John Passarella Author Blog

It’s been a quiet few days news-wise. The biggest news on the book front has to be Detra Fitch’s (Huntress Reviews) great review of KINDRED SPIRIT. Here’s an excerpt of the review:

“[T]his story will send chills up and down your spine. It is so creepy that I had to stop twice and take a breather. When the phone rang near me I actually screeched. Yes, I SCREECHED! Author John Passarella is well known for his skills in creating horror stories, but his poison pen is even more lethal in the paranormal thriller realm. I feel sorry for anyone who misses out on this outstanding novel. I cannot recommend it highly enough.” [5 STARS]
—Huntress Book Reviews (Reviewed by Detra Fitch) 

Detra has posted this review on several sites, including her own. Some of the online book sites won’t post it until the book goes on sale. You may see it earlier at BarnesAndNoble.com. Possibly at Amazon UK. I know it’s up at Amazon Germany.

ARC WINNERS: I’ll announce the FORCE 10 FAN STORM galley winners probably by the end of March. The galleys will go out to those winners by mid to late April, about a month before the release date. In the meantime, there’s still a couple weeks to enter the contest. Details are in the newsletter: http://www.passarella.com/newsletter/newsletter.htm

SHIMMER (the novel manuscript with the PUT-MY-NAME-IN-YOUR-NEXT-BOOK contest winners) has been sent to my current editor. Don’t know yet if they will want this one. (I’m between contracts at the moment.) SHIMMER is closer to WITHER, genre-wise, than to KINDRED SPIRIT. Right now, it is a planned trilogy, but open-ended so that it could be a series. Heck, it could even be a one-shot. I don’t end the book with any cliffhangers because I know there are rarely any guarantees in the book business. And I wouldn’t want to leave my readers hanging.

The book I’ve started writing now — just into the prologue at this point — is an even bigger change of pace. I think I want to outline a bit more (though I have a ton of notes) before I get too deep into this one.

Generally, after finishing a manuscript, I need time to unwind and recharge before the next one. And starting a book, for me at least, is always the hardest part, getting the plot engine revved up, getting to know the characters — or letting them tell you about themselves. With this one, I haven’t settled on a working title yet. Problem is I have TOO MANY titles in mind. For some reason, I always feel better once I’ve settled on a title. Kind of the same way I feel better once I’ve nailed down the names and descriptions of the main characters. It takes that much at least to start to feel a comfort level with what will be a marathon writing project.
MATTHEW: After tomorrow (FRI), Matthew will be at the halfway point of his six weeks of radiation. To celebrate, Andrea is taking him, along with Luke and Emma to the zoo, if the weather is as good as currently predicted. I, on the other hand, have a doctor’s appointment.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to getting the plot engine revving again, settling on a project with enough confidence to know I’ll make it through to the end, whether that’s 80,000 or 100,000 words away.

Until the next one,
-Jack

To get ready for my haunting new novel KINDRED SPIRIT, I’m asking readers to send in their true stories of being a WITNESS to the SUPERNATURAL. (Something that happened to them or to someone they know.) Also, if there are any identical twins who have had an uncanny connection at one time or another, I’d like them to submit it for the TWINcidents section of my new page, THE UNEXPLAINED. Entrants will be eligible for random prize drawings.

Please keep your true tales to a maximum of 200 words.

Until the next one,
-Jack

Because the Wizard World comic book convention occurs JUNE 2-4 this year in Philadelphia, I’m scheduling the launch event party for KINDRED SPIRIT for the following Saturday (JUNE 10), from 1PM to 3PM. As usual, we’ll have food, drinks, prizes and giveaways that day. And, in keeping with the theme, I’ll have some ghost hunting gadgets on hand. A reading is still up in the air.

The location, as usual, will be independent genre bookstore:

BETWEEN BOOKS
2703 Philadelphia Pike
Town & Country Shopping Center
Claymont, DE 19703
(302) 798-3378

If you’re interested in coming and want to call for directions, or to reserve a copy of the book, or to have a signed copy held at the store for you for later pickup, the owner’s name is Greg Schauer.

I may have a smaller signing before this one somewhere in NJ. This remains to be seen. Generally, book tours in this area are tough after Memorial Day with everyone heading down to the Jersey shore or lounging pool side. We’ll see how it goes. Remember, If you’re going to the beach, you’ll need a beach read!

Until the next one,
-Jack
http://www.passarella.com/kspirit.htm

I’ve had free bookmarks on my site for a while, featuring at least one bookmark for each of the WITHER/Wendy Ward books. With KINDRED SPIRIT coming out in a few months, it seemed like a good idea to update the bookmark offerings. Since I had created a physical bookmark for KINDRED SPIRIT, I decided to add that basic image to the virtual bookmark sheet that readers can download in either low resolution or high resolution formats. The sheet has four bookmarks ready for trimming.

Here is the thumbnail image of the bookmark sheet:

You’ll find the bookmark images on my EXTRAS page at Passarella.com. Enjoy!

Until the next one,
-Jack

Hi, Everyone –

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve added some new freebie desktop wallpaper to my EXTRAS page at passarella.com. This one is KINDRED SPIRIT inspired. You can download a 1024×768 JPG or a 800×600 JPG. Here’s a thumbnail image:

If you’re looking forward to the release of KINDRED SPIRIT, this should help keep you in the mood until the pub date.

Downloading instructions are on the Extras page.

Enjoy!

Until the next one,

-Jack Passarella

Just a heads-up to tell you that I’ve posted the KINDRED SPIRIT back cover text (to whet your purchasing appetite, I hope) on my website’s Kindred Spirit Page. Don’t everybody rush out and pre-order all at once…on second thought, go right ahead. Do that. But no pushing and shoving. I’ll wait here for your return. Dum…dum…dum…dee–dum…. Oh! Welcome back. And thanks! 🙂

Also, I sent out a full newsletter (rather than a simple news bulletin) a few days ago. If you don’t subscribe, you can get it HERE. However, only registered subscribers are eligible for prize drawings. If you’re thinking about subscribing, know that I will not sell, disclose, release or repurpose your e-mail address. I only use the e-mail addresses for newsletter distribution, special bulletins, prize announcements (and eligibility), special offers, etc. all related to my books and stories.

Finally, I’m getting excited about the no-complications-attached aspect of this new book. KINDRED SPIRIT is not part of the Wendy Ward/Wither stories. With WITHER, I had to explain that it was co-authored but only had one “pen” name on the cover. With WITHER’S RAIN and WITHER’S LEGACY I had to explain that they were sequels, stand-alone sequels, but sequels nonetheless. With BUFFY: GHOUL TROUBLE and the ANGEL books (AVATAR & MONOLITH), I had to explain that they were original novels BASED ON the TV shows. Not novelized episodes, but new stories, what I liked to call “lost episodes” so people could get the concept. And no matter what I said, some people assumed I was actually Joss Whedon or that he got the idea for Buffy from “my” book.

Anyway, with KINDRED SPIRIT, there is no attachment to a lost (but loved) TV series, no co-author involved, there is no sequel or prequel or series involved. It’s a book that will stand or fall on its own. But I know when I’m at the table and someone asks which ONE book of mine they should try, it will be a no-brainer. Try KINDRED SPIRIT. If you like that, then you can try the Wendy Ward/Wither books.

KINDRED SPIRIT is also the most mainstream book I’ve ever had published. There are genre elements: ghosts, possession. But they are not as in-your-face-genre as monsters and magic. The characters in KINDRED are several years older than the main characters in the Wendy/Wither books. And the vast majority of the research for this book came from experts in their respective fields. I interviewed TV news station personnel, including a couple reporters, producers and office staff. I interviewed people from an exhibit building company, our chief of police, and I exchanged e-mails with a ghost researcher. Usually my research involves libraries and Internet searches. But for KINDRED SPIRIT, I spent most of my research time in the field, so to speak.

I hope my readers are pleased with the results.

Until the next one,
-Jack

Today ended up as a double deadline day, or rather double beat the deadline day. About a week or so ago, I received the first pass galley pages for KINDRED SPIRIT (JUNE 2006) for review and corrections with a February 16 deadline. This will probably be my last chance to make changes to the book before it goes to press, although a second pass galley is not completely out of the question. I finished a day or so early and overnighted the pages with changes to my editor at Pocket Books.

My other deadline was self-imposed. Since my son, Matthew, is scheduled to begin radiation treatments (5 days per week for 6 weeks) starting the 16th, I wanted to finish the first draft of my current novel, Shimmer. This novel had been put on hold for various reasons at various stages during the 2.5 years I’ve been working on it. I even put this novel on hold while I wrote a complete other novel, ANGEL: MONOLITH, back in late 2003 and early 2004. I was 62,000 words into this new novel and I thought I had a chance — if I kept my nose to the grindstone for a good month straight — to reach the finish line (THE END line?) before Matthew began his radiation treatments.

The self-imposed deadline worked as I finished this one a day early as well. I wrote for 24 days straight without a single day “off” and I wrote 155 pages, or about 40,000 words to complete the first draft. Now the work begins on the revision/polish/etc before I can submit this one to my agent.

So today was a day of endings (my work on KINDRED SPIRIT) and beginnings, i.e., the first draft of SHIMMER. It was a little strange to be working on a final product of my novel writing at the same time that I was finishing the very early stages of another one.

Until next time,
-Jack