"Dark Heirloom:" An Urban Fantasy from the Vampire's POV!

We've all read paranormal books told from a human's point of view, but my guest today has written a book told from the paranormal character's viewpoint, and it sounds incredibly intriguing! J.D. Brown is the author of "Dark Heirloom," from MuseItUp Publishing. Welcome, J.D.!

Tell us a little about your background and how you became an author.

Thanks so much for having me at your lovely blog today, Kathy, I’m delighted to be here. I feel like I should mention that my books are for adults who enjoy vampires and urban fantasy. :)

Writing started out as a hobby for me after I lost my job. I had a lot of free time but not of a lot of money and writing allowed me to channel my stress in a creative way without tearing a deeper hole in my bank account. I’ve always been an artsy person, always expressing myself through sketching, painting, or poetry. But that time the idea to write a full-length fiction novel just clicked in my head so I ran with it and haven’t looked back since. I get a deep satisfaction from writing novels now and just can’t picture my life going any other way. I absolutely love being an author.

What is one of your favorite books and why?

That I’ve read or that I’ve written? LOL. I’m currently obsessed with The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare as well as the Charley Davidson (First Grave on the Right) books by Darynda Jones. But I read often and my favorites are always fluctuating.

As far as my own writing goes, I have to say I love Dark Heirloom. I’ve written short stories and poems before, but Dark Heirloom was my first full-length novel and it will always be very special to me. I love the characters and the world they inhabit and sometimes it shocks me that my imagination came up with it all. :)

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m a huge fan of vampires and paranormal characters in general, but I remember at the time I was feeling frustrated by some of the books I was reading. I was tired of reading urban fantasy or paranormal romance from the human’s point of view. And frankly it didn’t make any sense to me - why would the hero or heroine of a paranormal story be human? Why couldn’t the vampire be the main character? Soon after that I read a quote somewhere that said “If there is a book out there you want to read that hasn’t been written, write it yourself.” That quote was just the kick I needed. I sat down and started writing the book I wanted to read and what resulted from that was Dark Heirloom.

How would you describe your writing process?

In a single word; hectic. LOL. I do a ton of researching, brainstorming, plotting, and outlining beforehand thinking it will make the process nice and smooth. But that never works. As soon as I start writing the actual draft the characters take over, scrap all my hard planning, and do what they want. So basically I’m just the manual labor working for a bunch of imaginary vampires.

How have you marketed your book?

You know, I actually have fun marketing. Sure, there are times when I feel like I’m drowning in it, but I’m very proud of Dark Heirloom, so why wouldn’t I want to show it off to everyone? As for how, well, I try to handle it the same way I handle most things in life; with kindness and creativity. I network on Facebook every single day. I’m up on other social networks too, but Facebook is my main powerhouse. I do giveaways and contests and scout around for reviewers and bloggers, like Kathy here, to host me. I’m generous when it comes to freebies. I want people to read my book more than anything. So I’ve posted the first 10 chapters of Dark Heirloom on my website for everyone to read for free. I’ve gotten great feedback that way too.

I have several more tricks up my sleeves waiting to be revealed, but Dark Heirloom has only been out for a couple months and if I’ve learned anything about the biz, it’s that timing is everything. So I’m waiting until I get all the conditions right before I launch my next big marketing idea.

What advice would you give to other authors?

Remember to have fun with your writing. It’s very easy to drown in the stress of the business side and totally lose sight of why you wanted to be published so badly in the first place. Don’t feel bad if you need to take a brake from marketing. Don’t feel bad if you want to do something totally silly or different or risky with your writing. It’s art, it’s supposed to be a little dangerous and intimate. Embrace it.

Please provide a favorite excerpt from your book.

            My reflection haunted me as I stood with my forehead pressed against the mirror in the bathroom. I couldn’t feel the glass. My brain told me it should’ve been cold and hard, but all my skin felt was pressure.

            I looked like a zombie. My tan had disappeared, replaced by liquid white, my skin a numb rubbery latex. My teeth fanged like an animal’s. My eyes…

            Two days ago, my eyes were bright brown. Now they were the darkest shade of black, like onyx beads. The irises blended into freakishly wide pupils. Little specks of scarlet glittered in tiny splashes around the irises. Shuddering, I stepped away from the mirror.

            Vampire.

            I couldn’t believe it. One thing was for sure; they weren’t human. Humans couldn’t fly or walk through walls. Humans couldn’t hear or smell things from miles away with precise accuracy. They couldn’t see distinct detail or vivid color in the dark of night.

            Aliens, ghosts, monsters…it didn’t matter what name they chose. The fact remained the same; they were convinced I was one of them now.

Where can readers find you and your book?

Dark Heirloom is available from:

·    Amazon Kindle

·    Smashwords.com

·    MuseItUp Publishing Inc.

You can reach me, J.D. Brown ay my website http://authorjdbrown.com

And at:

·    Facebook Fan Page

·    Twitter Profile

·    J.D.’s Blog

·    J.D.’s Book Club

J.D., the excerpt is wonderful and I'd love to read this book. Thanks for joining me today!

--KSR Writer