Jack the Hack Shackaway

HOME SWEET HOME

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Last week we met Mu and learned the key to her libido. This week we meet all of her household, including a distinctive rhythm section and Mu’s sister, Bia.

Current edition

Selections from Arno Petty’s Intelligencer and Weekly Gleaner

  • ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL. Western men have been known to misconstrue what is happening when they marry a Thai lady. Suddenly, as often as not, they discover that there are two cousins from upcountry who need a place
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KEY TO MU’S LIBIDO

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This week we meet Mu, Jack Shackaway’s love interest and chief cultural critic.

Previous editions

Selections from Arno Petty’s Intelligencer and Weekly Gleaner

  • TAKE IT EASY. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Bangkok, do pretty much whatever you want; but remember that certain institutions—notably the Royal Family, the Buddhist sangha, and the military—are above criticism. Remember also to respect the strictures concerning pointing feet, touching others on the head, etc. Any good guidebook will give
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TEA & BISCUIT FUND

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Last week Jack found cause to rejoice that he hadn’t yet sold his ancient Royal typewriter after all, never mind he was now a state-of-the-art hack writer fully equipped with a computer.

Selections from Arno Petty’s Intelligencer and Weekly Gleaner

  • ENOUGH FOR TEA. The new chief of police in the City of Angles (or is that ‘Angels’?) is talking about giving Bangkok’s finest a pay raise. Would that this be true. Law enforcement officers can’t possibly subsist on
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THE TRAFFIC IS JUST MURDEROUS THESE DAYS

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 This week we join Jack Shackaway on an interesting trip through Bangkok traffic. His trusty old typewriter, which he’s meant to get rid of for years, proves useful.

dreamstime

  • HAPPY DAYS. Soon everybody in the country will have a couple of Benzes, not to mention pots full of chickens. Dearie me, yes; the race to NIC-hood (Newly Industrialized Country status, for those of you from outer space) is bringing on a New Day for us all. Now if only
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WRONG WAY

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Last week we learned some ins and outs of executing a contract, Thai-style. This week we learn how some manage to accomplish this deed with greater style than most do.

WRONG WAY

Selections from Arno Petty’s Intelligencer and Weekly Gleaner

BARING ARMS. Maybe you were wondering what those signs in Thai on the doors of the bars on Suttisarn Road and similar venues are all about. These areas have been declared Weapons-Free Zones, you will doubtlessly be relieved to know. … Read more

NOT STANDARD

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Last week we met more hard men. Jack, meanwhile, got valuable notes for the story he was writing, learning more about Tommy and Willie’s various business enterprises and business conflicts, not to mention some of the ins and outs of being successful hard men in such troubled times.

DK Books edition

NOT STANDARD


Selections from Arno Petty’s Intelligencer and Weekly Gleaner

  • HEAVEN ON EARTH. One senior official has suggested that the government should designate certain areas as ‘Paradise Zones.’ Within
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IT’S A SMALL WORLD

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Current edition (Cover by Colin Cotterill)

 

The previous episode concluded with the following:

Rambo was singing Carabao’s nice song “Welcome to Thailand” between his teeth into the mike — in the process, I guessed, erasing the interview with the high-ranking police officer I had managed to get only after long negotiation. Then there were three bangs on the door, and Somsak arrived with the drinks. I decided a little Mekhong was a good thing after all. 

And just at

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Pandemic books, pandemic reviews

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Barbara Smaller, https://lithub.com/six-cartoonists-on-critical-failure-one-panel-at-a-time/

I’m posting a new Kicking Dogs chapter every Tuesday, and an independent item every Thursday.

Let’s kick off this week’s SIDECAR post with a seven-year-old item from Jack Shackaway, my collaborator and, incidentally, the hero of my novel Kicking Dogs.

Selling novels: What it takes
I’m probably over-reacting, but it’s already getting harder these days to take pride in thinking of yourself as a writer, since so can anybody with the price of a computer and

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BAD TIME TO QUIT SMOKING

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Asia Books edition of yore

In the previous episode, Jack Shackaway was robbed at gunpoint by a pair of colorful characters. These gentlemen, name of Tommy Two-Toes and Wrong-Way Willie Wong, then bought drinks with the money they took from him till they were all legless. 

In the course of events, Tommy and Willie said they had a business deal they wanted to discuss with him, and Jack said he had to go to the toilet. In fact he

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KICKING DOGS ~ PROLOGUE

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The Prologue to Kicking Dogs, a novel, appeared first in the Bangkok Post Sunday supplement in the early 1990s, and again over the years in at least two regional publications.
It was once shortlisted by The Paris Review for an annual humor competition, and they asked to see more stories from me. With my usual self-promotional genius, I never got around to submitting other stuff.
Next life.

Current edition (ebook & print on demand).
Cover by Colin Cotterill

Kicking Dogs… Read more