Happy New Year, Everyone!

May 2010 bring you all great joy and success, a reversal of foul fortunes or a multiplying of fair ones! I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for me (After all, my age this year is the meaning of life! How can that not be auspicious?) and I hope it is for you as well!

I plan on doing a LOT of writing in 2010 (in fact, I've got three different projects lined up for completion before the end of February!) and look forward to spending more time getting organized!

One of my resolutions is to write every morning first thing upon waking, before checking my email or any of those insiduous social networking devices. Even if I only get out 500 words before I give in, it's a good start to the day, and a way to affirm myself as a writer in the coming year.

And, to that end, I offer you a snippet of my current Work In Progress, a short story for an anthology that will be releasing fairly soon.

"To the best of my knowledge, I am one of only a handful of women who have been accepted into the Brotherhood of Saint Hubert throughout its history. There are those who claim that to do so was a mistake - that only men are strong enough to bear the burden of the duties and gifts of the Order. At least in my case, however, it appears that God feels differently."

And, on that note! Back to work!

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with J.C. Hutchins, author of the chart-topping podcast novel, 7th Son, which has recently become available in print. I'd become aware of Hutchin's work through Twitter (where he welcomes folks to follow him - "jchutchins"), and was impressed both by his talent and his open-handed support for other authors.

After I'd heard that Publisher's Weekly said that "thriller readers seeking edge-of-your-seat action flavored with conspiracy and futuristic tech will love every page," I couldn't wait to ask Hutchins some questions about the book and his career.

JESS: Tell me a little about yourself, J.C. Have you always been a writer?

JC: While I currently live in South Florida, I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Looking back, I guess I always was a storyteller, which blossomed into writing. I attended college to become a journalist, and spent some time in the field before deciding to change careers. I reckoned that would give me the time and energy I needed to write this novel I had an idea for, 7th Son.

JESS: Tell me a bit about how you came to write 7th Son.

Autumn is my favorite season. Even here in Arizona, there's a palpable change in the air. It's cooler at night. There's occasional storms. And what signs of life exist - flowering plants still bravely putting forth blossoms, patches of lush green in the otherwise dying grass, the potted lilies that are stretching green tendrils skyward as if they thought it was spring - are all the more precious for the air of decline going on around them.

Autumn feels like that, to me. While some folks find spring to be a time of energy, for me it's always been the fall. It's when new projects seem to come to me, new endeavors really take hold, and it's a time of change, growth and accomplishment.

Maybe because of that, I've got a lot of new things on the plate or recently finished, both professionally and personally. Some of them, I can even talk about!

Number One has to be the new roof. The full story is here, but the long and short of it is - over the past year, the Viking and I reroofed our house here in Bisbee. And, it's finally done. Hurray us! See, bet ya didn't know I was such a multi-talented boggan!

One Geek to Another is Two Months Old!

In 60 days, we've gone from a passing thought to a syndicated column carried on several awesome websites and one fantastic magazine! And we couldn't have done it without your help!

Many of you have taken the time to write in with your questions on geek etiquette, to suggest topics for One Geek columns, or to suggest geekalicious sites that might be interested in carryi ng One Geek to Another.  I've been stunned by the awesome response, and as a way of saying thanks, I'm going to run a contest!

Aw, why stop at one? Since we're TWO months old, I'll run TWO contests!

Questions and Prizes!

For the next three days, any advice-seeking letters submitted to OneGeek@jesshartley.com will be entered into a random drawing.