Personal Effects: Sword of Blood cover

May 4, 2009

While there are no plans to release my debut novel Personal Effects: Dark Art in full podcast novel form (though I do hope to hook you up with a little audio taste of that bad mofo), I am thrilled by the next best thing: the upcoming release of Personal Effects: Sword of Blood, a podcast-exclusive prequel novella to Dark Art.

I’ll tease the plot in a sec. First thing’s first. Here’s the nearly-final version of the cover.

I’m about halfway through writing Sword of Blood, and plan to debut the first episode May 15th-ish. Recording is currently underway. We’re looking to clock in about 40,000 words on this sucker, or around 14 chapters. The novella takes place during Halloween 2008, mere days before the events seen in Dark Art. (You can read a brief excerpt here.)

Sword of Blood is a terrific introduction to the Personal Effects universe and its characters, including art therapist Zach Taylor and his “tribe” of friends and family, including girlfriend (and video game blogger) Rachael Webster, slang-slinging kid brother Lucas, and Ida “Eye” Jean-Phillipe, an NYPD crime lab assistant. We’ll also meet Zach’s patient, Gertrude Spindler — a wily quilt-making elderly woman with a deadly secret.

When Spindler — or “Spindle,” as she’s nicknamed by hospital staffers — completes her latest quilt and informs Zach that a 30-year-old “grand design of nine” has just been completed, Zach’s curiosity is piqued … and soon leads him into a dangerous subculture filled with psychics and secret societies. What is the grand design of nine … and what is the “great blade of blood” Spindle keeps hinting at?

You’ll soon find out. Personal Effects: Sword of Blood will debut here at JCHutchins.net in mid-May. Subscribe to my blog/podcast feed now to experience this groundbreaking prequel project … and be sure to order Personal Effects: Dark Art to read the continuing story.

–J.C.

Posted by J.C. Hutchins | Filed Under All Posts, Announcements

Comments

10 Responses to “Personal Effects: Sword of Blood cover”

Blake M. Petit on May 4th, 2009 12:28 am

Looks sweet. Can’t wait to give it a listen!
Jesso on May 4th, 2009 12:54 am

May 15!

It’s gonna be a good 24th birthday
Twowire on May 4th, 2009 1:02 am

Nice work JC! Cant wait to hear you start casting it on the 15th-ish!
Jesso on May 4th, 2009 1:29 am

Twowire: Shhhhhh! It’s gotta be the 15th. No “ish”

(A girl can hope, can’t she?)
Jenny Bean on May 4th, 2009 7:29 am

Awesome! I am really looking forward to the prequel! It’s like an early birthday present to me.
Brian Garrett on May 4th, 2009 8:11 am

New Hutchins fiction….can’t wait!!!!
James Melzer on May 4th, 2009 9:29 am

I really dig this cover. It’s simple, straightforward and really, really creepy (to me, anyway). Can’t wait to begin listening to this.

Well done!
Special News: Parsec Nominations, J.C. Hutchins, Arlene Radasky - Raise a Racket on May 8th, 2009 2:47 pm

[...] miss the glimpse of the killer interview coming up with J.C Hutchins and an announcement on Dark Art Sword of Blood. The podcast exclusive prequel novella is due to start releasing May 15th [...]
Paul on May 15th, 2009 7:21 am

OK, Hutch. It’s May 15. We’re _waiting_…..! (tap, tap tap)
The Geek Life – The Geek Life podcast is a weekly discussion of all things Geek: Technology, movies, television, books, comics, games…nothing is off limits. » Episode 21: Rumors Gone Wild! on January 29th, 2010 2:30 pm

[...] J.C. Hutchins’ Personal Effects: Sword of Blood [...]