Jack Chaucer's Blog, page 9

"Streaks of Blue" will be published on Sept. 27th!

I have set a pre-release date of Sept. 27 for "Streaks of Blue." I plan to publish both the e-book and the paperback in time for that early fall release date.

More details here ...

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...


Half of the proceeds will go to the Newtown Memorial Fund. More info on that cause here:

http://newtownmemorialfund.org/

"Streaks of Blue" cover reveal

It's neat to see Damon Za's cover for my next book "Streaks of Blue" mixed in with all of his other great eye-grabbers ...

http://damonza.com/sample-covers/fict...

'Streaks of Blue' is done!

I just finished the rewritten and retooled draft last night. 52,900 words. A tad longer than I thought it would be, but just right for a YA drama. Now all it needs is some copy editing, polishing and, of course, a cover. Norway’s Ida Jansson did such a kick-ass job on “Queens are Wild” that I plan to hire her again. Plus my idea for the cover can’t be done with a photograph. The talented Erin Covey instead has volunteered to shoot my portrait. “I’m always willing to help out a fellow creative,” she says. How cool is she? I guess it’s about time I had a real author photo!

Can’t wait for the world to read it! I’ll be donating half of any proceeds from the novel to the Newtown Memorial Fund.

"Queens are Wild" set to invade legendary Washington (Conn.) bookshop

Jack Chaucer’s little e-book has grown up into a paperback and, beginning next week, the legendary Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington, Conn., will begin stocking it — right in time for summer beach read season! A big shout-out to Hickory Stick owner Fran Kielty.

I just hope that sleepy little hamlet is ready for the likes of Margeaux “Check Asshole” Quigley and King Robert “Balls” Ballentine!

5 stars for Cari Noga's "Sparrow Migrations"

Quite simply, this is one of the best books I've ever read. I can see why it was a semifinalist for 2011 Amazon Best Breakthrough Novel. Cari takes a real and spectacular event, the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane crash, and goes way beyond the tabloid headlines of the moment to create a story that will stick with you for years to come. The jet may have just scratched the surface of the water, but Cari plunges us deeper -- into the lives of autistic 12-year-old Robby Palmer, who witnessed the results of the crash aboard a ferry, and his befuddled but determined parents Sam and Linda; passengers Deborah and Christopher, who are struggling with infertility and marital trust; and preacher's wife Brett, whose secret life as a lesbian is exposed by TV news cameras and threatens to destroy her family. The intertwining arcs of these characters is an eye-opening and fascinating reading experience. If you are ignorant about the struggles of families with autism, in particular, you will have a new appreciation and sense of empathy long before the end of the book. Robby's concern for the geese that were sucked into the engines of Flight 1549 helps drive the plot; and his new-found love of birds not only helps bridge the gap between him and his parents, but also ends up indirectly helping other characters to heal. No word in this book is wasted. The writing is superb, and every chapter is concise, focused and meaningful. The payoff for following the downward spiral between deceitful Deborah and cowardly Christopher is huge when their newborn daughter Gracie -- without a word, just her tiny presence -- ultimately helps them discover, as Cari writes it, "the frightening beauty of second chances." No counselor or near-death plane crash could have saved their marriage. Only the fragile but beautiful force of life itself -- and the shared human experience that binds us all together. That healing power builds and surges throughout this book like four jet engines, taking the reader on an unforgettable flight.

Ida Jansson designing the new cover for "Queens" paperback version

I'm finally going to put "Queens are Wild" into paperback form, hopefully sometime this summer on Amazon's CreateSpace. It’s about time I got the book onto Amazon. Ida Jansson, a talented Norwegian designer, is going to begin crafting a new cover late next week with Margeaux Quigley on it and more emphasis on a poker theme. It'll be exciting to see what she comes up with. You can check out her work here: http://www.amygdaladesign.net/

Meanwhile, I’m almost half way done with my second draft of "Streaks of Blue." I hope to e-publish for early beta reads by August. My newspaper photographer colleague, the very talented Erin Covey, will be shooting the cover for that one. All we need to find is a teen girl with blue hair (or some extensions) to play the role of Nicole! You can check out Erin Covey Creative here: http://www.erincoveycreative.com/

It should be interesting to have two books out, in both print and ebook form, by late this year.

Supporting indie authors ...

I went old school this month and bought paperbacks by two indie authors … "Fearscape" by Nenia Campbell and "Sparrow Migrations" by Cari Noga, a fellow Marquette University grad.



Support an indie author today!

In a side note, I’ve completed seven chapters of the second draft for my next indie book “Streaks of Blue.” For a sneak peek, go to the link http://www.booksie.com/Jack_Chaucer.

Any early feedback is greatly appreciated!

5 stars for "Sade on the Wall" by Elizabeth Barone

By Jack Chaucer

Elizabeth Barone's debut novel is a must-read for young adults and parents alike. This is an extremely well-written, moving and realistic story that will keep readers hooked on every word and stay with them long after the final word.

Sade's coming-of-age experience is riveting and heartbreaking. She is put in an impossible situation for someone so young and does the best she can. The reader roots for her every step of the way as she tries to get through to her best friend, Jackie, but drugs destroy relationships, lives and happy endings all too often.

I highly recommend this book and firmly believe that, with her unique literary voice and storytelling ability, Liz Barone is a young writer who will emerge as a powerhouse author sooner rather than later.

Check out her Goodreads book page here:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

And her website's book page here:
http://elizabethbarone.net/sade-on-th...

First draft of "Streaks of Blue" now complete

My goal is to e-publish "Streaks of Blue: How the Angels of Newtown Inspired One Girl to Save Her School" before the first anniversary of the shooting (Dec. 14).

Here's the blurb at this early stage:

Adam Upton and Thomas "Lee" Harvey are plotting the next big school massacre at their New Hampshire high school. Nicole Janicek, who knew Adam in elementary school, tries to reconnect with the damaged teen at the start of their senior year. She risks her life and reputation to save the lives of her schoolmates, including the ones who question her sanity and taunt her for hanging out with "trailer trash." But will Nicole's attempt to befriend the would-be killer disrupt the plot and turn Adam's life around before the clock strikes 12:14?

Words Against Guns

It's not easy writing fiction right now. I find it hard to use my imagination ever since a 20-year-old sicko decided to use his imagination to conjure up one of the most unthinkable mass murders in human history on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn. How do you look a frightened 6-year-old girl in the eyes and blow her away with a rifle multiple times at close range? And if that weren't horrific enough, how do you do that again and again and again?

Words can be powerful, but sometimes they are completely useless.

"Stop! Please don't shoot!"

These are no match against the power of a Bushmaster rifle unleashed in a classroom full of terrified youngsters.

And now, in this equally brutal aftermath, we are left with paltry words like "Why?" and "How?" Sadly, no spoken or written explanation will bring back the wasted lives of 20 first-graders and their six heroic protectors -- none of whom ever thought they'd need to arm for war inside the halls of an American elementary school.

No, there's plenty to write about regarding the real world right now -- fiction seems like pointless escapism from a place where innocent children and teachers are gunned down in broad daylight just 11 days before Christmas.

Ah, Christmas. I wonder how many young Americans found "Call of Duty" under their Christmas tree in December 2011. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? The birth of Jesus, a message of life and love, is celebrated by giving gifts that involve killing as many people as possible. No, those virtual people aren't real. But there are 20 sets of parents in Newtown whose first-graders didn't come home on Dec. 14, and the young recluse responsible was reared and coddled in a dark basement by "Call of Duty" and, just for added danger, a mother with a fetish for real guns. That's not fiction. That's America today -- mass killings for play and mass killings for real. There's no sugarcoating how far the human race, and more specifically America, has sunk with this latest atrocity.

There are no words to write our way out of what we've become. There are no words. None. This blog post may be some attempt at therapy, but it will fail miserably in the face of the horrors witnessed by those poor first responders on Dec. 14. Imagine if one of us had to walk into Sandy Hook Elementary School that day. Imagine trying to go on with your life after that. That's not fiction. That happened -- IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- not very far from where I live with my wife and twin toddlers. I'm glad they are young enough right now that I don't have to try to explain to them what happened to those little kids and their teachers. Because there are no words. None.

We all have to take a look in the mirror. I've written three novels in the last four years and all of them have involved guns to varying degrees. Am I any better than "Call of Duty?" Sure my books are 1/1 billionth as popular as that video game, but aren't I contributing to this same American culture that treats gun violence with such a cavalier attitude? Guns are so embedded in our way of life that it never even dawned on me to think about how I included them in my fictional stories in a negative light.

Until now.

That's scary.

Right now I'm thinking and writing about 26 tragic endings that should never be forgotten. How do we writers honor their memory?

Words Against Guns.

No, words are no match against a Bushmaster rifle, but we've got to try.

If we don't, some day soon we may be forced to write words we never thought we'd have to -- the obituary of our own child -- just like 20 sets of parents in Newtown did in the days leading up to Christmas. Imagine an empty chair at your Christmas dinner table.

Words Against Guns.

Start writing now!