Uncaged: Can you tell readers more about The Dead Series? What inspired you to write this story?
This series is one of those things where an author gets an idea for a series that seems pretty good, and then upon execution, it morphs into something wildly different. In this case, the idea was about a woman who winds up working as the gatekeeper to the Angel of Death (check!), and each book would be a different “adventure,” tracking down his lost artifacts (not check!). Well, sort of. As I started writing, the characters and plot just sort of took over, and a whole mess of stuff I wasn’t expecting evolved into book one, which changed book two’s plan, etc. But it’s all way better than my original idea, so it’s all good. LOL!
Uncaged: How many books are you planning for the series, or is it open-ended?
The first idea mentioned above was supposed to be an open-ended series. After I actually wrote book one, I re-envisioned it as a three-book series, which quickly became four when I started writing the second book. Now, who knows? I have a four-book arc planned (and the last two books are already contracted with my publisher), but I’ve noticed that what I think will happen with this series rarely does, so like my readers, I’m just going to have to wait and see what happens. 🙂
Read the rest of this interview in the October issue of Uncaged Book Reviews – Link below.
Kerry Blaisdell is the awardwinning author of The Dead Series, including DEBRIEFING THE DEAD—2019 HOLT Medallion Literary Contest double winner for Best Paranormal & Best First Book, Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist, and Royal Palm Literary Award finalist— and its sequel, WAKING THE DEAD, which InD’tale Magazine recommends for “fans of television shows like ‘Constantine’ or ‘Supernatural.’” She also writes Romantic Suspense and Historical Mystery. She has a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley in Comparative Literature (French/ Medieval English), and a Master’s in Teaching English and Advanced Mathematics from the University of Portland. Kerry lives in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her husband, two (mostly) adult “kids,” assorted cats and dogs, and more hot pepper plants than anyone could reasonably consume. kerryblaisdell.com
Waking the Dead
Kerry Blaisdell
Paranormal Romance
Hyacinth always assumed dying would simplify her life. But when her new boss, Archangel Michael, sends her on her first official mission—to retrieve a powerful rock from a collector in Germany—things go downhill fast. For one thing, the Dead keep popping up, expecting her to guide them to the Afterlife. For another, her part-demon nephew Geordi’s powers are starting to leak out, at age seven. What if Michael finds out about him? Worse, what if Satan does?
Then there’s her love life-after-death. Rooming with a dead French cop no one else can see is complicated enough. But when Jason, Geordi’s lying Dioguardi Demon cousin, resurrects himself—so to speak—all Hell breaks loose. Literally. Can Hyacinth get Michael’s rock back before Satan steals its powers and breaks free of his prison? Or will her single-minded pursuit put those she loves—and the rest of the world— in the path of Satan’s fury?
Excerpt
“The only truly dead are those who have been forgotten.” ~Jewish saying
I’m pretty sure my landlady’s alive, but you never know. At least, I don’t. My name’s Hyacinth Finch, and a couple of months ago, I died and was brought back to life— sort of—by Saint Michael the Archangel, who’s now my boss. Also sort of. It’s complicated. Basically, if you met me on the street, you’d think I was one hundred percent alive, no strings attached. But if I met you? Thanks to the “side effects” of rebirth, I wouldn’t know if you were alive, dead, or somewhere in-between, unless you told me.
Then there’s this whole thing where my former neighbor, Jason Jones, turned out to be related to my nephew, Geordi Dioguardi, and they both might have demon blood in them.
Well, Jason does for sure; it’s Geordi we won’t know about until puberty. And he doesn’t know I’m the Walking Undead, or that he’s being babysat by a dead cop he can’t see, named Eric Guilliot. See? Complicated.
Anyway, since my landlady wanted money—cold hard cash she could spend at the market—it’s a safe bet she’s a breather. She blocked the stairwell leading up to the Zürich flat I share with Geordi and Eric, looking like a six-foot tall, Swiss-German metal door in her gray sweater, matching slacks, and sensible black shoes. Her hair was gray too, but her eyes were a watery blue. Not a hint of black, thank God, so at least she wasn’t a demon. Probably.
I suppressed a shiver and shifted the heavy paper grocery bag in my arms, putting on my best Trustworthy Tenant smile. “Frau Blauch. So lovely to see you today.”
Her frown deepened, and she pointed a finger at my nose. “Rent. You pay now.”
She’d appeared from her basement apartment just in time to prevent me from getting under cover of the small overhang above the stoop. The chill late-October drizzle that had fretted all day wasn’t much more than a mist now, but it was enough to dampen my bangs and drip cool rivulets into my eyes. I blinked them away, wishing again that Jason hadn’t ditched us. For one thing, he’s even taller than Frau Blauch. For another, he can charm the pants off just about anyone. Me included.
I suppressed a shiver of a different sort and said to Frau Blauch, “I’m happy to pay you. But you said I could have an extra week to sort out my finances.” “Ja,” she said agreeably. “Rent. Due now.”
The bag started to slip, the weight of peanut butter, milk, and fresh veggies pulling on my aching arms as I hiked it back up. The thing is, she was right. The rent was past due, and deal or not, I don’t renege on my responsibilities. I bend the truth now and then, and my past is shadier than you might expect—okay, I’m a former graverobber and sometime dealer in goods of, er, questionable origin—but I’m an honest thief. Think George-Clooney-charming, not He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-evil.
To make matters worse, Michael was due to pop in any day now, demanding I start my new job. He’s a busy guy, leading all those souls to their Final Destination, while also fighting off Satan’s minions. Since, like the kid in the movie, I see dead people, we struck a deal. If I “pre-sort” some of the Dead for him, I get time to find a good foster family for Geordi. But once he’s settled, I’m off to whichever
After Life is reserved for semi-reformed grave-robbing liars.
To read the rest of this excerpt, please see the issue below.
