they often take their inspiration and influence from the Pulp of yesteryear. This gives the stories a freshness born of new minds, yet spiced with the familiar flavors of the past. A GREAT example of this is an anthology titled, “BLACK PULP,” published by Pro Se Press.

This anthology features stories from several brilliant authors and Pulp supporters and features characters of African origin, or descent, in stories that cover various genres in fiction! The concept was developed by noted crime novelist Gary Phillips and this volume includes a forward by the legendary Walter Mosley himself!

(Click the book cover to purchase!)

As this phoenix called The New Pulp Era burns ever so brightly and hurls itself across the sky, many readers (including longtime fans and newly indoctrinated ones) are taking notice. Quite a few conventions and venues are recognizing the value and impact that Pulp has had in the shaping and molding of Pop Culture. Pulp never truly went away, as it has lived in the hearts of longtime fans and readers for decades. It is only now that a new generation of creators are producing material and new readers are being exposed to this Cult phenomena and apparently they can’t get enough!

I would like to take this opportunity to announce that “yours truly” is also throwing his hat into the Pulp Fiction ring. I only hope that I can live up to the legends of my fore-bearers and help to move Pulp forward alongside the talented men and women listed above.

STAY TUNED & REMEMBER TBIYTC!!!