Beautiful, Mysterious and Bizarre: M/M Horror & Urban Fantasy by Jordan Castillo Price
JCP News
Issue 33 - September 15, 2010
C O N T E N T S
Tech news!
Well, I don't consider myself a software expert of any kind, but I did recently encounter a couple of things worth mentioning.
PawSense:
The anti-cat-typing software I told you about last month is a success! At least with Frankie. Now when he hops on the keyboard, he hops right back off because the laptop starts playing the harmonica at him in a very obnoxious way! I try not to laugh...but I can't help it. It's funny. Puffy looks very startled when the harmonica blasts but he hasn't quite figured out it's him on the keyboard that's causing it.
PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard. (From the PawSense website)
EasyPeasy:
At the last minute, I decided I didn't feel like hauling my laptop around Vegas and I grabbed my old Asus eee 900 netbook out of the drawer. The eee performed surprisingly well, especially given that he and I never really got along. I noticed the several-years-old software was out of date and I didn't know how to update it, as I've never quite figured out Linux. But then I saw that since netbooks have now been around for a few years, many Linux developers have tailored open-source operating systems specifically for them!
So I took the plunge and updated my whole eee operating system when I got home. It's MUCH nicer than the system the netbook shipped with, it boots in about 15 seconds, and it solves the problem of the jumping-around-cursor that made typing on the eee a nightmare. Supposedly, reduced power consumption yields better battery life, too, though I haven't tested that.
I chose EasyPeasy as my new OS, but there are several netbook-tailored operating systems out there. Here's a comparison if you have a Linux netbook gathering dust that you'd like to rediscover.
Like Begets Like
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PACKING HEAT
Packing Heat is a podcast I've been putting out since 2007. My goal is to help other writers stay motivated, and to encourage them to take their writing to the next level. You don't need special gadgets to listen; Packing Heat plays in your browser, like YouTube. Or you can subscribe (and leave me glowing feedback) at iTunes!
RECENT EPISODES
Packing Heat 117:
Journaling Techniques
Specific techniques I use to journal the next steps of my fiction writing.
Packing Heat 118:
The Stuck Day
Let's hang out on a day where I'm stuck, and I can't move forward in my story. I'll check in with you several times during the course of the day and let you know how it's going!
Packing Heat 119:
Specializing
When should an author pick a genre in which to specialize?
Full archives of the show all the way back to #1 are at the Packing Heat site.
I've also added a tag cloud to make it easier for you to find shows on subjects relevant to you.
Loot!
These lucky folks won an ebook this month for opening their newsletters
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And these discriminating readers won $1-off JCP Books coupons for clicking their button. Don't you wish you'd clicked yours?
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I've had a whirlwind month. For years, I've been hoping to get a chance to attend Photoshop World, a massive photography and design conference held in Orlando, Boston and Las Vegas. This year, with all the changes in my living situation, I figured I couldn't afford it.
And then I won a free pass. Oh. My. God. Off to Las Vegas for me.
So I just got home from Vegas and my head is now bursting with ideas. Not necessarily design ideas, either, because I stayed an extra few days so I could do some scouting around. Not only did I get to absorb the whole Photoshop World experience, but I had some intense moments at the Atomic Testing Museum and the Clark County Museum (and getting there itself was a 2-1/2 hour adventure in public transportation! Did you know people in Nevada freak out when it rains? I didn't know that.)
Once I finally made it to the Clark County Museum, I discovered it was practically deserted. And that street I thought was a nearby neighborhood was actually Heritage Street, a bunch of restored historic homes that had been preserved to look like a neighborhood. The photo on the left is me pondering the World War II era home. That dejected-looking mannequin was mourning one of his relatives who was off fighting the war, I think...or maybe he was getting tired of rationing. Those mannequins startled me without fail, each and every time, seeing as I was the only living, breathing human on the whole street. Also note my atom-bomb hat, which kept my head from frying in the Nevada sun. Even though it rained for about 45 minutes that day, ha ha.
You'll be pleased to hear that my writing output was still decent, despite the fact that I was on the road. PsyCop 6 is still humming along, and the second batch of Petit Morts is getting closer. I'll post a release date on Petit Morts when I have it...but for more giddily-great news on that series, read on!
Back in the land of cheese for now,
xoxo
Jordan
Fresh Blood
I've been a huge fan of Sean Kennedy's work ever since Tigers and Devils, but once I read his novella I Fell in Love With a Zombie, I knew I needed to woo him onto the Petit Morts team. Sean has whipped up an exotic Australian tidbit for the next batch of Petit Morts called One Less Stiff at the Funeral.
Jordan: Welcome to that place I rule with a dictatorial iron fist...erm, I mean my little publishing house, JCP Books. For those of my readers who are living under a rock, tell us about yourself and your work.
Sean: Who am I? That's a question I constantly ask myself and at 35 years of age I haven't come any closer to an answer, which is why I'm probably still mentally sixteen. I live in Perth, Western Australia, which depending on the frame of reference you use is either the most or second-most isolated city in the world. It's a great place if you like sun and surf – which, erm, I don't. I have three novels currently out: Tigers and Devils, a contemporary romance; Dash and Dingo In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger, a 1930s action/adventure co-written with Catt Ford; and Wings of Equity, a steampunk. I tend to like jumping around genres a bit – maybe I'm keeping myself on my toes.
Jordan: Your sense of humor was one of the characteristics I thought would make you a good fit for the Petit Morts series. What sorts of things do you find funny? (click to read the rest of Sean's interview)
Readers, prepare your sweet tooths, because another batch of Petit Morts is being readied for consumption!
Petit Morts #6-10 coming soon (release date TBA). Sign up for a JCP Books Quick Link email and I'll shoot you a message when they're released. Find out more about Sean Kennedy at his website and his LiveJournal.
The Latest JCP Books Special
It's no fun to get your panties in a twist, but at JCP Books, you'll WANT to get your shorts in a bunch!
Three Shorts - Two Bucks
If you like my series but haven't gotten around to trying my standalones, here's your opportunity. I've bundled Verdant, The Voice and Betweentimes (three hot little shorts) and priced them at a mere $2.00!
If you're a JCP fan, be sure to Facebook-like, blog, or tell your friends about this sale. They may not have known about these short stories!
This special deal runs through Sunday, September 26.
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(Note, for security reasons you can only change your subscription from within your email program. If it gives you trouble, just email me at jcp.heat at gmai dot com and let me know how you want it!)
Field Trips: Cheese and a Boeing
To ensure that the writing-well doesn't run dry, I periodically embark on field trips.
Since my last newsletter, I visited the Cedar Grove Cheese Factory to see how artisan cheese is made. That's "The Living Machine," its organic wastewater treatment setup. I also explored a very cool Korean War-era Boeing jet that was the scene of a Farrah Faucett seventies Cougar car commercial.
Writing on the Road
Chapters 6 and 7 of The Starving Years were my companions on my trip to Las Vegas this month. On the days I didn’t have Photoshop classes, I got up early—crazy early, because my body won’t acknowledge it when I’m in a different time zone—and wrote 500-1000 words.
It surprises me how much I like Tim. More commentary....
Go to the story's page to check out everything: current installment, prior votes, current votes, and commentary.
The Starving Years, Chapter 6
"Gay? That's cool." Randy, the thick-armed, thick-necked guy sprawling in Tim's only recliner, was doing his best to backpedal, as though his natural assumption, that everyone was just like him, could hardly be construed as homophobia. Not that Tim cared one way or the other what Randy thought of his hardwiring. "I have a friend who's gay."
"What's his middle name?" Marianne asked.
Randy peered at her around the veg-o-mix.
"Uh huh," she said. "Some friend."
click here to read The Starving Years 6-7 (not worksafe), and to vote for next month
Voting for next month's installment will be open until 9/25
Psycop: Property
PsyCop: Partners (Paperback, contains Among the Living and Criss Cross)
Camp Hell: A PsyCop Novel
With free worldwide shipping at The Book Depository
PsyCop Ebooks:
Among the Living - PsyCop Book 1
Criss Cross - PsyCop Book 2
Body & Soul - PsyCop Book 3 (2nd edition, 10/23/09)
Secrets - PsyCop Book 4
Camp Hell - PsyCop Book 5
Thaw PsyCop Short 1.1, FREE!
Striking Sparks PsyCop Novelette 2.1
Many Happy Returns PsyCop Short 2.2
Mind Reader PsyCop Short 2.3, FREE!
Stroke of Midnight PsyCop Short 3.1, FREE!
Petit Morts Ebooks:
Hue, Tint, and Shade
Slings and Arrows by Josh Lanyon
Moolah and Moonshine
Other People's Weddings by Josh Lanyon
Spanish Fly Guy
Channeling Morpheus Ebooks:
Payback
Vertigo
Manikin
Tainted
Rebirth
Heaven Sent: a Channeling Morpheus Short
Sweet Oblivion Ebooks:
Brazen
Snare
Fluid
Swarm
Elixir
Channeling Morpheus Paperbacks:
Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary (Paperback, contains Payback, Vertigo, Manikin, Tainted and Rebirth) - Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp, Flipkart, Amazon.ca
With free worldwide shipping: The Book Depository
Other Stories:
Sleepwalker creepy museum thriller - novella
Betweentimes funny standalone short
Sympathy standalone contemporary romance - novelette
Hemovore vampire thriller - novel
The Art of Dying paperback - novella anthology with Josh Lanyon
The Art of Dying ebook - novella anthology with Josh Lanyon
The Serpent in the Garden - m/f short
Starlight
Verdant (PDF, HTML, Mobi, Lit) more formats at Smashwords
The Voice (PDF, HTML, Mobi, Lit) more formats at Smashwords
Kindred Spirits
Kindle Editions:
The PsyCop series, including the Crash shorts Striking Sparks and Many Happy Returns, can now be purchased in the Kindle Store
Many Happy Returns
Starlight 
Kindred Spirits
Striking Sparks
Verdant 
The Voice
Any of the mobi ebooks on JCPBooks.com will also work on the Kindle!
Downloading direct to your iPhone or iPod?
Try the Smashwords tab in the Stanza app; many JCP Books, LLC titles are there--even some freebies!
Email me at jordan (at) psycop (dot) com
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