Dog Shows, Dangerous Monsters, and the Unstoppable Urge to Write: Meet the Author Behind Agent Zero!

What do Westminster dog shows, small-town libraries, and hot vampires in basement apartments have in common? No, this isn’t the beginning of an oddly specific joke—it’s a glimpse into the wild world of Janet Walden West—the brilliant brain behind the Region Two urban fantasy series.

Hi Janet! Tell us where you live, and a fun fact about yourself that might surprise people.

I live in East Tennessee in a rural area. Like, you are driving twenty-five minutes to find a Starbucks. As far as surprises, I’m one of those weird dog show chicks you see on TV every Thanksgiving, and for two nights when Westminster is televised. I’ve been involved in shows since I was a kid in the single digits, and several scholarships from kennel clubs and junior showmanship wins helped pay for college.

What first sparked your love for romantic fantasy worlds, and how did that evolve into writing your own fantastical stories? 

I fell into urban fantasy accidentally. As a teen, I ran through all of my small local library’s fantasy, and reluctantly picked up a book from a favorite fantasy writer who also did UF. And I was hooked.

Once I picked up the pen (like, literally. I always do outlines Old Skool with pen and paper), I began looking for classes and groups. Romance Writers of America hadn’t imploded yet, and chapters routinely ran contests, which had an educational component. Judges were published professionals who were required to leave comments on all entries, and I entered every one I could find. I quickly learned A) I wasn’t writing romance, and B) I really wanted to.

For me, urban fantasy has always had romantic threads running through even the most hardboiled plots—Rachel and Trent in Kim Harrison’s Hollows, Ilona Andrew’s Kate and Curran, Harry Dresden and…ok, Harry is kind of a himbo, so maybe skip him!

What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you think, ‘hey, I wanna keep on doing this?!

I wrote scenes and shorts, influenced by whatever I was reading or watching at the time—basically, fan fic, except I didn’t know fan fic existed. When I pushed through with my first original-ish plot and cast of characters and finished it? Typing the end was a total high, and I have been chasing it ever since.

What themes or messages do you hope readers carry with them after finishing one of your novels (in particular your newest?)

My focus currently is on the Region Two series, Agent of Fate being the newest. Even though each book features a different couple, they are all fighting the same Big Bad and personal demons. Bu no matter how beat up the heroes get and how dire the situation, there’s always hope and those ride-or-die friends they make along the way will always have their backs.

Do any of your characters reflect parts of yourself, or maybe people you’ve known in real life?

I don’t purposely create characters that are simulacrums of me (or like the way better fantasy version). I don’t think its possible to create and not have part of the creator in the story, though. I also don’t insert people from IRL. Although my sister is positive every ginger heroine is definitely her.

Your worlds are rich with mythology and lore—what draws you to the supernatural, and do you believe there’s truth to any of the legends?

Playing with the supernatural and magic opens up sooo many possibilities with characters and storylines. It also helps right a lot of wrongs that don’t have easy fixes in our world. I would LOVE to believe that legends and magic are real, and there’s an Amazon just behind that ridge, or a hot, heroic vampire renting the basement apartment next door.

If you could spend a day in one of your fictional worlds, where would you go and who would you spend it with?

Definitely with the Region Two crew, specifically with Vee’s team. Those guys celebrate taking out murderous monsters with some banger parties.

What do you hope new readers feel when they open one of your books for the first time?

My greatest dream is that people are sucked into the world, and feel like the characters are new friends, not just words on a page.

What drives you to keep creating, even on the tough days?

Its kind of a joke, but kind of pure truth at the same time—I can’t not write Getting the words down is the only way to shut up the demanding characters in my head.

Tell us about your newest release and how you came to write it.

Agent of Fate is the latest release. Neve, a too-fearless investigative journalist ends up stumbling on our team of guardians and hunters. The biggest villain isn’t necessarily the vampire cabal or the new threats they’ve cooked up in their labs. Neve’s struggle with doing her duty and exposing the truth, versus the fact that real, innocent people will suffer, maybe in ways she never expected, feels very timely given the state of the world. You will have to read Agent Zero first!

What’s next for you and your readers?

With a release later this summer, and two more over the winter, the Region Two series will be complete. That first story I completed as a Baby Writer? Its undergoing a massive overhaul, and y’all get to meet some Southern vampires and the Sumerian goddess avatar sent to eradicate them.

We can't wait to read more, Janet, thanks for taking part in this interview. Check out Agent Zero right now.

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