Q+A with J.P. Sloan Author of The Curse Servant

Please welcome today's guest author, J.P. Sloan!  J.P. is the author of The Dark Choir urban fantasy series, including THE CURSE MERCHANT and THE CURSE SERVANT.

Q+A with J.P. Sloan

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

JP:  I suppose I first started in high school, dabbling in short stories, but never with any serious intentions. I didn't get serious about long-format fiction until my last year of college, when I took creative writing courses both at university and via mail. From the first "serious" (read: horrid) novel I wrote, it was ten years and seven manuscripts until I finally wrote something I felt was marketable.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

JP:  Honestly, the story came first. The entire world of the Dark Choir series was inspired by my daily commute into Baltimore… the sights of dark alleys and hundred-year-old cellar doors tucked beneath skyscrapers inspired this dual-world wherein secret magic is huddled away directly underneath our feet. The story wanted to be urban fantasy, so I just rolled with it! If I worked in D.C., I might have ended up with a political thriller. Baltimore is just this dark, macabre, wonderful town.

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

JP:  Mind control. It's the ultimate trump card. You can open up so many opportunities. Sure, it may be morally ambivalent. Okay, it's morally reprehensible. But things would be so much easier if we all just did it my way…

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

JP:  THE CURSE SERVANT is the second book of the Dark Choir series. I always enjoy "second books," since the world building and origin stories are all taken care of, and the reader can dive directly into a new caper. I'm especially proud of SERVANT, because it rides a grittier line than THE CURSE MERCHANT. It's closer to horror, but still folding in plenty of socio-political commentary. Besides, it's hard not to like Dorian Lake. His self-aggrandizing yet self-effacing charisma is infectious.

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

JP:  I've always felt that Sam Witwer of Being Human (US) fame would make a perfect Dorian Lake. He can pull off smarmy, yet haunted. I think Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards, Blacklist) would play a good Francesca Baker, as she can really sell that all-American pith. And let's be honest… the cockney purveyor of secrets, Del Carmody, was basically written for Mark Sheppard.

Thank you J.P. for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about J.P. Sloan and his books, please visit his website.  Additional information about his new release,The Curse Servant, below.

This book sounds fantastic.  I can't wait to read it!

The Curse Servant (The Dark Choir #1) by J.P. Sloan

The one person standing between Hell… and an innocent girl… is a man without a soul.

A regular life isn’t in the cards for Dorian Lake, but with his charm-crafting business invigorated, and the prospect of a serious relationship within his grasp, life is closer to normal than Dorian could ever expect. In the heat of the Baltimore mayoral campaign, Dorian has managed to balance his arrangements with Deputy Mayor Julian Bright with his search to find his lost soul. Dorian soon learns of a Netherworker, the head of a dangerous West Coast cabal, who might be able to find and return his soul. The price? Just one curse.

Sounds easy… but nothing ever is for Dorian. A dark presence arrives in the city, hell-bent on finding Dorian’s soul first. Innocents are caught in the crossfire, and Dorian finds it harder to keep his commitments to Bright. When the fight gets personal, and the entity hits too close to home, Dorian must rely on those he trusts the least to save the ones he loves. As he tests the limits of his hermetic skills to defeat this new enemy, will Dorian lose his one chance to avoid damnation?
Release Date: February 26, 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

Have a question for J.P. Sloan?

Ask away in the comments section. We love comments!