Guest Author Interview: Lucien Black

Please welcome today's guest author Lucien Black!  Lucien is the author of the No Vacancy series of short story collections including No Vacancies: Volume 1, No Vacancies: Volume 2, No Vacancies: Volume 3, and No Vacancies: Volume 4.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Lucien:  I began writing in 1989.  A few of us got together and started our own comic book publishing company.  We had a very prolific team and within a few months, we had several titles ready to print. Our only problem was funding.  We were able to print the first issue of our first comic book, and it did very well, especially at a time when there was so much competition in the industry. Sadly, we were unable to produce the follow up books and the business eventually dismantled. I kept writing and kept re-working my various storylines.  I also worked with various artists trying to get something going but never really found the right fit.
So, in 2007 my wife convinced me to start converting my comic book scripts into short story format.  With her support I started that process, which took some time to hone. While I was working through scripts, I came up with the idea to bring these short stories to the market with a serialized format.  The idea was to produce a book that had multiple stories going on at one time.  For example, Volume 1 of No Vacancies has four stories, two serials and two stand-alone short stories.  The serials, Outcast and High Stakes, are told in four parts (through volumes 1-4). 

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Lucien:   Elements of Paranormal Fiction run through many of my works.  As a writer, I enjoy taking elements from all genres and incorporating them into a story. Paranormal themes such as ghosts, vampires and werewolves are evident in the No Vacancies series, specifically in the story Outcast.  Werewolves are a guilty pleasure of mine and ever since I was a kid watching The Howling, I wanted to write a werewolf story. What I didn’t want, was to be labeled a horror writer or a get stuck rehashing previously written ideas. I wanted to create, what in my eyes, was an original story with elements of these characterizations.  To have werewolves and vampires be in the story, but not have it be the same old feud.  I believe I accomplish that with Outcast. 
The main character in outcast, Nathaniel, is a werewolf but hold another secret so powerful that some will stop at nothing to obtain that power.  Nathaniel is not aware he possesses this secret but he finds out that not only did the people closest to him know about it, but it was also the primary catalyst of the death of his fiancé, a pivotal moment in his life.  Nathaniel’s journey takes him to Hudson, NY where he meets Detective Jackie Thompson, a HPD detective that lost her family in a similar fashion to Nathaniel’s fiancé.  The two face off against a being of unspeakable power, Adrian Vandenberg, with limitless resources both financially and metaphysically at his disposal.  He and his minions are hell bent on obtaining Nathaniel’s secret and using it for their own gains.  The first installment of Outcast, told through No Vacancies Volumes 1-4 delivers that paranormal werewolf vs. vampire battle that everyone loves, but it comes through with a completely different twist, that I doubt anyone will see coming.  I think people will really love the ending.  

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Lucien:  I’ve always wanted winged flight as a supernatural ability.  It wasn’t enough to be able to fly; I wanted wings.  The ability to soar above the clouds effortlessly carried by the wind and get lost in my own thoughts; no restrictions, no responsibilities.  Now that’s an ability worth having.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Lucien:   I think that the No Vacancies series offers readers a little bit of everything, from supernatural horror to action packed adventure tales. This volume of No Vacancies brings to a close my two flagship titles, High Stakes and Outcast, both of which I developed in 1989.  It also introduces a new serial, which I am excited about, Myth.  Myth was a character I developed as a throwaway villain, but eventually decided the character was interesting enough to tell his story.  I love Greek Mythology, so this was a great choice for my next serial. 
I think Volume 4 is also the most action packed of all the books.  With major battles between good and evil in both High Stakes and Outcast, readers are thrown into a non-stop frenzy of supernatural combat.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Lucien:  There is no doubt that Outcast is by far my favorite of the serials offered in the No Vacancies Series.  The story is fast paced, action packed and full of supernatural elements that I think lend to the big screen very well.  It is also the story that I get the most feedback about the transition from book to screen. 
So for the cast of characters, this is how I see it:
Nathaniel- The star of the series, Nathaniel, I see Bradley Cooper.  From what I’ve seen of him in the movies, he has both the star power, but the humility that I think other actors of his mettle lack.  He doesn’t come across greasy, which is important to me as well.
Detective Jackie Thompson- Jackie’s a tough female cop thrust into a world she didn’t even know existed until she met Nathanial.  For Jackie’s role in the movie, I see Angela Bassett.  She is such an amazing actress and I think pulls off the badass character while still being a warm and approachable person.
Sterling Garrett- Sterling is the head of the werewolf pack associated with Nathaniel.  He is a mentor to Nathaniel and feels a very strong brotherly bond with him.  He is also the brother of Nathaniel’s fiancé and the two have a kinship that helped them through that loss.  Sterling is a slender, middle-aged man with long black hair and I believe Gary Oldman would portray him well.  After his work on BS Dracula, he fits the motif I was looking for when I created the character.   I also think he will bring a dimension to the character not yet explored.
Adrian Vandenberg- The “Donald Trump” of the Outcast story and the antagonist of the book.  He is a being of magic; tapped into a realm few have ever been exposed.  He found that he needed to become a vampire to achieve further greatness.   Julian Sands is Adrian Vandenberg.  He can be bone chilling and wicked while still carrying a multitude of charm and grace.

 No Vacancies (Volume 4) by Lucien Black.

The fourth installment of the No Vacancies adventure series is here. In Volume 4, Black delivers the final episodes of both the High Stakes and Outcast stories, continues the Independent Initiative and introduces a whole new series, Myth.  In the last installment of Outcast, Nathaniel and Ramuel have united as one and now stand together against Adrian Vandenberg. Will their combined strength be enough to stop the magical prowess of Adrian Vandenberg? Will Nathaniel’s friends make it out of Vandenberg Towers alive? Find out in this last action packed episode of Outcast. In High Stakes, Part 4, everything comes to a head. Jack and the Resistance come face to face against the Protectorate in battle. Will the Resistance be able to escape and free the children? The first in the trilogy of the High Stakes saga comes to an end with a mind-blowing secret about the Protectorate and their origin.The Independent Initiative continues with an action packed episode. Cassie Matthews heads to Washington DC to track down the Independent’s killer. When she arrives Cassie comes face to face with another squad of insurgents that are hell bent on ending her life and a Russian operative on a vengeful mission. In Myth, the first in a new series, Lucien Black introduces Nick Maverick,an A list actor that can’t seem to find work worth his mettle. Instead he slaves away on the set of a television series called What Lies Beneath waiting for his next big break. What Nick doesn’t know is that he comes from a very powerful and noble family that lives in another realm. Mount Olympus. His father, Zeus, has gone missing and the Gods turn to Nick for help.  Black continues to weave tales of the unimaginable in the current installment of the No Vacancies adventure series.


Thank you Lucien for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

If you would like to learn more about Lucien Black and his books, please visit his website.