Author Guest Post With James R. Tuck

James R. Tuck has kindly agreed to guest post here about his work, and share his inspiration for becoming a writer in honor of his newest release, Blood and Silver.

 About The Author:

James is a former bouncer and has been a professional tattoo artist for over 15 years. His tattoo work has been published in national tattoo magazines and he owns Family Tradition Tattoo in Marietta, Ga. He lives near there with a wonderful wife, three wonderful children, and six dogs of varying degrees of wonderfulness.

Find James R. Tuck on the Web:

Official Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

 Guest Post:

THE MAN FOR THE JOB

James R. Tuck

Why Deacon Chalk? Why make a character like him? Why make him so bloodthirsty, so rough, so violent?

Because that’s the kind of man you need to keep your ass safe when the monsters come. Deacon is the modern-day, urban fantasy version of the noble barbarian you find in early pulp stories like Robert E. Howard's Conan, Michael Moorcock's Elric, and even Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan. He's thrust into a world of evil and monsters under the worst circumstances that could possibly be, and he steps up to the task of being the hero. The deaths of his family and the depth of his faith combine to be the furnace that forges him into both a hero and a weapon in the fight between good and evil. Take away either one of these and he is not the man for the job.

What's the job?

Fighting evil…nothing more…nothing less.

Monsters are the evil. They do evil things. Plus, they are hideously powerful, far outstripping the abilities of a normal man to stand against them. Normal men hide in fear when monsters come to their home. They tremble in the night, locked behind doors and shuttered windows. They cling to their family and pray that the monster passes them by, that it finds another victim in the night…someone they don't know, someone that’s not them. Deacon cannot do that. Once, he might have been able to, but never again. Not after that night. Now he's the man for the job; he will not quit. He will bleed out every drop of his blood to keep a person safe. He's also shaped by the forces he fights. They drive him to acts of brutality that would make a normal person go mad.

But Deacon decided a long time ago that he was not going to hand wring over what he had to do. No second guesses, no recrimminations, no backing down. Deacon never once will question if he's becoming a monster. He doesn't care. As long as people are safe and he doesn't violate his personal faith then he does not look back. He is the Alpha Male, with all that comes with it, written as he truly would be. He's rough, he's hard to handle sometimes, he's brutal. I worked really hard to show just how flawed someone would be who chooses to fight monsters, to put themselves in that gap.

They would be downright damn scary.

The Deacon Chalk series is not a series where the characters waltz through the story and you know they will be okay, no one will die or be hurt, and at the end of the story everyone will feel like they belong until the next book; to hell with that. All bets are off in this world. It's dangerous. It's dark. It's deadly. Don't get too attached to anybody, there's no gaurantee they will make it to the next book. Just like it would be if the Deaconverse were real, and thank God it's not.

 Blood and Silver:

Title: Blood and Silver

Author: James R. Tuck

Publication Date: 

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

He hasn’t met a monster yet that could give him a scare. With ice in his veins, silver hollow-points in his chambers, and an innate ability to rise from the dead, what’s to fear? The answer may be something he doesn’t want to face…

Deacon Chalk normally has no trouble telling innocent victims from real monsters. So protecting an abused pregnant were-dog is a no-brainer…until a vicious lycanthrope leader and his brotherhood target Deacon, other shape-shifters, and any humans in their way. Suddenly, Deacon is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsure who—or what—to trust. The only edge he has left is a weapon hungry for his soul and his most savage impulses. And using it will exact a price even this hell-raising hunter fears to pay…

Find Blood and Silver Online:  

Goodreads | Official Website | Book Depository

 GIVEAWAY(CLOSED): 

Thanks to the kind people at Kensington Publishing, 
I have one print copy of this novel to giveaway here on my blog! 

***Open to those with US or Canadian mailing addresses only!***

(The Publisher will be sending out the prize!)

Giveaway policies:

·         To Enter: Please leave a comment indicating why you want to read this novel and leave your e-mail address.

·         This giveaway ends on August 20^th, 2012

·         This giveaway is open to those 18 years of age or older. 

·         All giveaway winners will be announced on the blog.

·         I can disqualify any entry as I see fit. 

·         I will use Random.org to select the winners.

·         Once the winners have been notified, they will have 24 hours to confirm their interest otherwise new winners will be selected.

Happy reading until next time!