Save 50% January 8-12

 Autographed copies of Boomerang, devil Went Down to Phoenix, and The Baer Boys are available for 50% off for a very short period of time.

Just use coupon code NEWYEAR2 at the home of Plumboz Press.

Ted Hogwood's beloved Sarah, a jazz guitar, is in the window of Topp Dollar Pawn. The only way he can get the money to rescue her is to accept an assignment from the AABC, a not nearly official branch of the United States intelligence community. He is partnered with Jerry Kwiatkowski, master of the Hammond B-3 organ and chronic flatulence sufferer, to steal a boomerang containing secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover over thirty years ago. It would be a simple job if only they knew what they were doing. And if a crossbow wielding assassin, two unemployed Australian women, The Director of Central Intelligence and a clothing optional former onion festival queen were not also hot on the boomerang's trail.

Jazz musicians Ted Hogwood and Jerry Kwiatkowski, the inadvertent heroes of “Boomerang”, have to battle forces both of and not quite of this world after a deal at the crossroads puts an amoral man in the White House. A quartet of bumbling militia men, a governor, a power mad state senator, the Second Lady of The United States, and a mysterious dark man with billowy sleeves and blood red boots are among those brought together for a surprising finale.

Darin Baer left home right out of high school to find his place in the world of theater and just maybe find a way to mend his broken heart. After more than two decades of consistent success in avoiding any real personal commitment and persistent failure at making a living as an actor, he vows to steer clear of women until he gets his own life on track. He moves back home to help take care of his recently widowed father. Soon Darin finds himself teaching at his old high school and directing the school play. He also discovers that keeping his vow is going to be a lot more difficult than he ever dreamed.

There's a Sale Going on at Smashwords

 

If you have a copy of "The Baer Boys" with this cover, hang on to it. Might be worth something someday, who knows? It is based on the Samuel French scripts we used to get for the high school and college plays I was in and I thought it was pretty damn evocative in a minimalist sort of fashion. To me it says "Hey! Let's put on a play!" But the response to it back when was, well, pretty minimalist too, so believe me when I tell you it is a RARE Book indeed.

But that's not why we're here.

Nope, what this post is all about is the End Of Year Sale going on over at Smashwords. All three of my books, including "The Baer Boys" are part of the sale and they are all 50% off Dec. 8 through Jan 01, 2026.

Here's the link that takes you to my profile page at Smashwords: Alan's Profile.

Oh, and here's what the current cover art for "The Baer Boys" looks like. The wonderful artist Laura Lakey took a line drawing of mine and incorporated it into a colorful, fun design. 

 

Who Doesn't Love a Discount?

 

Order Direct, Get it Personalized, and Get 25% OFF!! 

There is now a place where you can order my books directly from the fellow responsible. And this holiday season you can get 25% off your order no matter how many copies.

Type in Coupon Code "Holiday25". No quotation marks required.

Just go to my Square site alan-hutcheson-author.square.site, pick a book (or three, or stock up for the holidays) and type in "Holiday25" in the coupon section. Voila! 

Drop me a note while you're there if you would like to have something special scribbled in your book(s). I do a killer Leo Tolstoy autograph if I do say so myself. 

Happy Reading!

Hey! I'm An Arizona Author!

 

So says The Phoenix Public Library

A while ago I was meandering around the Phoenix Public Library website when I saw they were taking applications for their Arizona Authors program. Participation in events throughout the year was mentioned, with the biggie being a book fair on November 8th at the big, beautiful Burton Barr Main Library in downtown Phoenix.

    Well, I'm not only an Almost Native Arizonan, what with living here since 1960 and all, but most of the action in my books takes place right here in the Valley of the Sun. Besides, the library had very nicely purchased paperback copies of "Boomerang", "The Baer Boys" and "devil Went Down to Phoenix" some time ago, so it was easy for me to tell myself that they already saw my stuff in a favorable light, so you bet I applied.

    That was back in March, I think. I really should be better about keeping track of such things, but it was relatively early in the year anyway. The notice on the library website said authors who were accepted would be notified late July. And by golly, on July 23rd I got a nice email from Kelly at the library to let me know I was now an official Arizona Author.

    Very cool.

    A few days after that I noticed that they had acquired the ebook editions of my books and, believe it or not, those were already checked out! Not only that, but there were a couple of holds on the ebook edition of my latest, "devil Went Down to Phoenix."

    Very, very cool.

    A couple of weeks later I looked again and all three were still checked out and there were now three holds on "devil." Take that, James Patterson!*

    After the giddiness at being selected subsided I now had to confront the fact of Certain Obligations attached to being an Official AZ Author. Firstly, Kelly requested a photo, a bit of biographical info, and book cover art. The author photo I have on the backs of all my books is about, oh, let's just say several years old. I know it's not unusual for authors to use a nice pic from a decade or three ago, but I figured now was as good a time as any to get an honest to goodness recent photo out there. For one thing, it only seems fair that any Book Fair attendees not be taken completely by surprise when they stroll up to my table and compare photo on website to stark reality. As you can see, the decades have done their work between then and now, but that's okay. The young guy didn't have a nifty linen cap.

    Photo and bio stuff done, the much bigger task of preparing for the November book fair remained. I haven't been out and about in public pushing my books for way too long. I had no promo material, next to no inventory, and my welcoming spiel/elevator pitch hasn't been exercised in a long, long time.

    A modest supply of books arrived the other day and shortly afterward I ordered a table runner/drapey thing emblazoned with my name and the catchy Voltaire quote** that can be found at the front of "Boomerang" to hang over the front of my assigned table. I even sprang for a Full Color 16"x20" tabletop foam core poster.

    My wife and I then began creating a series of Like No Other (c)  bookmarks that I can use as giveaways. Every single one is unique. Here is a sample from one of the batches. Each batch makes just six bookmarks.

    The next step is figuring out the whole How To Take Payment Stuff. Can't just show up with a pouch of small bills and rely on potential Dear Readers having a roll of hard currency, today one must be ready to accept touchless payments and such. I think I have everything squared away with Square, but a test run on the app will certainly be in order before the big day.

    If you're in downtown Phoenix by the Burton Barr Main Library this November 8, stop by and find a few genuine Arizona reads. I hope to have my elevator pitch down by then.

*Full disclosure: As of this writing, all titles are now available, with just the Cholla branch paperback copy of "The Baer Boys" being checked out. 

**Doubt is not a very agreeable state

But certainty is a ridiculous one.

-Voltaire

Welcome

 

Hello, and welcome to the place where (eventually) you will be able to read samples, check out reviews, catch up on the latest, and indulge me as I ramble on about whatever deserves to be rambled at the moment.

And, of course, just to the right you will find the lovely "Where to Purchase" links. All of my books are currently available through the usual places like Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, etc, as well as some places around the world you may not be familiar with, like Tolino (aka Thalia), Vivlio, and, for all you librarians out there, Overdrive.

Things will be in a state of construction here for a while, as my webmaster has other duties, including doing all of the cooking, taking Max for walks, trying to learn how to play the mandolin, and writing my books. I did have an earlier online presence, but the visitor specs had turned more than a bit sketchy, so we locked up shop and moved around the corner.