The Raveners
Book 1
by LD Towers
Date of
Publication: September 20th 2016
Publisher:
BadBird Publications
Cover
Artist: Pranav Lohani
Photo
by Blackbird Photography
Genre:
Paranormal Thriller
MY INTERVIEW WITH LD TOWERS
How would you
describe you style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I think my writing style is quite dialogue heavy and
descriptive. I hope that my reader sees my work in a cinematic sort of way. I
want to paint the picture for my reader as I see it, almost like a fly on the
wall. I like to write in the limited third person, alternating between two main
characters. Except for one of my upcoming pieces which is in the first person,
all my work is in the limited third. It’s commercial, but it’s also a lot less
intrusive to the reader.
What mindset or
routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether
you are working on a project or just free writing)?
I’m not a free writer. I am always working on some sort
of project or blog post. I think I write best at night, when it’s dark and
quiet- which is great in winter and not so great in summer. J I have
playlists that I make for the mood of the part of the story I’m in. I have sad
ones, determined ones, angry ones. Much to the irritation of people around me,
I will sometimes get hooked on listening to one song over and over if it helps
with what I’m working on. Luckily I’m living on my own now, so that’s less of a
problem. Oh. And… red wine. I have been known to drink and write! :D
Do you take your
character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the
way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do
you build upon your character during story creation?
A dedicated pantser, I let my characters go where they
will. I have an idea of them when I start, and from then on, it’s all their
game. Some of them really changed throughout The Raveners. A huge example is the character of Pentadourn, who is
a tremendously tortured creature. He was originally supposed to be a walk-on
for a future story and he ended up being a real scene stealer.
Have you found
yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
As mentioned above, Pentadourn is probably one I have a
real soft spot for. Originally I had a whole book idea planned for his
‘salvation’ but that idea won’t work with the way his character went. It was
going to take place after The Raveners,
but now I think his story would be more of a prequel. I can’t wait to write it,
but I think it needs to be handled with some care. I think it will be more of a
sad story than a happy one, with the reader knowing that Pentadourn’s salvation
has, in essence, already happened.
Do you have a
character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Usually my characters appear as I go along. I think there
is one I can’t wait to flesh out a little more. Dr. Jack Bennett is one of the
people who hunts the vampires in The Raveners, and at the end of the book, I
think the readers are left with a sense of where Bennett is going. I think I
want to take him to that next level.
Have you ever felt
that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what?
If no what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced?
I have a very restless soul. I’m always moving. I managed
to live in five countries on two continents in two and a half years. Sometimes
my ‘itchy foot’ gets the better of me. I’m back in my hometown for a while, but
I don’t think that’s going to last very long. I’m almost compelled to move
around. I run and run; I know not why or where. But when I figure out what is
chasing me, I will let you know. ;)
BLURB
Sentenced to eternal life as
punishment for their crimes, yet hounded by both the clerical and the secular
as they struggle to live them. The Jews called them Ga’ashekelah: the Raveners.
To the Catholic Church, they are the Accursed Ones. Feasting on the bodies of
the living to maintain their power.
What starts as a simple trip on the
Eurostar to the buried trenches of World War One in Northern France is going to
take Imperial War Museum expert Dr. Alexandra Horne on a journey she could
never have conceived. From the bustling streets of Paris to the azure waters of
Collioure and the very Vatican itself, Lexa will discover the Raveners and
those who have sworn to hunt them down.
She found herself
going from map to map. This was sometime around the second phase of the battle,
before Beaumont-Hamel was finally taken. Thiepval as well. “This must be from
the middle of September 1916. Maybe October. It’s obvious from this that he was
trying to bring men around to penetrate the Allied lines from the areas they
couldn’t budge.” She found herself gnawing on a thumbnail. “Dear God! With a
counteroffensive like this, he might have shifted them. It’s a bold plan.
Whether or not he could have managed it, with the Germans bleeding to death at
Verdun, would have been the question. But damn! This might have changed the
battle. Maybe even the war.”
“I wondered about
that.” Another voice behind her.
Lexa turned and coloured,
realising that in her wonder she had completely ignored the stranger in the
room. “Oh! I am Sorry! Dr. Lexa Horne of the Imperial War Museum.” She held her
hand out.
“Dr. Jack Bennett.
Pleased to meet you.” Bennett was a large, fit man in his mid fifties with
close-cropped, iron grey hair and a face lined from years digging in the sun.
He had a bit of the George Clooney about him and Lexa was sure that all the
archeology undergrads wanted him as a prof. He was a trifle swoon worthy. “Call
me Jack. It was great that you could come out here at such short notice. We
will be wrapping all this up in the next week or two.”
“The pleasure is
entirely all mine,” Lexa told him in all earnestness. “This is simply
unbelievable. This is like walking into heaven for me.” Ok. A small lie. Dead
men and unexploded ordinance aside, it was heaven.
Bennett gestured back
with his head and stepped aside. “I doubt the major there would agree.”
Lexa gasped as she
saw the body at the desk. He was perfectly mummified, just as Darby had told
her. He was hunched over, as if sleeping, and his golden hair gleamed in the
light. His skin was the colour and texture of tanned leather, and his lips
under a large moustache had pulled back to show his teeth. His head lay on on
crossed arms, sunken eyes closed in eternal repose. The fingers were slightly
curled; a large ring on one hand and a wedding ring on another. His light blue
uniform hung on what was left of his frame, but was in decent condition through
the shoulders. In fact, there were no real decomposition of the fabric. His
side arm rested on the chair, the belt having slid down with time. The silver
bullion on his uniform had a dull tarnish and the aiguillettes on his shoulder
seemed suspended as if by magic. Beside him, his uniform cap was on the desk.
“Oh dear God!” Lexa
exclaimed. “You’ve just left him there? How could you do that?”
“The question is how
to get him out of the trapdoor without disturbing him. We have another
specialist coming in from Germany. He is one of theirs, after all,” Bennett
shrugged. “And you know the Germans. They are trying to find the right person.
I would move him, but he is perfectly preserved. Outside of this environment, I
expect he would not last long. It seems a shame to compromise his remains unnecessarily.”
The body rooted Lexa
to the spot. She felt a terrible weight on her chest. “I’ve never seen a dead
body before.”
Darby walked over and
put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s ok. He can’t hurt you.”
“It also feels a bit
indecent to be looking at him.” But she found she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“We treat all remains
with the greatest respect,” Bennett said quietly. “As you know, there is a lot
we can learn from him. He is so perfectly preserved. When we have learned from
him, we can return him to his family, if they still exist. He can be reburied
with honour. He was lost and we found him. There is nothing indecent about
that.”
“I just feel so
strange with him there. I feel like a thief in his home.”
“The first time you
see remains is always the hardest,” Darby told her. “Just remember that he is
gone. What made him a person is gone. He is in a better place.”
Lexa nodded and
walked closer to the desk. Her mouth was rather dry but now curiosity was
getting the better of her. They were right. She was just being a ninny. Yes.
This man was dead and he couldn’t hurt her. “Yes. I suppose you are right.”
Bennett quirked up a
little smile. “Just don’t touch him.”
It was the moustache.
The moustache was so familiar. Even in death, it had that upwards curl which
was so familiar. A vain bushiness. When she had seen it in pictures, it always
made her smile. “I think I know who this is!” Lexa exclaimed and reached into
her bag for her iPad.
Author Info
LD Towers travels the world like a
rootless vagabond! A military historian, she searches out places of conflict to
find a deeper insight to the things she writes about. Presently enjoying the
warm weather and azure seas of Central America, she has lived all over Western
Europe, including 5.5 years in the incomparable Berlin.
Primarily working in Historical and
Military Fiction, LD sometimes sneaks in the odd Dystopian or Modern Thriller
piece. In fact, her new book is a complete redo on the vampire concept. Look
for The Raveners; coming September 20, 2016.
https://ldtowers.net
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