Fictional Candy: Interview with Nicky Peacock, author of Bad Blood

Bad Blood

Nicky Peacock

“I am Britannia. I am your protector. I will fend off the hungry hordes of undead hands that reach toward you. I am your steadfast defender. I will stand between you and the zombie masses as they try to taste your flesh. I am strong, unyielding, and dedicated to your survival. All I ask from you… is your blood.”

A five-hundred-year-old bloody game of vengeance will need to be put on hold if vampires are to survive the zombie uprising. Britannia and Nicholas, bitter enemies and the only two surviving vampires left in London,have to work together to save un-infected humans and deliver them safely to a vampire stronghold in the Scottish Highlands. Unable to drink the zombie"bad blood," the remaining vampires need the humans to stay alive.But will the vampires tell the survivors who they are and what they want from them? Will Britannia be able to hold back her vengeance for the greater good?Is survivor Josh the reincarnation of Britannia's murdered true love? And can she bring herself to deliver him to the "safe" hold?

Survival instincts run deep, but bad blood can run deeper.

Hey all! Today I have to the blog a "new to me" author, Nicky Peacock. I got a chance to ask her a few questions, so sit back and check out our conversation! Thanks for coming by!

***Interview***

Hey Nicky! How’s it goin?

Great thanks – How’s things with you?

Pretty good, thanks! Can't complain!

So Noble Romance has recently published your book, Bad Blood, which is about vampires and zombies. How did you come to this idea?

I love both vampire and zombie books and actually searched around for some time for a book that pitted them against one another – I didn’t find one, so thought, hey why not write it myself? I started out with a basic concept and it kind of grew from there.

Genius idea, these are two of my favorites - so I am super excited! But, I’ve not read Bad Blood – yet! So what can I expect as a new reader to your writing?

Ooooh, lots of violence. A very strong, yet funny leading lady, who hopefully has soft squishy sugary inside. There’s a strong element of romance and a massive amount of uncontrollable vengeance related fighting. There’s also some zombies and vampires!

Which do you like more, vampires or zombies – and why?

I like reading about zombies in horror books but prefer my paranormal romance to be vampires. This is probably indicative of how these ‘monsters’ are perceived nowadays. Vampires have changed so much in the last 20 years and, although we’d like to, we can just heap all that blame onto Stephanie Meyer’s doorstep. Vampires were being romanticized long before we read about the moody, yet oddly alluring, Edward Cullen. Even as far back as the 1970s when Anne Rice’s Interview with A Vampire’ came out – told from a vampire’s perspective it really took the scare out of them – first person POV is designed to make the reader identify with the main character, not to be afraid of them.
These are some very good points! And I agree!

Do you have any behind the scenes little tidbits you could share with us about Bad Blood?

I have lots of scrummy tidbits dangling from the squishy pink branches of my mind… I’m currently writing the second book, so I’ll give you an exclusive bit of gossip on that one… The zombie outbreak only happened in the UK and in the next book Brit and the gang have to travel to the US to… well I’m not gonna tell you everything ;)
Oh, that sounds really good! Definitely something to look forward to, eh?

Your website says you are working on several titles, across quite a few genres. Is there anything you can share with us? Perhaps a little teaser?

I’m a multiple manuscript kind of girl so I’m also working on a YA werewolf series and a New Adult Fae series too. I’m also playing around with a bit of steampunk.
Those are some great genres, I'm particularly excited about the NA Fae!

These days authors have to do a lot more promotional work than they used to, especially with the internet and social media. Do you have a favorite social media outlet, and how do you handle doing all of it along with still writing?

I think I probably spend about half my time on social media at the moment, although after the dust settles on Bad Blood, that’ll be cut down dramatically. I love Good Reads and I’ve also started a facebook page www.facebook.com/nickypeacockyabooks which has all my guest posts, interviews and lots more about Bad Blood on there. Come on over and give me the finger – I mean a ‘like’ thumbs up!
Definitely - readers - go on by and check it out - I'll race ya!

So Nicky, what’s life like for you when you aren’t writing?

There’s a life beyond writing? LOL, unfortunately all my ‘playtime’ still revolves around the written word. I run a local writers’ group, I go down the pub (local bar) with my author buddies and I’ve also started to doing author interviews and book reviews on my own blog.
LOL, that's how I feel about blogging and reading - life beyond? Right haha. I will have to check out your interviews and reviews!

Do you have a favorite book?

I have soooo many it would be rude to narrow it down to just the one. The most recent book I enjoyed was ‘Haunting Violet’ by Alyxander Harvey – great concept of a young girl tethered to a controlling mother claiming to be a Victorian medium.
Oooh, sounds dramatic and spooky!

And lastly, if Bad Blood were made into a movie – who would play in your star roles

I always cast my books in my mind anyway – so really easy to answer this:

Britannia – Emma Watson (of Harry Potter fame)

Nicholas – Andrew Garfield (of Spiderman fame)

Josh – Liam Hemsworth (of Hunger Games fame)

Philippe – Zak Efron (of – well you know him!) Oh yeah, I know him! He grew up good!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. It’s been fun picking (not eating!) your brain a bit!

It’s a pleasure Liz, you can pick my brain anytime – although I can’t vouch for what you’ll find there!

***Excerpt***

I repositioned myself so I could see down the edge of the building and into the dark alley below. The whole scenario was so cliché it made my butt pucker, but, hey, that was my life, one giant, shadowy cliché. Below, a damsel, clearly in distress, wearing a belt masquerading as a skirt, was being stalked by a newborn creature of the night. I could tell he was barely three months made; he wobbled around like a drunken uncle at a wedding. With his new heightened speed and strength, he'd gone from infant to superhero in one short, bloody step. It was a long time ago now, but I remembered what it was like: opening doors and pulling them off their hinges, throwing down innocent objects and embedding them ten inches into stone floors. You had to learn your motor skills all over again; the process was neither easy nor pretty.

The heels on the damsel's boots were far too high and made an incredibly irritating,hollow clicking as she quickened her pace. She must have sensed he was behind her, lurking in the shadows waiting to strike. Even if she hadn't seen him yet,she'd have sensed him. Prey, even ones who wear 'come eat me' outfits, almost always sense that a predator is near, especially when that predator is fumbling around like a new born fawn on an ice rink.

I waited for her to reach the edge of the alley before making my move. Dispatching perpetrators was difficult enough without adding in a witness intent on hugging and thanking me for saving her short, little, pointless life.

Although a lady never reveals her age, I was old enough that my every movement was fluid and precise. I'd done my time acting like the Hulk in a china shop. I'd been human for a little over nineteen years and a vampire for over four centuries. I found jumping off a building as easy as stepping off a kerb and, yeah, just as exciting.

A rush of updraft spread my long, electric-blue hair behind me like a set of soft dark angel wings flapping in my vigilant, peripheral vision. I landed square between the new vampire and his intended victim, who would now be able to continue her young life and perhaps grow up to buy a skirt that fell below the knee. I mean, come on, never mind decency, the British weather alone made her outfit an impractical age-defining choice. I felt cold just looking at her!

The vampire took one look at me and ran. He'd been warned; of course he'd been warned. He was one of Nicholas' brood. I was probably the first topic of conversation Nicholas had with any of his new little children: "If you see a blue-eyed, blue-haired, tall girl dressed in tight red jeans, a Sex Pistols T-shirt,and a blue biker jacket, run for the hills." That was exactly what the newbie did. He bit down on his pride, turned tail, and sped out of the alley. With the realisation I probably wouldn't make it back in time for Doctor Who, I sighed and followed him.

At night, the streets of London are dark and dingy. Due to the government's penny pinching, every second lamppost was off,leaving the city a hotbed of shady crime. Perfect for the likes of me, who didn't want average Joe to see her; also perfect for the likes of the newbie vamp who was now practically launching himself across each road in a desperate bid to control his movements and get the hell away from me. His limb-flailing became more Muppet-like as he proceeded, and I followed him easily enough. Of course he ran straight into another darkened alley, classic horror-victim mistake. If someone is chasing you, it's best to stick with the crowds; even I wouldn't kill someone when a horde of random strangers carrying mobile phones could be taking photos and uploading videos straight to YouTube. Said strangers wouldn't get involved and help, but they would gladly capture every gory moment for world titillation and their God-given right to five minutes of fame.

I smiled as I watched him catching his breath behind an industrial bin that, even from a distance, smelt like week-old Chinese food. Yes, we vampires do breathe when we're newbies, although it's more of a reflex than a necessity. Even now,I still find myself taking the odd breath in and out. It's a habit that's hard to break.

I leapt onto the top of the bin and leant down into the newbie's face. We're all exceptionally pale, but he went even paler when he saw me. His eyes had a kind of tiger-in-the-headlights glaze; predators never expect to be caught by other hunters.They're meant to be top of the food chain.

"You belong to Nicholas?" I asked. It's only polite to check your facts when you're looking to kill someone.

He paused and then shook his head. "No."

"Don't be like that.Tell me the truth."

I narrowed my eyes. He smelled like Nicholas, a scent that had wormed its way into my very being, as I,too, had once reluctantly belonged to him.

"Yes." He whined a little and averted his gaze.

Never underestimate instincts. You're born with them for a reason.

"Okay, then, let's get this over with quick."

I slipped down in front of him then punched him in the gut. He doubled over. I brought my knee square into his face; the momentum pushed him over onto the ground. I put my boot on his chest and held him down while I pulled out my trusty hand scythes.

"Please, I wasn't going to kill her."

Amazon UK

Amazon CANADA

Noble Romance

Nicky is an English author living in the UK. She writes both YA and adult horror and paranormal Romance. In her spare time she runs a local writers’ group and can be found online through the links below: