jackrollins

A short time ago I was approached by fellow author Stuart Keane, to take part in the Character Blog Tour. Before I jump into the insights into a new character of mine, here is a bit of information about Stuart:

Stuart Keane fell in love with the written word at aged 7, when he discovered his first Richard Laymon novel, Flesh. Since then, his horror education has formed and crafted, and after several years, he became a published author in 2014, with his novella, The Customer Is Always…

Stuart's first feature length novel, All or Nothing, is due for release in 2014. The book is currently being read by a potential publisher. He also has several short stories included in several horror anthologies in 2014 including Terror Train, Dead Harvest – A Collection of Dark Tales, Axes of Evil II and Journals of Horror: Found Fiction. He is currently working on several future novels including The Vector Series.

Stuart’s links: Website/Blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Goodreads

Now that you know all about Stuart, it is time for me to introduce you to someone else I’ve been getting to know over the last few months. I should say, for those new to this blog tour, that each author taking part is asked 7 questions about a character they have been working on. I have several projects in motion at present, but one of them, The Séance, is due for release in the coming weeks so I thought I’d let you get to know the main character a little better.

1)      What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Albert Kench is a fictional character and the lead in The Séance.

2) When and where is the story set? 

The story is set in London in the 1870s, a time when Spiritualism clashed with new medicine, technology and science. There were those who wanted to believe in spirits and life after death, those who wanted to show them evidence that they were right to believe (for a price), and those who wanted to prove that mediums were charlatans and fraudsters by revealing their tricks to the world.

3) What should we know about him/her? 

Albert is a man of science, a man of rational thought, who has lived his childhood under a tyrannical father only to have his eyes opened when he joined his uncle in Australia. In the colonies, he has seen the march of progress trample the culture of the indigenous population and, although this had given him some moral concerns, he has become certain that there is no room for religion anymore. Having learned a few lessons in survival on his voyages, he has returned to London to investigate the physical and mental collapse of a sister he left behind.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life? 

Albert feels a terrible guilt over his sister’s condition, having left her behind those years ago, and is driven to investigate her downfall. He learns that his sister attended a séance with friends and that events on that day defy everything he has come to expect from the physical world.

5) What is the personal goal of the character? 

Spurred on by this guilt, Albert wants answers, wants revenge and wants to prove that there is no otherworldly evil out there, just the evil of man.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it? 

The Séance is complete and being prepared for launch later this year. Details will follow very soon through my Twitter, Goodreads and Facebook pages, so I do hope you will join me for the build up to the release. In the coming weeks I will be revealing how you can get involved, not only in obtaining a pre-release copy of The Séance, but how you might be able to become even more involved in a future project of mine…

7) When can we expect the book to be published?

I am hoping for end of Summer, early Autumn, but like I say, come and join me (links below) so that you can follow the build up and get involved.

Jack Rollins can be reached on Twitter Facebook and Goodreads

Check out the teaser trailer for The Séance

Now it’s time for me to nominate the authors who will follow on from me. You can expect to see their blogs, hopefully in around a week from now.

My first nominee is my old partner in crime, David Basnett another writer from the North of England. David’s excellent De Omori stories revolve around an organisation of vampire hunters and a trilogy of stories aimed at adults and young adults (which I am privileged to be reading pre-release) is about to be followed by a brutal, adults-only addition to the canon. I strongly advise you get up to speed with David’s work, and those familiar with my own, might just see where his world and mine collide.

My second nominee is a more recent acquaintance of mine, Kyle Scott. Prolific blogger, politically charged (I might need a passport by the time I get to go have a pint with him) and a thoroughly nice chap, this Glaswegian’s horror collection Consumed: Volume 1 is a stunning set of 4 nerve-shattering stories, and also features the added bonus of a preview of his forthcoming full-length novel, Devil’s Day. I highly recommend his work; wipe away the gore and see the utterly scathing social commentary and tar-black humour beneath.

Which brings me to my third nomination, C. A. McGroarty. I have been drawn into C. A’s “Harley Basil Chronicles” and can’t wait to really get into this series as he prepares the next instalment. A man after my own heart in terms of his fascination with dark Victorian adventure, his series promises to be an epic, globe-trotting spectacle of insanity, murder and mayhem.

Over to you, gentlemen!