by Marilyn Meredith
& Lorie Lewis Ham

Today we have Kingsburg Vampire writer James Garcia Jr. with us as Marilyn reviews his latest book, Dance On Fire: Flashpoint–a vampire novel with a touch of mystery set in Kingsburg, California, a behind the book interview with James, & an e-book giveaway of both of his books–details at the end of this post.

Dance On Fire: Flashpoint by James Garcia Jr.

I read James Garcia’s first book about vampires and looked forward to reading more. I can assure you I wasn’t disappointed.

What would you do if the daughter you believed dead suddenly reappears—as a vampire? Tiffany, the daughter, professes to have an illness that keeps her from being out in the daylight, fooling her parents for a while. She and her vampire friends leave a trail of corpses in their wake. The action and the vampires move on to the small town of Kingsburg with a vendetta against several of the residents.

It seems nothing can prevail against these monsters as they wreak havoc—disabling the police and fire departments, rendering them helpless. One horrendous event follows another, each one worse than before. Death, destruction and fire prevail. When it seems all will soon be lost, a reluctant vampire appears on the scene—he has one unusual and powerful quality, he is a Christian.

This is the kind of book that will surprise most readers with the turn of the page. As the action quickens and the body count increases, I wondered how Dance on Fire could possibly end on a positive note.

Author Garcia has created his own unique take on the vampire culture and inflicted it on the small town of Kingsburg. A most different and exciting read.

Marilyn Meredith is a Springville, CA mystery author and an ongoing contributor to our Mystery section. Be sure to visit her website; fictionforyou.com

Interview with James Garcia
By with Lorie

Lorie: How did you come up with the plot for your second book?

James: Considering the fact that it took me twenty years to write Dance on Fire I really didn’t give a sequel very much thought until I was nearing the end of the process. It was as I was doing final edits that I began thinking about doing another. It was a fairly easy leap to realize that the one bad vampire that did escape would return for revenge.

Lorie: Was writing the second book any easier than writing the first?

James: *laughs* I was worried for a while, but it was definitely easier. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it wrote itself. I wasn’t sure I had another novel in me, but that’s what inexperience does to a young writer.

Lorie: How long did this one take you to write?

James: I had the first and second draft of Dance on Fire: Flash Point done in eight months. What took the longest was for the book to actually see the light of day. I didn’t realize that my small publisher was struggling to continue, and would eventually close up shop. That happened this past summer. I then had to make the decision to go fully Independent, which I did. Once I got Dance on Fire up onto Amazon, I then turned my attention to Dance on Fire: Flash Point. Ultimately, it probably took three years from start to finish.

James Garcia Jr.

Lorie: Did you introduce any new main characters?

James: I did, yes. I really like him, too. Readers will find that since the vampire Nathaniel has come to the conclusion that he is in fact being used by God, that he has entered a Monastery. It is situated in Oregon, high in the mountains. There is a monk there who has become his friend and has really taken the vampire under his wing. They have a playful relationship at times that I think is a lot of fun to write.

Lorie: What kind of research did you have to do?

James: I had to study up on Monasteries and the monks who live there. Since I start the book in Morro Bay, California before returning it to Kingsburg, I spent a weekend there, walking around. I visited the police department and some thrift shops. I had to study up on some minor things like fishing boats and police equipment, but nothing too terribly time consuming.

Lorie: What are your future plans for this series?

James: I’ve got a stand-alone paranormal romance ghost story that I plan to get back to for the next book. I wrote the first draft of it last spring. When I do return to the Dance on Fire series, I plan to focus on the young Lopez twins and go world-wide with it. I like to say that I plan to blow the roof off of the dump! We’re still with the main characters, but there will be a global scale for book three. It will tentatively be entitled, Dance on Fire: Inferno, but that’ll just be a secret that I share with faithful KRL readers. *winks*

Lorie: Anything you would like to add?

James: I really want to thank everyone who has supported me as I see what might become of my writing. I spent a lot of time over the years dreaming that something like this might happen. I never really thought we’d see the day. I’d love to see readers get a hold of me on any of the social networks and help spread the word. I’d really appreciate it.

Lorie: What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

James: I don’t really watch horror movies! I have and do, but those are rare occasions. I do read a lot of horror; however, I much prefer The Silence of the Lambs and The Amityville Horror kind of horror over the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Saw films. If you really want to know, you’re more likely to find me sitting in front of romantic comedies. That’s really where I am at my most comfortable.

Lorie: Did and do you plan to keep the stories in Kingsburg?

James: As I mentioned before, Flash Point does begin in Morro Bay, Ca. before returning to Kingsburg. Book three will also spend time locally. How much I am not yet sure. My ghost story does take place in the Central Valley before moving to Salinas, Ca. Stephen King has kept many of his novels in the same location. I may do this for a while, but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out. There certainly is much to celebrate about our valley, so that would never be a bad thing.

Check out KRL’s review of Dance On Fire and a more in depth interview with James!

To enter to win e-book copies of both books in the series, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Fire”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 1, 2012. U.S. residents only.

Want to know how to see your ad like this at the end of an article? Email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] for more info. 10% of all ad sales goes to animal rescue.

Want to know how to see your ad like this at the end of an article? Email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] for more info. 10% of all ad sales goes to animal rescue.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.