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- Written by HUD
The world’s most successful and celebrated pop star. A Native American making a name for himself in LA. The two collide in a powerful love story torn apart by hatred and racism, all set in the glittery backdrop of Hollywood socialites.
Stevie Pearl is the biggest pop star on the planet. Her earnest Texan roots blend with California idealism to construct a force never before seen in the entertainment industry. The attention surrounding America’s favorite sweetheart is absolute pandemonium, and after a decade of limelight, her stardom is beginning to feel like a prison.
Alex Nopah is an illustrator. The graphic novel he draws for is budding into a super-franchise. Hired as a consultant for the upcoming motion picture, Alex is introduced to Hollywood and the woman that will forever change his life. Born on a reservation, Alex’s humble upbringing polarizes the wealth and attitude of LA, along with the new life he’s trying to construct for himself.
THE BALLAD OF STEVIE PEARL presents itself as a sickeningly sweet tale of a young woman crossed somewhere between the bubblegum pop of Taylor Swift and the glamour of the Kardashian’s. Breakups, drama, and paparazzi act as a smokescreen, shadowing the true genius behind the empire and a powerful businesswoman taking command of her career. Faced with corruption, collusion, and greed within her own organization, juxtaposed against systemic racism, sexism, and classism within society—much like the coy smile of Stevie Pearl, the story’s teeth sinks much deeper into the mind then its glossy exterior.
Once all is won and Stevie Pearl embraces the love she has longed for within Alex Nopah, the final pages take an abrupt and unexpected turn. What can only be described as utterly horrific—tragedy strikes the couple deep within the Mojave Desert. Prolific anguish can’t describe the tear soaked ending, making THE BALLAD OF STEVIE PEARL one of the most unexpected and conscious novels written in recent years.
This novel is supported by a humorous and entertaining ensemble of characters, providing the reader with a deep emotional connection to Alex and Stevie. This drama / tragedy reads as a quirky romantic comedy up until its final pages, combining pop culture references, witty dialog, and a soundtrack for each chapter. Its diverse character selection and provocative undertones makes THE BALLAD OF STEVIE PEARL a modern fish-out-of-water story, Cinderella crossed with Romeo and Juliet.
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- Written by SW Hammond
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Over the last few weeks, the swhammond.com website has undergone a few major changes. With the completion of the new office / studio, big things are underway and I’m excited for you to see all the new content that will be coming out.
I work pretty hard at creating all of this stuff. Aside from editors and those generous enough to donate their time to proofreading my books, everything else in this enterprise I’ve done myself. Writing the books—formatting the layout and converting them to digital, paperback, and hardcovers—all of the cover art and graphic design… I built this website myself. There’s now hundreds of pages and articles—which is absolutely crazy to think about. Attending all of the comic cons and live events—I can’t quantify the amount of time I’ve spent in an effort to bring you high quality, professional content.
As a one man show, it’s incredibly satisfying. Your emails, comments, and support isn’t filtered. I see each and every one of them, and I’m so humbled by how much everything has grown. I hit a big milestone this week, according to Alexa Rank this website has surpassed the 500,000 mark. That means that out of all of the websites in the entire world, this one is now in the top 500,000. That may not mean a lot to some of you, but I started this website in 2004 and I used to rank in the 10s of millions. I’m proud to see this grow and those little milestones are mentally so important—I know my work is reaching you.
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- Written by SW Hammond
Believe me, you guys—I am so in love with these characters!
Well, it has been quite the summer. Those of you who keep in touch and check out the site from time to time probably have noticed that things have been a little quiet. Quiet online, yes—not so much in the real world!
It’s been a busy few months. I graduated from UNLV, I moved back to Colorado, a good portion of my office was lost in the move (no data though, thank Gods), not to mention the many things I had to fix and build at the new house. Life stuff—nothing of terrible interest—but it has all been very consuming.
I did have an event at the end of August, the Colorado Springs Comic Con. The show was a lot of fun, I’m really starting to get to know the other vendors as we seem to be doing the same shows all over the country. This is now my “home town” show and I hope its success continues for many years.
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- Written by SW Hammond
Writing With The Human Condition In Mind
I had the pleasure to sit down with James Kelly on his talk radio show and podcast, Aspects of Writing. Each week, James tackles a topic related to writing and guests contribute to the discussion. Topics range from publishing, marketing, plot structure, current issues and news and so on—this week he invited me to discuss writing with the human condition in mind. Janet Coursey, a running panelist of the show, also gave her wisdom and we had a great time discussing life and philosophy.
The radio show airs on AMFM247 terrestrial stations coast to coast on Saturday afternoons. The shows are also available as podcasts and YouTube videos for streaming whenever you want. Click "Read More" for links and to view the video version of the show.
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- Written by SW Hammond
Spectacularly printed coffee table book filled with tons of photography.
It’s been a long time coming, but the hardcover version of The Mixtape Manifesto: A Pop Culture Confessional has arrived and they look great! Pick up your copy from Amazon.
The book reads as a compilation of articles or short essays—almost like flipping through a magazine—with an overarching, well, let’s call it “progression of maturity”. Things centralize around me dealing with and processing relationships; relating love and loss to music, movies, and tv shows. Just thoughts on life with lots of shout outs to 80s, 90s, and 00s pop culture—my heart on my sleeve relating common feelings to common themes. Those of you who enjoy Chuck Klosterman would probably enjoy this read.
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