Interview with Leonard D. Hilley II, Author of Predators of Darkness

 Today, Leonard D. Hilley II stops by to talk about his book Predators of Darkness. Thank you for being here, Leonard! I'm currently reading Predators of Darkness and absolutely loving it! Those of you who are fans of dystopian reads should enjoy it too! 

If you were in Daniel's position, would you have done what he did, or would you have done anything differently?

With the odds Daniel faces in the first and second book, I don’t know that I’d be as bold as he is. I’d like to think that I would be, but I certainly hope such situations in real life never exist.

Did your research of genetics or genetic anomalies for Predators of Darkness: Aftermath turn up any interesting or little-known facts?

Actually the idea behind Predators of Darkness: Aftermath prompted me to finish my B.S. biology degree instead of pursuing an English major. The intrigue surrounding the genetic creation of clones and dangerous predatory animals required I know a lot more about the subject than I did. But I’ve always loved English and biology, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make and certainly not one I regret.

If you had to put a playlist together for Predators of Darkness (the series), what songs would be on it?

The opening song for the series would have to be, “Welcome to the Jungle,” by Guns N Roses, but that song’s been a bit overdone with movies. I’m hoping for something like Javier Navarrete (Composer for Pan’s Labyrinth) or maybe James Horner (composer for Braveheart) whenever a movie is made. Both soundtracks are exceptional. This series requires a dark musical theme.

Does Daniel have a theme song? 

Maybe Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”

If you could meet a character from any book ever written, which character and book would it be, and why?

I like Corwin’s character in Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. But that’s due to family politics and having a father who married multiple times and siblings from the different marriages. I easily relate to the “missing father” aspect and making life decisions on my own.

Do you have any rituals that you follow when writing?

Lots of coffee and dark music. I tend to reread what I worked on the day before, revise it, and pick up where I left off.

What are you working on now?

Ann Linden and I are putting the finishing touches on the screenplay, which is perhaps one of the hardest writing endeavors I’ve encountered. It’s a lot different than writing a novel, and since the novel has already been written, it’s the process of leaning down the material into a script. Basically, we’re taking 325 pages of a novel and reducing it to 125 pages of script. One page of script typically equals one minute of film time.

Are there any projects in the works that you can tell us about?

I’m currently working on the fourth book in this series, Death’s Valley, and I’m revising a dark fantasy YA novel that I hope to see finished by the end of summer. I’m also working on a picture book for elementary students as well. Wherever the muse directs . . . .

I loved the score for Pan's Labyrinth, so I'm definitely intrigued by the musical theme that would represent Predators of Darkness. I'm happy to see there is a fourth book in the works as well! When will we see Predators of Darkness on the big screen? 

Thank you so much for being here today, Leonard!

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble 

Blog Tour: Broken - Susan Jane Bigelow - Character Tweets

Susan Jane Bigelow's characters from Broken are here today in an interesting capacity. Have you ever wondered what your favourite characters might say if they had accounts on twitter? Look no further as Susan has created an awesome representation of her characters lives through the twitter medium. You can follow along with the rest of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for Broken here.

Note: these are all completely silly.

MonicaUNP: Totally tired of all this nasty stuff ppl say about aliens and nontraditional families. Stupid Reform Party

CONFEDMONITOR: @MonicaUNP YOUR STATEMENT IS IN VIOLATION AND HAS BEEN LOGGED

MonicaUNP: @CONFEDMONITOR O.O

MonicaUNP: o dam #seeyouinjail

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Silverwyng: Tweeting from midair!

CrimCadtLED: @Silverwyng just watch where you're going pls

Silverwyng: @CrimCadtLED don't worry @SkyRangerIII is with me!

CrimCadtLED: @Silverwyng @SkyRangerIII Ah. ...just please don't post pictures this time, okay?

SkyRangerIII: @CrimCadtLED LOL bro

CrimCadtLED: @SkyRangerIII I hate you.

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Mforward2092: Surprise math quiz today. Failed.

UnaverageJoe: @Mforward2092 shouldn't you have seen that coming?

Mforward2092: @Unaveragejoe: ...shut up.

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SkyRangerIII: Support the Reform Party in this year's elections! bit.ly/gX4UKZ #reform2105

SkyRangerIII: The Extrahuman Union is 100% behind the Reformist effort to make the Confederation better! #reform2105

SkyRangerIII: See video of me with Reform Party candidate Damian Peltan on ConFedNews, live right now! #reform2105

BrokenNYC: @SkyRangerIII …

SkyRangerIII: @BrokenNYC who are you? I hope you're supporting the Reform Party! #reform2105

BrokenNYC: @SkyRangerIII sigh

Don't those tweets make you want to learn more about the characters and their world?
Thank you, Susan, for being here today!

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In a post-war future world where First Contact has been made, humans are colonizing the stars, and the nations of Earth have been united under a central government, Extrahumans are required by law to belong to the Union. When a young man with visions of the future sets out on a mission to define the course of human history, he encounters a devastated former hero, a fascist dictatorship bent on world domination, and the realities of living in a society where affiliation is everything.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

The End of Marking Time - C. J. West

Gifted housebreaker, Michael O'Connor, awakens inside an ultramodern criminal justice system where prison walls are replaced by surveillance equipment and a host of actors hired to determine if he is worthy of freedom. While he was sleeping, the Supreme Court declared long term incarceration to be cruel and unusual punishment and ordered two million felons released. The result was utter chaos and the backlash from law-abiding citizens and police departments reshaped the United States. Felons now enter reeducation programs where they live freely among the population. At least that's what they think. In reality they are enslaved to an army of counselors and a black box that teaches them everything they failed to learn from kindergarten through adulthood. Michael believes he's being tested by the black box, but what he slowly begins to realize is that everything he does is evaluated to determine whether he lives or dies.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: The End of Marking Time

Author: C. J. West

Genre: Adult Fiction, Futuristic, Crime thriller

Publisher: 22 West Books

Publication Date: May 22, 2010

Format: Paperback

Source: Received from author. Many thanks goes to C.J. West for sending me a copy of his book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository.

My rating: 3/5

This review contains spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

The world is a far different place when Michael wakes up from a coma. He had been on his way to prison when he was shot, and from there, he ended up serving most of his time while in a coma. When he wakes up, the rules have changed and there is no "prison" anymore. Rather, there is a black box and anklet to track his every move. He is to be rehabilitated, and based on his response to the rehabilitation procedures, he will be allowed to go free, or he will be terminated. 

This new futuristic justice system has its flaws, but for the most part it works on the first time offenders. Repeat offenders have to deal with stiffer penalties, and relinquish all control over their lives. Michael, for the most part, is set with these offenders, and he is told that he will have to go to school courtesy of the black box, and learn how to read, as well as participate in activities from other classes if he has a chance to ever lose the ankle monitor. 

Michael is a conflicted character as the only way he knows how to earn his keep is to continue breaking and entering houses, but what he doesn't realize is that everything he says or does is monitored, and his actions even outside of his new apartment are being graded. As Michael learns about the new system, and all it encompasses, so we too learn about it. Michael is an affable character, one with a penchant for resorting back to his criminal ways, but he does start to realize that he needs to straighten up. He learns to read, and enjoys it. He meets the son he never knew he had, and he relates his story with a straightforward appeal as he informs the reader of his past history, and how he may or may not have been predisposed towards the criminal lifestyle he has lived. It is heartening to see that he wants to better himself, and that the system could work for him. 

Alas, my real and only complaint with this book is just how the system worked for him. With everything stacked against him, it was unfortunate how the book turned out. Going with this new justice system, and his newfound appreciation for straightening out, Michael was well on his way towards a new life, but the sudden reveals at the end of the book lacked belief, and certain characters seemed overly whiny. I would have found the ending more believable if it had been laid out more like the same format as the rest of the book had been. Unfortunately I found it quite rushed, and therefore it lacked the quality and detail that Michael's story had been given from the beginning. I sympathized with his character, and though I didn't agree with how he obtained some of the information for his quest, I didn't think he deserved the judgement he received. 

Overall, Michael's story is a unique one; of a futuristic criminal system that terminates those who are deemed unable to be rehabilitated. The opening pages drew me in instantly and I became invested in the outcome as I found Michael trying to better himself. This is one of those books that will resonate long after it is read, and I think fans of crime thrillers will find it an enjoyable, thought-provoking read. For what it's worth, I would have pushed the green button based on the fact that I thought he was showing signs of redemption and I didn't think he was a lost cause.

Indulgence in Death - J. D. Robb

When a murder disrupts the Irish vacation she is taking with her husband, Roarke, Eve realizes that no place is safe--not an Irish wood or the streets of the manic city she calls home. But nothing prepares her for what she discovers upon her return to the cop shop in New York City. . . .

A driver for a top-of-the-line limousine service is found dead--shot through the neck with a crossbow. The car was booked by an executive at a venerable security company whose identity had been stolen. Days later, a stunning, high-priced escort is found killed at Coney Island, a bayonet stuck in her heart. And again, the trail leads to a CEO whose information has been hijacked. 

With a method established, but no motive to be found, Eve begins to fear that she has come across that most dangerous of criminals, a thrill killer, but one with a taste for the finer things in life--and death. Eve does not know where or when the next kill will be, or that her investigation will take her to the rarefied circle that Roarke travels in--and into the perverted heart of madness. . . . 

Title: Indulgence in Death (In Death #31)

Author: J. D. Robb

Genre: Adult Fiction, Futuristic, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: November 2, 2010

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Laura from Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

My rating: 4/5 

Eve Dallas is back in this, the latest installment in the In Death series. She and her husband, Roarke, are spending some quality time together on vacation while visiting Roarke's family. While in Ireland, she stumbles over a body in the woods. Though she can't officially participate in the case, she does help the officer in charge, and he wraps up the case quickly and efficiently. With Eve and Roarke's vacation coming to an end, they make their way back to New York City, and find themselves walking into a disturbing case. With bodies piling up in increasingly odd, and unusual ways, it'll take everything Eve has to find the person responsible, and put him behind bars, before the body count escalates any further. 

I'm a huge fan of this series, and appreciate the fact that it is set up so that each book can be read as a stand alone novel. This is one of those rare series that I've never actually read in order, and I never feel like I'm missing anything by reading it out of order. All of the characters are introduced or re-introduced in each installment, and I enjoy reading about the various situations that they find themselves in with each book, no matter how random the order I read them.

This book showcases the evolving relationship between Eve and Roarke, especially at the beginning while they are on vacation. Eve seems more open to trying things outside of her comfort zone, like vacationing in the countryside with Roarke's family, or suggesting they throw a dinner for friends. If you know Eve, you know she is all about her job, and Roarke is the one who usually has to drag her away from work to functions that aren't work related. 

With Eve just back from vacation, the pace picks up quickly, and we find her involved in a bizarre case almost immediately. She utilizes Roarke to bounce ideas off of him, as she does with Peabody, and seems to have a good idea of who is behind the murders. With Eve looking back into the suspect's sordid past, a startling pattern begins to emerge. Hopefully she will be able to build a solid case against the killer before he strikes again. 

All in all, another solid and well-plotted book. Though the identity of the killer is unmasked early on, it is a race against time to see if Eve can pull together all of the evidence she needs to stick him behind bars before he kills again. Fans of the In Death series will love this installment, especially Eve's ill at ease outlook on shrubs and country life. With plenty of intrigue, and a sick and twisted villain, this one will definitely keep the reader invested in the outcome.