New episodes of the All That Chazz podcast and the Cool People Podcast will return soon. In the meantime, there’s this (NSFW) awesomeness:
The Writing Life: Big Changes and New Ventures
Hello, Loyal Readers! (and you traitorous hater bastids, too! You know who you are!)
Here’s what’s up:
I’m powering through the last bits of This Plague of Days, Season Two. (Read this post at ThisPlagueOfDays.com to find out more about the exciting stuff coming in Season Two.)
As the summer winds down and I toil on the manuscript, things have gotten a little crazy. Okay. Maybe the crazy is just me, but the point is, I’m overwhelmed with work. Solution? Oddly, the solution is: Add more work.
In order to pay bills and get life on track, I’m starting another business in addition to Ex Parte Press. My daughter asked me today about my plans for the fall.
“Daddy is setting up another business, sweetie. That’s what daddy does because regular jobs give daddy a rash.” It’s true. I have control issues, meaning I have to be in control to function in the world. If someone tries to control me, I alternate between depression and anxiety. There’s also a little bit of Jesus Diaz in me that gets activated. (If you don’t get that, you need to get this and this!)
Still…another business? Again?
It’s not despair I feel…I don’t think. It shouldn’t be despair. I admit that I do wish I could make Ex Parte Press work faster so all I had to do was write. (Hell, while we’re at it, why not hot and cold running interns, a latte fountain and a lottery win?)
However, I get excited about doing creative things. Starting up businesses is creative, too. It gives me anxiety, but also nervous energy that I can pour into all my endeavours. I crave constant stimulation. Whether it’s writing or helping people solve problems, business ventures and new books are on the same artful continuum.
But why another business now?
My publishing company isn’t making enough money to afford a vanilla bean latte fountain…yet.
I must emphasize: YET. Here’s why I’m optimistic:
This Plague of Days and Bigger Than Jesus have some big publicity coming their way soon. I’m revamping Crack the Indie Author Code for print and getting back marketing control of Self-help for Stoners. I have big plans for the third book (and a bunch written already) in the Hit Man Series. I’m already 25,000 words into This Plague of Days, Season Three. In November, I’ll speak at the London Central Library for an evening of readings and publishing Q&A. I’m juggling a lot of balls, but with heavy demand, I’m a high-functioning cyborg from outer space.
I’m activating marketing plans for more of my books while writing more books. There aren’t enough hours in the day for all I want to create. Sometimes the headaches and insomnia hit when it’s all too much. Sometimes I work on stories and plans in my sleep. (No, really. That’s true.) In the past two years, since starting Ex Parte Press, I’ve published ten books. Despite my other business start-up, I do not anticipate my publishing pace will slow.
I’ve got big plans on several fronts. There’s much reason to be optimistic.
This Plague of Days is beginning to get traction. It’s a time of uproar as I fight to get another income stream started and my kids begin to attend two different schools. Our busy schedules are more complicated just as I launch more books and prep for the fall and Christmas book season. Plus, my podcasts and many blogs will continue. I am your friendly neighbourhood writing machine and together, we will overcome. I am Resolve.
Because of Season Two of TPOD, the All That Chazz podcast has necessarily been on hiatus for August. (The family wanted family time for a change and we had a nice and necessary break before diving back in.)
This is not a struggle. This is Nemo: Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!
A new episode of the All That Chazz podcast returns next week!
(Check out the latest Cool People Podcast here. )
Podcast: A Kiss Before Dying
I miss America. It was awesome. However, with the plague coming, it was going down anyway. This Plague of Days, my world flu pandemic/autistic/zombie apocalypse horror serial will be released soon.
(Check out ThisPlagueOfDays.com for sneak peaks and to find out more.)
Meanwhile, in this episode of All That Chazz, I read another chapter from my crime novel, Higher Than Jesus.
The Story So Far
Cuban assassin-for-hire Jesus Diaz has come to Chicago to escape all the trouble he started up with New York’s Spanish mob (as told in Bigger Than Jesus). After killing a bad guy on Christmas day, he finds himself in the middle of an arms deal going terribly wrong. Two groups: a gang called the Victorious and a group of religious nuts called the Recipients are vying for the same arms shipment. Diaz has fallen for his new boss’s beautiful daughter, Willow Clemont. Chill, the bodyguard has to keep Willow safe while Jesus deal with the bad guys. Last week’s episode got sexy. Things are about to get hotter, but not in a happy way.
For all the links to all the books, go to AllThatChazz.com and click the Shop tab.
This podcast is sponsored in part by Kit Foster of KitFosterDesign.com. Music today was Mechanolith and What You Want #2, both supplied by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com.
If you love the show, feel free to donate to help me with the bandwidth costs, buy the books or leave a happy review in iTunes to help more people find me. Thanks! I appreciate the help and I appreciate you!
Cheers!
Chazz
The Grinding Gears Edition
I refuse one billion dollars from Yoda! General chaos, rabid dogs and the sequester grind my gears as I do battle with Stitcher. I announce my new podcast, Cool People Podcast and give you a sneak peek (or should that be a sneak “hear”? That sounds weird. Go to CoolPeoplePodcast.com to hear the first episode with horror author and zombie-loving Armand Rosamilia.) Also on the show, a medical update of terror, special thank yous and (two, count ’em, TWO!) new chapters from the crime novel of comedy, sex and violence, Higher Than Jesus. If you’re offended by the last line of the chapter “Rope”, get your Lutheran grandma to listen to it. Lutheran Grandma’s okay with vulgar jokes, right?
Shout out to new newsletter subscriber: Karen Banes of ChangetheWorldwithWords.com.
Much love to Dave Jackson from SchoolofPodcasting.com and our sponsor, Kit Foster of KitFosterDesign.com.
Chapter 8 of Higher Than Jesus, “Rope” begins like this:
After locking the door, you find Samuel Clemont making a fish patty for himself in the kitchen. The counters and stoves are built shorter so he can reach everything. You feel taller. Then your shoulders sag when you consider that Willow sees you the way you see this Oompa Loompa kitchen.
Clemont scrapes the burnt fish patty off the grill with a blackened spatula and dumps it on a stiff bun beside a pile of french fries on a chipped plate. “Shoulda set up shop in New Orleans. You burn your food in the Big Easy, you just call it Cajun and nobody complains. Just add hot sauce.” He bites into his sandwich and grimaces. “I grew up in Maine, so I hate fish. Ate too much of it when I was a kid. Sick of it. Still, this halibut is about to turn. Might as well eat the profits. Still better than most food I ever had as a grunt.”
“Is the Marines where you learned to cook?”
His laugh has a cutting edge. “Hell, no!” He drops the fish sandwich back on the plate. “Though, that would explain a lot.”
While Clemont focuses on the fries, you look around. The M4 Carbine is propped against the wall in a corner beside a table with a box of rounds. Clemont snaps his ketchup-stained fingers and waves you over to a stool by the counter. “I talked to Paulie again. He said you’d come.”
“It sounds like you’ve got much bigger problems than Willow’s drug dealer.”
“I thought Gillie could take care of these guys. Apparently, I was misinformed, so I guess people can change. Should have seen what he did back in the day. Gillie’s still bad ass, but inflexible about what else I need done. Since you’ve already shot Willow’s supplier, I guess you’re up. You pass the test. You can help me with the Lone Wolf and his sidekick.”
“Maybe Gillie’s got the right idea — ” … Hear the rest of the chapter or grab the all the books from the links at AllThatChazz.com.
Thanks for listening! If you like the show, please leave a happy review on iTunes.
Cheers!
~ Chazz