Welcome to Immortality and
Beyond. May I offer you a drink?
Seeing as I’m Wiccan, it’s
going to have to be a Witches Brew! Mmm, fizzy.
Wonderful! Great choice. Please make yourself comfortable.
BK: When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 7. I loved Enid
Blyton at the time, and although I had always written short stories
and drawn pictures to go with them, that was the age I realized that
I could do this when I was a grown up.
BK: Please tell us a little
bit about your current release...
It entwines a crime thriller,
a paranormal romance and erotica, and a little horror…but it’s
also about ‘Shadow People’. These are strange ghost-like entities
not a lot of people have written about, and I couldn’t find any
books that have Shadow People attached to another creature the way
there are in Vigilante of Shadows. It also has a smart young police
officer who is kidnapped, a group of shadowy assassins out for blood,
and a sexy demon who is a vigilante! Now if all that doesn’t make
you want to read the book, I don’t know what to tell you.
BK: What inspired this
particular novel/book?
I honestly have no idea.
Random ideas pop into my head from nowhere all the time—it comes
from thinking too much about things when I see or hear them. So
thinking about crime after hearing about it on the news got me to
thinking about the ways in which people deal with it…which lead me
to vigilantes. I’m not sure how he ended up as an ancient
supernatural creature though…perhaps because he would have seen a
time without law and order as we have it today. The rest fell into
place as I let the characters take the lead.
BK: How do you keep your
writing different from all the others that write in this particular
genre?
I always put my little twist
on it. If other people have werewolves or vampires in their stories,
I make mine different, give them a different mythology. If someone
writes about the same topic, I give it a different spin. I think
eventually you will always hit on something that someone has written
many years before without realizing it, but you always strive to
create something new. The Holy Grail for any writer is the Original
Idea.
BK: What was the hardest
thing about writing this story?
I think it was making sure the
parts with the police officers and crime scenes very exact and as it
is in real life. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible, so a few
of my friends who work for the police gave me a hand with the
language and systems used, to get it as exact as possible.
BK: Which character was your
favorite to write for in this story? Why?
Aww, you’re really going to
make me pick just one? Okay, okay…if I had
to pick just one, it would be Aodhan. I loved created the mind of
this poor man, trapped in his own past. I will admit, I’m horrible
and love torturing my characters. It makes for a better story. They
always get a happy ending, but they have to work for it! Plus I
enjoyed creating his life story, and the creation of what he was.
BK: Tell us about the one
scene you had the most fun writing…
Definitely the last scenes of
the book, where there is a huge battle. I love writing action scenes,
as they are one of the most challenging things to write…and I hope
I pulled it off! I don’t want to say too much about it though, as
it may give some things away.
BK: Will this become a
series? If so, what inspired it to be a series? OR If it is a series,
what inspired it to become a series?
It is going to be a series!
Originally, it wasn’t. But I have two other books out, which go
together, but are not a series, they are just a duo. And people kept
asking me to do a series with more characters, so in the end I
thought it might be good to continue with this one. Plus I have so
many more characters that need their stories telling, so it wouldn’t
be fair to leave them.
BK: Now for a little fun, and
into your everyday life, What is a day in your life like?
Busy. No, I’m kidding, I’m
not going to leave it there! But it is
very busy. I
usually wake up early, and go for a walk to wake me up, as I live in
a gorgeous Yorkshire village. Then I’ll have my breakfast, coffee
(very necessary for any writer), and open up my laptop. After emails,
messages and so on, I get going with whatever work needs doing that
day. It can simply be writing, or marketing, and it could also be any
number of tasks for my publishing company, Moon Rose Publishing, as I
have other authors with work published through it. On top of this, I
also design book covers for people. So a lot of work! I’ll work
until late on, fitting in dinner somewhere when my partner comes
home. Then I relax for a few hours with a few films or comedies, or
even possibly the geek in me will come out and I’ll go on the PS3.
So not very exciting, but very
exhausting!
BK: What do you like to do
when you're not writing?
Relax! I love sports, so I do
a lot of swimming and karate, walking, I do (she admits ashamedly)
like playing on the PS3 from time to time, and I love films. If I
wasn’t writing, I would want to be a film critic, as it’s
something I do anyway as I watch them—much to the annoyance of
everyone else around me!
After that, I like to fit in
meeting up with my friends and having a few G&Ts ;)
BK: What is one thing your
readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
Hmm…I’m not sure how
surprised they would be by me! I’m quite a frank person, and
possibly a bit eccentric (okay, maybe a lot), so I always come out
with random things. Perhaps that I’m an introvert. I’m a very
sociable person, and I adore every single one of my friends; and at a
party, I will usually be the first one up to dance. But I’m
actually a complete introvert, hate talking on the telephone, and
occasionally need my space away from everyone just so I can relax and
de-stress about things. I think a lot of people think introverts are
anti-social, and that’s just not true. We just digest information
in a different way to most people, so like to listen over talking a
lot, and tend to choose our friends very carefully, rather than
having hundreds of them. So I’m the life of the party, but only if
I choose to go.
BK: What do you like to read?
Who is your favorite author?
I like to read anything and
everything, as long as it’s well written. I don’t choose most
books on genre or storyline, as I have lots of different books in my
collection. But my favourite author of all time is Charles Dickens.
Maybe not a cool choice, but his characters and vivid imagery are a
massive influence on my own writing.
BK: What is one piece of
advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?
Don’t do it!!! No, I’m
only joking. Always do it, if you can’t imagine doing anything
else. Lots of people think that writing is a wasted career move, and
it will only end in tears. But I listened to those people, and did
jobs for years that I hated. It was only when I realized I would
never be happy doing anything else BUT writing, that I finally became
happy with my life. Now I do it for a living, and every day is
wonderful. It goes for anyone who is unhappy with what they do for a
living. Life is there to be enjoyed, so if you’re not enjoying it;
you need to change it. I think what is so exciting about life is that
we always have a chance to change it for whatever we really want.
BK: What are you currently
working on?
At the moment I’m working on
a short story for an anthology with seven other authors, which will
come out next Spring. I can’t give away anything else yet, but keep
an eye on Moon Rose Publishing to hear more about it! I’m also
writing up the next book in the series, ‘Keeper of Shadows’.
BK: Where can readers connect
with you?
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mirandastork
Publishing company:
www.moonrosepublishing.com
About
the Author:
I
was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in
various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.
My
writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid
characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and
the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.
My
love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four.
I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured
fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories,
such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a
firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite
him having tried to eat everyone!
Amazon
Author Page:
Vigilante
of Shadows
Scarlet
Rain Series, Book One
Miranda Stork
Miranda Stork
Genre:
Paranormal Thriller/Romance
Publisher:
Moon Rose Publishing
Number
of pages: 267
Word
Count: 88,487
Cover
Artist: Miranda Stork
Book
Trailer: http://youtu.be/vYI-jh8Fa48
Book
Description:
Aodhan
clutched uselessly at his head, groaning. He knew it was useless,
because the voice was not inside his head. It followed him, skimming
across buildings and land. It had followed him since he was sixteen,
and it still followed him today, like a memory too horrific to be
forgotten…
Aodhan
is a shadow-demon, hardened and cold after years of being alone,
after his love, his Entwined, was cruelly taken away from him. He has
closed his heart to the world, and now spends his life ridding the
world of men like those who took his beloved away, an immortal
hit-man…
Arianwen
Harris is a young DCI, working for York City Police. When a known
criminal is found viciously killed, she finds herself trailing a
hit-man who has seemed to escape clutches again and again…but she
begins to find herself drawn to his dark charms and roguish good
looks…
As
their two worlds collide, Aodhan and Arianwen find themselves coming
together to escape a far greater enemy, one that threatens to create
a world far worse than the one they live in. As they battle to hold
back the oncoming forces, fate has another plan; one to draw them
together and heal their broken pasts together…
Excerpt
Knocking his drink
back, feeling the rich liquid burning his throat, Aodhan wiped his
mouth off with the back of his hand, and slowly stood up from the
vinyl bar stool. He waved his hand to get the attention of the
barmaid, but she was far too engrossed in the attentions of her
personal Adonis to notice Aodhan. Shrugging, he laid a ten-pound note
down on the bar, next to his empty glass.
He turned and
walked out of the bar door with long strides, feeling the cool night
air on his face. The bouncer outside the doors turned and stared at
Aodhan’s six foot frame, no emotion showing on his features. Aodhan
returned the cool stare, and then began walking off into the night.
He walked along
speedily, his hands shoved deep in his jean pockets. The sounds of
the night surrounded him-distant cat song, the steady hum of far-off
cars, the soft sound of wind whistling underneath people’s windows.
He loved being out at night, not because it was a time when his
‘kind’ were more active, but simply because it was so much
quieter than the day. The sounds of people rushing around
disappeared, and left a peaceful calm with the soothing darkness.
Of course, there
were the voices in his head, but that was another story.
He shrugged his
shoulders up, cutting off the wind whistling around his neck. He
wasn’t particularly cold, but the noise was annoying when your ears
were so sensitive that a pin dropping sounded like a two-ton weight.
Aodhan’s mind
went back to the girl from the bar. He hadn’t meant to be so brisk
with her, but it was really best that no-one got that close. It
really wasn’t his style to be the mysterious, dark, lone ranger,
but it was for the best in this case. He had begun to…kill people.
People who wouldn’t die if they hadn’t found out about them…
Aodhan was a demon.
A rare demon, as
well, a shadow demon. He had been born to a Scottish clan just over
eight-hundred years ago, to humans. Contrary to what he saw people
believed in the media and books, demons were actually born to humans.
There was no line of them, like vampyres or werewolves. They were
simply…random.
When he had been
born, there were no noticeable signs of what he was. He just looked
like any of the other babies born to them, strong and healthy, but
definitely human.
As he grew older,
he had shown great proficiency with all weapons, learning faster than
any of the other boys in the clan, becoming more powerful and
stronger than most of them. Even some of the boys older than himself
had a hard time keeping up with him. He was never big-headed about it
though, simply fitting in with everyone else. However, the clan
talked about how the strange-eyed boy was so much quicker and
stronger than others twice his age, and whispered about ancient gods
coming back to the earth. His looks weren’t too odd for his clan,
everyone having black, brown, or auburn hair, but his eyes were odd.
All others in his clan had mostly blue eyes, some of them had brown
eyes. But he had startling clear green eyes, more like a cat, in the
clan’s eyes, than a human.
When he was
thirteen, he suddenly began developing strange growths near his
temples. After going to see the clan’s wise woman about it, she
simply cackled, and whispered, “Those who are given the gift of
darkness, should not fear the unknown.” He had shaken off the wise
women’s words, telling himself that she had finally gone crazy.
The growths had
developed further, until they started to look like small dark horns,
about the length of his thumb. They curled close to the curve of his
head, smooth with small ridges forming at each stage of their growth.
Luckily, Aodhan’s hair grew wild and long, allowing him to cover
them up as much as he could.
When he became
twenty, he was a well-loved member of his clan. He was kind and
helpful to all, and helped to fight off their enemies more times than
he could count on both hands. But he was holding a dreadful secret
from his family. Since his horns had grown, he had also noticed many
other things.
He had begun
to...see things. Shadows.
When he was out
hunting in the forest near to their home, he would think that he had
seen someone moving in the trees behind him, but when he swung around
to face them, nothing. Then he would hear a soft chuckle, his name
being called on the wind. At night, in his bed as he tried to sleep,
he would see black figures running around the walls.
He had tried to
tell the wise woman of the village again, thinking them to be spirits
sent to drive him mad, or something worse. She simply shook her head
at him, and chuckled, rocking herself to and fro. He had got used to
them by now, drawing the blanket up over his head so that he couldn’t
hear their taunting murmurs....
Aodhan suddenly
stopped walking, snapping out of his daydreaming. He was sure he had
seen one of...them. Looking all around himself, he scanned the
buildings around him with his vivid eyes. The problem with them, was
that they could hide anywhere they chose-walls, buildings, floors,
anywhere-especially at night.
The red brick
buildings around him looked empty, the few alleyways just leading
alongside the backs of houses, a few bins scattered about. No-one
else was walking near him on the pavement, no sound anywhere.
Just as he was
about to turn around and carry on walking, pulling his jacket up
again, when he heard something behind him. Something whispery and
cold.
“Aodhan...”
1 comment:
This sounds an interesting book! I get fed up of the usual vampire books, so one with a twist on it sounds great to me!
Great blog interview.
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