Special Guest Author: Jerry Hanel

Today we have an excellent guest, Jerry Hanel, author of Death Has a Name, for the release of the second book in his Brodie Wade series, Thaloc Has a Body, and it's very exciting! I'm going to hand this post over to Jerry so he can talk about his awesome new book.

My name is Jerry Hanel, and the book I've written is a paranormal mystery/thriller called Thaloc Has a Body. It is the second book in the Brodie Wade series.

What is a "Thaloc"?
Thaloc was an Egyptian creature that was believed to take the form of anyone. I've embellished the legend of Thaloc slightly, adding a few points from "experts" in order to explain how the villain is connected to the murders, but I tried to stay as true to the original legend as I could.

As far as how Thaloc relates to the paranormal world, thus how he would relate to Brodie's ability, Thaloc was a spirit being, very similar to the western concept of the Grim Reaper. Using that template, you can see that it's not a far cry from the first book, with with an Egyptian twist, and a plot twist that I think will leave the reader stunned and amazed. Time will tell, I suppose.

So, how do you pronounce 'Thaloc'?
I'm not sure, to be honest. I've actually had several differing opinions given to me on that. Some say Thay-lock, others say Thahl-lock. I even had one person quote it gangsta-style; The-lock. For me, I refer to it as Thahl-lock. I guess that's part of the mystery, but also part of the history of this creature. He is an unknown. A black hole. Since he can become so many different things, having a single pronounciation of his name seems almost too rigid. Pronounce it however it is comfortable to you in hour head. I guess that's the best way of all.

How did you come up with the idea for the book?
In the first book, Death Has a Name, Brodie had to confront the Angel of Death and his apprentice. While, I have a personal belief about humans and alternate realms, and such, I always want my characters to battle other humans, not necessarily non-human entities. It just makes for a much more dramatic story, in my mind. In Death Has a Name, I pushed even my own boundaries on that personal rule. Brodie still had to battle the apprentice, but there were a few plot twists that I really struggled with, internally.

For Thaloc Has a Body, I wanted Brodie to have to confront actual flesh-and-blood people, without any gray areas and I thought that a shape-shifter would be the perfect medium to make those encounters much more interesting, while remaining true to the themes started in Death Has a Name.

What do you think readers will enjoy most about your book?
Two words; Jamie Stanford. She is the love interest that was briefly introduced in the first novel. Brodie was so freaked out (as he normally is) by the case at hand, he missed the signs of her trying to flirt with him. In this book, she takes matters into her own hands and invites herself on a date. Through that character, we get to see so much more about Brodie and get past his angst-riddled brain into his heart. He really is a caring man, and Jamie brings out so many facets in Brodie that we've never seen before.

Who is your favourite character?
Picking a favorite is hard. All of my characters are reflections of some aspect of me. Even the villains are the darker side of my past, expounded a thousand times, of course. I mean, I wouldn't want to actually kill someone, much less do it in the way that they do. But I can see how someone could be drawn down those dark paths and deluded into doing the things they do. And even those dark characters have a soul somewhere deep in there that I guess my soul can identify with.

If I absolutely had to choose a character, and my life depended on it, I would say Brodie. He's the unsure, scared little boy inside me that has never really grown up. There are so many qualities to Brodie that make him socially awkward that I can relate. But when you get past those awkward moments, he's probably the nicest, most caring man on the planet.

Do you listen to music while you write, and if so what music for this book or in general?
When I write, I generally have my headphones on, listening to whatever music will set the mood for the scene I'm working on. My favorite bands are "The Letter Black", "Red" and "Thousand Foot Krutch." They all seem to have themes dealing with dark, painful issues, but they all have this brilliant, bright, shining thread of hope, grace and redemption that inspire me, despite their dark themes. I guess I can relate to the music, reflect on my past choices, and apply those to the scene I want to create to come up with the story in my head.

Tell us where to find you online and buy your book.
This series is all over the internet right now; Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc. But I really think Amazon has it down to a science. They give my readers the best price and they are really good to me as an author in the process, so it's a win-win situation.

You can reach me directly on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/JerryHanel

Or on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Jerry-Hanel-Author

I also have a blog:
http://www.jerryhanel.com

Thank you for taking the time today to interview me. I've really enjoyed it.

-Jerry

Thanks a lot Jerry for being a guest here at nrwick.com and good luck with Thaloc Has a Body!

Readers, if you are interested in reading Death Has a Name or Thaloc Has a Body, I've provided links below.