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No apologies

Citizen Second Class

America has fallen.

The rich have retreated behind the walls of the fortress they call New Atlanta. They won’t give up their power easily. Oppression and starvation gave birth to the Resistance, but every rebellion needs a champion.

Desperate to save her grandmother, Kismet Beatriz must make the journey to infiltrate the stronghold of the Select Few.

From the author of This Plague of Days comes a near-future thriller built for fans of Nineteen Eighty-four and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Endemic

Endemic won the prestigious North Street Book Prize in genre fiction, the Literary Titan Award, and first place in science fiction at both the New York Book Festival and the Hollywood Book Festival.

Ovid Fairweather is a neurodivergent book editor in New York when a deadly plague sweeps the United States. Bullied by her father, haunted by her dead therapist, and hunted by marauders, Ovid must find courage amid the chaos to become the person she was always meant to be.

She was a nail. She will become a hammer.

I am Robert Chazz Chute, and I hate police states.

Being against fascism shouldn’t be a controversial choice, but our world has changed. If you’re looking for anti-fascist news, check out #worldtok on TikTok or read HuffPost.

If you’re looking for inspiration, read Citizen Second Class and Endemic.

Whether you defy, flee, or resist, I’m on your side.

Never 51. Elbows up. Hands off.

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Robert Chazz Chute! Where are you?

Answer: Everywhere!

I’ll soon pitch my next thriller to agents. I needed to expand my presence on the infobahn to appear everywhere with annoying rapidity. To that end, I’ve been writing on Medium. I have to admit, I’m having a good time with it. Plus, I’m on a couple of podcasts this week!

First up, the MMMM pod with my friend and author Andrew Butters. MMMM stands for Music, Musings, Moments, and Misfortune. Every Monday, Andrew posts about one of those aspects. I am his first guest, and ours was the fourth episode. (That qualifies as a Moment.) We had a great time talking about writing, reading, the worst thing I forgot, and the greatest frustration we share.

Next up: My interview with Buddy Gott on Pop & Prose!

This recording got hilarious fast. The subject is novelty songs. We came up with some good ones, a couple of horrible tunes, and two of my favorites.

Spoiler: “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” is my favorite.

This novelty song is my favorite, but Buddy and I talk about so much more! You’ll find us on Pop & Prose here:

You can also find Pop and Prose here:

Substack 

Spotify

Here are posts I’ve placed on Medium. Enjoy!






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How do you forgive and forget?

Hint: You don’t.

Forgiveness versus Vengeance is one of the central themes of my next vigilante justice thriller. From Luigi Mangione’s actions to burning Teslas, this is a timely topic. Many turn away from these highly publicized acts of violence with little more than a shrug. There are good reasons for this. In the battle between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, fear wins. Fear is the emotion poorly hidden beneath anger. It’s a neurological response, and schadenfreude is baked into our brain’s wiring.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” ~ Yoda

Yoda is quotable. It’s a good line (and you heard the Yoda voice, right?) However, I think he’s got it backward (which fits his typical grammar). Fear is a protective mechanism. Wariness of dangers increases our odds of survival. Frustration and fear lead to anger and resistance. The Jedi weren’t a bunch of pacifists. Hence, all the cool lightsaber duels. Those Jedi knights were down and out for quite a while but rose again to fight the Empire. I agree, don’t succumb to evil, but don’t be a chump, either.

For Mere Mortals, Forgiveness Isn’t So Easy.

Sixty-seven percent of people surveyed say they believe in forgiveness. Sounds good and upright, doesn’t it? Dig deeper. Fifty-six percent admit they don’t practice that virtue. I don’t blame them. Most would agree that forgiveness is healthy for the person doing the forgiving. However, no one instructs us how to forgive and forget. Instead., we get guilt-ridden platitudes that deny our humanity and our reality.

To err is human, to forgive divine, but we’re no angels.

I have an excellent memory, so how am I to forget? Frontal lobotomy? And if I forgive you your trespasses, do either of us learn anything? By refusing to forgive, I deny the offender the opportunity to trespass against me again. Sounds to me like carrying grudges is a safer course.

I asked my psychologist if she believes in forgive and forget. (When I say “My psychologist,” I refer to She Who Must Be Obeyed, AKA my wife.) She holds a doctorate in psychology and is the most sane person I know. That’s why I was so surprised when she did not hesitate to answer, “No.”

She acknowledges that forgiveness is difficult. In many cases, it’s an unreasonable expectation set by out-of-touch purists. The good doctor offered hope, though. She suggested, “Maybe the best you can do is to get to a place and time where you just don’t care anymore.”

“Or,” I countered, “write a massive hit thriller that’s packed with clever revenge fantasies to plague your real-life enemies!”

She’s going to start charging me for these sessions, isn’t she?

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The Best Book I’ve Heard This Year

When my kids were little, we watched iCarly together. I spent my non-house husband hours composing apocalyptic fiction, so iCarly was a nice break. It was a silly, cozy, comfort watch curled up with the children on the couch. My bailiwick is crime fiction and dystopian stuff, but there’s definitely a place for low-stakes stories where you know everything will work out fine. That feeling is tarnished now that we know the truth about the abuse and controversy on the Nickelodeon set. However, I’ve discovered a great authorial voice in the finding-out phase.

I’m Glad My Mom Died was published in 2022. I’m late to the party on this, but I just finished listening to Jeannette McCurdy narrate her amazing memoir. It’s a fantastic book: stark, funny by turns, sad and infuriating. Jeanette’s manipulative and abusive mother was a monster who forced her child into a life she didn’t want. The author became laden with heavy burdens that damaged her self-esteem, her relationships, and her health. It was so heartbreaking to see Jeanette do all she could to please and appease her stage mother from hell. No matter how hard Jeannette tried, Mommy could never be satisfied.

From the description, you might pass on a crushingly sad celebrity memoir. Don’t. This book deserves to be on your shelf. Better, listen to the audiobook. The author narrates I’m Glad My Mom Died herself, and her performance is superb. She doesn’t want to act anymore, but she is a great talent. Besides a compelling narrative, Jeannette McCurdy’s relentlessly honest voice will keep you riveted. The author has such a fine gift for observation. Her ironic juxtapositions of the profound and the mundane made me smile while I still had tears in my eyes. This child star’s story is a journey to self-awareness and understanding. In the beginning, she’s so innocent in the ways of the world. She matures into a such a sharp and witty person that you’ll think of Dorothy Parker at her breezy, quippy best.

You’ll be glad to know Jeannette’s memoir ends on a clear-minded and hopeful note. She has declared her acting career is over, but I sincerely hope her literary career has just begun.

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New on the Menu

The writing workshop in Toronto is coming up in a couple of weeks. I am preparing to pitch literary agents for Vengeance Is Hers. Four agents I would consider partnering with are at the workshop. I have three others in mind, as well. Part of the prep work is to have the partial ready for their review. I have a sample ready.

Hot tip:

If you are pitching to agents or just want to give away a sample of your work for a book fair, a signing, or some other such trial by fire, get a QR code. I do have a presentation package for agents, but I won’t be lugging around a manuscript like some early 19th century peasant. I’m a modern ink-stained wretch. Instead, I’ll just give the QR code to link to the partial. If they want more, I’ve provided an email for further inquiries.

What’s New?

I have added menus to this website. Above, you’ll find links to my bio and what reviewers say about my work. The pitch and partial for Vengeance Is Hers is found under For Literary Agents. Of course, if you aren’t a literary agent but want a sneak peek of a badass story about a young woman on a righteous quest for revenge, enjoy a taste of vengeance!

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You Are In Danger

We love Americans, but we’re fed up with His Golden Weakness. We are angry with the new administration and Trump’s wild lies. He has declared a trade war on us and other allies. He deals in threats, but we’re all going to hurt financially. This isn’t just about money, either. There will be mortal wounds, too.

Families will be broken up and displaced as xenophobia continues to rise. Women and minorities will continue to be disenfranchised. Millions will be denied health care and impoverished as a handful of billionaires laugh and hoard their money. Human rights will be denied. There is no long-term strategic thinking here. Instead, he lies and blames vulnerable and powerless groups for any and all problems. There is no regard for facts or expertise. Even freedom of speech, long-cherished and lauded by Americans, is off the table with his latest edict to quell protests on campuses. The bullying tactics won’t end there.

“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” ~ Elon Musk

“The fundamental basis of a civilization is empathy and cooperation. Also, fuck off, Phony Stark. You asked for the chance to solve world hunger and decided not to.” ~ Robert Chazz Chute

As the POTUS devalues Canadians, insults us, and demands we bend the knee, his citizens are hostages to his whims. Those who don’t understand that soon will. Canada was the United States’ biggest customer. We’re trying to buy Canadian products and services now. We’re resisting when and where we can. The wait has begun.

How long before his supporters (those who aren’t TFG*) realize he’s hurting them more than helping? Will we have to wait until polio comes raging back? Will it be grocery prices skyrocketing, the inability to buy a car, or another pandemic that finally gives his believers pause? How long before his cult wakes from their sleep to realize that no one is made stronger in isolation?

The bright future we all dream of is struggling for air. He can’t say he’s the leader of the free world anymore. Former American allies are turning away from the madness and chaos. We will still move toward that hoped-for future, but at a slower pace now. Fascism is on the rise, and we are all getting pulled into a war where there is no winner.

I sell most of my novels in the United States, so yes, this post could hurt me financially. Someone is bound to be offended as I call for an end to bullying, fascism, and foolish decisions based on ego. However, fiction is the lie that tells the truth. I always try to tell the truth. The truth is, you, reading this right now, are in danger. We’re all in danger. I just hope the whole mess is not TFG.

*TFG = Too Far Gone

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For the Love of Bookstores

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I had a grand day out on Saturday. Though the egg crisis has finally hit us (fewer eggs, higher prices), at least we got out. That’s unusual. She bought shoes, and I got free popcorn at Skechers.

The highlight for me is always browsing bookstores. Not all chains are alike. When I was a book rep, I remember walking into a chain store in Brampton. It was as if all they had were remaindered books. The inventory was a mile wide and an inch deep. The Chapters in the south end of our city is far superior to the Indigo in the north end. I would have thought their inventory would be basically the same, but not so!

Funny, when I first visited Toronto, SWMBO asked what more I wanted to see of her city. Easy! Take me to all the used bookstores! She replied that she had already taken me to all the used bookstores. My suitcase was much heavier heading back to Halifax.

When I look at these pics, I so respect all the work that went into writing and publishing these books. Since my brain works the way it does, I thought, what a great bookstore! And I’ll never live long enough to devour all the books I want to read! Damn! Well, I’ll put a dent in that TBR pile, anyway.

Because of my illness in December, my birthday was a bust. Compensation arrived when SWMBO bought a bunch of books for me! For starters, I am reading Getting Signed. It’s about finding an agent and landing a book deal, and it’s really helping me prepare for my upcoming pitch meetings.

Toronto’s World’s Biggest Bookstore was my shrine until it closed. City Lights Bookshop in London is pretty good (and absolutely crammed). Fanfare Books in Stratford has stock that is expertly curated. It may be small, but they carry stuff you won’t find anywhere else, including my books! Another great one is Munro’s Books in Victoria, British Columbia. When you walk in there, a pleasurable and leisurely afternoon of book browsing lies ahead.

Have you got a favorite bookstore? What is it, where is it, and what drew you to it?