Author JK Beck granted SciFiChick.com with an exclusive interview to talk about her current series – the Shadow Keepers!
Can you tell us a bit about the Shadow Keepers series?
Sure! The series is set in and around a paranormal judicial system that’s been in existence since pretty much the beginning of time. Nowadays, the system is hidden within our own judicial system. In the United States, for example, it’s a secret arm of Homeland Security, but the only humans who know its true purpose are those at the highest level of our government and the few select humans who work for the PEC (Paranormal Enforcement Coalition).
What is different about the Shadow Keepers series that sets it apart from the other urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels?
Well, obviously all books take the spin of their author, and that’s a uniqueness right there. As for these books, they’re very dark and gritty, and are peppered with paranormal characters with their own moral compass that may or may not be in alignment with how humans would perceive the world. The stories are also told from multiple points of view, which isn’t that unusual, but it’s a something I enjoy both as a reader and a writer!
How did your idea for the paranormal judicial system come about?
I don’t remember the exact aha! moment, but the fact that I love, love, love writing about paranormal stuff meshed fabulously with my background as a litigator. Once I had the idea, it was totally an “oh! Duh!” moment.
Your vampire/daemon idea is different from others as well. Do you feel like you need to break from that traditional vampire mythology when writing your stories?
No. I just write the story that I want to tell and to read. The daemon concept came about because I wanted more accountability, for lack of a better word. I’m a huge Buffy fan, but one thing that struck me early on (episode 2, I believe) was Giles telling Xander that his friend (Jesse?) was no longer Jesse. There was an external force—a demon—coming into the bodies and doing the vamp thing. I wanted to explore the concept of the darkness coming from within, not from the outside. Vamping flipping a switch, if you will, and turning up the evil.
Are there just the 3 planned for the series?