“When I’m not writing” with James R. Tuck + giveaway!

Today’s visit is from James R. Tuck, a new dark urban fantasy author. He’s stopping by as part of his Blood, Blogs, and Bullets tour, celebrating the release of his first novel, the start of an exciting new series about Deacon Chalk, an Occult Bounty Hunter.

Last week, I told you how much I enjoyed his novella, That Thing at the Zoo, which introduces us to Deacon in the most wonderful way. I’m looking forward to Blood and Bullets and hope you are, too.

Keep reading to find out what James does when he’s not putting words on the page. And don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

You mean there is a life outside of writing? LOL. Well, writing does take up a LOT of my time. In approximately one year I have written about 195,000 words in the Deaconverse. (And I will top 300,000 by April.) Plus I have written short stories and short screenplays in between. So I do a LOT of writing.

But my day job is just as interesting. I have been a professional Tattoo Artist for over a decade and a half. I own my own shop called Family Tradition Tattoo in Marietta, Ga.  Here is a picture of the shop.

I love my shop. Tattooing is something that I love to do. The chance to create art on someone’s skin is an experience that cannot be described, not even by a writer! And I have built a clientele that lets me really go wild and do some nice custom tattooing. Here’s some examples:

 

And when I am not at work I have a lovely family that I really enjoy spending time with. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful wife who is not only easy on the eyes but she is funny and charming. We still stay up to the wee hours of the night just talking. I have daughter who is growing up to be a lovely young woman. She is getting ready to start college next year and I am very proud of her. My son is becoming a personality of his own. It is fun to watch him become an individual. Our family also includes my wife’s nephew who is a pleasure to be around. He’s a sharp kid. There is a lot of snark and laughter at the Tuck house. Here is us at the Georgia Aquarium.

Finally I am a fan of the firearms. I have a carry permit and a growing selection of guns. There is nothing as fun as a day at the range.

And there you have it. I have a full life and I love it.

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Thank you for visiting the blog today, James! It sounds like your life off the page is just as exciting as Deacon’s is in your book!

For more James, check out his website. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter, or catch his musings on his blog. You can also try his goodreads page or visit some of the other stops on his tour by clicking on the banner:

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Here’s the scoop on the Deacon Chalk series:

Since hunting down the monster who took the lives of his wife and children five years ago, occult bounty-hunter Deacon Chalk has lived by only one rule.

He does not work for the monsters. He kills them.

So why would a vampire try to hire him as protection against another monster hunter? After enforcing his only rule Deacon goes to meet the target, a vampire slayer named Nyteblade. Professional courtesy demands he tell this Nyteblade the vampires are hiring people to kill him. Deacon finds the vampire slayer waiting in an alley.

Waiting to stake him.

He discovers that Nyteblade is a bumbling, fumbling, wanna-be instead of a badass vampire hunter. Someone who needs saving from monsters instead of the other way around. This is proven when a horde of vampires descend and he has to escape while trying to keep Nyteblade alive.

Someone has set Deacon up. Someone wants him dead. 

Someone should have sent more vampires.

Bound and determined, Deacon will find out who tried to kill him no matter how many bloodsuckers, were-spiders, cursed immortals, undead strippers, or insanely powerful hell-bitches he has to wade through.

It's going to be a long night.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository

Read an excerpt

And the e-prequel, available now:

Shredding monsters is his stock and trade. He sniffs them out, tracks them down, and corners them. End of story. But when the tables are turned, expect the unexpected. . .

Knowing his enemy is a rule Deacon Chalk swears by. But he's never seen anything like whatever is leaving the Atlanta Zoo's most dangerous predators bloodless, skinned, and hanging high in treetops. And he's only got till sunrise to keep it from turning the entire city into a slaughterhouse. Now Deacon is in zoo lockdown with a handful of staffers to save. His zookeeper backup has more guts than monster-hunting experience. And the only chance Deacon has to run this thing to unholy ground is to risk unleashing his darkest, most uncontrollable instincts. . .

My thoughts

 Purchase: Amazon

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Want to get your hands on Blood and Bullets?

James is offering one (1) signed and personalized copy to a lucky reader.

To enter, obey the Rafflecopter!

Giveaway closes February 11, 2012 (the end of James’ tour).

Canada/US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway





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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Posted by jenn at 04:08

 giveaway, James R. Tuck, Kensington, When I'm not writing  12 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.