From Zero Hour

The pause that followed Ernest’s outburst was exponentially heavier than the previous awkward lull. Ernest couldn’t recall if he’d said as many words all at once, well…ever. Had anyone there even been able to follow the meaning?

read chapter 27

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"We will sell no wine...before its time."

Remember those Orson Welles commercials? How the heck did American wine producer Paul Masson convince Orson Welles to be its spokesperson? I mean...Orson Welles. War of the Worlds. Citizen Kane. Doing TV commercials. I didn't think anything of it in the late 70's, but I was just a kid. (See sidebar; I was probably too busy fantasizing about being homeschooled and wishing the Internet had been invented.)

That said, Mr. Welles certainly gave that single line a weight and dignity that allowed it to lodge into my consciousness for the long haul.*

I've been thinking about that line in regards to my stories, specifically about announcing my release dates. If I were working with a publisher, I'd submit a finished story or a proposal with a hard deadline, the story would go through production, and many months later, an ebook or paperback would become available. But now with my focus on JCP Books, and everything but proofing and editing falling into my own personal workload, it seems strange to me to pick a date well into the future and say, "Book X is coming out July 10." I prefer to put them out when I finish them, rather than sitting on them because my self-created schedule says they're not due for release yet . And I like to promote them when they're almost ready and I'm still excited about them, not months after I've moved on to the next thing.

So if I'm vague about when a new release will be coming out, that's why. It feels too arbitrary, and possibly detrimental, to base the whole craft of creating books around a date. I'd rather say to myself, "Okay, now I'm sure this is the best story I can come up with, and the best cover I can make, and the best editing we can give it. I think it's ready." Then I'll assign a release date in the very near future (probably within the month) and start promoting it--and, of course, I'll send you a "quick link" as soon as it's available if you're subscribed to that part of my list.

Current projects in the works include Sleepwalker, Zero Hour paperback, Petit Morts 1 paperback, and PsyCop 6. I expect them all to be out this year, but I also want them to be as good as I can make them. I'm sure you'd rather have something good than something that adheres to an arbitrary date. So relax, kick back...and have yourself a glass of wine while you wait.

xxoo
Jordan

*you can see it on YouTube if you don't remember - or you weren't born yet!

Sympathy at 1Re

For those of you who prefer to shop at third-party distributors, Sympathy is now for sale at 1Re.

It took Anthony Potosi years to recover from the accident that claimed his father's life, and doctors told him he'd never walk again. He proved them wrong. Now he's back at the landscaping business, Potosi and Sons, he shares with his two older brothers—but they seem more interested in getting Anthony to sell out his share than in celebrating his recovery.

The oil-and-water relationship between Anthony and his brothers is hardly new. Even when they were kids, Sal and Chip delighted in terrorizing their baby brother with stories like "The Hook," complete with visits to the abandoned Victorian a half mile down the two-lane.

Now Anthony towers over his brothers...but he's still the youngest. When the new owner of the Hook House calls in an order, they take a little too much satisfaction in sending him to face his old fears. And learning to open up again to trust, desire—and maybe even love—is far scarier than The Hook.

Available now from JCPBooks.com and 1RomanceEbooks.com

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Readers' Pick - Vote for Characters

Phase two of the next JCP News serialized fiction begins! This month, vote on your main characters. I took the top twelve characteristics you voted for and combined them into the following five characters. Pick your favorite guy, and the top two will star in the upcoming serial.

Nelson Oliver is an idea man—his overtaxed brain spews forth so many ideas, in fact, that he pays the price with debilitating migraines. He wouldn't have it any other way. Headaches are transitory, he figures, but stupidity is permanent. (Creative/Bold)

Those who can, do. Those who can't, complain. Nothing gets under Emil Brecht's skin like a whiner. He's positively relentless in his enthusiasm. Turn that frown upside down—or else! (Contrary/Optimistic)

There's still good in the world—Javier de la Rosa is sure of it. Everyone has his burden to bear; some burdens are just more visible than others. He was beautiful…once. (Gentle/Tortured/Hesitant)

Why play at all if you don't play to win? While he hopes his charisma will stand the test of time, Daniel Holiday doesn't expect his looks to last forever, so he figures he should start gaining ground while he's still young. (Naughty/Complicated)

Driven. Intense. Arrogant. Tim Foster has heard it all. Ask him if he cares—he doesn't. The world might be going to hell in a handbasket…but he'll do his damndest to stave off disaster. (Nerdy/Confident/Private)

(There's hidden text after each character description telling you which words went into creating each one. It's white lettering that you'll be able to see only if you select it, or if you click over to the survey.)

I'll leave this poll open until April 8, and next month we'll decide on the story itself.

Go vote for your favorite guy!

Tic Tac Teazer

This month's puzzle includes last month's solution!

Click the puzzle for a printable PDF.

Create a path from start to finish that intersects the star. Part of the path is made of Xs and part is made of Os, changing from one to the other at the star. It's your job to figure out which part is which! You may move horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Good luck!

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Zero Hour - Chapter 27
(click here for whole story starting at chapter 1)

"We can't stop here," Elizabeth said. "The air doesn't smell healthy."

Although she was the closest thing they had to a health monitor, everyone was too apprehensive, excited or just plain baffled to listen. They jostled one another to look out the holes in the front of the car and see for themselves. Ernest did hear her—and he was concerned—but he was too stunned to make sense of what they'd found.

"Wonderful," Abraham said. "We've been traveling in a circle."

Will countered, "I think we would have noticed if we were going in a circle."

"Obviously. I mean a large circle—an arc so wide we couldn't perceive the curvature."

Audrey said, "What reason would old-time people have to lay out these metal tracks and travel in a really big circle just to get to the other end of the city? Especially if they could go straight through? That doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe it was a game," Elizabeth suggested. "Like camping."

click here for the rest of chapter 27 (worksafe)

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PsyCop Paperbacks:
PsyCop: Property (Paperback, contains Body & Soul and Secrets)
PsyCop: Partners (Paperback, contains Among the Living and Criss Cross)
Camp Hell: A PsyCop Novel (Paperback)

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
Many Happy Returns (PsyCop Short - PDF ebook)
Thaw (PsyCop Short - PDF ebook, or multiple formats, FREE!)
Mind Reader (PsyCop Short - PDF ebook, FREE!)
Striking Sparks PsyCop Novelette
Stroke of Midnight (PsyCop Short, 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

Other Stories:
Sympathy a standalone contemporary romance - novelette
Hemovore a 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 (PDF ebook short) more formats at Smashwords
Verdant (PDF, HTML, Mobi, Lit) more formats at Smashwords
The Voice (PDF, HTML, Mobi, Lit) more formats at Smashwords
Kindred Spirits (PDF ebook short) more formats at Smashwords

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 (Kindle Edition)
Starlight (Kindle Edition)
Kindred Spirits (Kindle Edition)
Striking Sparks (Kindle Edition)
Verdant (Kindle Edition)
The Voice (Kindle Edition)
Any of the mobi ebooks on JCPBooks.com will also work on the Kindle!

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Email me at jordan (at) psycop (dot) com

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JCP News • Jordan Castillo Price • PO Box 153 • Barneveld, WI 53507