No Good Deed Review and Interview

Date Published: March 9, 2012

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Number of Pages: N/A

Publisher: Self-Published

First Thoughts:

This book captivated me from the very beginning; it had a lot of uniqueness and action to it. I loved being able to see the heroine as someone being middle aged and not the skinniest person alive; I’m sick of the near perfect heroines give me a “real” person any day! I loved the passion and will this heroine had; it made the story that much more enjoyable. I just loved how the author was able to take a paranormal situation and add realism to it; definitely unique to these types of books. This will be one book that will take you on a roller-coaster of a ride.

Plot:

I really enjoyed the plot of this book; there were a lot of scenes that allowed the reader to better understand the main protagonist and understand where she is coming from. It was really fun to see all of the characters backstories and how they fit into the whole scheme of things. This story was filled with ideas that were both new and old; the idea of demons is nothing new but the storyline was. I liked the idea of the team and how they got to each of their “assignments” really cool. And there were also some parts where the author included some magical terms and ideas that made the story seem more real; more stable. As for the pace of the story it was semi-fast to me; there were some parts that seemed to drag like where the protagonist was having internal struggles and parts where she was at home tending to everyday normalcies. But I really did enjoy seeing how the character tried balancing her life; the contrast of her “job” and then the average family home life. The sub-plot of her home life was interesting, seeing her deal with a handicapped husband and two children and seeing how she loved them dearly…definitely well written. As for some of the other sub-plots I think some of them were left unfinished; like the backstories of the other “team members” but knowing this is only book one in the series I figure their stories will be told when the time is right. So overall I enjoyed the overall idea and storyline of this book and liked this aspect of the story.

Romance:

There wasn’t much romance in this book, I mean the most romance you see is between husband and wife and I wouldn’t really classify that with the normal YA romance we see in most books as of late. I did enjoy the love between the wife and husband it was soft and sweet but at the same time in no way overwhelming; the amount of romance was perfect. I liked…no…loved that romance was not the main focus of the story; such a nice relief from all the other books that are focused on this aspect. So overall the romance was perfect for this book and I really enjoyed this aspect.

Characters:

I did really enjoy the main protagonist, I felt she was created with perfect clarity and had the right personality for the role she played. I really enjoyed her line of thinking and the way she reacted to each situation; it really seemed realistic and believable. As for some of the other characters I felt some of them fell a little short, they seemed real enough but they kind of lacked a certain aspect that would have really made them fit perfectly within the story. Don’t get me wrong not all of them were this way but a few select were….I just personally couldn’t connect with them. But overall each character fit into their roles just right and there weren’t any unnecessary characters within the story.

Transformation of the Character:

I don’t think there was a real transformation that took place within the story, I believe there was a start of one but I think there’s much more that needs to happen before it could be classified as a transformation. So overall I don’t think this was an important aspect of the story and believed that there didn’t need to be one in this first book of the series.

Description:

I really enjoyed the description of this book; at times it was really dark and creepy (there are some scenes I’ll never be able to forget). It was cool to be able to really picture each of these demons, the description was really deep and detailed; I could really see each little thing about the demon, kind of morbid and gross…As far as how the author described the landscape, I think he did a good job on describing each scene and allowing the reader to really see each location and be able to distinguish them from city to city. There were a few scenes where the author really used the senses; he incorporated each important sense so that the picture of the scene was that much stronger. I don’t think there was too much description; he used just the right amount to describe both the scenes and the characters. He did really well on the battle scenes. One part that may have thrown me off was when they assigned each member of the team a color….it was that bad but it did take some getting used to. But overall I really liked this aspect of the book.

Style:

The author chose to write in one POV and in first person which is the norm in most books and in this case really worked. It allowed the reader to just focus on one plotline; it narrowed down this large world so that it wouldn’t confuse the reader. If you really looked at the world itself and each of the characters you would see multiple POV’s would have been too much and the story would have literally been lost within itself; the author made the right call. As for the writing itself it was easy to read and I didn’t have any problems with it.

Quote of the Book:

“That hideous little mask is grinning at me…I stare right back. The shadows grow behind its hollow eyes. The hair on the back of my arms and neck lifts a little. It’s definitely laughing at me, now. I give it an even look. “Bite me.””

Goodreads Summary:

Kelly McGinnis has spent her adult life trying to do the right thing, but as a newly down-sized mother of twins and the wife of a man living with Multiple Sclerosis, she also knows that trying isn't always enough.

While interrupting a scene of police brutality, Kelly unwittingly releases a real, live demon. After she manages to kill the creature through gut instinct and blind luck, she is approached to join a secret group of demon hunters who reveal an underworld of monsters and magic.

Against her better judgment, Kelly accepts the lucrative, if bizarre, offer; but when she meets Umber, a compelling incubus with an unexpectedly human story, she learns that the truth is far stranger and more terrifying than she imagined.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to fans of books about demons and fans of the paranormal. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this book and look forward to continuing Kelly’s story.  This is a world I can’t wait to divulge into more; the author just has a way of taking an old idea and twisting it into something more. This was a book that got me really interested in demons, never been a fan of them, they kind of just were there before this book, now I kind of want to try more books like this…perhaps when I get the time in the future….

My Rating:

And the winner of the e-book copy of “No Good Deeds” is Mikayla! Congratulations!!

Interview with Bill Blais

What inspired you to start writing No Good Deed?

Well, I've always enjoyed underdogs, and I was frustrated by what I perceived as copy-cat heroines in the urban fantasy genre. I had originally been thrilled when female heroines started appearing on the shelves, but it seemed to me that they quickly fell into the same problems as many of the male heroes: super-confident, super-sexy, super-strong. I can't really relate to someone with all these traits, so these characters never appealed to me. Finally, I decided I had to stop complaining and put my money where my mouth was. Thank goodness Kelly showed up!

What is your favorite part of writing?

Revising. The first draft is usually fueled by the newness and excitement of discovering the story (whatever my preconceived notions may be), but this is more of a 'spectator sport' for me. The actual work of revising, of really re-viewing what I've written and challenging myself to make each scene, each paragraph, each word earn its place, this is what I enjoy most. Okay, so that's perhaps a bit obsessive and masochistic, but I love the language and I try to keep learning.

How long does it take on average to write the first draft of a book?

Just the first draft? Hm. Well, between 2-4 months, generally speaking. It's the revisions, though, that take the most time. As I mentioned, though, revision is my favorite part, but the devil truly is in the details, there, and I can easily get lost in them (thus, the 13 drafts of my first book), but I have been steadily working that down and am down to 5-7 drafts per book.

What is your beverage of choice when you’re in the “zone” of writing?

Tea. Black Tea. Preferably a good Irish Breakfast, with a bit of raw sugar. When I'm really in the 'zone', though, I may only get a few sips before it gets cold because I can't stop writing long enough. Those are very good days.

Were there any songs you listened to a lot while writing this book?

I tend to get repetitive when it comes to music and writing. When I find a song that seems to work, I tend to listen to it on repeat for days at a time. For No Good Deed, one of those was "Canción del Mariachi (Morena de Mi Corazón)" from the Desperado film soundtrack. This is a great high-energy, rhythmic, authentic-feeling piece, that suits the action scenes.

What is your ideal vacation spot for writing?

Above our garage. Just me, a box of pencils, and a stack of recycled paper.

Who gave you the biggest support for this book?

Oh, that's easy: My wife. She has supported me in every possible way. Without her, well, that's not even worth contemplating.

What is one thing you would like your fans to know about you?

Honestly? Nothing, really. I mean, I don't really think there's anything terribly special about me. I'm actually playing this 'game' on 'the lowest difficulty setting there is', as John Scalzi rightly described (http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-the-lowest-difficulty-setting-there-is/).

Did you take any scenes out of No Good Deed?

Actually, no, not full scenes. I cut many scenes down, often in half or more to tighten things, but the outline was solid to begin with and each piece of the story held its own throughout the revisions.

What should we expect for the next book in the series?

Well, there's more Umber, for starters, which was very interesting for me, but the overall story took a much darker and more 'realistic' turn than I expected when I first started thinking about what came next. I don't want to give too much away, but Kelly's involvement in the events of NGD have gained her some unwanted attention from the 'other side', and this time Denis and the team aren't around to help as her family is threatened.

Thanks Bill for taking the time to let us know a little more about you and your book, it was a blast!