After completing my first book,
Vigilare, in the
Vigilare
trilogy, I thought I had written a detective mystery with a paranormal spin. Lo
and behold, my surprise, when I kept reading reviews referring to my novel as a
THRILLER. I had no idea I was that exciting!
Gabino Iglesias of the Austin Post said, “Vigilare
walks the line between a thriller and a supernatural adventure while safely
anchored in a scientific discourse around blood that James put together so well
that it's reminiscent of a Douglas Preston or Michael
Crichton novel. With action, romance, a strong female hero and a
likeable group of characters, Vigilare
reads like a good action movie.”
After reading his review, followed by a round of celebratory
fist-pumps and Elaine-esque dancing while partaking of my morning Joe, I call
up my Editor, and I say, “How would you classify Vigilare?”
She says, “With all of that action, twist and turns, and a
cliffhanger-ending, you have a Thriller on your hands, my dear.”
With the release of the second book in the series, Vigilare:
Hell Hound, it seems as though I may have found my sweet spot among the
thriller genre. I get questions from readers about my “dark side,” as Vigilare
has been tapped dark and intense. Guess I didn’t realize I was that dark
either, although I have been accused of being partially bionic, juggling a
plethora of handles, author/singer/songwriter/nurse/novice mechanic/novice
martial artist/fitness fanatic/artificial insemination technician(beef
cattle)/among other things. You could say I have an interest in most
everything, and am willing to try anything, at least once. It must be the
extremist in me. And I figure everyone has an alter ego, some darker than
others, maybe. If you’re going to go for something, really go for it, right?
In my interview with the Austin Post, Iglesias said,
“Looking at James, a stunning belle with a perpetual smile on her face, it's
hard to picture what would drive her to write a
novel
where sexual abuse and death are two crucial and ever-present elements.
However, the author explained that her writing persona and her everyday self
are separate entities. "I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl," James
said. "But when I write, I get into a dark girl frame of mind. That has
always been part of my writing process and I really don't know why." And
truthfully, I’m not that stunning.
Vigilare is set in the town of Vanguard, where
Detectives Gina DeLuca and Tony Gronkowski investigate a string of murders
among the city’s most loathsome population, rapists and pedophiles, of which
the Vigilare is most likely responsible. Problem is, the identity of the
Vigilare is unknown, even to the Vigilare. The detectives, the reader and the
Vigilare find out its identity together. Vigilare, an Italian term, meaning to
watch over, to look out, to protect—is a play on vigilantism. The Vigilare is
the divine avenger. Her fate assigned, not chosen. I was inspired by comic
books and movies, such as Batman and The Punisher. How I love me
some Boondock Saints. The premise of pitting evil against good, and how
good can turn bad, even with the most pure of intentions, gets me excited.
Truly titillating! One of my favorite reviews from an Amazon reader briefed,
“Gotham has Batman. Vanguard has Vigilare!”
My Vigilare’s superpower is grounded in blood, Rh-negative
factor, to be exact. What more formidable opponent than someone whose super
human ability engages with the exposure of her blood to external oxygen? With a
background in Intensive Care Nursing, I knew a bit about blood. After
researching, I knew a lot about blood. The theories I found about Rh-negative
blood and its potential link to the ancient astronauts, or the blood
of the gods was intriguing, mind-blowing even. Basically, with a little
research, my simple premise manifested into a building block of scientific
discourse, delivered to the reader by my sometimes manic, white lab
coat-wearing, spectacle-clad Hematologist, Dr. Godfrey. Makes me wish I had
Rh-negative blood!
Of course, the Vigilare came to be in the form of her past.
As we all do, right? Experiences, whether good, bad or horrifyingly traumatic,
shape us into the people we become. Combine that with a corrupt, power-hungry
government agency, such as ETNA in my book…the equivalent to Sector 5, they
deal in the supernatural…and a fed-up community tending toward the side of the
Vigilare, and you have a city on the verge of a vigilante uprising. It’s a race
to the finish to find out who the Vigilare is, and why she exists. Where one
system fails, another never gives up!
Excerpt from Vigilare:
Her body goes limp momentarily as her blood is
exposed to the air. She lies on her stomach, the man crouches over her, pushing
his pants down around his ankles. He resorts to his same bit, stroking himself
as he pulls at the back of her pants, fully intending to rape her from behind.
Her ears ring and the pulse in
her head feels so strong, rhythmic like a drum as her senses heighten to a
supernatural level. With each beat of her heart and every consecutive breath
requiring more oxygen than the last, her body begins to awaken, feverishly hot,
aching for release. In one fluid movement, she pushes off the floor, spinning
herself around underneath the crouching man. Her foot connects swiftly and
severely to his throbbing unit, kicking him off of her, catapulting his body
across the room into the adjacent corner. He whimpers with the contact. With
the speed of light, she covers him with her paranormal frame, winding the same
piece of nylon rope he used on her around his neck, rapidly concocting a
slipknot at the end for more efficient use.
She
crouches over his debilitated body, surely in shock. “Do you know what happens
to a woman when a filthy pig like you touches her? Do you!” She tightens the
cord, smiling down at the fear in his eyes. “She loses her soul. It dies a
little more each time she has to shower to wash your filth away...and every
time she wakes from a nightmare with the image of your sweaty body leaning over
her...until one day she can’t find it anymore.”
He closes his eyes, tears trickle down the
sides of his face.
“Oh,
you’re going to try the crying bit,” she bites sarcastically. “Did Aubrey’s
tears stop you? How many souls have you taken?”
He remains quiet, his eyes squeezed shut.
“What’s
the matter, cat got your tongue?” She roughly pats the side of his face.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to answer. I’ll find out soon enough.” She pulls
tightly on the cord. “Open your eyes.”
He shakes his head.
“It’s
retribution time my friend. I’m here to take what’s left of your soul. Let’s
see if you have one. Open your eyes. Open your eyes!”
Startled,
he does as she commands. At first contact with hers, emerald green and
sparkling, he’s locked in, physically unable to close his eyes or divert them in
any way. Image after image, her mind and heart take a beating, reliving all the
nauseating deeds he’s done. Bodies abused, souls left scarred and broken, he
has left his mark. With each innocent face that flashes before her, she
tightens the noose until the life leaves his body. His soul finally
extinguished. Retribution delivered.
After readers figure out who the Vigilare with the sparkling
emerald green eyes is in book one, we move onto the second book in the series,
which is my newest release, Vigilare: Hell Hound.
Mind you, once the Vigilare figures out she is, in fact, the
Vigilare, an internal tug-of-war ensues. She is not proud of the things she has
done in the mind and body of her alter ego. Left with no choice, she is
begrudgingly swayed into accepting her position, on one condition: She must
avenge the deaths of her husband and her son.
Now accepting of her role,
Vigilare is propelled into a twist on Greek Mythology's Cerberus―Hell Hound―a
rival Vigilare with fire capabilities. ETNA harbored her blood. Have they
created a monster they cannot control?
The action spurs from Vanguard to
the Big Easy, where the city and its Gambini mafia family are under
siege with Vigilare drones, thought to be created by ETNA, a diversion to
attract and capture Vigilare for their own intent and purpose. When exposed by
a power-hungry ally, Vigilare comes face to face with her past in the form of
her arch nemesis—the hellish one. With references to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the true Hell Hound is
exposed, weaving a web of deception and suspense so disturbing, climaxing to a
standoff between father and son. Will Vigilare surrender her role, sacrificing
her immortality to stop Hell Hound? The second in a trilogy, Vigilare: Hell
Hound―when power is given, the true testament of one's character will rise.
The thing I love about
Vigilare:
Hell Hound is that it toys with the idea of madness and how one arrives at
such a juncture. You know, how much can a man tolerate before he crosses that
hairline between sane and insane. And the addition of newcomer, Maxim Kiesel,
the steel blue-eyed prodigy graced with icy powers may very well be the
antidote, or the ultimate traitor. I had great fun playing with the notion of
fire and ice. Do you quench fire with ice? Or do you fight fire with fire? And
the trifecta of colors…emerald green, violent red and steel blue, provided a
whole new set of research. Who knew colors had so much meaning!
“I love the science and the folklore entwined in this
series. James has written an intriguing premise, with an ending reminiscent of
Anne Rice's Taltos chronicle.” –Amazon Review
Excerpt
from Vigilare: Hell Hound:
“Did you say Hell Hound?” Tony
ignores his encouragement, questioning his previous reference to the red-eyed
Manny Briggs.
Dr. Godfrey nods, his
expression sincere. “Red…dark red symbolizes fire, anger, rage, malice, wrath,”
he takes his time, fully enunciating each word, driving home its definition.
“ETNA is sending a very clear message. Are you familiar with Greek mythology,
Detective?”
Tony looks at him perturbed, as
if he should already know the answer.
Dr. Godfrey holds his hand up,
bowing his head, accepting his foul on the play. “In Greek mythology, Hades is
the god of the underworld. The devil, one may conclude.” He scrunches up his
nose hoisting his spectacles nearer to his eyes as he situates himself closer
to the recliner’s edge. “A Hell Hound is a hound of Hades, or a dog of Hell in
the literal translation. They are the guards to the underworld, relegating who
is sucked in and who is declined access.”
Tony rolls his eyes, tiring of
the extravagant explanation.
Dr. Godfrey nods, acknowledging
he will orient toward a more direct point. “As described in legends, Hell
Hounds have glowing red eyes and supernatural abilities. They’re rarely seen,
very phantom-like. They may appear as if out of nowhere and vanish with the
blink of an eye. An elusive creature. Hell Hounds are associated with fire and
often have fire or heat-based abilities.”
A big THANK YOU to Bastard for hosting me! If you find
yourself in the market for a paranormal thriller, I hope you will give my Vigilare
series a look.
Vigilare: Hell Hound, Kindle release May 1. Print
release June 1.
Finding Brooklyn James:
Brooklyn James is an author/singer/songwriter inspired by
life in the
Live Music Capital of Austin, Texas. Her first novel,
The
Boots My Mother Gave Me, has an original music soundtrack and was chosen as
a Quarter Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Brooklyn holds an
M.A. in Communication, and a B.S. in both Nursing and Animal Science. The
Vigilare
trilogy is an adaptation from a short narrative film. She is currently working
on the last novel in the series, as well as another book and music soundtrack
combination. All songs from the soundtracks are written/co-written and
performed by the author. Listen free at
www.brooklyn-james.com or
www.facebook.com/BrooklynJamesSinger.
“Brooklyn James' soundtrack to her novel The Boots My
Mother Gave Me does more than give a clever feminist twist to the title.
Her songs serve as chapters themselves, underlining James' deft ability as a
storyteller and songwriter” –Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle
