Guest Blogger: LW Herndon (giveaway)

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to let LW Herndon take over the blog today… 

Thank you for having me on your blog, Kelly.

One of the things I enjoy most about writing is research. It’s a necessity and temptation all rolled into one. And while a reader might wonder what there is to research about urban fantasy, I can state for a fact, there’s plenty. Almost nothing exists in print, movies or television that doesn’t originate from history or mythology. Star Wars, Star Trek, and the tales of werewolves and vampires can all find their roots in the philosophy and mythologies of China, Greece, and many other countries. The names are slightly changed and the histories mutated, but the ideas come from existing information sources.

So when I decided to use demon clans as the backdrop for the Thaddeus Kane novels, I read about demons across a variety of cultures and religions. The world as Kane knows it holds demons from ancient clans spanning back to the creation of man. Similar to human beings, these demons evolved in many forms, from the mischievous, to the downright evil, to mild-mannered live-and-let-live varieties.

With stories from Christian and Jewish demonology, European, Chinese, Japanese, and even Sumerian mythology, there is wonderful lore and details available. Enough to be a real distraction from actual writing. But with a little bit from here and there, and a twist of something different, it evolved into a framework for the demons who become Kane’s allies and enemies.

Here’s an example of an interesting demonic character that I ran across in my search. Buer: listed as a Great President of Hell. Bearing an auspicious title, he’s charged with ‘teaching Natural and Moral Philosophy, Logic, and the virtues of all herbs and plants.” Not exactly the role I had expected to see from the Commander in Chief of Hell. With the head of a lion and five goat legs he would also be difficult to camouflage. I didn’t pattern any of my demon hierarchy after Buer, but who knows, there are Thaddeus Kane tales left to tell. Perhaps Buer will show up one day. I’m fairly certain he’ll never make a romantic lead, but I could see him as a good side-kick (no pun intended) or turncoat ally.

What demons or creatures of the night do you find most surprising in the stories you read? Which ones stick in your memory long after you’ve read the story?

~LW Herndon

My name is Thaddeus Kane. I exist in Los Angeles, the city known for the hustle of Hollywood, an average 266 days a year of sunshine, and smog.

That’s not my L.A. I operate under the mantle of the city as a troubleshooter for the demon clan who saved my life. Not a bad job if I can stay alive, but I have my limits. I refuse to risk innocents, which causes me problems. That one line I won’t cross for anyone. Loyalties—I have them. I’m pretty sure none of my associates would approve of my particular choices.

Human sorcerers are murdering my clan to harness superpowers and I’m the only one capable of finding the evil. A tough assignment, made harder by my secret alliance with a rival demoness to save prophetic teenagers from the same horrible fate. I’m all they’ve got.

LW Herndon is a pseudonym for the author of the Thaddeus Kane urban fantasy novels and the Declan Other Realm young adult urban fantasy tales. More information on LW Herndon and future books can be found at the website http://www.lwherndon.com and blog http://demonssorcerersandmore.com/lwherndonblog