Super Number One Podcast

This is the post from Super Number One that I mentioned a couple of blogs ago. The podcast begins with their announcement of her passing, a song she wrote (that he sings) and a replay of her May interview about Lightning Spliced. 

Check it out! The link for the mp3 podcast is on the bottom of the page!

I have also added a Posthumous Postings category on her links section as  a quicker way to see the most recent dedication postings + her Lightning Sliced Press Release video. I'm sure more links will be added as time goes by! 

Book sales are still rising, little by little! 

Much love to all of the Zellie Fans! Thank you for all you continue to do for her Legacy! 

Lightning Spliced: LIVE…kinda

With minimal advertising, I've managed 67 subscribers to the audio version of Lightning Spliced even with the caveat that it's a sample while I work to query agents.  

I've been into acting since kindergarden–I remember waiting to go on stage dressed as a flower in Little Red Riding Hood.  Despite how cold it was, how my socks scraped the sidewalk and rocks scraped my feet, I remember thinking, This is it.  This is what I want to do.  Acting is not very lucrative so I turned to (haha) writing.  My other issue with acting was that plays are BORING.  Have you read Our Town?  WTF is that.  No, just NO.  

As much as I miss the rush of being on stage where every mistake counts, I have a lot more fun with audio projects I've voiced online.  There is no length limit so I can explore hours of character depth, there's no mainstream genre to cow to so I can chant out some magic powers.  Lightning Spliced is a blast to voice.  When I wrote it, I would always act out the dialog in my head.  The first draft was jammed with italics, bold, and underlining because I knew the exact inflections I wanted the characters to use and I was determined to force those on my readers.  Way easier to do that via the podcast ;)  I really hope I can work with an agent and publisher who will let me voice my own audiobooks.

Enough gushing, chapter 2 just went live!  Enjoy ^_^ and if you DO enjoy, please spread the link and promos around so we can conquer the world.  um.  I mean.  Get a bazillion subscribers.  And then….we shall have cake.

Cocoa, cookies and clones: a kil[LROY2.0 IS HERE!!! ] combination

As much as I'm dying to re-read PERSONAL EFFECTS, I must step up to a higher drug of choice.  7TH SON:  Descent, originally launched into the stratosphere as a free podcast, just dropped on the same day B&N ran a free cocoa and cookie promotion (they just think it's unrelated).  If that wasn't enough to sell you, check out this first line:  "The president of the United States is dead. He was murdered in the morning sunlight by a fo>>>  [ WARNING ::: DATABASE ERROR ::: CONTENT OVERRIDE ::: SOURCE: EXTERNAL ] <<<

> source terminal location: UNKNOWN

> source terminal identity: UNAVAILABLE

> source login information: ENCRYPTED

> message begins

 the post you are now reading is designed to dull your senses to THE TRUTH.  do not live the life of the worker bee, the cog, the well-oiled piston in the MACHINE OF DECEIT!

there is a grand CONSPIRACY afoot.  you have been taught to believe that you are UNIQUE, one of a kind. THIS IS NOT TRUE. long ago, a cabal of scientists created technologies to ensure that ANYONE'S MIND AND BODY can be duplicated.

human cloning isn't NEAR. it's already HERE. discover the truth at http://JCHutchins.net

you are being DECEIVED. break free from the cogs, flee the hive, become A PROPHET OF THE TRUTH!

>>> [ CONTENT OVERRIDE CEASES ::: DATABASE STATUS: RECOVERING ] <<<ance of tech research or you could read the first ten chapters.  Once you've been inducted into the Beta Clone Army, you should know that the withdrawl is deadly.  Given Hutchins' constant stream of content, all is not lost.  You're welcome to join my daily exercise routine — bellydancing to the second book in the series currently available as audio:  7TH SON:  Deceit.  Even John Alpha needs a good hip drop (or forty) once in a while!

Personal Effects: Dark Art Review

I've read many a back cover that claims a book is "gripping," "pulse-pounding," and a "fast-paced thrill ride." PERSONAL EFFECTS by JC Hutchins actually delivers. (ha, you see? I'm capitalizing now like a Real Writer! ^_~ ) The concept alone sold me (partly because I drafted something similar but didn't have the means to see it through). It's a book that crosses the boundary between fiction and reality by including pieces of evidence from a murder case. There are phone numbers you can call, birth certificates, and more. I enjoyed translating the braille but most chilling was the piece of artwork. Reading along, I took the paper and did as the the characters did, folded it to match up two symbols…. BAM, message smacked me in the face and I loved it.

I didn't expect the writing to be anything special because concepts often sell weak writing.  But this is some of the best I've ever read. My heart raced through the majority of the book — if it wasn't so damn scary I would have finished it in a night. I was dying to get to the end just so I could read it all over again.

There are some spots that could have had less backstory although it's so quirky and fun that I'd hate to see it go even for the sake of pacing.  At first, I thought I had everything figured out but the line between reality and fiction is even thinner than I realized.

If the characters don't do it for you then you may find parts overwrought, but I was right there with them every breath. It's freaking brilliant. Hutchins layers the fear and builds quirky, unique characters… I mean, Lucas the parkour expert? But the traits aren't just throwaways, they relate to the plot.  Even their affectionate " 'dore you" slang is an integral clue.

I don't usually like metaphors and similes because they're often cheesy, ridiculous or overly poetic at the cost of the story but I was drinking up those in PERSONAL EFFECTS. The protagonist describes his hyperactive brother as "pop rocks for the soul" and you hear that "the sound-scape of the city played kick-drum backbeat to our high, ragged breathing." The unique specifics he chooses make the story leap off the page.

I also just plain loved the characters. I'm a geek and not just a geek but a weird geek. I often have a hard time finding characters I relate to. Pretty much Jaenelle from THE BLACK JEWELS trilogy by Anne Bishop and Stargirl in STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli. That's it. But Zach, Rachel and Lucas had me from square one. I love Zach's relationship with Rachel, it's geek romance perfection yet still conflicted enough to stay interesting. Sometimes authors fall back on manufactured conflicts, miscommunication mainly. But the moment Zach and Rachel's relationship is tested was heart-wrenching because it was so real.  They each had very valid reasons for their opposing choices.

In conclusion, I have a new favorite author.