Author Interview & Giveaway: Solomon J. Inkwell author of Vickie Van Helsing

Today on Reading Away The Days, I would like to introduce you all to Solomon J. Inkwell! Solomon is the author of VICKIE VAN HELSING and this year HAUNTING THELMA THIMBLEWHISTLE: THE CHRONICLES OF DEAD ANNA. Enjoy the interview and don't forget about the awesome giveaway at the end!

A little about Solomon


I began writing in elementary school. I had a reputation for being quite an “imaginative” child. My inspiration for scary stories originated from a book I came to love called Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz with illustration by Stephen Gammell. After finding that book in my school library, I must have read it thirty times. I enjoyed reading the stories to my friends and found great fun in retelling them. So, my writing progressed from there.

Can you tell me a little about your novel, Vickie Van Helsing?

Certainly! Vickie Van Helsing is about an awkward high school senior named Vickie Jenkins who discovers that she is the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing just in time to save her small town from a newly resurrected (and highly pissed) Dracula.

Where did you get the idea for Vickie Van Helsing?

Vickie came to me in-between projects. I was looking for something interesting to dive into. Much of my work to that point had been geared towards middle-grade readers, so I was very interested in finding a voice that could attract young adults. In a market saturated by vampires, I had to be very careful to present a story that could be fresh and innovative. That’s why I chose to write the tale from Vickie’s point of view. Her attitude and tongue-in-cheek humor has a way of keeping the reader involved and laughing. My version of the vampire, especially Dracula, had to be stimulating. Therefore, I chose to forgo the glittering, handsome, suave vampires that many readers have grown to expect and return to a more gruesome, monstrous creature. I believe I was able to create a character that you can both love and despise. His honorable persona is exemplified by his relationship with Vickie and, in the past, Abraham.


How has the response been so far for Vickie Van Helsing?

It has been great! And I have been very pleased. The voice of the story, its plot, and it characters have been met with warm reception. I am looking to forward to their college years!

This year you release HAUNTING THELMA THIMBLEWHISTLE: THE CHRONICLES OF DEAD ANNA. Can you tell us a little about it?

Thelma is my closest character. Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle introduces Thelma to the creepy Peterson Estate and its witty ghost inhabitant, Dead Anna. After suffering a nearly fatal accident, Thelma awakens with the ability to hear and see things most of us cannot. She meets a host of ghostly characters from a land beneath the world of the living called the Neither Realm, named so for it is neither here…nor there. The spirits believe her to be the Defender of the Dead, the champion who will save them from the return of none other than the Boogey Man!

HAUNTING THELMA THIMBLEWHISTLE: THE CHRONICLES OF DEAD ANNA is the first in the series. How many will be in the series?

Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle is the debut novel is a planned set of six tales that encompass The Chronicles of Dead Anna.

Are you currently working on any other projects?

Indeed—in 2012 I hope to finish the second part of the Vickie Van Helsing set called Vickie Van Helsing II: The Big, Furry Sequel. I am also working with my editing team on a new tale called Milo & Mrs. Macabre about a young boy, Milo, who discovers his ghoulish babysitter has an extremely interesting and monstrous past.

Why should we read Vickie Van Helsing?

For me, Vickie Van Helsing takes everything I love about horror and links it together in one adventure. If you love horror movies, especially those from the 80’s and 90’s like The Lost Boys, Vamp, Fright Night, and, of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vickie is a must-read.

To find out more about Solomon's books and to purchase a copy of Vickie Van Helsing check out his website: http://www.solomoninkwell.com/

Giveaway:

Solomon has kindly offered one lucky reader a signed copy of Vickie Van Helsing and he has kindly opened it worldwide!

To Enter:

*Be a GFC Follower of my blog (Please leave follower name)

*Leave a NICE comment for Solomon along with your email so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries:

+1 Follow Solomon on twitter http://twitter.com/SolomonInkwell

+1 Tweet about the giveaway: "Interview & #Giveaway of Vickie Van Helsing via @teamwolf1988"

-GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO ANYONE 13+
-GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL
-GIVEAWAY ENDS 20 JANUARY 2012
-GIVEAWAY SPONSERED BY SOLOMON J. INKWELL