Jack Chaucer's Blog - Posts Tagged "journalism"

I've written 17 chapters so far and I think there will be at least 40 this time around, so it will be longer than "Streaks of Blue." There are multiple points of view, though Nicole gets the first 13 chapters all to herself in Part 1. Part 2 has featured four different male characters' points of view: Adam Upton, Roger Janicek (Nicole's dad) and two new characters, William Osborne and Steve Pearson. Then it will switch back to Nikki again for a while.
It's been interesting to fill in some of the blanks from the first book while at the same time sending Nikki on a whole new story arc. I still have many miles to go on it, but my goal at this point is to publish it by spring 2016.

Find a chapter title listing so far at http://queensarewild.wordpress.com/

I’ve written 25 chapters so far for the sequel to “Streaks of Blue.” Progress has been slow but steady, with more than 54,000 words already written and a likely target of 70,000-75,000 for this book, considerably longer than the first one. The arc for the second book will extend into a third book, tentatively titled, “Nikki Roulette: Red or Black?” There is also a chance this series will go beyond three books.
My goal for “Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble” is to publish it in the spring of 2016, though I may have ARCs of it ready for NetGalley before that.
Here is a chapter title listing so far:
1. Rainbows and Unicorns, Part 1
2. Enterprise Story
3. Weirdos Make the World Go Round
4. Hot Tip
5. Silver Sands
6. Busted in Bridgeport
7. 25 Grand
8. Money Trail
9. Coffee in the Lobby
10. The Other Kind of Auditing
11. Rainbows and Unicorns, Part 2
12. Your Enemy’s Enemy
13. As Long As We’re Both Being Honest
14. Climbing the Lion
15. Captain Rookie
16. Howl at the Moon
17. Nikki Blue
18. Earth Wing
19. Mars Wing
20. “I Crashed My Car Into The Bridge … I Love It”
21. Cruise Missiles
22. Adam Bomb
23. Nikki Beach
24. Loveless Fascination
25. Channel 77

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Steve Pearson:
"I wanna be you when I grow up ... the girl who can't be stopped by bullets, the girl who takes down pedophile mayors, the girl with the dragon ..."

Nikki:
"Will you please shut the hell up?!! You're talking all over my audio!"



Pub date: 10-9-15

Steve Pearson:

"Ask interesting questions, yeah, that's what I do ... 24 hours, 7 days a week. Even in my dream the other night, I asked the Dalai Lama how to get to Saratoga Race Track. I was lost somewhere in New York. I thought he could enlighten me. ...

To Nikki:
"So ... what's it like getting shot?"



Pub date: 10-9-15

Judith Feld:
"The early colonists will be forced to work together or they will die. The Red Planet itself will govern every second of their existence."

Peter van Wooten:
"So we shouldn't debate whether there ought to be guns on Mars?"

Judith:
"No, there will be enough threats to human life on that planet. Trust me. Guns would be incredibly superfluous."

Nikki:
"As someone who suffered a gunshot wound when I was 17, I find Judith's answer more refreshing than scary. I would be willing to risk my life to go to a world without guns."

Excerpt from "Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble"
Pub date: 10-9-15
NetGalley ARC date: Later this week

Just posted Thursday morning!

Nikki: “If I were to tell you the whole story behind that conversation I just had, I’d be making you an accessory to obstruction of justice. Is that what you want?”

William: “No, but I do like when you get all judicial on me.”

Excerpt from "Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble"

Pub date: 10-9-15 for both ebook and paperback

NetGalley date: Available now

Nikki’s POV

Candace: “What’s wrong?”

Nikki: “What’s wrong is I wish you were in my life every day like you used to be. You always … well, usually, had my back.”

Candace: “That’s fair. You pushed my limits and then some, but I tried. I mean … hanging out with Adam? Hiking in the woods with a kid like that? I hope you didn’t actually climb that mountain with him alone over the summer when I couldn’t make it.”

I bit my lip.

Candace: “You did? What are you thinking, Nikki? And you talked to Thomas on Skype? What the fuck? Do you get off on spending quality time with psychopaths?”

Nikki: “You’ve hiked with Adam more than once. He’s not that bad. He’s turned his life around somewhat.”

Candace: “I think it’s amazing how you reached out to that kid and helped him … and saved all of us in the process. But there’s a pretty big line there that he crossed when he even considered doing what he planned to do. I look back on all that and I must’ve been crazy to go hiking with him after that. I only did it to be there for you. But at some point, you’ve got to be smarter than that, Nikki. Stop putting yourself into dangerous situations. You can’t save the world. No one can.”

Nikki: “Yeah, I know. I’m not as naive as I used to be. Believe me.”

From “Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble”
Pub date: 10-9-15
ARC date: Available now on NetGalley

Nikki’s POV

David Michael: “Before we return to the Earth Wing for a celebratory feast, do any of you have any questions for V.X. or myself?”

A couple of people raised their hands, but David spotted mine first.

“This should be interesting,” he said, approaching me and looking down at me. It’s like he yearned for me to challenge him so he could school me again for all to see.

But the question I had burned at my insides. Kathy “She’s Crackers” Kepler had told me to keep my journalist hat on, so I did. I desperately wanted to trip up David because, fancy Mars presentation or not, I still didn’t trust him.

“On the way in here tonight, a reporter from the Boston Herald was removed from the building right in front of me. Why?” I asked firmly but calmly. My fits of laughter were long gone and the room hushed, taking my question seriously.

David smiled and turned to the blue suits. He was confident in his answer. He would not be tripped up by the likes of me.

“Because we don’t need the Boston Herald,” he said, smug as ever. His voice grew louder and more passionate as he spoke. “We are the Boston Heralds. We are the heralds of a new age. We are the media, the experts, the scientists, the Red Cross, the problem solvers and the future leaders of this world, as well as the Red Planet after which this wing is named. We are The Bridge for this drowning planet. We are also The Bridge from this drowning planet to other civilizations. And some day sooner than you think, the drowning people will stop laughing. They’ll wake up and they’ll panic because they’ll realize they should have listened to us, they should have joined us … but by then, it will be too late. We can’t save everyone and we won’t. That’s when the drowning people will fully understand the meaning of the words ‘inconvenient truth.'”

Thunderous applause followed. David basked in his moment.

And I felt like throwing up.

From "Nikki Blue: Source of Trouble"
Pub date: 10-9-15
ARC date: Available now on NetGalley