1. For readers who haven’t picked it up yet, can you give us a quick, spoiler-free introduction to Beasts of Immortality: Blood and Purpose?

It starts out with Annabelle Austin, who is heavily pregnant with twins, walking home from her parents house on a cold winters night. She is attacked by a huge winged vampire, Lord Ruhsarr, and saved by a mysterious shadowy figure, who is later revealed to be Andra Hudson. Annabelle wakes up in the hospital and her unborn twins are fine. Soon though things start to go wrong and the twins are delivered by C-section. As the story progresses the Austin family are saved again by Andra and her militia, the S.O.V.E.U.

They are taken into hiding after Andra finds out Lord Ruhsarr has reasons for wanting the twins dead. The twins are Vincent, who is a vampire, and Alex, who initially appears to be a regular human child.

A game of cat and mouse ensues as the vampires hunt for the Austin family across locations in Britain and France. As the brothers learn why Ruhsarr's army are pursuing them they realise they could hold a pivotal role in a war that has raged for millennia.

2. The series mixes dark urban fantasy with horror. What drew you to combine those genres, and what do you think that blend adds to the story?

I have been a fan of both genres for a long time. I think monster horror has a fantastical element to it so there is some overlap there. Especially when it comes to the likes of vampires. Having that crossover allowed me a larger sandbox to play in. It also allowed me more avenues to move the story through than either just horror or fantasy by themselves. I love the world I have built within these books where I can have car chases, supernatural creatures, epic battles, and horrifying scenes all in the same story.

3. The Children of the Blood and the S.O.V.E.U. are both rich, layered factions. How did you go about building the history and mythology behind them?

When I finished the first draft it was over 120,000 words. My cousin, who is my proofreader, advised me to split it in two or three as there are three distinct eras in the story. The S O.V.E.U. developed pretty early on in the first draft. I knew I would need a group capable of resisting the vampires and already had Andra Hudson as my main vampire hunter. I decided to build a military unit as that would give them access to weapons without drawing attention from the authorities.

There are underground bases was just me having fun with the James Bondesque style gadgets.

   The Children of the Blood took shape later on as the story grew and the vampires developed. A few characters stood out and I developed roles for them in the vampire army that were more prominent than the regular vampires.

4. Your main conflict pits the Austins — an ordinary family — against a supernatural war. Why was it important to ground the story in an everyday family?

   The family are there to make the situation and the war more accessible to the reader. Especially the father, John. He is sceptical about the existence of vampires at first and the reader experiences the world through his eyes. Hopefully they can relate to his perspective as an ordinary person, he just happens to be in an extraordinary situation. Alex takes on that role later in the story, though his own experience is also more extraordinary than John's.

5. Book 2 (Armed to the Teeth) is already out, and Book 3 (A Thunder of Dragons) is on the way. Without spoilers, how does the story evolve as the series progresses?

Book 1 is the build up to the war and 35 years of Alex coming to realise his potential. It is 297 pages so it's not a long book by any means.

Book 2 follows on directly from book 1. It reveals how Andra created the S.O.V.E.U. It is about the battle the war has been leading up to for millennia, and where the conflict comes to a head. It is nearly twice the length of book 1.

Book 3 is a prequel. The book deals with the origins of Ruhsarr, Andra, and the vampires.

6. Andra Hudson is such a strong, compelling character. What inspired her creation, and what do you think makes her such a formidable leader?

I wanted to create a vampire hunter who wasn't just your average human or a vampire who hunts vampires. I wanted them to be intelligent and wise, but also incredibly hostile if and when the need arose. Ruhsarr is big, imposing, and capable of being horrifically violent. He is a monster from humans perspective. Whereas Andra is a monster from the vampires perspective. I wanted her to be Ruhsarr's nemesis but something different, not just his equal. For example, Ruhsarr lost his humanity thousands of years ago, while Andra is doing everything she can to hold on to hers. She can think tactically and plans detailed attack strategies, then when the time comes she is in the field getting her hands dirty with the soldiers. I wanted her to be my version of Ellen Ripley, or Sarah Connor.

7. Vampires have been portrayed so many ways in fiction — what’s unique about your take on them in Beasts of Immortality?

I think they are unique in that they are living, breathing beings. Their hearts beat, their reflections show up in mirrors. Holy water, crosses and garlic have no effect on them but they do have vulnerabilities. They can be injured and mortally wounded by silver, sunlight, and fire. They can also reproduce naturally. These children are referred to as born vampires. They age five times faster then a human child and stop aging when they reach maturity at around 5 years old, which is roughly the equivalent of 25 years in human terms. Vampires can also be made in the traditional fashion of a human being bitten by a vampire and then drink some of the vampires blood. Once they are changed they remain the age they were at transformation. As they get older the vampirism mutates there DNA and they become more monstrous with leathery or scaled skin. Some of them also develop unique supernatural abilities.

8. If the series were adapted into film or television, what’s one scene from Blood and Purpose you’d be most excited to see on screen?

I would love to see the scene with the Austin family escaping the base when the vampires attack. The combination of the family being evacuated while the S.O.V.E.U. soldiers deal with the vampires would be exhilarating to watch. I would love to see a cinema audience react to it as well. There are other scenes that I would love to see too but I think they would be too big as spoilers to mention them.

Fun Author Questions

9. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I have always loved writing, but I think that I realised I wanted to do it as a profession in my mid-twenties. That is when I started to be able to write stories that were more than just a few scenes long.

10. What’s your favorite part of the writing process — building the world, crafting the action scenes, or digging into character development?

I really love crafting the scenes. Creating a scenario that just builds and builds and builds, becoming more tense, dramatic, beautiful, or horrifying is so exhilarating to me. I love developing the characters too. Seeing them grow to the point that I know exactly how they would react to a situation is so much fun.

11. Do you have any quirky writing rituals, music playlists, or late-night snacks that keep you going?

I am lucky in that I have learnt to write anywhere as I find it easier to work with in an active or noisy environment. I write a few lines or a paragraph on my phone while at work at lunch time. Or when I find spaces in the day, like after cooking dinner for my kids. My most productive time is between ten and midnight with a hot drink and some snacks, usually something like biscuits or cookies, something that can be dunked in a brew. That is when I get time to sit in bed and bash out a thousand words or so.

Rapid-Fire Round (One sentence or less!)

Coffee, tea, or something stronger?

Black coffee.

Favorite horror or fantasy book (besides your own)?

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.

Trope you’ll never get tired of writing or reading?

Found family.

One word to describe Andra Hudson?

Driven.

One word to describe Lord Ruhsarr?

Arrogant.

Dream vacation spot?

A holiday in Scotland or a heavy metal festival, there is no inbetween. Haha.

Daytime or nighttime writing sessions?

Nighttime. I am a creature of the night, haha.

Book you’ve reread the most?

Jurassic Park.

12. Last question — can you give us a tiny, spoiler-free tease about what readers can expect from A Thunder of Dragons?

It takes place over 5000 years before the events of Blood and Purpose and Armed to the Teeth, in the lands that much later become northern Europe. It starts with a human Ruhsarr living as a land owner and farmer. A dragon wants to claim his land for itself. In an attempt to rid the land of this threat he finds himself transformed into the first vampire. It is more of a fantasy book but written with the same momentum as the first two books.

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Paul! Readers, Beasts of Immortality: Blood and Purpose and Armed to the Teeth are available now — perfect for fans of dark urban fantasy, gripping horror, and epic vampire wars.