Interview with Giorgi Muzashvili, Cover Design Competition Winner 2017

Meet Giorgi. He's a 16-year-old Georgian who lives with his parents and brother near Gori, a town in the centre of Georgia famous for being the birth town of Russian dictator Josef Stalin.

Giorgi is a self-confessed bookworm and one of his passions is designing covers for the books he's read. He adores the vampire genre and has also written his own fantasy book 'The Bloody Element' jointly with friend Giorgi Toria. They hope to get it published when they're both old enough to hold the legal rights. And he's a BIG fan of the Blood Omen Saga...

Giorgi Muzashvili with Blood Omen author, Katie Ruth Davies, in Gori

Why vampires?

Because I think that humans are always trying to create the perfect creature without any weakness, so they created vampires. Vampires have all the things that humans always wanted and needed: power, speed, a keen ear, acute eyesight, etc.

Tell us about Blood Omen

I just adore this saga. I'm a massive fan of the vampire genre, so I've read a lot of vampire books, but this one is something amazing. The first reason is obvious and stated in the preface of the book: that there are no happy endings, the "happy ending" being a very bad tendency of 21st century literature. And the characters... the characters are amazing. I fell in love with a fiction character for the very first time- I adore Mica! And then there's the plot- you can never guess what will happen. You can't put the book down when you're reading, even if it's 2am and the next day is a school day! The Blood Omen saga is the PERFECT mix of fantasy and mythology with elements of thriller.

The author lives in Georgia. Have you met her?

I've had the honour to meet her three times already. I feel very lucky because when I discovered Blood Omen for the first time (in July 2014), I never dreamed I'd actually get to meet the author! I met her for the first time in 2015 at a presentation of Blood Omen in Gori, then again in 2016 when I won a prize for the short movie competition she'd run and most recently in November 2016 at the presentation of Blood Omen 3.

What is it like having an foreign YA author living in your country?

It's the coolest thing a reader can get in a country as small as Georgia is. Especially because we've not got a [local] writer that's even used a vampire character in a book. Katie often does presentations and other things, a great way to make literature more popular with teenagers.

Tell us more about teen fiction in Georgia

If we compare the situation to that in western countries, we'll see there is a seriously low number of teens reading books. But it was worse in the past. When I started reading YA books, there was a social resistance that impeded the YA genre from becoming popular. For example, there was a time when Potterheads were labelled Satanists, non-Christians and other foolish things. But now it's changed a lot: you can see how teens are waiting for their favourite books to be published. I'm really glad that it's happening now, but I hope the publishing industry will soon become more like it is in the US and Europe.

Tell us about your book

The Bloody Element - future Bestseller!

The Bloody Element is a fantasy novel. There is a vampire universe which is divided into four covens: Water, Fire, Earth and Air. So the vampires are four kinds: each of them can control one element. It is a gift which Aramonstat (the 'pharaoh') gave them along with a curse. A long time ago, Fire became dominant in the vampire universe. But now the other three covens, Water, Earth and Air, have created an alliance againt Fire which peacekeeps in the supernatural wolrd. The book is a mixture of dark-fantasy, Egyptian mythology and religious allegories. The novel was submitted chapter-by-chapter over two years in an online Vampire fan group, so we already know readers like it. I hope it will win the Palitra (Georgian publishing house) competition and we'll get to see the book printed.

What inspired you for the winning design for the Blood Omen 4 book cover (Georgian version)?

Reading. When the competition was announced, I re-read the previous three books (Blood Omen 1, 2, 3, Georgian versions). When I got to book 2, Dea and Stuart's last dream meeting, I got a few ideas. One was Dea, the moon and snake.

The full Georgian set (so far), with Giorgi's winning design

The first draft of the winning book cover

What are your future plans?

I want to go to Illauni University to study Literary Critique but I'll also be working in Graphic Design.

Book 4 Translated into Georgian... Cover Design Chosen

Keeping to my tradition, Blood Omen 4: Beyond Death will be released in the Georgian language in October 2014 (official presentation on Halloween). Ana Chichinadze has nearly done translating and then it needs editing and printing.

To pass the time, I ran my (now traditional) cover design competition. I have more than 4700 fans in Georgia and I decided to trust them once again to create a design for the next book in the saga.

Book 3, if you remember, was designed by Natalia Nozadze (16), from Opiza School in Tbilisi, with the computer genius of Beqa Giorgadze.

Natalia Nozadze's winning sketch for Blood Omen 3 (Georgian version)...

...and the final result, now on bookshelves around Georgia!

I got a LOT of entries (I love my fans!) but only one could win...

This year's winner is 16-year-old Giorgi Muzashvili from Gori. Read his INTERVIEW here. Below, you can see the initial draft of the final design plus the runner-up (Fan Favourite- showing Dea pregnant) and a few other top scorers from the Fan Vote and my personal favs.

First draft of Giorgi Muzashvili's winning design

I chose Giorgi's design because here we can see more of Dea's face, in a vampire cloak, the world behind her threatened by the shadow of Apophis. In her expression you can see both the weight of the demands the Prophecy places on her and her determination to do what she has to do.

The Fan Favourite by Ruso Korinteli & Tatia Khoshtaria (chosen by number of Likes on www.fb.com/bloodomensaga)

This was another design the winner, Giorgi, sent- it was my mum's favourite :)

Long Time, No See (Sorry!)

Sorry for the gap in writing. I was in the UK for Christmas and work has been crazy. Since uploading the last vampire book (Blood Omen 5: The Balance), or at least, the last until the prequel, I've been soaking in my Georgia-based "angels/demons" book (still no official title decided yet).

Most of "angels" is written and I'm now working through it putting the puzzle together and the scenes in order. I always write what inspiration dictates- sometimes I think of a dialogue, other times a cool action scene. I usually come up with my ideas while I'm traveling- walking around Tbilisi or driving (passenger!) in the car. Then I write it down when I'm next at the computer and in the last months before publishing, I move it around to make a logical flowing story and fill in the gaps. That's the hard work. But it's still amazing to see a finished product.

Speaking of which, I had a "moment" yesterday- I was getting my books ready to sell at a presentation today (Blood Omen 1,2,3 are already printed in Georgian and No4 will be out this Halloween). And I felt warm and proud- not everyone can say they've written books and that those books are loved by others.

So a quick shout out to all my fans- THANK YOU! for all your love and support. My life has been made so much better by knowing you!

Oh, some GOOD NEWS! The Georgian National library has a new initiative to make Georgian Book Corners in libraries in 25 different countries- giving Georgian diaspora the chance to read books in their native language (which even has a different and very beautiful alphabet). See the news story here. This week my first three books were taken to libraries in Rome and Milan...

My books in Rome, Italy

...and in April they will hopefully be taken to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania!

So, soon, Georgian kids in Europe will get the chance to "Let the Darkness Draw them In"- to meet Santi and the Coven, Stuart and the Apophi and to feel that magic that is ვამპირული ომები! <3

The Saga is Complete...The Author Looks Back

This week I finalised the writing and editing of the last book in the Blood Omen Saga- Blood Omen 5: The Balance. I'll be uploading it onto amazon on Dec 5th because beforehand I want time to run a small social-media competition for my fans and to finish up a super cool book trailer which will go on youtube the same day- featuring Apophis himself with a special message for the humans!

How did Blood Omen begin?

I was living near Barcelona in Spain, working as an English teacher in the city. I was traveling to and from work every day by train- it was nearly a 1-hour journey door-to-door. One night I woke from a dream to hear the church bells ringing outside the window and an image strong in my mind's eye: Elias (at that moment called Eric), sitting at the window of my childhood bedroom. It was a Saturday so I grabbed a cup of tea and started the computer. I wrote down what I had seen. Then I imagined what was said between he and I (who then became Clea- later Dea), what happened next, and on and on...then I imagined what had happened before. I bought a small notepad and started making notes as I sat on the train speeding along the coastline looking out to sea. The notepad was soon full so I transferred the ideas to the computer and bought another notepad. By month 3, my ex-husband saw I had too much story in me to be away from the computer for long (teaching was interrupting my flow!), so he supported me to give up teaching for a while. 6 months after I started, I had two books. I knew I needed to write five to finish Dea's story (how I knew, I have no idea!). Then I started trying to get the agents in the UK and US interested...

Difficult times...

There was a five-year gap between finishing Book 2 and Book 3. What happened?

Life! I moved from Spain to New Zealand, got divorced, moved to the UK then Georgia, had 2 children... and also I lost the right direction for the story. I was writing the way I wanted the story to go (more between Dea and Stuart!) but it felt wrong and I couldn't sleep or concentrate well and the scenes were getting confused. It was a very uncomfortable time. Then one day I realised that it was impossible for Dea to be so much with Stuart in the Temple because her heart belonged to Santi. And Stuart could not soften in his feelings because of his training, his beliefs and because if he did, I would be turning him into a "better, harder" Santi. So I made him colder and harder again- stopped him flirting with Dea, deleted the "love" scenes. And I felt immediately better for it- and my characters were happier, too- we were back on track, heading in the right direction!

Tell us about some of the best and worst moments while writing the Saga

That mess-up within Book 3 was definitely the worst and most challenging. Also bad was finding a number of editing mistakes after I'd uploaded. It's not easy being your own editor (and it can be expensive to outsource). Also horrible was getting rejected by agents. Self-publishing was one of the highs- seeing my books on the "global shelf." Even better was seeing my books on real book store shelves in hard copy when they were published in Georgia. As for writing, the best moment is the remembering- that I can be walking down the street and hear, see or smell something and be instantly taken in my mind to a part in the book- a bike ride with Santi, a dialogue with Stuart, a fight with Takeshi, dancing with Ana... as if I lived it and they are my memories. And I know the fans I have also get the same experience of "it was me!" And the fans! The reception I'm getting from the teens in Georgia blows me away- with some comparing what I've written to works by Stephanie Meyer and L.J Smith. It's a real honour for me to be grouped with such authors! And I love communicating with my fans and running competitions for them to feel like a part of the incredible Blood Omen world!

Feeling like a happy kid...but also doubting- can it really be over?!

How do you feel now it's over? 

Powerful. But although I've been "finishing" Book 5 for around two months (life getting in the way again!) and I knew the end at the beginning of summer, it still hasn't sunk in that it's over. I expected to have a stronger feeling of pride, to have a sense of fulfilment or completion... but I don't. I more have a sense that it's not over and that is kind of worrying. It almost makes me doubt that I have written the last book right- maybe the fans won't be satisfied, or maybe there's a question I left unanswered. But I have decided to upload what I see as the finished version and if I get a sudden lightning strike of "OMG! You gotta change/add that!" then I'll deal with it. I feel a little lost without my vampires- but I have another project to work on, so for a time the only time I'll be thinking about Blood Omen is before a book presentation or while I'm communicating with my fans. It's kind of sad... but the time has come and I do feel I achieved something pretty impressive to have written and published 5 books by the age of 35 (plus having 3 kids and holding down 3 other jobs!) :D

Is there anything you would change if you could?

A few things, but they are part of the story now, and as so many people have the story in their hands or on their devices, I can't change any facts. But it's ok- I've worked around them or let it go.

What next?

• Angels-demons (no title yet), set in Georgia (Republic of, where I live)
• St. Catherine's (a Wattpad chapter-by-chapter construction about angels and demons)
• Blood Omen: Memories - a prequel to Dea's story regarding the Coven and Apophi characters.

No time to sleep- more books to write!!!

Make a Choice

No person is inherently good or bad. It's about the choices they make...

When I first launched Blood Omen in Georgia, at the very first presentation, a random elderly white-haired man walked up to me when I was signing books and said: "You should write about angels next." I smiled politely and told him I'd think about it. Then I forgot about it for a year or so.

This summer angels hit me with a boom! I got an idea while I was on a beach holiday in Ureki (Black Sea sandy beach resort)- that a young girl met a boy while on holiday with her friends. A standard summer romance, you might think. But those who know me know that I don't write "standard." The boy was a demon, and the girl had a guardian angel. The whys and hows have yet to come to me but I wrote 70 pages about it in just three days!

Then I shut the door on my angels and demons. I had to so I could finish with Blood Omen 5, which is in the final stages of editing now. Of course, my angels and demons are banging and kicking at the door to have their story written about, and I've promised them I'll throw open the lock soon, but not just yet. When it comes, I know it'll be good... :)

Time Flies...

In the past month I've been busy presenting my newly published 3rd book of Blood Omen (Georgian language: Vampire Wars 3: Fulfilment). And the presentations keep coming!

Here are some photos of my book launch (October 28, 2016):

The cake!

The costume!

The book signing!

The book!

The Blood Omen Quiz (with guests divided into 

The Dracula Donuts! <3

This man is known as Zaliko- he's a famous Georgian artist. It turned out his daughter is one of my fans! :)

Best Halloween Costumes- Gentleman Vampires

Halloween is approaching! Vampires will be seen at every party. Here are some interesting Vamp Boy costumes to inspire you:

Oh, Lestat...

Latino-lover!

This is definitely a BAD guy!

Nice, simple details- a sophisticated, wealthy vampire...

The 1950s gentleman vampire.

Which do YOU like best? Leave a comment below...

Best Halloween Costumes- Lady Vampires

My favourite time of year. As a vampire author, I'm kind of obliged to dress up as my inspiration. Here's a selection of Vamp Girl costumes:

Elegant- nice lace sleeve detail. I don't like the black ribbons though.

Dark, Vampire Queen style!

Cute, Miss Bat

I like the rough lace on this dress.

The middle one is my favourite. The sheers sleeves on the right are also nice.

Naughty but nice :D

Which do you like best? Leave a comment below...

Busy Season!

I haven't posted for a while. This is "busy season" for me- has been for the past two years, and more so this year.

My 3rd book has just been released in Georgian, with the launch party to be held, as per tradition, on Halloween weekend. I've been working through the final edit of Blood Omen Book 5: The Balance, and plan to upload it to Amazon on October 31st.

I wrote 70 pages of my new "Angels" (working title) book, set in Georgia, this summer but have refused to add to it more until Blood Omen is finished. The Angel characters keep knocking on my mental "door," though- they won't let me rest for much longer! :)

I've also been adding to my Wattpad project "St.Catherine's"- more on that in a later post.

Soon, I'll be starting school visits and bookstore presentations around the country. I'll post photos.

And my fans keep wriiting and sending their brilliant fan art. Love them all! <3

Blood Omen Book 3, Coming Out in Georgian Soon!

I'm so excited. Though I have yet to make it out onto the big, hugely competitive, international stage of vampire fiction (which my fans assure me my books are worthy of), my focus is on the land I'm living in- Georgia (the Republic of; that country wedged between Turkey and Russia). My first book of the Blood Omen series was translated into Georgian and published in October 2014. Book 2 followed a year later and a year after that Book 3 is due to hit the shelves sometime around Halloween.

My first book presentation, Halloween 2014

Since 2014, I've been doing most of the marketing for my books by my lonesome, which undoubtedly limits the numbers I need to be reaching (little to no support from the publishers- which is why I changed publishers for the third book). I've been presenting in high schools and bookshops and receive invites on a monthly basis. Although I always feel nervous before stepping out in front of a group to talk about myself and my vampires, I'm looking forward to the up-coming Back to School presentation season!

Book 3 is in the final design stages this weekend. Layout guy, Tamaz, is putting it together, Beqa Giorgadze is going to put the finishing touches to the cover, and I'm driving them both crazy picking at the smallest details to make it as perfect as we can! 

The Georgian alphabet is unique and beautiful!

Today, I actually got to hold the first (dummy) copy of Book 3. It is an amazing feeling that I hope all authors get to experience at least once- the chance to hold your words and be able to pass them from your hand and heart to another person. A book in the flesh is something so much more than one pasted across the bright screen of a computer or kindle. The warm smell of freshly cut pages, the guilt when the first crease appears on the cover or spine, the desire to mark a comment you love battling the reluctance to dirty the pages; and that brief moment of selfishness when someone asks to borrow your book but you don't want to let it go...

My husband isn't keen on fantasy or fiction but he started getting into the story today and was intrigued enough to promise to read more... For keying so well into my writing style I'd like to say a huge thanks to Ana Chichinadze- best translator in the world, and Nino Nekerishvili for editing to perfection!

My book names in Georgian script:

ვამპირული ომები: პირველი ნადირობა 

(Vampire Wars: First Hunt)

ვამპირული ომები: მეორე სიცოცხლე 

(Vampire Wars:: Second Life)

ვამპირული ომები: აღსრულება

(Vampire Wars: Fulfilment)

The Journey of a Book Cover: from an award-winning sketch by high school student Natalia Nozadze to the computer genius of Beqa Giorgadze and the laying out of the dummy version by Tamaz!

I plan to present Book 3 to my Georgian readers on Halloween weekend. There'll be themed prizes and a costume competition. Updates will be posted regularly on my bloodomensaga facebook page before then.

I'm hoping some vampires turn up too...