Today the winners of the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2016 were announced. Blood Dragons was on the list of Finalists.
It was a blinding surprise to discover Blood Dragons had won the Silver Award.
To celebrate I wanted to explain why it’s such an important novel to me.
The spark of inspiration for the entire series came from my son who is an autistic savant: everything he sees he remembers.
Light – the lead character – is a savant. I wondered what it would be like for a vampire to live over the centuries and to remember all the wonders and horrors with the clarity of a photograph. Would it be a blessing – or a curse..?
The theme of memory is at its core: identity. As well as what it means to be an individual: the book is for everyone who has ever felt different or alone.
And that? Is everyone on the planet…
Blood Dragons is set in a divided, paranormal London. My dad’s a Londoner, and I wanted my first series to show the ‘dark and glory‘ of London.
I love complex anti-heroes, struggling on thrilling redemptive journeys: cue Light. British male vampires played the role of villain, love interest or sidekick; my British vampire would be the anti-hero telling his own story, in his own words.
Dark, intelligent and subversive. These are the books I love to read and the series I set out to write.
Blood Dragons is close to my heart for so many reasons: it’s an intensely personal novel.
Why is it important to you?
One panel was dedicated to 
Not to miss the 
“One of the most unique and ingenious vampire books I have ever read …reminded me very much of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles” – Leather and Lace Reviews.
The cover for Blood Renegades is by the same designer – JD Smith – as the first two books in the 
Blood Shackles
In honour of Light’s escape into the real world – here’s Light’s Character Profile:
Light: A rebel Blood Lifer with a photographic memory. And a Triton motorbike. He’s a British James Dean: rough leather motorcycle jacket, decorated with a worn gold Ace of Spades, collar firmly turned up, over a black t-shirt, jeans and tall motorcycle boots, topped by a light brown pompadour, tamed with Brylcreem. He tried to conforming once: didn’t fit.
Favourite motorbike? Triton. ‘A sodding scarlet slash of beauty. 650cc Triumph twin-cylinder engine in a Norton ‘slimline’ Featherbed frame – and my bloody god.’
Being ‘urban’, in urban fantasy the city becomes central. It can be set in any time period. In 
This is one of my favourite scenes in 
I’m taking part in a big urban fantasy giveaway this week. You can win books from authors like John Hartness and Michael G Munz, and a Kindle Fire. This giveaway ends soon, so make sure you hurry and enter!
Anne Rice’s Lestat is one of my favourite anti-heroes. Anne Rice’s greatest skill is to get inside the mind of her characters and then bring us readers in so close, we live their lives alongside them.
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