"Born into the
generation people call X (as if to cross it out or deny it), I grew up in an age
without direction, the age without heroes, the age of the beautiful
vampire."
Blurb
Avery Doyle loves vampires; he’s read every novel, seen all
the movies, and researched the folklore.
When his first one-night-stand, Caroline, turns out to be a true vampire
on the run, he jumps at the chance to leave his ordinary life and join her as a
“child of the night.” The honeymoon
ends, however, when Caroline’s brutal Creator Sebastian enslaves them on his
island estate and Avery must confront the dehumanizing reality behind his
dreams.
In order to survive, Caroline and Avery take their place as
servants in Sebastian’s household during a gathering of the most powerful
vampires on Earth, the Hegemony, and soon find themselves involved in the
myriad intrigues and deceptions that form the night-to-night existence of The
Order.
A society of wealth, power, and inhuman decadence whose
existence is protected by human complicity and disbelief, The Order is the
immortal aristocracy hidden behind the giant corporations and political leaders
of the world. Sebastian, however, has a plan that will change The Order forever
and shatter human civilization.
To avoid this terrible fate, Avery and Caroline will not
only have to defy the most powerful creatures on Earth, but also confront the
darkest aspects of themselves. For in the world of the Hegemony, even victory
may cost them their souls . . .
A fast-paced thriller that both re-imagines and pays tribute
to the traditional vampire, Ancient Blood is a story of love, ambition,
sacrifice, and betrayal that is frighteningly human.
Brian McKinley
Brian is a lifelong
vampire fan from New Jersey and has written four screenplays, a stage play
which won a state-wide contest and was produced by a NJ community theater, and
numerous short stories, three of which will be appearing in Mystic Press’
upcoming anthology Misery Loves Company.
Interview
How long have you had this idea?
This took me about a year to write and edit. Took six years
to find a publisher for it. I started by looking for an agent, but couldn't
find one, so I looked for a publisher instead. Found one and sold the book, got
it edited and ready to go ... and the publisher went out of business just
before I would have been published. So I started all over. Meanwhile, I was
working on my current book that has taken me years. And one night I happened to
be on Facebook trying to befriend other authors and network, when Tabetha Jones
messaged me. She had gotten my friend request, looked at my book's blurb, and
offered me a contract right out of the blue!
Who is your favorite character in Ancient Blood?
It should be Avery, but it's actually Geoffrey. He's just
such a completely cold and unapologetic bastard that I find him endlessly
amusing to write
How do you feel about your book coming out in the vamp era?
I have mixed feelings. In a way, it's nice to be
able to have a book that is so distinctly different from all the Twilight
wannabes, but I really dislike the pussification of vampires that's happening.
They're all romance novel pretty boys nowadays. That's not vampires to me.
What is your favorite vampire movie?
Interview with the
Vampire. It's a tough call, but that one has the beauty, the violence, and the
inner story that I love. In most movies, vampires are just the bad guys.
What type of music do you listen to?
A wide variety. I listen to music when I write, so I often
pick something appropriate. I love classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, but I
can also get into classical, opera, jazz, swing, and even Native American music.
I have a character and book playlist.
What song do you have for Avery?
For Avery, I listened to a lot of Weezer, Good Charlotte,
Type O Negative, Concrete Blonde. I also listened to a lot vampire movie
soundtracks when I was writing the Hegemony scenes.
Is there anything you would like your readers to know about
you?
Not sure. I suppose the biggest point to make
would be that I'm not my characters. Any of them. While they all live in my
head and I have the imagination to allow them to do some truly horrific things,
that doesn't mean that I condone those kind of actions in real life. Some
people assume that because you write it, you're into it, and that's not always
true.
Random Facts about Brian McKinley
I love old Universal horror movies and intelligent
thrillers, but am actually kind of a wuss when it comes to modern, gory horror
movies. I can't watch them. I can write it all day long, but images stick with
me too long.
I have written stage plays, screen plays, novels, short
stories, and poetry.
I don't watch much TV. What I do watch is Food Network,
HGTV, and History channel. I will watch specific shows off cable like Dexter,
Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, and Game of Thrones.
Favorite color is black
Favorite book is Red Dragon By Thomas Harris
Favorite Holiday is Halloween
Oh and guess what ladies, he's single so feel free to pounce!
Review
When i heard that Ancient Blood was about vampires i was wondering what kind of story line Brian McKinley brought to the table. Every author has their own version of a vampire and over the years the myth has changed. They sparkle, they walk in the light with a ring, they are vegetarians(meaning only animal blood), and so on. This book was all together different from what vampires are considered to be. Ancient Blood is more of a political vampire story. Politics just don't mesh well with me. I was also thrown off with the language used, i felt like i had to translate most of it and it slowed me down a bit. This only happened when we meet other characters though. Avery, the main character, was the one that kept me balanced. I liked the fact that there are some twists and scheming characters. If you want a new perspective of vampires then this is a book you should read.
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