Christopher H. Jansmann's Blog, page 7

Podcast: Bewitched

In the third episode of the podcast, I’m joined once more by my best friend to discuss Bewitched, the fifth novel in the Sean Colbeth Investigates series.  This time out, my intrepid detective is forced to deal with childhood events he’d rather forget when a cold case from his high school years complicates life in the small village of Windeport, Maine.

Magical Run

After a long absence — initially due to construction, but later, the pandemic — the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend returned to Anaheim. While I’ve done a number of runDisney events over the years, I started running them in the period when nothing was being held on the West Coast. That wasn’t an entirely bad thing, for it made an excellent excuse to visit both Walt Disney World and our relatives in Florida; still, my wife’s very first runDisney event had been in Anaheim, so it holds a very special place in our personal running hall of fame.

When the news hit last year that the Half Marathon was returning, I blocked out the morning the registration opened and hoped that I’d be able to score a spot; having been shut out of the Disney World Marathon Weekend this year due to the insane interest in participating during an anniversary year, I was perhaps less optimistic than normal about my chances for I was certainly not the only person who had a keen interest in Disneyland being added back into the mix as a location. The virtual queue was indeed long, but after about a forty minute wait, I triumphantly signed up for both the five and ten kilometer events; this is not the year I will be doing a half — that is slated for 2025 — but I am tinkering with the Disneyland version being the one I do as my first.

I suppose it’s not much of a stretch to reveal that I’m a massive Disney fan. My wife and I made regular trips to Walt Disney World when we were living on the East Coast, and, after moving to Arizona, quickly became Annual Passholders for Disneyland — a multiyear affair that sadly ended when the passes crept above what we felt were reasonable (even for super fans). The early years of the pandemic dialed back travel of all kinds, something we are still recovering from; our sojourns to Florida tend to focus more on visiting family, while trips to California are mainly to spend quality time with our friends who live there.

Slowly — very slowly — we’ve begun to visit Disneyland at least once a year, far less than the heady days when we were able to go at the drop of a hat. Those trips tend to be focused around the special events the park hosts now, which made the return of the 1/2 Marathon Weekend a wonderful excuse to dive into full travel planning.

Waiting to get into Disneyland for the 5K. Yes, there were a lot of people there!

It was barely a month out from the race when Disney emailed us the routes for each of the events; even after pouring over them, looking for the hidden hills and chokepoints where it would be hard to maintain a reasonable pace, nothing prepared me for actually standing at the base of Sleeping Beauty Castle, waiting for the rope to drop on the 5K.

Projections on the stores along Main Street, U.S.A.

The lighting, the music, the overall atmosphere was phenomenally amazing; projections against the Matterhorn and the shops along Main Street added to an experience that saw us (literally) wind our way through both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, nearly hitting every single land in both parks. Along the way, various characters from the Disney pantheon were available for photos, an option that (judging from the very long lines I passed) extremely popular with runners. For my part, I found myself singing along to the relentlessly upbeat soundtrack that was piped in along the route; who knew you could run a 6:30/km pace to the pop version of The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room? Thankfully, my wife and I got separated at the start of the race, so she didn’t have to listen to my off-key accompaniment.

The 5K finish line was across the lagoon from the Sun Wheel.

The 10K was the following morning — the second of three consecutive pre-dawn calls that made me empathize with Cast Members who are usually there at that hour prepping the park for the coming day. Due to the race length, we didn’t get the same start along Main Street, U.S.A., and were instead corralled along one of the roads that used to lead to the original parking lot entrance. Still, that didn’t take away from the magic of the moment; just as with the 5K, the atmosphere was electric, right down to Donald and Daisy Duck cheering us on as we crossed the starting line.

The starting arch for the 10K.

I had the joy of running the 10K with my best friend and her daughter, making the experience a wonderfully social event that really doesn’t compare to anything else I’ve ever done. There were a ton more people running the 10K, but we managed to stay together right up until we hit the back third of the course; it was hard to carve out space when we turned into the new Star Wars section of Disneyland, so we wound up rendezvousing back at the finish line once the dust settled. (That might have been a blessing for them, for my singing became uncontrollable again.)

Rather amazing how they were able to squeeze ten kilometers into both parks.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I’m actually considering trying to get into the new Halloween-themed race scheduled for September; we’ll see if the budget will allow another trip. Regardless, I think I’ll try for running again next January; it’s such a great way to start the year, it’s totally worth all of the training involved to get there.

2023: Year In Review

December seems like a marvelous time to sit back for a moment and take a look back at all that has transpired during the previous twelve months — especially in this odd week between the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Day. In some ways, it feels like the entire world has shifted into a slower gear; most people, if they can, have taken extra time off to be with family, so offices are empty and the roads likewise far easier to navigate.

Of course, where I live is a bit of an exception to that second item; despite the influx over the years of family-friendly subdivisions, the preponderance of residents are of the retirement set, meaning we get a net increase in volume from Thanksgiving clear through to April. I like the extra vibrancy that creates in our community; for a few months, at least, the pools are hopping and parking is highly prized commodity at the local Safeway. It’s our version of seasonality: instead of leaves falling to denote the end of summer, the parking lots around here empty and you can swim in any lane you like.

There’s the heat, too, but let’s ignore that, shall we?

Anyway, 2023 was a pretty productive year for me. I published three books (Focus, Bewitched and Requiem) and my first Holliday-themed short story (Snow Drifts); the first drafts for four more books (Vengeance, Mirage, Solitude and Masks) were also completed along with one more holiday short (Baubles). Honestly, that was far more words written than I had planned for the year, but I felt a little bit behind the curve after false-starting on the first draft for my urban fantasy mystery, Reflection in the Shadows, during NaNoWriMo 2022; guilt is a powerful motivator, so I essentially made up for the book I didn’t get done back in 2022 by writing an extra one in 2023. The irony there, of course, is that I’m circling back to complete Reflection this spring, so I suppose, in the end, nothing was truly lost in the effort.

There were some other firsts in 2023. After trying out a Facebook Live book launch for Duality in 2022, I started hunting for something a bit more interactive. While I liked the format, the experience seemed flat to me — what I had really wanted was a Fresh Air-type of book discussion that would feel a little more spontaneous. It took some effort and the willingness of a friend to lend a hand, but in late November I launched a podcast that will feature one of my books or shorts in each episode. Two are out now as of this post, with several more scheduled to be recorded and released in the coming weeks. I really love the format and they seem to be garnering more interest than the one-off launch event format.

And, of course, the highlight of 2023 was my appearance at the Tucson Festival of Books in March. I had an amazing few hours there talking to readers and signing a few books; it’s an event I’ve long attended as a reader, so being on the other side of the table as an author was an exceptional treat I’ll continue to treasure. I’ve submitted another book to be considered for inclusion at the 2024 edition of the festival, but as of this writing haven’t heard if I’ve been selected. I’d love to attend again as an author, but know the competition is pretty fierce. I’ll keep my fingers crossed just in case.

So, what’s ahead for 2024?

As I’ve already noted, I’m planning on finishing Reflection this spring with an eye toward a possible Christmas 2024 release. I also have two more books in the pipeline, one each for Vas and Sean, that I hope to work on during the two NaNoWriMo camps next year, with one more book (either for Sean or Vas) to be written during the traditional November NaNoWriMo. That works out to four full novels if the schedule holds, not including another possible short story that may or may not feature a certain small town doctor and her police chief beau at Valentine’s Day; I had such a good time exploring Suzanne’s backstory that a second story has already burst into being, though I’m not certain I’ll able to complete it in time for the actual holiday this year. Stay tuned.

However I slice and dice it, this has been an incredible third year as an author. If you’ve been with me from the very first book, thank you for your support and readership! Windeport and Rancho Linda and the people who live there are near and dear to my heart, and it makes me happy to know that others feel the same way. I look forward to sharing new adventures — and new characters — with you in the new year.

Podcast: Snow Drifts

In the second episode of my podcast, my friend joins me to discuss Snow Drifts, my first-ever holiday-themed short. There’s plenty to chat about – I hope you’ll tune in.

Did you like this episode? Let me know in the comments section below or use my contact form to provide feedback.

Facing Unknowns

I’ve long wondered if I could be as bold as my favorite science fiction captains, heading out into unexplored space with nothing but a starship full of smart people and an optimistic perspective on the universe. I don’t think I truly want to know the future, but recently I’ve begun to think it would be nice to get a hint every now and then of what is just around the corner; as an explorer, I’m sure that would make seeking out the unknown far less sexy, but for me — as someone likely marooned behind a desk on planet Earth for the foreseeable future — knowing what is to come would make planning for it a bit easier.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I think.

Maybe.

All right, probably not; knowing myself as well as I do, I’d likely just obsess over what was to come versus worrying about what might happen. Interestingly, I’ve never considered how my characters might view their future; would they have this same subtle semantic difference in mind if they had the choice to divine what I had in store for them? Or would they be content with how I spool out their lives, advancing what we know about them with each book? It’s an odd question to frame considering I do have a general sense of their overall arcs, though I don’t always know the connective stories that will get me to the next waypoint. Those tend to develop situationally, often when an interesting moment in the plot provides an opportunity to take that next step.

There are still surprises, of course. I never intended for Vasily to leave Windeport until he, well, left; Alejandro started off as a random guy on the pool deck in an early draft of Ditched with the sole purpose of pulling Vas out of a hot tub before he drowned. Driving Vas back to the police station (and, essentially, asking him on a date in the process) had never been part of the plan — but now I’m glad he did, for those two have developed an amazing relationship that just wasn’t there with any of the other guys I put into Vasily’s path early on.

Suzanne was always a doctor reeling from a bad divorce, seeking a new start in Windeport. Yes, I intentionally planted Sean in front of her with the idea she would become his main squeeze, but hadn’t counted on the ghosts of her past creating surprising hurdles to getting there; she’s also a far more complicated woman than I realized, one with deep compassion and a big — but bruised — heart. Part of me thinks she would have fled Windeport if she’d known what I had in store for her; willingly dealing with pain derived from failed love is not a choice most people make easily. I certainly never gave her an option, did I?

(I never considered until just now how I seem to fill the role of the three sisters of fate from Ancient Greek myths, the Moirai. My words on the page certainly could be the equivalent of the life threads they spun, measured and ultimately cut; the idea that one’s existence was as finite as a length of string was a horrible concept that has stuck with me since first learning of it back in grade school. May there be many, many more books in both of these series…)

Photo by jimmy teoh on Pexels.com

The recent events that had me so introspective also had me seeking some reminder that I actually am — or have the potential to be — just as brave as those fictional starship captains I revere. One of the best examples of that is my favorite Star Trek movie, where the crew of the Enterprise literally sail into the face of an unknown that threatens to destroy humanity — and do it with nary a trace of panic over leaving behind the comfortable structure of the lives they had. Admittedly, these are fictional characters, idealizations of the best of the best that might exist in some future version of humanity, but the notion that we could aspire to such selfless acts — and still maintain that optimistic spirit of exploration, no matter how scary it might seem — is one that resonates with me. It refreshes my spirit and shores up my resolve to face my own unknowns with the same level of panache.

Would it help to have a state-of-the-art starship behind me? Of course. Seeing as though I am stuck here in the 21st century, I’ll just have to settle for more coffee and a library full of Blu-rays to remind me of what (could) be coming…

Holiday Lights

As I’m writing this entry, the school year is winding down at the university where I work. Students look more like zombies as they trudge from final to final, their frazzled expressions belying the late night hours spent cramming every last piece of information they think the professor will be demanding of them. It’s a transitional moment on campus, one where we shift from the daily grind of instruction to determining just how much was retained; in another week, campus will be a ghost town, reduced to the core set of staff who keep the place running. Parking garages will be empty; the broad swatch of green at the center of campus will lie quiet, awaiting the return of the frisbee players and dog walkers and those just out to burnish their sun tan.

I have to admit it’s always a welcome moment to catch our breath, a time to reset and re-energize for the demands of the coming Spring semester. My role isn’t nearly as frontward facing as others, but our team plays a significant part in creating the exceptional student experience our college provides. Not being on call for a few weeks makes for a wonderful respite, a reminder of what the much longer Summer break will provide.

With the hubbub finally calming down, I had a chance to finally do what little decorating I manage at my office each year. It’s not much — just a small silver Christmas tree that I find a home for on my desk, one that lights up with beautiful white lights. I forget now where I picked it up, but it has become something of a favorite — a reminder of the far larger and more definitely mid-century version my German grandmother had for many years. Her aluminum tree even boasted a small spotlight with a rotating color wheel, a device that I found exceptionally enthralling as a young child. The way the various colors played across the silvery limbs of the tree were endlessly fascinating to me, though in truth, I far preferred the multi-colored blinking string of Christmas lights my father spent hours weaving in and out of the giant Frasier fur that used to dominate my childhood living room.

A bit of holiday cheer

Oh those lights! How I remember the frustration as they were pulled out of the box, completely and thoroughly entangled despite how carefully we had packed them away the prior year. Or how, after finally managing to get a string extricated from the mess, we would stretch it out along the hardwood floor and then plug it in, but not before sending up a prayer that it would light up on the first try. Generally it wouldn’t, of course, requiring us to get down on hands and knees to carefully expect every single one of the tiny bulbs to determine which one had burned out and therefore was the criminal culprit. The day I discovered LED lights at the hardware store, tears of joy started to stream down my face at the realization I would no longer have to perform this age old ritual.

If the weather stays warm this weekend — and I know that sounds odd, considering I live in Arizona — I’ll be putting out the lights in our yard. That’s a tradition I brought with me from New England, although back home it was always an extremely chilly exercise. Here, now that my blood has thinned significantly, I usually wait until it’s in the mid-sixties before winding lights around our mailbox and garnishing our less prickly plantings with LEDs of various colors. Last year, I picked up some solar powered landscape spotlights and got a bit creative; I use them to highlight the cute ceramic snowman my mother-in-law gifted us many years earlier, as well as the organ pipe cacti my mother decorates with Santa caps. This year, I upped the game a bit and picked up a Mickey-shaped wreath that we place on the front door; it’s a little touch of magic that adds to the overall atmosphere.

Still, at the end of the day, the lights are what I enjoy the most. When my mother-in-law was still living here in Southern Arizona, we used to drive through the various neighborhoods and revel in how people had done up their homes; some hints of that experience have made their way into Baubles though I feel like my prose doesn’t quite do it justice. I had a chance to see the Osborn Family Lights at the Disney Hollywood Studios the year before they packed them away forever, and while I’m not sure I could ever go to that level, I do have fantastical dreams of covering every square inch of our home with lights, and then synching them with the soundtrack from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

I’m not so sure my neighbors would go for that, thought. So for now, it will remain just that: a dream.

Another NaNoWriMo In The Books

If you’ve followed me for a while now, you already know that I usually spend the month of November working on a new novel as part of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. This year marks the fifth time I’ve participated during the “official” period, and the sixteenth overall book I’ve crafted since 2019. I quite honestly look forward to those thirty days of intensive writing and the community that coalesces around the activity each November; without the support of those fellow writers, I’m not certain I would have followed through on the very first book I completed back in 2019 — the manuscript that became Blindsided.

This year’s project was a new Vasily novel, tentatively titled Masks. I cheated slightly and began work on it in late October, mostly because I knew I was traveling for work and would therefore be losing a chunk of writing time. I’ve also discovered over the years that my novels naturally run longer than the 50k word goal that is part of NaNoWriMo; starting a bit early allows me to try and get to that higher word count while still being able to complete the majority of the work in November. I didn’t quite make my quota this year, but I am more than halfway through:

I expect I’ll be able to complete the first draft well in advance of Christmas, and then will turn my attention to the final edit of the next book being released (in this case, Vengeance). Once that is complete, I’m going to turn my attention back to my urban fantasy novel I started as part of NaNoWriMo 2022. As much as I love my two current main characters, I have this strange creative itch that this particular story seems to be scratching; even after ignoring it for more than a year, it’s still calling out to me to be finished, so I’m going to take the plunge and work on something completely different for a bit.

I think it’s a cool idea, one that adds a little bit of magic, a dash of superhero mythos and a liberal dose of slow burn romance to my usual mystery, which of course features complex but realistic characters. The challenge of combining a few genres that I don’t typically work in is quite attractive, allowing me to flex creatively while also adding a new kind of story to my catalog. It’s also the first time that I’ve written in the third person style, something necessitated by how I want to bounce between the two “leads” in this new series. Honestly, I can’t wait to get started.

Now before you panic — I’m not abandoning my other two series; far from it. My overarching plan is to continue to release up to three novels each year; if I pull off this new series, that will mean I’ll have three distinct sets of characters I’ll be writing. I cannot tell you how cool it will be to be able to bounce between such different characters over the next year or so; assuming, of course, that I don’t weaken and shelve this new project again in favor of the next burning Sean or Vasily story.

We’ll see.

In other news, Requiem had an outstanding debut this week — by the end of its second day, it was the number one new release in LGBTQ+ Mysteries. I cannot thank my loyal readers enough for this — I am overwhelmed by the support and continuing interest in Vasily Korsokovach. As I write this, it remains in the top five for new releases and top fifty overall. Writing is a strange business, with strangely closed feedback loops but the message in this case seems quite clear: folks like Vasily and truly enjoy reading his adventures.

That means more to me than you can possibly know.

Podcast: Requiem

Get an insider’s look at Requiem as I discuss my latest novel with my best friend in the first episode of my podcast, Novel Conversations.

This is the first of what I am planning as a series of podcasts covering each of my novels. Did you like this one? Let me know in the comments section below or use my contact form to provide feedback.

Requiem Tidbits: Two

First – a quick apology. I’ve been traveling for work which put a bit of a crimp in my schedule; normally, I would tease tidbits of a new release in more than just two installments, but I’m afraid that’s all I’m going to be able to squeeze in for Requiem. While I’d also hoped to be able to do another Facebook Live release party, between getting the final version of Requiem to the publisher and writing the latest installment of Vasily Korsokovach’s series, it looks like it’s just not going to happen.

To try and make up for those deficiencies, I’ve roped in a dear friend of mine to do something of an author Q&A for Requiem. We’ve recorded it as a podcast and my plan is to try and get it posted as close to the release date for Requiem as I can. We had an awesome time putting it together; I wanted it to feel like two friends chatting about a good book, and I think we managed to capture that spirit — even if we did have a few unusual technological hurdles to get over (which will be a story for another post). Look for the announcement of the podcast here on the blog or on my various social media outlets.

And now to the main event — with only a few days to go before Requiem drops, here are a few tantalizing tidbits to keep you on pins and needles…

Alejandro gets a haircut.

Now I realize this wouldn’t be a headline for most novels, but in Vasily’s world, seeing Alex without his mountain of dark curls is a bit of a seismic event — a massive change takes some getting used to. What prompts Alex to get said haircut is too much of a spoiler to reveal…

The condo gets a bit more crowded.

There’s an unexpected addition to the family in Requiem, one who immediately makes themselves at home in the small condo in Anaheim. It’s an interesting opportunity for Vas and Alex to discover what they would be like as parents…

We see a new portion of Rancho Linda.

I bet you didn’t know the city had a theater designed by the same architect that built Rosie’s mansion. Honestly, I didn’t either — at least, not until the location popped onto my screen.

Vas has a frosty one-on-one with his mother.

We’ve not seen much of Vasily’s parents since that fateful encounter at Disneyland way back in Pariah. Unfortunately, it’s not much of a reunion, given how chilly their relationship currently is. Then again, there are some tiny hints that there might be a thawing in the offing.

Vas meets Alejandro’s mother for the first time.

Yeah, it’s not exactly a warm reception he receives when he chances a visit while in Tucson. But it does provide him with an opportunity to plant the seeds of reconciliation — something he’s been unable to do with his own family.

This murder is personal.

Requiem is a bit darker than earlier Vasily novels — which is saying something, given what happened to him in Peril. Still, when the ultimate motivation for the killer is finally revealed, even Vasily is taken aback by the why.

I really enjoyed writing Requiem and hope you’ll find in an interesting read. You can pre-order a Kindle version now, or get hardcover and paperback editions starting on November 28.

Requiem Tidbits: One

It’s that time of the year again — when I tease you with tidbits from my latest novel (and try not to spoil it in the process). Requiem debuts on November 28, so let’s begin, shall we?

We pick up right after Sean sees Vasily in Las Vegas.

It’s hard getting time off when you’re a cop, and Vas has been trying desperately to take the vacation he’d planned earlier in the year — you know, the one that got cancelled when Sean was [spoiler] at the end of Duality? The first date turns out to be July 4, the same weekend that Sean winds up flying to Vegas for another case; Sean heads back to Maine and poor Vas finds himself recalled to Rancho Linda two days early.

That’s not much of a vacation.

Both Vasily and Alejandro would agree with you. Especially Alejandro, who had taken the time off from work to go to Vegas with Vas.

Wait a minute – the blurb says something about those two getting their happily-ever-after… did they get married in Vegas?

No. Far from it — though I will say that Vas has a night he can’t remember — and carries a memento of it back to California.

What kind of memento?

That would be a spoiler… you’ll have to read the book.

Will we see Rosie?

It wouldn’t be a Vasily book without her, so yes… but not as much as normal. I figured she could use a rest, seeing as though we camped out in her mansion during Focus. But don’t worry – she’ll have a much larger role in Mirage, so stay tuned.

The blurb also says something about Tucson…

If you were paying attention back in Bygones, you’ll recall that Alejandro is originally from the Old Pueblo — and has no desire to ever go back. Unfortunately, events conspire to drag him into facing his past — but he won’t do it without having Vasily by his side.

That sounds ominous.

And complicated. But it also gives me a chance to fill in some of the details around Alejandro, too — even if it does cause him a bit of pain…

Okay, that’s it for this week! Come back next week for more tidbits…