Hunted:
A Jonathan Harker Novel
Christopher
Draven
Genre: Supernatural
Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Date of Publication: May 14th,
2017
ISBN: 978-1547126866
ASIN: B071NZC3Z9
Number of pages: 270
Word Count: 55,000
Book Description:
Slinging
Spells with Broken Ribs Isn't Easy
Jonathan Harker, mage and
life-long demon hunter, wakes to find himself tied to a chair and severely
wounded. His captor, a demon in service to a summoner who wants Harker alive.
Armed with impossibly powerful
magic and a gang of demon toughs, the summoner has snared Harker in a deadly
trap. Nothing is ever easy, and being new in town has left Harker with few
allies. However, with help from a Fortune-Teller named Clover and a self-described
"Kitchen Witch" named Momma Dee, Harker fights back.
To prevail, Harker must walk
unprepared into a pit of demons and black magic - and come out alive on the
other side.
Excerpt:
My brain righted
itself, and I could pull my thoughts together.
Neither demon
seemed to possess magic. Instead, the creatures relied on their strength and
speed. There was no matching those physical attributes. To survive, I would
need to use a different tactic. Direct confrontation had failed, twice. My next
trick was misdirection.
“Tell me,” I
said. “How did a low-powered summoner rank high enough to afford two Demon
Nobles?”
Both demons, who
were whispering to one another across the room, turned to face me.
“You know us,”
Cresh said with a tone of surprise. The demon still pressed one hand tightly
against his wounded side.
“Yes,” I said.
“You knew and
you still entered to battle?”
“To be fair,” I
said. “I had no idea who was waiting.”
Cresh huffed a
small laugh; Mindal growled.
Well, I thought.
I know which one is the smart one.
About
the Author:
Christopher Draven has worked as
an instructional designer, newspaper journalist, and ghost writer.
One soggy Monday morning, he
committed to leaving behind the soul-stealing work of corporate puppetry and
escaped to a meadow where he could concentrate on his passion. Since that
fateful day, Christopher has focused on learning the craft of fiction.
Hunted: A Jonathan Harker Novel
was Christopher’s debut, and his best friend said it was swell.
Twitter: @writerdraven
Interview with Christopher Draven
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
My inspiration comes from some of the most mundane sources. Conversations with total strangers can lead my brain down a rabbit hole. The worst is when I’m driving. I’ve been known to pull over and send myself an email.
How did you do research for your book?
The mind of a reader, especially readers of Urban Fantasy, hate cognitive dissonance; thus, well-written Urban Fantasy requires a lot of research. Creatures of magic abound, but they live in a real world – with real physics.
I often run into passages in my writing that don’t ring true. When that happens, I take the time to research historical or scientific sources to help me navigate how to craft the topic into a component that fits with the greater story and setting.
In Hunted, I wrote about the Solomon Accords. When discussing a subject which governs an entire ‘school’ of magic and how it works, I must show compatibility with a real-world setting.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
In addition to writing, I spend a portion of my time working as an Application Developer for a healthcare data company. Most my projects include data and workflow automation, as well as business process improvement initiatives – when a technology component is required.
I also work as a freelance technical writer, instructional designer, and ghost-writer.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I’m not ashamed to say I’ve planned for this possibility.
First, I would visit a pharmacy and gather up antibiotics, antifungals, antihistamines, and some analgesics. There is no use going to another time if you will go out Oregon Trail style in the first week.
Once I had packed my care package of modern chemistry, then I would set the itinerary. Key times/places in history would top the list: Ancient Rome, 16th Century Japan, and London in the late 1800’s (of course!).
What is your next project?
Right now, I’m focused on book two, which is due out in October 2017. The story picks up a few months after the events in Hunted. Jonathan is contacted by a friend who needs help investigating what happened to a beloved priest who died in the middle of saying Sunday Mass.
