Johnny Lycan – Wayne Turmel

Vengeance and Alien Bugs with Kurt D Springs

Full transparency, I’m not much of a pure Sci-fi fan. But give me a young man out to kill the giant insects that took out his parents? Sign me up.

Kurt D Springs has a new series, The Dreamscape Warriors, out with my publisher Black Rose Writing. The first book in that series, Price of Vengeance, debuts February 1.

Okay, Kurt. What should we know about you?The author bio on my book tells you I have advanced degrees in anthropology and archaeology, and I teach as an adjunct at local colleges in New Hampshire. I’ve enjoyed science fiction and fantasy since I was a kid, starting with Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. In college, I became entranced with Andre Norton’s Forerunner series. Andre Norton includes ESP powers in much of her science fiction. She inspired mainly the paranormal end of my stories. While I’ve read many military science fiction books, the HALO video games inspired the military end of my writing. I like to tell people that the Dreamscape Warriors series results from Andre Norton’s Forerunner and HALO breeding. (Author note: not a pretty visual, but I digress.) I live in New Hampshire and take care of my elderly mother. Family is something else I find important in my writing.What’s the story about?

At the core of the story sits the topic of “paying the price of vengeance.” Liam becomes an orphan at the age of two when giant insects kill his parents. High Councilor Marcus and his wife take him in and raise him alongside their son, Randolf. As an adult, he becomes a soldier charged with defending the defensive outposts of New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci.

When a sabotaged weapon leaves Liam injured and cut off from the city, he learns that an alien intelligence controls the insects and realizes he must learn to use the powers he’s only scratched the surface of. Upon entering the overrun city, Liam discovers that the traitor responsible for his parents’ deaths had his foster parents murdered. The quest for revenge takes Liam down a dark path.

I’m not a real sci-fi kind of guy but a good story’s a good story, and this book is compelling. What are the roots of Price of Vengeance?

I always find action-adventure stories exciting. As I said, I am a huge fan of the late Andre Norton. I thought I could combine the action-adventure element of military science fiction and the ESP of Andre Norton’s works and, perhaps, get the best of both words.

I first conceived of the story on a walk from the National University of Ireland in Galway to my flat in the sub-townland of Mincloon on the city of Galway’s outskirts. At the time, I wasn’t sure if it would be fantasy or science fiction.

Who are the authors you really enjoy (especially some we might not know)?

Obviously, my favorite author is Andre Norton. I am also a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien. I a enjoy Mark Bordner’s Mighty First series. There is also a British author, by the name of Phillip Richards, who writes the Union series. That’s military science fiction from a British point of view.

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

I’m at Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter

Did George RR Martin scar you forever and make you afraid to buy a series of books until they’re done? Guess what?

The third (and final) book in the Werewolf PI Series is now available for Pre-Order. Buy it from my publisher and get a 15% discount. Just use the promo code PREORDER2023. You can also order the whole Werewolf PI series on Amazon. Use the form on the left side to get on my newsletter and learn more.

COVER REVEAL- Johnny Lycan & the Last Witchfinder

For me, The Last Witchfinder was the most entertaining and compelling installment of the Johnny Lycan franchise, which is why I’m all the more sad that it’s going away. Maybe a revival or a spin-off down the road? If it happens, I’d be there for it.
SG Tasz

The time has come. The third and final (probably. Mostly. I’m pretty sure) installment of the Johnny Lycan: Werewolf PI series is almost ready for the world. The official date is May 2, but since it’s available for preorder it’s time for the big cover reveal:

TA DA!!!

This time our boy is facing a cult leader claiming to be a 400-year-old witchfinder and has it out for Chicago’s occult community. Not only that, but his boss has been kidnapped, and- oh yeah- an obnoxious blogger is threatening to reveal Johnny’s big, hairy secret.

“Turmel’s latest is full of the punchy, fast paced prose I’ve come to expect from him. It’s delightfully gritty from beginning to end, and Johnny Lycan is that sort of old school of PI Urban Fantasy hero that’s grown increasingly rare these days. My only complaint is that this book wraps up the trilogy, meaning I’ll just have to reread them to get more Johnny.”
– Bob McGough author of the Jubal County Saga

If George RR Martin has scarred you for life and you are no longer buying any series until it’s finished, good news. You can order the whole set of ebooks on Amazon, or get the paperback directly from Black Rose Writing for a 15% discount. Just use the Promo code PREORDER2023.

Mountain Search and Rescue Adventures – Cam Torrens

One of the cool things about having a publisher such as Black Rose Writing is you come across a metric butt-ton of exciting indie writers. They ain’t all winners, to be sure, but the ones that are worth reading are really solid and I’ve shared a number of them with you in the past. I recently came across Cam Torrens. His work revolves around Tyler Zahn and his work as part of a search and rescue team in the mountains of Colorado.

Let’s start at the beginning. Who are ya?

I’m Cam and I’m a writer. (All together now: Hi Cam!)That’s my newest mantra and sometimes I feel like I have to repeat it over and over among other writers to make myself believe.

I’ve spent most of my life being other things. I’ve always been a voracious reader and usually read over 100 books a year. 2023 is the first year I’ve cracked 150 and about a third of them are from new authors. This has been one of the unexpected benefits of writing with our publisher—I now have 400 instant friends looking for people to read their work. I usually raise my hand; first, because of my love for reading, and second, because I really find joy in giving feedback to new and seasoned writers.

Thirty years (and one month) of my life belonged to the Air Force. I was a transport and refueling pilot for most of my career with additional jobs as a military diplomat at the US Embassy in Beijing, China, and as the Professor of Aerospace Studies at Virginia Tech.

Now I spend my time writing, volunteering on the board at our local library, and working on our county’s Search & Rescue team. Here in little Buena Vista, Colorado, we have 10 fourteen-thousand-foot peaks within a thirty-minute drive and people do the darnedest things while climbing these mountains. Keeps us busy. My wife is an airline pilot (which helps give me time to write) and we have six kids, four adopted from China and Russia.

What’s your book, Stable, about?

My debut novel, Stable, transports the reader into the Colorado Rockies and introduces them to Chaffee County’s renowned mountain Search & Rescue team. A 911 call sends the team on a search for a missing girl in the Collegiate Peaks. They find a child…but not the one they seek. My protagonist, Tyler Zahn can’t get the missing girl he found—and the one he can’t find—out of his mind. Someone in this mountain valley is collecting children, and Zahn is gradually drawn into the case while still trying to break through to his estranged daughter.

That’s the plot…but really the story of Tyler Zahn came from my leadership experiences as a 30-year pilot and commander in the United States Air Force. When I retired, I wanted to be done with making the big decisions involving potentially life-threatening consequences and just focus on family. I’d had enough drama in the desert. Tyler Zahn feels the same way, but quickly discovers he can’t just stand aside and let bad things happen.

While I follow the thriller arc, I like to think I spend most of my time on controversial and current themes such as integrity, judgment and grace, forgiveness, and combat stress. When my readers meet Tyler Zahn, he’s already overcome so much…the loss of his son, the loss of an aircrew in combat, and years of depression. Now that he’s “back,” he just wants to rekindle a relationship with his daughter and lead a normal life. In Stable, I want to show that you can pull the veteran from the battlefield, but it’s hard to quell his or her desire to continue to serve—and the inherent conflict of service before self or family is still there.

It was an exciting book and had some unexpected twists. The story sounds personal to you.

I covered the emotional roots already, but the setting also has a story. One of the first missions I went on as a new SAR member was for a missing 7-year-old girl in the same area I use in Stable. I took a real mission and fictionalized the participants and the outcome. The real-world mission turned out better than the one in Stable.

Who do you read? Share it with the readers…

I go through phases of favorite authors, but most fall into the category of mystery/suspense/thriller. I’m a huge fan of John Sanford, Lee Child, Louise Penny, CJ Box, and Craig Johnson. I’ll also read anything by Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, Mary Kubica, Riley Sager, Sally Hepworth, or Lianne Moriarty. Michael Koryta is my latest craze. In the last year, I’ve had fun reading AJ McCarthy, Gail Ward Olmsted, and David Shawn Klein. And of course, I loved my first foray into books about a certain werewolf detective.

Aw shucks, thanks. That’s some good company to be in. Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Stable was my debut novel. The second book in the series, False Summit came out last fall. I’ll release #3, Scorched, in August of 2024, and a prequel—Death Spiral–to the series releases in early 2025. I’m working on the fifth novel now. You can follow along with my efforts (and my reading) at www.camtorrens.com . I’m also on Facebook , Goodreads , and Amazon.

Hey, the third (and final) book in the Werewolf PI Series is now available for Pre-Order. Buy it from my publisher and get a 15% discount. Just use the promo code PREORDER2023. It will be available to pre-order on Amazon soon. Use the form on the left side to get on my newsletter and learn more.

CT Phipps and Dropout Nerds in Space

If you’ve read Johnny Lycan, you know that I”m a sucker for genre stuff that understands it’s genre stuff. I first came across Charles Phipps’ work through his Supervillainy Saga. It’s a hilarious but affectionate look at all the Superhero tropes we love, and also know are just damned silly. With his new series, Space Academy Dropouts, he does the same to Science Fiction. Here’s my interview with him.

So who are you and why do we care?

When the churning black ooze of the primordial soup created the enzymes that would evolve life on Earth, I was already old. Eventually, I became trapped in a human host when my cult failed the proper summoning ritual. So I am pretending to be a chubby geek from Ashland, Ky in the meantime. I own two dogs, am married, and am the world’s biggest fan of both Star Wars and Star Trek. I have multiple science fiction and fantasy series. I also review books at Booknest.EU, Grimdark Magazine, The United Federation of Charles, and the Before We Go Blog. Whoo!

What’s the book about?

Space Academy Dropouts is a delightful homage to all the sci-fi influences of my life from Star Trek to Star Wars to Mass Effect and Halo with a side order of Mel Brooks on the side. Vance Turbo, HERO OF SPACE is initially kicked out of Space Academy when he’s dragooned into a secret mission for the Interstellar Community’s security service. Unfortunately, it’s to serve as a decoy along with the worst crew in the galaxy. Events conspire to force poor Vance into doing what needs to be done even if he has to be dragged kicking and screaming to do it.

What is it about Vance that appealed to you?

Vance Turbo is my attempt to do Captain Kirk if he had the personality of William Shatner. No, just kidding. No, that’s Zapp Brannigan Poor Vance is a genius at what he does but what he does isn’t very smart. No, that’s Wolverine. Well, he’s a guy who would be a massive science fiction nerd in our world but lives in a science fiction universe so he has some advantage over his fellow cadets even though he really shouldn’t. He’s a snarky wiseass of the Harry Dresden vein but also a lot more idealistic than he lets on (or even admits to himself).

All books like this start with loving the genre, I know mine did. What are the roots of this particular story?

As mentioned, I’m a huge science fiction nerd and I feel like it’s always fun to take something familiar and put your own spin on it. In this case, I really enjoy the idea of a Deep Space Nine-esque take on a utopian scifi future. Yes, the Community is a great place to be and a massive improvement over the current world. However, you have to wonder what sort of challenges a place like the United Federation of Planets faces as well as what needs to be done to maintain such a place. Getting into that while doing all my comedy and twists was a lot of fun.

You are really active in the Urban Fantasy and Sci-fi communities. Who did this to you? Who are the authors you really enjoy?

I am a huge fan of Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, and other urban fantasy authors. For my space opera fandom, I’m a huge Jack Campbell fan and David Weber. I’m also a reader of both the Star Trek and Star Wars Expanded Universes. If I was going to recommend any indie authors, I’d recommend M.L. Spencer, Glynn Stewart, Rick Gualtieri, and Drew Hayes.

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

Goodreads:

My Amazon Author Page:

Twitter: @CT_Phipps

Facebook Fan Club:

Website: https://ctphipps.com/

The Second Book in the Werewolf PI series, Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker is out December 8. Preorder now from my publisher, Black Rose Writing, and save 15% with the code PREORDER22.

You can also join my new Facebook Author Page for constant updates and chances to win prizes.

Of course if you haven’t yet read Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk, what’s keeping you. You can get it in Kindle or Paperback.

I Finally Caved and Have a Separate Facebook Page for My Writing

Ever since I started writing fiction and nonsense, I’ve been told I needed a separate Facebook page for that purpose. Until now I’ve resisted because keeping up with Social Media is freaking exhausting. Between the grind of the day job and my fiction addiction, I spend too much time tweetfacelinkblogging as it is.

But, with Johnny Lycan 2 coming out soon (December 8 to be specific, but who’s counting?) it is time to make sure I can promote my work without annoying the people on my personal Facebook page. For purely mercenary reasons, mostly so I can advertise my work, I needed to bite the bullet.

So (trumpets blare) I introduce you to my Facebook Author Page with the very clever and inventive name, Wayne Turmel Author. If you’re inclined, please like it and follow me. Over the next few months, there will be special posts, contests, and a chance to win signed copies of Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker.

Stop by, like the page, and tell your friends. If you care about my personal life, yeah, you can still follow me on my regular page, but this is my big-boy author page. Enjoy and welcome to my orbit.

Blurb Begging and Advance Word for Johnny Lycan & the Vegas Berserker

One of the more humbling parts of the publishing process is where I find myself today: seeking those illusive “blurbs” for the cover. You know what I’m talking about: “I laughed, I cried, it was better than Wicked…” some author slightly better known than the author of the book you’re looking at.

Basically you’re creating the illusion of brilliance by association.

For the uninitiated, this is how it works. You think of someone who meets your criteria: They have to be someone you think will like the book. They have to be willing to read your imperfect baby even though it’s not formatted or finally proofed yet. Ideally, they are a known quantity so that the audience will say, “Hey, I’m a fan of John Wing, (or Sarah Tasz or Gemma Clatworthy or whoever) and if he/she liked it, I will too.”

I have been blessed to have an ever-expanding network of writers whose work I enjoy and have shared with you here. That’s where I went first.

Well, as I wait for the cover of the latest book, I have been sending out copies of Johnny Lycan & the Vegas Berserker and holding my breath. The results are trickling in and I’m happy to report people really enjoy it.

The first book in the Johnny Lycan, Werewolf PI series. Book 2 is out December 8, 2022

“Compelling characters, fast-paced action, magic crystals, and a berserker. It’s Johnny Lupul in Vegas baby! As always, Wayne Turmel has created a compulsively readable action-packed story with a unique take on the werewolf mythos. An enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the next installment!” G Clatworthy, author of the Rise of the Dragons series

“Johnny Lycan and the Las Vegas Berserker is a riveting Sin City romp like I’ve never seen before. Aliens, covens, and magic of all stripes rocket across every page, with the reader (and sometimes Johnny too) holding on for dear life. Harry Dresden better watch his back–Johnny Lycan is the snarky, shapeshifting badass you’ve been waiting for.” –S.G. Tasz, author of the Dead Mall series

“Get a flashlight, because you’ll be reading The Vegas Berserker well into the night. Johnny’s world is full of mischief, mayhem, and magic—excuse me, magick—and I can’t wait to read more.” —Luke Swanson, author of Spectators of War and The Other Hamlet Brother

“The stakes are high — life and death high — as werewolf private detective Johnny Lupul goes to Las Vegas to take custody of a mysterious ancient artifact. It’s a full moon, and the fur is about to fly!” – Jill Hand, author of the Trapnell Thrillers, White Oaks and Black Willows

“I loved this book. A rollicking, clever ride with a story so good you forget it’s a genre novel. If Jack Reacher was a werewolf, he’d be Johnny Lycan.” –John Wing Jr, Comedian and author of A Car to Die For.

Can’t wait to see how these look on a cover. Hell, can’t wait to see the cover. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk, what the #@$%@#$% are you waiting for?

The Chapter Goddess- Madilynn Dale

One of the advantages of trying to schlep your own work, is you run into other authors. In this case, I had the honor of being interviewed by Madilynn Dale for her ChapterGoddess site. We had a blast, but I thought it was only fair that I give you all a chance to meet this prolific author. YOU CAN WATCH MY VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH HER HERE

Okay, lady. Tell us about you.

Hello, I’m Madilynn Dale. It’s a pleasure to chat with you all. I’m a mom first and foremost and a creative second. I tend to dabble in a various number of things from writing, painting, to drawing, but my stories are my strongest point. Sometimes I think my 4-year-old son does a better job drawing than I do but at least I tried right?

When I write I don’t stick with one genre but span many. I like things more on the steamy side, but I create work in the genres of paranormal, fantasy, romance, and adventure. On top of all the creative stuff I’m also a Physical Therapy Assistant here in my home state of Oklahoma. I’ve kind of put that career on pause though to focus on my writing and being a mom. We live in quite a crazy time after all.

I’m also a huge reader and coffee addict. I love wine too but that’s only for the evenings. I read a wide range of books I am a mood reader though so if I’m in the middle of something and it loses my attention because of a sour mood, I put it aside and come back to it.

Tell us about your latest book, Black Flames.

I have several books published which you can find on my website www.thechaptergoddess.com but I want to really focus on my latest release Black Flames. This is the first novel in the Ember trilogy which I plan to release all this year, 2022. It’s an empowering story following young Ember as she discovers herself, breaks free of her shackles, and embraces herself. She finds love along the way and must escape hell. Literally. Her life is basically turned upside down after she discovered her mother’s one night stand with the devil.

Here is the actual synopsis for those who are curious. ?

Ember believes she’s a latent wolf until she finds herself facing a demon using hellfire. The black flames trigger something within her and the world as she knows it is dumped on its head. Has her entire life been nothing but a lie?

Tied to the future Alpha via contract, she seeks an escape to find her true mate. Confused by the emotions surrounding her discovery, she sacrifices herself to save her pack and is taken to hell. With a false engagement and memories erased, she finds herself part of a larger plan. Can she fulfill her role and manage to return home without her secret being discovered?

I know you’re prolific, and right now you’re in the middle of a shifter series (and why don’t shifters in urban fantasy ever have chest hair, but that’s a different story.) What are the roots of your series?

In creating Ember, I found that I channeled a lot of my younger self. Her drive and determination to be a badass without falling apart is something I struggled with at a younger age in college. Of course, I obviously can’t fight like she can, nor do I have any of her powers, but she must find a way to overcome the oppressive requests placed on her by her parents and other authorities to find herself and live the life she wants. I feel like I had to go through a version of that myself and really a lot of us do. I loved creating situations where she had to deal with her emotions and take the higher road. It’s something even at my age I struggle with. I hope she inspires others.

Now her magic, which is the ability to change into a certain animal of hell and use fire, was something of a darker twist on my favorite type of beings. Shifters are something I’ve always found myself drawn to. They are a bit different from were animals in that they turn into bigger versions of the actual animal. At least that is how I portray it in my work. The fire is something I feel like if I had a power, it would be to use fire. Something about the way flames dance in the hearth during the winter calms me and usually puts me to sleep but fire can also be extremely destructive.

Indie publishing has so many successful writers that those who don’t read ebooks, particularly, never heard of. Who do you read?

There are so many authors that I have enjoyed reading over the years. Only a few really stick out though and several of them helped inspire my writing. Ivy Asher, Sarah J Maas, Deborah Harkness, C. L. Schneider, Jaymin Eve, P.C. Cast, Kaylana Price, Tarriona Tank Ball, Cassandra Claire, Jennifer L Armentrout, Ivy Smoak and Andrzej Sapkowski. These authors all write in romance, fantasy, adventure, urban fantasy, paranormal, poetry, and more. I love how unique their work is and how easy it is to escape into their work.

Your social media game is strong, and I”m jealous (but I would stroke out trying to do everything you do.)

twitter, Facebook author page, website etc.

I am a bit all over the place really. The easiest place to find links to my books is on my website. The majority of my stuff is published wide so you can pick your favorite book site there.

Website: www.thechaptergoddess.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Madi_Dale_Write

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madilynndalewrites/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadilynnDaleAuthor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mratdegraff91/_created/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdwriter?lang=en

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/madilynn-dale

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20150515.Madilynn_Dale

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Madilynn-Dale/e/B0868CGSLC?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1616000125&sr=8-2

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG8uZRvQC4o_dqwkqJy9Wgg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madilynn-dale-5a810a223/

The second book in the Johnny Lycan series is coming out on December 8. Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker, will be coming from Black Rose Writing. If you want to be the first kid on the block to receive swag or news about the book, sign up for my newsletter by clicking the link on the side of the screen. Meanwhile, Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk is available now in paperback or Kindle.

The First Page of Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker

Lest you think I’m slacking (and I have been, but it’s still kind of rude to mention) I thought I’d whet your appetite for the next installment in the tales of the world’s favorite werewolf detective.

I present page one of “Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker”

Night of the full moon

I’m big and hairy and freaky enough even before I change, so no wonder the two sets of wide brown eyes watching me were clearly horrified. Still, this was no time for subtlety.

“Get into that closet and don’t open that door no matter what you hear. Understand?” My vocal cords still worked, even if the muscles in my arms and legs spasmed and twitched under my clothes, adding to the general freakiness.

The girl, the older of the pair, looked up and locked eyes with me. “Are you going to hurt the bad men?” Her baby brother clung to her shirt, sucking his thumb.

“Probably. Yup.” Not as much as they deserve. Shaggy, the beast living inside me, wouldn’t be satisfied. But yeah.

Amy Tong nodded and took her crying brother by his free hand, cooing to him in Mandarin. Even at ten years old, she played the mother. Kids in foster care do that. The little girl looked up at me trustingly as I closed the door to the same room I’d sprung them from moments ago.

Trying to sound as rational as possible with a werewolf clawing and chomping its way out of my skin, I put my mouth to the heavy wooden door. “Stay there and don’t open up for anyone unless you hear a woman’s voice. Please. Don’t look, and don’t open the door unless you hear a nice older lady. Okay?”

Through the barrier came a sniff and a soft, “Yes sir.”

Yes, our boy is still sticking his snout where it doesn’t belong, and this book is even funnier, bloodier, and more exciting than Episode 1. Stay tuned for details. Of course, if you haven’t read Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk yet, what’s keeping you?

Johnny Lycan 2 is finished. Kind of.

I just put finished to the second book in the Johnny Lycan series. Well, an ugly, squawling, half-assed first draft anyway. Our boy finds himself in Las Vegas, and faces, among other things: a megalomaniac rancher, a honest-to-god Berserker, an ancient relic that may or may not be from Earth, a coven of bad-ass witches, and more about himself than he wants to know.

Believe it or not, book 3 is already outlined and will be started soon. Sorry about the delay between books. Turns out that between buying a house, navigating a global pandemic, a demanding day job and the general yukkiness in the air, I’ve learned something important. Existential dread is not great for the creative juices. You may quote me.

Watch for Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker coming in 2022 from #blackrosewriting (blessings upon them)

If you haven’t read Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk, there’s still time to be one of the cool kids who find stuff before everyone else and lords it over them. Read it here

The Orc is the Hero? James Jakins

One of my favorite things is when history writers take a minor character and make them the hero… or a person usually thought of as the villain is the good guy. So I was really surprised and unexpectedly amused by James Jakins, “Jack Bloodfist: Fixer” in which an Orc plays a kind of PI.

I shouldn’t be that shocked, after all I’ve made a werewolf the hero of Johnny Lycan & the Anubis Disk, but this was the first time I’d read something where an Orc was ever anything but a snarling bad guy. So, here’s my chat with James Jakins.

James, what’s your deal?

I’m honestly just a giant nerd. I run a weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons(or whatever system we feel like) I play video games, and I try to read as many books as my schedule allows. And I take all that stuff I love and I try to use it to make fun books for other people to enjoy.

Tell us about your book. It smells like the first in a possible series, and it’s unique to be sure.

My novel, Jack Bloodfist: Fixer, is about an orc in a suit who likes to think of himself as a Fixer. He does his part to help his orc and goblin cousins integrate into human society in a small city in Virginia. But he finds himself in over his head when an old enemy of his family shows up seeking justice for past crimes with a whole army of paladins and his angry god along for the ride.

I love that the Orc is trying to hard to be a good guy. What about that whole fantasy trope intrigued you?

In a lot of ways this series is my love letter to tabletop roleplaying games. And that’s really the appeal for me. I enjoy playing with the tropes and taking familiar character types and shaping them into a new but still recognizable shape.

I’d originally set out to just write a more traditional thriller novel. It had been meant as a way to teach myself pacing and outlining. Not as something I planned on releasing. But as I worked on it the fantasy elements started creeping in. I’d also pitched another story idea to a writer friend of mine. A book that would feature goblins. He told me he only liked the idea if I actually made the goblins the heroes of the story. With that thought in my head this particular story started to morph until it was the orcs and goblins, and other traditionally “evil” characters that were the heroes, and the holy knights of a god of justice became the villains.

Yeah, and there’s a hot Kelpie in the mix, but I don’t want to give too much away. You don’t sound like most UF writers. Who inspired you? Who do you read that others might need to know about?

This is a very long list… But to name a few: Michael McClung, Robert Jackson Bennett, Josiah Bancroft, RJ Barker, Rachel Aaron, Robert Jordan, and on and on. I have found as I get older I’m actually more inclined to venture out of my comfort zone, so I’m hoping soon that list can include more than just fantasy authors. Recommendations are always welcome.

Where can we learn more about Jack the Fixer and some of your other work?

I’m not very active on social media, but you can find my books on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14441255.James_Jakins,

Amazon: amazon.com/author/jamesjakins,

Or you can sign up for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bHromb,

And there’s also my rarely updated blog: jamesjakins.com

Not to crash James’ 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.