Being Human by J. Lincoln Fenn

I’d like to welcome J. Lincoln Fenn to my blog today. She’s the author of the excellent Poe, which you can find by clicking the cover

 

 

About 50 pages into my novel I realized I was screwed—royally. And I had no one but myself to blame.

 

I’d pitched a horror novel—evil spirit, demons, gore…galore—which had attracted the attention of a publisher that loved the concept, but when I started writing this wonderfully snarky character emerged that seemed to have a mind of his own. And he wasn’t a hero. Nor did he sparkle. In fact, he could sometimes be a bit of an ass. But he had things to say, funny and occasionally wise things. It wasn’t until about page 40 that I remembered oh yeah, there’s supposed to be some satanic shit and a ghost or…something.

 

I almost thought about scrapping and starting from page one because I didn’t know how to blend these two seemingly anti-thetical tones—how do you land a joke in one chapter and trigger a shiver in the next? I’d seen it done in film a few rare times—Sean of the Dead, Zombieland—but not so much in novels. Nothing deflates tension as quickly as making light of it, which is probably why It isn’t known for making wisecracks before it teaches kids how to float.

 

Netflix to the rescue. Desperate for something different to watch, I landed on the BBC’s Being Human and found a workable horror/humor/human model. Being Human made the paranormal…normal, with relatable characters and plots that easily arced between an evil vampire takeover and a werewolf nervous about what to cook for his first date. When scenes were domestic, or funny, or exploring humanity through the eyes of paranormal characters, nothing serious happened. But when lives were at stake (or about to be staked), no jokes were allowed in. I think I watched the entire season three times. Okay, maybe four.

 

The result was POE, which people have called quirky and sardonic, and likened to the lighter flavor of horror like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural. I’ll take that. But I have to give props where props are due, and I don’t think I would have dared to take a stab at comedic horror without seeing it done as brilliantly as Being Human.

 

Thanks to J Lincoln Fenn for popping in, you can learn more about her and her work at her blog: HERE.

Hellequin Chronicles Sale USA

It’s America’s time to join in the sale fun. For today only the 3 Hellequin Chronicles are only $1,99 each. The novella is also $1.99.

Click the covers below to go to get yourselves a copy.

Review from Liz Loves Books:

 

If you like Urban Fantasy you will love this. If you love Thrillers and Mystery but have not yet dipped your toe into the world of UF, then this is for you – you will get the best of all worlds. I don’t think I have ever been so pleased to see the great words “Book 1″ in the title! “Born of Hatred” Book 2 is now sitting on my Kindle and I will be heading back to see what Nate is up too very very soon. You should come too…

 

 

Review from Bitten by Books:

“Nate is going on my list of favorite urban fantasy characters after reading Born of Hatred. I appreciate his absolute ruthlessness against evil, and his sense of integrity. While some might consider him an antihero, I definitely feel he is a good guy, even if he wears tarnished armor at times.

I definitely recommend the Hellequin series to readers who enjoy urban fantasy. They will find a lot to appreciate in these books, especially if they do not mind some gritty and violent content that is integral to the storyline.”

 

Review by Liz Loves Books:

 

“This is definitely a set of books that has grown in stature since its humble beginnings as Nate and the mythology surrounding him has grown, developed and taken on a life of its own. So, all in all a terrific 3rd book in a series that is now absolutely one of my favourites in the Urban Fantasy stakes alongside Felix Castor and Alex Verus. Possibly not for the faint hearted but if you like your Urban fantasy absolutely Urban and fantastical these will probably bring great satisfaction.“

 

 

 

And The Winners Are

A few weeks ago I launched a competition for 2 lucky people to win all 3 Hellequin Chronicles books on MP3.

The competition finished a few days ago and I’ve been going through the entries to pick the winners. The one thing I discovered is that a lot of people nominated people, several dozen in fact, which is fantastic. So, because of this, I’m going not only give away 2 copies of all 3 Hellequin books, but 10 other people will get Crimes Against Magic as an MP3 or as an ebook, it’s your choice.

So, the 2 winners are:

 

Sarah Flynn Vilic – who picked Steve Conibear

And

Gareth Allen – who picked Darcy

 

Congrats to you both. If both of you can contact me with their address, I’ll get the copies sent out.

As for the 10 other winners, these are:

 

Hollie Roberts

Rachel Smith

Elaine Stansmore

Nth Wolf

Ian O’Neill

Gemma Averillo

Vicki Cooke

Donna Hayman Milton

Roger Gray

Justine Magill

 

 

If each of you can give me the e-mail address of the person you want it to go to (and whether they’d like the ebook or MP3), I’ll get the copy sent out to them.

Congrats to everyone who won, and thanks for taking part. Commiserations to those who didn’t, but I’m sure there will be more opportunities to win.

Hellequin Chronicles Sale

There’s currently a sale on Amazon.co.uk, where you can get all 3 Hellequin Chronicles books for only £1 each. Click the book covers to go to the books.

 

So, if you’re yet to take a read, now’s your chance.

 

Review from Liz Loves Books:

 

If you like Urban Fantasy you will love this. If you love Thrillers and Mystery but have not yet dipped your toe into the world of UF, then this is for you – you will get the best of all worlds. I don’t think I have ever been so pleased to see the great words “Book 1” in the title! “Born of Hatred” Book 2 is now sitting on my Kindle and I will be heading back to see what Nate is up too very very soon. You should come too…

 

 

Review from Bitten by Books:

“Nate is going on my list of favorite urban fantasy characters after reading Born of Hatred. I appreciate his absolute ruthlessness against evil, and his sense of integrity. While some might consider him an antihero, I definitely feel he is a good guy, even if he wears tarnished armor at times.

I definitely recommend the Hellequin series to readers who enjoy urban fantasy. They will find a lot to appreciate in these books, especially if they do not mind some gritty and violent content that is integral to the storyline.”

 

Review by Liz Loves Books:

 

“This is definitely a set of books that has grown in stature since its humble beginnings as Nate and the mythology surrounding him has grown, developed and taken on a life of its own. So, all in all a terrific 3rd book in a series that is now absolutely one of my favourites in the Urban Fantasy stakes alongside Felix Castor and Alex Verus. Possibly not for the faint hearted but if you like your Urban fantasy absolutely Urban and fantastical these will probably bring great satisfaction.“