Our Guest Author Today is Andrew Paul Weston #OurAuthorGang
Today’s featured guest is author Andrew Paul Weston
Andrew P. Weston is a Royal Marine and Police veteran from the UK who now lives on the beautiful Greek island of Kos with his wife, Annette, and their growing family of rescue cats.
An astronomy and law graduate, he is the creator of the international number one bestsellers, The IX, and Hell Bound, (a novel forming part of Janet Morris’ critically acclaimed Heroes in Hell shared universe), and also has the privilege of being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the British Fantasy Society and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.
When not writing, Andrew devotes some of his spare time to assisting NASA with one of their remote research projects, and writes educational articles for Astronaut.com and Amazing Stories.
Hell Hounds:
Feared throughout the many circles of the underworld, Satan’s Reaper – and chief bounty hunter – Daemon Grim, is known as a true force to be reckoned with. Having eliminated a major player in the uprising eating its way like a cancer through the underbelly of hell, Grim is stunned to discover he cannot afford to rest on his laurels, for the rebellion runs far deeper than was ever imagined. New players have emerged – denizens with uncanny abilities – who seem determined to support Chopin and Tesla’s revolutionary agenda. Ever keen to test their mettle, the Sibitti – personified weapons of the ancient Babylonian plague god, Erra – also appear eager to capitalize on the growing unrest, and set about maneuvering events in order to place themselves in direct opposition to Grim’s investigation.
And if that was not cause for concern enough, there’s an insane angel on the loose, a creature as hell-bent on creating havoc as he is to return home. How do Grim and his rabid pack of bounty hunters respond?
Baying for blood – doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Hell Hounds – The Continuing Evolution of a Concept
Hell Hounds sees the fourth outing for Daemon Grim in the Heroes in Hell shared universe, and the second of his novel length adventures.
As many readers will know by now, though writing for a shared universe is fun, it’s also demanding, as you have the responsibility to see how you can develop your characters and overall story line while staying within the strictures of the “ruling guidelines.” To make this a little easier, I did my homework – mostly by finding out as much as I could about other writers’ characters and reading other anthologies – and then I started to formulate a history around which to build Daemon Grim’s back-story. My regular readers will all know that I’m something of a world builder. I believe in spending a bit of time crafting a solid foundation for my creations, so that they have a “history” on which I can construct my story and its characters with confidence.
For Hell Hounds, much of the world building aspects were already formulated. I was joining an extensive, long-established domain. So, all I had to do was splice into that wealth of information and devise a concept to blend with and support it.
Daemon Grim – as Satan’s Reaper of souls – was perfect. Here is a character ingrained in many cultures as a lethal, malignant presence that can’t be brought or swayed. I imagined the fun I could have by incarnating him in a contradictory fashion, a way that both attracts the reader as it repels them. Grim is – to put it bluntly – the very personification of “sex-on-legs.” His physical and social attributes include a wicked smile and shockingly broad sense of humor that lures you in and disarms you. And all the while, that facade masks a stone cold executioner whose very touch condemns you damnation and death. He lives to kill and relishes the fear his presence can generate. So I took that legend and molded a persona from it … then ensured to add a delicious twist. It would take far too long to explain the process here, but rest assured, there’s more – much, much more – to the conundrum that is Grim than first meets the eye.
He’s loyal to a fault and won’t try to deceive those on whom he dispenses injustice. His own personal code of conduct forbids him from ever lying. And yet, he’s the underworld’s most accomplished assassin who will slay man, woman, child or beast without the slightest hesitation or remorse. Impressed? Then why does he keep getting mysterious visions – like a daydream or flashback in nature – that show ethereal scenes and battles as if experienced from opposing viewpoints at the same time? How can he possibly inhabit multiple perspectives simultaneously? What is it about the statues in Sentinels Square, situated in the grounds of the Palace of Verse and Sighs that draw him toward times and places that have never existed? Why is a crazed cherub obsessed by him? How is Grim able to command both God’s Grace and the Bãlefire with impunity? And why is it that even the Sibitti are reluctant to face him and Satan’s angels view him as a threat?
Yes, Grim is an enigma in more ways than one.
You’ll be glad to know the mystery unravels as each adventure progresses, revealing the roots of rebellion run deeper than a hardcore of disgruntled denizens with a score to settle seeking proscribed artifacts from the Time of Sundering. You will also get to visit exciting new places, most of which have a firm basis in the real world – or, “Topside” as the damned like to say; The Brass Steel, Cadavers Lunatic Asylum in Slay’em, and the Maulin’ Rouge, to name a few.
See how many you can spot as you creep warily through the pages of what promises to be Grim’s most exciting escapade to date.
Here’s the blurb to get you in the mood:
“Feared throughout the many circles of the underworld, Satan’s Reaper – and chief bounty hunter – Daemon Grim, is known as a true force to be reckoned with.
Having eliminated a major player in the uprising eating its way like a cancer through the underbelly of hell, Grim is stunned to discover he cannot afford to rest on his laurels, for the rebellion runs far deeper than was ever imagined. New players have emerged – denizens with uncanny abilities – who seem determined to support Chopin and Tesla’s revolutionary agenda.
Ever keen to test their mettle, the Sibitti – personified weapons of the ancient Babylonian plague god, Erra – also appear eager to capitalize on the growing unrest, and set about maneuvering events in order to place themselves in direct opposition to Grim’s investigation. And if that was not cause for concern enough, there’s an insane angel on the loose, a creature as hell-bent on creating havoc as he is to return home. How do Grim and his rabid pack of bounty hunters respond?
Baying for blood – doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
******
I do hope that piques your interest. Hell Hounds was a lot of fun to write, and the Heroes in Hell universe is a marvelous playground in which to set your characters free. It’s afforded me ample opportunity to establish Grim as a genuine Kick-Ass character, while allowing time for his true nature – and facets of his ancient heritage – to emerge…
No wonder Satan feels threatened!
#horror #darkfantasy #occult #supernatural #heroesinhell #perseidpress
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