Las Vegas Paranormal Police with John P Logsdon

Before I wrote a word of Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk, I was a fan of Urban Fantasy. My favorites included silly humor as well as genuine thrilling action. So when I found the Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department series, I was hooked. Besides sharing a sensibility with my newborn book, I am in awe at the marketing community John P Logsdon has created. It’s a master class for writers in the field. All I need now are 10 more Johnny Lycan stories and it will all be fine.

To celebrate the final episode in the LVPP series, I got to fan-boy and talk to John. This is a long interview but worth the read.

Okay, let’s start with the basics. What’s your deal?

Oh boy. Well, I guess I’m kind of what you’d call a renaissance person. I’m an author, entrepreneur, programmer, game designer/developer, musician…basically, I can’t seem to sit still for more than five minutes without going insane. My wife simply loves the fact that I have this many hobbies. It’s great for the pocketbook. ::cough::

The way I see it is that we’ve only got one trip through this thing called life, so why not do as much as possible during the ride?

Still, of all those things, writing is the one that sits at the core. The characters living in my head all want their stories to be told. That makes writing so much fun for me because it feels like I’m just a conduit for typing their words. Now, anyone who has read my stuff probably feels bad for me, seeing that I’ve seemingly been gifted with a bunch of characters who have their minds perpetually in the gutter, but I love it! It’s how I tick, and it’s how all my steady fans tick as well.

Some of those fans hide in the closet, secretly chuckling, but I tell them to not be ashamed! Nobody should be. If you giggle when you hear the number 69 get called out at the donut shop, be proud! It’s funny! And if you do find yourself find laughs in the silly or downright naughty, you are one of us. Become part of my Dysfunctional Family, put on your Homer Simpson slippers, and join us in relishing the ridiculous in life. It’s much more fun than focusing on the crap…unless that’s in the form of a bird crapping on someone’s head, which is hilarious (assuming it’s not happening to you, of course).

I admit when I switched from historical fiction to UF, I was a bit embarassed so thanks for letting me know there are others out there like me. For the uninitiated, tell us about Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department. (And since I live in Vegas you’re not far off the mark from the real thing here.)

This is the wrap-up book for the Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department mini-trilogy. It’s actually book number ten, but it’s the epic conclusion of Ian’s battle with his sister, Wynn.  It’s available for Pre-Order October 29th.

I’ve brought in major players from other PPD precincts to help with the show down. We’ve got Zeke Phoenix and his crew from the Badlands PPD, Piper & Payne from the Netherworld PPD, and Evangeline and the gang from Sinister.

So it’ll be one big mama of a war!

Since I get asked this all the time, it’s your turn: where did THAT come from?

Honestly, I’d never even considered writing urban fantasy before. I’d been doing some mentoring work with a few authors who happened to be all about UF. They were ramping up and doing really well, and they kept pushing me to try my hand at the genre.

I gave it a shot, but after seventeen iterations of Ian Dex, I just didn’t like it. Note, it wasn’t seventeen full books, just some super short stories that were used to give me the feel of things.

I was just about to give up when one of the gang said I should just bring my normal crazy comedy feel to the series and just have fun with it.

So, I did.

The series took off like gangbusters, which honestly shocked the hell out of me. Since then, there have been nearly fifty books written in the Paranormal Police Department, including books by some great authors in the UF space.

The root of the character came from the fact that I was allowed to just play and not worry about “doing the genre perfectly.” I knew I couldn’t do that, so instead of just picking a vampire or an immortal or whatever, I decided to create a character (Ian Dex) who had all of the genetic pieces from the various supernatural races.

Doing that gave me the freedom I needed to get my feet wet in the genre. I got to experience different aspects of his makeup across a bunch of supernatural backdrops. It gave me a canvas that was incredibly free to paint on.

Who did this to you? Who do you read that inspired this madness?

Everything started with Isaac Asimov for me. The book cover for Robots of Dawn drew me in instantly and I devoured everything by Asimov at that point, along with tons of other s.f. writers…a massively notable nod going to Douglas Adams. 

I didn’t really move into fantasy until reading the Myth Adventures series by Robert Asprin, though. It was fun and full of laughs. From there, I got my hands on a bunch of different comedy authors, including John DeChance, Harry Harrison, and John C. Moore. Surprisingly, I didn’t find Terry Pratchett until I’d already written one and half books in my Ononokin series. A lot of people assume Sir Terry was the influence for that series. He wasn’t, though. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Discworld (why can’t there be another 500 of them to read?!?!?), I’d just not read any of them until well after Ononokin was underway.

Another author who majorly influenced me was Steven Erikson. His Malazan series taught me that multiple character POVs was not only awesome, it was also incredibly fun. I use that style all over my writing because it’s freeing and I totally love writing that way. You won’t see it in the early Vegas, Netherworld, or Shadow PPD books, but it’s in the latest three Vegas books and Sinister, and I’ve even gotten a few of my co-authors on the bandwagon with their PPD precincts as well. Honestly, though, it’s not really book authors who are my major influencers. My actual muse comes from TV shows and movies. Favorites include a mixture of TV and movies, such as Benny Hill, Monty Python, Airplane!, Naked Gun, Loaded Weapon, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Archer, and so on and so forth. Those are the true foundation of my nutty brand of humor.

I suspect that, like me, Mad Magazine may have contributed, too. Your marketing is amazing and you’ve created a real community I can only aspire to with what I’m jokingly calling The Johnnyverse. Where can people see what I’m talking about?

Here are all the spots you can find me:

Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/John-P.-Logsdon/e/B00EWNWLSK

Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/search?keywords=john+p+logsdon

I have my Dysfunctional Family group on Facebook here, for those of you who want to really belong to something that fits who you are (even if you remain in your juvenile-minded-humor closet).

Facebook Dysfunctional Family Grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/john.p.logsdon.books/

And if you head over to my website, you can sign up for my newsletter and get a bunch of freebies. Plus, you can also join my community, which is via an old-style message board system that’s got a bunch of nifty bells & whistles, including realtime chat!

Look, I’m not ashamed to ride coattails here. If you enjoy John’s work, may I humbly suggest Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk. Werewolves, haunted relics, and silly jokes. Preorders available now, it comes into the world November 19.

Want to win a Johnny Lycan coffee mug?

I’m having a bit of fun with the launch of Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk. Launch date is November 19, and here’s the kicker: Everyone who lets me know they purchased on that date will enter a drawing for one of 3 Johnny Lycan coffee mugs. Specifically this one:

Yeah, I know there’s an apostrophe missing, but the important thing is not to let Shaggy run the show. If you don’t know what that means, you’ll have to read the damn book. Trust me, they’re words to live by.

How will you let me know? Maybe post a picture of you with the book (or your e-book reader) from wherever you are in the world to social media and tag me. Or email me a receipt from Amazon, or Barnes and Noble, Chapters or Black Rose Writing.

To learn more, sign up for my newsletter on the left hand side of this page.

Turmel’s leap from historical fiction to fantasy is a howling success!

Jean Roberts, Books Delight Reader’s Favorite Award

Storm’s Child with John Ortega

Everyone has their thing, especially in genre fiction. I’m going to be honest, one of my least favorite groups of characters in Urban Fantasy are the Fae. Fairies, Pixies, all that stuff. That said, they are important to the world of UF like spunky female detectives and magical runes. It can’t all be werewolves and ghosts and hot vampires, and if you like Irish music and culture even a little, then they are just part of the landscape. Some people get it right. John Ortega has successfully tackled the whole Faerie thing head-on in his latest novel Storm’s Child.

John, tell us about you.

My love for fantasy started at a young age. To be honest I never liked reading, hated it to the point where I asked my mom to read my school assignments and give the bullet points later. Then one day I walked from a movie into borders and saw the Percy Jackson Series and it blew my mind. It was a complete change from running like hell from a book to devouring three and four a day. My mom thought I had been switched for a pod person. One thing led to another and soon I found myself reading about every mythological creature and story out there. From Greek to Norse to Celtic. Then as I got older my appetite got bigger and I would read Sci-fi, crime. Basically fantastical or magical that would catch my eye I would buy.

During the day I work in the customer representative department for a health insurance company and every other hour of the day I spent it either writing, reading, or looking up stuff that sparks my imagination.

What’s your book (and future series) about?

Storm’s Child is an urban fantasy novel where we meet Nathan, the owner of an inn for supernatural creatures in Portland, Oregon. He lives a quiet life with his dog Sabine until one of his employees is found dead under strange circumstances that prompts Nathan to do his own investigation that leads him on a collision course with the Fae. An ancient magical race that has a sordid history with Nathan and thinks he is dead. So he has to make a choice to risk exposure or let the killer go free.

Despite his troubled past, Nathan is optimistic at heart and likes to see the bright side of life but also its not above getting his hands bloody if the situation calls for. I’ve always been fascinated by the original version of famous fairy tales, The Grimm’s Brothers, Edmund Spencer, William Shakespeare and that led me to create a fae-centric world with a characters that had intimate knowledge of the fae, what they’re really like and what we humans have gotten wrong at the behest of the rulers of their race. You’d be surprised how much of our knowledge has been molded by them. 

But while the fae are an integral part of the world, we see magic everywhere. I wanted to explore a rich magical community so we see mages, shifters, nature spirits and how they interacted with the world around it. Storm’s Child is an urban fantasy story but it has elements of a murder mystery and a smidge of romance. So while we only explore a bit of the world as we follow Nathan in his investigation you get the sense of the larger world or worlds I should say.

Running a hotel is a great hook for a series like this since you need a good reason for all these creatures to cross paths. Where did the idea come from?

The basis of the story comes from the Irish myth of Tír na nÓg, the land of young. I was driving in my car one day and was listening to Youtube and the song Tír na nÓg by Celtic Woman came on and the story sang impacted me so much I researched the myth behind it and it’s the love tragedy that this human falls in love with a fae woman and goes to the land of the fae but after years he wants to go back and his love tells him that the world has forgotten him but he insists and goes back to the mortal world where centuries had passed and he dies as time catches up to him. So I asked myself what would happen if a mortal that lived with the fae for so long escapes to the mortal world and doesn’t die. What would that do to their psyche? Would they consider themselves human or something else? All those questions came to mind and the road to the story just appeared on my mind. 

Since you weren’t much of a reader as a kid you’ve obviously changed your ways. Who do you read that people should know about?

As I mentioned before, I started with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and while I go back to him at times. I immensely enjoy Ilona Andrews (a must read for any Urban Fantasy fan) as well as Patricia Briggs, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jeaniene Frost, Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kevin Hardman and Peter Clines. 

Of course I can’t leave the Bard out as well as Spencer and the Brothers Grimm whose stories I’ve read time and time again. 

Not to hijack the interview, but if folks love Jim Butcher, you’ll probably enjoy Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk, which is like Dresden Files with no Fae and more teeth. (It’s available for preorder now, just saying.)

Where can folks learn more about you and your work?

Storm’s Child is my debut novel and you can find it on Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Kobo.

As for the easiest way to find me would be: 

Amazon Author Page: 

Goodreads: 

Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk is coming out November 19TH. Join my newsletter now to win a fabulous prize. Also, if you are a reviewer and want an advance e-copy of the book, drop me a line and let a brother know.

Southern Gothic on Shrooms- Jill Hand

I have a bunch of writers I’ve come to know through social media that The Duchess refers to as “my invisible friends.” Even though we’ve never had the pleasure in person, I “met” Jill Hand when my first short story Tio Fernando’s Field Trip (read it here) was published in eFiction Magazine, along with one of her stories. I don’t know if she ever saw the money (the mag went broke after that edition), I know I didn’t.

Still, we stayed in touch, supporting and enjoying each other’s work. She skews towards horror with a serious dose of snark. When her first full-length novel, White Oaks, came out I referred to it as “The Little Foxes meets 7 Psychopaths.” I stand by that. Oh yeah, besides the family hysterics there are ufos. Just saying. Now we share a publisher at Black Rose Writing, and the sequel to that book, Black Willows is out in the world. Any excuse to get the word out…

I’m a little afraid to ask, but what’s your story?

I never knew my real parents, having been kidnapped as an infant by a band of roving Presbyterians. We travelled in Fords and Chevrolets. We danced with wild abandon to the music of Perry Como and Tony Bennett. We ate exotic foods like meatloaf and tuna-noodle casserole, with crumbled pieces of potato chips on top. It was an exotic life, one which ended all too soon, when I went off to college and became a teacher.

Teaching wasn’t for me. It was worse than being a cop or a prison guard in that I was tasked with bringing order to a group of hyperactive, insolent, miscreants without being allowed to swear or threaten them.

I ditched teaching to become a private detective. That was more fun. I got to sit in my car outside sleazy motels with a camera, drinking coffee and waiting for a guilty spouse to emerge after making whoopee with his or her side piece. Then I’d take their picture and get paid. That ended with the mafia wedding. Shots were fired. I decided to get into a safer line of work. That line of work was newspaper reporting. I took to it like a duck to water. Nobody shot at me, although one lady tried to hit me with a broom.

I had a shortlived journalism career. What did being a reporter teach you?

Being a reporter means you can pry into other people’s business and ask lots of questions. They have to answer or they look like they’re hiding something. I learned a lot during my years working for newspapers. I brought a lot of what I learned to my writing. I learned that people are hilarious, even the ones who think they aren’t. Especially the ones who think they aren’t.

Okay, so Black Willows…

Black Willows is the second in the series of Trapnell thrillers. It follows the further adventures of a group of bumbling, siblings from Georgia as they try to collect their inheritance while being stalked by a tulpa. There’s arson, and alligators. It’s a wild ride.

You’re a born and bred (and even proud) New Jerseyite. Why write Southern Gothic?

I write about Georgia because it’s a world onto itself. I thought New Jersey was weird but it can’t hold a candle to Georgia. My in-laws are from there. None of the characters I write about are based on my in-laws. Honest.

Since we’re spreading the writer love, who are you reading that people should know about?

I’d like to shine a spotlight on Brandon Barrows, who has a book about to be released by Black Rose Writing called Burn Me Out. It’s about a mobster who’s looking to change his life. Here’s the link to his Goodreads page:

Where can people find your short stories and more about you?

Here’s the link to my author website page: JillHandAuthor.com

Here’s the link to my Amazon author page:

Here’s my checking account routing number and social security number.

Just kidding.

Not to crash the party, but Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk is coming in November. Order now by clicking here and going to Black Rose Writing. Use the promo code: PREORDER2020 to receive a 15% discount. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle and Audible coming in November. And look to the side of the page to sign up for my newsletter.