Bronx writer Judy Hutson, a former music journalist and hip-hop publicist, has now self-published her first novel, a spy story featuring a Black female main character.
Hutson’s “glamorous thriller,” called “Spy Notes,” was released Feb. 12 and is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats.
Hutson told the Bronx Times she always loved spy stories, especially James Bond, and wanted to see more diversity in that world. “I always said, you know, why can’t there be a Black woman who is a spy?” said Hutson. “Black women are the most underestimated people, so we would make the best spies.”
The story was in the works for years, and the pandemic prompted Hutson to finally finish it. But as she set out to publish, she realized that much like a musician, she wanted to own the intellectual property and have more control over her work.
Hutson decided to self-publish and eventually found an editor who fit with her vision. As it turned out, Hutson’s experience working with indie music companies came in handy in the do-it-yourself world of self-publishing. “Now I’m the product instead of promoting something else,” she said.
The novel’s main character, Johnny Harrington, was inspired by Josephine Baker, a Black entertainer born in 1906 who served as a spy in France against the Nazi regime. As a beloved performer, she heard all sorts of information from the Germans and passed it along, writing with invisible ink on sheet music, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
In the book, Harrington is working as a publicist for a celebrity musician when an undercover detective is killed, and her new love interest is implicated. Harrington gets caught up in a deadly drug trafficking scheme and other drama as she attempts to figure out which interactions are sincere and which ones are dangerous setups.
Spies are just ordinary people who have certain special skills that agencies like the CIA want, said Hutson. She described her character Harrington, partly inspired by her own experiences in the music world, as having “access to a world they could not get to,” along with a photographic memory, which make her a perfect candidate.
Although “Spy Notes” is brand new, Hutson plans to make it a series and is already at work on the second book. “I wanna be like how Ian Fleming had James Bond” across 12 novels, she said. And just as Bond evolved into a more complex character as his experience grew, her character Harrington has a lot more growth and adventure ahead. “She’s still on tour, gonna get into more trouble.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
