Deceitful and Bloodthirsty Gothic Vampires: An interview with J.A. Lynch

Today I'm talking with J.A. Lynch about her Gothic-inspired novel of a woman and brutal not-so-sparkly vampires, Within the Shadows.

1) Tell us about your book.

My book tells the story of Giselle Bergman, an eighteen year old who embarks on the darkest of journeys. Through betrayals, heartbreak, harsh realizations, Giselle learns quickly that she has to count on herself if she is to survive the multitude of creatures out to hunt, torture and kill her. She is on the run of her life, and her allies are few and far between, and the only one she can truly count on is Antoine, a vampire who has a taste for the grander things in life, but can she really trust him?

If you like your books full of Gothic elements: suppression, submission, highly sentimental, and where the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror; suffering from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom,then Within the Shadows is the book for you.

2) What inspired you to write this particular story?

Vampires, the paranormal, horror and my love for all things Gothic inspired my first novel, Within the Shadows (something started nearly 3 years ago). It is no secret that I am a crazy, hardcore fan of vampire literature, and I suppose you could say that I wanted to put my own stamp on the genre. I wanted to create something completely different to anything out there, and I achieved that with my book. It is fast paced, edgy and something you won’t forget in a hurry.

3) Tell us about your lead, Giselle.

Giselle is a normal girl, with normal aspirations in life. In her head she has it all figured out, until things unravel before her eyes in a very bad way. She was brought up to trust in people and care for everyone around her. She of course lays to much trust and dependence on Alex, her 'best-friend', for him to tear it all apart. Giselle is too trusting, and this lets her down on many occasions, but each time she falls, something begins to grow inside her, and unbeknownst to her, this growth will be a valuable asset in her future. She can at times be frustrating in the decisions that she makes, but being a naive young woman, she doesn't have the experience or balls to say no. This is something that also grows, and we will see Giselle grow into a very powerful lead in the future.

4) Please give us a little insight into some of he men Giselle deals wih in this book.

Firstly, we have Alex. The best-friend all girls want to date. He is a chameleon. He runs hot and cold more often than not, and is poisonous. Of course, I can't give too much away, but all is not what it seems with Alex, and although you will learn to loathe him, there will be a glimmer of hope about his 'humanity'.

Then we have, Marc. The guy that throws it all away for a quick fumble with the school harlot, or is that the case? Marc has been Giselle's steady boyfriend for quite sometime, and they seem like the 'perfect' couple, but Alex and Marc walk in different circles and there is a genuine hate going on between these two. There is certainly no chance of a 'bromance' here.

Hmm, Leonid (Alex's dad) - well, Leonid is old school vampire hard, but there is something very different in him. Something that glows, and although he is responsible for a lot of the hurt in Giselle's life, he is also the reason she survives. He's really not the beast he comes across as.

Oooh, Antoine....Antoine. The 'one' who will be there for the long run. He's a savior where Giselle's concerned, he's the light at the end of the tunnel. He's the one to watch for.

Xavier, the dark one who has the creepiest agenda for Giselle. but there is more to his story than just wanting her as his Shadow Queen.

5) There are a lot of books featuring vampires in them out there. What sets your book apart from others?

My book is completely different. There is no whirlwind love affair, there isn't much of a happy ending (yet) and my vampires are blood thirsty, they thrive on lies, betrayal and deceit. I've created them in a different manner. There are two breeds, the classical and the inheritors, and then there is Giselle.
The whole world is new and unique and is edgy.

6) This is the first Shadow World novel. How many are planned for this series?

So far, there are three books planned, Within the Shadows, Escaping Shadows, and Fighting Shadows.

7) Please tell us about some of your other non-Shadow World projects.

I'm also working on a new series, WitchBlade: The Hunters Saga, which is planned for release late 2013, and also planned for 2013 is Ice Goddess and Heatstroke.

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If you'd like to learn more about her and her books, please check at her webpage at http://www.julieannelynch.co.uk/ or check out additional stops on her blog tour at   ttp://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1009032-18---julieanne-lynch---within-the-shadows.