Chicago Psycop | Talent:Medium | Level:Unknown
Once upon a time if you told doctors you heard voices, they'd diagnose you as schizophrenic, put you on heavy drugs, and lock you away in a cozy state institution to keep you from hurting yourself or others.
Nowadays they test you first to see if you're psychic.
_____
The PsyCop series by Jordan Castillo Price features frazzled psychic medium Victor Bayne and his smokin'-hot boyfriend, Jacob Marks. Fifteen years ago, Victor studied at Heliotrope Station, one of the original residential psychic training programs in the U.S. The only thing he learned in that facility was how to be a better liar.
Now he's part of an elite PsyCop unit. Solving murders should be a snap when you can talk to the deceased. But since no one's ever given him a lucky break when they were alive, why would they start now ?
Psy-curious? Check out the stories.
Best Romance of 2011 at Joyfully Reviewed (4/9/2012)
PsyCop #6 GhosTV is one of the 30 novels (both m/m and m/f) chosen as best romance in 2011 at Joyfully Reviewed!
Q&A from Bellevue College (3/9/2012)
Recently, a class at Bellevue College read Body & Soul and Secrets as an example of a paranormal romance that features an established couple. I thought it might be interesting to other PsyCop readers, so with their permission, I've posted some of our discussion here:
Q: While I know that you don’t classify your books as fitting into the romance genre because your books don’t deal with the “will they or won’t they get together” scenario, I’d like to spend a little time talking about the romance between Vic and Jacob. To begin, what made you decide to focus the romance on two gay men? Do you enjoy writing about gay couples more than heterosexual couples? If so, why?
A: It’s not so much that I enjoy it more, though I suppose I must. There are things you can only do with same-sex couples that you can’t do with m/f couples because of the inherent gender politics involved in a m/f relationship. If we were to imagine Vic as a female lead, no doubt he’d be rewritten as “plucky.” Perish the thought.
Q: Coupled with the question above, another student writes: "What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing m/m fiction? Do you have any theories as to why so many straight women read m/m fiction?"
A: I think other women are tired of the formulaic standards of traditional romance and enjoy reading stories with new plot lines that push the boundaries of the genre in fresh ways. The advantage for a new writer would be the ease of getting published. M/M is considered a “hot” genre and you’ll likely find a publisher to give you a chance if you want to get your feet wet. I think that once you write m/m, though, you’re pigeonholed. I don’t think many of us take the leap into mainstream.
Q: Did you have a particular audience in mind while writing the PsyCop series?
A: I usually write with the presumption that my audience is older and reasonably educated. If they aren’t American, I assume they’re game for reading stories with American references in them. My friends tell me some publishers try to homogenize the local color out of their work. Since I self-publish, I get to leave stuff like that intact. My lead characters are usually older than the generic twenty- or thirty-something of most romance. And don’t get me started about a thirty-three-year-old character moping around thinking how old they are! That’s just silly! And yet I often see characters over 29 portrayed as “old.”
Q: Is there an underlying theme or message in the PsyCop series? How does that theme or message guide the choices you make when writing each book in this series?
A: My themes usually emerge once the stories are done, but for the series itself, I would say a main message is that we are all stronger than we think. We all have the potential to be brave.
PsyCop Interview (2/24/12)
There's a brand new JCP interview with many juicy questions about PsyCop at Badass Book Reviews. Come check it out!
New Q&A (1/31/12)
The following Google searches popped up on the PsyCop.com site statistics, so we figured it couldn't hurt to give an official answer!
Q: How old is Victor Bayne?
A: Victor turned 39 at the end of Secrets
Q: Who does the PsyCop cover art?
A: Jordan Castillo Price does them. She has a Master of Fine arts and worked as a graphic designer for several years before she quit her day job to focus on writing and publishing.
Q: Who is the Victor Bayne cover model?
A: The face of Vic is model from a stock art website who happens to have the perfect scowl.
Q: When will PsyCop 7 come out?
A: It's in the works, so hopefully later this year. Subscribe to JCP News, Jordan's monthly newsletter, and don't miss a single new release!
Partners, Second Edition (1/20/12)
PsyCop Partners second edition is now available at Amazon.com!
Diagramming PsyCop (1/15/12)
By reader request: Jordan has diagrammed the GhosTV dorm room and the Cannery on her Live Journal. Click the image to visit each post.
A PsyCop Bundle (1/1/12)
Save big with a PsyCop bundle! Buy all the ebooks and the shorts and receive Among the Living free, and 10% off the rest.
Find detals on all the great bundle deals at JCP Books!
A New Free PsyCop Short (6/16/11)
In response to a flash fiction prompt contest at Reviews by Jessewave, I wrote a new PsyCop short to say "thanks!" to all you PsyCop readers who've been so supportive of JCP Books! This story is based on the prompt: The first time Jacob noticed Vic, he was covered in red.
Get your complimentary copy of Inside Out at JCPBooks.com.
GhosTV is Here (2/24/11)
GhosTV, the sixth book in the PsyCop series, is available at JCP Books in ebook now, and will be at Amazon for the Kindle shortly. The paperback will follow in approximately 4-6 weeks. The first chapter is available to read now.
Psycop makes library journal
PsyCop: Partners is cited by Library Journal as one of ten books librarians should purchase to create a core collection in m/m romance in the article Bodice Rippers Without the Bodice.
GhosTV: the Sixth PsyCop story
For the past dozen years, Victor Bayne has solved numerous murders by interrogating witnesses only he can see—dead witnesses. But when his best friend Lisa goes missing from the sunny California campus of PsyTrain, the last thing he wants to find there is her spirit.
Disappearing without a trace in a school full of psychics? That's some trick. But somehow both Lisa and her roommate have vanished into thin air. A group of fanatics called Five Faith has been sniffing around, and Lisa's email is compromised.
Time is running out, and with no ghosts to cross-examine, Vic can't afford to turn down any offers of help. An old enemy can provide an innovative way to track Vic's missing friend, and he enters into an uneasy alliance—even though its ultimate cost will ensnare him in a debt he may never manage to settle.
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Stroke of Midnight
Camp Hell
