Author Interview: Vigilante of Shadows by Miranda Stork

Little Blurb about yourself:

I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.
My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.

My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

I don’t think anything in particular influenced me to be a writer, but when I was 7, I loved Enid Blyton. I’d always written short stories and drawn pictures to go along with them, but that was the age I realized, while reading her books, that I could do this as a grown-up.
     
How long did it take you to write (title of book you're promoting)?

Wow…about seven months? All of my books are different. I have some books that took two weeks to write, others that took a year. I think it depends on how clear the idea is in my head. It was pretty clear with this one, but it changed a lot towards the end.
    
While writing how many times do you go back and rewrite a plot?

A LOT. *grin* I don’t plan most of the book at the start; I’m a real ‘pantster’ in that way. I’ll know the beginning, and the middle, and have an idea of the end…but the rest is whatever journey the characters take me on. And that can sometimes mean the ending changes altogether! So it usually ends up with one or two full rewrites. I don’t mind that though, I like to think it perfects it as much as possible. 
    
You run into a bookstore, where do you go first?

Hmm…I tend not to gravitate towards any one area. I like to saunter around a bookstore, and soak everything in. I guess I always go and make sure I check out the horror section, and the paranormal section, but I like to look at everything. Although I have my favourite genres, I like a little bit of everything, and it’s cool when a book you would never normally go for catches your eye.
   
How many books in a month do you tend to read?

Probably about 4 or so at the moment. But most of that is due to me being far too busy with writing and my publishing company for a lot of reading time. Before I started writing full time, I used to easily read 10 or so books in a month. We have no windowsills in our house, thanks to them becoming bookshelves! 
   
In all the books you've read. Who is your most favorite character and why?

I tried to have a long think about this, and came to the same answer each time. I can’t really answer this! I can’t pick just one character out of all the books I’ve read, as there are hundreds! :D But I tend to like characters that show some kind of strength and personality. My favourite author is Charles Dickens, and his characters shone through because they were so alive, so vivid. I have a favourite character if they leap of the page to me. If there is a cardboard-cut-out character, they tend to wash over me, and I’ll never really warm to them.

State 5 random facts about yourself.

• I like to sniff spices and seasonings when I buy them—don’t ask, I just love the scents! :D
• I love lilies. If I could surround my house with lilies every day, I would.
• A few years ago, before I became a full-time writer, I used to be a sous chef, and I still love cooking. But I don’t miss the stressful atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen!
• People-watching is a fun pastime of mine if I’m ever bored somewhere waiting for someone, and frequently contributes to my made-up characters ;)
• Although I’m not a big collector of anything, as I hate dusting, I LOVE collecting antique or antique-looking advertisements. Old vogue posters, metal signs for Coca-Cola…I just like the way they look, and have a few in my home that sit alongside all the modern furniture.
    
Your favorite Genre?

I don’t I really have just one. I love Horror, Paranormal, and Historical. But if there is a great book in another genre, I’ll never pass it up.
    
What are you currently reading?

At the moment I’m reading a book written by two friends of mine, Eternal Island, by K.S. Haigwood and Ella Medler. It’s set on an enchanted island, where there are magical beings, vampires…all sorts! And so far it’s fantastic.
      
What is the best book you've read?

Ever? That’s another question I can’t answer, I’m afraid. I’ve read lots of books written in different ways that are all amazing, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Murder On The Nile by Agatha Christie, The Green Mile by Stephen King…the list goes on. All of these books are wonderful, but written very differently.

Any new projects coming up?

LOADS. I’m always starting something new, even if I don’t plan to. If I don’t come up with any ideas of my own, you can guarantee one of my writing friends will come up with something, and we’ll be off writing again. For now, I do have another anthology with seven other authors in the Spring, the next book in this series after Vigilante of Shadows, and the next book in my Bassinville Witches Series. Talk to me again in a month and there might be more! *groans and collapses on laptop*
      
Here’s your chance to market your book. Describe it. And why readers should pick it up?

Because I genuinely don’t think there is anything else out there like this book. And that’s not me bigging it up. It entwines a crime thriller, a paranormal romance and erotica, and a little horror…but it’s also about ‘Shadow People’. These are strange ghost-like entities not a lot of people have written about, and I couldn’t find any books that have Shadow People attached to another creature the way there are in Vigilante of Shadows. It also has a smart young police officer who is kidnapped, a group of shadowy assassins out for blood, and a sexy demon who is a vigilante! Now if all that doesn’t make you want to read the book, I don’t know what to tell you. 


Excerpt

Knocking his drink back, feeling the rich liquid burning his throat, Aodhan wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, and slowly stood up from the vinyl bar stool. He waved his hand to get the attention of the barmaid, but she was far too engrossed in the attentions of her personal Adonis to notice Aodhan. Shrugging, he laid a ten-pound note down on the bar, next to his empty glass.
He turned and walked out of the bar door with long strides, feeling the cool night air on his face. The bouncer outside the doors turned and stared at Aodhan’s six foot frame, no emotion showing on his features. Aodhan returned the cool stare, and then began walking off into the night.
He walked along speedily, his hands shoved deep in his jean pockets. The sounds of the night surrounded him-distant cat song, the steady hum of far-off cars, the soft sound of wind whistling underneath people’s windows. He loved being out at night, not because it was a time when his ‘kind’ were more active, but simply because it was so much quieter than the day. The sounds of people rushing around disappeared, and left a peaceful calm with the soothing darkness.
Of course, there were the voices in his head, but that was another story.
He shrugged his shoulders up, cutting off the wind whistling around his neck. He wasn’t particularly cold, but the noise was annoying when your ears were so sensitive that a pin dropping sounded like a two-ton weight.
Aodhan’s mind went back to the girl from the bar. He hadn’t meant to be so brisk with her, but it was really best that no-one got that close. It really wasn’t his style to be the mysterious, dark, lone ranger, but it was for the best in this case. He had begun to…kill people. People who wouldn’t die if they hadn’t found out about them…
Aodhan was a demon.
A rare demon, as well, a shadow demon. He had been born to a Scottish clan just over eight-hundred years ago, to humans. Contrary to what he saw people believed in the media and books, demons were actually born to humans. There was no line of them, like vampyres or werewolves. They were simply…random.
When he had been born, there were no noticeable signs of what he was. He just looked like any of the other babies born to them, strong and healthy, but definitely human.
As he grew older, he had shown great proficiency with all weapons, learning faster than any of the other boys in the clan, becoming more powerful and stronger than most of them. Even some of the boys older than himself had a hard time keeping up with him. He was never big-headed about it though, simply fitting in with everyone else. However, the clan talked about how the strange-eyed boy was so much quicker and stronger than others twice his age, and whispered about ancient gods coming back to the earth. His looks weren’t too odd for his clan, everyone having black, brown, or auburn hair, but his eyes were odd. All others in his clan had mostly blue eyes, some of them had brown eyes. But he had startling clear green eyes, more like a cat, in the clan’s eyes, than a human.
When he was thirteen, he suddenly began developing strange growths near his temples. After going to see the clan’s wise woman about it, she simply cackled, and whispered, “Those who are given the gift of darkness, should not fear the unknown.” He had shaken off the wise women’s words, telling himself that she had finally gone crazy.
The growths had developed further, until they started to look like small dark horns, about the length of his thumb. They curled close to the curve of his head, smooth with small ridges forming at each stage of their growth. Luckily, Aodhan’s hair grew wild and long, allowing him to cover them up as much as he could.
When he became twenty, he was a well-loved member of his clan. He was kind and helpful to all, and helped to fight off their enemies more times than he could count on both hands. But he was holding a dreadful secret from his family. Since his horns had grown, he had also noticed many other things.
He had begun to...see things. Shadows.
When he was out hunting in the forest near to their home, he would think that he had seen someone moving in the trees behind him, but when he swung around to face them, nothing. Then he would hear a soft chuckle, his name being called on the wind. At night, in his bed as he tried to sleep, he would see black figures running around the walls.
He had tried to tell the wise woman of the village again, thinking them to be spirits sent to drive him mad, or something worse. She simply shook her head at him, and chuckled, rocking herself to and fro. He had got used to them by now, drawing the blanket up over his head so that he couldn’t hear their taunting murmurs....
Aodhan suddenly stopped walking, snapping out of his daydreaming. He was sure he had seen one of...them. Looking all around himself, he scanned the buildings around him with his vivid eyes. The problem with them, was that they could hide anywhere they chose-walls, buildings, floors, anywhere-especially at night.
The red brick buildings around him looked empty, the few alleyways just leading alongside the backs of houses, a few bins scattered about. No-one else was walking near him on the pavement, no sound anywhere.
Just as he was about to turn around and carry on walking, pulling his jacket up again, when he heard something behind him. Something whispery and cold.
“Aodhan...”


About the Author:
I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.

My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.

My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!

Where you can find author Miranda Stork

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