While work continues on the upcoming winter release of the third and final installment in my Old Greenesboro Trilogy, we're going to turn the spotlight on a different author today--my oldest daughter, Jo Mitchell. It may come as no surprise to you, but Jo has been writing for nearly her entire life, and I'm proud to announce her debut science fiction novel Call Me Fuchsia, out now in both print and Kindle editions. But enough of me yapping. I'll turn it over to Jo.
GM: Hey, Jo. Well, I certainly know who you are, but tell us about yourself.
JM: Hey! I’m Jo
Mitchell. I’m a science fiction author and college student from Northeast
Arkansas.
GM: Tell us about the book!
JM: My new book is Call
Me Fuchsia. It’s the first of a trilogy. This book is about a woman named
Tanzee Clyborne and her feelings towards her best friend, Pepe Bijiola. When
Pepe is given a job opportunity in a world of mechanical and corrupt politics,
Tanzee becomes suspicious (and jealous), and chooses to investigate.
GM: What initially inspired you to write Call Me Fuchsia?
JM: There’s a lot of
different places I took inspiration from, really. During my freshman year of
high school, I was in a Civics course that watched the 2020 election. About the
same time, I heard a sermon over the letter to the church of Thyatira discussed
in Revelation. I took the two and melded them into a world of politics,
devotion, and lies that I penned about twenty songs over before sitting down to
character plan. Ultimately, the world started to get too big for music, and I
realized I wanted to dedicate time to the stories I was trying to tell.
GM: Though this is your first published novel, you’ve written
several stories before. What made you decide to pursue this one to publication?
JM: Honestly, a lot
of it was timing. I scrapped the project twice, picked it up again, rewrote the
trilogy, and prayed so many times over it. Despite hesitating dozens of
times, I think the sheer amount of time I spent over it pushed me to
completion. So much of my high school years were spent writing or
planning the trilogy, and even though I’ll never be completely satisfied with
my product, the opportunity to write it has been an honor and a privilege. As
tacky as it sounds, a lot of different versions of myself worked on Call Me
Fuchsia, and I think those versions deserved to see it come to fruition.
GM: What do you hope the reader gains by reading the book?
JM: We live in a
world of constant digital and mechanical struggle, where so much of our time is
spent debating whether or not our own advances and creations are good for us. In
Call Me Fuchsia, I wanted a technology that could speak for itself
without the chatter of human dictation. I wanted a robot whose rapid
advancement paralleled that of our hand-held electronics. I hope, somewhere in
the overwhelming and neon-lit world of my novel, readers see characters that
make poor decisions that still feel guided. I won’t act as though my
first novel is the perfect book or a radical, cyberpunk dialogue. It’s also
just a story I wanted to tell with characters that I wanted to build. Still, as
the story progresses, there is a story of constructed truth, false hope, and
the sting of humanity.
GM: What’s next for you?
JM: Book two and
three of the trilogy are my current priorities. Call Me Fuchsia itself
is over sixty percent aligned with its first draft, which I wrote at 15. The
next two books, though, are more recent and tell a story that feels truer to my
abilities now. After that, I can’t promise one specific title. I’m certain it
will be science fiction; the genre is easily my favorite type of writing.
Whatever it is, I want it to be very different from this trilogy while still
sounding like I wrote it. A lot of Call Me Fuchsia was my attempt
at modernized, grandiose science fiction, and I’m sure my next project will
lean more towards the media that I’m digesting now. All art is a nod to
previous art.
Thanks to Jo for stopping by, and be sure to go check out Call Me Fuchsia today!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tanzee Clyborne and Pepe Bijiola exist as two of millions in the gloomy capital of New Thyatira. The poor quality of life in the city, known for its class divisions surrounding the color purple, leads the pair to find refuge in both art and rather intimate interactions with each other. Too often, Tanzee wonders if their connection is more than physical.
However, a unique career opportunity suddenly has Pepe whisked away to the rich neighborhoods of the East District with a woman who claims to be the next ruler in a once monarchial state. Tanzee, rightly skeptical at first, becomes obsessed with learning all she can about Pepe's new employer. With the help of her friend Atlas--a repairman in large, black sunglasses--Tanzee must decide if she is more concerned with Pepe's wellbeing or what will become of her life without him.
From breakout novelist Jo Mitchell comes "Call Me Fuchsia": a tale of love, lust, and the abyss that is the in-between.
Continuing our coverage of Frank Creed's just-released technothriller Devil's Hit List, we're sitting down with the man for an interview.
Greg Mitchell: Here we are, for Devil’s Hit List: Book Three
of the Underground! Did you ever think you’d make it this far when you sat down
so many years ago to begin this series?
Frank Creed: I hoped to make it this far. I really had no
notion of what it would be like to be published so many times. You learn so
much with every book release.
GM: What’s Devil’s Hit List all about?
FC: The hottest new thing on the street isn't a drug-it's a
virtual reality experience that makes crack cocaine look like cotton candy. There
is, however, one side-effect: it's lethal. When the One
State contracts the Ash Corporation to
produce Virtual-e, a highly addictive entertainment intended to reduce global
population levels, Calamity Kid and his crew are tasked to stop its introduction
in North America. But how far can the
Underground heroes get when battling the combined forces of global government
and mega-corporation? That’s the back cover copy. The series is about the
notorious Calamity Kid and the crew, and their continuing struggles in the cracks
of the Underground. The overall story is more about the character than the
action.
GM: Is this what you always imagined Book Three would be
about, or did it change over time? Care to discuss any old ideas that didn’t
make it into the final cut?
FC: I’ve worked out of a writer’s notebook created mostly in
the nineties. I’ve had a rough outline for these first three books for a long
time. One leftover idea I’ve not yet shown is human trafficking.
GM: These books take place in a cyberpunk version of the Biblical
account of Revelation and the Tribulation. According to most interpretations of
the Scriptures, the Tribulation is a 7 year period, marked by 3 and a half
years of peace followed by 3 and a half years of hell on Earth. Where are we at
in the timeline by Devil’s Hit List—or do you even subscribe to that timeline?
FC: If indeed that timeline proves to be accurate,
Flashpoint starts at the beginning of the last three and a half years. I
eventually want to show the second coming and deal with the rapture, but those
would likely come in the last book in the timeline.
GM: So what prompted you to combine something like the
role-playing game Shadowrun with Biblical End Times prophecy? Do you consider
yourself a student of eschatology?
FC: I followed eschatology for a few years after being
saved. I bought, and never wound up playing the Shadowrun RPG. I’ve read almost
all the Shadowrun novels though.Cyberpunk just seemed the perfect genre for end times fiction because
it’s near-future sci-fi. Many think the end times are upon us, so one get to
twist the modern world to fit—or not fit—what we believe prophecy to say.
And I’d like to point out here that the Jews in Christ’s
time were looking for their Messiah to come as a king, and lead them out from
under the Roman yoke. They missed Jesus. Can you imagine? We really need to
keep a wide open mind about what exactly we think prophecy says.
GM: I know there are at least two more books coming out in
the Underground series (because I’m writing one of them :p). Do you have any
idea how long the series will go or do you prefer to be surprised?
FC: The Underground could go on a long time, and I hope it
does. Reality is that Christian cyberpunk is not paying the bills. I’m toying
with another universe that would be much more subtle in its Christian content.
I may have to write novels in such a place out of necessity, and who knows what
the Boss will do with it.
GM: A lot of the themes that you deal with in the book—such
as transhumanism—are actually rooted in today’s headlines. Do you feel that we
are headed for the sort of dark humanistic world of the Underground?
FC: I’ve read a lot in the cyberpunk genre, and have seen
many things come true. The rise of what I call the mega-corp is a cyberpunk
staple, and something we will see. The wealth of nations, the power of
bio-ethics, and security forces bigger than most country’s standing
armies.As corporate and government
power tangle, I see wide cracks in society into which those we now call the
“uninsured” will fall into. How frankensteinish transhumanism will get in the
coming decades, one can only guess.
GM: Thanks for stopping by, as always, Frank. Any parting
words? Plug your books, man!
FC: Each of the Underground books is written to be a
stand-alone novel. While everything is explained to the reader, one can best
appreciate the characters by reading Flashpoint and War of Attrition first. And
I’ll let Calamity Kid sign off . . . “Y’all ain’t ace enough to trump the King
of Kings.”
GM: Fitting words! Thanks to Frank for another great interview and thanks to everyone for dropping by.
And don't forget--a HUGE announcement is coming your way on Halloween morning!! You won't want to miss it, "Coming Evil" fans!
Welcome to another edition of the Splashdown Blog Tour. Today we're talking up my pal Frank Creed's new release "Devil's Hit List"--Book Three in his epically cool Underground series of Biblical Cyberpunk novels. In the days ahead, I'll be sitting down with Frank for a full interview, but for today, here's an excerpt from the book--available now! Buy it today on Amazon in either print or Kindle format!
Read the excerpt below.
* * *
Cloud mist
scudded along just above our flat high-rise rooftop. Chicago’s usual overcast
weather hid us from the satellite spy-cams, and the night’s low visibility
helped us with secrecy.
“No, I think
that rod section goes on the outside of the wing, doesn’t it?” I said.
Lethe slid an
aluminum pole through a nylon loop. “You know, this is not the first time I’ve
assembled a hang-glider atop a fifty-story building.”
“No wonder you’re
faster at this than my brother is,” said e-girl.
Indeed, my unit
was only half built and Lethe was nearly finished. Building a hang glider in
the dark for the very first time is kind of awkward.
My sister came
over to guide me. “That part through there. Now you’ve got it. You’re sure this
is going to work?”
I squeaked a
shoe on the rubber rooftop jamming the tight fit together. “Well, the weight
ratios work out. You two together are a little heavier than I am, but we’ll be
fine.”
“I meant is this
really the best way into the security station? Ash or Virago, or whoever the
big guns belong to, has complete air superiority.”
“But we have
Heir superiority. You know, Christ as our King.”
“This is no time
to be clever, CK. She needs affirmation,” advised Lethe, clipping her harness
onto her hang-glider’s frame, hefting the giant kite, and moving toward the
rooftop’s edge.
“See? This is
why I like Lethe so much,” said e-girl, joining Lethe under her black fabric
wing. “She understands what it’s like to be female in a man’s world.
Approaching a secure target on gossamer wings, when they have helicopter
gunships, seems like a very male idea.” Lethe secured e-girl’s straps to their
hang-glider.
“Our strength is
in our silence, not our firepower,” I stated sagely.
“You speak like
fortune cookie,” said Lethe. “See you at the bottom, Sun Tzu.”
My sister had to
face the building’s center rooftop for the next part, so she could not see what
was coming. She closed her eyes tightly shut and ran backward as Lethe ran into
their takeoff. They plummeted over the side for a few floors, e-girl’s muffled
squeal streaming behind them like a kite tail, before gliding away through the
night.
I clipped myself
onto my frame. “Okay, self, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.” I followed them,
also running with closed eyes and a Grrrr
through clenched teeth.
My best friend, Johnny, is a huge cyberpunk fan. Growing up, he told me all about William Gibson, we went to see Hackers and Johnny Mnemonic, and we played the RPG (that's "Role Playing Game", for you non-geeks) Shadowrun many a summer afternoon (I was an orc with bionic-enhanced senses...and lots of guns). Now, while I'm not a cyberpunk expert by any means, seeing anything cyberpunk takes me back to simpler times in my youth.
Back in 2007, when I first poked my head out of my writer's cave and began to notice other authors in the "Christian Speculative Fiction" world, Frank's was one of the first names I heard. And, to hear that he had written--what he described as--a "Biblical Cyberpunk" story, I immediately grinned, thinking back to my Shadowrun days.
I've gotten to know Frank a little bit over the years and, now that I've finally read "Flashpoint", I begged him to let me do an interview. The gift of Biblical Cyberpunk must be shared with the world. "Flashpoint" is a crazy, gun-toting, dystopian adventure--and it's fun! Never has the End of All Things been so snarky and carefree. It's like the Book of Revelation by way of Anime (again, "Japanese Animation" for the non-geeks in the audience) with heavy doses of futuristic pop slang--which can sometimes be distracting as we're in the head of the main character--cool weapons, technology, and real true blue heroes who manage to do the right thing, even when the odds are stacked against them--and they always are.
I had so many questions for Frank while reading "Flashpoint", and wanted to interview him after I read the first chapter. But, I buckled my enthusiasm and waited until I finished the thing. So, I'm finished. So, I interviewed. Frank was kind enough to take some time writing about the End Days to sit with me and talk "Flashpoint"! GM: Hey, Frank! We're finally here! The interview to end all interviews! Okay, anyway... Let's start with the obvious. What's "Flashpoint" about?
FRANK CREED: Thanks, Greg, for this chance to talk about "Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground"! It is about having fun with Dave Williams in the year 2036. In Dave’s world, any who believe in the fundamental truth of a religious text are considered terrorists. In this thought-crime world, Dave and his sister, Jen, Bible believing Christians, are forced underground and take the street names Calamity Kid and e-girl.
As underground saints they have almost superhero powers from a process called "re-formation" that nudges their bodies a little closer to their spirits. Armed with high-tech toys the team must face down peacekeepers, gangers, One State Neros, and fallen angels in Chicago’s dark Post-Modern age of Transhumanism.
GM: I want to go back to the beginning. I can tell from reading this that this is obviously a labor of love for you. How long have you been developing this world of Flashpoint and the Underground?
FC: Over a lifetime. Newscasters indiscriminately using the term "Fundamentalist terrorists" in reference to Muslims bothered me way back in the late 1970s. Calamity Kid’s long coat and twin automatic pistols were inspired by the cartoonist character in one of the Freddy movies. But my first solid "Flashpoint" notes date back to 1992.
GM: Ah! I believe you are referring to A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child! Yes! Now you're speaking my language, brutha! That character was Mark, right? I loved that guy. That was my favorite part of the movie. He should've beat Freddy, too... Poor, poor Mark :(
Back to "Flashpoint", I was completely hooked when I saw the way you combined faith with tech. I thought it was one of the most ingenious ways to turn the whole “we fight not against flesh and blood” spiritual battle that Christians face, and bringing it into a very real and physical context—-but without losing the spiritual aspect of it. Did all that come about naturally, or was there a lot of trial-and-error involved in trying to find the right balance of faith and technology?
FC: Using lethal weapons is a battle against flesh and blood. Sending someone to hell, or even wounding them makes me think of Christ’s arrest in Gethsemane and healing the centurion’s ear after Peter sliced it off.
Using non-lethal weapons, especially when your enemy is playing for keeps, is something of which Christ himself might approve. The concept came to me early but different methods developed throughout the manuscript.
I do wish that modern police and security forces would use non-lethal methods rather than real bullets.
GM: Without getting too spoilery, one of the things that really impressed me was your villain. When he makes his dramatic appearance, he actually comes bearing a very well-thought out argument against Christianity. Some might consider it gutsy to, almost literally, play the Devil’s advocate in a Christian novel. Was this a conscious decision, or did you just get lucky?
FC: I used to debate on discussion boards and had wished that Greek style dialog was still an acceptable form of popular fiction. But it does make for a tedious read. Action movies, however, commonly have heroes and villain tossing witty verbal barbs at each other as they struggle. Meaningful jibes during a duel seemed like a good naturally flowing alternative.
That’s what I love about fiction; if you can find a way to make it acceptable to your reader, all rules are bendable. As I wrote the combat, the dialog came from the characters.
GM: I see on your website that you’ve got Join the Underground : The Role-Playing Game, an anthology, and a sequel in the works. What is it about this world that keeps drawing you back?
FC: You mentioned Join the Underground-—more hours went into this work than any other. The game allows Underground fans years of cheap entertainment by gaming in the setting-—with or without Calamity Kid as your sidekick. A gamer is only limited by their own imagination. RPG designer Mike Roop did a wonderful job on the project, and I hope it does as well as the fiction.
My favorite novel is "1984", and one of my purposes for The Underground series is a modern reminder of what Orwell has already done so well; a warning for what the immediate future may hold. The near future aspect of sci-fi’s cyberpunk sub-genre suits such fiction so well.
Another purpose is to make readers of the series ask themselves if they might have something in common with Christ’s contemporary Jews. They expected the Messiah to be a liberator who saved them from the Roman Empire. What if the Second Coming is not what we’re expecting?
GM: How far in advance have you planned this series? Do you have an ideal number of books that you’re aiming for-—a complete story arc in mind? Or perhaps you’re just writing as the mood strikes you?
FC: There is no ideal number of books, but I have solid notes on books three and four. Beyond that I leave things to His will. The books are spaced between 2036 and 2038, so plenty of fiction (of any length), could pop up anywhere along the timeline.
I guess the most honest answer, though, is that I have such fun in the setting and with these characters. Reviewers are shocked that a dystopia can be so upbeat.
GM: It really is! But I think that that's good--it shows that, even in the worst of scenarios, we can still find something to laugh about, a hero to cheer for, and the will to fight back against the depressing state of the world. I think that's an important lesson that we can learn this side of the Apocalypse, too. So, any hints at what's to come in Book Two of "The Underground" series?
FC: A favorite character from "Flashpoint" is Legacy, who disappears. In "War of Attrition: Book Two of The Underground" we just may learn of Legacy’s fate as Calamity Kid and the crew encounters the power of Mega-corporations. That’s all I’ll say! WoA will *finally* become available in a matter of weeks.
GM: Great! And now, for a very "writer question": What's next for Frank Creed?
FC: The finishing touches are being applied to The Underground anthology: a collection of short fiction by authors that may surprise readers. I love the concept of opening the setting and characters to other creative minds. There are some great tales in this book, all by members of the Lost Genre Guild. I’m hopeful that the title will be available for this Christmas’ shopping season.
Promoting these books and all Biblical speculative fiction of our Lost Genre will be a project in itself for the rest of the year.
GM: I hope it's available this Christmas, too! I've waited long enough! :p In the meantime, what kind of stories can we expect to see in the anthology?
FC: The anthology stretches the novels’ timeline a little, and most stories take place outside the Chicago Metroplex (that's where "Flashpoint" takes place)—-two are even set outside the USA. What remains the same? The cyberpunk toys and fun continue, and the literary quality of the fiction remains constant.
I’ve had a great time with this project and even got to co-author a few of the titles. Some of my own original short stories appear as well. I do believe fans of "The Underground" will be pleased. I am as thankful for them as I am for this interview opportunity. I owe you one, Greg!
GM: Yes, you do. And, remember, Frank. I always collect. Mwuahahaha!
Thanks to Frank Creed for stopping by and thanks to everyone for reading. Go buy the book already, will ya? Here's the trailer!
