I’m so excited because this is the week that WHEN DARKNESS HUNGERS comes out (book 5 in the Shadow Keepers series).
Now, the truth is that I’m excited when any book comes out. I mean, let’s face it—seeing your book hit shelves (either wooden, plastic or digital) is a pretty cool thing. Months, sometimes years, of work are represented right there on pages between a snazzy cover. (And can I just say that Bantam did a bang-up job on the covers for this series? I’ll confess that I’m not always a fan of manly-men chest covers, but I think the colors and the images for this series rule. And the guys are pretty hot, too.)
Even after over a decade of writing books for publication, I still get a sweet thrill when I get that first hot-off-the-press book in my hands, and another trill of pleasure when I see the book actually on sale. And then, of course, the biggest thrill of all: getting feedback from readers!
All of those things are true with DARKNESS. But for this book, there’s something more. Because in the Shadow Keepers books, I’m revisiting a paranormal world that I really love, filled with dark characters plagued with tricky moral dilemmas. And in DARKNESS in particular, I’m revisiting a character who made his first appearance in the very first book of the series, WHEN BLOOD CALLS. Sergius.
Sergius is probably the most tortured character I’ve ever written, and I loved every minute of it. He’s had one heck of a hard life (death?), and the daemon—a vile malevolence that lives in every vampire—is strong in him. Where other vamps can control their daemon, Serge succumbs, sliding under until the evil consumes him. He’s a fighter, though, and he’s loyal, and he’s grown throughout the course of the series. It was a true pleasure to give him his own book.
There’s no doubt that I’m a fan of series books. I love returning to characters that I’ve created or that I’ve met reading the work of other authors. Or, for that matter, returning to previously watched television shows. I probably watch the Buffy series at least annually, and have watched and rewatched Alias and Lost among others. As for books, I’ve read and re-read the In Death series, the Outlander series, the Harry Potter books (I’m re-reading The Deathly Hallows right now) and so many others. It is, I think, like re-visiting old friends.
Which, I guess, means that a release week for a series character is like throwing a party. So thanks for helping me celebrate!
What are your favorite book and television series? Are you a re-watcher or do you move on to new stories?
The Shadow Keepers
When Darkness Hungers
Shadow Keepers 5Bantam, June 26, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
FBI agent Alexis Martin knows that vampires exist—because one of them killed her sister. Assigned to investigate a series of bizarre homicides in Los Angeles, Alexis believes the murders are the work of rogue vampires—perhaps even the monster responsible for her sister’s death. Now she finally has a chance for retribution. Even better, Alexis receives unexpected help from a sexy stranger as hungry for rogue blood as she is.
Serge is a centuries-old bad boy who stays off the grid—keeping his secrets, his hunger, and his heart safe from exposure. A new breed of vampire that feeds off other shadowers, Serge finds sweet torture in Alexis’s arms. Loving her is a chance to be free from the hiding, the loneliness, the secrecy. But the truth about what he is, and what he’s done, may banish him to the dark confines of his own private hell—and destroy the beginnings of their love.
When Passion Lies
Shadow Keepers 4Bantam, May 28, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages
Tiberius is a vampire dedicated to protecting his kind—and the secrets of the shadow world. Now, as his quest to become head of the Alliance draws within reach, a shattering new threat puts him to the ultimate test. It’s a nightmare of grim proportions: a dark plot to bring about the mass extermination of human and shadow alike. And it forces Tiberius to turn to the woman he loved and lost, the lover he still desires but doesn’t trust.
Caris was Tiberius’s mate for centuries—until a fateful mission changed her forever. Her tortured secrets drove her into the arms of his rival, but desperation has brought her back. As a horrifying new weapon of mass destruction is about to be unleashed, Tiberius and Caris harness the power of their immortal and passionate love. But will it be enough to battle devastating odds and a ruthless enemy with the ambition to destroy them all?
Midnight
Shadow Keepers Short StoryBantam, November 7, 2011
eBook, 84 pages
(Also found in the back of When Passion Lies)
Enter J. K. Beck’s thrilling, seductive world of the Shadow Keepers, which New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian calls “exciting paranormal romance with a sharp, suspenseful edge.”
Carissa de Soranzo will not rest until her kidnapped younger brother has been freed from the nobleman Baloch de Fioro, a fiendish werewolf who means to turn the boy at the next full moon. Against her father’s wishes, Carissa secretly seeks help from the mysterious werewolf hunter Tiberius. Desperate, she promises to do anything if he’ll save her brother—and she can see in his eyes what that will mean.
Dark, strong, and virile, Tiberius cannot resist ravishing the most beautiful woman he’s seen in centuries. But he can never truly have his fill of her, for Tiberius is a vampire. On a quest to trap the werewolf in his den, Tiberius realizes that the only way to rescue Carissa’s brother is to reveal what he truly is. But he risks losing Carissa forever—especially when she discovers that she has given her heart to a vampire.
When Wicked Craves
Shadow Keepers 3Bantam, October 26, 2010
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages
Petra Lang is cursed never to love. One touch of her skin unleashes the vilest demons. Sentenced to death by the Shadow authorities, who fear she’ll turn her curse against them, Petra is rescued by vampire advocate Nicholas Montegue. As their bodies merge and transform into mist, Petra feels an erotic longing.
Nicholas risked his own life to save Petra, yet he knows he can never give in to the explosive attraction he feels for her. But the deep yearning they share tempts them. Together, they must find a way to lift the curse. For only a love this strong has the power to overcome such monstrous evil.
When Pleasure Rules
Shadow Keepers 2Bantam, September 26, 2010
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 448 pages
Seven innocents have been brutally murdered in Los Angeles, yet the Shadow Alliance has no suspects and no leads. As the body count mounts, the age-old feud between vampires and werewolves threatens to explode.
Lissa Monroe—a strong-willed, ravishing succubus who entices men to surrender their souls—agrees to go undercover for the Alliance. Her mission: infiltrate the mind of werewolf leader Vincent Rand, a ferociously alluring enemy who exerts a powerful hold over her. As the City of Angels teeters on the brink of apocalypse, these two adversaries must join together in order to survive an even more lethal enemy hidden in plain sight.
When Blood Calls
Shadow Keepers 1Bantam, August 31, 2010
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 416 pages
Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion—until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she’ll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.
When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.
And coming in July:
When Temptation Burns
Shadow Keepers 6Bantam, July 31, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages
Half human, half daemon, Ryan Doyle is a driving force for justice. As an agent for the Preternatural Enforcement Coalition, he’s investigating murders linked to a Los Angeles fringe group bent on exposing the shadow world to humanity. He is a master of self-control, keeping his deepest hungers hidden beneath a veneer of cool professionalism. Until he crosses paths with sinfully sweet Andy Tarrent, a gutsy reporter who makes him crave all the pleasures he’s denied himself for centuries.
Tracking a band of conspiracy theorists eager to spill blood, Andy has uncovered the story of her career. Brooding, mysterious Ryan is an enigma—but their dance of seduction is hotter than any fantasy. As they race to stop mass murder on the streets, Andy knows that Ryan is holding back, keeping secrets. But getting close to Ryan means opening the door to a world that will challenge her deepest beliefs—including what it means to truly surrender to love.
About J.K. Beck
great post Julie!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, happy #6, JK! I have the first few on my TBR already, but I've fallen behind! I'm not sure I could choose just one favorite book OR series. And yes, I'm a rereader--I like to keep those near the front of the keeper shelf so I can pick them up in between other books :)
ReplyDeletef dot chen at comcast dot net
I love J.K. Beck's works and look forward in reading more.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Tracey D