The Color of Sound
by James Garcia Jr
Date of Publication: September 6th 2024
Publisher: James Garcia Jr
Cover Artist: Maria Zannini
Genre: Horror
ISBN: 9798338051665
ASIN: BODGDQCHJ7
Number of pages: 337
Word Count: 86,860
Tagline: This week, they all want her dead.
BLURB
The voice that Jewel Foster hears in her head is not her own. It tells her terrible things and has since she can remember. Often it demands she kill herself. It’s a miracle she’s made it to sixteen. One extraordinary night changes everything.
There are scales over the eyes of mortals to prevent them from seeing the immortal. Jewel loses them and can now see the angels and demons that surround and interfere. Neither side is pleased that she can see them.
She will meet her guardian angel who will explain everything to her. But what can a mere mortal hope to do with such a gift?
Now, both sides in a spiritual war press against her; a war that has raged since the Devil was cast out of Heaven.
Last week, one wanted her dead. This week, they all do.
Jewel is humming an 80’s hair metal song to herself as she crosses the last street of the day and steps onto the sidewalk on her block. It’s a song that never gets old; however, where she has heard it recently enough to cause it to ear worm into her consciousness, she does not know. It has been a pleasant walk home. She notices no demons on her way, and if present, none challenge her.
She notices her stalker walking toward her and makes no effort to escape.
Whatever, she thinks. He’s not ruining my day.
When he reaches her, he spins and then walks beside her.
“You sound pretty full of yourself right now,” he says evenly. She detects a hint of displeasure in his voice. “I would not have pegged you for a Whitesnake fan.”
She merely shrugs.
“What’s the problem?” she asks. “It’s been a good day. Don’t try to ruin it.”
“Yes, I will be sad to do so. It has been a long time since you have been this giddy.”
“Giddy?” she repeats. “I have never been giddy.”
He makes a sound that she doesn’t immediately discern. It is something between a laugh and a grunt. “I will grant you that it is rare, but it has happened.”
Jewel lets it go.
They are halfway down the block now and neither speak for quite a while.
“You must realize that this is not a game,” he says, finally. It isn’t a question.
Jewel sighs. “I should have snuck down the alley,” she says.
“You already tried that tactic.”
“So, what do you want from me?”
“You have nothing that I need,” he replies.
“Okay, what am I supposed to do?”
“For one, you can stop poking them.”
“Poking who?”
“You know who, Julie,” he answers. “Leave them be.”
Jewel stops walking. They are near the foot of her driveway now. She turns and faces him. “How can I do that?” she asks. “They’re evil. They put thoughts in your head that aren’t yours. They lie, cheat and steal. Mine told me the vilest things. All this time I thought it was me…”
“I know that.”
She stops. “See! That just pisses me off! They put horrible things into your head, and you know all about it. Who are you?”
“You already know…”
“Don’t tell me that!” she snaps. “Just don’t! I want you to spell it out for me.”
He stands and simply looks at her.
“Sonofabitch!” she shouts. “So, you’re a guardian angel or something?”
He nods.
“Can’t you even say it?” she asks and throws up her hands
“Yes, I can. I am your guardian angel. Does that help?”
“No, it doesn’t help,” she replies, still smoldering. “That only begs further questions.”
“Fine,” he says. “Ask away.”
She glances about the neighborhood as she contemplates what to ask.
“So, no one can see you?” she asks finally. It is the first thought that occurs to her in the heat of the moment. “Anyone looking this way right now sees a crazy girl alone, throwing a fit on the sidewalk?”
“Only when I allow it. When they do, they see only a man.”
“Then do it now,” she says. “I’m tired of feeling crazy. I’ve lived a lifetime of that.”
“As you wish.”
“Do you have a name? Of course you do. What is it?”
“I am afraid I cannot tell you that.”
Jewel appears startled, as if slapped. “Excuse me?”
“I have a name, yes. But it is nothing you could pronounce.”
“Try me,” she says, but he quickly holds up his hands as if to calm her.
“Please do not misunderstand. When we are named… All of us, humans, angelic beings, otherwise, it is by others who are masters or parents. There is ownership implied. Mine has given me a name because he is my master.”
“God, huh?” Jewel says. “So, you’re a religious nut.”
“The very first kind,” he answers evenly.
She shakes her head. “So, what do I call you?”
“I have hope that whenever you call me it will be friend.”
“Isn’t that a song?”
“Yes, Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester wrote it.”
“It’s a very old song.”
“I promise you I am far older.”
“How come you know so much about music?”
“I spend quite a lot of time waiting. I amuse myself with music.”
“Who’s your favorite?”
“Would you believe the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?”
She frowns.
“They are quite good, you know.”
“Try again?”
“The Gregorian Monks.”
“Who? Seriously? Chanting? I don’t believe you.”
“I appreciate much, but once you have heard music in heaven there is really nothing else. Perhaps Zeppelin.”
“Get out of here,” she says, exasperated, and heads for her house.
He makes no move to follow.
When she reaches the ninety-degree angle at the walkway that leads to her door, she stops and looks back. “Are you seriously just going to stay out here forever?”
His face grows serious. “That is up to you.”
“How so?”
“You have seen demons with your own eyes, and now you know you have a guardian angel, and have had one since birth.”
“Do I know that?” she asks. “Sure, I have you to vouch for that, but all I have is what you’ve told me. And you really haven’t told me much.”
“In any event,” he continues. “What does that tell you?”
“About what, mysterious stranger?” she asks. “What does it tell me? It doesn’t tell me anything.”
“When you are ready, I will be here.”
“Ready for what?”
“I will be here,” he repeats. “But, please, leave them be.”
“Why should I?” she asks and holds out her hands.
He pauses, as if measuring his words. “Because they will soon poke back.”
James Garcia Jr was born in Hanford, California. He moved up the road to Kingsburg with his family as a child. After graduating KHS, he attended Reedley College where he met his wife. The family still makes its home in Kingsburg which is typically the setting of his fiction.
He was the 1994 winner of the Writers International Network/Writers Inter-Age Network writing contest in the horror category. He is the author of the edgy Dance on Fire vampire series, and the stand-alone novels, Seeing Ghosts and Photographs.
During the day, he is the safety manager at Sun Maid Growers of California.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . James Garcia Jr. . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone who has never read your work?
That’s a real interesting question. I would say that I try to stay out of the way, if that makes any sense. I want the dialogue and the action to lead you through the story, not my mastery of the English language. I try to avoid information dumps. I just want to allow the characters to show you and tell you what happens, not me. Additionally, my fiction tends to be edgy or crossover. It’s the original good versus evil: Heaven versus Hell. It’s not Christian fiction; however. There will be blood. And some characters may swear a bit before they die.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Actually, I hesitate to question where this comes from. *laughs* I recall reading Uncle Stevie (King) describe it as walking through a desert and finding the top of a house sticking out. You just start digging to see what’s there. For me, it’s like using a dream catcher. The story already exists on some other plain. I just catch it and write it down. Certainly, that isn’t true. I created it, but when it flows out of me, it really does feel like that. It could be due to my process that it feels that way. Because I work a demanding day-job as a Safety Manager, I don’t write all the time. I have ideas in my head like several pots on a stove. Once I sense the one that smells the best, I push the others to the back burner and mentally focus on the one. Once I have a sense of the beginning, middle and end of it, I start outlining. It’s not an extensive one, but only a general five to ten pages of paragraphs. I move those around until the framework is there. By that time, I can visualize it like a film. Only then do I sit down to write. At that stage it usually writes itself.
Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn’t quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?
Great question. I did have one. I wrote a story once that had demons that came through a portal in a house and terrorized the poor woman who lived there. It will never see the light of day. You’re welcome! *laughs* But the woman was a sad, forgotten actress who was a drunk and almost wished she would die. I thought she needed to be rescued from that terrible story and in 2020 I did just that. She can now be found in my previous release Photographs. She’s not exactly the same character that she was then, but it’s her. The pity was the book debuted the same time as “the disease which shall not be named”, so I mentally walked away. It’s a shame because I think it’s a fabulous story. I promote it as follows: One extraordinary night, two women meet: one black, one white; both carry broken hearts, and one has been dead for sixty years. Clues are revealed in a series of long-lost Photographs. It’s a ghost story mystery that is full of female characters, and I thought female audiences would eat it up. Hopefully, they will. Now that I’m back in the game, I’m actively promoting both.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Yes, I can. The Color of Sound is at its heart a standalone. However, it is also an origin story. Readers of my vampire series will have a surprise in store when they read the last chapter. I have not been marketing it as such, allowing for the surprise. Behind the scenes, I am changing that, so readers of my Dance on Fire edgy vampire series will realize that they will need to read this one as literally Dance on Fire 3.5. My next project will be #4 in the series. My Nathaniel fans have waited long enough to see where he is and what he’s up…. (See question 6)
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
I am currently outlining Dance on Fire #4. It has a tentative name, but I’ll keep that close to the vest for the moment. I plan to do a lot of writing this holiday season. I usually take much of Christmas through New Years off, so this time is perfect for getting much done. Once I get that momentum going, I will continue into the new year until it’s completed. How long that takes will determine when it’s published. I started running Facebook ads recently, and that has been working out well. Locally, I joined the Central Valley Fiction Writers group here in central California. By the time you read this many of us will have attended a large Book Fair in Madera, ca., and we’ll be plotting events for next year. My books are sold locally in my haunted little town. Much of my fiction is set in Kingsburg, ca. – there’s vampires, angels, and demons everywhere here, apparently! I’m really going to have explain why some day. *grins* I want to continue getting the word out locally as well.
If you could go anywhere, money is not a concern, and spend one full year, where would you go and what would you do with this time?
My wife and I are empty nesters now. Both of our boys are grown and have moved away. In 2017, we took the plunge and traveled to Italy. We loved it, and have been traveling ever since: Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland in 2019; Germany and Prague in 2022; Portugal and Spain in 2023; and Iceland this past summer. Next summer, we travel to England. I don’t mention that to brag. I’m 55 and my wife is 39. Kidding! I only wrote that in case she reads this! *laughs* We’re in our 50’s. It’s not necessarily something people can afford to do when they’re young. In any event, my vampire series keeps expanding. Book 1 took place in and around our town. Book 2 started at the California central coast and worked itself back to the central valley. Book 3 was all of California and some Oregon. Now that I have been touched by the splash of rain in Iceland, felt the wind in Ireland, seen the World War 2 sites and Cold War walls in Berlin, tasted the food in Italy and seen the Prague skyline from the St. Charles Bridge – I plan to go global. If I could spend a year somewhere I’d probably go back to the Czech Republic and Prague. And, of course, I’d be writing.
Thanks, Book Junkie Reads! It’s much appreciated.
Thank you James Garcia Jr. for giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.
Website: https://jamesgarciajr.jimdofree.com/
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3483458.James_Garcia_Jr_
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