Wherein JK Beck Takes Over the Blog

Notice something different? My blog has been taken by force by the PEC and handed the reigns over to JK Beck! She’s going to be here until Friday, talking about her new series. Hey, J.K.! Thanks for being here!

Thanks for having me…and for keeping me around for three whole days! What a great way to kick off a blog tour! And giveaways, too! We’re giving away two—count ‘em—two ARCs of WHEN BLOOD CALLS, the first book in my upcoming Shadow Keepers series.

We’ll be giving away the ARCs on Friday, drawing names from folks who’ve commented across all three days! So be sure and come back and comment to increase your chances of winning!

So what was the inspiration for this series?

Great question! Backtracking a bit to set the stage, the series centers around a paranormal judicial system. Just for fun, I went and pulled the language I’d included in my original proposal that went out to publishing houses when my agent and I were selling the series:

A judicial system that mirrors our own familiar court system, but designed to apprehend, prosecute, adjudicate and detain those paranormal creatures who break the Covenant, a series of laws first formalized in the cuneiform writing of ancient Sumaria, kept alive and updated today by a paranormal legislative body with authority over all the creatures of the dark.

Located physically beneath courthouses and government buildings throughout the world, the PEC is a secret organization known by only a select group of humans. Each country’s government has created a cover story for the existence of a PEC Division. In the United States, the PEC now falls under the auspices of Homeland Security. The cover story for PEC employees is that they work for “Division 6,” and that they aren’t at liberty to discuss their particular assignments.

The “PEC” stands for the Preternatural Enforcement Coalition. In the original incarnation, the organization was the JM, or Judicare Maleficum. But that changed! The Latin phrase still shows up in the first book, though—I’ll leave it to readers to find that little cameo!

So that’s the background. The inspiration came from my background as an attorney. I can’t remember the actual spark (with some books I can), but I do remember that I was deep into another proposal when I had the idea, and it grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go. I worked it up a bit, then sent an email to my agent. Her reaction was exactly what I’d anticipated: forget the other idea and focus on this one. And I’m so glad I have; these characters and stories are so tormented and twisted that it’s great fun being the author and pulling all their strings.

Do you really pull all the strings?

Ah, no. You caught me. I flesh out the basic storyline, but the characters reveal themselves and their stories, and more often than not characters will leap into the story without my having any idea as to their existence until they show up on the page. It’s a writerly sort of magic, I guess, and it’s my favorite part of the process.

These are your first books as J.K. Beck, but you said that you recall the spark of other books. Tell us about your alter ego…and why the new name. For that matter, why “JK Beck”?

I’ve been writing for years as Julie Kenner, and most of those books have had a light-ish feel to them, with the exception of the recent Blood Lily Chronicles. Those books, however, were urban fantasy and published by the same publisher that does the Demon Hunting Soccer Mom books, which are written with a light hand despite exploring some dark themes. My romances especially have tended toward the light/quirky side.

These books are not only significantly darker and edgier, but they’re also for a new publisher, and we all thought a new name made sense. Then, of course, we had to choose a name. For me, it wasn’t hard. The “JK” stands for…wait for it…”Julie Kenner” (I bet you knew that!) and “Beck” is my maiden name. I was Beck for a lot longer than I’ve been Kenner, so I think it’s cool to get to go back to that name. (Waving at all my high school, college, law school friends!)

Can you share an excerpt with us?

But of course! Since I’m here for three days, I thought I’d pull an excerpt that focuses on the hero and his friend/attorney Nicholas, also a vampire. Nick gets his own book in WHEN WICKED CRAVES. We’ll meet Sara in tomorrow’s excerpt!

***spoiler alert***This is midway through the book, so keep in mind that things may be revealed by the characters that could be considered clues and/or spoilers!

“I came here planning to punch you in the face,” Nick said, his perfect face twisted in anger. “Although I was considering postponing my assault, however much you may deserve it, as I’ve got something more pressing to talk with you about.”

“My relief knows no bounds,” Luke said.

“Oh, what the hell.” And then, before Luke could anticipate it, Nick’s fist shot out and slammed into his nose. Bone and cartilage shattered. Blood oozed down the back of his throat.

And somewhere deep within Luke, the beast reared its head and growled.

Luke forced himself to be calm. Forcing the anger back down where it belonged, taking hold of the chains and twisting, trying to choke the life from the beast. And only when he was certain that he could control it did he look up at his friend.

Nick took a step forward. “You locked me in a coffin. And I had to wake up to Ryan Doyle’s ugly face.”

“About that, I truly am sorry. No one should have to suffer that way.”

“Dammit, Luke, after everything we’ve been through, and you pull this shit? Play anyone else you like, line up your pieces however they make sense to you. But you do not play me. Not me. Not ever. We clear?”

“We are.” Luke understood Nick perfectly, which wasn’t the same as acquiescing, but he didn’t feel compelled to point that out. “Now tell me what’s gotten under your skin.” He needed to speak to Nick about the escaped serial killer and the vampire who had helped him, but that conversation would have to wait. Something was up, and Luke quelled a growing sense of unease as he waited for his friend to speak.

“Ryback called,” Nick said, as dread latched her claws into Luke. “Tasha wasn’t in the apartment.”

“There’s more,” Luke said, a slow, boiling fury replacing the dread. “Tell me.”

“He found goblin blood.”

Dear gods, Tasha. “You tried her cell?”

“I did. No answer.”

“You go there,” Luke said, his voice tight with fury. “Use my jet so you can travel by day, but go there, find Serge, and find out what the fuck has happened to my ward. And get my bail hearing moved up. I cannot be in here with Tasha lost in the world. She’s a child, Nick, trapped in the body of a woman. She needs protection. She needs me.” He looked hard at his friend. “Do whatever you must to make it so.”

“I will,” Nick said, “though your actions tonight might make that more difficult.”

Luke lifted his brow in question.

“Constantine’s pool deck,” he continued. “Caught the news as I was coming here. The human cops have swarmed the place. Apparently some girl had the blood sucked out of her.”

“Terrible thing,” Luke said.

“Dammit, Luke, you had to go and feed?”

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“It’s a crime to suck the life from a human,” Nick said mildly. “Or hadn’t you heard?”

Luke shot him a look that had his friend recoiling.

“If the prosecution connects the dots, that’s not going to help your case on bail.”

“The prosecution already knows,” Luke said, then waited for Nick to connect those dots.

It didn’t take long. “Dammit, Luke. You told her? A gung-ho prosecutor with something to prove? She might make a fine asset, Luke, but don’t let the game turn into something more.” He cocked his head, as if rearranging a puzzle in his mind. “Oh, no. No. Don’t go there. She’s the prosecutor. Your prosecutor. Whatever fantasy you’re clinging to, you need to let it go.”

Ironic, thought Luke, that his friend could find that one sliver of hope despite all Luke’s efforts to hide it. “Don’t worry,” Luke said. “I know who and what she is.”

What she was, he thought, was dangerous. A woman who would imprison him. The same woman who freed him. Who calmed the daemon within.

Nick eyed him warily. “You know who she is,” he repeated. “But don’t forget who you are, too. Who you are, and what you do.”

Thanks! You can find JK at http://www.jkbeck.com or http://www.theshadowkeepers.com And follow her on twitter (jkbeck) and facebook (authorjkbeck).

JK, do you have a question for comments?

Absolutely: You’re a heroine in a paranormal romance…what are the characteristics of your ideal vampire hero? Go for it!