Jordan Castillo Price's Blog, page 15
June 25, 2017
June 17, 2017
Start the PsyCop Series for 99¢
[image error]If you haven’t yet read PsyCop, or you want to hook one of your friends, now is a great time to grab Among the Living (PsyCop 1) for 99¢ for a limited time!
“The series is super strong, entertaining urban fantasy that spans all genres – gay, erotic, cop, paranormal and should appeal to anyone who digs the likes of Harry Dresden(The Dresden Files), Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), or Pat St. James (Murder Most Gay).” – Amazon Review
June 16, 2017
Skin After Skin Q&A
[image error]I asked my Facebook pals if they had any questions about Skin After Skin and here’s what they said:
Andrea asked: Why did you choose to write this story?
While I was writing Spook Squad, the character of Red Turner occurred to me, and I loved the idea of Crash falling for someone who was quiet, serious and introspective. But with the PsyCop series being all about Vic, there really wasn’t any room to develop that relationship within the Spook Squad novel to any level of satisfaction. There’s so much that Vic wouldn’t logically be privy to. And he really only gets to see a tiny corner of Crash’s life.
Samantha suggested: Maybe address why you wanted to give Crash not only his own book but one that runs along side all the other books instead of making one case revolve around him?
This is a great question, because that would certainly work (and could be something I choose to do in a future book.) Because I told the bare bones of Crash’s story in Spook Squad, that there was this guy from his past who came back begging for another chance, it seemed important to show that past sequentially rather than referring back to it in flashback. There was a lot of old ground to cover and it seemed unnecessarily confusing to bounce back and forth in time within one story to do it.
Allison said: The book is long, longer than anything else you’ve published(?). What made you decide to publish it as one book, when it could have been three (based on the sections)?
It is the longest novel I’ve published, and it does contain three sections that are the three big mileposts in Crash’s coming-of-age journey: meeting Red, exploring psychic ability, and starting his own business. But the first two mileposts don’t pan out for Crash by the end of the section. They actually both leave him knocked down a few pegs. So, to end a book at either of those points would have felt distressing for the reader. It was important to me that if a reader would stick with me through the emotional ups and downs of this book for such a long journey, they’ll come to an ending that feels resonant and extremely satisfying.
Skin After Skin release day is June 25, that’s right around the corner!
May 31, 2017
PsyCop 8 Cover Reveal
PsyCop 8
Skin After Skin
Fierce. Audacious. Independent. Curtis Ash can’t be bothered to settle down. He’s too busy enjoying his cushy job as a high-paid stylist, caught in a whirlwind of hookups, parties, and obscenely priced cocktails.
The only snarl in an otherwise charmed life is the salon’s hotshot colorist, Red Turner. Not only does Red put the whammy on customers and rake in all the big tips, he’s oblivious to Crash’s flirtation. But there will be plenty of time to win him over…so Crash thinks.
Thanks to his refusal to trust his gut, Crash not only tanks his career—he allows the one man who truly holds his interest to slip away. While he insists he doesn’t need a relationship to complete him, would sharing his life with someone really be so bad?
Skin After Skin is a sweeping saga that begins two years before Among the Living and ends just after Spook Squad. Experience PsyCop like you’ve never seen it before, through Crash’s eyes. Discover new facets of characters and events from the span of the entire series and beyond, all from the viewpoint of an extroverted empath.
Q&A
Q: When can I get my hands on this?
A: Skin After Skin ebook will release June 25.
Q: Can I preorder the ebook?
A: No, but if you sign up for my Quick Link Emails, I will send you a link when the ebook comes out.
Q: Will there be an audio?
A: Yes! Gomez and I are planning an audio release in July.
Q: Will there be a paperback?
A: Yes, on or around the release date of the ebook.
Q: Is this the last PsyCop novel?
A: Nope, I’m already planning PsyCop 9, where Vic embarks on his new career.
Support the Audio
Audio production can be expensive for an independent author. My audio projects take months, sometimes years, to even recoup their production costs.
Skin After Skin is a LONG novel, and its audio will be pricy to make. I have considered Patreon and decided it would take too much of my time away from my broader readership. Instead, I’ve come up with a couple of alternative ways you can support the project.
Fundraiser T-shirts – Buy a Sticks and Stones T-shirt like the one Crash is wearing on the cover of Skin After Skin. (This shirt is exclusively available for fundraiser supporters.)
Tip Jar – Did you know my royalties average less than $3 per audiobook, and less than $1 per whispersynch deal? If you’re loving the audios and receive hours of entertainment from them, consider dropping a few bucks in the tip jar. It will add up!
May 16, 2017
Where is home? JCP News May 2017
I am a notorious homebody, but over the past couple of weeks, I have traveled across more time zones than I care to calculate. I was fortunate to attend the smarter artist Summit in Austin Texas, and it was my first experience staying at an AirBNB. I’m really pleased that I did. My accommodations were in a guest house in someone’s beautiful backyard, and there was so much more personality and privacy then I would’ve had staying at a hotel. It also allowed me to see more neighborhoods than I would have, had I simply stuck to the hotel where the conference took place. The homes in the neighborhood had tons of character, too. I’m just a little bit house access to these days, since I just got a new house myself! (I haven’t moved there yet, it’s getting spiffed up for me at the moment.) I also got to enjoy the cryptic phrases someone had spray painted up and down the street.
After Austin, I traveled to London, where I got to meet up with a group of fabulous readers. I treated them to a sneak preview of PsyCop 8, and also gave away some rare memorabilia.
I got to cross something off my bucket list during this trip, too. Ever since I was in college, I’ve been eager to see the Catacombs of Paris. Clare London and I took the Eurostar over to Paris for the weekend to check them out. It’s hard to describe the sheer scope and depth of the catacombs. The bones of 18th Century Parisian dead are stacked high and deep in lengthy warrens left from the mining of limestone. The tunnels go on and on and on, and rather than feeling repetitious, eventually the sheer scope of what you’re seeing, of humanity, is what you’re left with in the end.
Initially when we came in, I thought it was kind of funny that they have “don’t pet the skull” signs. But sadly, not everyone in the catacombs was respectful of the dead.
I have always been fascinated with what lies beneath our cities. Paris definitely did not disappoint.
All in all, the food was exquisite, and the waitstaff was very patient with my struggling French, and it’s always a treat to see my dear friend Clare.
Circling back to PsyCop… While I don’t have a release date for you yet, I am happy to tell you that PsyCop 8 is through its first round of editing, and if all goes well with the editing and with my impending move, I would love for it to hit the shelves before the end of June. Keep your eyes peeled for a cover reveal and release date very soon!
And whatever you do, don’t pet the skulls.
April 16, 2017
Spun Sugar and Dark Dreams
Much like love, chocolate can be rich and heady, distractingly sensual, sweet and bitter. Just ask Chance. He’s been the catalyst of many a relationship over the years, though he himself scoffs at the notion of a happily ever after. But sometimes a mere hint of sweetness is all it takes.
Bittersweet Candy Kisses is truly a global endeavor, featuring stories by me, Sean Kennedy and Clare London.
Sean KennedyJordan: Your sense of humor was one of the characteristics I thought would make you a good fit for this project. What sorts of things do you find funny?
Sean: Being from the colonies, you tend to have a very British sense of humour. Usually slapstick or goofball with a tinge of darkness. Comedies I like range from screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby to dark comedies like Heathers or the stupidest of the stupid like Molly Shannon’s classic Superstar. But I love humour that develops when ordinary people get caught up in extraordinary situations and there’s that sense of I don’t really know what’s going on but I just have to go along on the ride.
Jordan: Since I heard non-US writers are often made to set their stories in generic US cities because that’s where the publishers plan on marketing the ebooks, I figured I should be contrary and nudge you to write something set in Australia, like your breakout novel Tigers and Devils. What considerations do you keep in mind when you set a story in your home country?
Sean: The problem is in keeping an Australian flavour while explaining enough so that an international readership will ‘get’ the references. You and I were just talking about this yesterday during the editing process when one of my characters think that the other one is ‘a spunk’. Totally different connotations in different countries! I think sometimes that publishers are shooting themselves in the foot by trying to make every story ‘generic USA’ because we miss out on all those wonderful nuances that happen when people write about different places. I also think they’re not giving readers enough credit – I Google if something stumps me, it’s not like I sit there thinking ‘does not compute, cannot continue reading’ and I’m sure other readers are the same. I love reading books that are set in places foreign to me – it’s the closest thing to travel for me at the moment!
Jordan: Chance is the shared character who’s being revealed bit by bit as the series marches on. I was bummed I had to tell you his secrets so you could write him, since I tend to play my hand close to my chest. What did you think about Chance while you were writing him?
Sean: I kind of liked that he was just as much a mystery to me as he was to the characters. It was like I could play along with that mysteriousness as I had no idea what he was hinting at either when he spoke cryptically about things that happen in the story. And it was just really interesting writing a character I hadn’t created – I felt like I had to do justice to the original creation and he actually ended up being in the story a lot more than I envisioned. That’s probably how Chance planned it. He’s very manipulative in that way! I look forward to seeing what else he manages to affect in the lives of future characters.
Jordan: Well, you sure wrote him as a saucy little devil, which is just the way I like him. And I need to fan myself when I think of him speaking with an Australian accent!
Clare LondonClare penned her novelette London Eye once the project was pretty well underway, and it was such a natural fit that not only did I include it in the series, I invited her to collaborate on the pivotal piece of Chance’s unfolding tale that became Media Naranja.
Clare: I feel like the New Girl joining very late into the school year. All the lessons have been scheduled, places in the classroom have been allocated, friendships have been made. Then in I come! I know the timetable, I’ve hopefully got the right grades—I’m just not sure my pencil case is the right colour…
Enough of the daft school metaphors. It’s just a way to describe my huge excitement and respectful apprehension at joining the established team. Of course, I’m already a published author, I’m a team player (when I need to be *g*) and I’m definitely a big fan of Chance. Still, I was beyond thrilled when Jordan accepted my story into the latest release.
Ever since I started reading these novelettes, and Chance began travelling the world, I’ve wanted to see him in London. I loved the thought of mixing his rather wicked, worldly and sexy manipulations with the prim British reserve. And I wanted to share my city with him, where he could meet our characters, suffer our indomitable spirit, and learn some new, rather odd slang!
Bittersweet Candy Kisses is a fabulous adventure. The world is unmistakably and deliciously Jordan’s, but the clever way she’s constructed its underlying mystique to overlap with the characters’ routine allows other authors to bring their own entertainment to the party.
And what would Chance say? He’d just wander up the classroom aisle, pat me (maybe?) affectionately on the head and tell me to get over myself. Or something like that.
[image error]
A storefront. You’ve never noticed it before. It’s small, unassuming, and yet there’s something about it that draws your eye. And the scent drifting out, dark and aromatic, so enticing. How could you have overlooked it? It must be new.
So why does Sweets to the Sweet look like it’s been there for ages? And the pale man behind the counter…certainly you’d remember him.
Curl up on the couch with this delicious collection of novelettes. Each one is just the right length of an evening’s read—or gorge on all of them in a long, sweet weekend.
Previously released individually as the Petit Morts series, now available together for the first time in this sweeping omnibus anthology.
Twelve stories, over 180,000 words—the length of two novels.
Buy at your favorite online bookseller – only $4.99
April 12, 2017
Join JCP in London for an Exclusive PsyCop 8 reading
Join me 4 May at the Sir John Balcombe for a few pints, a reading from the upcoming PsyCop 8, a Q&A session and a raffle.
Books will not be sold at the event, but feel free to bring anything you'd like signed.
Your ticket includes a buffet meal and a cash bar.
Space is limited. Tickets will be on sale through 23 April. No refunds after 23 April (this is when we will be doing our final head count.)
Cost £12 per person
Buy Your Ticket
Tentative Schedule
6pm - Meet, Greet & Eat
7pm - Reading from PsyCop 8 followed by Q&A
8pm to ? - Hang out and party!
March 15, 2017
Can I take the wall with me? JCP News, March 2017
Find out about my upcoming London reader get-together, PsyCop 8 and 9 news, and more in this month's JCP News.
March 1, 2017
JCP reader party in London - Head Count!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwV7RnYUfTK1v0PG_EmS5jxGCahq_UL4ok-6dEKlfmy8uMZQ/viewform
February 16, 2017
Latest PsyCop News, and a survey
Check out this month's JCP News.
