Please welcome Author, Nicky Peacock onto the Road to Hell.
Nicky is the author of Bad Blood. Other books written by Nicky are numerous
anthologies in the genres of horror and paranormal romance.
Now, it’s time to create a little hell and get to the good
stuff by revealing all of Nicky’s wicked secrets while
on the Road to Hell. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D
Grab your favorite drink, sink your teeth into something
decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Nicky…
~ ~ ~
GRACEN: Tell me three
things about yourself that we cannot find on the internet or in your bio?
Nicky: Hmmmm, let me think – nowadays the internet can tell
you pretty much anything a budding stalker would want to know about an author!
Okay then, here goes:
I drink tea without milk or lemon.
I turn into a child again every time I see a Muppet.
I’m a nail polish addict! I cannot stop buying it and have
over 200 bottles!
GRACEN: What hobbies and interests do you participate in when
you’re not writing?
Nicky: I don’t get much free time that isn’t filled with
writing. After working a full time job, friends and family time, writing time –
there’s not much left! I do like a good PJ TV/Movie sofa day and have been
known to go to a local spa – although I tend to write there too!
GRACEN: Do you have any writing quirks or certain things you
MUST have or do before beginning the writing process?
Nicky: I have to shut my internet connection down! If I
don’t, I end up drifting onto social network sites or shopping for nail polish!
I can only concentrate when I’m not tempted away – my will power is almost
zero!
GRACEN: If you were plotting to take over the world, how
would you do it?
Nicky: I’d begin by releasing a vampires VS zombies novel through
Noble Romance, then I’d… only kidding.
I’d start by holding hot villain sidekick auditions – once I’d chosen my
army of well-oiled muscular men minions, I’d have them work day and night on a
time machine – they probably wouldn’t come up with much, but I do like a white
lab coat on man!
GRACEN: If you could make one statement that the entire
planet would hear and remember, what would it be?
Nicky: If it bothers you, stop moaning and do something about
it!
GRACEN:
What genre do you write and why that genre?
Nicky: I tend to write horrors, urban fantasy and paranormal
romance. I just love the possibilities of the supernatural and hate writing
under mundane rules of the ‘normal. I mean, we’re forced to live in reality –
books should be filled with fantasy and wonder.
GRACEN: For those who are not yet familiar with Bad Blood,
can you please give us some details about the book and/or series?
Nicky: Bad Blood is a YA vampires VS zombies novel set in
modern England. It’s told first person from a vampire’s point of view who ends
up hip deep in a zombie apocalypse. She has to work side by side with her arch
nemesis and also manages to find a man who looks just like her murdered true
love.
GRACEN: Do you have
any new stories in the works and can you tell us a bit about it/them?
Nicky: I’m working on a YA urban fantasy at the moment set in
the US and also another set in the UK which is part of a series I’m putting
together. The second Bad Blood is also in the pipeline – told you I have very
little time left after writing.
GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with one word or
brief phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to
tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they’ve
finished reading your story.
Nicky: Scary supernatural shenanigans.
GRACEN: What, in your opinion, makes your story unique and
what makes it stand out from other stories in your genre? Think of this as a
pitch to convince readers to pick up your books.
Nicky: It’s all about two monsters that have become popular
in their own rights, mashed up together in a bloody, romantic, sometimes funny,
but always action-packed story.
GRACEN: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the
name of research?
Nicky: I’m betting that could be an on-going question with
me! I do some pretty crazy stuff! I once went to a pub (English bar) lock-in
for an overnight séance! I was literally locked in overnight. Fortunately the
only truly frightening thing that night was the menu!
GRACEN: Of all your books, which character did you have the
most fun creating and why?
Nicky: I do have a soft spot for Bad Blood’s Britannia – she
has a lot of me in her. I also loved Gen from my story ‘Split Apart’ which is
in the paranormal romance anthology ‘Paramourtal 2’ She has a wicked sense of
humor even though her story is quite tragic.
GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your
characters in real life, who would it be and why?
Nicky: I’d love to meet Philippe from Bad Blood. I describe
as a perfect gentleman straight off the cover of a bodice-ripper romance novel
– who wouldn’t want to meet him?
GRACEN: Which of your characters would you never want to meet
under any circumstance and why?
Nicky: Ironically Britannia! She’s like an angrier,
heightened version of me, and I actually found it hard to control her on the
page – I’d hate to see what she’d be like in real life.
GRACEN: If you were
interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please
give us the answer to that question?
Nicky: What’s the one thing you didn’t realize before you
became an author? That it takes over your life! I do love it – I’ve always
lived in my head, so it’s not that much of a change really, but it can really
put your own life on hold if you’re not careful!
GRACEN: Thanks so much
for joining us, Nicky! It’s been a treat
getting to know you better!
Website: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com
Blog: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickyp_author
Face Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/NickyPeacockYaBooks
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Nicky-Peacock/e/B007UH2ACW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_4
Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4958833.Nicky_Peacock
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nickypauthor/
Tumblr: http://nickypeacock.tumblr.com/
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BLURB:
“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.
EXCERPT:
I repositioned
myself so I could see down the edge of the building and into the dark alley
below. The whole scenario was so cliché it made my butt pucker, but, hey, that
was my life, one giant, shadowy cliché. Below, a damsel, clearly in distress,
wearing a belt masquerading as a skirt, was being stalked by a newborn creature
of the night. I could tell he was barely three months made; he wobbled around
like a drunken uncle at a wedding. With his new heightened speed and strength,
he’d gone from infant to superhero in one short, bloody step. It was a long
time ago now, but I remembered what it was like: opening doors and pulling them
off their hinges, throwing down innocent objects and embedding them ten inches
into stone floors. You had to learn your motor skills all over again; the
process was neither easy nor pretty.
The heels on the
damsel’s boots were far too high and made an incredibly irritating,hollow
clicking as she quickened her pace. She must have sensed he was behind her,
lurking in the shadows waiting to strike. Even if she hadn’t seen him yet,she’d
have sensed him. Prey, even ones who wear ‘come eat me’ outfits, almost always
sense that a predator is near, especially when that predator is fumbling around
like a new born fawn on an ice rink.
I waited for her to
reach the edge of the alley before making my move. Dispatching perpetrators was
difficult enough without adding in a witness intent on hugging and thanking me
for saving her short, little, pointless life.
Although a lady
never reveals her age, I was old enough that my every movement was fluid and
precise. I’d done my time acting like the Hulk in a china shop. I’d been human
for a little over nineteen years and a vampire for over four centuries. I found
jumping off a building as easy as stepping off a kerb and, yeah, just as
exciting.
A rush of updraft
spread my long, electric-blue hair behind me like a set of soft dark angel
wings flapping in my vigilant, peripheral vision. I landed square between the
new vampire and his intended victim, who would now be able to continue her
young life and perhaps grow up to buy a skirt that fell below the knee. I mean,
come on, never mind decency, the British weather alone made her outfit an
impractical age-defining choice. I felt cold just looking at her!
The vampire took one
look at me and ran. He’d been warned; of course he’d been warned. He was one of
Nicholas’ brood. I was probably the first topic of conversation Nicholas had
with any of his new little children: “If you see a blue-eyed, blue-haired, tall
girl dressed in tight red jeans, a Sex Pistols T-shirt,and a blue biker jacket,
run for the hills.” That was exactly what the newbie did. He bit down on his
pride, turned tail, and sped out of the alley. With the realisation I probably
wouldn’t make it back in time for Doctor Who, I sighed and followed him.
At night, the streets of London are dark and dingy. Due to the
government’s penny pinching, every second lamppost was off,leaving the city a
hotbed of shady crime. Perfect for the likes of me, who didn’t want average Joe
to see her; also perfect for the likes of the newbie vamp who was now
practically launching himself across each road in a desperate bid to control
his movements and get the hell away from me. His limb-flailing became more
Muppet-like as he proceeded, and I followed him easily enough. Of course he ran
straight into another darkened alley, classic horror-victim mistake. If someone
is chasing you, it’s best to stick with the crowds; even I wouldn’t kill someone when a horde of
random strangers carrying mobile phones could be taking photos and uploading
videos straight to YouTube. Said strangers wouldn’t get involved and help, but
they would gladly capture every gory moment for world titillation and their
God-given right to five minutes of fame.
I smiled as I
watched him catching his breath behind an industrial bin that, even from a
distance, smelt like week-old Chinese food. Yes, we vampires do breathe when
we’re newbies, although it’s more of a reflex than a necessity. Even now,I
still find myself taking the odd breath in and out. It’s a habit that’s hard to
break.
I leapt onto the top
of the bin and leant down into the newbie’s face. We’re all exceptionally pale,
but he went even paler when he saw me. His eyes had a kind of
tiger-in-the-headlights glaze; predators never expect to be caught by other
hunters.They’re meant to be top of the food chain.
“You belong to
Nicholas?” I asked. It’s only polite to check your facts when you’re looking to
kill someone.
He paused and then
shook his head. “No.”
“Don’t be like
that.Tell me the truth.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He smelled like Nicholas, a scent that had wormed its way into my very being,
as I,too, had once reluctantly belonged to him.
“Yes.” He whined a
little and averted his gaze.
Never underestimate
instincts. You’re born with them for a reason.
“Okay, then, let’s
get this over with quick.”
I slipped down in
front of him then punched him in the gut. He doubled over. I brought my knee
square into his face; the momentum pushed him over onto the ground. I put my
boot on his chest and held him down while I pulled out my trusty hand scythes.
“Please, I wasn’t
going to kill her.”
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