I have a great interview with author Nicky Peacock today. She is currently promoting her most recent work, Bad Blood, a YA Urban Horror novel. To find out more about the author and her work read below.
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“I am Britannia. I am your protector. I will fend
off the hungry hordes of undead hands that reach toward you. I am your
steadfast defender. I will stand between you and the zombie masses as they try
to taste your flesh. I am strong, unyielding, and dedicated to your survival.
All I ask from you… is your blood.”
A five-hundred-year-old bloody game of vengeance
will need to be put on hold if vampires are to survive the zombie uprising.
Britannia and Nicholas, bitter enemies and the only two surviving vampires left
in London, have to work together to save un-infected humans and deliver them
safely to a vampire stronghold in the Scottish Highlands. Unable to drink the
zombie "bad blood," the remaining vampires need the humans to stay
alive. But will the vampires tell the survivors who they are and what they want
from them? Will Britannia be able to hold back her vengeance for the greater
good? Is survivor Josh the reincarnation of Britannia's murdered true love? And
can she bring herself to deliver him to the "safe" hold? Survival
instincts run deep, but bad blood can run deeper.
Buy links:
UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Blood-1-Nicky-Peacock/dp/1605923494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368728382&sr=8-1&keywords=bad+blood+nicky+peacock
US & ROW:
http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Blood-Volume-Nicky-Peacock/dp/1605923494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368728423&sr=8-1&keywords=bad+blood+nicky+peacock
Canada:
http://www.amazon.ca/Bad-Blood-ebook/dp/B00CPQDJN2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368728468&sr=8-1&keywords=bad+blood+nicky+peacock
Nicky was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for me.
Here's what she had to say...
1) Would you tell the readers a little bit about
yourself?
Well, I’m Nicky. I’m an English author in the UK,
I’ve had over 40 stories published/accepted for publication in horror and
paranormal anthologies in 5 countries (USA, UK, IRE, CAN, and AUS) and I tend
to write for both YA and adult markets.
2) Which project are you currently promoting?
My book, Bad Blood which is the first in a series of
vampires VS zombie novels.
3) Can you tell us what the book is about?
It’s a YA urban horror which sees vampires trying to
protect humans in a UK zombie outbreak. Its fast paced and told first person
from Britannia’s point of view. She is a centuries old vampire from a time when
being a patriot was expected, so sees protecting her country as intricate part
of her existence.
4) What inspired you to write this book?
I’m a book addict myself, and couldn’t get enough of
the wave of vampire and zombie books that were flooding the market last year.
Every time I’d read one, I’d wonder what would happen if the two creatures
where pushed together in a blood-soaked genre mash-up – who’d win the fight - a
vampire or a zombie horde? I looked around for a book that explored this notion
and didn’t really find anything I wanted to read – so decided to write it
myself.
5) What genre do you prefer to write? And why?
I must admit, it depends on what mood I’m in. Horror
is kind of cathartic (not that I’m some crazed woman who needs an outlet for
her madness!) but it’s the kind of genre that you can really get your teeth
into (pun intended) anything goes in horror and I don’t dumb down action and
gore in my YA. Paranormal Romance, again has a certain freedom in it and it’s
lovely to be able to put a bit more romance out into the world – It seems to be
forgotten in modern relationships.
6) In your opinion, what makes a good vampire novel?
I personally prefer my vampires with a bit of grit.
I think maudlin moaning fang bearers have had their day - I like my vampires to
revel in what they are. Britannia is over 400 years old and although she
protects the innocent (mostly) she doesn’t do it as any great mission or to do
what’s right, but more because it conveniently coincides with her hatred and
need for revenge on her nemesis, Nicholas. She does change throughout the book
though – she has always been a bit of loner and now she is having to work
together with both humans and other vampires (whom she hasn’t always gotten on
with) in an effort to keep both species alive.
7) In your opinion, what differentiates zombies from
twenty years ago to zombies today?
Looking at my favorite books, I’d have to say that
zombies have almost gone full circle. The first official ‘zombie’ book in my
eyes is ‘Frankenstein’ and the doctor’s creature had a brain all of his own,
and an almost legitimate reason to go on a killing spree. From then on zombies
just seem to be the mass of teeth and grabbiness that either unite, or tear
down, the main human characters, until Isaac Marion’s ‘Warm Bodies’ which sets
up the lead as a zombie in love, who has a mind, a definitive mission – to keep
his lady love safe.
8) As a horror fan myself, I know how hard it is to
come up with new ideas others have no done before, what makes your books
different from the rest?
I’d like to think it’s the fact there are two
well-loved genres going on that have rarely been pitted against one another.
However, I truly think that it’s the amount of action in the book. I try not to
do the one thing that I hate as a reader of these genres – have scene after
scene of reflection and mundane activities along with the promise of zombies
only to see them appear halfway through the book. Bad Blood moves at vampric
speed and is packed full of action, romantic tension and gross zombies from the
get go.
9) In Bad Blood, you incorporated vampires and
zombies in the same novel, where did the idea come from?
It was very much that I wanted to explore what would
happen when these two ‘monsters’ meet. I guess kind of like the theory of the
old ‘Alvin & the Chipmunks meet Frankenstein’ two well known and loved
archetypes come together, but certainly do not play well with each other.
10) Vampires and zombies are like two different
brands, how did you make them work together?
I bridged the gap with an infected vampire – a
Vambie. In Bad Blood, the vampires are purely of magical origins and zombies
are born of science. The Vambie is an unstable mixture of magic and science,
thus linking the two together.
11) Why did you decide to venture into the horror
genre?
I’ve always been into horror. Ever since I was a
little girl. Horror has an amazing amount of sub-genres that makes the whole
thing a delicious mass of possibilities and it’s those possibilities that
attract me as a writer. I could never truly write anything which is mundane or
natural; I rarely read those types of books myself and would lose impetus if it
didn’t interest me.
12) Are you interested in writing other genres?
I do write paranormal romance, but again it has to
have a supernatural edge to it. I couldn’t bring myself to write anything
without that tangy sharp flavor. I do love the idea of Steampunk and am
currently trying to turn my hand at this.
13) Are there any writers you admire?
Far too many to list here! To be honest I admire
anyone who takes the time to put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard. Anyone
who has the imagination and drive to tell a story. Anyone who has the gumption
and grit to get published. And anyone with the mind to promote themselves and
their work.
14) What’s next for you?
Well, I’m currently writing the second Bad Blood and
I’m also developing a new concept for a second YA series.
15) What is the best advice you can give to a new
author?
There’s a ton of advice that I wish that someone had
given me when I’d just started out. To condense it: Write, learn how to edit
and draft, join a group to have contact with likeminded individuals, give
publishers what they want, and above all – don’t stop trying. Failure and
rejection may hurt, but it’s just another step toward success.
16) Where can the readers find more information
about you?
I have a blog http:nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com
and I’m also on Twitter @nickyp_author. I’m developing a Face Book page too, so
if interested parties would like to know when that’ll go live they can follow
my blog or my twitter account.
About the author:
I guess I've always been a storyteller, not in a
'liar liar pants on fire' kind of way, although I do work full time in
advertising! When I was little, kids would crowd around me in the playground
and I'd tell them tales of blood soaked horror filled with vampires,
werewolves, ghosts and more. Yes, most would consider me a disturbed child, but
my playmates couldn't help themselves, they'd huddle around me every break time
like an ancient tribe feeding off the fear; and that's how I learned that
horror stories hold a certain power, no matter what some might say, everyone is
addicted to a good scare, especially if it is somewhat rooted safely in
unrealistic beings... or are they unrealistic?
Author Links:
Website: http://www.creativemindswriting.co.ukBlog: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickyp_author
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Nicky-Peacock/e/B007UH2ACW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_4
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I hope you all enjoyed this interview as much as I did. Please make sure to check out this author and her work. I know I will ; - )
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