You remember that "whatcha workin' on meme that was going around a few weeks back? I've got an inside track to urban fantasy hero Alan Kemp, and he's agreed to tell us what he's been doing. You know you'll want to read The Black Phoenix after you read this. Here's
how.
1. What is the working title of your book(s)? The Black
Phoenix.
2: Where did the idea come from for the book? I thought it would
be fun to write an urban fantasy. I noticed that in most urban fantasy novels
that the paranormal are an arrogant bunch, as arrogant as the Bush
Administration during the reconstruction of Iraq after the war. I wanted to
show how the paranormals’ arrogance would lead them to invade the world with no
idea how to make things run smoothly afterwards.
3: What genre does your book come under? This book is an adult
urban fantasy. Normally, you would just classify this book as just urban
fantasy, but I added “adult” because it’s jam-packed with explicit sex and
violence. No one under 18 allowed.
4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a
movie rendition? I’m not sure about many of the main characters, but I would
love to see RuPaul play Queen Mayella Ya’ll and Holly Hunter play Mutt’s
mother, Diane.
5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Mutt, a half-wizard,
half-werepanther hybrid, must solve the mystery of why ghosts haunt downtown
Atlanta and stop a war between vampires and humans without losing any of his DJ
gigs.
6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent
publisher, or represented by an agency? The book is self-published through
Lulu.
7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your
manuscript? About a year.
8: What other books would you compare this story to within your
genre? “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris. “The Undead Kama Sutra” by Mario
Acevedo. “Fool Moon” by Jim Butcher.
9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? As much as I
enjoyed “The Undead Kama Sutra” I felt there wasn’t enough sex for a book with
a title that includes the words “kama sutra.” In fact, most of the urban
fantasies I read seemed more interested in paranormal romance than hardcore
action. While I respect that preference, I wanted something edgier. “The Black
Phoenix” is the urban fantasy I wanted to read.
10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The story includes a talking cat named Ed. I mean, who can resist a talking
cat?
