Indie Author Interview - H.P. Mallory

Introducing indie Urban Fantasy author, H.P. Mallory!
She is the author of the 'Jolie Wilkins' and 'Dulcie O'Neil' series.

Q: What is an ‘Indie’ author?
A: An indie author is someone who has taken control of her own career and decided to oust agents and publishers and basically do it herself, that means no only the actual publishing of the book but also the marketing, etc.


Q: What made you decide to turn to self-publishing with ‘smashwords’?
A: Well, my books are also available on Amazon and the reason I did this is two-fold--first, I loved the autonomy of being in charge of my own career. Initially, I started out with the big New York agent and when that didn't go anywhere, I just decided this was something I could do myself so I did it! I haven't looked back since!


Q: Are you still hoping to publish with a big publishing house, or are you Indie-all-the-way now?
A: Well, I'm pretty happy with my success so far. If a big publisher wanted to take my books to the next level, I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it but it would have to be a pretty sweet offer! LOL


Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’ – from idea to final draft?
A: Um, I think it was about 6 months. Maybe a bit longer.


Q: Your books have fantastically kitsch-cute front covers. Who designs them?
A: LOL Me! Well, I purchased the images of the people and then I added the Halloweeny backgrounds and changed things like eye color and hair color, added the text and I did it all in Photoshop. I'm really excited about the covers and the response to them has been great.


Q: In ‘To Kill a Warlock’ Dulcie is writing a historical romance (of the pirate variety) when she is told by literary agents that ‘paranormal’ is the thing... was this a case of art imitating life?
A: A few people have asked me this now. It's based on my own experience as far as the whole querying agents part goes but that's where it ends. No one ever told me about paranormal novels being in. I just sort of added that in there.


Q: Were you already a fan of all things paranormal, or did you start reading and writing in the genre after you had the idea for ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’?
A: Yes, I've always been a huge fan of ghost stories, haunted houses, etc. etc. And I'd been reading in the genre prior to writing both my books.


Q: Let’s clear something up... are Jolie and Dulcie inhabiting the same universe, or are they separate series’?
A: I'm really glad you asked me this question because there has been some confusion. Jolie and Dulcie are two totally separate characters living in separate worlds. Fire Burn and Warlock have nothing to do with one another. They are each the first book in a series, neither having anything to do with the other.


Q: How many Jolie books can we expect?
A: I think about 3-5.


Q: How many Dulcie books?
A: Dulcie is a little more unlimited, I think. Probably until the series just needs to end. LOL


Q: I love Sinjin! (vampire master from ‘Fire Burn’) Is there any chance that he’ll get his own spin-off series?
A: Nope. Sinjin will figure prominently in subsequent novels in the Fire Burn series though. Course, if there still is high demand for him, maybe he could warrant his own series!


Q: Can you give us the low-down on your next book? And an expected release date?
A: I've just completed chapter 9 of the next book in Jolie's series, titled Toil and Trouble. I don't have a release date yet but I'm thinking the timeline will be in about 4 months or so. It will pick up where Fire Burn left off and solve some of the issues, though not all!


Q: Favourite book(s) of all time?
A: Pride and Prejudice


Q: Favourite author(s)?
A: I have a lot of them! I was an English major in college so I naturally have lots of favs. Quick list: Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte sisters, Nathaniel West, Oscar Wilde


Q: Any advice for budding authors who are considering self-publishing?
A: Do it! I definitely think they should try the old way, just to get an idea of what that is all about but they should definitely consider self pubbing if the traditional route doesn't go the way they hope. They must be aware though, that it's not just about writing a good book and listing it on Amazon. They also have to be responsible for marketing the book and getting the word out there which can be tough!

'To Kill a Warlock' by H.P. Mallory

Received from the Author

From the BLURB:

The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the
loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a
law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them
from wreaking havoc in the mortal world.

When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she
must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or
she becomes the next victim.

Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to
work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed
partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of
a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full.

As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering
in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy and works as a Regulator. Dulcie’s job is to monitor fantastical creatures from the Netherworld as they cohabitate with humans, and pull rank if these supernaturals get out of hand. Duclie loves and is good at her job... until a warlock she is monitoring turns up murdered.

Duclie is the last person to have seen the warlock Fabian alive, and is therefore a prime suspect. To clear her name and stop the murderer killing again, Dulcie takes the case on board.... only to discover a terrible escaped Netherworld creature is behind the killings, and on a warpath.

This is the second book released by Indie (self-published) author H.P. Mallory. The first book was ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’ and was about a witch named Jolie. Mallory does intend to release more Jolie and Dulcie books as a part of her Urban Fantasy series.

I've got to say I kind of wish that H.P. Mallory had continued with Jolie’s story rather than veering off and introducing a new narrator. Maybe it’s my highly anal-retentive mind that likes order over chaos... but I felt like I had just gotten familiar and invested in the characters of ‘Fire Burn’ and it felt a little abrupt to change protagonists in the series.

But on the other hand... Kelley Armstrong does the same thing in her ‘Women of the Otherworld’ series; keeping her characters in the same universe, but changing narrators for each book. The big difference is that all of Armstrong’s character are interconnected and know one another and there’s some cohesion to the narration-switch because of this familiarity. I was a little unclear on whether or not Dulcie and Jolie are characters whose paths do not cross, but live in the same universe.... or if they are entirely separate?

I did enjoy ‘To Kill a Warlock’. It reminded me a little of Kim Harrison’s ‘Rachel Morgan: The Hollows’ series for the crime whodunit at the books centre. Mallory writes a very conniving and disgusting Netherworld monster that takes the form of a beautiful red-headed woman.

“You might want to avoid that woman,” I added. “I’d consider her dangerous.”
Dagan laughed, and it was a sound you might hear someone make before they cut out your heart.
“I’m a demon, nothing frightens me.”
I shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The mystery and murder-investigation was the big selling-point for me. Mallory weaves an intricate web mired in a world of fantasy and peppered with supernatural suspects to keep you guessing.

One of Mallory’s strengths is also her weakness, in an unfortunate double-edged sword. The plethora of hot men she writes. I love Mallory’s male characters; they are all delightful and devilish in their own ways, and if there’s one thing Mallory excels at, it’s writing a bad-boy. I loved the demon, Dagan, who owns a BDSM club called Payne. Mallory’s description of him was deliciously dangerous and drool-worthy;

Tattoos ran the length of his arms and most of his chest. The tattoo on his chest was a wolf fornicating with an angel. Really tasteful. My eyes met his.

But there were *too* many men for Dulcie to choose from.

There’s Quillan, her fairy A.N.C. boss who Dulcie has been crushing on for years now who has a starring role in her historical-romance novel-in-progress.
Knight Vander is a Loki, sent from the Netherworld to help Dulcie in the murder investigation. He is tall, dark and handsome and a huge flirt.
Bram is a vampire who runs the club ‘No Regrets’ and has been very vocal in expressing a carnal interest in Dulcie, much to her chagrin.
And then there’s the tattooed demon, Dagan, who runs BDSM club ‘Payne’; he doesn’t have any overt interest in Dulcie, beyond the fact that he screws anything with a pulse.

There are so many men, each with some small or large interest in Dulcie that the romance angle came on a little too heavy, and a case of ‘too much of a good thing’. It felt as though Dulcie had so many potential love interests in her life that no one man got enough page-time with her to form a deep HEA connection. I did like Quillan and Knight, but I also had a soft-spot for Bram... but my liking them seemed based on superficial things like their good looks or flirtatious manner. I would have been happy with only 2 clear love-interest candidates and more time devoted to Dulcie building intimacies with them.

This harem of men also occasionally had the effect of putting me off Dulcie as a character. If you have four men panting after one woman then there’s the expectation that this woman is pretty darn *spectacular* (I’m reminded of that quote from ’10 Things I Hate About You’: “What is it with this chick. She have beer-flavoured nipples?”). And while Dulcie is pretty cool, I don’t think her personality or general demeanour warrant the attentions of *FOUR* hotties. Maybe it’s also a case of the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head, because as a women I was reading Dulcie’s plethora of men and wondering “what’s so great about her?”

I did like ‘To Kill a Warlock’. I was initially on the back-foot for my confusion over book sequence, but this second outing by Indie author H.P. Mallory is a solid urban fantasy with a brain-bending whodunit at its centre and a cast of men for readers (and Dulcie) to lust after.

3/5

'Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble ' by H.P. Mallory

Received from the Author

From the BLURB:

A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead.
A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss
and her would-be lover.
A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda;
one that includes an appetite for witches.
The Underworld in a state of chaos.
Let the games begin.

Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of,
but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.

Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who
just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery
regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only
uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting
her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself
at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but
oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

Jolie Wilkins is quite content with her life. Sure, she sometimes gets lonely – but she has her best friend, Christa, to keep her company. Her New Age shop isn’t exactly raking in business, but she has a house in the Los Angeles suburbs. Jolie’s life isn’t full of heart-palpitating action either... until Rand Balfour walks through her door.

Rand is a powerful warlock who recognizes Jolie as an untapped witch. When he asks her to work with him on a job (sharing in the hefty pay-cheque) Jolie is happy to help... it doesn’t hurt that Rand is heart-meltingly sexy. But on this job Jolie has a Wiccan revelation - she can bring back the dead! By mental time-travel Jolie is able to lay hands on a soon-to-be-dead person and bring them corporeally back to the present.

Jolie’s death magic is a much-coveted skill amidst the supernatural community, and Jolie quickly finds herself in the middle of a political tug-of-war.
The supernatural community is in upheaval over super-strength humans called ‘Lurkers’. Lurkers have been infected with vampire blood, making them stronger and faster than regular humans, and inbuilt with a deadly need for revenge against all supernatural creatures. Jolie is the one and only hope for all fantasy creatures, if she can bring back dead Lurkers from the grave then maybe these revenge-ridden humans will leave the supernaturals alone and call a truce.

The evil witch of the Unites States, Bella, wants to own Jolie for her own nefarious purposes... but Rand steps in and offers Jolie his protection. But accepting Rand’s offer of safety means upending her life and moving to England, and facing Bella’s wrath...

H.P. Mallory is an ‘Indie’ urban fantasy author. ‘Indie’ meaning self-published. ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’ is her first book in what will be a multi-book series based in this urban fantasy world.

It is crystal clear from Mallory’s writing that she is an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance fan-girl (after my own heart). Her writing is imbued with infectious enthusiasm for this genre and she is clearly a fan-turned-writer who knows what she likes. The books gorgeously kitsch front-covers are tagged with the label ‘urban fantasy’, and Mallory delivers ten-fold.
Vampires. Werewolves. Witches. Warlocks. Fairies. You name it, Mallory has written it!

Jolie is a very relatable character. She is absolutely thrown into the deep-end and forced to sink or swim. She occasionally has a tear, or a stuttering rant/hissy-fit... but such moments are entirely understandable and make Jolie a very down-to-earth heroine. Her moments of ‘woe is me’ never became so grating or numerous as to turn me off her character, I always felt sympathy for her and was rooting for her the whole way, especially because her life is so completely uprooted;

This was the breaking point - the first night of the rest of my godforsaken life.

Another indication that Mallory is a daughter of Urban Fantasy... the plethora of drool-worthy males. Rand is entirely sexy and charming, he’s tall, broad and has an English accent (the English manor house is a bonus too). He was quite aloof in the beginning, but I loved reading his developing feelings for Jolie and her slow break-down of his defences (and hormones!).

“A year ago, no, six months ago, if someone were to tell me I’d be dancing with a bunch of witches, wolves and vampires, I’d say they were crazy.”
Rand laughed. “Destiny is a funny thing.”
“Do you think that’s what it is?”
“I do,” he answered...

Then there is vampire master, Sinjin, who works for Bella but is delicious in his bad-boyness. Sinjin is dark-haired blue-eyed gorgeousness and his danger appeal ramps up the sex appeal (for Jolie and readers alike). I would have appreciated *more* Sinjin, especially in the love-triangle context between him, Jolie and Rand.
There’s also an Alpha werewolf called Trent who catches Jolie’s affections for a time... but he was more of a side-line romantic interest and didn’t hold a candle to Rand or Sinjin. Still, I love that Mallory gives her readers a smorgasbord of supernatural-hotties to lust after (and keep things interesting for Jolie!).

I did have a few niggling complaints about this book...

The time-frame of the novel is unclear. Quite a few chapters start with the line ‘two weeks later...’ to the point that I felt slightly jet-lagged from the time-lapses throughout the book.

I also couldn’t see the point of Jolie’s best friend, Christa. She works as a plot sideline towards the end of the novel, but wasn’t a completely necessary presence in the book. She was so forgettable that a few times it felt like Mallory was forcing her into scenes just to keep reminding readers that she existed. And in the beginning I actually considered that Mallory was pulling a ‘Sixth Sense’ and intending to write Christa as a ghost that only Jolie could see... but, no. Christa is just a slightly-awkward hanger-on character.

The ending is very abrupt. Right when I was getting into the political intrigue and a potential Rand/Jolie/Sinjin triangle the book ends. And I am really upset to discover that the next book in Mallory’s series doesn’t revisit Jolie...

The ending just felt a little untidy. Mallory does intend to alternate book narrators, so we do get another book told from Jolie’s perspective. But as far as complaints go, saying 'I wanted more' is probably a pretty darn good one! I would have been happy with an extra 150+ pages in this book!

H.P. Mallory is an Indie urban fantasy author who knows her stuff and clearly relishes writing in the genre. ‘Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble’ is the first book in what promises to be a delicious urban fantasy series.

3.5/5

Book #2 'How To Kill a Warlock' - avaliable now!

You can buy H.P. Mallory's books from here