Interview With James Hutchings

I would like to introduce author James Hutchings and thank him for stopping by The Cotton Patch and letting me interview him. Hutchings is the author of a story with an interesting title: The Case of the Syphilitic Sister. This first chapter can now be found on JukePopSerials

No problem. Thanks for having me.

Please tell us a bit about yourself?

I fight crime as Poetic Justice, but my day job is acting. You might know me by my

stage-name 'Brad Pitt.'

How long have you been writing and have you always been interesting in writing mysteries?

Apart from writing for school, I wrote a YA novel back around the turn of the century which, thankfully, few people ever saw. I started seriously writing again in 2010.

Do you write other genre besides mysteries?

I actually mostly write fantasy. I've read a lot of mysteries, usually Agatha Christie and the like rather than 'hard-boiled' detective stories.

What authors have been an influence on your writing?

The main influences on my fantasy writing would be JRR Tolkien and Jack Vance for the elaborate dialogue, Robert E Howard for the general atmosphere, Terry Pratchett for the humour. and Lord Dunsany for the use of Fame, Time and so on as characters.

The main influence on 'The Case of the Syphilitic Sister' would be the comic 'Watchmen' by Alan Moore.

Tell us a bit about your book?

It's mainly a detective story, except that the detectives are superheroes. In the world of the story, teams of superheroes act as private detective agencies. There isn't anyone like Superman who has completely impossible powers: the heroes rely on technology or special training. The story is based around one of their cases, in which a woman hires the group to find out how her sister ended up dying of syphilis.

You have given us your first chapter, when will the entire book be available?

I've written about 10,000 words, which I intend to post in monthly chapters. After that, what happens depends on the response that the story gets.

You have chosen an interesting title, can you tell us why you picked it?

It was originally called 'All-American Detectives', but the people at JukePop Serials, where I submitted it, felt that the title was a bit bland. I was trying to come up with a title that was similar to a hard-boiled detective story.

Please tell us about who designed the cover art.

I did it myself. I used artwork from two old comic book covers that were in the public domain.

Is this the first in a series of mysteries?

I hope so. But, in the end, readers decide whether a story gets a sequel.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks again for having me. Can I give some links? The first chapter of 'The Case of the Syphilitic Sister' is here. My blog is here

Thanks again for stopping by. Please come back again and let us know when we can read the next installment.