I amused my publisher a little while ago when, during a conversation about Blood Torn, I happened to mention I’m terrified of werewolves.

I’m not sure whether it was something someone in my sub-genre should have admitted to – but I have a habit of blurting out minor confessions when I get over-enthused talking about Blackthorn.

And my fears aren’t limited to werewolves. Vampires also scare me, as does the dark, busy cities, being enclosed, the cruelty humans are capable of against their own and others…basically, Blackthorn scares me. And it’s not just the place itself, but most of what happens in the books. Nonetheless, it’s my unease that ultimately helps me create tension in the stories. I wasn’t joking when I previously admitted to gasping, wincing or even looking away whilst writing some scenes. And when my heroes or heroines decide to take a step off my pre-planned path, it becomes even more stressful.

As an author, you can either play safe or go places you’re not sure you want to go – not unlike as a reader. Personally, I find the latter much more rewarding to survive which is why I ultimately write, read and watch what I do.

As you may know from previous posts, vampires are a particular passion of mine (despite the fear) and I’ve had a lifelong fascination with their mythology. Originally, Blackthorn was going to be vampire-focused. Then along came Jask, my hero of Blood Torn. He was supposed to stay in the background. Needless to say he wasn’t having any of that!

My first ‘encounter’ with a werewolf was watching An American Werewolf in London (1981). A “black comedy”, it said. Did I laugh? No. And I have a fairly dark sense of humour. There were two scenes that were particularly terrifying – on the moors where it all began and then in the tube station. (No more backpacking moor walks for me in the fog! And no tube journeys either! They can go in the ‘activities reject pile’ along with riding an inflatable on the ocean after seeing Jaws…) I was never the same again.

So when you’re left with residual psychological damage after your first encounter with a werewolf, it’s not exactly easy turning one such mythological creature into a hero – or an attractive one at that! Thankfully Jask made the task a lot easier.

Although vampires dominate the district of Blackthorn, lycans (I’ll let you know why I refer to them as that instead of werewolves next time) not only play a core role in the district’s stability, but also what’s to come in the series. Hence why Jask needed a story all of his own.

I’ve already given you some clues in a previous post about what you can expect with Blood Torn (no spoilers, I promise, if you haven’t looked yet), but I haven’t yet shared some of the research I used to help shape my Blackthorn lycans. So, I’ll be back next time to let you know what I discovered along the way, as well as a post soon after about some of the traits you can come to expect with Blackthorn’s most pivotal pack.