And here’s an interview with the author of the Lawson series of vampire novels. To read Jon’s extended bio, go here.

1) What inspired you to come up with the character of a vampire Fixer cum detective — how did you come up with the character of Lawson?

A: Lawson was born in the pages of a short story I wrote back in 2000. At the time I was reading a lot of spy thrillers and short horror fiction and one day, he sort of just popped out. It was a classic case of that old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial where I got espionage on their horror and vice versa. As the story evolved into a novel, I knew I had to do something a lot different than what had already been done. And at that time, there was already a glut of vampire novels. So I started mixing in my martial arts experience and study of Asian culture to really put a fresh spin on things. I remembered reading that early man hunted wild animals and drank their blood believing it would give him the beast’s strength, so I said what if there was a band of early humans who hunted other humans thinking the same thing? Over time that ingestion of blood would allow them to distill the life force energy and give them better strength and longer lives. From there, it was off to the races!

2) Why was there such a gap between the fourth novel in the series and this one? Certainly other novelists have delayed sequels further — Ken Follett comes to mind for “Pillars of the Earth” and “World Without End’ which were spaced almost 20 years apart. Did you want to focus on another series?

A: The time gap was the direct result of the series being dropped by Kensington/Pinnacle Books and me having to find a new home for Lawson. I came close to landing new deals several times, but nothing really took until 2009 when Daniela Rapp at St. Martin’s read the series and fell in love with it. Once she talked to me, I knew she really got Lawson and what I was trying to accomplish with the series. But it took a long time, obviously to find that new home. I was working on other projects during those years but I always believed that Lawson would find a better home than the one that had kicked him out.

3) What sources did you draw from to create your villain, The Kensei?

A: A devious imagination, lol…no, I’ve been researching human trafficking for some time. I have several friends that are involved in trying to stop it, so I was able to talk to them and find out more about how it happens, what goes on, and more. From there, I knew I wanted to make the villain at once very tough for Lawson to handle and simultaneously connected to an earlier villain in the series. That might have proved problematical but since I’ve just uploaded the entire backlist for both the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook, I knew fans would be able to go back and read the entire series all the way through.

4) How did it feel like to get into the world and characters again after that hiatus?

A: I loved it. I’ve been writing a lot of Lawson over the years and I enjoy it the way it feels when you put on a trusted coat. I had a blazer that had literally gone all over the world with me for years and years. Writing Lawson was like sliding into that jacket. It looked good, felt good and just was good. When something feels that right, there’s an air of understated confidence that goes right along with it. Being able to write from that perspective is a fun trip, let me tell you.

5) You mention in the author notes that you did the same martial arts test that Lawson endured in Japan. Did you draw on the experiences of being an outsider in Japan? How did this inform your work?

A: Absolutely. Lawson sees Japan through my eyes and my experiences. The test we both took was just one of the many things that I experienced on that trip in 2003. But I’ve been over several times and each trip usually make an impression on me. Hopefully that comes through for the reader and enriches the story for them. I’m a big fan of setting stories in places that people may never have traveled to, but within the pages of my work, they can take that trip…minus all the crazy danger Lawson faces!