Want a little taste of Blackthorn before Blood Shadows is released? (Which is on the 27th November JUST in case anyone had forgotten!)
I’m going to be sharing a few ‘Blackthorn Bites’ in the run up to publication – giving you just a little more insight into the world of Blackthorn and into Kane and Caitlin. Here’s the very first…
And remember, you can follow the Blackthorn Bites on my Pinterest page too.
Welcome to ‘The Next Big Thing’ blog tour. Huge thanks to my HPT blog-buddy, Victoria James for tagging me to continue the chain. Thank you too for everyone else who thought of me. I’ve tagged two more writers at the bottom of this post.
The idea is that we all answer the same ten questions about our current or next release, which means I get to talk about Blood Shadows. *smirks* Any excuse…
What is the title of your latest book?
It’s called Blood Shadows and it’s the first book in the Blackthorn series.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The concept for Blackthorn starting evolving about sixteen years ago. For my first teaching job, I’d moved to a big city over 300 miles away from everything I knew. My sense of direction is appalling anyway, so it was no surprise that, walking home one night, I got lost. I ended up in a very isolated and run-down area. Iron bars were on windows. Metal shutters were on doors. The place was dead. I was terrified, but the idea for Blackthorn was born – dark paranormal stories set in an urban, gritty backdrop of social unrest, where vampires brush shoulders with humans. It instantly became a dystopian world where humans were calling the shots, where there was segregation and prejudice. It was the perfect environment to breed conflict between characters, particularly my heroes and heroines. Blackthorn inevitably developed into a backdrop for dark and intense romances that will eventually each play an integral role in the future of Blackthorn.
I’ll talk about what inspired Blood Shadows in a question I’ve been asked a little further along…
What genre does your book fall under?
It comes under the broad umbrella term of Paranormal Romance, under the subheading of vampire fiction. Within that, it could be summed up as a dark and romantic urban thriller. It’s fairly graphic in places so not for anyone of a sensitive disposition!
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
This is such a hard question because I never have anyone in mind when I start writing characters. When I was asked to provide some Pinterest images for the cover designer for Blood Shadows, it was more a blend of features and visible attitude. Considering how vivid Kane and Caitlin are to me, the models he selected are scarily close to what I have in my mind.
Based on characteristics I’ve seen in various roles, I’d say Elisha Cuthbert (House of Wax), Eliza Dushku or Kirsten Dunst for Caitlin. Kane is particularly tricky. Because of the eyes, I think Wentworth Miller might be able to carry him off. I also think Jensen Ackles could play him when he’s in really bad-guy mode. I think the best match would be Henry Cavill though. I’ve never seen him in action and only discovered him on Pinterest, so I’ll have to see if I think the same when I see him move!
You can check out what I mean by going to my Pinterest boards. You don’t need to be a member to look.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Caitlin has four days to persuade Blackthorn’s most lethal vampire to help destroy what killed her parents before it kills her, but not only does Kane despise everything she stands for, she’s already a part of his own dark intentions.
Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m published by Bookouture – an absolutely awesome bespoke publisher founded by ex-Harlequin marketing controller, Oliver Rhodes. What can I say? I like the personal touch. 😉 Best of all, Bookouture didn’t want to change me or my stories. I think Oliver is very tuned-in to readers and he’s got a genuine respect for authors, two traits that were obligatory to me in handing over my stories. Working with Bookouture just felt right from the outset.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
From what I remember, the first draft was written in about three to four months. There was ‘layering’ for about a further two months. Bookouture got in touch soon after I started subbing so I then went straight on to revisions, which was primarily weaving in plotlines to join the subsequent books together.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’ve been told the stories would appeal to readers of Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R. Ward, which is incredibly flattering.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to write paranormal romance over twenty years ago because I couldn’t find any in my local bookshop. It wasn’t quite so prevalent back then, certainly not in the UK.
As to what inspired Blood Shadows, it must be ten years or so since I first came up with the idea so I can’t place it exactly. I remember seeing a film where there was a chase down a back alley along a chain-link fence and I immediately thought of an agent responsible for keeping vampires in order in Blackthorn. I love strong heroines so I wanted to make the agent a woman. The bad boy vampire was inevitable. I’d only ever written a few opening scenes for the novella and then came back to it for NV 11. From there I structured the story properly, let it develop naturally as I wrote and let Kane and Caitlin take over. Kane actually ‘rewrote’ the last few chapters himself from what I had originally planned. I love it when that happens!
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Can I cheat and let some of the New Voices comments I had say it for me?
So, interview over, I am now going to tag the fabulous Tima Maria Lacoba and Aimee Duffy with the same ten questions. Good luck, ladies!
But before I go, if you haven’t seen me mention it on Facebook, I have another interview to come. I’m soon going to be interrogated by my publisher over on the Bookouture website (eek!). If you’d like to join in – if there is anything you are itching to ask me about Blackthorn, Blood Shadows, Kane, Caitlin, even me as an author – feel free to send your questions to me, before Thursday, via the comments box below or you can email, tweet or Facebook me. Be as imaginative (or probing) as you like – it’s more fun that way!
xxx
Tonight is the premiere of Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. It’s the end of an era. I’m no expert on Twilight. To be honest, they’re a bit young for me. I sing all due praises for Stephenie Meyer though. She’s done an amazing job bringing the genre to a whole new audience. But for me, Edward’s just too safe.
I love that about this genre – that there’s so much variety across authors, books, film and TV. Just because you’re a vampire fan doesn’t mean you’re going to fall in love with every set of male fangs that cross the page or smiles seductively on screen. But what’s the fun in getting too analytical about it? I say let’s have some simple Friday night indulgence instead.
So, in the build up to the release of Blood Shadows, and to get us into the ‘Kane’ zone (11 days to go!), I thought I’d share my favourite mad, bad and dangerous-to-know vampire characters with you (when I say characters, I mean ‘characters’ – but yes, it does help that they look like that too). As far as tainted, tortured and intense go, here are my top four fanged boys from film and TV…
Oh, and you might want to pull up a chair, maybe make yourself a coffee and lock yourself in a nice quiet dark room – and you’ll need the sound turned up if you want to enjoy the full effect of the footage!
(WARNING – some people might be offended by the content that follows)
Coming in at a very admirable fourth place:
Michael (The Lost Boys)
My first vampire crush, so I had to include him! In fact I have a crush on this entire film, so went with the slightly longer video footage than planned (4 mins). If you don’t know which one Michael is (shame on you!), I’ll leave you to work it out.
Just losing out on second place but still taking the enviable third place:
Damon (TVD)
Another 4 minute clip, but what true Damon fan is going to complain? Okay, it’s a little over indulgent, but you don’t have to watch it all… (yeah, right…)
In second place:
Deacon (Blade)
Oh, yes. That’s all I’ll say – yes. Less than two minutes of footage, but an utterly perfect two minutes all the same.
In the very well-deserved first place:
Mitchell (Being Human UK)
My absolute favourite vampire of all times. It helps that he’s played by the utterly hypnotic Aidan Turner (have you ever heard that guy speak? Sheesh…) As far as mad, bad and dangerous-to-know goes, well, you’ve got to love him. Just under three minutes in total… I might need to replay.
Thanks for indulging with me. If you’ve got a favourite vampire of your own, I’d love to hear who! It’s always fun to compare notes on my favourite topic. If not, I’ll just keep watching these clips over and over and over again. I won’t feel lonely. Not at all.
xxx
Thank you SO much to everyone who shared my Monday excitement with the cover reveal of Blood Shadows. I’m so pleased you thought it was worth the wait. The cover designer really is one of the best in the business and he’s done an outstanding job capturing Blood Shadows let alone the whole theme of Blackthorn. I think it represents urban vampire paranormal romance at its best – but then I am very biased!
Thanks too for all your messages and emails about this new site – I’m thrilled you’re as pleased with it as me. Some of your feedback was very touching, some set me off into giggles – so thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
As you can see, Bookouture have worked extremely hard in the background assisting with getting this site set up and I think they’ve done a fantastic job both in the selection of the overall design and images, let alone the behind-the-scenes functionality. The latter I’m getting my head around slowly – but remember this is coming from someone who nearly had a breakdown trying to operate Twitter only a year ago, so I’m making progress!
I had lots of involvement in the decision making but there’s nothing like seeing it all come together. The first time I saw this site completed, I may as well have been led into an adventure park. I kept clicking on everything and discovering where things were and what had been added. I absolutely love the sliders. If you go to ‘Books’ and watch the motion slider there, you’ll see the tag lines appear from Blood Shadows. I’m such a big kid – I love all that kind of stuff. Then if you go onto the ‘About Blackthorn’ you’ll see a large version of the crest. Oh, how I love that crest! And has anyone spotted the blood splatter favicon in the address bar? (Though in my lack of technical know-how, I nicknamed it the favabean – you know, as in with a nice Chianti? *Bows to groans*) I love that little feature, but I did say I was a big kid – oh, and a huge fan of Dexter.
Those who were familiar with my old website will know there are other new features too. ‘About Blackthorn’ is where I’ll share background information on the concept behind the series and all the unfamiliar terms I introduce in the books, so hopefully you’ll find it interesting. There’s also a ‘Press’ section now so you’ll know what’s being shared globally about me as an author and the Blackthorn series.
I have new link buttons. There’s a Pinterest one where I’ll be uploading some new images in due course. If there are any boards you’d like to see, do let me know. And I’m finally on Facebook. Soon I’ll be posting regular updates on there, including letting you know when the Blood Shadows trailer will be aired… oh, it’s good!!
For someone who was petrified of social media only a matter of months ago, I’m really beginning to get into this. It’s such an important part of my new job (yes, I can officially say that now), and it’s made all the more fun by you joining in with me. Thanks for being there!
If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything that happens here, then please do subscribe by email and you’ll get notifications every time something new appears. Alternatively, just come and visit when you have a few spare minutes. And please always feel free to email.
I’ll be back with a post on Friday getting right back into the heart of paranormal romance. Do come and visit, especially if you’d like to talk dark and brooding vampires with me…
