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John C. Bruening

@jcbruening.bsky.social

230 followers 160 following 130 posts

At any given moment: Dad. Husband. Writer. Reader. Editor. Publisher. Marketer. Entrepreneur. Creator.

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John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Jan 2

Flinch Books, the small press I co-founded with Jim Beard (@writerjimbeard.bsky.social) in 2015 is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year! If you’re not a Flinch fan already, check us out at www.flinchbooks.com and see what we’re all about!

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John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 17h

Nine years after the fact, my first Midnight Guardian novel (HOUR OF DARKNESS) still gets high marks on Amazon.
#MidnightGuardian #amwriting #FlinchBooks #smallpresspublishing

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 1d

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 4d

Spent some time this past week with the editors at RetroFan Magazine (published by TwoMorrows.bsky.social), discussing photography for my upcoming article about a popular toy from my childhood during the late ‘60s. The piece is scheduled to run next summer (Issue #45, July 2026).
#RetroFan

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 9d

Jack DeJohnette
1942-2025
In addition to a successful career as a bandleader, this jazz drummer/pianist/composer was a sideman for so many over the course of 60+ years: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Bill Evans, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock and more.
#JackDeJohnette #jazzdrums

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 14d

Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella, THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, has been adapted to various media more than 120 times over the decades. My take on the 1941 film version starring Spencer Tracy.
#DrJekyllAndMrHyde #RobertLouisStevenson #SpencerTracy
jcbruening.com/a-tale-of-th...

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 24d

Lester Dent, born 121 years ago today on October 12, 1904. Author of nearly 160 Doc Savage pulp novels between 1933 and 1949. To say he invented the concept of the superhero would be an overstatement, but he certainly helped define the parameters.
#LesterDent #DocSavage #pulpwriter

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 24d

Diane Keaton
1946-2025
When I think of iconic actresses from the 1970s, this woman is usually the first one who comes to mind.
#DianeKeaton

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · 25d

Elmore Leonard, born 100 years ago on October 11, 1925. Before the crime fiction, he spent several years writing westerns. Regardless of genre, he was an excellent storyteller.
jcbruening.com/going-west-w...
#ElmoreLeonard #crimefiction #westernfiction

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Oct 4

Submitted the final draft of my 2K-word article to RetroFan Magazine (twomorrows.bsky.social) this week. It’ll be a few months before it sees the light of day, but I have plenty to work on between now and then.
#RetroFanMagazine #TwoMorrowsPublishing #amwriting

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Oct 3

When you’re five or ten years old, you never realize what’s shaping your personality and your world view. You don’t start realizing it until you’re forty or fifty (or maybe even later).

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Oct 3

Seventy years ago this morning (October 3, 1955), this guy beamed into American living rooms for the very first time.
#CaptainKangaroo #childrenstelevision
jcbruening.com/o-captain-my...

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John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Oct 2

Finished reading Ron Goulart’s comprehensive history of pulp-era detective fiction (roughly 1920 to 1950). I never know which I find more fascinating — the fictional characters or the writers who created them.
#detectivepulps #detectivefiction #crimefiction #RonGoulart
jcbruening.com/hardboiled-h...

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Oct 1

October.
#October #October2025

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 22

Fall.
#fall #autumn #autumnalequinox

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 20

Writers: What do we have in the pipeline this weekend?
Me: One magazine article, one blog post, one novel, no cigarette.
You: ???
#writing #amwriting #writingcommunity #writinglife

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 16

Thomas Perry
1947-2025
Edgar Award winning author of mysteries and crime thrillers, including ten novels in the acclaimed Jane Whitfield series.
“I don’t think the problem is that people don’t read enough mystery books, but that people don’t read.”
#ThomasPerry #crimefiction #JaneWhiitefield

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John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 16

Blues titan B.B. King, born 100 years ago today on September 16, 1925. Rolling Stone ranked him at number 8 on its 2023 list of “The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” Check out the link for a few memories from my 1995 interview with B.B.
#BBKing #blues #guitarblues
jcbruening.com/a-call-from-...

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 15

This family went into space on September 15, 1965. Sixty years later, they’re still lost. Some thoughts about what went off course during their 3-year adventure (it wasn’t just their ship), and why fans keep following them so many years later.
#LostInSpace #classicTV
jcbruening.com/sixty-years-...

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 13

Writers: I haven’t tossed this question out in a while, but what are we working on this weekend?
Me: A first draft of a novel, a magazine article, and a couple blog posts that’ll go live later this month.
You: ???
#writing #amwriting #writingcommunity #writinglife

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 9

New from @writerjimbeard.bsky.social and #BeckyBooks. Scary season is right around the corner. And it’s a dark corner, with low-hanging trees and creepy things lurking in the shadows. So beware. #horror #pulp #Halloween

Jim Beard @writerjimbeard.bsky.social · Sep 8

FEEL THE FEAR AND BUY IT ANYWAY!

SHUDDER STORIES: CORPUS VILE is now alive in print and eBook on Amazon! It’s alive! ALIVE! #horror #pulp #amselfpublishing #BeckyBooks #Halloween

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ31C3GP

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 6

September 6 is National Read a Book Day. I’ve been slowly working my way through this overview of the hardboiled detectives of the pulp era (roughly 1920 to 1950) and the writers who brought them to life every month.
What are you reading?
#NationalReadABookDay #detectivefiction #crimefiction

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Sep 1

Edgar Rice Burroughs, born 150 years ago today on September 1, 1875. Burroughs created characters and worlds that have endured for more than 100 years. An inspiration not just because of what he wrote, but because of how he recogized the importance of doing the work.
jcbruening.com/erb-at-150-s...

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Aug 19

STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (1940), considered by some historians to be the first true film noir, was released 85 years ago this week. Peter Lorre’s bulging eyes are two of the movie’s biggest stars.
#StrangerOnTheThirdFloor #PeterLorre #filmnoir #classicfilm

Third-Floor Noir | John C. Bruening

jcbruening.com

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Aug 15

VJ Day! Eighty years ago today — August 15, 1945 — Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies marked the end of World War II. For the remainder of the 20th century and beyond, the world was forever changed.
#VJDay #WorldWarII

War Is Over | John C. Bruening

jcbruening.com

John C. Bruening @jcbruening.bsky.social · Aug 10

I have an article about Anglo-Italian fiction writer Rafael Sabatini in the 2025 edition of THE PULPSTER, published in conjunction with the annual Pulpfest convention.
#Pulpfest #RafaelSabatini #amwriting

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