Hollow Pit (A Pushed World Novella: Book One) by Tim O'Rourke

   If any of you have ever read any of the Kiera Hudson books and have any idea just who Jack Seth is then you will enjoy this book.  It brings out a whole new side to Jack that you haven't seen that much of if you read the first Kiera Hudson series.  Although we are always aware that he is a complicated character, for a while I also just thought that he was a cold-blooded killer.  He is a wolf.  And the wolf tends to rule those that it lives within.  The wolf loves gruesome killing.  But in this book we see Jack desperately trying to overcome the wolf who is clamoring to get out and take over once again.  But Jack doesn't want to go back to that life, even if this life is a new one because he was pushed (killed).  He and Nik, his younger brother, end up here in a wasteland that looks like the apocalypse happens.  Following some railroad tracks brings nothing but more wasteland for a long ways.  They are both thirsty and starving.  The interesting thing is that their eyes no longer burn with the smolder having the wolf within brings.  At first you wonder if maybe their other side has gone, but it isn't, not in Jack anyway.  The voice in his head comes back loud and clear.  As for Nik, one just has to wonder.  The first people the two of them come upon are a sheriff and a girl, both ripped to shreds.  Apparently even in this new world they live in, there are monsters, possibly other wolves or the Vampyrus that were in the Hollows.  They keep traveling and find a small "town" with people who are terrified of the monsters outside.  They live in a place surrounded by a wall of debris that has been welded together to keep things out.  This poor town offers them food and a room in return for help around the town where it is needed.  They end up helping the people fix the wall, but get a huge surprise when they find out what the town deputy is and what she is hiding.  What's worse is the horrific murder that happens while Jack and Nik are there.  It is obviously a monster that did it.  The question is what type?  Nothing is as it seems in this novella.  And for it to be a short story, not only does it pack a punch but it has its surprises!  

Treat Yourself Giveaway Hop! Win a Great Prize Pack from Clarice's Book Nook!

We're just a couple of weeks away from Halloween and there's one thing that's on everyone's mind... treats!  Welcome to the Treat Yourself Giveaway Hop, hosted by So Easy Being Green and Viva Veltoro!   In this Hop, you'll find lots of special treats to keep your entering giveaways until it's time to go out and gather your own!

Be sure to hop around to all the giveaways in the Hop Linky below, and don't forget the ultimate treat... the Treat Yourself Grand Prize!

Viva Veltoro, So Easy Being Green, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Treat Yourself participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.

For Clarice's Book Nook:

One winner will get a prize pack of four signed copies by best selling author Tim O'Rourke!  The books 
are Vampire Shift and Vampire Wake (books 1 and 2 of the Kiera Hudson Series 1), Moonlight and Moonbeam (Books 1 and 2 of the Moon Trilogy).  The best news?  The giveaway is WORLDWIDE!! (winner will be notified within 48 hours. winner must have a valid address.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks for entering a chance to treat yourself to my giveaway, now it's time to hop around to all the others, including the delicious

Grand Prize. One lucky Winner will be treating themselves to a Year's Supply of YumEarth Organic Candy, a Roku 3 Streaming Media Player, and 4 yummy bags of Lovely Candy Co. Superfruit Chews, Fruit Chews, Chocolate Swirl Caramels, and Chewy Original Caramels!

ENTER THE GRAND PRIZE

Interview with Tim O'Rourke!

And here is the email/Facebook interview I did with author Tim O'Rourke!!



1.How long have you been writing? 

--I started writing at the age of fourteen.

2. What/who is your biggest inspiration? 

--I get inspired by all sorts of things. Stories that I read about in the news or stuff that has affected my own life.

3. What inspired the Kiera Hudson Series?

--My wife wanted me to write a vampire story for her. I didn’t want to at first so I told her to come up with an idea and I would write the story for her. So she suggested a remote little police station where the night shift were all vampires. So I got writing…

4. Let’s talk about Jack Seth. We see him appear some in the first Kiera Hudson Series, but don’t delve too awfully much into his deep, dark heart. Please tell us about what to expect in the Jack Seth Novellas.

--Jack is trying to redeem himself for all his past mistakes. They have been pretty big mistakes like murder…but he is haunted by a curse which he is trying to lift. The Jack Seth series will look at that struggle. There will be links to the Kiera Hudson series.

5. When can we expect the final book in the Moon Trilogy to be out? 

--The third and final book in the ‘Moon Trilogy’ will be released early in 2014.

6. You have written tons of books. How exactly do you keep from burning out? 

--Writing is my passion and I write full time. I get up at seven each morning and start writing a t 9 am. Most days I finish at 5 pm but sometimes I write to much later. I often write for 12 hours in a single day.

7. What other hobbies do you enjoy besides writing? 

--I love walking and listening to music and messing about with my three kids.

8. Have your life experiences had an impact on your writing? 

--Yes. If you read my books you’ll see certain themes creep in in most of the stories that I write. The way in which I was raised, my schooling and faith had a big impact on me.

Vampire Breed (Kiera Hudson Series 1 Book 4) by Tim O'Rourke

 There was a deep cut running from my shin to my knee.  Although it looked as if it had begun to heal, it didn't look good.  A long, black crusty scab had formed over some of the cut, but other parts still looked open and wet.  It made me feel sick.  It wasn't just how it looked- it was the odour- it smelled bad.  I desperately fought to remember how it had happened, but I had no real memories of anything after that night I had been taken kicking and screaming from my cell hidden beneath the mountains.  But how long ago that had been, I didn't know.

   Kiera Hudson has been trapped in a cell, her whereabouts unknown.  After being tested on and bitten by a werewolf, she sits waiting.  Potter said he would come back to save her, but she isn't even sure he got away.  And she has no idea how long she has been held captive.  But there is one thing she does know, she needs to get out of here fast before worse things happen than what already has.  And Kiera needs to find Kayla and Isador too.  There's no way she's leaving them in this godforsaken place.  With the help of an unlikely ally, she makes her get away.  But nothing done in this world is without sacrifice.


*image via Tim O'Rourke
*quote via Tim O'Rourke

Vampire Shift (Kiera Hudson Series 1 Book 1) by Tim O'Rourke

Instead of a review, I will be doing a "what-if" type situation.  After returning from The Ragged Cove, Kiera Hudson most likely had some type of debriefing or interview about her experience there.  This is a model for that interview.

(Picture it like in most crime novels and movies: dark interview room with one very bright light hanging over the interview table. Kiera Hudson sitting on one side of the table and the Chief Inspector on the other side.)

Please state your name for the record.

My name is Kiera Hudson.

Constable Hudson, do you know why you are here?

I believe so.

Then let's get down to business.  You were stationed at The Ragged Cove, correct?

Yes.

When you came back from Ragged Cove, you say that you saw vampires there, correct?

Not just vampires, Vampyrus as well.

And what exactly is the difference between the two?

A vampire is a product of a Vampyrus feeding on a human.  Once the human dies they come back as a frenzied vampire.  You know, glowing red eyes, thirsty for blood.  The Vampyrus are not like this.  They have control over their thirst.  And they have large black wings, unlike the vampires.  Vampyrus go underground when the thirst for blood becomes too much, until it passes.  Most are not willing to feed off of humans.  They generally don't want the human population to know about them.

 

Will you please go through the events at Ragged Cove that brought you back here, constable?

When I came to Ragged Cove, I met Jim Murphy, Luke Bishop, and Sean Potter the night before I was supposed to start my first shift.  There had been a murder, a small boy, and I went with Luke Bishop out to the scene of the crime.  I have to say, Inspector, that they were very unprofessional in their approach.  The boy's throat had been completely ripped out and there was hardly any blood at the scene of the crime.  That is when I first saw what the Vampyrus were capable of.  Strange things started happening very quickly.  I could tell right away that I saw much more than my fellow officers.  They seemed rather incompetent. But they also brushed me off when I tried to show them the clues to what I had seen.  But it was to no avail.  Then a man started following me.  He kept leaving me crosses and notes about being in danger.  I was injured a few times due to different circumstances.

Yes.  I believe you wrecked a police car in Ragged Cove, as well as your own vehicle, correct?

Yes, that is correct.  My car slipped off the road due to a patch of ice.  It happened while I was trying to leave The Ragged Cove.

And the police car?

I was attacked by a vampire.  Luke and I went to examine a grave desecration.  A young teenage girl's body had been dug up and taken.  When we got to the grave we met Father Taylor, a dangerous man I might add.  

And why is that, constable?

He's one of them.  A Vampyrus.  But he is also one of a group who no longer want to live underground.  They want to live on the surface like humans do.

Please continue.

I got down into the grave to examine it more closely.  I noticed that there were claw marks in the dirt inside the grave as well as under the coffin lid.  My conclusion was that this poor girl had been buried alive.  I tried to radio Luke but couldn't get him to answer.  Perhaps the transmission didn't go through.  It's not like anything works in that area anyway.  I could never get any type of cell service.  When I got out of the grave, the girl was standing right beside it.  She kept saying she was hungry.  Then she attacked me.  When I ran to the police car she broke into it with her bare hands trying to get me.

And you think she was a vampire?

Yes.  She had fangs coming out of her mouth and she had inhuman strength.  She was trying to kill me!  

How did you get away?

I put a cross into her mouth and she started burning and exploded. 

I see.  That is quite enough constable.  I believe that the stress of this job has become too much for you to handle.  I am going to recommend that you be put on leave indefinitely.  And be required to get some psychiatric help as well.

But why?  I am telling the truth!  You know that I work with the facts!  And however impossible it may seem, this is the conclusion those facts have led me to!

Check out Book Two: Vampire Wake

*image via Tim O'Rourke