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NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER – Blood Renegades Release

Yesterday Blood Renegades – the third book in the award-winning Rebel Vampires series – was released by Fantasy Rebel. By the end of the day it had hit Number One Bestseller in its Category and broken top 10 in a number of others.

I’ve been working on Blood Renegades since before Christmas. But the core idea has been there since the very start of the series.

Some of the mysteries? The powerful Long-liveds, villains, twists and turns, big picture that suddenly falls into place..? I’ve been bouncing on the balls of my feet – like Light – with excitement to let people in on for a year now… So this week? It’s a great feeling!

My Blog Tour continues until the 20th June. Find where I’ll be on the Events page.

My Release Party was EPIC – thanks to everyone who rocked it!

I’ve loved love fantasy, as well as vampires, ever since I was a kid reading through my mum’s collection and losing myself in their world… then as a teenager watching them on TV and falling in love all over again.

But with Rebel Vampires I wanted to reinvent things with a twist. A new British myth, with a rebel anti-hero that I was as passionate about, as the books I read.

When you get to Release Weeks, it’s all about finally opening out to readers the world and characters you’ve been building in your own head. Letting them in your own secret world.

And then holding your breath…

June 14, 2017 0

REBEL READERS – My Name Is Light…

Two days to go until the release of Blood Renegades and this has been an exciting few weeks. Rebel Vampires has been seen on:

This last year has been quite a journey. I’ve written about love, family, and home. I’ve followed my passion for freedom and the individual. Now I’m not just one Rebel: we’re all Rebel Readers challenging this new modern-day world.

Now it’s almost time for Light to tell his story in Blood Renegades:

My name is Light. In 14 nights I’ll go up in flames. In 14 nights I’ll die for my family. In 14 nights I’ll save the world…

The terrorist Renegades sacrificial betrayed me. The ambitious Blood Life Council craves to burn me. My interrogator is trying to break me – one secret at a time.

And me?

I’m bleeding tickety-boo, mate.

My name is Light. Predator. Slave. Freedom fighter.

And I’m the bloody hero.

Blood Renegades releases on Tuesday 13th June. Buy it on pre-order here for 0.99.

Vampire Book - Blood Renegades - Rosemary A Johns — BUY NOW

June 11, 2017 0

FANTASY REBEL ANNOUNCES NEW PAPERBACK RELEASE – Blood Renegades

Author Rosemary A Johns and Rebel Vampires Blood Renegades

Fantasy Rebel announces the release of the paperback of Blood Renegades – the highly anticipated third book in the award-winning trilogy Rebel Vampires.

Treat yourself – and those you love – to the gift of the must-read fantasy of 2017…

Hot New Paperback Release: Blood Renegades!

This summer discover what everyone’s talking about and escape into the spellbinding world of Blood Life…

The cover is a stunning design by JD Smith: a bat burned to ash over the London skyline.

‘They twirled each other round, as they danced out into the courtyard garden, like I’d once danced with Ruby in the carnage and the flames – a kid let loose in the world. No conscience or battle for redemption. Nothing forcing me to grow up and face an adult world beyond my own will, wants and delights. Together? A fanatical Magnificoe and his wicked witch? The First Lifers didn’t stand a chance.’

Blood Renegades

Blood Renegades by Rosemary A Johns

5* “Thrilling fantasy…compelling, gripping and entertaining.” – Readers Favorite

Light lives for his vampire family. Now he may die for it. He will be burnt at the stake in 14 days as a Renegade. In paranormal London, Liberty has been trained to hate Renegades. Yet she’s enticed by Light’s world. He must make the ultimate choice: to hide in the shadows or walk into the light…

5* “One of fantasy’s greats. She’ll put you in mind of Anne Rice and leave you wanting more”- Gothic Mom’s Reviews

Indulge yourself in the paperback today or add it to your wish list – click here!

May 31, 2017 0

THREE OF THE MOST EXCITING FANTASY TRILOGIES…EVER!

Trilogies. There’s something about the structure of three books connected with the same characters, heroes and villains, world and theme, building to a thrilling climax that’s more satisfying than any other structure.

Each book can be standalone, so they can be read without the others. And the series can continue into further arcs of trilogies – each one building and building, like a volcano, with suspense…

Tolkien’s famous trilogy was meant to be one – whopping – book. If he’d had his way.

My series Rebel Vampires is a trilogy – the third book Blood Renegades is out June 13th.

Unlike Tolkien Rebel Vampires was planned as the first arc trilogy in a longer series. The structure is built around this.

Three is itself a magical number to Light – the savant vampire and lead character.

Blood Dragons is about Light’s discovery of love. Blood Shackles builds to Light’s battle for family and the third..? Like the best trilogies, Blood Renegades is the climax. The dark before the light: the war, revelation and battle for home.

I love fantasy trilogies. Here are Three of the Most Exciting Fantasy Trilogies…Ever!

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman: An epic trilogy that spans Oxford to parallel universes and is a coming of age tale for two children: Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry. Perfect world building: both strange and familiar at the same time. Intelligent…but never forgetting the witches.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin: Beautiful and fascinating. Yeine, a young woman from a matriarchal warrior culture is called to the city of Sky, the ruling capital of the world, where she must fight to become heir in a society of humans and shackled gods.
Rebel Vampires by Rosemary A Johns. A must-read for lovers of unique paranormal suspense, vampires and urban fantasy. The story of Light: the British vampire who is a lover, rebel and anti-hero. In a world where the humans act like the monsters, vampires are both predator and prey. Light must save the women he loves, his family, species and maybe even the world…

So what are your favourite fantasy trilogies?

May 22, 2017 0

STUNNING AUTHOR INTERVIEW – Vampires, Domination and James Dean

Rosemary A Johns - Fantasy Author

Sometimes as an author you have chats with magazines, interviewers or TV hosts where everything just clicks. They get you, the book and more than that: how to challenge it.

You discover something about writing, yourself and life, as well as discussing your work in a far more fascinating way than you ever could alone.

That’s what happened with Scaffolding Magazine.

Freedom, domination, terrorism, my childhood, writing tips and James Dean…

And did I mention how gorgeous the podcast is..?

Start your escape into the Rebel Vampires series here…

May 10, 2017 0

FANTASY SHORT STORIES – New Magazine

I love short stories. They’re the quiet gems of the writing world – done right? They catch your imagination, worm under your skin and squeeze your heart…

The great ones..? You never forget.

A short story is harder to write than a novel. Flash fiction is the hardest of all. I’ve been a traditionally published short story writer since I was fourteen (of course the editor didn’t know I was a kid…)

I write science fiction, fantasy and dark fiction. What I really write? Emotion. That extra something, which will grab you and not let go.

My most recent short story is being featured in the very first edition of a new literary magazine Scaffolding. It’s passionate about the same things I am: inclusion, gender and mental health. The magazine itself pairs the very best writers with the most stunning artists.

The story “How to Scalp a Doll” is dark fiction about a human trafficker who makes the mistake of opening the truck door…then his whole world is turned on its head.

It’s about siblings, fear, loneliness, freedom…and what it means to be alive.

Danny had always hated geese…

Rebel Vampires will also be part of the magazine long-term, offering rewards to readers who subscribe. Click here to find out more.

Start the Rebel Vampires adventure today here.

What’s your favourite short story – and why have you always remembered it?

April 26, 2017 0

WOMEN IN FANTASY – A Storytime Reading About a Red-haired Devil

Gender in fantasy – and women’s evolving role – is a tricky but interesting subject. Things have come a long way from heroes in epic fantasies rescuing the princess.

Except, have they..?

In urban fantasy, there’s a divide between the human woman being controlled and ultimately sacrificing everything – even her life – for the paranormal male.

This was explored in my most recent panel on Twilight. There’s a reason my human woman chooses to grow old, rather than be elected into Blood Life in Rebel Vampires.

I’ve always wondered why stories focused on vampire males’ obsessions with teenagers…and never followed their lifelong – adult – loves.

It may be partly because an increasing number of paranormal books are Young Adult, so must have young protagonists.

The other side to urban fantasy..? The kick-ass heroine (look at the covers of the top 20 urban fantasy books). This in itself is a stereotype, especially when they don’t have equality but dominance over men.

In Rebel Vampires I write from the British male vampire’s perspective. This meant I could write powerful women into the book but avoid the ‘kick-ass’…

Kathy is human but she’s never controlled by Light. She’s his equal and although he saves the world, she saves him. Blood Dragons (Rebel Vampires Volume One) Award-winning fantasy

Ruby is Light’s ‘red-haired devil, Author, muse, liberator, guide: my gorgeous nightmare.’ His Elizabethan Author, she’s savage, powerful and offers an all-consuming love.

This reading by K Kantis is taken from Blood Dragons. It’s a rare moment of vulnerability, when Ruby for the first time tells Light about her human life: the fear she has of being ‘caged‘ again, ironically means she cages all men, even though she’s desperate to set Light free.

Escape into Blood Life here…

What do you think about women in fantasy? What books have the most interesting female characters?

April 12, 2017 0

ANNOUNCING WINNERS OF BOOK AWARD – Blood Dragons by Rosemary A Johns

Today the winners of the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2016 were announced. Blood Dragons was on the list of Finalists.

Blood Dragons Rebel Vampires Rosemary A Johns Vampire Book 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?

Rosemary A Johns Author Blood Dragons Vampire Novel

April 2, 2017 2

SUPERNATURAL PROMO – Fantasy and Paranormal Books on Sale

A serious Supernatural Promo runs until tomorrow evening: fantasy, paranormal and supernatural thrillers. Now there’s a combo I’m down with.

Blood Shackles has been chosen to feature: it’s still on Sale at 0.99 for one final day. The sale and promo ends after the 17th.

Click here to buy before the end of the sale.

Discover that next addictive read and favourite new character to fall in love with. Have a nose around the books alongside Blood Shackles; I’ve already nabbed a couple. I’m cozied ready to read one this evening…

Because tomorrow? I start the first scene of my NEW series… And once I do that? I can’t read anything by other authors.

It’s a rule. Like ‘don’t walk on the grass’. Except rebel as I am, I can’t break this one: when I write first drafts, I don’t read because this keeps me in the voice of the character.

So I better start reading tonight…

Enjoy the Supernatural Promo here.

Magical book - rebel vampires - rosemary a johns