Author Interview: 1. Why vampires? And why...
1. Why vampires? And why give them inhuman powers?
I've always been fascinated by vampires, ever since I was 5 or 6 years old. They're just cool!!! I've tried to make them as realistic as possible, which is why I've done away with a lot of the more monstrous vampire elements (such as killing when they feed, being able to chance shape, afraid of crosses and holy water, etc). However, I didn't want to make them out to be just ordinary people whose only difference is that they drink blood -- hence the inhuman powers!
2. Is Darren Shan in the series based on you? Are you implying, with the character's name, that these books aren't fiction at all?
I share a lot of qualities with Darren in the books, but not all -- he's a lot braver and sturdier than me, for a start! As for whether they're fiction or not ... I'm not saying they ARE true -- but nor am I say they AREN'T!!! I will state quite categorically that's I'm NOT a half-vampire, but there's a twist in the very last book of the series which will explain how it COULD all be true ...
3. Would you want to become a vampire, a vampire's assistant, vampaneze, or a half-vampire? If you could, would you turn into a different creature of the night?
I answer this question in the books -- that's what they're all about!
4. Why do you think kids of a certain age (10 to 14) love horror and fantasy? What were your favorite books at that age?
I don't think it's just kids -- in Japan, my books are targeted at an older audience, 16-30 year olds, and they love them too! I think most people have a fascination with things fantastical and weird. The world's much more fun if we imagine that we share it with vampires, vampaneze and macabre, magical circus freaks! I read loads of fantasy, horror and sci-fi when I was a teen -- though I read lots of other stuff too.
5. What was the first scary book you read? And what was the most recent? What do you like to read besides stories that go bump in the night?
I read all sorts of books -- I especially like dark crime thrillers at the moment (such as James Ellroy's books). One of the first horror novels I read was Salem's Lot by Stephen King -- a brilliant read, though I wouldn't recommend it for many of my younger readers! The most recent was Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
6. Where did you get the ideas for seriously weird things like Madame Octa, the vampaneze and the freak show? 7. Why do you think the countryside is scarier than the city? Cows aren't scarier than robbers, are they? Is the Irish countryside an especially scary place? 8. What do you say to detractors who say that the 9. What is your writing regime like? Do you have a particular desk or room you like to write in? Are you a night scribbler? 10. What are you working on now?
The
I don't think one is necessarily scarier than the other -- many of my books are set in cities. But the countryside tends to be a lot darker ... quieter ... lonelier. It's easier for creatures of the night to move about in the countryside ... to follow their prey ... to strike without warning or witnesses .........
I haven't really encountered many comments like that, to be honest. The books explore violence and death, and how they affect us as human beings -- they don't revel in unnecessarily gory details. Adults have recognized this and so far I've had no complaints -- the books have even been used in lots of schools, in the UK, Ireland, America, Australia, and elsewhere, as classroom texts!!!!
I actually write in the day time -- that leaves me free to roam at night and ... do OTHER things!!!!! :-) When working on a first draft of a book, I do 10 pages a day, five days a week. I also spend an hour or two on my web site most days.
I'm midway through the first draft of book 12 -- I like to write far in ahead of publication schedules, so that I have lots of time to go back through my books and edit them!