October 1st, 2024, was the release day for, Paranormal Frontier: Witch Hunter. It’s been a great journey so far, and I’m already half-way done with the next book Hoping to release it by December 1st. Anyways, I’m going to talk about the series. What it’s about. Where I plan on going with it. And some other stuff about it too. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m vague while talking about it. I’m trying not to give out too many spoilers.
If you haven’t picked up any of the books in the Paranormal Frontier series, then I would suggest you start with Paranormal Frontier: Burning West. The series takes place in the Wild West, but the world is littered with elements of fantasy and the paranormal. The premise of the whole series is that monsters, like werewolves, vampires, skinwalkers, etc, are all real. There is a government agency called the Marshal’s Office of Paranormal Activity that hunts these monsters, while trying to keep their existence secret. There are also freelance bounty hunters who assist the agency with hunting in exchange for bounties. Both the agents of MOPA and the bounty hunters are collectively referred to as hunters .
The conflict starts with the witch coven, known as Malleus Maleficarum, was responsible for unleashing a border of monsters on the city of Sacramento. The horde was led by a witch named Teresa Albright and a demon named Foras. Foras is killed by a band of seven hunters, but Teresa Albright gets away.
The novel Burning West begins four years after this incident with a hunter nicknamed Mahogany Jack. He is sent to track down Teresa Albright, but things take an unexpected turn. The novel then proceeds to introduce two other major characters, a witch named Colin McCreedy, and another hunter nicknamed Damian the Demon. Jack, Colin, Damian, and two of the hunters from the team who killed Foras, are brought together by a Marshal from MOPA to form a team. Their goal, to find Malleus Maleficarum’s secret base and put a stop to them.
The short version is that this eventually leads to a war with Malleus Maleficarum, and the rest of the series revolves around the consequences and characters involved in this war.
The Paranormal Frontier series is primarily action-adventure/fantasy, but there are multiple levels of conspiracies going on in the background which drive the events of the meta-narrative forward. It all begins with Malleus Maleficarum, a coven of witches who believe in magic supremacy, but many other groups with motives of their own will meddle in the lives of the main characters and political landscape of the world at large.
As a reader, learn to expect a lot of surprises. My goal as the writer is to always add a twist to the story that you as a reader won’t see coming. There is also an overarching narrative being told throughout the entire series, little pieces of which are revealed within each novel. I doubt anyone will be able to predict exactly where I’m going with this. (If you’ve read Burning West I’m curious to hear what you think will happen next. Same if you’ve made it through Burning West and Witch Hunter).
It’s even hard for me to believe how this whole series came to life in my mind. It quite literally started with my being bored one day and decided to write a short story about a zombie outbreak in an old west mining town. That single short story inspired several more short stories, which I published together as an anthology called Paranormal Frontier: Wild West. These short stories all follow various hunters and the creatures they hunt. However, it eventually evolved into a western fantasy series with magic, mages, monsters, and other fantastical elements. The series started out with monsters from folklore, vampires and werewolves for starters. I also included wendigos, skinwalkers, fairies, El Cucuy (it’s a monster from Mexico), and much more. Now I’m at the point where I’m trying to create my own original monsters. Original might be a stretch, but that is the intent.
Here’s one spoiler I don’t mind giving, since it does give anything away that is significant to the storyline. In my next book, Paranormal Frontier: Winter Storm, there is a monster from another dimension that I’m for now calling a Glacial Skeleton. It is a giant skeleton with blue flames as cold as ice all over its body. It’s covered in black gauze from the neck down, and patchwork armor. It carries a sword and shield, while also wielding its gauze like extra limbs. I have plans to create more original monsters and introduce them, while also trying to stay as true to the original folklore with monsters from different cultures around the world.
In Paranormal Frontier Burning West, the story begins with three chapters, each of which is dedicated to introducing one of the three main characters. There are various more major characters throughout the book, but I take a different approach in the sequels. Following Burning West there will be a book dedicated to each of the three main characters in Burning West, plus one dedicated to Teresa Albright, and another dedicated to a female werewolf gunslinger named Cass, who was one of the main characters in the anthology that I based the series on. Eventually, I will bring the main characters back together in one novel, but the series won’t end there.
The plan is for the Paranormal Frontier Series to serve as a prequel to another series I’m planning on writing that takes place in the 1920’a and may even go into World War 2. That will also be followed by another series that’ll take place in the present day. Overall, I’m creating an entire timeline-sequence of events that will ultimately culminate in a climactic ending. Of course, every series will come to an end and it won’t feel like it is unfinished. All loose ends will be tied up to prevent any mysteries and unanswered questions from being drawn out for too long. Regardless, I have big plans for this series and the planned sequels that I know readers will enjoy. The elements of fantasy will only grow as the series progresses. I’ll be creating more unique and original monsters. The cast of characters will only get wider. And the twists and turns will continue to blow readers minds.
If you are reading this on the day I first post, you can download the ebook for both Paranormal Frontier: Burning West and Witch Hunter for free between October 1-5, 2024.
MJ Maddox
Author of Paranormal Frontier- where fantasy meets the Wild West.
You can use my amazon affiliate links below to purchase your copy of any book in the Paranormal Frontier series
Paranormal Frontier: Wild West: https://amzn.to/3FUFGO4
Paranormal Frontier: Burning West: https://amzn.to/41PA4NR
Paranormal Frontier: Witch Hunter: https://amzn.to/4280WHE
Paranormal Frontier: Winter Storm: https://amzn.to/4c4Ushk