Pete the Bookie lectures a tied up Jesus on the trials of Job and his place in the universe. When I wrote this chapter, I had no idea how I was going to get Jesus out of the trap. My first mission was to get my luckless Cuban hit man in deep and figure out how to get him out later. How does he get out? You’ll see.
Thanks to all those who support the podcast with donations, leave positive reviews and enjoy my books of suspense. I so appreciate all my happy and positive readers!
Buying on Amazon? Check out the Deal of the Day, Lightning Deal, Amazon blogs and all the cool links. When you buy on Amazon through AllThatChazz.com, that helps, too! Thank you!
At the insistence of She Who Must Be Obeyed, I took a few days away from the Internet. Even when I take time of…no, maybe especially when I take time off, I come back with a refreshed perspective. As a result of the break, the next book will be a bit longer and more complex than originally planned. I also have ideas for an additional podcast and website. This is yet another example of how a supportive family makes all the difference to the art. Without the push to take a few days off, I wouldn’t have more in the pipe now.
In case you missed it, contestant Liberty Montano won the Six Words or Less Contest with “Ezekiel 25:17”. I have a great idea on how to weave that into the story and I’m working on how to use Liberty’s name on a character in the next novel in The Hit Man Series: Higher Than Jesus.
The work progresses. I’ll have the next chapter of Bigger Than Jesus in audio for you tomorrow.
The paperback is out and yes, it’s BIGGER THAN JESUS! Note the endorsement from bestselling author Claude Bouchard! See the back cover, all designed by the great Kit Foster of KitFosterDesign.com!
Now in paperback! Click it to grab it for just $9.99.
The paperback is very much like the ebook…with a few changes to the text. If the ebook was everything you desired, but you prefer to have a book you can lick, then you too can own this book made of paper instead of pixels! (Strange, I know.) All for only $9.99! Order now and enjoy! And thus concludes this ad. Much celebration in the bunker this evening… Hey, kid. Pass the sacramental wine.
I’m writing more posts for readers instead of just writing for writers. I love you all, but I haven’t reached out to readers enough on AllThatChazz beyond the weekly podcasts. (If you’re a reader with questions, email at expartepress AT gmail DOT com or hit me up on Twitter @rchazzchute.)
As the Ronco hawkers used to say, “But wait there’s much more!”
If you look down the left hand side of the web page, you’ll also spot a ton of new links to stuff on Amazon, from books to the latest, coolest Amazon blogs, The Hot Deal of the Day, gift cards, Lightning Deals and a link so you can purchase an inexpensive e-reader.
Have I sold out and gone commercial? Gee, I hope so. A dude’s gotta eat. Every time you click one of those links and buy on Amazon, they send me a few crumbs, which, not for nothing, no other store is going to do, so being an Amazon Affiliate seems reasonable. I sell books that are read on free reading apps, but primarily on kindles. Naturally, I want people to buy more kindles so there’s an ad for how to get a cheap kindle.
To support art, this is what the marketplace looks like now. No apologies. Do I miss musty shops and the smell of pipe smoke as the proprietors, an elderly British couple, totter amid the towering stacks of books and make tea while I hunt for treasure in an ancient bookstore on a Sunday afternoon? Sure. I also miss the guy who used to deliver milk. Some people have problems with Amazon because they’re winning. Amazon dominates because they’re (usually) good at what they do. That’s what competition and capitalism are all about when it works, I guess.
I promote Amazon without hesitation because that’s one of the places I sell my
A gripping novella of murder and betrayal bundled with suspenseful short stories that will keep you up tonight. These are the foundation stories of the coming Poeticule Bay Series. New price: only $1.99!
books. I can’t afford a hissy fit about nostalgia. I’m a working writer. Sorry. In anticipating objections, I sound defensive about the new ads on the site. I doubt anyone really cares that, much — or at least no one who’s curious enough to click on a Lightning Deal or the Hot Deal of the Day.
I guess my answer is, the books are not only packed full of suspense and twists, they’re also super cheap and the podcasts stay fun and free. Amazon’s helping, so please give the links a click. Or even buy a book. Thanks.
I saw a preliminary draft of the cover to Higher Than Jesus today. Wow. It’s going to be great. My graphic designer, Kit Foster of KitFosterDesign.com, is a genius who read my mind on a couple of points about the cover. Playing art director is fun and Kit manages to cover up any trace of annoyance so maybe he really is that enthusiastic! He really is on a quest to make it perfect.
A couple of my notes from my email were:
The model is a “hooker hot” 7 and we need an “innocent-hot” 10, with peroxide blonde hair and bright red lipstick to catch the red in the title text. And is there such a thing as metallic red? I’m thinking of the kind of red that rich morons who buy really fast cars favor at midlife. Can we do that color?
There were many more demands about sexing up the cover. Oh, I’m terrible. Look for Higher Than Jesus in September. Get Bigger Than Jesus by clicking the cover below. The paperback is coming soon.
Please click it to grab the gripping, funny crime thriller by Robert Chazz Chute.
I have lots of cool announcements coming, but before I get to all that, I think it’s time I addressed some readers who are worried that my title, Bigger Than Jesus, is sacrilegious. I don’t think so. Here’s why:
1. Your “Gee-zuzz” is a Christian deity. The main character of my suspense novel is hispanic. His name is pronounced “Hay-soose.”
2. Jesus is a name and, not surprisingly, not that uncommon. Is the title designed to grab your attention? Sure. Will it tear apart the universe? Probably not.
3. The phrase “bigger than Jesus” paraphrases John Lennon’s remark about the popularity of a little band called The Beatles. I hope we’ve grown a little bit in tolerance since the late sixties and early seventies. Or does my mixed marriage offend you, too? (If so, go read the red letters in the Bible again. You’re doing it wrong.)
4. If you read the book, you’ll see that “bigger than jesus” actually emerges as a theme and a key to how the character views the world. (No spoilers here, but I can tell you that it’s not a cheap gimmick.)
5. Though the use of the phrase “bigger than Jesus” caused some transitory strife for The Beatles, I’m not worried the use of it as the title of my book will stop Paul and Ringo from getting together for a revivifying tour if they so choose.
6. I’m worried about the state of your faith. When you complain about my title, frankly, you sound weak. If your faith can be shaken by the title of a crime novel, you need to get yourself to church and do some soul-searching. No Christian soldier you.
7. Jesus Christ is not a weak concept. He’s is unthreatened, so why are you? Gee-zuzz is bigger than Hay-soose. Why worry about Gee-zuzz? Why not worry that you’re offending all those guys named Hay-soose by disenfranchising them from being named in fiction?
8. I didn’t name it “Bigger Than Jesus” to offend you. The main character does struggle with issues of faith because his prayers are so rarely answered. However, it’s not a Christian book. It’s also not an anti-religious rant. It’s a crime novel and very entertaining.
9. Some religious people do and say things that offend me. I don’t feel they owe me an explanation, though. I don’t go through life demanding that everyone change so we Nerf the world. That would be impractical at best and fascist at worst.
10. You can be pious, but that doesn’t mean you have to be humorless, irony-impaired and boring. Some religious people count among my best friends and they’re strong, joyful people who are not easily threatened. They read my book and they laugh and enjoy themselves.
In response to the easily offended, and to paraphrase Dennis Miller back when he was amusing:
“My God thinks I’m #!@$!! funny!”
Or are you just jealous because, if there is a heaven and I go there, Christ and I will have something to talk about? I hope so. I’m lousy at small talk.
Please click it to grab the gripping, funny crime thriller by Robert Chazz Chute.
As the entries to the Six Words of Less Contest rolled in, I was surprised how several tied in with religious themes. You can vote for your favorite entries by checking the comment thread and emailing your vote at:
expartepress AT gmail DOT com.
Some people have asked me why I called my crime novel Bigger Than Jesus? I make allusions to things that are, in fact, bigger than my Cuban hit man, both in jokes and in serious themes. The crux of the title is that it’s catchy and memorable, yes, but it complements the main character’s narrative of strife. Jesus (pronounced “Hay-soose”) has a lot of problems that he becomes equal to only by sheer cleverness and luck. Jesus Diaz is much like us in that way.
The theme that you’ll read through all The Hit Man Series is one of escape. Jesus Diaz desperately wants to find love and lost his past. The past just keeps coming after him, and love can be an elusive thing.
It’s my anniversary tomorrow. I married She Who Must be Obeyed fifteen years ago, so we’re going to try to take the day off. The lovely Eden Baylee has supplied a guest blog at ChazzWrites.com wherein we learn what sort of men turn her on and she tells us a little (not enough!) about her erotic fiction (Spring Into Summer). She teases us, so we’ll have to just go buy the book.
A gripping novella of murder and betrayal bundled with suspenseful short stories that will keep you up tonight. These are the foundation stories of the coming Poeticule Bay Series.
The podcast of the next chapter of Bigger Than Jesus won’t be up until Friday since I’m sworn to just write tomorrow and goof off with my queen, otherwise. However, quench your thirst for suspense with The Dangerous Kind & Other Stories. I‘ve switched it to a mere $1.99! Whoo-hoo!
