Sunday, June 12, 2011

Justice Jack Prologue

Okay you Sammiacs!


I put the final touches on Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack today!

282 pages of crazy fun.

(And did you notice, the title is still being tweaked?)

And because I am bleary-eyed and still have miles of un-fun to go before I sleep, this is just a quick check in to say Hi and thank you for your enthused comments from last week … and deliver to you the Prologue (first manuscript page). Hope it makes you chuckle over Sammys past. What a wild ride this has been.

Until next week, THANK YOU for checking in!

Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack

By

Wendelin Van Draanen


Prologue

     The City of Santa Martina has some odd ducks swimming in its waters. There’s Madame Nashira the fortune teller that lives in the Heavenly Hotel. There’s the Elvis impersonator who works nights at Maynard’s Market. There’s the Psycho Kitty Queen who used to be a beauty queen but now has a gazillion cats and looks like a ninety year old Barbie.

     We’ve also got a cockeyed taxidermist, a whole school of pro-wrestling maniacs, Dusty Mike who hangs out at the graveyard, and a hunched old lady who likes to walk her two-hundred pound pet pig.

     And that’s not even taking into account all the bikers and gang guys and—oh yeah! How could I forget?

     Heather Acosta.

     So really, I thought I’d seen it all. I thought this crazy town couldn’t surprise me with anything new.

     And then I met Justice Jack.

19 comments:

bookworm said...

TORTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHO IS DUSTY MIKE AND WHY OH WHY IS LIFE SO CRUEL TO ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!I'M MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Wow. That was interesting.


WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????????????????????

Wendelin Van Draanen said...

Crack me up bookworm :)

And you're right! Dusty Mike is (mostly) in Night of Skulls which isn't out yet! So, um, yeah. Not really fair of me, huh?

Although he did have a role in Runaway Elf...

Anonymous said...

Hey, I kind of remember Dusty Mike! When I read that part in your prologue I stopped for a moment and was thinking, "I think I remember something like him mentioned in Runaway Elf but maybe I'm just saying that because of graveyards?"
Anyway, very cool. I have got to say you have a knack of making the wait a little bit better mixed in with just the right about of torture (in a good torturous way, if that even exists, you know). But it's not your fault that we're (really) kinda crazy, actually it is, since you *are* the mastermind behind these brilliant books.
Then again, it's not like I'm the Talented People Police. I can't just go around saying "Hey you— you're super talented and your amazing books torture all your fans— YOU'RE UNDER ARREST."
That would be very UNcool of me. ;D
Anyway, very cool, like I said already!
Hahaha. I always liked that Lester Blunt "taxidermy-ologist". And I can't wait until that Elvis guy comes back into play— because I know it's going to crack me.

By the way last week I asked why you had "zarape" in there because wasn't is a Mexican blanket or something? And I was wondering if zarape had like, an alternate more-Halloween-ish meaning but it didn't. And then later I was retracing an old post of yours and it said one of the nicknames for someone that Sammy comes up with is El Zarape. So the "El" part sort of told me that it WAS talking about the Mexican blanket zarape and not some alternate meaning. And now I get it all thanks to my piecing-things-together skills.

This comment probably makes it seem like I am angry at you for being an amazing author, just so you know I AM NOT and I absolutely LOVE everything you write and I don't care how long I have to wait, I will NEVER stop being a fan of yours.
So that's all. <3

Have a nice week and thank you again!

Alexa said...

WHO IS DUSTY MIKE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? AH!!!!

but, THANK YOU THAN YOU THANK YOU!!!! Love the prologue, very creative. I especially love the line "The City of Santa Martina has some odd ducks swimming in its waters" pure awesomeness!!!!!!!!!

Caradith Craven said...

Wendelin, congrats on completing number 15 in the SK series...what an amazing accomplishment to add to your long string of them. After reading the prologue excerpt, I must say it looks like another hilarious, 'must read' with quirky characters to entertain and delight your multitude of SK devotees.

Anonymous said...

OMG!I need the CSI people to help find out who Dusty Mike is!!!<:O
I could've swore i heard the name Dusty Mike somewhere....
Well thanks x like a million(:

Optimistic4ever said...

I love the prologue! One of the reasons I love SK books is because they're "sizzling with sass." That's in quotes cuz it sounds familiar and I'm not sure if I read it somewhere or used it before. I can't recall. Anywho... Heather Acosta has been down graded to my 3rd favorite. Billy is first and Cricket (Cassie Kuo) is second. I love them all. Please please please don't turn Heather into some evil maniacal axe murderer! And may I know if Cricket will ever be back? even for like, two minutes. She reminds me of me... sorta. Um, right, so I love the prologue, looking forward to learning more about this Justice Jack. That's all for now!

Lucy said...

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the prologue!!! I can't wait for the next book to come out. Justice Jack sounds like a comic book character.. Hmmmmm...

B said...

Is it me or does justice jack sound mafia or something like that?

N3WYORKD3VIL said...

Oh the pain, the painnnn. Waiting is overrated! Graduation ceremonies are overrated...Someone tell me what overrated means, please? Haha, I wish Sammy could have a big graduation ceremony, cuz she'd totally make it so awesome and weird and so something...I want her to come to my graduation...but instead, some councilman person will be there.

...Can Sammy come? I want her to make fun of the song my class has to sing.
ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE BOOK
CANT GO BACK, BUT YOU CAN LOOK.

O_O CHAPTER? BOOK?
Hannah Montana will drive me crazy. I'll Always Remember You.

I'm gonna trip. High heels and a gown. I'll trip. Either that or my cap will fall down...

Anonymous said...

Hey, i was wondering if there will be a Sammy Keys movie?I've heard online that their might but i just wanted to get it from someone who truly knows.I was just wondering because i was blogging with Eion Colfer the author of the Artemis Fowl books and trying to see when the movie comes out.Unfortunately,not until before 2015):
Hope to hear back!
AbaGayle

Raisa Karim said...

this is so unfair....how does one WAIT for something like this??!! I love you, though!

bookworm said...

i'm slightly depressed right now, because this little laptop i have is broken; a screw fell out of it into my hand. if this makes any sense, pray that my computer will be fixed by my friend b/c i truly love this little thing. it was a gift, and i fell in love with it. that, and i don't want to have to pay 200-400 dollars for it to get shipped out and repaired. :'(

frances said...

What's the mystery about?? I so want to know. also who's justice jack? the name sorta reminds me of a canadian backwoodsman or something lol. like a lumberjack or something.

MJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MJ said...

How can no one remember who Dusty Mike is??????? :(

Wendelin Van Draanen said...

Dusty Mike is awesome, thanks for remembering my quirky characters :)

righteousinHim4ever! said...

I LOVE your books and I'm SO excited to read Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack. Your characters are amazing. All of them are so different and complex, and when you read about them you know that they are alive. thank you for writing books with meaning and depth, not shallow books that have no life to them at all like so many others. Thanks, and i am a huge fan.

Wendelin Van Draanen said...

Thank you and welcome to the blog! I think you will find some good friends here :-)