I’ve been running a series of interviews with authors that are releasing new books, particularly dark fiction. I hope you’ll take the time to check out their work. Today, please welcome author, David McAfee. ———— To start, can you tell me a little about yourself.

Sure, although I never really know what to say to that. Something wise and writerly, one would hope. I live in Tennessee with my wife, daughter, and a small army of loyal but dysfunctional pets. I've loved reading for as long as I can remember, even cracking open King books at ten years old. My dad was proud of me for that, if a bit worried. 33 A.D. is my first published novel, though I've sold some short stories to the horror magazine Necrotic Tissue. I hope to be able to write full time someday. Oh, and a movie deal wouldn't hurt my feelings.

How long have you been writing and how did you get to this point in your career? Well, I wrote a kids book when I was six years old. Does that count? Throughout my childhood and young adult years I wrote short stories and essays, but I never actually tried to get anything published until about 2005. I got to this point in my career by being too stubborn to give up in the face of overwhelming rejection. I'm still at the beginning of this journey, to be honest. I haven't left the front stoop yet, but I'm walking out the door, and that's something.

You have a new book just out, 33 A.D. Tell me what inspired you to write this?

33 A.D. which is about a vampire in Biblical Jerusalem who attempts to assassinate Jesus of Nazareth, was inspired by the book VIOLENT SANDS, by Sean Young. In it, Sean Young tells the story of Barabbas, who, according to the Bible, is the man Pilate set free in Jesus's place. Young's book was so vivid, and so…good…that I kept finding myself wandering through the streets of ancient Israel with the characters. I kept wondering what the vampires of the era would have been doing at the time, and what they would have thought of all the hooplah surrounding the strange young rabbi from Galilee. Voila! The concept for 33 A.D. was born.

I have a keen interest in dark fiction. Tell me how you would classify this book and what’s dark about it?

That's a tough one. One of the reasons I had such a hard time selling 33 A.D. is because it doesn't fit squarely into any genre. It revolves around the Crucifixion, but it's not Christian Fiction. It has vampires, but it's not Urban Fantasy. It's set in historical Jerusalem, but it's not purely historical, either. I confused a lot of agents. I call it a historical paranormal thriller, but readers can call it anything they like.

What makes it dark? Well, for starters, you won't find any sparkling or angsty vampires in it. I went old school and made my vampires the way I like 'em: evil. The whole story centers on one vampire's mission to kill a man, and he's not shy about adding to the body count if it suits him. Or if it amuses him. It's also bloody and violent, but what else would you expect from a vampire novel set in Biblical times? This is no YA bedtime vampire story.

Then there are the Lost Ones. These are vampires who have displeased the Council. I won't tell you about them, but talk about dark! They give me the creeps, and I dreamed them up.

Sometimes we have to be ruthless in writing/editing. We cut scenes, eliminate characters or even kill them off. Tell me what was the hardest of these in this book.

Oh, boy. Was that rough! The book was originally divided into three sections, which were preceded by three individual prologues. Each prologue showed a part of Theron's history. From his inception as a vampire to his sentencing as a Lost One to his rebirth as a vampire again. I added those to illustrate the character's strong determination not to fail in his mission, but in the end it really didn't add much and distracted more than it needed to. So even though I loved that part, I cut it out, and now readers would never know Theron was once sentenced to life as a Lost One. It'll probably come out in a later book, though.

Another note: Theron's name was originally Pritchard. It just fit, somehow. But when I landed my former publisher, he said he didn't think the name sounded authentic to the period, and he was right. Every other name in the book is taken from ancient Roman, Greek, or Jewish names, but Pritchard didn't match up. I looked up ancient Greek (Theron is from Greece) names and found that the name Theron meant "Hunter" in ancient Greek. I thought it fitting, so I changed it. I still prefer the original, though.

There are other examples, but those were the two hardest.

This blog is called Random Musings, so give me a random quote from the book – something you’re particularly fond of.

Theron whirled to face him, fully expecting to be bowled over in a mass of teeth and claws. But Ephraim stood in the same spot as before. He hadn't moved at all during Malachi's death, and had not plucked his infamous khopesh from the wall. Theron thought he knew the reason. He knows it won't help. He already knows how this must end. He stepped closer. Malachi's blood dripped from his blade, leaving a thin trail of small red puddles on the floorboards.

"Theron," Ephraim said. "They sent you?"

"I'm the best. Of course they sent me." Theron gave a mocking bow.

"Are you the Lead Enforcer now, my old friend?"

"Someone had to take your place. Who better than me? But you are no friend of mine, traitor." He spat at the other's feet, barely missing Ephraim's dusty leather boot.

"Don't be so quick to choose, Theron. You should hear what he has to say."

"I don't need to hear what he has to say. I still serve our people. The rambling words of a deranged rabbi will not show me my path. The Council’s laws have protected our people for over four thousand years. You," he pointed an accusing finger, "have violated them."

"His words would save you, my friend," Ephraim said, so softly Theron almost didn't hear him.

Theron laughed. "Save me? As they saved you? You are a handful of seconds away from Hell, and you would presume to save me?" In that instant, Theron determined he would make Ephraim's death as unpleasant as he could manage. He threw his sword to the floor and willed his claws to grow. In a few moments his fingernails grew long and thick. The brief but intense pain in his fingertips was worth it. He would rip the traitor's head from his shoulders. "You should worry about saving yourself, old friend."

"I did," Ephraim replied, just before Theron leapt at him.

The idea of mixing vampires and Jesus of Nazareth is really unique. What has the reaction been to this so far?

Overwhelmingly positive, actually. I expected to get more flack for it. Maybe that'll happen when the book gets more notice. There are a handful of people who have refused to read it due to the subject matter; they felt it was blasphemous. But far more people think it's a very interesting and unique idea, and the feedback I have received from readers has been very good so far. I'm still waiting for that first negative review, though. I know it's coming.

What can we expect from you next?

I have another vampire novel that I wrote back in 2004. I am cleaning it up and getting it ready to release on Kindle. Unlike 33 A.D., it's more of a paranormal romance. That's just the way that story worked out.

I just finished a rough draft for a novel called THE GALLOWS TREE. It's a horror novel about a small town in East Tennessee that is haunted by the spirit of a young black boy who was lynched there in 1959. I'll dip into that and start revisions once I'm finished with the vampire book.

I also have a pulp horror novel called GRUBS, which I plan to release as a Kindle book in June. Since GRUBS is short, I'll be including all my short stories at the back.

I'm halfway through the rough draft of another vampire novel called BAIT, about a man who hunts vampires in a very unusual way. I expect to finish the first draft of that by October.

My next new novel project will be a prequel to 33 A.D. I plan to explore the character Ephraim more. His origins, how he became a vampire, how he rose up the ranks to be Lead Enforcer, and what eventually turned him from his people to follow Jesus of Nazareth. There's a story there, and I want to know it.

Where can we find you on the internet?

I just contacted a web designer, and as long as we can get everything transferred over from GoDaddy, my website will be www.mcafeeland.com. I also have a blog, and I can be found on Twitter and Facebook. I'm also a member of Goodreads.com, KindleBoards.com, and AbsoluteWrite.com.

Any final comments or thoughts?

Yes, I want to note that I live in Knoxville, TN, just a few hours east of Nashville. As many people know, Nashville is experiencing floods due to heavy rainfall, leaving thousands of people without homes and costing over a billion dollars in damage. This hits especially close to home for me, and I want to try and help, even if only a little. For that reason, a portion of the profits for 33 A.D. will be donated to help the city of Nashville. $1 per print copy (which equals 1/3 of my total profit per book) and 50% of all Kindle profits will be sent to Music City, USA. So if any of your readers would like to get a great book and help a hurting city, this is a great opportunity to do both. Last but not least, I'd like to thank you, David, for having me here. I know you recently purchased a Kindle copy of 33 A.D., and I hope you enjoy it.

———— David, you’re very welcome. And thank YOU for dropping in! I hope you’ll come back for GRUBS! Folks, if you want to help support a good cause, you can purchase 33 A.D. at Amazon in both print and Kindle formats, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.