Saturday Author Spotlight: Jordan L. Hawk *Interview and Giveaway*

When the talented and breathtaking Jordan L. Hawk agreed to be my Spotlight today, I may have fangirled a little! If you don't understand why, then you haven't read her books. That is something I hope to remedy today.

Jordan didn't only agree to an interview (That may I say is one of the most intriguing I've read) She is also giving YOU a chance to fall in love with her series SPECTR by offering you Book 1 Hunter of Demons! At the bottom of this post you will be able to enter the giveaway!!!

I have to say, SPECTR is EASILY one of my top 3 favorite syfy/paranormal series I've ever read... And I read A LOT!

Like every good series, it's starts with an introduction of characters and an idea of plot. And if you're Jordan, it also starts with a bang, whimper and a few heart explosions. And so an addiction is born.

Book one of the SPECTR series (Which is the giveaway this week) hooks you in and spins your mind into a tornado of emotion and mystery:

Blurb:

Unregistered paranormal Caleb Jansen only wants a normal life. But when a demon murders his brother, Caleb knows he has to avenge Ben’s death, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, his only allies belong to an extremist group who would kill Caleb if they found out about his talent.

Gray is a wandering spirit, summoned to hunt and destroy demons by drinking their blood. This hunt goes horribly wrong, and for the first time in his existence Gray is trapped in a living, human body. Caleb’s body…and Caleb is still in it.

Hotshot federal agent John Starkweather thinks he’s seen it all. But when he’s called to exorcise Caleb, he finds a creature which isn’t supposed to exist outside of stories. For Gray is a drakul: a vampire.

Having spent his life avoiding the government as an unregistered ‘mal, Caleb can’t let himself trust a federal exorcist, no matter how sexy. And he certainly isn’t going to give into the heat growing between them and sleep with Starkweather.

Can Starkweather win Caleb’s trust and convince him he isn’t the enemy? Can Caleb keep Gray under control, as the drakul experiences the temptation of a living body for the first time?

Because if he fails and Gray gives in to bloodlust, Starkweather will have no choice but to kill them both.

It really is brilliantly written. Each book in this series pushes you deeper and deeper into this world that Jordan has so outstandingly created!

To get a FULL LIST of ALL the SPECTR books simply click here >> SPECTR SERIES and begin this amazing journey!

SPECTR isn't the only series Jordan writes. She's a busy woman. So let's take a look at her other series...


Whyborne & Griffin:

Blurb
Some things should stay buried.

Repressed scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has two skills: reading dead languages and hiding in his office at the Ladysmith Museum. After the tragic death of the friend he secretly loved, he’s ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man.

So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons following the death of his partner, hoping to start a new life. But the powerful cult which murdered Glenn has taken root in Widdershins, and only the spells in the book can stop them. Spells the intellectual Whyborne doesn’t believe are real.

As the investigation draws the two men closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. When the cult resurrects an evil sorcerer who commands terrifying monsters, can Whyborne overcome his fear and learn to trust? Will Griffin let go of his past and risk falling in love? Or will Griffin’s secrets cost Whyborne both his heart and his life?

Very different from SPECTR but no less brilliant. It receives very high praise pretty much everywhere you'll look. Another series you will easily find yourself addicted to. To see all the books in this series click here >> Whyborne&Griffin 

Of course on the off chance you want to test the waters and don't want to commit to a series quite yet (BUT YOU SHOULD) Might I suggest this...

Blurb

The Good Guy: Haint-working runs in Dan Miller’s blood. Not everyone can help the restless dead cross over, especially when the haunting threatens the Living. But the death of his parents six years ago forced Dan to give it up in exchange for raising his brother and sister, all the while struggling to keep their rural NC farm afloat.

So when the flamboyantly goth Leif Helsvin shows up on Dan’s doorstep looking for help with an evil necromancer named Runar, Dan’s first instinct is to turn him down. With two teenagers to look after, he’s already got all the trouble he can handle. Besides, the sexy Leif is too much of a temptation, and Dan is firmly in the closet.

The Bad Boy: Pierced, tattooed Leif never has sex with the same guy twice. It keeps things simple, especially since his oath to stop Runar has him constantly drifting from one town to the next.

But this time, it looks like Leif is going to need help, in the form of the very down-to-earth Dan. Since Nice Guys are off the menu, Leif just has to keep his hands to himself for as long as it will take to stop Runar’s latest scheme. But as Leif finds himself drawn deeper into Dan’s life, he quickly realizes he’s not just in danger of breaking the rules, but breaking his heart as well.

Once you commit to her series books you will quickly find yourself in desperate search to read everything she has ever written. Trust me!


***INTERVIEW***

1. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I tend to return to the theme of families over and over again, especially that of the family you choose versus the one you’re born with.

2. I am a huge SPECTR fan, HUGE. By far one of my top 3 syfy series ever! I want to ask you about Gray. You write him so differently then any vampire I've ever read. He has an almost social ineptness to him. You can almost draw parallels to him with someone on the Autism Spectrum. How exactly did you develop him?

Thank you, Meredith! :D

I really wanted to write a vampire story inspired by pre-Victorian era folklore. Back in the Middle Ages and earlier, vampires were regarded as evil spirits who possessed the bodies of the dead and used them to prey on the living. In some myths, if one body was destroyed, they would simply move on to another unless special measures were taken. I hadn’t read any stories that made use of this folklore rather than draw off the type made popular in the Victorian era (and culminating in Bram Stoker’s Dracula). I thought it would be way of writing about vampires without just rehashing the usual tropes.

My biggest problem was figuring out how to depict a character of this sort. This creature would be hundreds of years old (at least,) jumping from body to body, gathering knowledge and wisdom the whole time. How could the other characters even relate to him, or he relate to these short-lived humans? What would it even be like to have that sort of perspective? So the idea just sat for a long time because I couldn’t figure out how to execute it.

Eventually the concept of having the vampire spirit jump into a body that didn’t stay dead occurred to me. At the same time, I thought: Not only is this creature not human, but maybe only being in corpses, he’s never really experienced life the way a human would. That was the big breakthrough, because now it became something of a fish-out-of-water story. Gray has the memories of his past hosts, but fragmented and faded by death. He’s never *lived* before, let alone interacted with mortals. So no matter how old and powerful he is, he’s very naive about human life, and is often baffled by the people around him. It made him relatable, at least to me.

3. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

When researching my Whyborne & Griffin series, how difficult it can sometimes be to find out about daily life in America during the Victorian age! There are whole books devoted to daily life in Victorian England or even the American West, but you really have to dig for details about life in the cities along the east coast.

4. Here's a 2 parter. Why M/M and why syfy M/M?

The second part is easy: I grew up reading fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I love creating new worlds, figuring out what abilities the characters have, how magic works, and how I can use all of the above to make my characters’ lives harder. ;)

The first part is more complicated. You’ll notice I didn’t mention “romance” as one of the categories I grew up reading. When it comes to het romance, I'm generally turned off by the gender dynamics; real partnerships between the hero and heroine are few and far between. Even in books with a heroine who kicks ass, she’s usually the one who ends up needing saved. And that’s not even getting into the ugly double standard when it comes to what’s generally deemed an acceptable amount of sexual experience prior to the romance. 

On the other hand, in a *lot* of fantasy and science fiction, the key emotional relationship for the characters is between two men. Frodo and Sam. Kirk and Spock. Holmes and Watson. Their friendships are the emotional engine that makes the plot work. I’ve never cried so hard over a book as when Frodo leaves Sam behind at the Grey Havens. Not to mention the first “canon” m/m romance I encountered was in a fantasy novel: Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey.

With the rise of ebooks, I started reading m/m romance regularly. I always had it in the back of my mind that I’d write one myself, but I didn’t really consider it seriously until I found myself inspired to write an m/m fanfic. The feedback I received was really gratifying, so I decided to take the plunge.

5. You have written so many interesting, entertaining and brilliant characters. Do you have one or two that speak to you more then the others? A favorite perhaps?

That’s a tough question! I don’t write a story unless I’m completely in love with the characters. The easiest character for me to write is Whyborne; his voice and personality were clear to me from the first. And I have enormous affection for characters who play both the hero and the fool, which Whyborne certainly does. But I also REALLY love writing Gray. He's so straightforward, and he can't figure out why these darn humans want to make everything complicated!

6.  What do you think makes a good story?

Characters I care about. That’s the number one thing for me as a reader: make me fall in love with your characters and I will follow them anywhere. 

7. Who or what has inspired you to write and create?

Too many authors, artists, and musicians to name. Big names like Tolkien and less well-known ones like Barbara Hambly. The Saturday morning cartoons I watched back in the 70s and 80s.

Maybe I just find life inspiring. :)

8. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

Hainted was the first book I put out as Jordan L. Hawk, but I’ve been involved in the publishing business in one form or another for about 14 years. In that time, I’ve seen an enormous shift in the business. I decided to self publish Hainted because I knew I had the skill set and wanted to be my own boss. From the time I started writing Hainted to the day I published it was almost exactly one year. I had to research editors, figure out how I wanted my website to look, work on cover art, and read a LOT of business books. Not to mention find review blogs to submit to, figure out how to format for ebook, and a ton of other little details. There were plenty of days I was beating my head against the desk, but it was all worth it.

9. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Writing is an art, but publishing is a business. Learn to read a contract, know your rights, and do your due diligence before submitting to a publisher or hiring an editor. Don’t be afraid to negotiate.  

10. You've accomplished so much already with your writing, but do you have a goal you long to reach with your work? Can you tell us what it is?

My biggest goal is to improve with every book. I read a lot of books on the craft of writing, and I constantly find something new I apply, some skill I can sharpen. I want to keep learning, keep improving, and keep growing as a writer.

Of course you can all keep up with what is going on in the world of Jordan L. Hawk. Simply go to her website here >>> Jordan L. Hawk and keep up with her posts.
  
I want to thank Jordan for the amazing interview and the generous giveaway we have for you this week! You all should check out all of her work. She is quite possibly one of the best syfy/paranormal writers around 

Now for the giveaway. It will run until Friday, April 11th! The winner will be notified and Jordan will send you the ebook in the format you need. Thanks all!

GIVEAWAY

 


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