Nyx Book Reviews: Can you describe your book in one sentence?
John: Non-sparkly snarky vampire detectives try to save the world and get the girl.
How did you come up with your less than average main characters?
I drink a lot. Not really. Okay, I do really drink a lot, but that’s not where I came up with my characters. I was reading Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake books and I wondered “How do these people get anything done? They’re ALWAYS in bed! And don’t vampires ever bite any ugly people?” So I decided to write about my people - the uncool. I imagined if comic book nerds (like me!) ever got turned into vampires.
Which one of the main characters can you identify with most (Jimmy or Greg) and why?
Jimmy - I’m a horrible smartass, but frequently my mouth outruns my brain, so I can relate to his shortcomings.
Why do you think people should read Hard Day’s Knight?
Everybody loves vampires, and I really do feel like this is an entertaining new twist on the genre. Because we need to take a break from all the soul-searching once in a while.
What do you like best about being a writer?
I enjoy the freedom, the ability to go to work without wearing pants. And my megalomania enjoys the world creation aspect of it.
You have also written a sequel called Back in Black. What do you have in store for us next time?
Back in Black sees a little more character development, an actual (gasp!) social issue being addressed, and a cage match. Yeah, really, I’m that much of a redneck that I put a cage fight in my vampire book. Oh, and there’s sparkling, and much griping about the sparkles. It’s a lot of fun, and there will be at least six books in the Black Knight Chronicles before I run out of stories to tell.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. (:
Children are missing.
The police are stumped.
Halloween is coming, with an ancient evil on the horizon.
The vampires are the good guys.
This is not your ordinary fall weekend in Charlotte, NC. Vampire private detectives Jimmy Black and Greg Knightwood have been hired to keep a young client from being cursed for all eternity, but end up in a bigger mess than they ever imagined.
Suddenly trapped in the middle of a serial kidnapping case, Jimmy and Greg uncover a plot to bring forth an ancient evil into the world, and enlist the help of a police detective, a priest, a witch, a fallen angel and strip club proprietor to save the world. This unlikely band of heroes battles zombies, witches, neuroses and sunburn while cracking jokes and looking for the perfect bag of O-negative.
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John G. Hartness is a recovering theatre geek who likes loud music, fried pickles and cold beer. He’s been published or accepted online in several journals including The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, cc&d, Deuce Coupe and Truckin’.
His first novel, The Chosen, is an urban fantasy about saving the world, snotty archangels, gambling, tattooed street preachers, immortals with family issues, bar brawls and the consequences of our decisions.
He followed up The Chosen with Hard Day’s Knight, a new twist on the vampire detective novel and the first in a planned series of at least five books. The second book of The Black Knight Chronicles, Back in Black, landed in March 2011 and has enjoyed immediate success.
John has been called “the Kevin Smith of Charlotte,” and fans of Joss Whedon and Jim Butcher should enjoy his snarky slant on the fantasy genre. His next novel, Knight Moves (Black Knight Chronicles Vol. 3) is due out in the summer of 2011.
He can be found online at www.johnhartness.com and spends too much time on Twitter, especially after a few drinks.
Visit the next stop: Books Devoured
Or read my review of Hard Day's Knight
1 comments:
"Non-sparkly" love it :)
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