April 4, 2008 (SciFi Wire / John Joseph Adams) -- Fantasy author Jennifer Rardin told SCI FI Wire that her latest novel, Biting the Bullet, came about as a result of her desire to write about a vampire--one unlike any that has come before.
"Impossible, yeah? But my husband convinced me it was worth a try," Rardin said in an interview. "After all, he said, I'd never yet made the attempt. And I do love the vamps. So I came up with a killer--who was legit. A vampire assassin with a human assistant."
Things didn't go smoothly: Every time Rardin put pen to paper, Jaz Parks, the assistant, kept demanding to be heard. "About a hundred pages in, I realized I needed to tell the story from her point of view," Rardin said. "She just had such a memorable voice. Sarcastic, cynical, with a tendency to drop the 'F bomb,' but possessing a wry sense of humor and a healthy respect for the men and women in her life who she felt deserved it."
In Biting the Bullet, Jaz and her vampire boss, Vayl, must locate and terminate the Wizard, an enemy so elusive that myths have arisen among the natives that he's something more than human. "Well, you know how it is with locals and legends: both closer to truth than anyone's comfortable discussing," Rardin said. "Our heroes are joined by Jaz's brother, Dave, and his Special Ops unit, the badass soldiers who found the information pinpointing the Wizard's location in the first place. Their firepower will be key to the mission's success, especially since it's plagued from the start with attacks from soul-stealing reavers."
One of the things Rardin wanted to do with the series was restore some of the aspects of urban fantasy that she felt many of the books in the subgenre had eliminated: "A story in which romance is a minor (and far from graphic) feature [and] a plot that moves so quickly you can hardly take your eyes off the page for wondering what happens next," she said. "And characters who feel so real you could swear you've met someone just like them. Except for the fact that they can see in the dark and make the temperature drop so far so fast that frostbite is a genuine concern. Should I mention they can rip your lungs out your throat as well? But only if you pose a threat to national security."
Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Jaz Parks) author: Jennifer Rardin Paperback: $10.39 USD I'm Jaz Parks. My boss is Vayl, born in Romania in 1744. Died there too, at the hand of his vampire wife, Liliana. But that's ancient history. For the moment Vayl works for the C.I.A. doing what he does best--assassination. And I help. You could say I'm an Assistant Assassin. But then I'd have to kick your ass.
Our current assignment seemed easy. Get close to a Miami plastic surgeon named Assan, a charmer with ties to terrorism that run deeper than a buried body. Find out what he's meeting with that can help him and his comrades bring America to her knees. And then close his beady l...
Another One Bites the Dust (Jaz Parks) author: Jennifer Rardin Paperback: $10.39 USD Jaz Parks has enough trouble in her personal life. What she doesn't need is more trouble with her vampire boss and another mission. This time she has to retrieve a vital piece of biotechnology by killing the maniac who stole it: an ancient Chinese vamp. Their cover in this mission: professional entertainers at the Corpus Christi's Winter Festival.
The crew's all here: a psychic, a techno-wizard, a singing vampire, a juggling PI, and Jaz. Holy crap in a bottomless well, Jaz is going to bellydance. It's definitely, probably, quite possibly going to be the end of the world as we know ...
This is a mission unlike anything my vampire boss, Vayl, and I have ever been on. It's not our usual take them out and run; it's an undercover mission that needs the whole gang: a psychic, an interpreter, and a weapons specialist. We're joining a Special Ops team to nail the Wizard, a major terrorist thorn in the military's side. We've never gone in with such heavy artillery before, but the more the merrier, right? Um . . . nope. At least not since Vayl and I learned part of our job is to ferret out a mole concealed in our unit...
Bitten to Death (Jaz Parks) author: Jennifer Rardin Paperback: $10.39 USD Jaz Parks here. My latest mission has taken me to the ancient Greek city of Patras; but instead of soaking up its splendor, I'm here to infiltrate a Vampere Trust. Only two vamps have ever escaped the tightly bound communities and lived to tell the tale: Edward "The Raptor"Samos, the most reviled criminal mastermind in recent memory, and Vayl, the CIA's number one assassin who also happens to be my boss.
The Raptor is trying to take over Vayl's former Trust. Unfortunately the Trust's new...
Beloved: it better have a vaulted ceiling -- Tue, Oct 7 1:10am.
Morbius: Ok! Or lets get a coffin together. A King Size Coffin! -- Mon, Oct 6 5:58pm.
Beloved: Maybe we should. -- Mon, Oct 6 3:00pm.
Morbius: haha...more fun than two Vampires are allowed to have in public! haha! Poor Vladimir...he is going to tell us to get a room! -- Mon, Oct 6 2:57pm.
Beloved: Morbius...you need more kisses? *blows 2 kisses* -- Mon, Oct 6 2:53pm.
Beloved: fun up against a wall... -- Mon, Oct 6 2:39pm.
All Genres
Post new comment