Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Spotlight and Guest Post: Bad Blood by Nicky Peacock





“I am Britannia. I am your protector. I will fend off the hungry hordes of undead hands that reach toward you. I am your steadfast defender. I will stand between you and the zombie masses as they try to taste your flesh. I am strong, unyielding, and dedicated to your survival. All I ask from you… is your blood.” 

A five-hundred-year-old bloody game of vengeance will need to be put on hold if vampires are to survive the zombie uprising. Britannia and Nicholas, bitter enemies and the only two surviving vampires left in London, have to work together to save un-infected humans and deliver them safely to a vampire stronghold in the Scottish Highlands. Unable to drink the zombie ‘bad blood’, the remaining vampires need the humans to stay alive. But will the vampires tell the survivors who they are and what they want from them? Will Britannia be able to hold back her vengeance for the greater good? Is survivor Josh the reincarnation of Britannia’s murdered true love? And can she bring herself to deliver him to the ‘safe’ hold? Survival instincts run deep, but bad blood can run deeper.


Jack the Ripper revealed – well, that’s buggered my theory!

Breaking news over the weekend…Jack the Ripper has been named. Yes, named! One of the greatest crime mysteries in history has now been solved. As a writer, I’m not sure whether to be happy or annoyed. Ol’ Jack, the nightmarish figure that stalked the foggy streets of London praying on Whitechapel’s ladies of the night has finally been revealed. And it’s a bit of a let-down, all those amazing theories have boiled down to just lone a mad man. Aaron Kosminski was briefly on the police’s radar at the time, but so were a host of other more enigmatic historical figures that would have made for a much more interesting tale - perhaps fact isn't stranger than fiction?

DNA evidence has confirmed that yes, Kosminski was Jack the Ripper. A shawl found at the murder scene of Catherine Eddowes held the key. Not just covered in her blood but traces of her killer’s DNA too. Tested against a living relation of Kosminski's, scientists claim that it’s conclusive proof to who The Ripper actually was.

When you look at the time line it does fit. Kosminski was committed to an Asylum the year the murders stopped. He died in that hospital and no other murder was connected to the same sadistic killer – and those types of killers don’t just stop on their own.  What I didn’t realize is that 4 other murders were also attributed to the same killer including the incredibly gruesome ‘Pinchin Street Torso’ - don't look this up if you want a good night's sleep tonight!

Now Jack the Ripper has featured in a couple of my own stories and briefly appears in the second Battle of the Undead series, sequel to Bad Blood. I’d concocted my own theory as to whom he was and why he did what he did, and why he stopped when he stopped.

As compelling as DNA evidence actually is, I think there should be a number of questions asked about this sudden declaration: Where was the shawl all this time and why has it just appeared now? Why would family members concede to a DNA test (I mean, would you want it proved that you are a descendant of a famous serial killer) and, if I was a lawyer defending Kosminski I’d point out to the jury that it only proves he murdered Catherine Eddowes, it doesn’t prove he killed any of the other victims; so maybe there’s more to the mystery yet… 

About the Author
I guess I’ve always been a storyteller, not in a ‘liar liar pants on fire’ kind of way, although I do work in advertising! When I was little, kids would crowd around me in the playground and I’d tell them tales of blood soaked horror filled with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and more. Yes, most would consider me a disturbed child, but my playmates couldn’t help themselves, they’d huddle around me every break time like an ancient tribe feeding off the fear; and that’s how I learned that horror stories hold a certain power, no matter what some might say, everyone is addicted to a good scare, especially if it is somewhat rooted safely in unrealistic beings… or are they unrealistic?


Writing was really a natural progression. Right now I’m obsessed with writing: a YA Urban Fantasy novel, a Paranormal Romance novella series, and several short horror stories! So I’m currently living in a functional fiction coma – and loving it!


I’ve so far been published in 5 countries: USA, UK, Australia, Ireland and Canada and had short stories included in 40 anthologies with over 17 publishers.





2 comments:

  1. Hello, Nicky! Congratulations on the book!

    Yes, the reveal, such as it is, assuming there's nothing amiss about the DNA test parameters, is rather underwhelming.

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  2. Thank you for the guest post!

    And William, yes it's definitely not a 'closed case' he may have just spent time with Catherine Eddowes...

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