Q&A With James Hill 

Mickey Mikkelson connected me with author James Hill who is the author of The Killer series which has 4 books & the novel Pegasus: A Journey To New Eden.  

Q: James, would you give a brief description of each of your novels, starting with Pegasus: A Journey To New Eden?

A: Pegasus: A Journey To New Eden – A futuristic world where technology has replaced God and mankind struggles to retain its humanity.
A mind-blowing drama, a psychological thriller that shows how wrong society can go when technology is uncontrolled. This suspenseful hair-raiser allows the readers to explore a twisted future where corporations replace governments and humans are an expendable commodity. It is a dark time of power and greed set against the desolation of space exploration.

Zack and Zuri are set to embark on the Pegasus for New Eden, an unknown and unexplored planet four light years from Earth. For Zack, four light years isn’t nearly far enough from the madness that has been mankind’s history. For Zuri, it is a chance to have the family she has so long desired. Pegasus is humanity’s greatest invention, a modern-day Noah’s Ark, set to spread civilization to the stars. But Pegasus has secrets which some will do anything to possess, and Zack and Zuri have yet to discover. A journey to New Eden is an emotional rollercoaster that will take the pair to the depths of despair, launch them beyond heavenly delights, and into the heart and soul of humanity.

The Killer Series is a four-book series with intertwining adult urban crime stories based on the two main characters, Bulletproof Morris MoJo Johnson and Nicky Nails Rocci, relationship.

Killer With A Heart (Book 1): 

A raw in your face story of teenage love, lust, murder, and revenge set in the Bronx in the early seventies, where the cold business world of organized crime melds with the brutality of street gang warlords that ignites a winner-takes-all battle for underworld control.

Nicky ‘Nails’ Rocci’s gang is thick as thieves but stealing mob money leads to murder. However, failing to kill Morris ‘Mojo’ Johnson is a costly mistake for the Banoa family that adds to Morris’ mystique.

Maria Marino is a bewitching beauty, a sexy firebrand that has captured the heart of the feared warlord, Morris.

Joey Banoa’s lust for Maria, Morris Johnson’s desire for vengeance, and Nicky’s aspirations to lead his gang to the top of the criminal scene will ignite a mob war and unleash Hellfire on the streets of New York.

 Killer With Three Heads (Book 2): 

Bulletproof Morris ‘Mojo’ Johnson returns to New York as John Morrison after 10 years’ absence to find the people responsible for kidnapping his daughter, Maria. After faking his death, Morris went to Aruba and the Bahamas to run the drug business. There he is recruited by the NSA to train commandos to fight in Colombia in the War on Drugs. He becomes a weapons dealer and develops guided missile and drone technology.

The Rocci Family is the most powerful Mafia family in New York with business in Florida and California. Nicky ‘Nails’ is about to replace his father as the head of the New York Mafia. His ties to the street gangs are strong and even though he hasn’t seen Morris in four years, since he disappeared in Colombia in 1980, the two are still thick as thieves. Nicky’s power is being challenged by the Chicago Mafia who are trying to split the New York families and take control. Against Nicky’s wishes Mojo had sent gang members to set up shop in Chicago, a move that threatened both the New York and Chicago Mafia.

Killer With Black Blood (Book 3): 

Nicky ‘Nails’ Rocci sacrifices everything to reach the pinnacle of power in the world of Organized Crime. He will kill to become Godfather of the New York Mafia. He will die to hold onto power. But his partner in crime, ‘Bulletproof’ Morris ‘MoJo’ Johnson, does not let a little thing like death keep his friend down. This is the story of Nicky Nails Rocci’s rise to power in the New York Mafia. As the Godfather, he is critically wounded in an assassination attempt which brings his long-time partner in crime, Bulletproof MoJo Johnson back to New York. Together they exact revenge on their enemies and friends as the mobsters solidify their rule.

Killer With Ice Eyes (Book 4): 

1997 – Maria is twenty-two years old. She is leading the Bright Skies Agency, an anti-terrorist/mercenary group, which combats human trafficking around the world. Barry Thomas, a government intelligence agent, working with Maria and her father MoJo objects to her tactics of letting herself be captured, then using the GPS within her to direct the BSA mercenaries to their target.
Maria is driven to finding Sgt. Warren, whom neither she nor her father, MoJo, believe is dead. MoJo tells her and Barry the only way to be certain of death is to look a man in the eye and shoot him in the head. He also tells them the Sargent will not show himself while he is alive. Maria takes control of the businesses which includes arms dealing, money laundering, kidnapping/rescues.
Nicky tells Maria he is stepping down as the Godfather and she is going to head both organizations. She has plans to rebuild the mob as a legitimate business after the Commission Trials had decimated the five families.

The Emerald Lady: 

A fantasy Pirate/Mermaid love story set in the golden age of Pirates of the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Jeremy Simmons is a midshipman on the commercial vessel, Rummy Gale. An honorable young man, he believes in the science of the day not age-old superstitions of the sea. But a hurricane will do more than sink his ship; it will forever change his world.

Shera, a mermaid, rescues him; they fall in love and in her attempt to return him to his world, she approaches her sisters at Usea Maya for assistance. The Maiden Queen forbids her from giving any further aid, condemning the man to a watery tomb. But Shera, a free spirit, defies the orders, goes it alone and inadvertently causes a tragedy.

Infuriated by Shera’s defiance and Jeremy’s steadfast defense and willingness to take the punishment meted out to her, the Queen curses them both. She locks Shera in human form and binds Jeremy’s life to hers. A fate so cruel it will cause a split in the realm of Mermaids and turn good men into Pirates.

Q: Where do your ideas come from for all of your books?

A: Ideas come from multiple places and the stories shape themselves out of the genres they inspire. Pegasus came from the US/Soviet Union SALT treaty. My wife asked my opinion of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. I told her we did not have to worry about nuclear war until we find another planet to go to.

The Killer Series is a combination of the times and neighborhoods I grew up in. I moved from the South Bronx, gang territory, to the North Bronx, Mafia territory. The crimes and actions in the stories come from my love of James Bond movies. The main plots circle around robbery, kidnapping, arms and drugs dealing, and of course, murder. But the stories are also based on loyalty and honor which is a necessary part of life in the underworld.

The Emerald Lady is at its heart a love story. Two star-crossed lovers from different worlds face unimaginable obstacles. It is a sea tale told in the golden age of pirates about what would happen if a mermaid fell in love with a sailor. It is common in stories for men to fall for the maidens of the sea, but quite a different story when a mermaid loves a man.

Q: Are you writing a sequel to Pegasus, The Killer series, or are you writing a completely different story with new characters?

A: I have a prequel to Pegasus in the planning stage. Meaning it is mostly in my head with the main character and plot crystallized.

The Killer Series is done. However, I am thinking of a stand-alone novel for a pair of characters. The husband and wife hit team, Elie and Stephanie, who are in book 3, Killer with Black Blood.

But what I am working on now is an historical horror story that takes place in post Napoleonic War Germany. It will involve witchcraft and vampires. But it will be a surprise how I get there.

Q: What emotions do you hope readers feel after reading your work and what lessons do you hope readers learn after reading your books?

A: The feeling will be different depending on the genre. In general, I want people to feel for the characters. To feel their joy and pain, their sense of accomplishment and failure. I want the reader to feel they are real people with real lives that they, the reader, is catching a glimpse of.

The lesson learned will again be based on the kind of story being told. Pegasus is a sci-fi novel, and it is a cautionary tale. The lesson to be learned here is humanity cannot run from itself. Technology advances quicker than we know what to do with it, so we must be careful how we use it.

In the Killer Series, revenge is a driving force, but it must not be the only desire. Friendship plays an important role in the series. Mojo and Nicky are true friends who support each other in the darkest of times. The lesson is to never underestimate the power of friendship. Many do and pay the ultimate price.

The Emerald Lady teaches a few lessons. First, love conquers all. Jeremy and Shera will always find a way back to each other. Another powerful lesson is don’t let hate blind you or let a bad action in the past destroy a good future. And finally, the greatest strength is the bond between families. It can also be the source of much pain.