"If a writer falls in love with you, you can never die."

Monday, August 29, 2016


Meet the Girl Who Published Her First 
Vampire Book Aged 14


Meet Amelia Atwater- Rhodes. I've never read her books but I remember her name from when I started reading and writing vampire fiction when I was a teenager. I remembered her tonight and I plan to see what her writing is like this week while I still have some summer days free to read!

So who was she?

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (born April 16, 1984) is an American author of fantasy and young adult literature.

What was her first book?

Her debut novel, In the Forests of the Night, was published in 1999, when she was 14 YEARS OLD!!!! She has published a new young adult novel every year since her first. 

Image result for in the forests of night book

Tell us more about that first book.

According to Amelia's official site, In the Forests of the Night (original title "White Wine") is one of a series of 7 novels and is the first she ever published. 

Where did she get inspiration from?

The inspiration for the novel came from an assignment she received in the 7th grade when her best friend Jessica chose "The Tyger" for the assignment. The character of Risika was taken from the brief mention in Amelia's unpublished novel, Red Wine. 

She began working on the novel in 1997, under the title White Wine, and during the writing process with the novel, two incidents had an affect in the final product. First, Amelia got writer's block and then her computer crashed from virus during the summer. The crash meant she had to re-write the story. While she was doing that, she changed the antagonist from Ather to Aubrey (another character)She spent 4 months editing the story and sent it to agents on December 31, 1997 but kept getting rejected. In mid-February 1998 she met her agent, Tom Hart, who later called her and informed her that Random House would publish the novel on her fourteenth birthday; however, the novel was pushed back and released a little over a year later in May 1999.

Does she only write about vampires?

No. In 2003, Amelia took a break from vampires and published Hawksong, the first of a five book series about shapeshifters, “The Kiesha’ra Series”. 



Personal details

At school she loved singing and drama (though was too shy to perform). She also knew fencing. Amelia was married to a lady partner for 5 years but got divorced. She has a two-year-old daughter. Amelia is Jewish.

What is Amelia doing now?

She's been teaching English for 8 years to students with language-based learning disabilities.

One of her many tips for authors:

"I love creating characters, but sometimes as a writer you must kill what you love.
Sometimes a book simply has too many characters. Taking one out leaves a hole that can be filled by other characters, giving them more space to stretch, develop, exercise their agency and just generally get to know the reader.
On the other hand, sometimes a character is vitally important but too often working behind the scenes or summarized in exposition or "while you were out" discussions. In those cases, it's better to add. If that character is important but absent, then there's *already* a hole in your story somewhere.
It's up to you, the storyteller, to decide which is which."

Quote from one of her books:

Find 24 of her books on goodreads.com

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Exclusive Interview with the Man behind Dracula Village


I spoke to Radu Oprea, the brains behind the exciting new project "Dracula Village," to be built in Bran, Transylvania. Set to appeal to both historians and Stoker fans as a shining example of "Responsible Dracula Tourism" (that respects and separates fact from fiction), the village is currently in the design-and-fund-finding phase. I asked Radu for more details...

Radu Oprea, Founder, Dracula Village
What is #DraculaVillage?

Dracula Village is the project of a thematic vacation resort in Bran Village, Transylvania, overlooking #Bran Castle and the Bucegi Mountains. It contains 8 thematic buildings that are designed by architect Gabriel Henegar in the old Bran architectural style. Actually, each building is a piece of art in itself! The project is also supported by Dacre Stoker, author of Dracula the Un-Dead!


How did you come up with the idea?

#Romania is perceived everywhere in the world as the Land of Dracula. #BramStoker put our country on the world’s list of thematic touristic destinations. Count Dracula might have been that “Voievode (War Lord) Dracula” Bram was making a reference to- Vlad the Impaler, our medieval ruler who fought the Ottoman Empire. With Dracula Village, we want to be the promoters of “Responsible Dracula Tourism,” as Dacre Stoker nicely put it. We want to become the base for thematic Dracula tours where visitors can learn about the fictitious story of Dracula and the real facts about Vlad the Impaler. The idea of Dracula Village came when we discovered the property in 2015. Once on the site, you realize you can do no other project but this.

How will you start?

Building a small village from scratch is a daring journey. We will first use crowdfunding for the first round of funding. Of course, we might try to get hold of some European Union funding but this comes with many strings attached. We’ve made the best start by buying the property in Bran.

How big do you envisage the project becoming?

The project can become anything from something small, where we would have only a few houses available for our tourists, to something really big. Crowdfunding has shown that everything is possible. If we raise more than we hope, we can buy more land and extend the village.

Architect Gabriel Henegar

How 'vampiric' or Dracula themed will the village be?

It is planned to be “responsibly vampiric.” Of course, we don’t want to scare children away, but at the same time we want to honor “Dracula legends.” For example, the village contains houses like Stoker’s Retreat as a tribute to Bram Stoker. Also, we have Bela’s Cottage. Bela Lugosi was the first actor to play Count Dracula and he was also born in Romania. The other houses that we want to build are Mina & Lucy Villas, Prince Vlad Mansion, Van Helsing Duplex, Whitby Hall, Harker CafĂ©, and a Crafts House. However, our village is Dracula Village because it is located in Bran, where Bran Castle is. Few people know that Bram Stoker saw a sketch of the castle during his research and used it as a model to design the fictitious castle of Count Dracula. So, we have the perfect location for this project and, with the help of interior designs of the buildings, we will create the perfect atmosphere for a memorable Dracula Vacation.
Whitby Hall, named by Blood Omen author, Katie Ruth Davies

Have you been working with Dacre or any non-Transylvanians on the implementation of this project?

Dacre Stoker is an inspiration to us and we are really honoured to be developing this project together. He is the promoter of “Responsible Dracula Tourism” in Romania and this project is aimed at contributing to that. Actually, we had the pleasure of hosting him and a group of American tourists visiting Romania on a Dracula Tour recently. We had a nice picnic together on the property of Dracula Village and had a very good time together by the camp fire, eating “bulz” and trying on traditional shepherd’s outfits. Aside from the architect and the interior designer, all members of our team are non-Transylvanian, born in Galati, a city that was crossed by Dracula when he was running away from Abraham van Helsing and his friends. They used the route London – Varna in Bulgaria, then took the train to Galati, while Dracula used the ship to enter the Danube to Galati, then followed the Siret river north.

From the left: Radu Oprea, Dacre Stoker and friends on the site of the future Dracula Village

Will you host special Halloween and Dracula events?

The 2016 IVFAF
We would really like that. Also, we would like to help organize major Dracula events in Romania like the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival (IVFAF) that had its first edition in Sighisoara this year, or the World Dracula Day in May. We also want to organize Dracula Tours for our guests to Sighisoara, the birth place of Vlad the Impaler, Poenari, the real castle of Vlad, or the location of the fictitious Dracula Castle in the Calimani Mountains.

Have you had any issues with/objections from the local community?

Not at all. Romania has good legislation as a European Union country. Also, the local community in Bran is used to vampire activities.

How will you handle the sensitivities of the local people?

Romania has so much more to offer than just Dracula legends
I have to admit there are Romanians who don’t like our country to be associated with Dracula. That’s because we have so much more to offer like UNESCO monasteries, the Danube Delta, nice mountains, and the Black Sea coast. I believe the key to bringing everybody together is “Responsible Dracula Tourism.” While following the footsteps of Dracula and learning about our history, tourists will be able to discover other beautiful places as well. Also, there is a misconception that the folks attracted to the legend of Dracula are “weird.” I can tell you they are very beautiful! In fact at IVFAF this year, there were students doing their PhD in vampire literature. Romanians don’t know that and it is our duty to change this perception.

"There are Romanians who don’t like our country to be associated with Dracula. I believe the key to bringing everybody together is 'Responsible Dracula Tourism'.”





What are Romanian employees like and what policy will you have for training them?

The services in hospitality still have a ways to develop in Romania. So please, bear with us. We have the problem of our best employees leaving the country for better jobs in the West. However, we believe anybody can do a good job if the owner of the business acts as a partner and not as a “boss.” Our employees will be our friends first and employees second. Also, my team and I will be involved in taking care of our tourists because we are talking about a family business.

Why do you think the vampire genre is so popular?

Like Facebook, Bram Stoker did not anticipate how big Dracula would become! The vampire genre is so popular because of the movies and the literature that followed, the actors that are role models to many folks, the real story of Vlad the Impaler and its “Draculesti” family, the tales about “strigoi,” and the many people that are passionate to keep the genre popular on websites, Facebook pages, groups, or communities. Actually, one of the cool activities we want to organize in Dracula Village is “story telling.”

Who or what is Dracula to you personally (childhood views and now)?

I didn’t know anything about Dracula during communism. Now, Dracula is a community of great friends to me.

Have you read Blood Omen yet? 

Aaaaaaaa, I have the English version and I promise I will, this Fall. :)


Like the Dracula Village Facebook page to keep updated on their progress: www.fb.com/draculavillage

Wednesday, August 10, 2016


Vampire Jokes


What does a vampire fear most? 
Tooth decay.

Why doesn't anyone like Count Dracula? 
He's a pain in the neck.

Why did the vampire's lunch give him heartburn? 
It was a stake sandwich.



What is a vampire's favorite fruit? 
  • A neck-tarine.
Why does Dracula consider himself a good artist? 
  • Because he likes to draw blood!
Who did Dracula take out on a date? 
  • His ghoul friend!


What is the best way to talk to Count Dracula?
  • Long distance.
How does a girl vampire flirt? 
  • She bats her eyes.
Was Dracula ever married? 
  • No he's a bat-chelor.

Where does Dracula keep his valuables? 
  • In a blood bank.
What did the teacher say to Dracula after he failed his math test? 
  • Can't you count Dracula?
What is red, sweet and bites people? 
  • A jampire !


What is Dracula's favourite flavour ice cream? 
  • Veinilla.
What's Dracula's favourite coffee? 
  • Decoffinated.
What do you get if you cross Dracula with Sir Lancelot? 
  • A bite in shining armour!

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Author Advice: Getting the Voice Right



I loathed the thought of appearing to her like a silly love-sick teenager. 'But you are a love-sick teenager!' Ana's ever-present and helpful voice pointed out.- Blood Omen Book I: The Vampire Wars

The main characters of my books are usually aged between 17 and 26 years old, with an occasional "older person." I write from both female and male perspective.

But I'm a 34 (nearly 35, arghh!) year old woman, mother of three, married. My clubbing days are few and far between (how I miss them!), as are my days of passion and flirting (ditto!).

So how do you write another person's life? Imagination is key, as is experience. Research comes next, as does keeping your finger on the pulse of what is "hot."

That said, while smartphones, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter are the current hot things, I decided to avoid them in Blood Omen for the most part because I don't believe they will be around forever (whereas I hope my story is!). And, in a way, I want to show my teen fans (many of whom say my world is "so believable") that there is, was and will be life beyond that tiny screen. I hate going to restaurants and bars and seeing groups of friends sitting together but...not...together- thumbs and noses stuck in separate worlds. I haven't read a book where the characters act like today's teens- but I guess it would be a pretty dull story if it existed.



Sorry. Back to the theme. I've read some books, also written by authors in their mid-30s to 40s, who get the voices of their teenage characters totally wrong. A book I enjoyed recently, but which let me down in the 'voice' category, was Vampire Girl by Karpov Kinrade (a husband-wife team). The American main character, a girl, had just turned 18. She worked in a bar. She (as we are repeatedly reminded) has a lot of 'sass,' and yet once she moves into the medieval society of "Hell," her speech becomes at times like that of a medieval princess.



Some examples:

"You are...mortally wounded by my sun."
(In reality, an 18-yr-old would more likely say: "My sun can kill you.")
"I am not ruled by desire or lust."
(In reality, she'd more likely say "No way I'd ever fancy him!")
"I don't believe you. This is madness."
(In reality, she'd more likely say "This is crazy." / "WTF!")

In most cases the first versions sound more dramatic. But they are not true to the character.

This isn't a post to dis Vampire Girl. I just want to point out that when you're not the same age, race, sex or are of a different cultural background than the character you're writing about, you should pay attention to making that character BELIEVABLE through how he/she talks and behaves.



Some people read my first book and criticise the main character, Dea, for being too selfish. But, to be honest, I was like that at her age and I remember it well. Some call it "only-child syndrome"... (haha!). Dea's self-serving attitude came naturally when I started writing her; it wasn't calculated. And I can see that by Book 5 (which I am drawing to a close now) her character has developed- her experiences, as with all of us, changed her and matured her. She is no longer selfish. She's still 18, she still cries and screams, but she becomes stronger as the world around her changes. Naturally. And she talks like a typical teen.

I also admit that sometimes I write Dea's words and then, on editing, realise that a teenage English speaker would be unlikely to say it. I guess the vampire realm and need for dramaticism sometimes makes me forget her age.

My advice to you: don't forget. Choose your character and get their voice right! 



My Top 5 Book Shelves

Which would you choose? Leave a comment or picture below...

Packed!

Invisible!

Comfy!

Practical!

Industrial!

The Disappearing Book

"The burning desire to see their words in print consumes the life of the unpublished writer. It's why they write: to have their words remembered" 
litrejections.com


This came out in 2012 and I have to admit I'm behind the times in only hearing about it today. I would love to have Blood Omen printed with Disappearing Ink... not that it takes my fans two months to consume the book (overnight is the common read-time, so drawn in are they by Dea's dark vampiric story)! Still, the time limit adds an intensityand magic worthy of Harry Potter...though I see problems when fans want to go back and read again...

In Buenos Aires in 2012, an independent bookshop and publisher, Eterna Cadencia, came up with a way to intensify the desire to read the works of new authors as quickly as possible- getting their names out into the world harder and faster and with a novel twist: by printing their books with Disappearing Ink which would start to age as soon as the reader opened the packet, the text designed to disappear within 60 days of being exposed to air..

"In a competitive market for debuts, the clamber to be read is the toughest challenge facing every new author. How can they be remembered, or even have a career, if their work sits on a shelf unread?" -litrejections.com


"This urgency would compel a reader to actually read the book, instead of shelving it with their collection. Since many with good intentions browse and buy without ever finding the opportunity to read the books themselves, this would revert the power to the prose." - litrejections.com
Watch the advert by clicking on the photo above