First Author Interview ......and a giveaway!

I was extremely lucky and super excited to get to interview one of my favorite authors.  Once I read the first chapter I was hooked.  Here is my interview with Tim O’Rourke author of the amazing Kiera Hudson Series.  After the interview check out how you can win the first three books in the series.

Were you surprised by the quick popularity of The Vampire Shift series?

I didn’t really know what to expect when I published ‘Vampire Shift’. I hoped that it would do well but it wasn’t really until the release of the third book in the series (Vampire Hunt) that series really started to take off.  By Christmas the series was really selling and on Christmas day I woke up to find that ‘Vampire Shift’, ‘Vampire Hunt’ and ‘Vampire Breed’ were all number one on different charts on Amazon.UK . I couldn’t have been happier and it was a great Christmas present.

How did you come up with the character of Kiera Hudson?

I wanted to write a female lead that was determined, strong and smart. I’d read quite a lot of vampire books where the female lead tends to hang off every word that her boyfriend says.  I didn’t want that for Kiera and I think that’s why she has become so popular.  Kiera can figure stuff out for herself. She makes a great leader and although she has a rough time in the first book, she grows even stronger over the series. 

 What can readers expect from the new series?

Whereas the first series is told totally form Kiera’s point of view, this will be different in series two. The first book in the new series (Dead Flesh) will be split between Kiera and Kayla. The rest of the books in the series will be split between Kiera, Isidor and Potter. The last book will be split between Kiera and another character that is returning from the first series – but I can’t say who that character is yet as it will spoil the end ‘Dead Flesh’.

 What kind of research did you do for the new series?

I haven’t undertaken too much research for the second series but I did do some for the first book ‘Vampire Shift’. I researched how quickly blood congeals and how close serial killers commit their crimes to where they live. 

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Finding the time and meeting the tight deadlines that I set myself. I’ve never had problems coming up with ideas, but writing does take a lot of time, and although I can write a book quite quickly, I never want to rush it. 

 For you, what is the best part of being an author?

Finding out what readers think of the stories. I love getting emails and chatting to people about the characters. It’s also great fun to be able to spend my time sneaking off to a make-believe world every day and spending time with the characters that I create. Sometimes they almost seem to take on a life of their own and even though I’m the writer I still feel sadness and happiness for the characters. 

What are you working on now?

I’m currently writing ‘Dead Flesh’ the first book in the second Kiera Hudson series. I have also had a secret project going on in the background which is now finished but I can’t say anything about that right now but hopefully something exciting will be happening very soon and I’ll keep you updated. 

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?  How would you answer that question?

Which of my characters do I love the most? Andrea (Andy) Black from my book ‘Black Hill Farm’.  She is the character that I miss writing about the most. I love Kiera but Andy Black is the character that I have most enjoyed writing about. 

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

‘For the Love of Two Father’s’ and I wrote it about four years ago! 

Will there be any novellas or spin off series (other than Kiera’s) from the Vampire Shift series?

This is an exclusive just for you – but I will be writing a spin off book about a separate adventure that Kayla and Isidor have.  It will be set after the last book in the second Kiera Hudson Series.  I don’t have a title yet, but it will very fast pace with lots of twists. Kiera and Potter won’t be in the book but for all those people that love them, I will be working on a series of shorter mysteries (Novella length) that I will put all into one book.

To win a copy of Vampire Shift, Vampire Wake, & Vampire Hunt; simply follow my blog and add a comment to this post answering who your favorite vampire character is.  Winner will be picked Friday.

Thank you so much to Tim O’Rourke first for such amazing reads and second for such a great giveaway.