Jack Chaucer's Blog - Posts Tagged "newtown"

It's not easy writing fiction right now. I find it hard to use my imagination ever since a 20-year-old sicko decided to use his imagination to conjure up one of the most unthinkable mass murders in human history on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn. How do you look a frightened 6-year-old girl in the eyes and blow her away with a rifle multiple times at close range? And if that weren't horrific enough, how do you do that again and again and again?

Words can be powerful, but sometimes they are completely useless.

"Stop! Please don't shoot!"

These are no match against the power of a Bushmaster rifle unleashed in a classroom full of terrified youngsters.

And now, in this equally brutal aftermath, we are left with paltry words like "Why?" and "How?" Sadly, no spoken or written explanation will bring back the wasted lives of 20 first-graders and their six heroic protectors -- none of whom ever thought they'd need to arm for war inside the halls of an American elementary school.

No, there's plenty to write about regarding the real world right now -- fiction seems like pointless escapism from a place where innocent children and teachers are gunned down in broad daylight just 11 days before Christmas.

Ah, Christmas. I wonder how many young Americans found "Call of Duty" under their Christmas tree in December 2011. Isn't that what Christmas is all about? The birth of Jesus, a message of life and love, is celebrated by giving gifts that involve killing as many people as possible. No, those virtual people aren't real. But there are 20 sets of parents in Newtown whose first-graders didn't come home on Dec. 14, and the young recluse responsible was reared and coddled in a dark basement by "Call of Duty" and, just for added danger, a mother with a fetish for real guns. That's not fiction. That's America today -- mass killings for play and mass killings for real. There's no sugarcoating how far the human race, and more specifically America, has sunk with this latest atrocity.

There are no words to write our way out of what we've become. There are no words. None. This blog post may be some attempt at therapy, but it will fail miserably in the face of the horrors witnessed by those poor first responders on Dec. 14. Imagine if one of us had to walk into Sandy Hook Elementary School that day. Imagine trying to go on with your life after that. That's not fiction. That happened -- IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- not very far from where I live with my wife and twin toddlers. I'm glad they are young enough right now that I don't have to try to explain to them what happened to those little kids and their teachers. Because there are no words. None.

We all have to take a look in the mirror. I've written three novels in the last four years and all of them have involved guns to varying degrees. Am I any better than "Call of Duty?" Sure my books are 1/1 billionth as popular as that video game, but aren't I contributing to this same American culture that treats gun violence with such a cavalier attitude? Guns are so embedded in our way of life that it never even dawned on me to think about how I included them in my fictional stories in a negative light.

Until now.

That's scary.

Right now I'm thinking and writing about 26 tragic endings that should never be forgotten. How do we writers honor their memory?

Words Against Guns.

No, words are no match against a Bushmaster rifle, but we've got to try.

If we don't, some day soon we may be forced to write words we never thought we'd have to -- the obituary of our own child -- just like 20 sets of parents in Newtown did in the days leading up to Christmas. Imagine an empty chair at your Christmas dinner table.

Words Against Guns.

Start writing now!

 

 

 

 

My goal is to e-publish "Streaks of Blue: How the Angels of Newtown Inspired One Girl to Save Her School" before the first anniversary of the shooting (Dec. 14).

Here's the blurb at this early stage:

Adam Upton and Thomas "Lee" Harvey are plotting the next big school massacre at their New Hampshire high school. Nicole Janicek, who knew Adam in elementary school, tries to reconnect with the damaged teen at the start of their senior year. She risks her life and reputation to save the lives of her schoolmates, including the ones who question her sanity and taunt her for hanging out with "trailer trash." But will Nicole's attempt to befriend the would-be killer disrupt the plot and turn Adam's life around before the clock strikes 12:14?

I have set a pre-release date of Sept. 27 for "Streaks of Blue." I plan to publish both the e-book and the paperback in time for that early fall release date.

More details here ...

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...


Half of the proceeds will go to the Newtown Memorial Fund. More info on that cause here:

http://newtownmemorialfund.org/

1. Lakes of the Clouds

2. 14th & Stardust

3. Bat-shit Crazy

4. Driving Mr. Brody

5. The Police

6. Three Words

7. Calling for Backup

8. Demons and Trail Angels

9. “We’re Going to be Friends”

10. Sugar Cubes

11. The Acid Den

12. Inside Information

13. The Punch Heard ‘Round Lakeview

14. Talking About Trips

15. 9/11

16. The Unexpected Diagnosis

17. Bucket Lists

18. A Date at Chili’s

19. A Shot in the Dark

20. The Aftermath

21. The Wounded Poet

22. AC 360

23. Kearsarge North

"Streaks of Blue: How the Angels of Newtown Inspired One Girl To Save Her School" by Jack Chaucer

I'm re-posting a review by Christine Cheff, a blogger for the Books Unhinged
website. She accessed my book via NetGalley.

5 stars

Wow. After reading this book, I am truly at a loss for words right now. I have so many emotions running through me I’m not sure how to organize my thoughts into coherent sentences to get my point across and not sure I will. I am just not sure I can do the author justice. Knowing that there might have been references in this book to the Newtown, CT massacre had me indecisive about reading this book because of all the sadness and heartache which surrounded the event but I am glad I took the plunge.
This book is about two very disturbed boys Adam and Thomas, that are plotting the next big school massacre at their New Hampshire high school. A senior, Nicole, who knew Adam in elementary school, tries to reconnect with the damaged teen at the start of their senior year after having a “dream” or “premonition” of the shooting. She tries so very hard to pull him from the darkness into the light and is becoming successful. Or is she? I’m not sure if it is the constant reference to the shooting massacre in Newtown, CT or the fact that I have a little boy who will be attending kindergarten in 2 years but I was an absolute emotional wreck through this book. I felt like there was a vice squeezing my chest waiting for the horror to come as I read page after page. I was angst ridden during most of it. It was chilling and horrifying to hear the thoughts these two boys had and the lengths they went to, to complete their plan of massacre. Their lack of compassion for human life brought out the most emotion in me. Because these boys were from the “wrong side of the tracks” they had been stereotyped at an early age and had endured endless bullying in school. The effects of bullying know no limits. I’m not even going to get into my thoughts on bullying because they are so strong but after reading this book, it has opened my eyes even more on it. It is admirable for the heroine in this book to try to help Adam in this story but it also is made very clear that one person alone can not fix what is broken in a boy like him. This book casts light on the truth that even adults in higher positions in communities that are supposed to be trained to deal with these issues, can be blind to it. I felt such anger and rage towards these two boys but at the same time felt sad for them. There were many cries for help from these boys some blatant and some subtle, that were just passed right over. It brought back all the sadness and heartache I felt for the Newtown Massacre. As time goes on, you forget. You forget the rage and loss you felt when you watched the news that day. You forget how a community pulled together to grieve and move on. You forget the individual stories of the senseless lives lost. You forget how easily this can happen anywhere. I just can’t put into words how profoundly this book touched me. I am still trying to digest all of what I read. It has however, helped me be a lot more informed of bullying and the effects of it and signs to look for. I almost want to say that teens should read this book but as an adult even I wasn’t prepared for the emotions I felt reading it and the after effects of it. Kudos to the author for writing on such a sad topic, a sad event in history and the topic of bullying. I feel fortunate that I got to read this before it has actually been released. I am wondering how controversial this book will be when it comes out and how many emotions it will bring to the surface. I can only hope that if it only helps one person, it has done its job. I feel that a book like this when read can almost make people be better parents. It’s a reminder that children’s personalities are formed and shaped at such a young age. I’m going to go and try to pull myself together now and smother my little boy with hugs and kisses.

Red, white and ...

Streaks of blue

Far off the path

I search for truth



Live free or die

A state of beauty

Will we be next

To look to the sky

And find more stars

Than the night just passed?

Lessons never learned

The youngest of souls

Pay with their lives

So for them I cry



The rain in my heart

Soaks every ring

This paper on which I write

Once was a sapling

So young and new

But now it's a vessel

On a lake

Beneath a cloud

And onto it flow

My streaks of blue



Again and again

More trees fall

No not me

But it might as well be

For I die with them



As the view gets clearer

And the truth gets nearer

I am sad to discover

That we truly are lost

So I look in the mirror

And dye my hair blue

So I brook through the mountains

And keep my heart true



I'll blaze a new trail

No matter the cost

One without labels

One that is just

Souls are for saving

While we're still walking

So strap on your packs

Your hopes, your boots

And keep your eyes open

For my streaks of blue



Yes, I'll blaze a new trail

A path for the lost.

First, I just want to thank everyone for their interest and support. This novel is my own little attempt to turn something horrific that happened on December 14, 2012, into something positive. The massacre left all of us feeling helpless. As a novelist, I turned to writing about this issue directly because what happened that day should NEVER be forgotten and we all need to do SOMETHING about it to prevent the next Newtown.

Based on early reviews from readers young and old, inside the USA and out, “Streaks of Blue” already has inspired a teen in Georgia (Russia) to reconnect with former friends, a mom in upstate New York to squeeze her young son much tighter and a teen in India to go mountain climbing. There are currently 10 reviews up on Amazon and about 16 on my Goodreads page if you want to get the full perspective. Not every review is 5 stars, but even the 3-star reviewers are impressed with main character Nicole Janicek. They all agree she is a rare gem of a female lead in the YA genre for her bravery and compassion along a difficult journey.

Again, I will be donating half of the proceeds from this book to the Newtown Memorial Fund. Below are numerous purchase links for the book, which is now available virtually everywhere online and at Amazon for the paperback version:

Amazon/Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Streaks-Blue-An...

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strea...

Apple:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/strea...

Kobo:

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/book...

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...



Thanks!

Jack

"Streaks of Blue" has sold 25 copies so far for a net proceeds of $68.40. That's $34.20 raised for the Newtown Memorial Fund thus far. Thank you to all you have bought the book and I appreciate anything you can do to spread the word. Special shout-out to avid hiker Vin Mansolillo, the inspiration for Vin's character in the final scene on Mount Kearsarge North. He bought a copy and said he really enjoyed the book. He said he got so into the story that he sometimes forgot the person who wrote it used to be the little kid who tagged along with him and my old man on a whole bunch of hikes in the White Mountains back in the 80s.

BY ALAN BISBORT
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Like so many people in the area, Litchfield author John Cullen could not get the unspeakable horror at Sandy Hook Elementary School out of his head. The father of 2-year-old twins, he was forced to think the unthinkable: How safe are my kids, really, if such a thing can happen at Sandy Hook?

Even for someone who has worked in newsrooms for 22 years, and thought he'd seen and heard every permutation on human tragedy, Cullen was left dazed by what happened in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012.

"This event will never go away," said Cullen, a layout editor at the Republican-American whose pen name is Jack Chaucer. "It seemed like the rock bottom of civilization had been reached. Twenty first-graders are gone just like that? It was a hopeless and helpless feeling, but you want to do something on top of donating money to change the world your kids live in. It almost forced me to write about it."

He said he felt numb for a month after Sandy Hook.

"As a novelist, my mindset was either I write nothing for a long, long time, or I tackle this head on," said Cullen, who previously wrote the futuristic thriller "Queens are Wild" (2012). "Any other subject seemed trivial."

So, he did what came most naturally to him — he began writing. Before long, he realized that the act of writing had gone beyond the therapeutic and he suddenly had a cast of characters, a setting and a plot that carried him along as much as he helped shape it.

"I knew I wanted a girl with blue hair as the main character," he said. "Thematically, we are in a streak of blue with all of the shootings that have happened. But I also knew that I wanted the students to be older, in their teens. And I didn't want to saddle any specific town, so I made up a fictional town and set it in New Hampshire."

The end result is a newly published 259-page novel with a long title: "Streaks of Blue: How the Angels of Newtown Inspired One Girl to Save Her School." The book is available in both trade paperback edition ($11.99 at Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington, Conn., and Amazon) and as an e-book ($2.99 at Kindle, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and smashwords.com). Cullen is donating half of the proceeds to the Newtown Memorial Fund, which supports the families of all 26 victims and others affected by the massacre.

Though the general plot backdrop was inspired by the Sandy Hook tragedy, the danger lurking within the story bears more resemblance to the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., in April 1999. At Columbine, two boys filled with hostility toward their classmates plotted out their shooting rampage with military-like precision weeks ahead of time.

With a slightly futuristic cast to it — set mostly in the weeks leading up to the two-year anniversary of Sandy Hook in December 2014 — "Streaks of Blue" imagines a similar story arc taking shape at Lakeview Regional High School in New Hampshire. The would-be Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are Adam Upton (echoes of Adam Lanza, the shooter at Sandy Hook) and Thomas "Lee" Harvey (as in Oswald, the alleged shooter of JFK). Their main "beef" is the contempt with which the majority of the school holds them for being "trailer trash." They also come from broken families with a history of drug and alcohol abuse.

The only person standing between them and their goal of annihilation is 17-year-old Nicole Janicek. A sensitive, outdoorsy girl who likes to dye her hair blue, "Nikki" has a scary premonition while camping under the stars on Mount Washington just before her senior year. In the dream, the "angels of Newtown" appear and urge Nicole to reconnect with Adam, a boy she used to know in elementary school.

The angels not only warn Nicole about the shooting plot, but they also give her hope that a friendship with Adam could prevent it.

"My hope was to channel their bravery, strength and goodness into Nicole," Cullen said. "So far, based on the positive reaction to the book — and especially Nikki's character — I think that's how it turned out."

During its launch this fall, "Streaks of Blue" garnered 345 requests for advance copies from around the world on the website NetGalley. To date, the book has been reviewed by 47 readers on Goodreads and 17 on Amazon. The interest and feedback, particularly from teens and teachers, has been particularly gratifying, Cullen said.

"A teenage girl in Georgia (Asia) wrote in her review that she felt as if I had actually been to her own high school," Cullen said. "She was inspired to reconnect with former friends after reading the book. Another teen in India wrote that she wanted to start mountain climbing. I love that the story had such an impact on two young people from the other side of the world."

He noted that he tapped into his own experiences from growing up in Rhode Island. One particularly effective scene in "Streaks of Blue" — in which a teacher makes Nikki's class discuss the lyrics from the album "Synchronicity" by The Police — was drawn from real events in Cullen's high school classroom experience.

"My English lit teacher Paul Richards did that exact same lesson with us back in 1985," he said. "My point in using it in 'Streaks of Blue' is that same discussion becomes very different today. You can't talk about a song like 'Murder By Numbers' the same as we did in 1985. Back then there were no Columbines or Newtowns."

Whether Nikki succeeds or fails in her attempt — no spoilers here — "Streaks of Blue" directly addresses the issue of school violence, but in a creative, compelling and non-preachy manner.

"I don't attack guns. I don't focus a lot on mental health. I do focus on human relationships and having the courage to be friends with people who don't have many friends," Cullen said. "At the end of the day, I wanted to write something meaningful. If you can reach out and inspire a kid to help another kid before he or she does something terrible, then I would be happy."

For information, visit the author's website, http://queensarewild.wordpress.com, and Goodreads page, http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/....

BOOK TALK AND SIGNING EVENT

Litchfield author John Cullen will appear for a book discussion and signing Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Hickory Stick Bookshop, 2 Green Hill Road, Washington, Conn. Both Cullen and Hickory Stick will donate a portion of the proceeds to Newtown-related charities.

Another reminder to hug the women and children in our lives a little tighter. RIP Sandy Hook 26. “Streaks of Blue” readers have now donated $183.96 to the Newtown Memorial Fund (link below).

http://newtownmemorialfund.org/