by Mallory Moad & Autumn Trapani

After this article, you will find a review of James’ new book The Color of Sound as well as details on how to enter to win a signed copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Did you know there are demons, angels, and a few vampires lurking in a small Central Valley town just south of Fresno? If you don’t believe me, ask local author, James Garcia Jr. He’s the man responsible for these spooky residents. James is a writer of horror fiction, and the creatures in question inhabit his books, most of which take place in and around his hometown of Kingsburg.

James Garcia Jr.

Although he’s been writing since he was in middle school, his exposure to literature, particularly the horror genre, came not by way of the education system, but through film. “I think I discovered scary movies first,” he explains. When he realized the films he loved, like Jaws, The Amityville Horror, and The Shining were adaptations of books, an enthusiasm was sparked. His favorite authors were Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Clive Barker, and Michael Slade. Having discovered hard rock music during this same period, James’s first attempts at the written word were song lyrics. But ultimately, he found the structure to be too limiting and constrictive. “I needed more room to tell my stories.” By the time he was in high school, he had progressed to short stories and novellas.

While attending Reedley College, James met the woman who became his wife. Love won, but as it too frequently happens, the responsibilities of being a good husband and father displaced the art. The manuscript he had been working on was packed away for almost twenty years. As time passed, and his two sons grew older, James was compelled to revisit his passion. After some soul searching, James completed his debut novel, Dance on Fire (the first in a trilogy about vampires) twenty years after having begun. It was published in 2010, proving it’s never too late to follow a dream, even if you needed to take a break for a while.

All six of James’s published novels are paranormal thrillers. These are definitely stories for grownups, with plenty of blood, guts, adult situations and strong language (although closer to a strong PG-13 rating than R). So what is the appeal of this nightmare-inducing genre? “I just felt drawn to it.” At one point early in his writing career, James questioned his choices. “After I followed the pretty girl to her church (and ultimately married her), I began to think I was not supposed to be involved with dark material.” He began to explore Biblical subject matter but it just wasn’t a good fit, and he missed the thrill of writing fiction. “Soon I came back because, for me, I realized it was like riding a roller coaster. You get off after the ride is over. It’s not a lifestyle.”

But why Kingsburg? It isn’t unusual for writers to set their stories in places with which they are familiar or as a tribute to a locale that has an emotional connection. Stephen King’s spine chillers often take place in his beloved Bangor, Maine; the murders in Reedley author, Lorie Lewis Ham’s mysteries are committed in Fresno’s Tower District. For James, it just made sense. “Back when I actually began writing Dance on Fire, I found myself spending so much time world-building a city that was the same size as Kingsburg. It drove me crazy and impeded my creativity. So I finally decided if Uncle Stevie (Stephen King) can write about Bangor, Maine all the time, there’s nothing stopping me from letting my hometown be the setting.” The good citizens of Kingsburg don’t seem to be bothered: “I have heard nothing negative about me using our town as a setting for so much carnage.”

One might expect, given the frequency with which paranormal beings appear in his books, that James has actually encountered them in real life. He hasn’t and is in no hurry to do so. “I go to church regularly hoping never to see anything like what I write or read about,” he insists. “The only ghosts I want to see are the three hitchhikers who hope to go home with you at the end of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland!”

James is currently spending his free time promoting his latest novel, The Color of Sound (check out the review below). While no vampires are involved, there are other creatures of the night who are just as dangerous and frightening. And, of course, everything happens in Kingsburg. As to whether it is the first of a series, James has this to say: “We’ll see (*winks*).”

You can follow James and read excerpts from his books on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Goodreads and learn more on his website. His novels are available in paperback at Trinkets and Treasures in––you guessed it––downtown Kingsburg, and in paperback and e-book format at Amazon.

My name is Mallory Moad, and I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

Mallory Moad is a visual/performance artist, vocalist in the jazz band Scats on The Sly and a proud Central San Joaquin Valley native.

The Color of Sound By James Garcia Jr.
Review by Autumn Trapani

The Color of Sound is author James Garcia Jr.’s latest novel. It concerns a young woman, Jewel, who has heard voices most of her life. One night, the scales fall from her eyes and she becomes aware of many beings that are not visible to humans. The question is, what does she do about them?

I really liked Jewel, the main character. She grows a great deal over the course of the story, from a frightened teenager who has almost no friends and doesn’t want to interact with anyone, to a woman with a mission. Along the way, she shows a capacity for caring as she tries to help another classmate who she realizes is hearing the same voices she is.

Author James Garcia Jr. does an excellent job of portraying the effect that constantly hearing insulting voices would have on an individual – the fear, the energy it takes to resist, the constant waiting for the other shoe to drop. Those parts of the book are highly effective, as I found myself holding my breath along with Jewel, waiting for the voices to return yet again. I also got a good sense of the claustrophobia Jewel was feeling.

While I enjoyed the book, I really would have liked more action in the story and more interaction between characters. As much as I appreciated Jewel’s journey, I would have liked it even more if there had been more interconnection so that the reader could sympathize with Jewel and other characters and get to know them better.

Readers should be aware that there is strong language and a couple of somewhat graphic sexual scenes in the book, as well as a plot line concerning suicide. This book also has ties to Garcia’s vampire series, the Dance on Fire books, and fans of that series should enjoy this book as well.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of The Color of Sound, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “sound” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 26, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Autumn Trapani is an avid reader and enjoys letting others know about good books through her reviews. When not reviewing, you can find her working as a property manager – although she always has her nose in a book at lunchtime! Autumn lives in Portland, OR with her husband and two cats.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.